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Can't even get the basics right! 4get this!
Shadoed
Member UncommonPosts: 1,459
Due to a link on another post i took a look over the WAR website and while i was there it was asking people to register for the BETA, so i thought why not and skipped over to the EU beta centre. I'll tell you, i really wish i hadn't bothered, it was the worst registration process i have ever been through in my life on the net.
1st problem - I live in the UK and in an apartment style residence, the address line would not accept my house number (e.g 37/5).
2nd problem - It would not accept a UK postcode format
3rd problem - Password restrictions. I have never heard anything like it;
Must be different from login name (fair enough)
Must be between 8-16 chars long (OK, fair i suppose)
Should contain 2 digits, 2 upper cases and four lower cases (WTF!!!)
4th Problem - Insists on having your DXDiag file. Not really a major problem, but it does throw into question their selection process.
5th Problem - Once you have spent your time filling all that in, it threw a wobbly and didn't accept the info, throwing me back to the first screen again.
decided to give it up as a bad joke and i can't see myself bothering again (wonder how many other people feel the same after that).
This is absolute basic stuff and if they can't even get this right how the hell are they gonna run the game well! I know that the website does not reflect directly on the quality of the game, but it does reflect on their ability to run support and community for the players.
It must be Thursday, i never could get the hang of Thursdays.
Comments
I had no problem at all registering at the North American site (I live in Canada).
The DxDiag file is needed precisely for screening - they want a representative cross-section of PCs testing the game, so sometimes they will allow people with low-end PCs in, other times mid-end, and other times high-end. They can isolate what hardware they want to test it on and invite people with that. I thought this was quite clever.
For passwords, it is common these days to force users to make a strong password so idiots do not later complain about being "hacked" when they really were stupid and had their password guessed by a person/machine. Their restrictions do sound a bit excessive, though, but manageable.
Your frustration is understandable (though I am inclined to believe some of it was your fault, particularly with the data entry, and some was just bad luck) but it is unwise to make assumptions about the quality of a game and their forthcoming support from one bad experience with a form, particularly when you are the only case I have heard about. This makes it at least possible, if not probable, that you are in the vast minority and others had no problem.
P.S. If you really want to help beta test, consider this form your first project. Report problems to them and then maybe they can fix them - at the least they can help you. Oh, and if they deem you helpful enough, maybe you will land a free beta spot.
edit: I have no idea what the European form looks like, or how addresses work in the UK, but here an apartment typically has a street address (line 1) like "1234 Example St." and then a suite number (line 2), like "Suite 8". I live in an apartment and forms always work for me, though forms with only one line for addresses requires compacting that information on to one line. No troubles yet, though.
I also have no problem in registering.
Although I live in Indonesia...but meh...worth a try :P
the game is for usa..
DXdiag - Understandable
Password - Understandable, but excessive
Reporting the problem - I may, but to be honest i wasn't that bothered about registering in the first place, i just did it while i was looking over the site!
My main worry is that people having to go through what should be a simple process to attract people to the game will be put off trying it just because of this. Looking over it again i think they have just gone into far too much detail for what should be a very simple process.
It must be Thursday, i never could get the hang of Thursdays.
to the OP...I'd also suggest sending in a complaint/suggestion about the addy/postal code issue.
I may if i can be bothered to later, really can't face whatever reporting process they may have at the moment
Interesting though that a poll on a WAR forum would produce 30% of people having second thoughts about the game after struggling with a process like this (based on votes so far, may change of course).
It must be Thursday, i never could get the hang of Thursdays.
It's a real good game, which is why they have to make security a high priority. So they want to have a strong registration form, to make sure there are gamers wanting to beta test.
Mythic wants to make sure the beta Accounts are secure and do not get compromised. Making sure that the password is one that will be extremely hard to crack helps to do this.
The beta is not a way to attract people to the game. It is part of the process of creating a great game with minimal bugs. They are not using this as a play before you buy type of beta. They most likely will not have one like that. They want people who are actually interested in making the game better and not people who just want to try the game out.
War Beta Tester
"I'm sure they're relieved you approve..." - Glad to hear it
"I'm glad your too dim to fill out the form. There is no need having someone waisting a beta slot, who isn't even interested in testing the damn game..." - If i had been testing the game i would have no issues reporting problems as i have in several other Alpha's and Beta's, but if they can't even get the registration right then why should i bother?? ..and of course i would hate to "waist" ('waste' or 'wasting' by the way) a slot
"Betas aren't usually the best way to attract people to a game, considering the point is to find all the bugs in the game. Get a clue." - Beta's are of course a marketing tool like anything else and any MMO worth it's salt will hope to hold onto that audience when it goes to market, GET A CLUE!!!
It must be Thursday, i never could get the hang of Thursdays.
Why did you feel it was necessary to dump on the guy. He was just expressing his frustration in trying to sign up for the beta.
On an aside, they do use betas to attract players. Betas are one of the greatest marketing tools these games have.
One word:
GOA
A walking disaster. With the financial powers of EA i don't really understand, why they are giving this lackluster company the task to operate the game in Europe.
To those who were talking bout it....beta at this point is closed beta. This is not "play for free to try game" I can't find the link but I the warhammer alliance forums had a post from one of the EA fellas saying that If you weren't gonna help test and follow their instructions to test things during beta you weren't going to stay in beta for long.
Remember, some games do have easy access betas which don't require anything but stress testing the servers. But some games need very very dedicated people to actually complete assignments. There is a reason not everyone gets into beta and that is why. Not everyone out there is dedicated enough to remember to stay focused on testing and not just playing.
~~Internet gaming is not for the faint of heart or the dumb of mind.~~
A closed beta isnt a demo version of the game, its the easiest way to test the game on multiple computers (because the testers work for free). Already the registration is too difficult for you, so you won't be a good beta tester anyway.
The issue was not my testing ability, but the fact that people may be put off from even trying to become testers of the game and further down the road, buying the game itself.
PS: On a side line, if you think that even 20% of the people currently in the beta test are just there to help the company release the game clean rather than just being the first to play i think you may be deluding yourself somewhat.
It must be Thursday, i never could get the hang of Thursdays.
The issue was not my testing ability, but the fact that people may be put off from even trying to become testers of the game and further down the road, buying the game itself.
PS: On a side line, if you think that even 20% of the people currently in the beta test are just there to help the company release the game clean rather than just being the first to play i think you may be deluding yourself somewhat.
I agree with the postscript - beta tests are never about testing for most participants, and I doubt companies even delude themselves. Fortunately, even in the course of normal play beta testers tend to serve their purpose at least somewhat. Stress testing is one thing just logging on can do, and they do tend to whine about things they perceive as broken. If something needs to be buffed or nerfed, players tend to cry, which is of some help.
A real tester will go above and beyond this, though, and offer detailed feedback on a variety of game elements, and will not necessarily always play just for pleasure or for a free preview so they can learn about how to best exploit things at release.
Another interesting side note to this one (ok, interesting may be pushing it).
Just been given a Beta key for Gods & Heroes as part of the draw on this site. Got the e-mail, confirmed my win with the site, got my key and link to create an account and less than a couple of minutes later my account was created and Beta key confirmed, no hassle at all. That is how it should be.
It must be Thursday, i never could get the hang of Thursdays.
This is probably the most accurate answer you're going to get here. So stop wasting your breath.
Bollocks!
I remember having some trouble when trying to register, but I think it was my browser. I use Firefox normally, but had to use Internet Explorer (*cough*) instead because Java kept screwing up or something. I made it in the end...the registration that is...NOT the BETA. D'oh!
By the way: Does anyone else have problems with Firefox + Java (JRE2)? Seems like they've never got along too well...
In January and February when the NDA is all but meaningless expect giveaways like this where signing up is as easy as getting an email and confirming it.
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I live to fight, and fight to live.
I fail to see why this post exists, if your having trouble with a website, there is usually a help link or contact us link on the page, usually near the bottom right corner. That is where you should aim such frustrations, so they can;
a) fix it
or
b) tell you what your doing wrong and most likely make you feel stupid
As for the debate on the point of Beta, its equal reward, to get a test run of the game, to learn how to play it, to be a part its development(for those who wanted to be game developers but just never went that rout) etc. the game in turn gets free workers and hype that you spew in your friends direction. In the end, one must realize the beta's are glitched, sometimes heavily, if you don't have a high interest or faith in the game, than your going to easily be disappointed, which means the game loses a free worker and a possible client that might have been won over by the end result.
i think you need to rethink things.
Just a couple of quick notes;
To 'checkthis500' - Gods and Heroes is also a closed Beta, that was my point.
To 'IGNEUS' - The post exists to make a point about whether people would be put off from trying the game after having a poor experience with something that should be very simple to do, like registering your interest (and the poll so far says that 30% would have second thoughts).
It must be Thursday, i never could get the hang of Thursdays.
Signing up diden't work for me either, shajt loads of error messages and from that point I figured I might aswell wait.
Take the Magic: The Gathering 'What Color Are You?' Quiz.
It's just you. It took less than 5 minutes to apply for the beta.
Scratz my other post, try again they've changed it. You probably tried to sign up when the beta was just upcoming? Back then the European site woulden't even show.
Today I checked again just for the hell of things and they've made it easier. So, if I were you, I'd give it another shot!
Take the Magic: The Gathering 'What Color Are You?' Quiz.