You cant let 50'000 people download a 20g client without asking SOMEONE to help pay the bills now can you?
The 13 lvl cap is kinda cheap. But don't assume that means the other 67 lvls are going untested. Theres 20k or more closed beta testers workin on all that stuff.
If the above two things piss you off. Then don't participate. It's as simple as that.
The thing is, you need to pay for a CHANCE to get a key. If you don't get a key, you don't download. Why should you pay for other people downloading ?
Good point. Never thought about that. Paying for a chane at an open beta key. I can see paying for a chance at a closed beta key. Hell, you can even buy comic books to get a 25% chance at a closed beta key for WAR. But ya, they could end up with 250,000 people paying to register to get a chance at one of only 50,000 keys for a 13 level open beta. HEH... nice catch man.
Fear not fanbois, we are not trolls, let's take off your tin foil hat and learn what VAPORWARE is:
"Vaporware is a term used to describe a software or hardware product that is announced by a developer well in advance of release, but which then fails to emerge after having well exceeded the period of development time that was initially claimed or would normally be expected for the development cycle of a similar product."
I'm actually rather certain that many of the 50k Keys will go out to previous FP subscribers. This is good for FC, simply because it advertises AoC on a broader basis. This is bad for those who have been following the game for years, because it makes them feel like they are expected to pay for something like this.
A marketing move, to reach a broader Customer Base...not very well executed in my opinion.
Funcom forums are locking, and moving any topics related to it being on fileplant heh.
Don't know what you are talking about. I am merrily posting in the thread about the Open Beta. Maybe they are locking the third, fourth, fifth and sixth thread that have most likely been opened by now.
I'm actually rather certain that many of the 50k Keys will go out to previous FP subscribers. This is good for FC, simply because it advertises AoC on a broader basis. This is bad for those who have been following the game for years, because it makes them feel like they are expected to pay for something like this.
A marketing move, to reach a broader Customer Base...not very well executed in my opinion.
fc devs says it's on a first come first serve basis
I'm actually rather certain that many of the 50k Keys will go out to previous FP subscribers. This is good for FC, simply because it advertises AoC on a broader basis. This is bad for those who have been following the game for years, because it makes them feel like they are expected to pay for something like this.
A marketing move, to reach a broader Customer Base...not very well executed in my opinion.
fc devs says it's on a first come first serve basis
Err....so? What does that have to do with what I was posting?
You cant let 50'000 people download a 20g client without asking SOMEONE to help pay the bills now can you?
The 13 lvl cap is kinda cheap. But don't assume that means the other 67 lvls are going untested. Theres 20k or more closed beta testers workin on all that stuff.
If the above two things piss you off. Then don't participate. It's as simple as that.
one word: torrent
FC seems to have no problem with letting people download the client in torrent format for the PVP weekend, since the gamespot delivery system broke.
Why not have fileplanet distribute the keys randomly between ALL members, not just the paying ones, and then download the client via torrent?
If you think FC isn't getting paid by FP to be the sole distributer of this....
You cant let 50'000 people download a 20g client without asking SOMEONE to help pay the bills now can you?
The 13 lvl cap is kinda cheap. But don't assume that means the other 67 lvls are going untested. Theres 20k or more closed beta testers workin on all that stuff.
If the above two things piss you off. Then don't participate. It's as simple as that.
one word: torrent
FC seems to have no problem with letting people download the client in torrent format for the PVP weekend, since the gamespot delivery system broke.
Why not have fileplanet distribute the keys randomly between ALL members, not just the paying ones, and then download the client via torrent?
If you think FC isn't getting paid by FP to be the sole distributer of this....
Of course FC probably paid FP to be the sole distributor for this, probably because it was cheaper than how they've been handling their invites to the closed beta with less people. This game is after all a way for them to make money.
Edit:Everyone said what I wanted to say while I was typing it. They already were using torrents for the PvP weekend with 15k keys, torrents don't explode, or cost one person significantly with the load set over so many diffrent connections. Can't see logic of using fileplanet, other than someone making a profit.
As I said in another thread, I will be playing the game at launch, might do the early starrt, if i ever get my keys. But don't care for how some things are being done.
If you are only paying fileplanet for the beta then that is the problem it is a whole service not just "pay for aoc beta."
Also there is a dramatic difference between the 7gig pvp client going out to 15k users and the 20ish gig client going out to 50k users. That is a huge bandwidth and server demand.
Wouldnt you rather funcom be worried about monitering the beta finding and fixing last minute bugs and addressing any other issues that come up without having to monitor download servers? By not handling the distrubution of the beta client they free up a lot of manpower to further invest in the completion of beta. That is after all what this is; one last test to find any new bugs while stressing the servers with the largest amount of players yet.
They actually kept the NDA. This beta is open i words only. A sad day for FC. Just another opportunity to sell milk before the customers realize the cow is dead, I guess.
If the milk is sour I ain't the type of pussy(cat) to drink it. Or something like that.
They actually kept the NDA. This beta is open i words only. A sad day for FC. Just another opportunity to sell milk before the customers realize the cow is dead, I guess.
If the milk is sour I ain't the type of pussy(cat) to drink it. Or something like that.
Where in this statement does it say they are "actually" keeping the NDA
Will there be an NDA?
We might keep it up a bit to let the main stresstest rush go by, but it will be lifted way before we launch. Soon everyone can talk about what they are playing instead of what they think they will be playing. We really look forward to this of course! This marks the start of a new chapter for us, and you all, we are now soon moving into live services! Soon everyone
Until they actually say the "are" keeping it up, anything else is speculation and hearsay.
If you are only paying fileplanet for the beta then that is the problem it is a whole service not just "pay for aoc beta." Also there is a dramatic difference between the 7gig pvp client going out to 15k users and the 20ish gig client going out to 50k users. That is a huge bandwidth and server demand. Wouldnt you rather funcom be worried about monitering the beta finding and fixing last minute bugs and addressing any other issues that come up without having to monitor download servers? By not handling the distrubution of the beta client they free up a lot of manpower to further invest in the completion of beta. That is after all what this is; one last test to find any new bugs while stressing the servers with the largest amount of players yet.
There's absolutely NOTHING on FP that I would want, so the sub would be a waste of money.
And as fore distribution...I'll say it one more time...slowly...
If you are only paying fileplanet for the beta then that is the problem it is a whole service not just "pay for aoc beta." Also there is a dramatic difference between the 7gig pvp client going out to 15k users and the 20ish gig client going out to 50k users. That is a huge bandwidth and server demand. Wouldnt you rather funcom be worried about monitering the beta finding and fixing last minute bugs and addressing any other issues that come up without having to monitor download servers? By not handling the distrubution of the beta client they free up a lot of manpower to further invest in the completion of beta. That is after all what this is; one last test to find any new bugs while stressing the servers with the largest amount of players yet.
There's absolutely NOTHING on FP that I would want, so the sub would be a waste of money.
And as fore distribution...I'll say it one more time...slowly...
T O R R E N T
Well....you wanna be in this OB right? It's only available on FP right? So you can't actually say there's absolutely nothing on FP that you want. I know, I know it's semantics.
As far as torrent goes, I don't understand why they don't want to go that route and any explanation other than one from a FC rep would be speculative at best. To be upset about this because they aren't doing it the way you want is simply the mentality of a grade schooler. I'm not pointing fingers, just calling it like I see it.
Evidently, you have to play Wizard of Oz on the fileplanet site to get the $7 deal. According to http://forums.ageofconan.com/showthread.php?t=69377 you have to keep telling the fileplanet page no to the $15 quarterly rate 3x before it gives you a one month $7 price.
Good grief, as more details emerge, this offer is getting stranger and stranger.
50,000 keys @ $15 a pop if they are not paying attention equals $750,000 for hosting the event.
Fear not fanbois, we are not trolls, let's take off your tin foil hat and learn what VAPORWARE is:
"Vaporware is a term used to describe a software or hardware product that is announced by a developer well in advance of release, but which then fails to emerge after having well exceeded the period of development time that was initially claimed or would normally be expected for the development cycle of a similar product."
AmazingAveryAge of Conan AdvocateMemberUncommonPosts: 7,188
Open Beta exclusively available through FilePlanet.com and partner IGN sites.
50.000 aspiring barbarians may enter Hyboria on May 1st 2008.
Funcom, Eidos and IGN are proud to announce that Open Beta for Age of Conan will start on May 1. The Open Beta will be hosted exclusively by IGN’s popular game download site, FilePlanet.com, as well as being offered through partner IGN sites such as Gamespy.com,Tentonhammer.com and Warcry.com. The application pages at FilePlanet.com are now open for registrations, and gamers from across the world can sign up. As 50.000 gamers prepare their Hyborian assault, rivers of blood are about to flow, and it’s exclusively available through FilePlanet and IGN partner sites.
“When we started development of Age of Conan four and a half years ago we truly wanted to move away from the standards of the MMO genre. We wanted to bring something new, exciting and fresh to the gamers,” said Gaute Godager, Game Director on Age of Conan. “As we get ready to show everyone what Conan’s savage world is all about, we need final stress testing. Teaming up with the Beta Masters at IGN was a perfect opportunity for us! We simply couldn’t ask for a better partner for this crucial stage of our Beta.”
“The IGN and FilePlanet audience has consistently told us that Age of Conan is one of their most anticipated games of the year, and we are very pleased to partner with Funcom and Eidos on the Open Beta,” says Senior Vice President of Consumer Products at IGN, Jamie Berger. “The Funcom team has developed a truly unique, visceral gaming experience that players will have to see to believe.”
Funcom would like to point out that the primary function of the Open Beta is to stress test Age of Conan prior to launch. This means that Funcom will not make the entire game available to the Open Beta testers, and a level 13 cap will be applied. The Beta experience will still give hours and hours of entertainment, and complete class and culture variety, while at the same time giving Funcom the needed focus for an Open Beta.
You are required to be a FilePlanet member in order to sign up for the Open Beta. Preloading of the client will start prior to the launch of the Open Beta, and applicants will receive more information should they receive a beta key. The Open Beta will start on the 1st of May at 1500 GMT / 0900 EST.
Just posting for referance. I believe IGN will be hosting Warhammers OB in the same vein too.
This is a good thing especially with what happened with Tabula Rasa. Level cap is also not new, so I dont know why people are acting bad about it.
If you dont like it, wait like everybody else for the trial or get a buddy key. There will be 70k collections editions being sold with 5 buddy keys per box thats 350,000 buddy keys going to floating around. I'm pretty sure everyone of you will know someone buying the game, it is massively multiplayer afterall.
Also this:
Product Director Jørgen Tharaldsen explains why we have chosen to go the route we annouced today:
Quote:
Hi everyone, as you can see we have made the big announcement you have all been waiting for today. We naturally see a lot of questions popping up, and I won’t even attempt to answer them all here. We will however try to go through the major ones so you may understand our reasoning, and hopefully get the details you need at this point.
First of all Fileplanet has posted a FAQ on their site where some basic questions are replied. You can find that here.
They will update this FAQ in the days to come as more questions pop up.
The registration to sign-up is now live, and you can find it here.
So, on to the meat of this somewhat lengthy article, read or delete at your pleasure:
WTF, only level 13 / SMART move on the level cap (pick a variant)
We have on purpose chosen to cap the Open Beta at level 13. As someone points out it is a quest junction in the game for the Destiny quests. It is however far enough to give you many (many) hours of entertainment, while giving access to both solo and group gameplay. How many hours is a bit up to you, and how many characters you create. If you are smart about it and team up (which we all know you will ;-P) you will also be able to access content for a tad higher levels. As you move into some quests which demands a certain level that will be the end of the experience. For now.
For those of you who are disappointed about the level cap; at Funcom we have always seen Beta PRIMARILY as a tool for development, a beta is there to test the game so it is as good as possible when we launch. Perhaps you have seen other solutions by other MMO games in the past, but by doing it this way we are able to test all we need, while hopefully also ensuring you get a great taste of all the new aspects we bring to the genre. As you can make several characters you can test out a lot before we launch, perhaps even making up your mind on your primary. This also means we get a focused testing on where we know the major load will come when we launch, which is at the instances running the start. Oh, for those of you wondering, when beta ends your character dies, and once we launch you will need to start a new.
Paying for Open Beta?!?!
The way Fileplanet works means that you will have to eventually pay, yes. This is not something we control, but please be aware that distributing, organizing and preparing such an activity is something extremely few gaming sites can cope with. I am not sure how well versed you are in the cost of internet downloads or what it takes to set things like this up, but I assure you, the Conan beta has a definitive cost for Fileplanet as well. Not just for the Peta byte of data going out, but for setting this whole thing up. When we started to look for a partner for Open Beta we didn’t have to think even twice, as IGN / Fileplanet are the best ones in the world on that. Simple as that. Extremely few companies are able to host and arrange something like this on the scale they do it. For us, to know that our partner can be fully trusted on everything from customer service to download speeds, was of the essence. Why we didn’t do it all ourselves? We have up until this point, tens of thousands have been selected, and we for sure will to a greater degree some weeks from now. But…as we move into final push we need final push attention too. Simple as that.
I know you will continue to discuss this aspect of it as we move on, and some of you are / will even be angry about it. Please, don’t be, this is a BETA, it is for TESTING Age of Conan BEFORE the LAUNCH. You do not have to sign up for this, it is voluntary. There is no god given right that everyone who wants should get access to a beta, remember that we are only trying to make the best possible game for launch, and the best partner we could find for that part of the Beta was Fileplanet. Age of Conan doesn’t start 1st of May, it starts when we launch. I hope I don’t come across as harsh here, we do love you guys and girls (group hug everyone) but please also understand our choices.
Will there be an NDA?
We might keep it up a bit to let the main stresstest rush go by, but it will be lifted way before we launch. Soon everyone can talk about what they are playing instead of what they think they will be playing. We really look forward to this of course! This marks the start of a new chapter for us, and you all, we are now soon moving into live services! Soon everyone
When will I get my keys and know if I am selected?
You will get a notification from Fileplanet next week, but you are able to register your email and get notification when you can sign-up next week. This does not require a Fileplanet membership. After that point in time it is a FIRST COME – FIRST SERVE rush to get keys (this is a normal way for Fileplanet to do it btw). The client downloads will go in batches though. To stagger the load this will need to be a bit staged as our MASSIVE download is a challenge for any network. This is done to ensure best possible download speeds
Is it available for everyone?
Yes, people from all over the world can sign up. Just last month we had people from a whopping 191 countries who visited the Age of Conan site, so of course we worked with Fileplanet on making it global. It will play towards US datacenters though. We are now moving into launch universes for our server parks, and this means that for this test other gamers will play on US ping times.
Only 50.000 players?
Only?!! Yes, it is what we need to stress test this part of the beta. Please understand; this will give us the data we need to move to launch. It is a small premiere for us if you like. At the same time it allows us to check strain over numerous servers, while at the same time giving us enough time to scale and fix for launch set-up.
Will general beta go on?
Yes, general beta will go on at different universe (Euro server parks). If you have already signed up through our own beta pages you might still have a chance of being picked, even though the chance is getting a tad slimmer as you may understand. We are soon launching though!
What about all the other questions?
This hopefully answered some of the most important ones, and our forum addiction means we will follow upcoming topics as well.
I hope that those of you who want to will get a spot in the beta, and that you will all have great fun when you get there. You have been amazing and waited for us and now everything moves into final stage. You have been part of the same rollercoaster we have been through, but this is it! Open Beta! Then launch!! Even though I know many of you would have wished for “complete, open, every single one being able to play for weeks for free, for as many levels as possible Beta” (TM); if you think about it, really think about it, and if you were working in Funcom, I am sure you would have agreed we have made the best approach. We chose this way because it is the best course of action to prepare for launch, and that is after all the goal of any beta.
WTF, what a lot of marketing “#¤¤#%
It’s the truth, hopefully you will understand our choices. This is a major hallmark in the development history of Age of Conan, and actually, it is great fantastic news. Isn’t it? Should some of you still be angry when you do get to enter the game; do like me, vent some steam by chopping of a few Pict heads
Have a great night everyone, hope to see you in Hyboria soon
Best regards
Jørgen Tharaldsen
Product Director
__________________
Fileplanet costs a whopping $30 a year , gets you into tons of beta's besides just this one , 2 magazine subscriptions , fast 1000K + downloads and so on
So ranting like some high horse pundit about the evils of 3 bucks a month is a bit ridiculous
well, it's obviously not just me who hates FP, and smells a rat here. The official AoC forums are going ballistic, as well as various other sites around the web.
The level cap is well uderstood. there is a reason for that. The Limited amount of keys, understood.
However, the only logical explaination for requiring a payed sub to FP is that FP paid FC for distro rights.
Now, if one were guaranteed to get a key, it would be one thing. but paying for a service that's otherwise worthless, especially in the age of bittorrent, for a CHANCE to get into an "open" beta, is a scam, plain and simple.
90% of this uproar could have been avoided by distributing the 50k keys to paying AND free accounts alike, and using a torrent for distribution.
No bandwidth costs, no choked servers, no bullshit.
You know, Funcom has tried so hard and done a respectable job to this point. Now we have Gamespot screwing up because their system is crap and we have everyone pissing and moaning about Fileplanet. Seriously, they should have just stuck with torrent and handled it all themselves. When you start letting in all of these other companies, you are gonna get burned. The good thing is, come May 17 this will all be forgotten. Between now and then though, Funcom is the one with egg on it's face over it all.
Fear not fanbois, we are not trolls, let's take off your tin foil hat and learn what VAPORWARE is:
"Vaporware is a term used to describe a software or hardware product that is announced by a developer well in advance of release, but which then fails to emerge after having well exceeded the period of development time that was initially claimed or would normally be expected for the development cycle of a similar product."
I'm actually rather certain that many of the 50k Keys will go out to previous FP subscribers. This is good for FC, simply because it advertises AoC on a broader basis. This is bad for those who have been following the game for years, because it makes them feel like they are expected to pay for something like this.
A marketing move, to reach a broader Customer Base...not very well executed in my opinion.
fc devs says it's on a first come first serve basis
Err....so? What does that have to do with what I was posting?
I've been a member of FilePlanet for years. Sure, some of you think its a waste of money, but I don't. Why? Because I have gotten in to many betas just like this because of FilePlanet. Plus, I never have to wait when I want to download something. Good deal I think.
Open Beta exclusively available through FilePlanet.com and partner IGN sites.
50.000 aspiring barbarians may enter Hyboria on May 1st 2008.
Funcom, Eidos and IGN are proud to announce that Open Beta for Age of Conan will start on May 1. The Open Beta will be hosted exclusively by IGN’s popular game download site, FilePlanet.com, as well as being offered through partner IGN sites such as Gamespy.com,Tentonhammer.com and Warcry.com. The application pages at FilePlanet.com are now open for registrations, and gamers from across the world can sign up. As 50.000 gamers prepare their Hyborian assault, rivers of blood are about to flow, and it’s exclusively available through FilePlanet and IGN partner sites.
“When we started development of Age of Conan four and a half years ago we truly wanted to move away from the standards of the MMO genre. We wanted to bring something new, exciting and fresh to the gamers,” said Gaute Godager, Game Director on Age of Conan. “As we get ready to show everyone what Conan’s savage world is all about, we need final stress testing. Teaming up with the Beta Masters at IGN was a perfect opportunity for us! We simply couldn’t ask for a better partner for this crucial stage of our Beta.”
“The IGN and FilePlanet audience has consistently told us that Age of Conan is one of their most anticipated games of the year, and we are very pleased to partner with Funcom and Eidos on the Open Beta,” says Senior Vice President of Consumer Products at IGN, Jamie Berger. “The Funcom team has developed a truly unique, visceral gaming experience that players will have to see to believe.”
Funcom would like to point out that the primary function of the Open Beta is to stress test Age of Conan prior to launch. This means that Funcom will not make the entire game available to the Open Beta testers, and a level 13 cap will be applied. The Beta experience will still give hours and hours of entertainment, and complete class and culture variety, while at the same time giving Funcom the needed focus for an Open Beta.
You are required to be a FilePlanet member in order to sign up for the Open Beta. Preloading of the client will start prior to the launch of the Open Beta, and applicants will receive more information should they receive a beta key. The Open Beta will start on the 1st of May at 1500 GMT / 0900 EST.
Just posting for referance. I believe IGN will be hosting Warhammers OB in the same vein too. This is a good thing especially with what happened with Tabula Rasa. Level cap is also not new, so I dont know why people are acting bad about it. If you dont like it, wait like everybody else for the trial or get a buddy key. There will be 70k collections editions being sold with 5 buddy keys per box thats 350,000 buddy keys going to floating around. I'm pretty sure everyone of you will know someone buying the game, it is massively multiplayer afterall. Also this: Product Director Jørgen Tharaldsen explains why we have chosen to go the route we annouced today:
Quote:
Hi everyone, as you can see we have made the big announcement you have all been waiting for today. We naturally see a lot of questions popping up, and I won’t even attempt to answer them all here. We will however try to go through the major ones so you may understand our reasoning, and hopefully get the details you need at this point.
First of all Fileplanet has posted a FAQ on their site where some basic questions are replied. You can find that here.
They will update this FAQ in the days to come as more questions pop up.
The registration to sign-up is now live, and you can find it here.
So, on to the meat of this somewhat lengthy article, read or delete at your pleasure:
WTF, only level 13 / SMART move on the level cap (pick a variant)
We have on purpose chosen to cap the Open Beta at level 13. As someone points out it is a quest junction in the game for the Destiny quests. It is however far enough to give you many (many) hours of entertainment, while giving access to both solo and group gameplay. How many hours is a bit up to you, and how many characters you create. If you are smart about it and team up (which we all know you will ;-P) you will also be able to access content for a tad higher levels. As you move into some quests which demands a certain level that will be the end of the experience. For now.
For those of you who are disappointed about the level cap; at Funcom we have always seen Beta PRIMARILY as a tool for development, a beta is there to test the game so it is as good as possible when we launch. Perhaps you have seen other solutions by other MMO games in the past, but by doing it this way we are able to test all we need, while hopefully also ensuring you get a great taste of all the new aspects we bring to the genre. As you can make several characters you can test out a lot before we launch, perhaps even making up your mind on your primary. This also means we get a focused testing on where we know the major load will come when we launch, which is at the instances running the start. Oh, for those of you wondering, when beta ends your character dies, and once we launch you will need to start a new.
Paying for Open Beta?!?!
The way Fileplanet works means that you will have to eventually pay, yes. This is not something we control, but please be aware that distributing, organizing and preparing such an activity is something extremely few gaming sites can cope with. I am not sure how well versed you are in the cost of internet downloads or what it takes to set things like this up, but I assure you, the Conan beta has a definitive cost for Fileplanet as well. Not just for the Peta byte of data going out, but for setting this whole thing up. When we started to look for a partner for Open Beta we didn’t have to think even twice, as IGN / Fileplanet are the best ones in the world on that. Simple as that. Extremely few companies are able to host and arrange something like this on the scale they do it. For us, to know that our partner can be fully trusted on everything from customer service to download speeds, was of the essence. Why we didn’t do it all ourselves? We have up until this point, tens of thousands have been selected, and we for sure will to a greater degree some weeks from now. But…as we move into final push we need final push attention too. Simple as that.
I know you will continue to discuss this aspect of it as we move on, and some of you are / will even be angry about it. Please, don’t be, this is a BETA, it is for TESTING Age of Conan BEFORE the LAUNCH. You do not have to sign up for this, it is voluntary. There is no god given right that everyone who wants should get access to a beta, remember that we are only trying to make the best possible game for launch, and the best partner we could find for that part of the Beta was Fileplanet. Age of Conan doesn’t start 1st of May, it starts when we launch. I hope I don’t come across as harsh here, we do love you guys and girls (group hug everyone) but please also understand our choices.
Will there be an NDA?
We might keep it up a bit to let the main stresstest rush go by, but it will be lifted way before we launch. Soon everyone can talk about what they are playing instead of what they think they will be playing. We really look forward to this of course! This marks the start of a new chapter for us, and you all, we are now soon moving into live services! Soon everyone
When will I get my keys and know if I am selected?
You will get a notification from Fileplanet next week, but you are able to register your email and get notification when you can sign-up next week. This does not require a Fileplanet membership. After that point in time it is a FIRST COME – FIRST SERVE rush to get keys (this is a normal way for Fileplanet to do it btw). The client downloads will go in batches though. To stagger the load this will need to be a bit staged as our MASSIVE download is a challenge for any network. This is done to ensure best possible download speeds
Is it available for everyone?
Yes, people from all over the world can sign up. Just last month we had people from a whopping 191 countries who visited the Age of Conan site, so of course we worked with Fileplanet on making it global. It will play towards US datacenters though. We are now moving into launch universes for our server parks, and this means that for this test other gamers will play on US ping times.
Only 50.000 players?
Only?!! Yes, it is what we need to stress test this part of the beta. Please understand; this will give us the data we need to move to launch. It is a small premiere for us if you like. At the same time it allows us to check strain over numerous servers, while at the same time giving us enough time to scale and fix for launch set-up.
Will general beta go on?
Yes, general beta will go on at different universe (Euro server parks). If you have already signed up through our own beta pages you might still have a chance of being picked, even though the chance is getting a tad slimmer as you may understand. We are soon launching though!
What about all the other questions?
This hopefully answered some of the most important ones, and our forum addiction means we will follow upcoming topics as well.
I hope that those of you who want to will get a spot in the beta, and that you will all have great fun when you get there. You have been amazing and waited for us and now everything moves into final stage. You have been part of the same rollercoaster we have been through, but this is it! Open Beta! Then launch!! Even though I know many of you would have wished for “complete, open, every single one being able to play for weeks for free, for as many levels as possible Beta” (TM); if you think about it, really think about it, and if you were working in Funcom, I am sure you would have agreed we have made the best approach. We chose this way because it is the best course of action to prepare for launch, and that is after all the goal of any beta.
WTF, what a lot of marketing “#¤¤#%
It’s the truth, hopefully you will understand our choices. This is a major hallmark in the development history of Age of Conan, and actually, it is great fantastic news. Isn’t it? Should some of you still be angry when you do get to enter the game; do like me, vent some steam by chopping of a few Pict heads
Have a great night everyone, hope to see you in Hyboria soon
Best regards
Jørgen Tharaldsen
Product Director
__________________ Fileplanet costs a whopping $30 a year , gets you into tons of beta's besides just this one , 2 magazine subscriptions , fast 1000K + downloads and so on
So ranting like some high horse pundit about the evils of 3 bucks a month is a bit ridiculous
I agree $3 a month is nothing, but it s the principle. You can t argue that. I can afford it hell i could afford $100 even $1000 to test it but i m not going to pay that or even 1 cent to play an open beta. It s just ridiculous. I know it cost money for FP but big deal they have advertising all over the place to pay for this stuff. I find it pretty cheesy honestly.
Let me guess , many pages of whining by folks who think they are cool every time they go against a company making a buck
Because that's evil right ?
Ah I love playing in all these beta's over the years (currently in WAR and a certain other one ) and all the fileplanet ones (EQ2/WoW and so on) , and knowing there are tons of whining children saying they will never "pay" or use Fileplanet as this makes it even sweeter to me - ah the tears of the moaners are so sweet
And the fact there are plenty of subscribers so this trend will continue and the companies know there are plenty enough willing to pay to not worry about whiners who want everything for free
now to go back through the thread and drink up the misery of the holier than thou communists who hate any company making money -
There is no "principle" nor "principal" even in it - it takes time and money to distribute keys and manage signups and account setups and Funcom is making it easy on themselves by letting Fileplanet do it - its been going on for years and will continue for years
So moan and bitch all you want , and those of us who pay 3 bucks a month for fast downloads and access to all kinds of things yearly will continue to enjoy the perks -
"Vaporware is a term used to describe a software or hardware product that is announced by a developer well in advance of release, but which then fails to emerge after having well exceeded the period of development time that was initially claimed or would normally be expected for the development cycle of a similar product."
Let me guess , many pages of whining by folks who think they are cool every time they go against a company making a buck Because that's evil right ? Ah I love playing in all these beta's over the years (currently in WAR and a certain other one ) and all the fileplanet ones (EQ2/WoW and so on) , and knowing there are tons of whining children saying they will never "pay" or use Fileplanet as this makes it even sweeter to me - ah the tears of the moaners are so sweet And the fact there are plenty of subscribers so this trend will continue and the companies know there are plenty enough willing to pay to not worry about whiners who want everything for free now to go back through the thread and drink up the misery of the holier than thou communists who hate any company making money - There is no "principle" nor "principal" even in it - it takes time and money to distribute keys and manage signups and account setups and Funcom is making it easy on themselves by letting Fileplanet do it - its been going on for years and will continue for years So moan and bitch all you want , and those of us who pay 3 bucks a month for fast downloads and access to all kinds of things yearly will continue to enjoy the perks -
Wow you talk about people whining and moaning etc. Then you say they re Communists? /boggle. Yes it is the principle argue all you want it is period.
Alright you cheap bastards, just go on and pony up the money!!!
It really isn't that bad of a deal for FP. As someone stated way earlier in this thread, usually the way they do it at FP is give out keys to the paying members first and the rest to just ppl subbed. If they do it that way it will prob be something like 35k paid and 15k for anyone.
One other thing.
I don't know what bus some of you fell off of? How do you expect those sites to pay the bills and making at least some profit? I imagine the biggest thing Eidos is getting is free advertising from FP and it's sister sites. I don't know, well actually I do, but most of you can't tell me you wouldn't do the same thing if you were in the publisher's shoes.
I have my own business and people just really don't understand that is where you make your living. Everyone wants something for free. To bad you can't just walk in the grocery store and them hand you what you want.
Anyway, you got to survive and that is just the way it is.....
Comments
The thing is, you need to pay for a CHANCE to get a key. If you don't get a key, you don't download. Why should you pay for other people downloading ?
Good point. Never thought about that. Paying for a chane at an open beta key. I can see paying for a chance at a closed beta key. Hell, you can even buy comic books to get a 25% chance at a closed beta key for WAR. But ya, they could end up with 250,000 people paying to register to get a chance at one of only 50,000 keys for a 13 level open beta. HEH... nice catch man.
Fear not fanbois, we are not trolls, let's take off your tin foil hat and learn what VAPORWARE is:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaporware
"Vaporware is a term used to describe a software or hardware product that is announced by a developer well in advance of release, but which then fails to emerge after having well exceeded the period of development time that was initially claimed or would normally be expected for the development cycle of a similar product."
I'm actually rather certain that many of the 50k Keys will go out to previous FP subscribers. This is good for FC, simply because it advertises AoC on a broader basis. This is bad for those who have been following the game for years, because it makes them feel like they are expected to pay for something like this.
A marketing move, to reach a broader Customer Base...not very well executed in my opinion.
Which Final Fantasy Character Are You?
Final Fantasy 7
Don't know what you are talking about. I am merrily posting in the thread about the Open Beta. Maybe they are locking the third, fourth, fifth and sixth thread that have most likely been opened by now.
Which Final Fantasy Character Are You?
Final Fantasy 7
fc devs says it's on a first come first serve basis
fc devs says it's on a first come first serve basis
Err....so? What does that have to do with what I was posting?
Which Final Fantasy Character Are You?
Final Fantasy 7
FC seems to have no problem with letting people download the client in torrent format for the PVP weekend, since the gamespot delivery system broke.
Why not have fileplanet distribute the keys randomly between ALL members, not just the paying ones, and then download the client via torrent?
If you think FC isn't getting paid by FP to be the sole distributer of this....
FC seems to have no problem with letting people download the client in torrent format for the PVP weekend, since the gamespot delivery system broke.
Why not have fileplanet distribute the keys randomly between ALL members, not just the paying ones, and then download the client via torrent?
If you think FC isn't getting paid by FP to be the sole distributer of this....
Of course FC probably paid FP to be the sole distributor for this, probably because it was cheaper than how they've been handling their invites to the closed beta with less people. This game is after all a way for them to make money.
[Previous Erased]
Edit:Everyone said what I wanted to say while I was typing it. They already were using torrents for the PvP weekend with 15k keys, torrents don't explode, or cost one person significantly with the load set over so many diffrent connections. Can't see logic of using fileplanet, other than someone making a profit.
As I said in another thread, I will be playing the game at launch, might do the early starrt, if i ever get my keys. But don't care for how some things are being done.
If you are only paying fileplanet for the beta then that is the problem it is a whole service not just "pay for aoc beta."
Also there is a dramatic difference between the 7gig pvp client going out to 15k users and the 20ish gig client going out to 50k users. That is a huge bandwidth and server demand.
Wouldnt you rather funcom be worried about monitering the beta finding and fixing last minute bugs and addressing any other issues that come up without having to monitor download servers? By not handling the distrubution of the beta client they free up a lot of manpower to further invest in the completion of beta. That is after all what this is; one last test to find any new bugs while stressing the servers with the largest amount of players yet.
If the milk is sour I ain't the type of pussy(cat) to drink it. Or something like that.
Where in this statement does it say they are "actually" keeping the NDAIf the milk is sour I ain't the type of pussy(cat) to drink it. Or something like that.
Will there be an NDA?
We might keep it up a bit to let the main stresstest rush go by, but it will be lifted way before we launch. Soon everyone can talk about what they are playing instead of what they think they will be playing. We really look forward to this of course! This marks the start of a new chapter for us, and you all, we are now soon moving into live services! Soon everyone
Until they actually say the "are" keeping it up, anything else is speculation and hearsay.
And as fore distribution...I'll say it one more time...slowly...
T O R R E N T
And as fore distribution...I'll say it one more time...slowly...
T O R R E N T
Well....you wanna be in this OB right? It's only available on FP right? So you can't actually say there's absolutely nothing on FP that you want. I know, I know it's semantics.As far as torrent goes, I don't understand why they don't want to go that route and any explanation other than one from a FC rep would be speculative at best. To be upset about this because they aren't doing it the way you want is simply the mentality of a grade schooler. I'm not pointing fingers, just calling it like I see it.
Evidently, you have to play Wizard of Oz on the fileplanet site to get the $7 deal. According to http://forums.ageofconan.com/showthread.php?t=69377 you have to keep telling the fileplanet page no to the $15 quarterly rate 3x before it gives you a one month $7 price.
Good grief, as more details emerge, this offer is getting stranger and stranger.
50,000 keys @ $15 a pop if they are not paying attention equals $750,000 for hosting the event.
Fear not fanbois, we are not trolls, let's take off your tin foil hat and learn what VAPORWARE is:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaporware
"Vaporware is a term used to describe a software or hardware product that is announced by a developer well in advance of release, but which then fails to emerge after having well exceeded the period of development time that was initially claimed or would normally be expected for the development cycle of a similar product."
50.000 aspiring barbarians may enter Hyboria on May 1st 2008.
Funcom, Eidos and IGN are proud to announce that Open Beta for Age of Conan will start on May 1. The Open Beta will be hosted exclusively by IGN’s popular game download site, FilePlanet.com, as well as being offered through partner IGN sites such as Gamespy.com, Tentonhammer.com and Warcry.com. The application pages at FilePlanet.com are now open for registrations, and gamers from across the world can sign up. As 50.000 gamers prepare their Hyborian assault, rivers of blood are about to flow, and it’s exclusively available through FilePlanet and IGN partner sites.
“When we started development of Age of Conan four and a half years ago we truly wanted to move away from the standards of the MMO genre. We wanted to bring something new, exciting and fresh to the gamers,” said Gaute Godager, Game Director on Age of Conan. “As we get ready to show everyone what Conan’s savage world is all about, we need final stress testing. Teaming up with the Beta Masters at IGN was a perfect opportunity for us! We simply couldn’t ask for a better partner for this crucial stage of our Beta.”
“The IGN and FilePlanet audience has consistently told us that Age of Conan is one of their most anticipated games of the year, and we are very pleased to partner with Funcom and Eidos on the Open Beta,” says Senior Vice President of Consumer Products at IGN, Jamie Berger. “The Funcom team has developed a truly unique, visceral gaming experience that players will have to see to believe.”
Funcom would like to point out that the primary function of the Open Beta is to stress test Age of Conan prior to launch. This means that Funcom will not make the entire game available to the Open Beta testers, and a level 13 cap will be applied. The Beta experience will still give hours and hours of entertainment, and complete class and culture variety, while at the same time giving Funcom the needed focus for an Open Beta.
You are required to be a FilePlanet member in order to sign up for the Open Beta. Preloading of the client will start prior to the launch of the Open Beta, and applicants will receive more information should they receive a beta key. The Open Beta will start on the 1st of May at 1500 GMT / 0900 EST.
Just posting for referance. I believe IGN will be hosting Warhammers OB in the same vein too.
This is a good thing especially with what happened with Tabula Rasa. Level cap is also not new, so I dont know why people are acting bad about it.
If you dont like it, wait like everybody else for the trial or get a buddy key. There will be 70k collections editions being sold with 5 buddy keys per box thats 350,000 buddy keys going to floating around. I'm pretty sure everyone of you will know someone buying the game, it is massively multiplayer afterall.
Also this:
First of all Fileplanet has posted a FAQ on their site where some basic questions are replied. You can find that here.
They will update this FAQ in the days to come as more questions pop up.
The registration to sign-up is now live, and you can find it here.
So, on to the meat of this somewhat lengthy article, read or delete at your pleasure:
WTF, only level 13 / SMART move on the level cap (pick a variant)
We have on purpose chosen to cap the Open Beta at level 13. As someone points out it is a quest junction in the game for the Destiny quests. It is however far enough to give you many (many) hours of entertainment, while giving access to both solo and group gameplay. How many hours is a bit up to you, and how many characters you create. If you are smart about it and team up (which we all know you will ;-P) you will also be able to access content for a tad higher levels. As you move into some quests which demands a certain level that will be the end of the experience. For now.
For those of you who are disappointed about the level cap; at Funcom we have always seen Beta PRIMARILY as a tool for development, a beta is there to test the game so it is as good as possible when we launch. Perhaps you have seen other solutions by other MMO games in the past, but by doing it this way we are able to test all we need, while hopefully also ensuring you get a great taste of all the new aspects we bring to the genre. As you can make several characters you can test out a lot before we launch, perhaps even making up your mind on your primary. This also means we get a focused testing on where we know the major load will come when we launch, which is at the instances running the start. Oh, for those of you wondering, when beta ends your character dies, and once we launch you will need to start a new.
Paying for Open Beta?!?!
The way Fileplanet works means that you will have to eventually pay, yes. This is not something we control, but please be aware that distributing, organizing and preparing such an activity is something extremely few gaming sites can cope with. I am not sure how well versed you are in the cost of internet downloads or what it takes to set things like this up, but I assure you, the Conan beta has a definitive cost for Fileplanet as well. Not just for the Peta byte of data going out, but for setting this whole thing up. When we started to look for a partner for Open Beta we didn’t have to think even twice, as IGN / Fileplanet are the best ones in the world on that. Simple as that. Extremely few companies are able to host and arrange something like this on the scale they do it. For us, to know that our partner can be fully trusted on everything from customer service to download speeds, was of the essence. Why we didn’t do it all ourselves? We have up until this point, tens of thousands have been selected, and we for sure will to a greater degree some weeks from now. But…as we move into final push we need final push attention too. Simple as that.
I know you will continue to discuss this aspect of it as we move on, and some of you are / will even be angry about it. Please, don’t be, this is a BETA, it is for TESTING Age of Conan BEFORE the LAUNCH. You do not have to sign up for this, it is voluntary. There is no god given right that everyone who wants should get access to a beta, remember that we are only trying to make the best possible game for launch, and the best partner we could find for that part of the Beta was Fileplanet. Age of Conan doesn’t start 1st of May, it starts when we launch. I hope I don’t come across as harsh here, we do love you guys and girls (group hug everyone) but please also understand our choices.
Will there be an NDA?
We might keep it up a bit to let the main stresstest rush go by, but it will be lifted way before we launch. Soon everyone can talk about what they are playing instead of what they think they will be playing. We really look forward to this of course! This marks the start of a new chapter for us, and you all, we are now soon moving into live services! Soon everyone
When will I get my keys and know if I am selected?
You will get a notification from Fileplanet next week, but you are able to register your email and get notification when you can sign-up next week. This does not require a Fileplanet membership. After that point in time it is a FIRST COME – FIRST SERVE rush to get keys (this is a normal way for Fileplanet to do it btw). The client downloads will go in batches though. To stagger the load this will need to be a bit staged as our MASSIVE download is a challenge for any network. This is done to ensure best possible download speeds
Is it available for everyone?
Yes, people from all over the world can sign up. Just last month we had people from a whopping 191 countries who visited the Age of Conan site, so of course we worked with Fileplanet on making it global. It will play towards US datacenters though. We are now moving into launch universes for our server parks, and this means that for this test other gamers will play on US ping times.
Only 50.000 players?
Only?!! Yes, it is what we need to stress test this part of the beta. Please understand; this will give us the data we need to move to launch. It is a small premiere for us if you like. At the same time it allows us to check strain over numerous servers, while at the same time giving us enough time to scale and fix for launch set-up.
Will general beta go on?
Yes, general beta will go on at different universe (Euro server parks). If you have already signed up through our own beta pages you might still have a chance of being picked, even though the chance is getting a tad slimmer as you may understand. We are soon launching though!
What about all the other questions?
This hopefully answered some of the most important ones, and our forum addiction means we will follow upcoming topics as well.
I hope that those of you who want to will get a spot in the beta, and that you will all have great fun when you get there. You have been amazing and waited for us and now everything moves into final stage. You have been part of the same rollercoaster we have been through, but this is it! Open Beta! Then launch!! Even though I know many of you would have wished for “complete, open, every single one being able to play for weeks for free, for as many levels as possible Beta” (TM); if you think about it, really think about it, and if you were working in Funcom, I am sure you would have agreed we have made the best approach. We chose this way because it is the best course of action to prepare for launch, and that is after all the goal of any beta.
WTF, what a lot of marketing “#¤¤#%
It’s the truth, hopefully you will understand our choices. This is a major hallmark in the development history of Age of Conan, and actually, it is great fantastic news. Isn’t it? Should some of you still be angry when you do get to enter the game; do like me, vent some steam by chopping of a few Pict heads
Have a great night everyone, hope to see you in Hyboria soon
Best regards
Jørgen Tharaldsen
Product Director
__________________
Fileplanet costs a whopping $30 a year , gets you into tons of beta's besides just this one , 2 magazine subscriptions , fast 1000K + downloads and so on
So ranting like some high horse pundit about the evils of 3 bucks a month is a bit ridiculous
well, it's obviously not just me who hates FP, and smells a rat here. The official AoC forums are going ballistic, as well as various other sites around the web.
The level cap is well uderstood. there is a reason for that. The Limited amount of keys, understood.
However, the only logical explaination for requiring a payed sub to FP is that FP paid FC for distro rights.
Now, if one were guaranteed to get a key, it would be one thing. but paying for a service that's otherwise worthless, especially in the age of bittorrent, for a CHANCE to get into an "open" beta, is a scam, plain and simple.
90% of this uproar could have been avoided by distributing the 50k keys to paying AND free accounts alike, and using a torrent for distribution.
No bandwidth costs, no choked servers, no bullshit.
Thanks Avery!
You know, Funcom has tried so hard and done a respectable job to this point. Now we have Gamespot screwing up because their system is crap and we have everyone pissing and moaning about Fileplanet. Seriously, they should have just stuck with torrent and handled it all themselves. When you start letting in all of these other companies, you are gonna get burned. The good thing is, come May 17 this will all be forgotten. Between now and then though, Funcom is the one with egg on it's face over it all.
Fear not fanbois, we are not trolls, let's take off your tin foil hat and learn what VAPORWARE is:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaporware
"Vaporware is a term used to describe a software or hardware product that is announced by a developer well in advance of release, but which then fails to emerge after having well exceeded the period of development time that was initially claimed or would normally be expected for the development cycle of a similar product."
fc devs says it's on a first come first serve basis
Err....so? What does that have to do with what I was posting?
oh read it wrong lol
I've been a member of FilePlanet for years. Sure, some of you think its a waste of money, but I don't. Why? Because I have gotten in to many betas just like this because of FilePlanet. Plus, I never have to wait when I want to download something. Good deal I think.
ColdSun
I agree $3 a month is nothing, but it s the principle. You can t argue that. I can afford it hell i could afford $100 even $1000 to test it but i m not going to pay that or even 1 cent to play an open beta. It s just ridiculous. I know it cost money for FP but big deal they have advertising all over the place to pay for this stuff. I find it pretty cheesy honestly.
As big a fan as i am of WAR i won t even do it if they do the same thing it s just lame imo.
Because that's evil right ?
Ah I love playing in all these beta's over the years (currently in WAR and a certain other one ) and all the fileplanet ones (EQ2/WoW and so on) , and knowing there are tons of whining children saying they will never "pay" or use Fileplanet as this makes it even sweeter to me - ah the tears of the moaners are so sweet
And the fact there are plenty of subscribers so this trend will continue and the companies know there are plenty enough willing to pay to not worry about whiners who want everything for free
now to go back through the thread and drink up the misery of the holier than thou communists who hate any company making money -
There is no "principle" nor "principal" even in it - it takes time and money to distribute keys and manage signups and account setups and Funcom is making it easy on themselves by letting Fileplanet do it - its been going on for years and will continue for years
So moan and bitch all you want , and those of us who pay 3 bucks a month for fast downloads and access to all kinds of things yearly will continue to enjoy the perks -
Damn, Toad! You ever hear of a capital letter, period, or paragraph break? Next time, USE THEM! My eyes are bleeding.
Fear not fanbois, we are not trolls, let's take off your tin foil hat and learn what VAPORWARE is:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaporware
"Vaporware is a term used to describe a software or hardware product that is announced by a developer well in advance of release, but which then fails to emerge after having well exceeded the period of development time that was initially claimed or would normally be expected for the development cycle of a similar product."
Wow you talk about people whining and moaning etc. Then you say they re Communists? /boggle. Yes it is the principle argue all you want it is period.
Alright you cheap bastards, just go on and pony up the money!!!
It really isn't that bad of a deal for FP. As someone stated way earlier in this thread, usually the way they do it at FP is give out keys to the paying members first and the rest to just ppl subbed. If they do it that way it will prob be something like 35k paid and 15k for anyone.
One other thing.
I don't know what bus some of you fell off of? How do you expect those sites to pay the bills and making at least some profit? I imagine the biggest thing Eidos is getting is free advertising from FP and it's sister sites. I don't know, well actually I do, but most of you can't tell me you wouldn't do the same thing if you were in the publisher's shoes.
I have my own business and people just really don't understand that is where you make your living. Everyone wants something for free. To bad you can't just walk in the grocery store and them hand you what you want.
Anyway, you got to survive and that is just the way it is.....