I feel for the guy, his team is busting there humps and the lard ass idiots that live in their Mom's basement and could not get a job beyond Pizza Hut actually are given the credibility to question them. That's why I would never dream of game design as a career. Enterprise software designers work less hours make more money, and when they are called into question, it is from a professional...not some mouth breathing fry cook with no life. Said it many times. Love games hate most gamers.
1. Very Mature Post
2. I work implementing an ERP project with a budget of about $3 billion
3. The reason your company has 'cutbacks' is probably because it puts narrow-minded people like yourself in positions of authority.
The poor "Funcom" dev looks like hes about to have a nervous breakdown sitting next to the big boys... Take it as you will... maybe hes just got really bad anxiety lol. You can just see the sweat rolling off him. www.tentonhammer.com/node/31053
Jeff Hickman really inspires me with confidence in his game, his entire attitude just makes me think he knows what he is doing. The guy from 38 Studio's seemed like the rookie (which he was) but I think 38 has some good foundation building going on. The funcom guy did scare me though, it was like he wasn't sure what to say.
The five dollars a month isn't a significant factor for me.
What stops me from using FilePlanet is a history over the years that has led me to believe that FilePlanet and Gamespy load my system up with tracking software without my consent. It is my loss, and I believe FunCom's loss, and certainly Gamespy and FilePlanet's loss of my business, that I no longer trust these companies to respect both my information and other property rights to the point where I refuse to use them wherever possible.
Consequently any beta that uses these companies for their file distribution will not have me as a participant. Its their business decision to use these services, its my cause-based decision to not use these services.
I feel for the guy, his team is busting there humps and the lard ass idiots that live in their Mom's basement and could not get a job beyond Pizza Hut actually are given the credibility to question them. That's why I would never dream of game design as a career. Enterprise software designers work less hours make more money, and when they are called into question, it is from a professional...not some mouth breathing fry cook with no life. Said it many times. Love games hate most gamers.
interesting viewpoint to say the least with some color of truth im sure. but not all those who question decisions made by game companies are lard asses, live in their mom's basement, and work at pizza hut.
me for example im quite fit lol(toots his own horn) have my own 2 bed room apartment in manhattan, freelance for both a Production company, and a indie game dev company. so I believe my "professional background" has some clout and credbility unlike some fry cooks. I ask certain questions or "highlight" certain anomalies within a individuals comments, on what they are doing and whether or not their behavior or comments are questionable at best.
i think its best to always question, never take things for face value. when something doesnt sit right to you, question it, but question it based ont he merits of the facts provided. The problem with this situation dealing with the beta, that if they can handle 600k, at launch (roughly 2weeks and 3 days) but werent willing to handle the initial 50k they could of provided "seeds" via torrents which would of solved the issue with possible download issue. whats that say? laziness? something deeper? inner conspiracy with FP to promote paying subbers? lol hardly im sure, but once agian another question to list.
in the end everything about this beta was suspicisous and makes people question the overall hype of the game. me I would of loved to test the game. but i wasnt going to pay FP in order to do so. it doesnt sit right with me as a consumer to pay for a unfinished product, that is like me buying a car that has no wheels. the manufacturers say theyll send the wheels at a later date when they are finished. either way the acts, behaviors, comments, and all were questionable at best and worth investigating or at least putting a maginfying glass to scrutinize it.
3.4ghz Phenom II X4 965, 8GB PC12800 DDR3 GSKILL, EVGA 560GTX 2GB OC, 640GB HD SATA II, BFG 1000WATT PSU. MSI NF980-G65 TRI-SLI MOBO.
From there, I asked Tharaldsen if there was any financial incentive at all in distributing the beta through Fileplanet and while, as stated above, he told us that the Conan beta was a needed expense to get feedback on the game, he did outline the benefits to choosing Fileplanet beyond their reliable download speed and prior relationship:
“We are just a few weeks away from launch, and when moving into the final push beta stage it’s important for any MMO to ensure a final push attention as well. In my experience most all MMOs these days use the last few weeks for a more marketing orientated beta process, and Fileplanet seems to be the #1 gaming site in that regards.
lol you should probably answer a question especially when it's going to be ripped to pieces by your 'fans' lol, and if you don't plan to answer it for any reason, you should atleast say as much so you don't seem to dodgy and tactful
seriously tho, i'll be playing this game on the 20th and hopefully loving it, but that interview seemed clipped and filtered, and if answers werent removed then Jorgen Tharaldsen isn't the right person to be doing interviews with websites even associated with players. Oh you're right jorgen tharaldsen, it is about launch attention, that is very true. Unfortunately your choice of how to get that launch attention seems questionable.
"Sometimes, things that may or may not be true are the things a man needs to believe in the most. People are basically good. Honor, courage, virtue mean everything. Power and money, money and power mean nothing. Good always triumphs over evil. Love, True Love Never Dies." Which Final Fantasy Character Are You?
Personally I am just as glad to let other people beta test the game. I have pre-ordered, I'll get the three day head start, and as long as most of the bugs are ironed out by then I'll be happy as a clam. Yes, I would love to start playing the game now, but that's not the point of beta testing. Beta testing is a great big pain in the neck sometimes, if you are doing it right. This so called open beta is more of just a stress test and don't be shocked when on day one, when you all log in at the same time, the walls come crashing down. If it doesn't it would be the first in my expirience that didn't. You be lucky if you see the level 13 cap before the beta is over, as you'll be playing in maybe 2 or 3 hour windows while the devs and techs set about fixing whatever problems arise. Believe me it's not gonna be happy funtime I got to play before everyone else land. Those of us who remember AC beta know that downtime is inevitable, and the frustration of being all jacked to play the game, yet not knowing when, or even sometimes if, the servers will open back up is worse than just waiting for the game to open to the public. While I am playing some other game to pass the time, the people in beta will be sitting staring at the message board or forum waiting with baited breath to be ready for the exact moment it opens back up. Then as you all rush in...it'll crash again. That's not saying anything bad about the game, it just is the way it is. Then you'll be mad and bitchy and say all kinds of things about how terrible the game is, even though what you are expiriencing isn't a true reflection of what the game will be like when they open up all the other servers that they have been holding back until release. Oh yes. I've been there. I was kinda hoping that with the mature rating we'd see less of this, but alas that doesn't seem to be the case.
Why are they going through Fileplanet for the beta? So that they can, at least somewhat, verify people's ages. Remember that this game, unlike many others before it, has a M rating, so they can't just let anyone download it. Everyone who is going to play this game when it releases is supposed to be an adult...so how about we start acting like it?
Not meaning any offense, and not pointing fingers, just saying what I feel needs to be said.
Let the people at Funcom do their job. For those of you who are in the beta, remember that you are there to help them, not criticize or nitpic.
What a bull. I stopt reading after that they justify charging for the beta. That they ask for OB well okay. But that they justify it with saying that "They never charged for the normal beta" is just plain stupid. Beta's are a cheap way for a company to find bugs. The PvP weekend was pure for promotion, and had NOTHING to do with a beta.
I feel for the guy, his team is busting there humps and the lard ass idiots that live in their Mom's basement and could not get a job beyond Pizza Hut actually are given the credibility to question them. That's why I would never dream of game design as a career. Enterprise software designers work less hours make more money, and when they are called into question, it is from a professional...not some mouth breathing fry cook with no life. Said it many times. Love games hate most gamers.
1. Very Mature Post
2. I work implementing an ERP project with a budget of about $3 billion
3. The reason your company has 'cutbacks' is probably because it puts narrow-minded people like yourself in positions of authority.
This is such a stupid non-issue that players have made into some kind of soap opera. The only people complaining about this are those that think a beta of any kind is really just a trial, like they owe you somthing. When its not. Be warned, most future open betas are going to be just like this. So get the crying out now, it’s not going to change.
Some people dont like to remain silent when their hopes are getting shattered. If someone wrongs you, and you dont say a word then you:
- are a masochist;
- don't care;
- have no clue what the hell happened;
I don't see much whining going on here. In fact, most arguments presented here and on other forums are mature and meaningful.
As one of the one hundred AoC Fileplanet Beta key winners, I have but one question. Did I read the article correctly . . . 13 GB client? Good Lord, it will take me a week to download that sucker!
Took me overnight with the Fileplanet downloader on a good cable modem connection. And if you really got a key -- go read the email they sent you and you'll see instructions to load it up. You can even patch it (but not log in) as of today.
I'm a fileplanet member *anyway* before all this, so I went and got myself a beta key, but may I say the process SUCKED. They want to you load up their Comrade application (like xfire, but lamer) to get updates as to when keys would come available. And then you had to reload the beta page every few minutes or the keys would come available -- and be exhausted -- within a few minutes.
I'm a consultant, and work from my home office, and could sit listening to a work related podcast while mashing reload every 30 seconds -- and it took me 2.5 days to get a key. If I had paid for a FP subscription just for a chance to torture myself for the chance at a key -- I'd be pissed.
I somehow doubt that the 'gold version-to-release version' patch will be anywhere near the size of the full beta client (with restrictions) download that people have to endure with the fileplanet beta.
If it's 1/10th the size, aka 1.3GB, then provided they have the same bandwidth upon release with fileplanet, they will have to move data to 10x 'fileplanet beta testers'. Besides, they have already divided their future subscribers in 3 (non-equal) parts:
3 days early
Normal release
Everyone else not in a hurry
And that's without counting the difference in dates between EU and US release.
One last thing. This isn't the first time I read the 600.000 number. And in this occasion as in the past, the number was related to the infrastructure to sustain a player base playing the game. I don't think it's very clear that they will sustain a similar infrastructure for patching as well. In any case, it's not very clear if it's the same case fore both.
Interesting article, although FC responses are very weak and did not really justify their recent moves. one of the biggest flops in their response is how they brushed off Torrents as a method of distribution. So far, Bit Torrent technology is the best way to distribute large chunks of data between large number of clients - traffic is not centralized but is shared among the network of those clients that are downloading data. The load on main server would have been reduced by a great deal.
FC reply? Going torrent would make them loose focus... what? How would uploading a torrent to a simple installation package would make them lose focus? If your client is 13 gigs or more, then torrents are the only feasible option here. Unless of course you have money to pay for huge spike in traffic.
Open beta? Well, technically they don't charge for it. but hey, If I sell you something but make you give the money to my brother, then technically, im not selling it but giving it away. If the only way to get to OB is to pay for it, then it doesn't matter who takes the money, its PAID to play. They should PAY qualified testers to test their product, and not rely on someone who is bored and has money to "test" their product.
Imagine a new car that you just bought and found out that it was never tested professionally, but rather someone with money wanted to show off his friends and paid to "test" it. Would you feel comfortable knowing someone like that tested your car?
I also work as a software engineer for a Telecom company, and I'm currently developing a new billing software. No way in hell would my boss allow me to let someone off the street to test the program. The only way to find bugs and fix it is if someone professional does it. The only time we employ public help is when we need to test networking and server loads for traffic - to identify and fix bottlenecks.
yes, most companies do employ this paid open beta method, and look where it led them (cough Vanguard cough).
I somehow doubt that the 'gold version-to-release version' patch will be anywhere near the size of the full beta client (with restrictions) download that people have to endure with the fileplanet beta. If it's 1/10th the size, aka 1.3GB, then provided they have the same bandwidth upon release with fileplanet, they will have to move data to 10x 'fileplanet beta testers'. Besides, they have already divided their future subscribers in 3 (non-equal) parts:
3 days early Normal release Everyone else not in a hurry
And that's without counting the difference in dates between EU and US release. One last thing. This isn't the first time I read the 600.000 number. And in this occasion as in the past, the number was related to the infrastructure to sustain a player base playing the game. I don't think it's very clear that they will sustain a similar infrastructure for patching as well. In any case, it's not very clear if it's the same case fore both.
This interview does not give any on spot reasons for limiting gameplay to 13 lvls. In fact - considering 13 gb download it does exactly the oposite.
Conclution - Funcom is obviously limiting "fileplaned" open NDA beta for a reason.
“We have nothing to hide,” he answered, “in fact, I have heard from so many testers that the game gets even better as you move beyond Tortage.”
So tell me Mr. Tharaldsen. Why are ppl downloading 13 gb gameclient from fileplanet just to play 13 lvls - and paying for it ?
And about "many testers" - I heard from "some ppl" that they think Mr. Tharaldsen might be gay. But I made them sign NDA so ....
There is nothing open about this beta. Its limited playable full download client - that "testers" are paying for. And as stresstest ? That is a joke. First 13 lvls will keep ppl intrested for less than one day.
There is nothing positive coming out of this. You will hear that when the reviews from the 50k "testers" will start flooding in - based on the fact it takes 3 hours to lvl to 13 - and ppl had to pay and dl 13gb client to do it.
I somehow doubt that the 'gold version-to-release version' patch will be anywhere near the size of the full beta client (with restrictions) download that people have to endure with the fileplanet beta. If it's 1/10th the size, aka 1.3GB, then provided they have the same bandwidth upon release with fileplanet, they will have to move data to 10x 'fileplanet beta testers'. Besides, they have already divided their future subscribers in 3 (non-equal) parts:
3 days early Normal release Everyone else not in a hurry
And that's without counting the difference in dates between EU and US release. One last thing. This isn't the first time I read the 600.000 number. And in this occasion as in the past, the number was related to the infrastructure to sustain a player base playing the game. I don't think it's very clear that they will sustain a similar infrastructure for patching as well. In any case, it's not very clear if it's the same case fore both.
Let me put it this way...
Read the article again. Notice where there is a talk about allowing the developers time to focus on the release of the game. Then think of your "idea" about making a "new" game with first 13 lvls... Your 1.3 gb client.
Thats just bullshit. If they need that kinda stresstest they can put together a 1mb client and ask the testers to run it.
And again - read this
” He went on to tell us that download speed was a consideration in the decision. After all, the client itself is a hefty 13Gb in size. “
Ofc ppl are dling the full gold version. Get real - its 13 gb of 13 lvls that can be reached within 3 hours.
Some bird whispered to me that lvl 22 is the record for 3 hour gamplay - after chara wipe.
If I read what you wrote right, you're claiming that pretty much any kind of public beta testing is more or less useless unless done by professionals. I don't necessarily disagree with you since pretty much everything, besides the heavy traffic load in real world conditions and the unforeseen glitch, can be found by professionals, given time and numbers.
I think that they had hoped for a "give files and let Fileplanet worry about distribution, while we only reap the results of the open beta". I don't know if it's working as planned. I do know that if it was some other company, they'd bury their heads in the sand and wouldn't talk about it at all.
One last thing about torrents. Personally I don' t like them. Given the choice I'd always pick the ftp or http download. Torrent equals low quality download as far as I'm concerned and as far as my own line can sustain. I do understand the need at times. Maybe in a parallel universe where P2P networks did not congest internet traffic forcing providers to limit the speed, it would have been a good choice. As it stands now, it's the lowest quality download method one can provide over the internet.
I was rather skeptical about the reception of the PvP weekend and it proved to be well received in general.
I will wait again before daring any proclamations for the reception of the Fileplanet beta as well.
You may be right and in the 13GB there is more than just the Tortage area. It does give them the opportunity to open up further the levels if they see fit at a later point, something that they wouldn't be able to do if they had gone with the bare minimum.
Besides, the more you limit the client, the more chances you have to create bugs that would not be present in the unrestricted version.
To Alan0n: I was rather skeptical about the reception of the PvP weekend and it proved to be well received in general. I will wait again before daring any proclamations for the reception of the Fileplanet beta as well.
In general I think the PVP weekend got some very diffrent reviews.
Im not gonna buy this any more expensive than I bought it - but again - a small bird whispered the word "memory leak". So that might be good reason why players are not really playing the game for more than 3-4 hours at the time with many diffrent loading screens.
But hey.. there is nothing to hide. "testers" will get full taste of the 13 gb client in first 13 lvls. Or ? ...
Give any reason why its not open ended ? Any ? One ? 13 gb ? 13 lvl? Reason ?
my concern with this Fileplanet beta is that it only goes up to lvl 13. MOST games you dont get a feel for the actual game, since the noobie area is usually the most polished area, trying to entice a person in. This is where my problem comes in. If Conan does well, thats great, but what if the noob area is very polished and great, but once you get out of it, it's buggy, imbalanced, etc?
As far as i recall, lvl 13 doesnt even get you out of the starter area (which i remember seeing is up to lvl 20). So by that logic, you basically aren't seeing the game, but an instance which is designed to promote a game. How many games have you played where the noob instance is great...but you get to lvl 20 or 30 and the game just dies? That's my concern atm with the beta (not even mentioning performance issues which may occur in non instance noob zones)
1. A 'Beta' that is restricted to the Tutorial, Trial, Newb zone (lvl 13 max) is NOT a 'Beta'.
2. An 'Open' Beta that is restricted to folks that have paid subscriptions to a DL service, and even then are only randomly selected, or able to get a key if they are Twitching the Site, is NOT 'Open'.
3. An Open Beta 'Test' that happens AFTER the software has gone to production is NOT a 'Test' of the game.
This is simply a gimic that does nothing but provide hype and advertisement. Maybe a stress test of how the servers are going to respond on opening day.
You folks that were not there for the Anarchy Online debacle do not recongnize that ALL the stuff you are seeing now is exactly the same sort of MO that Funcom pulled with AO.
So, just be ready for a less than stellar experience at launch.
And yes, for as long as folks keep posting about this great 'Beta', I will keep posting that it is NOT a Beta. It is just a scam by Funcom that they used to quiet their critics some time ago and mask the true state of the game.
I think there playing it pretty smart doing the 13 level limit. It gives the players little bit of the story line without giving it completely up before the game comes out. Also it gives you more chance for trying different classes and testing them all out. Maybe even giving a nice 13th level PVP bash as one of the surprises. As for the fileplanet paying for beta crud, I dont really care it will tend to keep a bunch of the babies out of it and ruining it for others or funcom themselves.
i just cant get it into my big thick skull why people keep complaining about they "have" to pay for the beta.
You are not paying for the Beta your paying for a faster way to download patches,games,stuff thingy ect.
it just happens that inclued into all this there is a chance that you might be lucky enough to also enter the beta of certains games, In this case AOC.
if it is so bad to pay for that service then...dont? noone is forcing anyone to pay for the beta, your buying a service that inclued the chance of beta testing games, not AOC specific.
Also the gaming studios are not required to make an open beta, it is just an "easy" and simple way to quickly get 10.000+ people to stress test your network, just be happy that they do give us a chance of helping them and for us a chance to get a sneakpeak at a game.
so in the end: Quit whining about paying for a beta because your not, and quit whining about this not being an open beta because they are not required to give us one.
i will have to go with the few folks that also notice that more questions are raised due to this interview. though reading some of these posts and the stereotypical examples that come from all the "experts" is amusing.
simply put, things "I" disagree with (regardless of counter arguments). charging for download, charging for early play. marketing to be sure and the companies that have the keys are more than free to do what they want.......just not with me (grin), again my dollar and two cents on that.
i am going to try the open beta,..................when the email from the regular aoc site sends me one, i wont pay. as for the game and my playing schedule, TTL is 5 months 29 days away, plenty of time for them to fix everything that is going to be broken come (my) launch time, adj any major character flaws etc, etc. it is after all, only entertainment, and there are plenty of other things to do.
can you smell that?!!...............there is nothing quite like it.....................the smell of troll in the morning............i love that smell.
Comments
2. I work implementing an ERP project with a budget of about $3 billion
3. The reason your company has 'cutbacks' is probably because it puts narrow-minded people like yourself in positions of authority.
Jeff Hickman really inspires me with confidence in his game, his entire attitude just makes me think he knows what he is doing. The guy from 38 Studio's seemed like the rookie (which he was) but I think 38 has some good foundation building going on. The funcom guy did scare me though, it was like he wasn't sure what to say.
The five dollars a month isn't a significant factor for me.
What stops me from using FilePlanet is a history over the years that has led me to believe that FilePlanet and Gamespy load my system up with tracking software without my consent. It is my loss, and I believe FunCom's loss, and certainly Gamespy and FilePlanet's loss of my business, that I no longer trust these companies to respect both my information and other property rights to the point where I refuse to use them wherever possible.
Consequently any beta that uses these companies for their file distribution will not have me as a participant. Its their business decision to use these services, its my cause-based decision to not use these services.
To dream, perhaps to be.
interesting viewpoint to say the least with some color of truth im sure. but not all those who question decisions made by game companies are lard asses, live in their mom's basement, and work at pizza hut.
me for example im quite fit lol(toots his own horn) have my own 2 bed room apartment in manhattan, freelance for both a Production company, and a indie game dev company. so I believe my "professional background" has some clout and credbility unlike some fry cooks. I ask certain questions or "highlight" certain anomalies within a individuals comments, on what they are doing and whether or not their behavior or comments are questionable at best.
i think its best to always question, never take things for face value. when something doesnt sit right to you, question it, but question it based ont he merits of the facts provided. The problem with this situation dealing with the beta, that if they can handle 600k, at launch (roughly 2weeks and 3 days) but werent willing to handle the initial 50k they could of provided "seeds" via torrents which would of solved the issue with possible download issue. whats that say? laziness? something deeper? inner conspiracy with FP to promote paying subbers? lol hardly im sure, but once agian another question to list.
in the end everything about this beta was suspicisous and makes people question the overall hype of the game. me I would of loved to test the game. but i wasnt going to pay FP in order to do so. it doesnt sit right with me as a consumer to pay for a unfinished product, that is like me buying a car that has no wheels. the manufacturers say theyll send the wheels at a later date when they are finished. either way the acts, behaviors, comments, and all were questionable at best and worth investigating or at least putting a maginfying glass to scrutinize it.
3.4ghz Phenom II X4 965, 8GB PC12800 DDR3 GSKILL, EVGA 560GTX 2GB OC, 640GB HD SATA II, BFG 1000WATT PSU. MSI NF980-G65 TRI-SLI MOBO.
From there, I asked Tharaldsen if there was any financial incentive at all in distributing the beta through Fileplanet and while, as stated above, he told us that the Conan beta was a needed expense to get feedback on the game, he did outline the benefits to choosing Fileplanet beyond their reliable download speed and prior relationship:
“We are just a few weeks away from launch, and when moving into the final push beta stage it’s important for any MMO to ensure a final push attention as well. In my experience most all MMOs these days use the last few weeks for a more marketing orientated beta process, and Fileplanet seems to be the #1 gaming site in that regards.
lol you should probably answer a question especially when it's going to be ripped to pieces by your 'fans' lol, and if you don't plan to answer it for any reason, you should atleast say as much so you don't seem to dodgy and tactful
seriously tho, i'll be playing this game on the 20th and hopefully loving it, but that interview seemed clipped and filtered, and if answers werent removed then Jorgen Tharaldsen isn't the right person to be doing interviews with websites even associated with players. Oh you're right jorgen tharaldsen, it is about launch attention, that is very true. Unfortunately your choice of how to get that launch attention seems questionable.
"Sometimes, things that may or may not be true are the things a man needs to believe in the most. People are basically good. Honor, courage, virtue mean everything. Power and money, money and power mean nothing. Good always triumphs over evil. Love, True Love Never Dies."
Which Final Fantasy Character Are You?
Personally I am just as glad to let other people beta test the game. I have pre-ordered, I'll get the three day head start, and as long as most of the bugs are ironed out by then I'll be happy as a clam. Yes, I would love to start playing the game now, but that's not the point of beta testing. Beta testing is a great big pain in the neck sometimes, if you are doing it right. This so called open beta is more of just a stress test and don't be shocked when on day one, when you all log in at the same time, the walls come crashing down. If it doesn't it would be the first in my expirience that didn't. You be lucky if you see the level 13 cap before the beta is over, as you'll be playing in maybe 2 or 3 hour windows while the devs and techs set about fixing whatever problems arise. Believe me it's not gonna be happy funtime I got to play before everyone else land. Those of us who remember AC beta know that downtime is inevitable, and the frustration of being all jacked to play the game, yet not knowing when, or even sometimes if, the servers will open back up is worse than just waiting for the game to open to the public. While I am playing some other game to pass the time, the people in beta will be sitting staring at the message board or forum waiting with baited breath to be ready for the exact moment it opens back up. Then as you all rush in...it'll crash again. That's not saying anything bad about the game, it just is the way it is. Then you'll be mad and bitchy and say all kinds of things about how terrible the game is, even though what you are expiriencing isn't a true reflection of what the game will be like when they open up all the other servers that they have been holding back until release. Oh yes. I've been there. I was kinda hoping that with the mature rating we'd see less of this, but alas that doesn't seem to be the case.
Why are they going through Fileplanet for the beta? So that they can, at least somewhat, verify people's ages. Remember that this game, unlike many others before it, has a M rating, so they can't just let anyone download it. Everyone who is going to play this game when it releases is supposed to be an adult...so how about we start acting like it?
Not meaning any offense, and not pointing fingers, just saying what I feel needs to be said.
Let the people at Funcom do their job. For those of you who are in the beta, remember that you are there to help them, not criticize or nitpic.
What a bull. I stopt reading after that they justify charging for the beta. That they ask for OB well okay. But that they justify it with saying that "They never charged for the normal beta" is just plain stupid. Beta's are a cheap way for a company to find bugs. The PvP weekend was pure for promotion, and had NOTHING to do with a beta.
Funcom, way to go.
Looks like your mommy is already paying for it. Did I guess that it right? How much whining did you do?
I am the type of player where I like to do everything and anything from time to time.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holodomor - pre-WW2 genocide.
2. I work implementing an ERP project with a budget of about $3 billion
3. The reason your company has 'cutbacks' is probably because it puts narrow-minded people like yourself in positions of authority.
Well said Grimfall.
I am the type of player where I like to do everything and anything from time to time.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holodomor - pre-WW2 genocide.
- are a masochist;
- don't care;
- have no clue what the hell happened;
I don't see much whining going on here. In fact, most arguments presented here and on other forums are mature and meaningful.
I am the type of player where I like to do everything and anything from time to time.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holodomor - pre-WW2 genocide.
Took me overnight with the Fileplanet downloader on a good cable modem connection. And if you really got a key -- go read the email they sent you and you'll see instructions to load it up. You can even patch it (but not log in) as of today.
I'm a fileplanet member *anyway* before all this, so I went and got myself a beta key, but may I say the process SUCKED. They want to you load up their Comrade application (like xfire, but lamer) to get updates as to when keys would come available. And then you had to reload the beta page every few minutes or the keys would come available -- and be exhausted -- within a few minutes.
I'm a consultant, and work from my home office, and could sit listening to a work related podcast while mashing reload every 30 seconds -- and it took me 2.5 days to get a key. If I had paid for a FP subscription just for a chance to torture myself for the chance at a key -- I'd be pissed.
Shava
I somehow doubt that the 'gold version-to-release version' patch will be anywhere near the size of the full beta client (with restrictions) download that people have to endure with the fileplanet beta.
If it's 1/10th the size, aka 1.3GB, then provided they have the same bandwidth upon release with fileplanet, they will have to move data to 10x 'fileplanet beta testers'. Besides, they have already divided their future subscribers in 3 (non-equal) parts:
And that's without counting the difference in dates between EU and US release.
One last thing. This isn't the first time I read the 600.000 number. And in this occasion as in the past, the number was related to the infrastructure to sustain a player base playing the game. I don't think it's very clear that they will sustain a similar infrastructure for patching as well. In any case, it's not very clear if it's the same case fore both.
@ OP
Interesting article, although FC responses are very weak and did not really justify their recent moves. one of the biggest flops in their response is how they brushed off Torrents as a method of distribution. So far, Bit Torrent technology is the best way to distribute large chunks of data between large number of clients - traffic is not centralized but is shared among the network of those clients that are downloading data. The load on main server would have been reduced by a great deal.
FC reply? Going torrent would make them loose focus... what? How would uploading a torrent to a simple installation package would make them lose focus? If your client is 13 gigs or more, then torrents are the only feasible option here. Unless of course you have money to pay for huge spike in traffic.
Open beta? Well, technically they don't charge for it. but hey, If I sell you something but make you give the money to my brother, then technically, im not selling it but giving it away. If the only way to get to OB is to pay for it, then it doesn't matter who takes the money, its PAID to play. They should PAY qualified testers to test their product, and not rely on someone who is bored and has money to "test" their product.
Imagine a new car that you just bought and found out that it was never tested professionally, but rather someone with money wanted to show off his friends and paid to "test" it. Would you feel comfortable knowing someone like that tested your car?
I also work as a software engineer for a Telecom company, and I'm currently developing a new billing software. No way in hell would my boss allow me to let someone off the street to test the program. The only way to find bugs and fix it is if someone professional does it. The only time we employ public help is when we need to test networking and server loads for traffic - to identify and fix bottlenecks.
yes, most companies do employ this paid open beta method, and look where it led them (cough Vanguard cough).
I am the type of player where I like to do everything and anything from time to time.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holodomor - pre-WW2 genocide.
I had not thought of that, good point.
This interview does not give any on spot reasons for limiting gameplay to 13 lvls. In fact - considering 13 gb download it does exactly the oposite.
Conclution - Funcom is obviously limiting "fileplaned" open NDA beta for a reason.
“We have nothing to hide,” he answered, “in fact, I have heard from so many testers that the game gets even better as you move beyond Tortage.”
So tell me Mr. Tharaldsen. Why are ppl downloading 13 gb gameclient from fileplanet just to play 13 lvls - and paying for it ?
And about "many testers" - I heard from "some ppl" that they think Mr. Tharaldsen might be gay. But I made them sign NDA so ....
There is nothing open about this beta. Its limited playable full download client - that "testers" are paying for. And as stresstest ? That is a joke. First 13 lvls will keep ppl intrested for less than one day.
There is nothing positive coming out of this. You will hear that when the reviews from the 50k "testers" will start flooding in - based on the fact it takes 3 hours to lvl to 13 - and ppl had to pay and dl 13gb client to do it.
Ofc its a joke
Let me put it this way...
Read the article again. Notice where there is a talk about allowing the developers time to focus on the release of the game. Then think of your "idea" about making a "new" game with first 13 lvls... Your 1.3 gb client.
Thats just bullshit. If they need that kinda stresstest they can put together a 1mb client and ask the testers to run it.
And again - read this
” He went on to tell us that download speed was a consideration in the decision. After all, the client itself is a hefty 13Gb in size. “
Ofc ppl are dling the full gold version. Get real - its 13 gb of 13 lvls that can be reached within 3 hours.
Some bird whispered to me that lvl 22 is the record for 3 hour gamplay - after chara wipe.
To jimmyman99:
If I read what you wrote right, you're claiming that pretty much any kind of public beta testing is more or less useless unless done by professionals. I don't necessarily disagree with you since pretty much everything, besides the heavy traffic load in real world conditions and the unforeseen glitch, can be found by professionals, given time and numbers.
I think that they had hoped for a "give files and let Fileplanet worry about distribution, while we only reap the results of the open beta". I don't know if it's working as planned. I do know that if it was some other company, they'd bury their heads in the sand and wouldn't talk about it at all.
One last thing about torrents. Personally I don' t like them. Given the choice I'd always pick the ftp or http download. Torrent equals low quality download as far as I'm concerned and as far as my own line can sustain. I do understand the need at times. Maybe in a parallel universe where P2P networks did not congest internet traffic forcing providers to limit the speed, it would have been a good choice. As it stands now, it's the lowest quality download method one can provide over the internet.
To Alan0n:
I was rather skeptical about the reception of the PvP weekend and it proved to be well received in general.
I will wait again before daring any proclamations for the reception of the Fileplanet beta as well.
You may be right and in the 13GB there is more than just the Tortage area. It does give them the opportunity to open up further the levels if they see fit at a later point, something that they wouldn't be able to do if they had gone with the bare minimum.Besides, the more you limit the client, the more chances you have to create bugs that would not be present in the unrestricted version.
Im not gonna buy this any more expensive than I bought it - but again - a small bird whispered the word "memory leak". So that might be good reason why players are not really playing the game for more than 3-4 hours at the time with many diffrent loading screens.
But hey.. there is nothing to hide. "testers" will get full taste of the 13 gb client in first 13 lvls. Or ? ...
Give any reason why its not open ended ? Any ? One ? 13 gb ? 13 lvl? Reason ?
Keep asking yourself.
I can think of one but if that was true, they would have to limit the client to level 20, not 13.
my concern with this Fileplanet beta is that it only goes up to lvl 13. MOST games you dont get a feel for the actual game, since the noobie area is usually the most polished area, trying to entice a person in. This is where my problem comes in. If Conan does well, thats great, but what if the noob area is very polished and great, but once you get out of it, it's buggy, imbalanced, etc?
As far as i recall, lvl 13 doesnt even get you out of the starter area (which i remember seeing is up to lvl 20). So by that logic, you basically aren't seeing the game, but an instance which is designed to promote a game. How many games have you played where the noob instance is great...but you get to lvl 20 or 30 and the game just dies? That's my concern atm with the beta (not even mentioning performance issues which may occur in non instance noob zones)
1. A 'Beta' that is restricted to the Tutorial, Trial, Newb zone (lvl 13 max) is NOT a 'Beta'.
2. An 'Open' Beta that is restricted to folks that have paid subscriptions to a DL service, and even then are only randomly selected, or able to get a key if they are Twitching the Site, is NOT 'Open'.
3. An Open Beta 'Test' that happens AFTER the software has gone to production is NOT a 'Test' of the game.
This is simply a gimic that does nothing but provide hype and advertisement. Maybe a stress test of how the servers are going to respond on opening day.
You folks that were not there for the Anarchy Online debacle do not recongnize that ALL the stuff you are seeing now is exactly the same sort of MO that Funcom pulled with AO.
So, just be ready for a less than stellar experience at launch.
And yes, for as long as folks keep posting about this great 'Beta', I will keep posting that it is NOT a Beta. It is just a scam by Funcom that they used to quiet their critics some time ago and mask the true state of the game.
I think there playing it pretty smart doing the 13 level limit. It gives the players little bit of the story line without giving it completely up before the game comes out. Also it gives you more chance for trying different classes and testing them all out. Maybe even giving a nice 13th level PVP bash as one of the surprises. As for the fileplanet paying for beta crud, I dont really care it will tend to keep a bunch of the babies out of it and ruining it for others or funcom themselves.
i just cant get it into my big thick skull why people keep complaining about they "have" to pay for the beta.
You are not paying for the Beta your paying for a faster way to download patches,games,stuff thingy ect.
it just happens that inclued into all this there is a chance that you might be lucky enough to also enter the beta of certains games, In this case AOC.
if it is so bad to pay for that service then...dont? noone is forcing anyone to pay for the beta, your buying a service that inclued the chance of beta testing games, not AOC specific.
Also the gaming studios are not required to make an open beta, it is just an "easy" and simple way to quickly get 10.000+ people to stress test your network, just be happy that they do give us a chance of helping them and for us a chance to get a sneakpeak at a game.
so in the end: Quit whining about paying for a beta because your not, and quit whining about this not being an open beta because they are not required to give us one.
i will have to go with the few folks that also notice that more questions are raised due to this interview. though reading some of these posts and the stereotypical examples that come from all the "experts" is amusing.
simply put, things "I" disagree with (regardless of counter arguments). charging for download, charging for early play. marketing to be sure and the companies that have the keys are more than free to do what they want.......just not with me (grin), again my dollar and two cents on that.
i am going to try the open beta,..................when the email from the regular aoc site sends me one, i wont pay. as for the game and my playing schedule, TTL is 5 months 29 days away, plenty of time for them to fix everything that is going to be broken come (my) launch time, adj any major character flaws etc, etc. it is after all, only entertainment, and there are plenty of other things to do.
can you smell that?!!...............there is nothing quite like it.....................the smell of troll in the morning............i love that smell.