Developers always test their game. Doesn't matter where in the development cycle it is. Even developers use the word "beta" so the public can understand that they've been testing it. Doesn't necessarily mean it's in the actual beta stage. But I can understand why some think they are and some think they don't. It's been in development for 5 years.
Arenanet themselves start testing different parts of the game as soon as they get a rough prototype. If you read their GDC 09 speech, they stated there that this is what they did with GW1 and it served them well and allowed them to go crazy testing serveral ideas because once they got a rough prototype they could just send it out to their testers and get immediate feedback.
So they have been testing, you could say they had a Pre-pre-pre-alpha build and have slowly developed the game from there.
Arenanet themselves start testing different parts of the game as soon as they get a rough prototype. If you read their GDC 09 speech, they stated there that this is what they did with GW1 and it served them well and allowed them to go crazy testing serveral ideas because once they got a rough prototype they could just send it out to their testers and get immediate feedback.
So they have been testing, you could say they had a Pre-pre-pre-alpha build and have slowly developed the game from there.
Hehe, true enough. Pre-alpha = pre-production =P there's nothing to test yet. They've been beta testing, it's really that simple. However, these are just industry terms, i guess it means different things to different people, but that's how the gaming industry works. I'll leave it at that.
Arenanet themselves start testing different parts of the game as soon as they get a rough prototype. If you read their GDC 09 speech, they stated there that this is what they did with GW1 and it served them well and allowed them to go crazy testing serveral ideas because once they got a rough prototype they could just send it out to their testers and get immediate feedback.
So they have been testing, you could say they had a Pre-pre-pre-alpha build and have slowly developed the game from there.
Hehe, true enough. Pre-alpha = pre-production =P there's nothing to test yet. They've been beta testing, it's really that simple. However, these are just industry terms, i guess it means different things to different people, but that's how the gaming industry works. I'll leave it at that.
I guess I should say alpha then. They've had lots of alpha builds, if what is said in their GDC keynote is to be taken seriously.
ANet devs have said it themselves in so many words (or is the right expression 'in not so many words'? Ah, well) that they've noticed that beta testing has taken another meaning and function than when they released GW, and that they're aware that currently beta is more used as promotion and as sort of a trial period for players to make up their mind whether they want to buy the game or not.
It stands to reason that they've changed their test trajectory accordingly.
The ease with which predictions are made on these forums: Fratman: "I'm saying Spring 2012 at the earliest [for TOR release]. Anyone still clinging to 2011 is deluding themself at this point."
ANet devs have said it themselves in so many words (or is the right expression 'in not so many words'? Ah, well) that they've noticed that beta testing has taken another meaning and function than when they released GW, and that they're aware that currently beta is more used as promotion and as sort of a trial period for players to make up their mind whether they want to buy the game or not.
It stands to reason that they've changed their test trajectory accordingly.
Honestly, this has zero affect on how studios test their games. None. It's all about how PR uses that info to get the public's attention.
In a studio environment they still use the same general progression (yes sometimes they switch things up a little, but it nearly always follows the same progression). But most of those specifics don't get released to the public. They get filtered through PR, who then calls it w/e the crap they want that sounds good.
And to be honest, to the majority of players that's fine. The specifics don't really matter. As long as people don't confuse the term 'alpha' with the misconception that this game was just crapped out sparkling. It's gone through quite a lot of testing, and it shows. I'm not saying that it's current state isn't impressive for where it is in the development stage, but I also don't want people getting misled again. First we have people thinking Anet promised to save the genre, I don't wanna see threads a couple months from now to the tune of "the game looks the same as it did in alpha!! what have they been doing1!?!" etc. etc.
But, like I said, I'm dropping it. for the majority of people I think the information is probably irrelevant. As long as people realize that the demos we are seeing are probably not a huge leap from what we should expect at launch. They will be improved for sure, but we are seeing a decent bite-sized chunk of what to expect from the game.
Arenanet themselves start testing different parts of the game as soon as they get a rough prototype. If you read their GDC 09 speech, they stated there that this is what they did with GW1 and it served them well and allowed them to go crazy testing serveral ideas because once they got a rough prototype they could just send it out to their testers and get immediate feedback.
So they have been testing, you could say they had a Pre-pre-pre-alpha build and have slowly developed the game from there.
Its allready in alfa/beta testing..
Because they say that there are 150 of their own testers online during the gameshow. Just to make the world feel a little populated.
Best MMO experiences : EQ(PvE), DAoC(PvP), WoW(total package) LOTRO (worldfeel) GW2 (Artstyle and animations and worlddesign) SWTOR (Story immersion) TSW (story) ESO (character advancement)
What has it really done that is so ground breaking from what we have seen of their actual gameplay?
I've played 3 world preview events for GW1. The storyline was pretty much unavailable during that time, PvP was limited to maybe Team Arenas on one map etc.
Those videos give a feel for how the game looks like, at most.
We're limited to what ArenaNet decided to show, and what the tester felt like playing around with. Also notice the demo timer...
A bit thin a material to give the game thumb up or down, don't you think?
The OP seems to forget that its still an MMO, and will and should feel like an MMO..
Yes this is fact,but i think the OP was sort of deliberating on how Arena.Net is claiming to be different?
I also would like to point out that using the word "polished" is tricky,it is usually used improperly.When i think of polished,i think of taking a system and mak it it as good as it could be,this may be sort of true if you look at it from a GW1 persepctive,but that system imo was bland at best.Could it be MUCH better?IMO YES,one SIMPLE example would be to utilize my favourite game's sub class system,it offers more diversity while still maintaining that true CLASS feeling that RPG's SHOULD have.
One HUGE mistake is offering everyone healing abilities,it is straying firther away from a CLASS system and further away from being a RPG nad MUCH further away from anyone wanting to group play.This allows everyone to just grab a DD and heal themselves.
Truth is we should not believe ANY hype made up by DEVS as that is their job to sell the game and fabricate a lot of the truths,we should just wait and see what the game delivers.It might end up bing the best game of the decade or might just end up being a better looking GW1,we won't know for some time yet.
Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.
Arenanet are bullshitters, I wouldnt buy into anything they say.
Everyone is expecting it be like an mmo.. but it wont be, I promise you.
GW1 may not be an MMORPG, but I'm not sure how you derived that GW2 wouldn't be an MMORPG, as there are clearly distinct differences between the two games in terms of its dynamic world. Obviously you have seen the gameplay on display at gametrailers or read any of the updated news, that it is expected I guess, from someone that is "promising" me that it WON'T be an mmo.
Well, I guess that means I can PROMISE YOU, that I'm certainly looking forward to not seeing you ingame (however small that possibility may be).
OP: Why has a game to be revolutionary to be fun? ?__?
GW2, as I experienced it when I played it at Gamescon yesterday was, it is good, it looks great, it plays fun (so far). What more can one want? Why re invent the wheel every time? *shrug*
People don't ask questions to get answers - they ask questions to show how smart they are. - Dogbert
Well, I watched the 9-part video series of the Human starter and Charr mid-range play and have to say I'm stoked. I realize that the dynamic events are mearly replacing "Farmer John is in trouble, those damned Orcs are pillaging" with "Farmer [random] is in trouble, those damned [random] are pillaging' with some various effects on the world based on the outcome of how it plays out, but it's still better than the norm.
What I'm really excited about is that it seems this game is based off of PQs (Warhammer Online style). I remember my first experience with WAR being fighting a dragon at very low level as a Dark Elf and instantly being partied up with everyone who wanted to play. To me, this is a whole lot of fun. If done properly, you can have great scripted events from level 1-80. No more of this 1-79 grinding on fetch and kill quests to get to the scripted encounters.
Things could still go bad for GW2, but from what I've seen and read, ArenaNet is creating a game that has something I feel has been missing for a while, fun. I really think they are trying to design this to be fun all the time, not just at end-game. If they can pull it off, I will play this game so much my UI will fade from being overused.
Comments
Developers always test their game. Doesn't matter where in the development cycle it is. Even developers use the word "beta" so the public can understand that they've been testing it. Doesn't necessarily mean it's in the actual beta stage. But I can understand why some think they are and some think they don't. It's been in development for 5 years.
ill probably try this game out as i have nothing better to play right now. its free to play to im not going to argue about what they do.
Arenanet themselves start testing different parts of the game as soon as they get a rough prototype. If you read their GDC 09 speech, they stated there that this is what they did with GW1 and it served them well and allowed them to go crazy testing serveral ideas because once they got a rough prototype they could just send it out to their testers and get immediate feedback.
So they have been testing, you could say they had a Pre-pre-pre-alpha build and have slowly developed the game from there.
This is not a game.
Hehe, true enough. Pre-alpha = pre-production =P there's nothing to test yet. They've been beta testing, it's really that simple. However, these are just industry terms, i guess it means different things to different people, but that's how the gaming industry works. I'll leave it at that.
I guess I should say alpha then. They've had lots of alpha builds, if what is said in their GDC keynote is to be taken seriously.
This is not a game.
ANet devs have said it themselves in so many words (or is the right expression 'in not so many words'? Ah, well) that they've noticed that beta testing has taken another meaning and function than when they released GW, and that they're aware that currently beta is more used as promotion and as sort of a trial period for players to make up their mind whether they want to buy the game or not.
It stands to reason that they've changed their test trajectory accordingly.
The ACTUAL size of MMORPG worlds: a comparison list between MMO's
The ease with which predictions are made on these forums:
Fratman: "I'm saying Spring 2012 at the earliest [for TOR release]. Anyone still clinging to 2011 is deluding themself at this point."
Honestly, this has zero affect on how studios test their games. None. It's all about how PR uses that info to get the public's attention.
In a studio environment they still use the same general progression (yes sometimes they switch things up a little, but it nearly always follows the same progression). But most of those specifics don't get released to the public. They get filtered through PR, who then calls it w/e the crap they want that sounds good.
And to be honest, to the majority of players that's fine. The specifics don't really matter. As long as people don't confuse the term 'alpha' with the misconception that this game was just crapped out sparkling. It's gone through quite a lot of testing, and it shows. I'm not saying that it's current state isn't impressive for where it is in the development stage, but I also don't want people getting misled again. First we have people thinking Anet promised to save the genre, I don't wanna see threads a couple months from now to the tune of "the game looks the same as it did in alpha!! what have they been doing1!?!" etc. etc.
But, like I said, I'm dropping it. for the majority of people I think the information is probably irrelevant. As long as people realize that the demos we are seeing are probably not a huge leap from what we should expect at launch. They will be improved for sure, but we are seeing a decent bite-sized chunk of what to expect from the game.
Its allready in alfa/beta testing..
Because they say that there are 150 of their own testers online during the gameshow. Just to make the world feel a little populated.
Best MMO experiences : EQ(PvE), DAoC(PvP), WoW(total package) LOTRO (worldfeel) GW2 (Artstyle and animations and worlddesign) SWTOR (Story immersion) TSW (story) ESO (character advancement)
I've played 3 world preview events for GW1. The storyline was pretty much unavailable during that time, PvP was limited to maybe Team Arenas on one map etc.
Those videos give a feel for how the game looks like, at most.
We're limited to what ArenaNet decided to show, and what the tester felt like playing around with. Also notice the demo timer...
A bit thin a material to give the game thumb up or down, don't you think?
Edit: oh and Necros are back.... F*CK YEAAAAAAA!!
__________
Ever wondered what a hardcore WoW raider looked like?
R.I.P. Laura "Taera" Genender
Yes this is fact,but i think the OP was sort of deliberating on how Arena.Net is claiming to be different?
I also would like to point out that using the word "polished" is tricky,it is usually used improperly.When i think of polished,i think of taking a system and mak it it as good as it could be,this may be sort of true if you look at it from a GW1 persepctive,but that system imo was bland at best.Could it be MUCH better?IMO YES,one SIMPLE example would be to utilize my favourite game's sub class system,it offers more diversity while still maintaining that true CLASS feeling that RPG's SHOULD have.
One HUGE mistake is offering everyone healing abilities,it is straying firther away from a CLASS system and further away from being a RPG nad MUCH further away from anyone wanting to group play.This allows everyone to just grab a DD and heal themselves.
Truth is we should not believe ANY hype made up by DEVS as that is their job to sell the game and fabricate a lot of the truths,we should just wait and see what the game delivers.It might end up bing the best game of the decade or might just end up being a better looking GW1,we won't know for some time yet.
Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.
Arenanet are bullshitters, I wouldnt buy into anything they say.
Everyone is expecting it be like an mmo.. but it wont be, I promise you.
I can see massive amount of people playing together online. Thus it's an mmo ?
must be an alltime low, for a 900+ poster here !
since Arenanet does have a reputation of not being talking b.... i dare you to argue and make some valid points about this.
Or go back under your bridge.
GW1 may not be an MMORPG, but I'm not sure how you derived that GW2 wouldn't be an MMORPG, as there are clearly distinct differences between the two games in terms of its dynamic world. Obviously you have seen the gameplay on display at gametrailers or read any of the updated news, that it is expected I guess, from someone that is "promising" me that it WON'T be an mmo.
Well, I guess that means I can PROMISE YOU, that I'm certainly looking forward to not seeing you ingame (however small that possibility may be).
Cheers and take care mate.
OP: Why has a game to be revolutionary to be fun? ?__?
GW2, as I experienced it when I played it at Gamescon yesterday was, it is good, it looks great, it plays fun (so far). What more can one want? Why re invent the wheel every time? *shrug*
People don't ask questions to get answers - they ask questions to show how smart they are. - Dogbert
Well, I watched the 9-part video series of the Human starter and Charr mid-range play and have to say I'm stoked. I realize that the dynamic events are mearly replacing "Farmer John is in trouble, those damned Orcs are pillaging" with "Farmer [random] is in trouble, those damned [random] are pillaging' with some various effects on the world based on the outcome of how it plays out, but it's still better than the norm.
What I'm really excited about is that it seems this game is based off of PQs (Warhammer Online style). I remember my first experience with WAR being fighting a dragon at very low level as a Dark Elf and instantly being partied up with everyone who wanted to play. To me, this is a whole lot of fun. If done properly, you can have great scripted events from level 1-80. No more of this 1-79 grinding on fetch and kill quests to get to the scripted encounters.
Things could still go bad for GW2, but from what I've seen and read, ArenaNet is creating a game that has something I feel has been missing for a while, fun. I really think they are trying to design this to be fun all the time, not just at end-game. If they can pull it off, I will play this game so much my UI will fade from being overused.