Evocati Test Flight Closed NDA Testing

Excession

Greetings Citizen!

We are cordially inviting you from to join Evocati Test Flight (ETF), a select group of volunteer testers who have previously demonstrated a knowledge and passion for finding and reporting Star Citizen bugs by actively participating on Issue Council or playing in our Public Test Universe (PTU) phases.

Evocati Test Flight testers will be invited to closed, NDA-controlled playtests held on PTU. Think of these sessions as a pre-PTU phase, comprised of builds with new, raw, and sometimes broken or unfinished content and features that could initially result in a degraded or even completely unplayable user experience.

As such, NO SCREENSHOTS OR LIVESTREAMING will be allowed during the Evocati phases. We’ll make sure to clearly notify everyone when we move out of an ETF phase and into a PTU phase where screenshots and livestreams are again allowed.

Once a build is stabilized and needs more concurrency testing, we’ll roll it out to our standard PTU waves for additional stress testing, and then to Live.

Erillion

Does that include testing for Squadron 42?


Have fun

Adjuvant1

Is this.. from an email, from your group of players, from an announcement you can link?

Adjuvant1

ah.
https://www.reddit.com/r/starcitizen/comments/4e2lwy/evocati_test_flight_closed_nda_testing/

mr1602

What happened to the 'most open game development'?

Adjuvant1

mr1602 said:

What happened to the 'most open game development'?

They have an image to uphold, so people will keep pledging for spaceships and space cash. They need more non-refundable money gifts because reasons.

mr1602

Adjuvant1 said:

mr1602 said:

What happened to the 'most open game development'?

They have an image to uphold, so people will keep buying spaceships and space cash.

Going back on your word isn't exactly a good way to 'uphold your image'.
Then again, there's a lot of 'isn't exactly a good way to X' in Star Citizen.

rodarin

In before..."EVERY developer has an NDA" comments from pro guys.

But I wouldnt worry too much there will be PLENTY of not only streams but comments. NDAs arent worth the cloud theyre written on.

Talonsin

I thought the PU was the test bed?  Holy cow how many versions of the game are there?  If the PU is what we get AFTER testing we are in some serious trouble

Kefo

To quote a reply from the Reddit thread that sums up how I think about this nicely

"Ahaha, open development everyone. A closed down invite only pre-alpha under NDA of the pre-alpha of a pre-alpha."

Deathenger

Sound to me the PU will be sitting on the back burner whilst they test this new very very buggy version. I'm sure somewhere someone is spin doctoring up some excuse to justify this to be best for everybody.

Adjuvant1

DS is calling it "backers locked out of content".

https://twitter.com/dsmart/status/718901153698881537

I understood the PTU with selective invites. Now a pre-ptu with an NDA? What does a crowdfunded project need with an NDA? Why is there, truly, going to be a test server of a test server of a test server.

If they really think this is because "backers couldn't handle alpha", isn't that on CIG for having included it in the backer understanding?

Talonsin

Adjuvant1 said:

DS is calling it "backers locked out of content".

https://twitter.com/dsmart/status/718901153698881537

To be honest, Derek is a bit over the top.  While I think a few of his points deserve merit, the majority of his stuff is too far left wing for me. 

mr1602

If I use my 'monetary' hat from my previous roles, this is essentially a 'time buying' move.

1. Save on data cost - I still don't know how badly the code has to be to require Gigs of data to be downloaded per patch. And I've worked in so-called 'Agile' companies. Delta-patches have been figured out a long long time ago and if the code is so bad that this isn't possible, testing the 'game' is probably not the thing you want to do.

2. Give the illusion of 'select / VIP' to a small sample of backers through this. This small sample will remain loyal and should silence any dissent. I expect constant 'around the corner' phrases from the testers.

3. Silence the testers through NDA.

Combine 2 and 3 - you essentially bought yourself time. There is a breaking point and I was involved in the 'best' case scenario and was let-go in the 'worst' case scenario so had to watch it from the sidelines. Both weren't pretty.

I'd like to note that this kind of 'move' is based upon the assumption that the company will file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy sometime afterwards. If a 200-300 man company can't afford data cost that isn't in the Peta/Exa byes there is a big cashflow problem.


Thinking further, you can't 'float' like this while waiting for capital investments. Investment firms / banks will just wait till CH11 and then buy the company at a fraction of what it would have cost them before CH11.

Adjuvant1

Can a crowdfunded project seek protection from creditors through a filing? I'm not even sure that's a real thing.

mr1602

Even non-profits can file for bankruptcy (CH7 or CH11).
The actual bankruptcy process doesn't care what 'type' of entity that company is.

This is purely from a bankruptcy process point of view and not any court/government proceedings which can supercedes this process.

**the above only applies in USA - Cal. non-US might be different.

Talonsin

mr1602 said:

Even non-profits can file for bankruptcy (CH7 or CH11).
The actual bankruptcy process doesn't care what 'type' of entity that company is.

This is purely from a bankruptcy process point of view and not any court/government proceedings which can supercedes this process.

**the above only applies in USA - Cal. non-US might be different.

I think Chris is a terrible project manager but all this "bankruptcy" and "ELE" talk is a bit premature without any actual evidence.  I know Derek is pushing this ELE talk but he did the same thing last year.  You cant trust Derek anymore than you can trust Chris.  Like forces repel...

mr1602

I am not aware what Derek has to do with talk about bankruptcy or anything I'm saying?
Like I said, a move to 'buy time' is done under the assumption you will file CH11. CIG isn't the first company to do a 'buy time' move and it certainly won't be the last.

rpmcmurphy

This does seem a bit strange, why aren't they solely using in-house QA for this stage of things?

Kefo

rpmcmurphy said:

This does seem a bit strange, why aren't they solely using in-house QA for this stage of things?

too expensive? lol

adamlotus75

To quote Elmur Fudd, I would read that NDA vewwwy vewwwy carefuwwwy before agreeing to it!

particularly any clauses related to refunds...

Erillion

mr1602 said:

What happened to the 'most open game development'?

It does not include telling everyone in advance the detailed story  of your single player game part ;-)


Have fun

Kefo

Erillion said:

mr1602 said:

What happened to the 'most open game development'?

It does not include telling everyone in advance the detailed story  of your single player game part ;-)


Have fun

Doesn't the OP say PTU testing? Not sure why you are bringing up the single player game.

mr1602

Erillion said:

mr1602 said:

What happened to the 'most open game development'?

It does not include telling everyone in advance the detailed story  of your single player game part ;-)


Have fun

Chris roberts already gave away the plot though. http://www.blastr.com/2015-3-18/creator-chris-roberts-talks-star-citizen-ambitious-space-sim-steroids

Erillion

mr1602 said:

Erillion said:

mr1602 said:

What happened to the 'most open game development'?

It does not include telling everyone in advance the detailed story  of your single player game part ;-)


Have fun

Chris roberts already gave away the plot though. http://www.blastr.com/2015-3-18/creator-chris-roberts-talks-star-citizen-ambitious-space-sim-steroids

I know. I posted it here a year ago ... You are a bit late with that link ;-)

A rough story outline is not the same as a detailed report on every mission and possible Story-Branch (including videos). 

Why not only Internal QA? Because some of the most active volunteer  testers from the Issue Council are as thorough in documenting bugs as professional QA. Alas, i personally do not have that much time to join. 


Have fun

hfztt

Excession said:

Greetings Citizen!

We are cordially inviting you from to join Evocati Test Flight (ETF), a select group of volunteer testers who have previously demonstrated a knowledge and passion for finding and reporting Star Citizen bugs by actively participating on Issue Council or playing in our Public Test Universe (PTU) phases.

Evocati Test Flight testers will be invited to closed, NDA-controlled playtests held on PTU. Think of these sessions as a pre-PTU phase, comprised of builds with new, raw, and sometimes broken or unfinished content and features that could initially result in a degraded or even completely unplayable user experience.

As such, NO SCREENSHOTS OR LIVESTREAMING will be allowed during the Evocati phases. We’ll make sure to clearly notify everyone when we move out of an ETF phase and into a PTU phase where screenshots and livestreams are again allowed.

Once a build is stabilized and needs more concurrency testing, we’ll roll it out to our standard PTU waves for additional stress testing, and then to Live.

"That bad, eh?" -Han Solo