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have open betas ruined the MMO?
Kurganxy
Member UncommonPosts: 53
I had thought today, while browsing the different WAR forums that i go to on a daily basis, and a thought came to me. It seems like every other post was beta this and beta that. I remember back when i first started playing MMOs (with EQ and SWG) where i knew very little about the game and had never even heard of beta. They were some of the most fun MMO experiences i had ever had. Where as today, everyone knows ( or thinks they know ) more about the game when it releases that the developers. Ok, thats an exageration, but you get the point. I know some will argue, saying that the more info the better. The bad part about that, is that many people get into the beta, and then come onto the forums spouting theyre, "OMG this game sucks" or even "OMG this game rules" knowing good and well that its still being developed and tweaked and getting features added and taken away. Then when they change a class, for balancing or what not, its, "OMG, NERF BAT!!!" even though that is exactly what beta is for, to tweak and change things BEFORE launch. Not only that, but beta has turned into a marketing tool more than a means for weeding out bugs and fixing things that need to be fixed. Now, more often than not, i would say about 7-8/10 people who get into beta are there simply to try the game out and play. Sure, there are people who actually test, and report bugs and give feedback, but like i said, not the norm. anyway, discuss. let me know if you agree or totally disagree and flame me.
Comments
I might've agreed if WoW hadn't had months of Non-Nda beta and an open beta after that but after seeing that happen I really don't believe anymore that giving information is a bad thing. If a game is good it'll sell itself.
I agree that open betas have really had an impact on MMO's. I remember when it use to be a privelage to be in a games beta test, now its just a way to get people to play.
Cause its just a marketing tool now ...many people like your numbers state just come to play and get a jump on learning the game for when it is released. Not actually TEST anything or report bugs which i mean they are testing things but most dont care about.
I have seen farmers and gold sellers also popping up during open betas on the last few open betas i have tested as well. There are others who sell thier beta keys or disks on ebay or what have you as well.
But what can you do.....just hope that the game is tested enough and polished.
Did not seem to hurt World of Warcarft.
It DOES hurt crap games as it allows folks to try em a bit before plunking down $50 for crap.
Perhaps why some of the worst crap loads never had an open beta, nor any extensive trial program.
I don't think the issue is having a beta. Not having a beta is almost always worse. Most games released today don't actually have much of a beta. It's not just the players that have defrauded the meaning of the word beta. it's the companies themselves. The average game released today really does not want folks invited (outside of PR reasons) for any purpose then self-programmed load-bots.
Want to improve games? Return both open and closed betas to what they must be.
(1) It's listening to the people you allow into closed beta. Listen to all of the people. Do not promote fanbois, or even your dev's best friend's opinion above anyone elses. Compile the aggregates and try to make sense of the results.
(2) BEFORE open beta starts. Implement the closed beta complaints. If the complaints haven't died off (and it's not because your closed beta participiants have fled in droves), then invite initate your open beta.
(3) BEFORE open beta starts. Load test the heck out of the servers, game, login, newbie zones, auction houses, email system, etc.
(4) Open beta should be about confirming things are fun. If there are complaints. It ain't fun or your closed beta participants weren't testing things and stuff is still broken. If it's broken at this point I think it's difficult to salvage a positive release / response, but that's the risks of any developement.
Ahh Asherons Call how I miss you
Everyone wants to have a voice that is heard, but I never take everything they say to heart. There is nothing in the world that everyone loves, or everyone hates.
Beta being a marketing tool makes sense on the company end. Why not spread as much hype around as possible if you are sure of your product. It can be a double-edged sword as Shoal suggests, but if it comes from a company who has already proven itself to make a solid game or MMORPG it's a pretty wise decision. I think that was part of WoWs success. An established name goes a longgg way. The bottom line is developers want to be successful, and the producer wants to spread word of the success. If you had a great product wouldn't you want to do everything to get it out to the public? Success and money. It's a good thing.
*shrug*
Oh and I agree that many testers seem to just want to play. Then there is the minority of true testers. I would say 6/3/1 People who just want to try out the game and don't test effectively / people who like to play but do a decent effort of testing / focused true testers.
*shrug*shrug*
I maybe going on a limb here in using common sense, but what other game do we know to date has had 500k in closed beta testers?
Also, in that regards and comment do you really think they necessarily need a open beta being they have 500k "and more coming" before release date? I'm just wondering since no formal closed to open transition has been confirmed 100% by the developers. I could be wrong, just something I would shoot out there "maybe someone can show me otherwise on here".
On a note to, I'm really wondering if all 500k in testers are actually sending game feedback or playing til their hearts desire in the closed beta "just a thought".
There are not 500k testers. There are 500k closed beta applications. Very big difference.
They have said that there will be an Open beta but not in the sense where anyone can sign up. It will be more along the lines of pre-order and get a beta key.
Neither Closed nor Open Betas have ruined MMOs.
Quite the contrary, they are a necessary tool for testing games. The more testing the better. The more information and exposure to the playing public -- the better.
~ Ancient Membership ~
There are not 500k testers. There are 500k closed beta applications. Very big difference.
Yeah, that makes sense now, don't know how I was reading ingame beta testers, lol.
I didn't like this game one bit. I was so hyped up by it and then played in the Beta and wasn't impressed at all. It was like a kick in the junk. Hopefully they will listen to their testers and change it up.
What game did you beta test?
The more input the better, but I can see where games that are designed to attract a niche audience could be hurt by bad word of mouth from an audience they're not intended for. The other negative would be, too many testers can mean you get alot of people that don't care about improving the game are suddenly spouting crap.