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No open beta? is it to hide a stinker?
smitty0356
Member Posts: 368
They said that they got 100,000 applicants when they allowed beta to be applied for, but yet, they don't have the capacity for that? I find that hard to believe that they wouldn't have a week or so of beta at least... because won't 100,000 people buy the game?
I think they don't want what happened to PotBS and TR to happen to this game. I think it has a big enough buzz going right now, and they don't want to risk it on a broken game mechanic. That's just my conspiracy theory, but it is strange that they behave this way.
Elite poster by 82
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Funcom is one of the few companies I trust in and if it takes 18 pounds of my currency on a pre-order to break that trust and a potential game lifetime addict then I won't be the one loosing out.
I think they have done it right I have applied for beta and hope to get in. Open Betas don't ruin games, games ruin games full stop. If tabula was half decent it wouldn't be struggling now.
What are you talking about? WOW had an open beta. I played in WOW's open beta. Its what got me to buy the game.
I don't think you have any idea what you are talking about.
I think you could look at it 2 ways.
1. They are hiding something and are trying to sucker us into buying AoC.
2. They have great confidence in the game and know that it will succeed/do well in the long run because it is a great game, so they have decided to save the time/money it would cost for an open beta.
I really think it's the second option. I highly doubt that they would put so much money into a game to let it bomb like Vanguard. If this game is good, in a year it will make no difference whether or not it had an open beta, word of mouth will get people to play.
|Mortal Online|Gnostaria|
As I stated in another post - smartest move ever is to stop the Open Beta stupidity that has risen of late. It has become a way for people to trial games in a state that is not finished. I for one am glad Funcom is smart enough to see this and shut down the trialers.
Some do some don't. AoC doesn't perhaps because of M rating or internal/business reasons. We won't know until we play it. Personally I think it's going to be great.
You can speculate to the end of time concerning every move FC makes and why it can mean DOOM, but thats a negative trip imo. Be speculative? sure... but to see everything in fail/success is a sign of an immature mind.
You trust Funcom? This is the company that released the disaster that was Anarchy Online. It was one of the worst MMO launches ever. It wasn't decent until nearly a year after release. I was there at launch. Ask anyone else who was there just how bad it was.
Richard Garriot himself alluded to the long open beta of TR being a mistake. Many people used it as a try-out, saw alot of bugs and as a result, didn't sub. Beta is for testing a game, not coming to major conclusions about it which I think is what happened.
Current Games: WOW, EVE Online
Open betas are nothing new. They've been going on since at least the 1999 launch of Asheron's Call.
Open beta is not supposed to be about unfinished games. The final couple of weeks of beta testing in an MMO is usually stress testing the servers. That's when companies hold open beta and pack people in to see when the servers fail.
Why would companies want to stop this? Why would they want to stop potential customers from trying their product? Usually it's because they're hiding something.
I've been looking forward to AOC and I really want it to succeed, but the news of no open beta is a red flag warning to me.
Open betas are nothing new. They've been going on since at least the 1999 launch of Asheron's Call.
Open beta is not supposed to be about unfinished games. The final couple of weeks of beta testing in an MMO is usually stress testing the servers. That's when companies hold open beta and pack people in to see when the servers fail.
Why would companies want to stop this? Why would they want to stop potential customers from trying their product? Usually it's because they're hiding something.
I've been looking forward to AOC and I really want it to succeed, but the news of no open beta is a red flag warning to me.
See - "they must be hiding something" all the trialers are up in arms. They have said that they have up to 100,000 people to test the servers etc. There is no need to let every person into the beta - simply no need. Why do it then?
I was a closed beta tester for TR. Open beta did not doom TR. Bugs didn't doom TR. Being a crappy game doomed TR.
Why would companies want to stop this? Why would they want to stop potential customers from trying their product? Usually it's because they're hiding something.
Because people don't treat it like a beta / stress test, they treat it like a free trial. I remember reading multiple games forums during open beta and seeing tons of posts like "OMG SOOO MUCH LAG!!!!!!111!. SERVERZ SUX!!!!11 THIS GAME SUX!!!".
-Currently looking forward to FFXIV
-Currently playing EvE and Global Agenda
Please don't call me a "trialer". I've been paying for MMOs since UO in 1997. I'm an experienced beta tester who's been in closed betas for most of the AAA MMO titles that have been released. I apply for a lot of beta tests. I don't get in them all and I'm okay with that.
What I'm saying is from my personal experience: no open beta usually means a crappy game. Not always, but usually. Not dropping the NDA until right before release usually means a crappy game. It's not just my opinion. It's my experience.
You're on that 100K thing again. They've invited only 15K. And most of those people aren't testing the game any more (its just the way it is).
So they're "stress"ing the servers with about 500 people atm. Do you think that's anywhere close to enough?
PotBS stressed their servers in closed beta using only closed beta people, and while they "worked" somewhat, it wasn't enough. They held two "open" (to fileplanet subscribers) stress tests and both times found (many) serious problems that had never been discovered during the closed beta, because they never had enough people online at once. AoC is not immune to this issue. Especially coming from the people who made AO, which was perhaps the second worst launch of an MMO ever (WW2 Online taking the cake).
And you trust reviews by people who write like that? Any mature tester and potential subscriber understands what open beta is about. Despite lag, during stress tests, they can tell if the game is any fun to play.
By the way, the posts are even worse when a bad game is released to the public.
Is this what we have become? Have we been burned by so many MMOs that if a company does anything, good bad or indifferent, everyone assumes that there is something wrong and that the devs are trying to fuck the players over. I am not saying that we should just roll over but I think the paranoia is running a bit high. There must be at least 5 threads on the subject of no open beta.
I was a closed beta tester for TR. Open beta did not doom TR. Bugs didn't doom TR. Being a crappy game doomed TR.
Ouch! Im not in disagreement with you totally as I have just cancelled my TR sub after playing it throughout open beta and for two months. But that was harsh! lol
Current Games: WOW, EVE Online
In fact, due to the past history of the company, this is an even greater issue. Anarchy Online is one of the worst, if not THE worst, game launches we have ever seen. The servers couldn't handle the amount of people logging on. Could barely more once you logged in. Tons of crashes. It was a nightmare.
Trust funcom?...........................................................hahahahh
HOGG4LIFE
I was there the day AO launched. I will be waiting until after release to hear how it really plays
The No Open Beta worries me, either the game is a turd or a gem. but they aint gettin my money til I find out.
"One word, Thundercougarfalconbird."
Why exactly do you need to know everything? Is there some type of law I missed that says a Video game developer has to release every little thing about the product they are developing?
Guess what - it isn't your place to judge if a piece of software is ready for release. That's the job of the publishers.
Back in the 80's and 90's no one knew much of anything about the games they were going to buy until they walked into the store and picked up the box. At least back than there was an actual surprise and sense of discovery in playing a game.
I'am glad they're not having a open beta. Screw all you pre gaming babies.
Acctualy that's for the paying public to decide. V:SOH anyone
"One word, Thundercougarfalconbird."
Why exactly do you need to know everything? Is there some type of law I missed that says a Video game developer has to release every little thing about the product they are developing?
Guess what - it isn't your place to judge if a piece of software is ready for release. That's the job of the publishers.
Back in the 80's and 90's no one knew much of anything about the games they were going to buy until they walked into the stpre and picked up the box.
I'am glad they're not having a open beta. Screw all you pre gaming whiners.
Thtas not true, back in the 80s and 90s I waited for my monthly issue of Nintendo Power before I bought a game. Its true people werent completely ass backwards before the internet. Though I suspect most are now.
This game is far over hyped, and its going to hurt.
Ya after you buy it..
Then you can go return it if you don't like it.
OR you can just wait for reviews after it's out.