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I'm glad Open Beta is starting but....

StellosStellos Member UncommonPosts: 1,491

Well open beta starts May 1st, however, what's with having to be a FilePlanet member to download the client.  Damnit!  I get sick and tired of being nickle and dimed all the time by MMOs.  They can take their open(pay to play) beta and stuff it.  I'll get my taste when the client is free to download and I don't have to be a member of some website to DL.

I am reading this correct aren't I?  You can't just be registered at FilePlanet like for the free content; you actually have to be a paying member?

Comments

  • Ascension08Ascension08 Member Posts: 1,980

    That's what I've heard. Funcom is wonderful, isn't it? (sarcasm)

     

    --------------------------------------
    A human and an Elf get captured by Skaven. The rat-men are getting ready to shoot the first hostage with Dwarf-made guns when he yells, "Earthquake!" The naturally nervous Skaven run and hide from the imaginary threat. He escapes. The Skaven regroup and bring out the Elf. Being very smart, the Elf has figured out what to do. When the Skaven get ready to shoot, the Elf, in order to scare them, yells, "Fire!"

    Order of the White Border.

  • Omega431Omega431 Member UncommonPosts: 92

    as far as i know, u have to be a paying Fileplanet sub, which i am, i get alot of use out of Fileplanet, and the sub just helps, get free games now and then, from hitpoints, along with Beta invites to alot of betas, not just MMOs either, i suggest if ur really into games period, ( all games not just MMOs) look into the sub, i get my moneys worth.

  • dethgardethgar Member Posts: 293

    Their open beta is more or less just a big stress test. Fileplanet is popular and can deliver numbers in order to test that. It's up to Eidos and FP on who is chosen and why. People seem to be mistaking beta's as "try before you buy", but thats not at all their purpose. Their purpose is to test and put out a proper product, not letting everyone get a taste of the game before its launched. They are a business and need the retail intrigue to at least cover some development costs in case of it being a failure, and honestly a beta will tell you nothing about how good the game will be to experience start to finish and beyond. You don't have to participate, its optional, and entirely up to you if you really want to do so. It's not a god given right to get into a beta, its almost like a job really.

  • Omega431Omega431 Member UncommonPosts: 92

    and besides that, the way Fileplanet usually works is they let their paid subs get first pickings, then they usually open it to all.  at least thats how it usually worked in the past

  • KhalathwyrKhalathwyr Member UncommonPosts: 3,133

    I imagine if bandwidth was free and Funcom didn't have to, oh, put the finishing touches on the game before retail launch, then maybe it would be free. But bandwidth isn't free and Funcom doesn't have the manpower free right now to set all that up. Fileplanet does and had a setup to distribute the keys and facilitate the 50K players they are putting keys out for.

    Do I like it? Heck no. I see no point in paying Fileplanet for a service I may use once every couple of years and only if they get beta keys to games I'm interested in. Am I angry? Nope, not at all. If you look at it objectively, from a business standpoint it's the best thing to do. And make no mistake about it, this is a business first, on all accounts. Paying all that money it would cost Funcom to just make it open for everyone hoping that every single person bought the game. That's a hefty gamble there. When you're talking that kind of money, you don't make a gamble like that. That's why you'll note that Funcom isn't the only developer utilizing Fileplanet, and you will no doubt see FP being use alot in the future for MMO open betas.

    "Many nights, my friend... Many nights I've put a blade to your throat while you were sleeping. Glad I never killed you, Steve. You're alright..."

    Chavez y Chavez

  • StellosStellos Member UncommonPosts: 1,491
    Originally posted by Khalathwyr


    I imagine if bandwidth was free and Funcom didn't have to, oh, put the finishing touches on the game before retail launch, then maybe it would be free. But bandwidth isn't free and Funcom doesn't have the manpower free right now to set all that up. Fileplanet does and had a setup to distribute the keys and facilitate the 50K players they are putting keys out for.
    Do I like it? Heck no. I see no point in paying Fileplanet for a service I may use once every couple of years and only if they get beta keys to games I'm interested in. Am I angry? Nope, not at all. If you look at it objectively, from a business standpoint it's the best thing to do. And make no mistake about it, this is a business first, on all accounts. Paying all that money it would cost Funcom to just make it open for everyone hoping that every single person bought the game. That's a hefty gamble there. When you're talking that kind of money, you don't make a gamble like that. That's why you'll note that Funcom isn't the only developer utilizing Fileplanet, and you will no doubt see FP being use alot in the future for MMO open betas.



    You're absolutely right, but it does suck for us who are not subscribers and have no desire to be a subscriber.  Oh well.  I do understand why it is being done the way it is and I am not angry, just disappointed.

  • cougardavecougardave Member Posts: 52

    Calling it an "open beta" is a misnomer.

    It's really a "paid promotional demo". 

    No biggie, it'll be in release soon, and all the level 13 characters will be wiped.

     

     

  • dirtysidedirtyside Member UncommonPosts: 155

    imo if they did a real open beta , they would lose alot of money , so many people are hyped up on aoc but let me tell you the game is a bust , however its better than war but thats not saying much , but whatever , people will say i am a hater or whatever but i am in both war and aoc betas , and vanguard looked better than they both do, but back to the topic "this is not an open beta on may 1st"

  • AmazingAveryAmazingAvery Age of Conan AdvocateMember UncommonPosts: 7,188

    Originally posted by dirtyside


    imo if they did a real open beta , they would lose alot of money , so many people are hyped up on aoc but let me tell you the game is a bust , however its better than war but thats not saying much , but whatever , people will say i am a hater or whatever but i am in both war and aoc betas , and vanguard looked better than they both do, but back to the topic "this is not an open beta on may 1st"
    1. you broke the nda.

    2. nice of you to judge games on BETA. Its not the final version.

    3. You must be joking. Infact I know you are.

    4. The NDA will be lifted somepoint during final beta period = Open to talk about.



  • kujiikujii Member UncommonPosts: 190

    I think its kind of stupid to call it a beta on that date as the game will already have gone gold by then; if they are planning on the 20th for the game to open.  Call it pay to play free or something.  I think the beta portion will be long dead by May 1.   I don't like the Fileplanet idea or the pvp Gamespot idea either.  I am wondering what the 3 day play early for pre-orders will be like.  Like others have said 59-89 dollars for the game plus fees at FilePlanet and Gamespot that's a bit much, not counting the monthly fee to boot. 

  • natauschnatausch Member Posts: 56

    I've participated in a significant amount of Betas over the past 12 years of playing MMOs and one fact remains  true; the late beta version of the game is the live launch version.

    No I am not in the AOC Beta.

    Yes I am still interested in the game, but I'm holding my breath until the NDA lifts to determine if it is as bad as people say or something along the lines of where they want it to be.

  • AmazingAveryAmazingAvery Age of Conan AdvocateMember UncommonPosts: 7,188

    Originally posted by kujii


    I think its kind of stupid to call it a beta on that date as the game will already have gone gold by then; if they are planning on the 20th for the game to open.  Call it pay to play free or something.  I think the beta portion will be long dead by May 1.   I don't like the Fileplanet idea or the pvp Gamespot idea either.  I am wondering what the 3 day play early for pre-orders will be like.  Like others have said 59-89 dollars for the game plus fees at FilePlanet and Gamespot that's a bit much, not counting the monthly fee to boot. 
    try $120 in the UK or Austrialia!

    But I still remember paying $120 for streetfigher 2 for the SNES in the UK so yrs ago :)

    Just remember some other games coming out this year have said they will be handling their beta exactly the same way. And plenty of games in the past have done exactly this.



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