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How the %$#@ do you get an invite to a Beta?! Any Beta?
I don't get it...I really just don't get it. What are devs looking for...
Here's my background:
Age: 37
Games played: OU, EQ, Shadowbane, EQ II, DAoC, Planetside, WOW, WAR & AoC.
PvP: While I'm not that great a PvPer, every server I've played on has been a PvP server or in the case of EQ it was a Team PvP server.
Guilds: Lead them and been in a guild in each game I've played with the exception of OU.
Computer: High end gaming machine
Ability: I'm half way articulate and can write a decent sentence.
So I would think that the 10+ years of playing MMOs at every level would have at least qualified for some invite to one of those games.
What else do I need to do? Hit the game boards more? Make more of a name for myself in game? Be lord of the PvP world? (never going to happen).
Comments
Talking the the game forums might help a bit, but i think it is just luck of the draw.
A) Buy Game
That is how most of them work these days anyway... Sign up early and hope you get lucky otherwise.
I'm assuming that you are actually applying for the beta programs as well?
Otherwise, yes, hit the boards. Also, they might be looking for people who have have average gaming machines.
But again, you are applying correct? Or are you hoping they will just send you an invite.
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
luck or using paid betas
I was in Blizzards Open Beta for WOW back in 2004 soley because of paying Fileplanet a small fee
EQ2 fan sites
If you're talking about a game you play's private test server, then yes you have to hit the boards constantly, and in a respectful way. If you go to their forums and tell them they suck then you won't get there. If you go to the forums and respectfully disagree with one of their changes and explain why, then they will start looking for you. It also helps to be a major guild leader, or known on your server.
If you're talking about new betas for upcoming game releases the answer is simple, just like a resume you lie. You list several big titles and say you were a beta and reported many types of bugs ranging from typos to exploits and make up a few random examples. Sadly that is the best way, thousands to tens of thousands of people try to get into betas that have room for a couple hundred. And the devs don't have time to actually investigate any of the requests, so you have to lie and make yourself sound like a beta all star.
Fill the beta application and be lucky, thats all.
Never had one post on a certain MMO's board and I got into Closed beta. My gaming machine is crap, I haven't tested many other games.
Currently restarting World of Warcraft
Something else is having a great machine can limit your chances. The devs usually work on good machines and you only need a few testers with them to make sure everything works. Where most devs have problems and want to test is with some older machines. If beta takes a system file detailing your machine I usually sign up with different account for the different machines in my house and I swear 90% of the betas I get into is with apps using the crappier and older machines. I don't think i've ever gotten into one with my main gaming machine.
I use the machine I apply for also because I like to help test and beta if I get accepted. If I just wanted to play the game I would wait till launch and not spoil it for myself.
I feel ya SW. Perhaps you're right - if asked i say I've never been in a beta. That certainly would be a big strike against me. Sigh. Time to turn to the dark side i suppose. Just once i'd like to see what it was like.
Fill the beta application and be lucky, thats all.
LoL i'm just trying to get lucky with the wife!! Let's hope i can do something more then cross my fingers to get into a beta.
It's Not that hard, here's my Resume.
Age of Conan
Asheron's Call: Throne of Destiny
Asheron's Call 2
City of Villains
Dungeons & Dragons Online
EverQuest II
EverQuest II :Kingdom of Sky
Guild Wars
Lord of the Rings Online
Pirates of the Burning Sea
ROSE Online
Ryzom
Star Wars Galaxies
The Matrix Online
Vanguard: Saga of Heroes
World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King
Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning
Galaxy Online
Ether Saga Online
Armies of Exigo
Auto Assault
Battle for Middle-earth II
Battlefield 2142
Battlefield 2142: Northern Strike
BattleForge
Call of Duty: World at War
Codename Panzers: Cold War
Company of Heroes
Cross Fire
Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts
Command & Conquer Red Alert 3
Dragonshard
Dreamlords The Reawakening
Dungeon Siege II
Enemy Territory Quake Wars
Ether Saga Online
F.E.A.R.
Frontlines: Fuel of War
GoGoRacer
Heroes of Might & Magic V
Holic
Mabinogi
Men of War
RF Online
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Patch Development
Shaiya
Star Wars BattleFront II
Sugar Rush
S.W.A.T
Tabula Rasa
Tribes: Vengeance
Universe at War
War Front
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 2
WorldShift
Beyond Protocol
I'm Also Currently Partisipating in 8 Closed Beta's at this current time.
lol, that's the first thing I thought too.
You have to make your application look pretty. Be with a guild that has a fancy website and link that. Let them know that your whole clan is considering the move and you'd like to try it out. Always remember to include the DirectX file and every piece of application data they ask for whether it has a * next to it or not. I fill them out like it's a resume and I've been invited to a number of Betas where I did not preorder the title (LoTRO, 9Dragons, Tabula Rasa...).
Making a lot of noise on their forums is another good way to go. The devs like people who are going to be loud about their game. It's how I got into Age of Conan beta.
There are also some groups like Fileplanet that give away large amounts of keys to their members.
youtube.com/gcidogmeat
Have interesting DxDiag.
By the very nature of beta testing the developers will let in a range of systems more so than people. So X number of people with dual core, x number with multiable processors, X number single processors. Goony configurations like having the minimal ram requirement but having a graphics card that's well above the recomended. other wierd configurations like having a crap processor but suitable RAM(normally other way around). It's also worth noting that the developers don't care very much about "gamer rigs" because quite simply put the developers hav their own and can do better testing than the average user could dream of.
Like testing
If you have other programming experiance, worked on indy game projects that actually released in any position, or similar
Lucky draw
There's also a set that they have reserved for truely random entrees. or how I got into the TCoS beta by being on the "never gonna invite this guy list" and their IT systems sending an invite to everyone on the list in error.
I find it amazing that by 2020 first world countries will be competing to get immigrants.
It's very strange betas. The one I'm in now is one where I made exactly 2 posts on the forum so posting isn't everything. They do want people who's machines aren't top of the line. getting a week old machine to run a game is easy but like the man said, it's more important for them to be able to test a wide range of hardware. The data from mid-range machines will be more valuable. Especially when it comes to modifying the graphics options.
There is NO miracle patch.
95% of what you see in beta won't change by launch.
Hope is not a stategy.
______________________________
"This kind of topic is like one of those little cartoon boxes held up by a stick on a string, with a piece of meat under it. In other words, bait."
participating positively on a game's board often helps.
also, frequently playing on the test servers for released games often gets you into the betas for the game's expansions.
It's really quite simple. I have multiple alpha/beta accounts to games right now I don't even play. How do I so easily get them?
I lie. I don't tell these guys I'm a 30 something year old male who's played and tested crap tons of mmos since UO's release. I don't spam their forums with 100s a posts a day. I don't tell them I have some cutting edge gaming rig and if I have to post a dx.diag I use one from a mid range system. They have 1000s of applications matching exactly what I wrote above.
When I apply I become a 31 year old female who has only ever played World of Warcraft and is interested in mmos because my husband introduced me to them and "omg it's like soooo much fun!"
Bam, I'm in. Usually right away.
They need feedback from all walks of life, go with a demographic they probably lack and you're in there.
I have been in countless betas for MMOs, and the best advice I can give is to just apply. Apply apply apply.. any game in beta, apply for it. If you see a contest for beta, enter it. I have won a LOT of my beta keys from contests at various MMO related sites.. some here, some at other sites. At the moment, I have access to two MMO's closed betas (one major, one minor), both of which I got through contests.
I'll have access to a third somewhat major title in several months when it begins.
It's not hard to get into betas, but odds are you will get in a few that you weren't that excited about, and you'll probably not get into a few that you really did want in. The cool thing is that sometimes those lesser games turn out better than you thought they would be.
You can also join a guild. If the beta application ask you about a guild then join one that known on the forums. This will help you tons.
--
"Any free people have the right to choose how it wants to be govern thats the essence of democracy. It's sad when America has chosen for the stability and consistency of a dictatorship and doing it democratically" -utnow
Basically what others have said.
Join the forum's early,shows you are interested in the game,post on the forums..not just hanging out in the welcome thread getting +1 post count,post some meaningful things.
Do some research on the game and give that info to the player base.
Showing up 1 month before the beta starts and saying "I NEEDZ DA BEAT KEY" wont help.
The devs are smart enough to know that these days alot of people just want to play a trial and have no intention of beta testing the game properly,so prove you are indeed interested in the game.
If someone had came up to me in 1980 when I was on my Atari 2600 and said we will be playing games with thousands of people at the same time.I guess my response would have been,"but I only have 2 joysticks"
http://www.mmorpg.com/discussion2.cfm/thread/235780/page/8
I dont think you need a list of betas I or anyone else has played in, but rather some advice on how to stand out and get picked for betas. Below are some of the things that matter in the beta pick process, but the most important bit is staying informed about what is happening in the industry, and being aware of games in development and their forums/websites before the hordes of people game-hopping arrive. It matters in a lot of beta applications:
Now there are many different ways that companies chose beta testers. In some cases you dont really get to "apply" to beta test, you simply fill out a form, that asks for little more than your computer specs and perhaps a list of games you have played. Those beta picks are pretty random, and you have as much chance as the next person to get picked. Having a computer with highend specs or one that is struggling might improve your chances because you can help give information as to how the game runs on the extreme lowend, and the extreme highend, which is nice for the devs to know.
On some beta application forms, you get to write a small essay or resumé explaining why they should pick you for their beta. If you come across as knowledgeable about their game, and can refer to your experience in other games, manage to show intent to spend a decent amount of time playing their beta and also mention your familiarity with filing bug reports (wether you are familiar or not), while at the same time writing all of that in a concise and easy to read manner, you improve your chances of getting picked by a huge margin. Take your time writing as much information about your gaming experience and willingness to beta test as you need. Make it a good read and spellcheck. - I have never NOT gotten a beta where a resumé was part of the application. It makes a difference if you take the time to do it right.
Lastly, you need to stay on top of what is happening in the industry. In some beta applications it matters when you signed up on their website. Your forum activity or join date, may infact affect your changes. If you belong to a recent rush in of players just as news of beta is announced your chances are pretty slim. However, if you have been following the game, and their forums for years, even if you rarely post, you have a much bigger chance of getting invited to the beta. Some, not all, but some betas are sent out to website registrations based on sign date. They will allow you to tick, an interested-in-beta box in your profile, and when the Beta comes round, they send out invites based on ancienity. This is never popular with the hordes of new members that flock closer to release date, but lots of games have still applied this system.
At the end of the day the term BETA testing has become very watered down. FX. Aion is currently doing beta test weekends for the NA/EU market, but anyone who has beta tested would recognise that they are playing a retail client, regardless of how old a version it is.
It is very important that a person who applied to a beta understands that although some companies have applied this term to preview weekends or gameplay periods, beta usually consist of extremely unstable, buggy and frustrating gameplay. That your characters are wiped often and where your belongings can dissappear at a blink of an eye to some random bug. If you would rather then petition a GM for omg, give my items back, rather than bug report what you believe caused your items to dissappear, - you shouldnt be playing the beta in the first place. Also consider getting bored with a title pre-release after investing months of your time alpha and beta testing, and ask yourself if that is really worth it to you.
If you still want to beta play, good luck, have fun and put some effort into getting those beta invites. No magic is involved, you just need to stay informed and ahead of the masses and perhaps spend more than 2 minutes filling out the beta applications.
Dude. I'm sold!!
Great feedback. Thanks
its mostly abour your comp specs afterall its beta its not for you to have fun and give nothing back if you havent understood tat yet
Lets reiterate what Devalon said above me ...cause his post was smothered by 10 page dissertations
Most MMO entering the beta stage are shying away from the 1000+ random invites. They want players who come together as a group, play as a group...for group oriented games. As such, Devs are now focusing on guild/clan invites rather than waves of random players
Find the game you want into a beta (SW:TOR for example). Head on over to the forums and fansites and find all the guilds/clans who are planning to play this game. Join them all! Then stay semi active on their forums (nothing major, just a post here, response there), wait for the MMO beta announcement and then ensure your on that guilds beta invite list.
Then wait, you're likely to hit it through one guild (or more)
Good Luck
Torrential: DAOC (Pendragon)
Awned: World of Warcraft (Lothar)
Torren: Warhammer Online (Praag)