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Irth Online Open Beta starts
Grunty
Member EpicPosts: 8,657
Open beta has begun. Within the last hour or two.
It's so early in the process they don't have their distribution for the game key or client download set up though.
"I used to think the worst thing in life was to be all alone. It's not. The worst thing in life is to end up with people who make you feel all alone." Robin Williams
Comments
Should i even bother trying? The screenshots make the game look very un-appealing
Ya..i know graphics aren't everything but those really look bad..and no i don't play games only for the graphics because some of my favorite games are 2d but that just looks like crap. I might try it anyways.
Be sure to fill out the beta application AND register on the forums.
Hint: There's an NDA that has to be accepted. But it's not on-line.
I have the client. I'll hop in tomorrow and take a look around... but I too am skeptical of the graphics from what I've seen of the screenshots.
Yeah im not exactly expecting much from this game. More than 5 hours worth of enjoyment will be a plus for the game. I dont think they have much to offer in any way other games dont have. They dont have really anything ground-breaking is what I mean
if you are looking for a free game , dont bother.
if you looking to be a 'beta tester' then yes, bother.
it has some major promise if you ask me, but bear in mind you WILL be a tester moreso than a player, at least for now.
I dont know... from what I read of it, it seems to be a mix between Ryzom and SWG... with a low-end graphics system. I guess if they find a way to make the story actually interesting, and put a nice quest system, then it wont be a total flop. Hopefully the game is better than its press-releases make it sound.
In my opinion, I couldn't stand the game after 10 mins. To me it just felt like a Runescape but in real 3D and behind-the-back view instead of over the head. It is a very broken game, and I don't think that wil ever get fixed, even in the retail verson.
Keep in mind that there's still no set release date. The dev's have admitted that. Secondly, you -are- going to be more of a tester than a player. This game is heavily under construction, but the dev's intermingle with the community enough to give the impression that this game might indeed become great.
I played for about 1 hour and I am confused:
Where is all the good stuff??? Really, this game does not seem to deserve to be in an open beta stage; its not even close to being finished though. But I'll still play; just after my CoH trial expires
Anyone who downloads a beta and hopes for an enjoyable game gets nothing more than they deserve. This is not a finished game for you to play for free. It is a product being tested. Months from now it may be fun. If the devs haven't announced a release date yet you can be sure it's not right around the corner, regardless of what mmorpg.com puts on their calendar. You may question whether this should be called a beta test, but that phrase means something a bit different for every project anyway.
After looking at their web site I think the following features of IO are very interesting:
1) Skill based character development without classes or levels.
2) PvP based on three warring civilizations. No open free for all gank-fests. They even have a fourth, peaceful civilization for non-pvp'ers.
3) Specialized servers including an enforced RP server.
If you think that's the sort of game you'd love to play when it's finished then download the beta and help the devs bring their vision to reality. If you just want a free game to play I know there are countless threads on these boards about free mmorpgs. Check 'em out.
Personally I think IO sounds fantastic! These are the features I've always wanted to see in a game. But even I wouldn't expect the beta testing to be much fun.
The beta can be a good way to get an early look on the gameplay that they have set.
I do not expect beta to amuse me, but I do want to enjoy what I test...
Earth and Beyond had a nice beta...
True that the product is being "tested" but its better to see early then to buy the pig in the bag where you expect flour to be.
so dont be all to bad on us who want to ENJOY the game we test.
EDIT: If you dont like what you play, you will simply not play it.
"Regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys.
Look on them as your own beloved sons, and they will stand by you even unto death!"
- Sun Tzu, the Art of War
Well...
1) Skill based character development is nothing new... and I doubt they'll do it any better than Ryzom did (and they actually had a nice looking graphics engine)
2) PvP based on three warring civilizations... so basically dark vs light side in SWG? or maybe Alliance vs Horde in WoW?
3) Specialized servers including an enforced RP server... you mean just like most other RPGs out there?
I dont see much thats ingenious, or very original... but maybe theyll find a way to improve on some of the old features theyre reusing? who knows
Quick question : is the combat auto-attack? If it is im not even bothering downloading this horrid looking game.
Well...
1) Skill based character development is nothing new... and I doubt they'll do it any better than Ryzom did (and they actually had a nice looking graphics engine)
2) PvP based on three warring civilizations... so basically dark vs light side in SWG? or maybe Alliance vs Horde in WoW?
3) Specialized servers including an enforced RP server... you mean just like most other RPGs out there?
I dont see much thats ingenious, or very original... but maybe theyll find a way to improve on some of the old features theyre reusing? who knows
Name one game that gives you all three. That's all I'm saying.
Most other RPG's do not have official RP servers and those that do are not enforced beyond the naming convention, if they even do that. Of course only time will tell if IO keeps their promises about RP. But at least they have made a bold statement by declaring that their 3 server types will be regular, RP, and Hard Core RP.
I'm testing this game as we speak but I am confused about a few things.
Is this late BETA or early BETA? The first post in this thread said that it was EARLY beta testing but this press release says it is LATE beta and the game is set to go live in less than a month.
http://mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/setView/news/gameID/146/showArticle/3119
If this is EARLY beta then all is well... but if this is LATE beta and the game is supposed to be release in less than 30 days then... well..
The web site says 2nd quarter of 2005. That would fit with the press release you linked. But you know how those things go. Magic Hat could slip the release date (causing people to complain). Or they could do what most other game companies have done, release a product which still isn't finished (causing people to complain). I could live with either one. But who knows, maybe they can pull a rabbit out of their magic hat and deliver the goods as promised.
Well i dont why you guys keep complaining about the graphics and i admit its not EQ2 quality but you will be amazed at how fast the development team respond in terms of fixing bugs that you REPORTED as a BETA tester and new contents/patch added in matter of DAYS( 1-2 days).
If you join open beta of WoW, your bug reporting doesnt matter and dev of WoW doesnt read your post because its purpose is to give you a chance to try the game for free. Irth Online development team like to use different approach to open beta and its purpose to find bugs and know what you think. Know the difference. Your opinions in open beta of WoW means nothing. Your opinions in open beta of Irth Online can actually change the outcome of the game. You dont like the character's graphic? talk about it in the private forum and put some suggestions if possible. You dont like the user interface? say so in constructive manner to dev and they will listen. Next thing you know, 3-4 days later, your opinion becomes a reality in-game.
I can't comment on the WoW beta, but it sounds a lot like how SOE does testing. They are extrememly well organized and give testers very clear directions on how to submit bug reports and express opinions. Testers respond with a flood of good data and carefully articulated opinions ... all of which are ignored by SOE.
Ignored, I suspect, because big companies have their own staff to test and develop the game. Their testing program is little more than a free trial period to advertise their game and drum up excitement and subscriptions. There is nothing unfair or dishonest about this marketing practice but it does give some people an unrealistic idea about what they can expect from an actual beta test.
Magic Hat, which is developing Irth Online, is a small company that wants, and needs, to know what people like and don't like about the game. You can talk to their devs live on IRC and explain what's going wrong and get their side of the story in real-time. They make changes and additions daily. They respond to postings in the forums with candor and a sense of humor. Suggestions on the forums can show up in a patch the very next day.
Contrast this with the test program for SOE's title Star Wars Galaxies. Testers wrote thousands of posts and entire on-line thesis explaining what they wanted and needed to see changed in the game. After encouraging all that activity SOE ignored their testers, released a major upgrade that testers generally disliked, and lied about the feedback received from their testers. Personally I think SWG is a pretty good game. But never again will I give subscription fees to SOE.
A few months from now Irth Online may be a fantastic game, or it may not. To some extent it depends on the dedication of the beta testers. You wont learn anything about the game's potential by testing it for one hour. But if you stay for the long haul and the game succeeds it will be a victory for you as much as it will be for Magic Hat. At least that's the way I look at it.
This game is obviously very early in beta. I have a Pentium4 2.2, 1g RAM and a Geforce4 ti 4200 and I get about a frame every second. Turn off all the shading and stuff and it is still unplayable. All my other games with better graphics than this run fine.
Shame, the game does look like it has promise. Roleplay servers, skill based system and full PvP. Yummm....
change open beta to open alpha, thats where irth is atm, tho its in bad shape atm, it can only get better.