No. Most people when getting access to alpha or beta just play without testing for bugs/stability/glitches and such. After they play for a hour or two they go and whine in random forums how they didnt like the game, because of that and that, instead of reporting it since that is their duty as f-ing testers. On the other hand if developers gonna sell alpha/beta access they shouldn't expect much reports coming from these people. Why would i pay to test something, i'll pay to play and enjoy it. In all seriousness beta testers are the one who should get paid. Then they will test, but gotta get some kind of qualification, not everyone is suited for beta testing.
The thing about testing games before release for me is getting burnt out before they even come out, I still try the game for a couple of hours if it's good I will stop playing and wait till launch, if it's poor then at least I know it's not the game for me and to wait for the next big thing.
Kyleran: "Now there's the real trick, learning to accept and enjoy a game for what
it offers rather than pass on what might be a great playing experience
because it lacks a few features you prefer."
John Henry Newman: "A man would do nothing if he waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault."
FreddyNoNose: "A good game needs no defense; a bad game has no defense." "Easily digested content is just as easily forgotten."
LacedOpium: "So the question that begs to be asked is, if you are not interested in
the game mechanics that define the MMORPG genre, then why are you
playing an MMORPG?"
No. Most people when getting access to alpha or beta just play without testing for bugs/stability/glitches and such. After they play for a hour or two they go and whine in random forums how they didnt like the game, because of that and that, instead of reporting it since that is their duty as f-ing testers. On the other hand if developers gonna sell alpha/beta access they shouldn't expect much reports coming from these people. Why would i pay to test something, i'll pay to play and enjoy it. In all seriousness beta testers are the one who should get paid. Then they will test, but gotta get some kind of qualification, not everyone is suited for beta testing.
The counter argument here is if people actually pay, they're more likely to care that the game gets proper testing, not saying I buy that, nor am I saying I agree with your opinion stated above. In my opinion, 9 times out of 10, people base their opinion on this on whether they like a game, like the devs/studio/publisher or do not like them. People give them a pass when they like them, yet offer them harsh scrutiny when they do not.. it's just people being people.
For every minute you are angry , you lose 60 seconds of happiness."-Emerson
I'm not ready and I never will be, I don't want to play the alpha / beta versions of any game and I laugh at people who pay for it. I get if you want to back a game, but paying to test , lol
The Alpha/Beta labels do not mean testing phases anymore. It means paid "Early Acces".
At least that applies to majority of recent releases I have seen. There is virtually no difference in the bug reporting (and fixing) process between Alpha and Live. If people were expected to do extensive testing, you'd likely see a framework in place to support that. It often isn't there.
If the company was serious about the Alpha label, they would invite people based on their testing experience. I remember games 10 years ago had pretty extensive questionnaires for the applicants. You had to say where you tested, how you helped. Now all you have to do is pay - they let everyone in.
What's more, some games don't even have wipes anymore. The Alpha/Beta is pretty much a full release.
I kind of equate Alpha/Beta (early access) to prescreening movies. The products really are basically finished and sure they want to know the flaws of their product. However, more often than not they are hoping people like it and will build hype for it and that critics will give some nice complements that they can slap quotes on the advertising. Hardly ever are they expecting the testers to expect system overhauls or plot changes or to expect them to rebuild their product.
No. Most people when getting access to alpha or beta just play without testing for bugs/stability/glitches and such. After they play for a hour or two they go and whine in random forums how they didnt like the game, because of that and that, instead of reporting it since that is their duty as f-ing testers. On the other hand if developers gonna sell alpha/beta access they shouldn't expect much reports coming from these people. Why would i pay to test something, i'll pay to play and enjoy it. In all seriousness beta testers are the one who should get paid. Then they will test, but gotta get some kind of qualification, not everyone is suited for beta testing.
The counter argument here is if people actually pay, they're more likely to care that the game gets proper testing, not saying I buy that, nor am I saying I agree with your opinion stated above. In my opinion, 9 times out of 10, people base their opinion on this on whether they like a game, like the devs/studio/publisher or do not like them. People give them a pass when they like them, yet offer them harsh scrutiny when they do not.. it's just people being people.
I think that some who pay to test see it as a justification to demand certain changes to game that they want. As if they were a game dev but without access to the resources. It is annoying to me and one of the reasons I dislike game alpha/beta forums.
Kyleran: "Now there's the real trick, learning to accept and enjoy a game for what
it offers rather than pass on what might be a great playing experience
because it lacks a few features you prefer."
John Henry Newman: "A man would do nothing if he waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault."
FreddyNoNose: "A good game needs no defense; a bad game has no defense." "Easily digested content is just as easily forgotten."
LacedOpium: "So the question that begs to be asked is, if you are not interested in
the game mechanics that define the MMORPG genre, then why are you
playing an MMORPG?"
I definitely support devs taking advantage of the opportunity. I think that the quality of invite-only betas were better, in their prime, but the got worse and worse as the beta invite market became lucrative. So I don't think it was an idea formulated by devs, at all. Paid Alpha/Beta was a product of the consumer and reselling of beta invites. So I'd much rather see the money go to the dev. However, quality of testing is meh. Sometimes feels like a "million monkeys" approach. Based on my understanding, though, beta and alpha testing, now, is better than it was a decade ago (completely unsupported here say)
As long as there is no real benefit for reporting bugs, players pay to play the game, not to improve quality. Also Alphas and Betas vary in quality, so that it mostly feels like a polished game and sometimes the opposite. They continue to play a polished game and they quit the opposite right away. It also often doesnt feel like giving feedback has any impact on the development, which makes the whole testing idea obsolete imo.
I think it is worth it if you believe in the project. I also like to get a sneak peek at the initial content and mechanics. If I don't enjoy the broad strokes of the game and the people making it, I'll opt out in a week or two. Others I've stuck with for a over a year, reporting away. I've found on the smaller games, you'll see your feedback iterated more often. I agree with the OP it is not a good use of time, if you don't enjoy it. That will apply to most things in life.
Companies can do whatever they want to do. Selling alpha and beta is up to them to decide. Even when we were doing real alpha/beta tests, analytics were the critical metric and players often thought their feedback was more utilized than they thought.
As a software engineer, I am disgusted with the sorry state of alpha/beta testing. But it is what it is and we shouldn't dwell on it.
As a Player I don't dwell on it at all now... I don't submit myself for Alpha and Beta Testing anymore since it became early access. I won't pay to go to work.
I knew my participation wasn't "all that" but I did try to Test, Report, Test some more, I gave it what I could and I took it seriously. I treated being a Player Tester as if I was on the Clock. Ididn't want to get paid, my pay was knowing I had been a tiny, yet real, part of the process to see a MMO reach Launch.
There are too many gaming companies that require the consumer to pay a "Founder's Donation" to participate in their Alpha & Beta programs. I believe most gamers would be nasty with their reviews if the game that they just paid real cash to test turns out to be a real turkey.
I don't know how many times I've seen loads of gamers cry about alpha and beta stages of games. They say how much the game sucks and give it bad reviews and visit their forums for years on end saying the same stuff they encountered during beta testing. You do realize that alpha and beta aren't really the game? Heck even launch isn't good for almost every mmo out right now. Take GW2, ESO for example both had shaky launches and lost tons of players in beta phase. Yet look at how they have turned into some of the best mmo's on the market. Yet they continue to have haters who haven't played since the first week of launch or beta testing.
Honestly I don't think the majority of gamers have a maturity level that can handle alpha/beta testing a game. A lot of them shouldn't even try to play a game until it has been launched for a year. And then we look at H1Z1 and my entire argument is blown out of the water.
LOL, if they required players to actually test the game, they wouldn't do it. It is a tedious and monotonous process of documentation and basically doing anything and everything at every step you take to see if something goes awry. In essence, you're not playing the game at all and you are lucky if you don't spend several hours doing the exact same quest 100 times in a row just to see if you can break it. That's what game testing is... what people are doing now is not testing but getting early access to a game so that they can figure out every shortcut and exploit under the blue moon before the game goes live so that they have an indecent advantage over everyone else.
when the developers market and sell alpha or beta for a game, it is then open to public scrutiny in my opinion.
I agree and I also think most gamers go into Alpha/Beta games with the sole intent on playing a completed product. Then they get mad when things don't work.
To stop some of this problem developers need to stop selling access to games that are in alpha/beta and revert back to how it used to be, but we all know that money talks so this will most likely never change.
99% of the people getting in betas don't give a shit about testing, all they want is play. And that's not new, that has always been true.
BTW, to those pretending the whole "pay for alpha/beta" thing is new, to get into the SWG beta you had to buy the CDROM.
This
Alpha/Beta is just another way to monetarise the game, the Publisher know it, the developers know it, the players know it, even my dog knows it. Let's not pretend it's something it is not.
And if the players that got into Beta gives bad reviews about the game, the devs just get what they deserve for being so greedy. So yeah good times for all.
I don't know how many times I've seen loads of gamers cry about alpha and beta stages of games. They say how much the game sucks and give it bad reviews and visit their forums for years on end saying the same stuff they encountered during beta testing. You do realize that alpha and beta aren't really the game? Heck even launch isn't good for almost every mmo out right now. Take GW2, ESO for example both had shaky launches and lost tons of players in beta phase. Yet look at how they have turned into some of the best mmo's on the market. Yet they continue to have haters who haven't played since the first week of launch or beta testing.
Honestly I don't think the majority of gamers have a maturity level that can handle alpha/beta testing a game. A lot of them shouldn't even try to play a game until it has been launched for a year. And then we look at H1Z1 and my entire argument is blown out of the water.
I don't really understand why players believe that alpha/beta means the start of the development cycle for software. Alpha/Beta is the start of the finished product cycle. This means the software is basically complete and is currently being released to the client for final bug testing and minor tweaking.
In other words, any complaints that players bring up at that time is likely to be valid for the entire lifetime of the product. Luckily, MMORPGs are products that are continually updated so many problems can be fixed over the lifetime of the product, but does that mean that players should just forgive and forget?
So when players pay for early access they somehow forget that alpha/beta are testing phases and the actual 3-7 days of early access is the launched game. And its the developers fault for taking money from people willing to throw it at the new upcoming game without using their brain. Did I get everything right? Which brings me to the OP which believes players in general aren't capable of playing alpha/beta without realizing it isn't ready for launch. The overwhelming amount of people who commented believe that alpha/beta is the finished product which is proof that players aren't able to handle such terminology properly. So if you are a developer and want free alpha/beta players then I advise you do an IQ test for anyone trying to play the game otherwise they will give negative reviews about the unfinished product you are trying to develop.
@muffins89 I observed in may early access games, not only MMOs that people often get refund because of game is incomplete. Early access is early access, it means at developing stage, so it's in definition not done. Peaple think that game may be full playable at every stage... If you think so, start coding
Comments
On the other hand if developers gonna sell alpha/beta access they shouldn't expect much reports coming from these people. Why would i pay to test something, i'll pay to play and enjoy it. In all seriousness beta testers are the one who should get paid. Then they will test, but gotta get some kind of qualification, not everyone is suited for beta testing.
^
http://baronsofthegalaxy.com/ An MMO game I created, solo. It's live now and absolutely free to play!
That is a little different and a stretch.
Epic Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAigCvelkhQ&list=PLo9FRw1AkDuQLEz7Gvvaz3ideB2NpFtT1
https://archive.org/details/softwarelibrary_msdos?&sort=-downloads&page=1
Kyleran: "Now there's the real trick, learning to accept and enjoy a game for what it offers rather than pass on what might be a great playing experience because it lacks a few features you prefer."
John Henry Newman: "A man would do nothing if he waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault."
FreddyNoNose: "A good game needs no defense; a bad game has no defense." "Easily digested content is just as easily forgotten."
LacedOpium: "So the question that begs to be asked is, if you are not interested in the game mechanics that define the MMORPG genre, then why are you playing an MMORPG?"
For every minute you are angry , you lose 60 seconds of happiness."-Emerson
At least that applies to majority of recent releases I have seen. There is virtually no difference in the bug reporting (and fixing) process between Alpha and Live. If people were expected to do extensive testing, you'd likely see a framework in place to support that. It often isn't there.
If the company was serious about the Alpha label, they would invite people based on their testing experience. I remember games 10 years ago had pretty extensive questionnaires for the applicants. You had to say where you tested, how you helped. Now all you have to do is pay - they let everyone in.
What's more, some games don't even have wipes anymore. The Alpha/Beta is pretty much a full release.
Help support an artist and gamer who has lost his tools to create and play: http://www.gofundme.com/u63nzcgk
I think that some who pay to test see it as a justification to demand certain changes to game that they want. As if they were a game dev but without access to the resources. It is annoying to me and one of the reasons I dislike game alpha/beta forums.
Epic Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAigCvelkhQ&list=PLo9FRw1AkDuQLEz7Gvvaz3ideB2NpFtT1
https://archive.org/details/softwarelibrary_msdos?&sort=-downloads&page=1
Kyleran: "Now there's the real trick, learning to accept and enjoy a game for what it offers rather than pass on what might be a great playing experience because it lacks a few features you prefer."
John Henry Newman: "A man would do nothing if he waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault."
FreddyNoNose: "A good game needs no defense; a bad game has no defense." "Easily digested content is just as easily forgotten."
LacedOpium: "So the question that begs to be asked is, if you are not interested in the game mechanics that define the MMORPG genre, then why are you playing an MMORPG?"
Crazkanuk
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Tankinpain - 90 Monk - Azjol-Nerub - US
Brindell - 90 Warrior - Emerald Dream - US
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It also often doesnt feel like giving feedback has any impact on the development, which makes the whole testing idea obsolete imo.
Blue
http://www.I-SHOW-YOU.de/orbs/Gaming since 1985; Online gaming since 1995; No End in Sight! My YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8POVoJ8fdOseuJ4U1ZX-oA
Companies have realized they can sell unfinished products and consumers buy it up.
Cant fault the companies for the poor decisions of the consumer.
wait...ESO is actually good now? as in it has the elements people look for in an Elder Scrolls game like open world?
Please do not respond to me, even if I ask you a question, its rhetorical.
Please do not respond to me
I knew my participation wasn't "all that" but I did try to Test, Report, Test some more, I gave it what I could and I took it seriously. I treated being a Player Tester as if I was on the Clock. Ididn't want to get paid, my pay was knowing I had been a tiny, yet real, part of the process to see a MMO reach Launch.
Another good thing gone from my point of view.
To stop some of this problem developers need to stop selling access to games that are in alpha/beta and revert back to how it used to be, but we all know that money talks so this will most likely never change.
Alpha/Beta is just another way to monetarise the game, the Publisher know it, the developers know it, the players know it, even my dog knows it.
Let's not pretend it's something it is not.
And if the players that got into Beta gives bad reviews about the game, the devs just get what they deserve for being so greedy.
So yeah good times for all.
I don't really understand why players believe that alpha/beta means the start of the development cycle for software. Alpha/Beta is the start of the finished product cycle. This means the software is basically complete and is currently being released to the client for final bug testing and minor tweaking.
In other words, any complaints that players bring up at that time is likely to be valid for the entire lifetime of the product. Luckily, MMORPGs are products that are continually updated so many problems can be fixed over the lifetime of the product, but does that mean that players should just forgive and forget?