Beta, Screens and 2007

(jimb0) #41

If you read the article, you’ll see he’s talking more about gameplay than bugs. Having a dominant class is not a bug, it’s a gameplay issue. So it seems this beta will be used for balance issues, not specifically for software bugs. This means changing various gameplay aspects during the beta.

I can already see… they release a “public beta”, then during the beta they decide a given class is too overpowered, then they balance it back (ie, removing ammo or health), then everybody who’s playing that class (and who obviously “forgot” that was a beta and think they’re the center of the world) whines that SD is destroying their game and vow never to play it again/buy anything from SD/boycott the game until they change it back/etc.

A more closed beta closer to release, with some selected people (like a few hundreds), would probably be the best… but knowing how those things work, I think probably 10% of the people doing it would actually know what a beta means.

(Nishua) #42

Well it sounds like they need a beta (closed). They need real people, not hired ones to really try out the game. Thats the only way they are going to get the level of testing needed. Let all the cheaters, noobs, and exploits take a swing at it.

PS: I knew this was going to happen.

(RosOne) #43

No Public Beta

There has not been any id Software game that had a public beta besides DOOM and I’m not even sure if it was an intended public beta. Next beta version (or rather alpha) that made it public was Quake 3 Arena IHV. This version was leaked by ATI (who according to rumors were responsible for the DOOM3 alpha leak) so it wasn’t released as a public beta.

Since then there has not been one beta version of any id Software game which made it online besides one incident involving SplashDamage. Back in April 2003 Caryn Law (ex-Activision) visited a certain channel on an IRC network which is dead by now to look for beta testers. Those who got into beta-testing signed NDAs and received the URL, login and password to the beta version of Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory.

But life is life and the closed beta wasn’t so closed for a long time. Someone from those testers leaked the login information and the beta ended.

Already 3 years have passed since then, DOOM3 and Quake 4 got released and Enemy Territory: Quake Wars is in beta-stages. Do any of you seriously think that after the incident with Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory Activision would ever allow another closed-beta for a certain group of people they found online? Well, think again.

There might be a small group of long-time friends of the guys at SplashDamage which might get their hands at a beta version, I don’t know, but if you are not one of them you won’t get to see it.

The danger of a beta version being leaked is too big to be worth it. Even releasing a demo version too early is a mistake (look Quake 3 Arena). The argument of more people being able to give better feedback is unrealistic. I also believe that long-time Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory players are definitely the better testers but that is not a good enough reason to give them the beta-version. If Activision, SplashDamage or even id Software wanted to have a bigger number of tester they could always get more in-house testers. No need for not-so-reliable online folks from the forums/IRC.

Soon QuakeCon is coming, those real and most loyal fans (like Todd Hollenshead likes to call them) are going to have some fun playing Enemy Territory: Quake Wars. The rest of us will get a couple new screenshots, maybe an updated trailer and definitely lots of previews and interviews. We will learn to live without a beta version and no retail version in 2006.

Good luck balancing the game!

(GlobalWar) #44

Damn, RosOne you do NOT make me happy!!!

I really enjoyed ET when it came out with only Fueldump, dunno if that was an intended demo…so something like that for QW will surely make my day :slight_smile:

(RosOne) #45

That one?

(Joe999) #46

shouldn’t we build a mob with pitchforks and torches and burn rosone for bringing the bad news? :smiley:

(escapedturkey) #47

Will there be a public beta test, eventually?

(MuffinMan) #48

the best idea so far - I’ll bring the tar and feathers

(Joe999) #49

:smiley:

(RosOne) #50

(jaybird) #51

Ah well, that just means more time to upgrade the PC before release heh.

(Qwinside) #52

R O S o N E

(darki) #53

its so sad to hear this… but now ill have much more time to play gothic 3 :>

(MuffinMan) #54

hm I’ll have to find some substitute until then… any suggestions for good new mp shooters? cs source is too much camperstyle

(Sauron|EFG) #55

RTCW MP test 1/2? Maybe it was more of an alpha than beta, but the purpose was the same. :stuck_out_tongue:

(chr0nicles) #56

Hoooray!!! :clap: ohwell it will make the game even better :wink:

dreaming public test *[flashback] mp_beach [/flashback] oh those where the days.

(RosOne) #57

Yes, that is definitely true. How could I forget about that after so many nights playing both tests?! So maybe there is hope afterall. Doubtful, but possible I guess.

…hoping I won’t get burned afterall

(jimb0) #58

Wait RosOne, even after the IHV leak (which was barely playable) Q3 did have a beta… a “test”, as they used to call… the “q3test” one. It had two levels if I remember correctly… q3dm17 (the one in space with the platforms) and the other tdmone (q3dm7?).

I do agree with everything you said though. People who are thinking they’re entitled to a beta because they’ve been on a forum for a long time/playing a game for a long time/whatever just aren’t thinking straight. It’s sad, but I think it’s doubtful they’ll do a public test. May be too much working sorting through the mess of feedback and getting decent people to help.

I hope they do some heavy testing at QCon and get some real feedback from people playing there… more than just “omg medic is rambo, fix it plzkthxgg” I hope they figure key points of problems and exploiting so it can all be solved sooner.

(RosOne) #59

Yes of course, by saying “Even releasing a demo version too early is a mistake (look Quake 3 Arena)” I meant all the test versions, sorry. The proper Q3demo came out pretty close to the release date of the retail version.

(whirabomber) #60

I wonder if they still are doing the end of July “special” for those who pre-ordered? IGN had an announcement just a few weeks ago offering some sort of special deal for anyone who pre-ordered. That might be delayed as well? Oh well, rather a well balanced game than a unbalanced coaster.

On the topic of 2142, if the interface is just as good as BF2’s UI, QW has nothing to worry.