Brink beta and my pov

(ehrw) #1

Since the game got delayed once again we’ve got the chance to help making this right from the very beginning.

Lately game developer seems to like the “pre-order and get access to the beta” way.
Personally I think that doesn’t give very much constructive criticism and mostly give you tons of whine.

This forum seems more educated then the most developer forums I’ve read so this might be the way :cool:

Phase 1:
Handpick people who really wants to help and develop this game. Maybe even check if they’ve got some friends who’s as interested. Fresh blood is always good and gives you their outsider point of view.
Make a schedule or post threads on the forum when there’s the internal testing. Let the closed circuit of players in on the internal testing and see what they bring to the table.
But still keep servers up to let the new people learn the game when there’s not testing going on.

Phase 2:
Let a larger amount of people in.
Like give the guys who joined in phase 1 some beta keys to give away. They might know some friends that’s more of the gamer guys who’s not really into developing. More hardcore testing. Finding bugs where the rest of the crew never have been climbing around.
And of course let more new non related people in through a sign up system on you’re website. Make them upload their dxdiag so you can pick some hardware you’re interested in. Get some variation there.
Still keep the NDA during this phase to not show to much of the fun.
Restrict it to one or two maps

Phase 3
When you’re 100% sure the game will be released on a specific date make an open beta which is very restricted. Like a week or two before the game releases. Just to let people try the game if they are unsure whether to buy it or not. If the game is as awesome as it looks and you’re planning it to be. Everyone will buy it!

That’s what I think would work.

You’ve probably been thinking and talking about this for a while.
But what I want is basically that you don’t bring to many ppl in to early. We saw what happened to the Bad company 2 forums. Were tons of whine. And they let a huuuge amount of players in on a game that wasn’t ready.
Let a much smaller group handle that and give you the constructive criticism.
There’s still those who just wanna play the game and not really help.
Let them in later on.

Don’t really know if the dedicated servers needs much testing. But if let some trusted people run them strategically placed to help with the server load.
And PLEASE have linux servers included when the game releases. Hate the cod style with let some hobby guy make it for us later on. Its just dumb.

Guess that wraps it up!

What do you think?

Lets make the most awesome game ever! :stroggflag:

(Joe999) #2

an open beta is a bad idea. people will see it as demo, no matter how it’s labelled

(tokamak) #3

Rather no beta than an open beta.

(Icemonkeyjr) #4

I think an open beta is a brilliant idea (naturally i want to play the game) though i think people who show up on forums like this, such as us, should get first access as we’ve shown a keen interest in the game where other’s are just waiting for the next COD.

Also i think if there is a beta the customisation and weapons should be quite limited, the terrible Alien vs predator demo gave there players everything in the game in the beta and it turned out to be just as terrible as the demo. perhaps a bad example but that’s my point.

In the recent announcement of brink being delayed almost a year there should be significantly more of a chance that the game could have an open/closed/vip beta.

(ehrw) #5

What I meant with an open beta is that it should only be like a teaser for the real game. So more ppl buy it. Maybe it should be shorter then week then. Like 3 days maybe?

(SebaSOFT) #6

A game needs to be GOLD (master copy printed) to be released, like 2 weeks before the game hits the shelf. What use would a beta “a week or two before game release”? I mean, are you planning the first update as soon as you GOLD version goes to the copy machine?.

(jRAD) #7

Generally that would be called a demo.

(INF3RN0) #8

How about that test level from E3? Its amazing what kinds of things you can find when your restricted to a single map :wink:.

(ehrw) #9

But when there is a beta and the game is soon live. Why not just open it and call it open beta? :wink:

Demos is somewhat a stripped version of the game. Which also a beta are but you know what I mean
And normally you can play demos after the game is released. Unless there is some authenticating method.
There haven’t been to many multiplayer demos tbh. Might be why I feel somewhat a difference

(Joe999) #10

because that’s still a demo :slight_smile:

(0xT1) #11

“beta” is a stage of software development, it is different semanticly to a demo

(tokamak) #12

Well he can have a point in that ‘beta’ sounds much more fancy and exclusive than a demo. It’s way cooler to tell your friends that you played the beta than the demo it creates more hype though it should never be treated as a beta, it would need to be demo-perfect.

(ehrw) #13

It is indeed

Yeah somewhat I meant

So splash damage if you know something, when you know something we’re VERY interested to know. So please let us :slight_smile:

(mortis) #14

I am forced once again to agree with my esteemed colleague…

(SK7109) #15

[QUOTE=Icemonkeyjr;231553]I think an open beta is a brilliant idea (naturally i want to play the game) though i think people who show up on forums like this, such as us, should get first access as we’ve shown a keen interest in the game where other’s are just waiting for the next COD.

I like that idea :slight_smile: If there was to be a beta or test run of the game. It should be CLOSED, and only… people who show up on forums like this, such as us, should get first access…

(Slade05) #16

No closed beta with people that show up on forums will stay closed for long. And SD has quite a negative experience from ETQW beta1, I think.

(Shiv) #17

I doubt there will be an open beta. They have been testing the game this whole time behind closed doors… and they are pretty good players themselves so that should mostly be fine. Small networking tests and stuff go!
Quakewars beta was pretty brutal on the forums. It was just as people where thinking of betas as demos… because they are muppets…
forum beta is a silly idea. Since allot of players here are pc… how would they test 360/ps3?
also… if they announced it it would hit the web like a steam roller and suddenly there would be a gazzillion empty accounts just to jump in the beta.

(H0RSE) #18

also… if they announced it it would hit the web like a steam roller and suddenly there would be a gazzillion empty accounts just to jump in the beta.
Well, IF they were to do a forum beta (I know they won’t) they could restrict it to people who have been a member for X amount of time, and/or have X amount of forum posts.

(otakustar) #19

ahh, need to get my postcount up :infiltrator:

(INF3RN0) #20

10 chars I lold