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What is the point of a NDA in MMOs
Mogcat
Member UncommonPosts: 193
Call me naive or call me impatiencent and curious but with all the NDAs and soon to be NDAs of new MMOs I think it is a bit silly.
The purpose of a NDA is to protect the companies game from prying eyes, even though the competitor could just enter the beta himself so that could be on a NDA I should read one for once :P but I get the general jist of it which is to keep my fat mouth shut. So I do. So they are protecting the product because it isnt "finnished" and subject to change but when you think about betas they are really bug tests. They can change the game majorly but it still is the same if you get what I mean. Like they dont change the main mechanics or anything like that. Correct me please if I'm wrong because that would be unfair.
I read these leaks of the people giving reviews of games in NDA and I kinda of like them. I want them to do that. Im sick of the secrecy. I dont see why they cant just make the betas public with no NDAs from the start. I dont see any reason to hide your beta product. Its in beta, beta is the closest version to release, the polishing stage so why hide that. Just let people see your game for what it is. Sometimes I feel its hiding behind the smoke and mirrors for a bit too long.
Comments
Well that would be an OPEN beta.
For the rest of your post. It's their game, they can nda whatever they want.
You want in ... sign the agreement and keep to it.
It's that simple.
The problem with an NDA is that only those who dislike the game will break it. However this also mean you have an excuse if it is negative.
"He is breaking NDA so he must be a hater!". The point of the NDA is to prevent to much information from leaking early on. Some features will change over the course of an beta. Meaning that if person X read something negative that will change he might not follow the game any longer. Most major website like this help to enforce the NDA (With essentialy is an lawfull document if I am correct). Also sure most providers will close a website if it breaks NDA (Being illigal).
However with wikileaks around the corner no information is save any longer, might aswell disband NDA's before Assange reveals the big secret of Rift, DC Universe or Guildwars 2!!!
Seffren he is not saying he is against them, he is simply wondering there purpose. With is a good question if you ask me. Why would you sign such an intrusive document? It is actually logical you first know the reason before you sign it. Have you ever read one or simple pressed the "sign" button? It is a lifetime commitment you making as in most cases you might not even speak about the beta on your deathbed!
I know that. So whats the point of a NDA, I mean some closed betas you can post stuff about the game rarely but I'm sure there are cases. Just whats the point of an NDA and hiding it all.
Wouldnt person X relise its a beta and it will change. If it was a good dev he would relise that person X and said X people dont like it and announce that he would fix it. Or if there isnt enough money and time he can say sorry person X and X friends I will get to it or debate about changing it with the team. I like honesty. In anything, government, or a dev team. Just tell me what your doing and what you think. Its cool.
"The point" is public relations control. There aren't mysterious game secrets being hidden in betas, as this information is going to be made public eventually anyways. You don't want the press giving misinformed coverage of your game when it may significantly change before a final release. While this may seem a tad sleazy, it gives game developers the opportunity to test crucial game features early on without having to risk unjustified negative feedback from critics who influence potential future subscribers.
Games go in design lock weeks before release. And NDA doesn't help.
The only reason to have an NDA is to keep control over a product so you can change popular opinion and hide and surpress any flaws your product might have.
Be very weary of games with NDA.
Collector's editions are scams.
Because first impressions are everything and if the first impression is a buggy world with 2000ms ping and 2FPS with desynched mobs people will have ill thoughts of a game that may launch with none of those problems.
No that's not the reason. Those 3 games are very likely all in a design lock, their main features will not change at all.
The purpose is to control popular opinion.
Collector's editions are scams.
I am Beta Testing Rift: Planes of Telara. I signed the NDA. I do keep videos and screenshots that I kept for myself. Their Stupid NDA is only preventing me from increasing their future sales because the game is pretty much ready to launch and looks beautiful.
Looks like shit to me, but didn't intend on playing it anyway.
Collector's editions are scams.
The point of an NDA is so when they let someone see their product they don't tell other people about their product. Releasing information early could either damage the image of the game (making it look less professional then it should) but the main reason is they don't want other companies to put the features that is in their game or product into their own.
That is the point of an NDA to keep information secret until releasing data is no longer harmful to the company or the product. Now the biggest question is if a company is just going to let anyone in and when NDA is broken do nothing about it. Whats the point of having the NDA in the first place. It doesn't stop people from saying anything (cause it's not enforced) and theres no way to know if the person is trustworthy because you didn't do some kind of background check.
Help me Bioware, you're my only hope.
Is ToR going to be good? Dude it's Bioware making a freaking star wars game, all signs point to awesome. -G4tv MMo report.
So be wary of all games not done by an indie company/group that doesn't think to use one?
Any who. NDA does a few things.
1. Stop talking about a product that isn't done. Some things you might like, some things you might not. None of things might remain though.
Like for example. During the Champions closed development many of us from alpha and early beta liked that we could pick abilities from any branch without having extra leveling caps barring us from our design choices. It allowed much better purpose driven characters. They changed that system though as they went into open beta in spite of our complaints, and they kept the new one.
If we had talked about how there was that freedom of choice in character abilities early on, people would have gotten the wrong impression of what the end product became and ultimately would have been (more) disappointed in it.
On the flip-side, they could get bad rep from something not implemented properly yet, and even though it gets fixed by release, they still get a bum rap because of prior information about the game that became false.
2. The hype machine needs to pace itself. People could be joining a closed alpha/beta/dev model that's still two years away from release or open beta depending on how a company decides to go forward with QA and game testing. If people talk about the game and all it's nuances that early, not only will it suffer from the prior mentioned issue, but it will also have become old news.
Like for example, Duke Nukem. There's certainly plenty of people that have been looking forward to Forever for, well, ever. However, the majority of the gaming world either isn't properly familiar with Duke, or it's seven to eight years too late to care.
Trickle tidbits of information at intervals. New game releases? Make an announcement about your game-play or graphics engine. Some convention coming up? Built a teaser to show off the ominous plot or level designs. If people ran around with your game prior to release and without NDA way too early in the cycle, it spells utter sabotage for marketing and sales. Leading an otherwise potentially good game to be undersold and the people who made it to go under for no other reason than no one was paying attention.
"The knowledge of the theory of logic has no tendency whatever to make men good reasoners." - Thomas B. Macaulay
"The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge." - Daniel J. Boorstin
FYI.. The sole number one purpose of NDA's isnt' to keep the beta tester from leaking information.. It's to keep websites like MMO Champion , MMORPG.com or whoever from REPUBLISHING leaks.. Soon as a major leak gets out like the one from Cataclysm on MMO Champion.com, it was quickly censored and removed.. It's not the perfect answer, but it does minimize the ability of gaming websites acting lake tabloids in leaking intel.. Without the NDA's your gaming websites will operate just like the National Inquirer.. Because legally a website republishing what is "known" as leaked information will find themselves in court quickly.. No different then someone knowingly accepting stolen goods.. You are just as guilty as the thief himself..
" Very well Put "
MAGA
Blizzard is an indie company?
Blizzard does not enforce an NDA on WoW at all and hasn't for years. Because they have nothing to hide. You're flat out wrong.
Collector's editions are scams.
That's because the whole perception of beta has changed. It used to be that closed beta served the purpose of testing and finetuning further with a larger more varied group of testers, and open betas for stress tests and such.
Now MMO gamers see open beta as nothing more but a trial period, and now even see closed beta as a trial period, forget any form of testing.
To my eyes, that's just plain impatience.
Game companies should adapt their testing model to it, and prolong the and extend the alfa testing and 'family & friends' testing period, since from what I gather especially here is that betas won't be respected anyway, certainly not by (a number of) gamers: simply because they see it as a trial period, not as something to be serious about.
The ACTUAL size of MMORPG worlds: a comparison list between MMO's
The ease with which predictions are made on these forums:
Fratman: "I'm saying Spring 2012 at the earliest [for TOR release]. Anyone still clinging to 2011 is deluding themself at this point."
All the major game companies - except Blizzard, can't be sure whether they had a closed beta for WoW vanilla - make use of an NDA agreement, get real for a change.
The ACTUAL size of MMORPG worlds: a comparison list between MMO's
The ease with which predictions are made on these forums:
Fratman: "I'm saying Spring 2012 at the earliest [for TOR release]. Anyone still clinging to 2011 is deluding themself at this point."
Exactly. These companies really don't care if Joe Gamer on an MMO forum slips out a screenshot or two from the closed beta. If IGN or Gamespot posts an article criticizing the closed beta, you're guaranteed that tens of thousands of people will leave with a negative impression of the game... and that's a problem.
The NDA just gives developers the legal capacity to combat this.
There are hundreds of companies who don't use NDA besides Blizzard. I have played a lot of EA titles in beta and they all had no NDA. Stop trying to win an argument someone has lost.
Collector's editions are scams.
Yes, thing is I agree with your post with the thinking: if you want it to be a secret and keep it low profile. If you want to thoroughly test it for bugs. Get people inside your company or friends and family that you can trust.
The way they conduct betas however it nearly is just like a test drive, its a trial period for gamers in which the devs fine tune the game to handle pops and game mechanics.
I listened to the rift podcast and it didnt talk about any serious stuff or serious bugs or anything like that. They talked about fixing up their rifts to players. Sure its a podcast and they are putting their best word into it but most betas today are nearly a test drive/trial period with minor tuning.
We're talking about MMORPG's here. Stop trying to fuss over an NDA and an MMORPG you have no intention of playing anyway, it makes one look ridiculous. Although, it provides for some good laughs and amusement
The ACTUAL size of MMORPG worlds: a comparison list between MMO's
The ease with which predictions are made on these forums:
Fratman: "I'm saying Spring 2012 at the earliest [for TOR release]. Anyone still clinging to 2011 is deluding themself at this point."
I don't think Trion gives a hoot if you play the beta or not, most of their keys won't give you access to the game.
Trion wants to pull you in, they make you register on the forum, up to a few weeks ago they also made you apply on the forums.
It's purely a form of advertisment for them with banners all over on every major site. If you play beta or not doesn't matter for them, it's obvious the testing was an internal event.
Collector's editions are scams.
Im sorry but I think a videogame is a videogame MMO or not. If these companies can make games fine without NDAs why cant others? It makes one say to ones self..mate whats going on? Why are you hiding it from us who want to judge for ourselves.
The factual part of your psot is spot on but I don't see how it is in any way sleezy to safeguard against misinformation being disseminated about your WIP. The alternative is to have a PR team that scours the web to find screenshots/reviews of placeholder images, broken mechanics and temporary design elements just to post/reply with "This isn't the final work."
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein
"Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre
Because content is subject to change, and they don't want people releasing information of parts of the game that may change later, especially parts that might make people not want to play the game.