These issues have nothing to do with it being "open beta." There's a huge demand for this game, and the servers can't carry the load. By "lauch day," the initial rush will by and large be over, so there won't be nearly as many issues.
today is a launh day, and everyone saying otherwise is a fool, there wont be wipe and its called open beta instead of release exactly for this reason, to avoid bad launch, since it isnt launch its a beta, and look its working, silly people living under rock are buying that
this was even covered by 20 press websites, how they are using " open beta " to avoid bad launch press and release with buggy game, and stay in open beta for god knows how long, there is no release date for the game, that enters open beta? sure thing,
game just launched
Lol the developers had a running countdown to OPEN BETA ..not official launch. So I would say your the one being silly by you proclaiming to know what today was in regards to this game more so than the developers themselves do.
developers know this is a launch and that's why they stamped "OPEN BETA - no character wipes" all over the place.
Open beta is just to make sure they can say "oh it was a beta so we can test our servers on a larger scale", but nobody will mention they already started charging for ZEN even tho it's beta because they know they can start charging silly people money even tho the game will run like an old grampa with a walking stick when he's crossing over the road.
It sounds like I have a problem with it, but actually I don't because I know it's just bussines and they're trying to make money whenever they can - and hell... Why not make money now when everybody's rushing in to try this new mmorpg in open beta? Afterall, the cash shop is optional and you don't have to spend a dime on it - yet.
So as far as I'm concerned, it is a launch with a "open beta" stamp on it so they can get out of the mud if something goes wrong. There's a saying "a good excuse is worth more than gold", and this is a perfect chance to see it in practical use.
"Happiness is not a destination. It is a method of life." -------------------------------
I don't believe in this statement. I was a technical consultant and systems administrator for James Cameron's Avatar. There is no way you would be able to release anything as a passing prototype unless it went through serious testing. Using an excuse that "it's computers you cannot predict what will happen" may work for you but not for us in the bigtime buddy..especially when your reputation and job is on the line...well, if it's other people's money..then maybe...right? That seems to be the case here. I do understand having a decent budget is helpful, but then again, the past 10 years history of mmo launches should tell something to developers about how much they SHOULD have already predicted the outcome. In my field ppl get paid by experience and getting the job done. These people KNEW what they should have done, and not acted...and got paid. The whole reason was as a previous replier said, it was in anticipation to find the load on the servers to decide wether or not to invest in more infrastructure. They would rather undershoot than overshoot...and that is what we saw....they all do this this day and age..not like the days when you were really "excited" to get into a closed beta because it was seriously maybe 6-10 months before release...and we took notes on bugs and helped the devs...not just to play the game. To be honest, if you were to ask Cryptic why they called it an open beta and still accepted money, and they would have to give you an honest answer, they would say because they felt it was in a state of being playable and profitable at the same time.
swtor had over 100 servers a HUGE team and still had issues.. unless you are sitting on an almost unlimited or very high( in the case of avatar) budget and can buy all the most expensive tech(even then issues can and will arise) you are going to end up with issues in some form or another.. if it was such a simple thing as to know what was coming the whole launch issue would not still be an issue in this day of MMOs... even gw2 had a great idea with overflow servers to help ease the launch day woes but still had numerous issues with overflows and not being able to play with others, lag issues, and of course moster long WvW cues...
I angered the clerk in a clothing shop today. She asked me what size I was and I said actual, because I am not to scale. I like vending machines 'cause snacks are better when they fall. If I buy a candy bar at a store, oftentimes, I will drop it... so that it achieves its maximum flavor potential. --Mitch Hedberg
The second they started accepting money in the in-game store was the second the game launched. To clarify, I haven't given this game a dime, but to say that this game is a "soft launch" or still in "open beta" is just a mincing of words and a clever way to hide the obvious issues they knew they would have ahead of time because they didn't want to dish out money for arcitecture.
So you are saying that they KNEW there would be problems but decided to go ahead anyway?
Sounds like a totally legit business practice...
That Guild Wars 2 login screen knocked up my wife. Must be the second coming!
What are the characteristics of "Open Beta" in AAA MMO's as we know them ?
Everyone has access to the game client.
Cash Shop purchases are disabled during Beta or refunded at the end of Open Beta.
Collector's Edition and/or Pre-Order perks/items are not accessible ingame yet.
Your character is wiped at the end of Open Beta (sometimes even during Beta).
The servers are often not available 24/7.
What are the characteristics of a "Launched game" in AAA MMO's as we know them ?
Everyone has access to the game, but there is often an early access period for those that paid for it.
Cash Shop purchases are active and not refundable.
Collector's Edition and Pre-Order perks/items are accessible ingame.
Your character progression is "live" and will not be wiped.
The servers are available 24/7 (unless they crash unintentionally .
Which of these 2 scenario's most closely fits Neverwinter at present ?
If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's most likely a duck...
^^^^ This
But in the end whether we all agree the game has launched or is in beta is inconsequential to Cryptic and PQW who have been doing these "soft launches" a long before they purchased Cryptic,as have other F2P companies and things will go on regardless.
What they "call it" is irrelevant. It is what it is. Marvel Heros isnt a MMO, but the website says it is. Its an arpg with a lobby that has an "area" that you can see more than 3 people. Do you guys want to argue that it is because "They say so on the website"?
Saying it's open beta is the lamest crap ever. I would be willing to bet a large amount of cash that this is way more of a "launch" for Cryptic/PWE than changing a staus on the website sometime in the future. Public entry plus cash shop= launch. But this shouldn't even matter. These companies are not new. This isn't their first launch. There is no excuse for this when they are taking money. Having "some" issues is to be expected. Telling people they can play the game when they clearly can't is another. That example posted up above for AO WAS FROM 2001! 2001! Mmos are having the same issues 12 years later. Not acceptable.
I was never expecting to come to this site and see a reason for anything to be "Cuz they said so"
Turn off the cash shop and ok you can call it a beta. What part of "testing" = profit exactly?
The same as taking money for pre orders for open beta access. Which is something game developers have been doing for years. Also I'm guessing your new to MMOs because y obviously have no idea what open betas are for..they are to stress test the server tech. Which is exactly what we have going on that everyone is whining and crying about.
As for being a fan boy trying to defend a beloved game.. LOL i have barely even looked at this game untill this past week. I have glanced at it here or there die to the fact I like 4th edition. What prompted me to start this thread is the sheer amount of ignorance that has been flooding these forums due to some false claim of this being a full launch. Which it is not. It is an open beta stress test. But apparently we have a forum full of new comers to the MMO industry that just don't seem to understand that's what happens with these games.
As for being allowed to keep their characters after this beta test. I say great business decision to cryptic for allowing their beta testers and potential future customers that opportunity.
Did you quote the wrong post or decide just to quote someone random then talk about something completely different?
1st of all they aren't "charging" for open beta access. they are charging for items in the cash shop. How exaclty does talking about a cash shop and profit have anthing to do with stress testing? If the focus is on that, then why is there an open cash shop? I could list doezens of actual Open Betas I've played in that were clearly unfinshed games that had no way to even buy anything.
Yes Beta is for testing. Thanks Captain Obvious. I guess the popular mmo sites that are posting aritcles saying that calling this an "open beta" is a gimmick are new to mmos as well. Some of those were linked ealrier in this thread had you taken the time to read them.
Tell me what's the difference in this and when they "launch". Do you consider PoE to be in beta also? The difference is a status change on the website. No one in this entire thread has given one solid distinction that would seperate this game from a launched title. Let's also completely ignore the fact that companies have made almost 0 progress is addressing "launch" issues. I understand that the population wont stay that high but they can't find any type of solution for over 10 years?
Only a Rules Lawyer would claim that this isn't release. 'Open Beta' is just a name. Though this is apparantly a standard practice for games like this.
If you replaced the name Open Beta with Release, would anything have to change? Nope.
If you are holding out for the perfect game, the only game you play will be the waiting one.
I wonder how long it's going to take (5 more years maybe? Maybe never?) until people realize the whole "pay-for-beta" scheme is bullshit into getting more sales. I mean, they've been doing it for the longest time and people still don't realize it and expect DRASTIC changes when the "actual release" happens. How do you guys not see this yet? Open-beta, if you are paying for it, is not beta anymore. It is release. There is not more arguments for "Oh guys it's fine, it's just beta". Alpha is beta. Beta is release. You're playing the game.
I mean even the cash shop is open. Are people really this blind?
If a game has a period defined as early access for those who 'pay' and that period ends in a period labelled Open Beta AND that period doesn't end in a character wipe, the game HAS launched.
Also why aren't they pulling free resources from STO and CO to compensate temporarily for the traffic? Those servers aren't exactly full. Blizz had to do it for D3 though it was kinda too late for them. 20k in queue is nothing and shouldn't cause a bottleneck. Do you guys the 1st year of league legends was out? The game crashed for hours and hours at a time. That was understandable becuase they had a CRAZY amount of people logging into that game, as it has now passed wow as the most played game. They were getting 20k log ins a min, not TOTAL lol. This is NOWHERE even REMOTLEY close to that. It's just bad business. This unlimited resource stuff and not knowing what to expect with hardware is complete and utter horse poopy. I work IT for a large hospital group that recently changed its entire platform for over 200k users to citrix and we knew EXACTLY what to expect and there were very little suprises. Holy cow had we had issues like this none of us would have jobs.
Comments
developers know this is a launch and that's why they stamped "OPEN BETA - no character wipes" all over the place.
Open beta is just to make sure they can say "oh it was a beta so we can test our servers on a larger scale", but nobody will mention they already started charging for ZEN even tho it's beta because they know they can start charging silly people money even tho the game will run like an old grampa with a walking stick when he's crossing over the road.
It sounds like I have a problem with it, but actually I don't because I know it's just bussines and they're trying to make money whenever they can - and hell... Why not make money now when everybody's rushing in to try this new mmorpg in open beta? Afterall, the cash shop is optional and you don't have to spend a dime on it - yet.
So as far as I'm concerned, it is a launch with a "open beta" stamp on it so they can get out of the mud if something goes wrong. There's a saying "a good excuse is worth more than gold", and this is a perfect chance to see it in practical use.
"Happiness is not a destination. It is a method of life."
-------------------------------
What are the characteristics of "Open Beta" in AAA MMO's as we know them ?
What are the characteristics of a "Launched game" in AAA MMO's as we know them ?
Which of these 2 scenario's most closely fits Neverwinter at present ?
If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's most likely a duck...
swtor had over 100 servers a HUGE team and still had issues.. unless you are sitting on an almost unlimited or very high( in the case of avatar) budget and can buy all the most expensive tech(even then issues can and will arise) you are going to end up with issues in some form or another.. if it was such a simple thing as to know what was coming the whole launch issue would not still be an issue in this day of MMOs... even gw2 had a great idea with overflow servers to help ease the launch day woes but still had numerous issues with overflows and not being able to play with others, lag issues, and of course moster long WvW cues...
I angered the clerk in a clothing shop today. She asked me what size I was and I said actual, because I am not to scale. I like vending machines 'cause snacks are better when they fall. If I buy a candy bar at a store, oftentimes, I will drop it... so that it achieves its maximum flavor potential. --Mitch Hedberg
So you are saying that they KNEW there would be problems but decided to go ahead anyway?
Sounds like a totally legit business practice...
That Guild Wars 2 login screen knocked up my wife. Must be the second coming!
^^^^ This
But in the end whether we all agree the game has launched or is in beta is inconsequential to Cryptic and PQW who have been doing these "soft launches" a long before they purchased Cryptic,as have other F2P companies and things will go on regardless.
Did you quote the wrong post or decide just to quote someone random then talk about something completely different?
1st of all they aren't "charging" for open beta access. they are charging for items in the cash shop. How exaclty does talking about a cash shop and profit have anthing to do with stress testing? If the focus is on that, then why is there an open cash shop? I could list doezens of actual Open Betas I've played in that were clearly unfinshed games that had no way to even buy anything.
Yes Beta is for testing. Thanks Captain Obvious. I guess the popular mmo sites that are posting aritcles saying that calling this an "open beta" is a gimmick are new to mmos as well. Some of those were linked ealrier in this thread had you taken the time to read them.
Tell me what's the difference in this and when they "launch". Do you consider PoE to be in beta also? The difference is a status change on the website. No one in this entire thread has given one solid distinction that would seperate this game from a launched title. Let's also completely ignore the fact that companies have made almost 0 progress is addressing "launch" issues. I understand that the population wont stay that high but they can't find any type of solution for over 10 years?
Only a Rules Lawyer would claim that this isn't release. 'Open Beta' is just a name. Though this is apparantly a standard practice for games like this.
If you replaced the name Open Beta with Release, would anything have to change? Nope.
If you are holding out for the perfect game, the only game you play will be the waiting one.
I wonder how long it's going to take (5 more years maybe? Maybe never?) until people realize the whole "pay-for-beta" scheme is bullshit into getting more sales. I mean, they've been doing it for the longest time and people still don't realize it and expect DRASTIC changes when the "actual release" happens. How do you guys not see this yet? Open-beta, if you are paying for it, is not beta anymore. It is release. There is not more arguments for "Oh guys it's fine, it's just beta". Alpha is beta. Beta is release. You're playing the game.
I mean even the cash shop is open. Are people really this blind?
If a game has a period defined as early access for those who 'pay' and that period ends in a period labelled Open Beta AND that period doesn't end in a character wipe, the game HAS launched.