No way, I wont go Beta ever again! First of all I am not getting paid for the testing and I dont c the reason anymore to work at something where I do get nothing in return. Actually it's even worse because going for a beta means sacrifing your gameplay experience as you know alot of content already and you know all the bugs and stuff that displeases your personal enjoyment.
I dont give a f*** about the 4-6months earlier entry, if I hear the game is crowded with unfinished stuff, which I do clearly not expect from BW, then I wait even a year more before I actually buy and play it. I wont kill my Star Wars adventures for any fucking reason, not even for my GF and surely not for Beta.
I'm not gonna front. Beta test to me means an opportunity to check it out without spending 50 bucks. I usually drop out after a couple days IF I LIKE THE GAME. I dont wanna burnout before launch.
No matter how cynical you become, its never enough to keep up - Lily Tomlin
Yes, To check out the game mainly to see if I'd enjoy it (even if just for a few months). Also, I typically don't feel I'm exploiting opportunity since I've developed games (a Very long time ago) and understand what feedback they are looking for as well as actually test the game (professional tester which is unavoidable as a developer) as well being able to isolate the problem a bit better than most since I'm familiar with how most of the tech behind the games are designed and can typically recognise the methods without having to look at the code.
For me its a trade, Work for Gameplay (at my own pace and if I'm interested).
Furthermore, being a longtime Star Wars fan, I'm usually interested in new Star Wars games but also weary of them since as a longtime Star Wars fan I've seen tons of merchandise scams/ripoffs and what-not using the Star Wars franchise to sell it.
Currently unemployed and out of school, yes, I'm ready to be put to work!!! Let me test your game and give you feedback. Female gamer, I've beta tested since the WoW and EQ2 betas, I am seasoned and experienced...
Yes i want to test the beta. Yes i want to contribute to making the game that much better.
Every beta ive played so far i always give feedback on bugs i find and screenshots when possible, for the most part theyre all known already tho.
The problem for me is that i have no incentive past enjoyment of the game to continue searching for bugs. If i play a beta and get bored of it after an hour i become unwilling to continue playing and trying to help out more.
If i was paid money however of course i would dive a whole hell of a lot more into a game i do not enjoy. While testing for free if i get bored of the game i just dont have the incentive to keep playing it.
I definitely love the idea of contributing to fixing and cleaning up these games.
Jeremiah 8:21 I weep for the hurt of my people; I stand amazed, silent, dumb with grief. Join me on TwitchFacebook Twitter
Yeah I definitely liked this article and I strongly feel that EVERYONE who signed up to test the game should read this first. LOL, maybe they should make this exact post as a disclaimer, before you agree to the rules and such, then go on to download the game client.
Anyways, I've only done two betas before, my first one was for Everquest Online Adventures for PS2 and the second was for World of Warcraft. Beta for both was extremely time consuming(but WoW's seemed more the real deal than EQOA's did), as long as you were actually there to do the job properly and not just playing for fun. I've been kind of 50/50 about getting into beta for The Old Republic. This is one of my most anticipated games that I've ever waited for and half of me would really love to get into the beta to help ensure that this game is THE best of the best and not a flop(even though I'm confident in BioWare, since they're one of those elite game developers). I'll admit I'm just a tad worried because it'll be their first ever mmorpg. But then again World of Warcraft was also Blizzard's first ever mmorpg and that game is near perfect(haters can kiss my a$$).
But the other half of me doesn't want to get into the beta at all because I want to just suck it up and experience the game all at once on launch day when it's actually complete. And like you said, since this game is so story-driven, I really don't want anything to be spoiled ahead of time. Anyways, I'm still undecided but I'd still love to get a beta invite. I think actually getting an invite will help me decide once and for all if I want to do it or not. But I know I probably won't get an invite anyways because I'll be one of the few who'll actually do the job of testing properly, so why would fate let me get an invite? Lol j/k.
Originally posted by dreycraft I think actually getting an invite will help me decide once and for all if I want to do it or not. But I know I probably won't get an invite anyways because I'll be one of the few who'll actually do the job of testing properly, so why would fate let me get an invite? Lol j/k.
Good read, and I have to say that the last couple of games I have beta tested, I didn't even bother buying.
I will wait for this game as I think (especially since SWG and devs have surrendered early, due to their crews testing the game) It will be everything Pre CU and CU SWG has been yearning for.
To answer the question at the end of the article - I am neither itching, nor burning with desire to beta test. But to be honest, I wouldn't mindplaying SWTOR soon, be it pre or post launch, as I am burnt out on pretty much any other MMO out there
Really? What rock has this writer been under? Beta test isn't what it used to be. When it is, they hand pick the testers based on their involvement on forums or other games. Beta testing is just part of marketing these days. Should it be that way? No. They should pay testers the way companies used to. Relying on 10 million players to spam them with "beta key plz" is just asinine. Just another example of companies getting something for nothing. Most companies don't even fix the bugs you report in beta anyway. It's like a running joke .. beta testing .. lol.
LFD tools are great for cramming people into content, but quality > quantity. I am, usually on the sandbox .. more "hardcore" side of things, but I also do just want to have fun. So lighten up already
Really? What rock has this writer been under? Beta test isn't what it used to be. When it is, they hand pick the testers based on their involvement on forums or other games. Beta testing is just part of marketing these days. Should it be that way? No. They should pay testers the way companies used to. Relying on 10 million players to spam them with "beta key plz" is just asinine. Just another example of companies getting something for nothing. Most companies don't even fix the bugs you report in beta anyway. It's like a running joke .. beta testing .. lol.
Precisely. Beta testing has nothing to do with player feedback. The developers don't care what the players have to say. The only reason they have a beta is so they can tell the investors they had one...to make everyone feel good and keep the money flowing.
How many betas have you been in where the same bugs that you reported show up at release? How many times have you heard "we told them about this is beta"? How many times have you heard developers say they changed something based on beta feedback? I've been in more betas than I care count and the answers are 1. Every time. 2. Every time. 3. Never.
So the author can keep his pretentious assumptions about what we do or don't want.
CONS: Like alot of people working hard to advance in the game beta or non-beta once you reach a high lvl and unlocked alot of cool stuff it sucks to see it all get wiped away. I know it is work but besides the giving feed back you are technically playing a game even though it isn't permanent. Alot of people don't realize once beta is over you loose everything and when they find out the hard way they will most likely give up on the whole thing.
PROS: It would be nice to have your idea's considered or the things you don't like put into question. It would benice to find bugs or glitches that others might over look so latter you don't have to be bothered by them. It would be nice to find out if the game could even run properly on you system.
(Those are a few things I feel the article left out.)
Playing is not testing. If that were the case, then the devs could do it easily. 4-5 folks playing the game is enough testing if playing is testing.
Beta testing is *NOT* playing, not if you're doing it right. Beta testing is breaking the game deliberately. It's going places you wouldn't normally go because some idiot might go there. It's trying to create dupe bugs deliberately.
Saying "playing is testing" is like saying "walking in your front door is security testing". A beta is trying to climb in your window, or your crawl place, things normal people would not do but random folks might.
There's a huge difference.
BioWare disagrees with you. From a July 2, 2011 Dev post:
(which mirrors what I said btw)
To the 'I have a lot of experience in MMO testing but BioWare invites my lousy friend instead who doesn't care' crowd:
A) We don't have any way to validate such claims.
Tests have several axes: Player feedback, automated metrics, and bugs. They are all valuable. Even a player that just plays and never fills out their surveys or gives any feedback is valuable to us in some form because of the playtest metrics they generate. We see what they do, where they get stuck, what classes they play, how they use their abilities, etc. If you add enough random players, these metrics become very powerful feedback by themselves. If you want to answer questions like 'where will people likely quit' the hardcore fan tester often isn't cutting it, because their tolerance for bad things is almost endless.
C) Testers that give exceptional feedback are, of course, very useful. In those cases, we do take steps to retain them.
EQ1, EQ2, SWG, SWTOR, GW, GW2 CoH, CoV, FFXI, WoW, CO, War,TSW and a slew of free trials and beta tests
rofl i love all you guys who dont like starwars or swtor but feel the need to comment anyway...
we will be glad to have you playing your generic fantasy game while were in our nice new sci fi star wars universe. you will not be missed.
I infact hope games like gw2 and archage release around the same time as swtor..it will suck all the dorks out who are just there cause its the newest mmorpg out and leave us actual starwars fans who will enjoy the game...
all in all the release of gw2 shall be a nice cleansing of swtor. this plus swtor being PTP should make for a good community
as for the beta....id give it a test for them..id tryn and avoid story line tho.
Playing is not testing. If that were the case, then the devs could do it easily. 4-5 folks playing the game is enough testing if playing is testing.
Beta testing is *NOT* playing, not if you're doing it right. Beta testing is breaking the game deliberately. It's going places you wouldn't normally go because some idiot might go there. It's trying to create dupe bugs deliberately.
Saying "playing is testing" is like saying "walking in your front door is security testing". A beta is trying to climb in your window, or your crawl place, things normal people would not do but random folks might.
There's a huge difference.
BioWare disagrees with you. From a July 2, 2011 Dev post:
(which mirrors what I said btw)
To the 'I have a lot of experience in MMO testing but BioWare invites my lousy friend instead who doesn't care' crowd:
A) We don't have any way to validate such claims.
Tests have several axes: Player feedback, automated metrics, and bugs. They are all valuable. Even a player that just plays and never fills out their surveys or gives any feedback is valuable to us in some form because of the playtest metrics they generate. We see what they do, where they get stuck, what classes they play, how they use their abilities, etc. If you add enough random players, these metrics become very powerful feedback by themselves. If you want to answer questions like 'where will people likely quit' the hardcore fan tester often isn't cutting it, because their tolerance for bad things is almost endless.
C) Testers that give exceptional feedback are, of course, very useful. In those cases, we do take steps to retain them.
Hehe, good to read. They have quite a realistic view on the matter
I've tested quite a few games, and genuinely enjoy helping a developer create something awesome. With some games though, I've had the privilege *sarcasm* of watching something go from "good" to "god, what were they thinking?" Champions Online and SWG are two games that come to mind right off the top. More noteably, Champions.
rofl i love all you guys who dont like starwars or swtor but feel the need to comment anyway...
we will be glad to have you playing your generic fantasy game while were in our nice new sci fi star wars universe. you will not be missed.
I infact hope games like gw2 and archage release around the same time as swtor..it will suck all the dorks out who are just there cause its the newest mmorpg out and leave us actual starwars fans who will enjoy the game...
all in all the release of gw2 shall be a nice cleansing of swtor. this plus swtor being PTP should make for a good community
as for the beta....id give it a test for them..id tryn and avoid story line tho.
Why wouldn't we comment? In case your super keen senses missed it this thread is in the News area for everyone to give feedback on, not just TOR fanboys. Secodnly, he asked a Yes or No question, not a yes only question.
If the majority of TOR fans missed things such as that on a forum and sport a like attitude toward others just because they don't like a computer game, then I too will be glad that you are all corraled in that game. Which, by the way, liking or disliking of TOR in no way determines whether one is an "actual star wars fan".
"Many nights, my friend... Many nights I've put a blade to your throat while you were sleeping. Glad I never killed you, Steve. You're alright..."
So far the reviews I have read are basically non-commital and as per "its nice, its has flaws,but is it fair to judge at this stage?".
BioWare though have a ground rep for writing nicely immersive games, so I'd be pretty keen to make this my fifth major mmo beta test.
I do agree with an earlier comment that noted how few beta testers actually provided feedback, though its not unfair to say that mere presence and activity in a beta tends to help devs deal with baseline issues like server load tweaking and lag issues.
But, if someone from BioWare reads this ...
Give the testers an semi-automated bug report system that automatically registers area, location, current target, relevant aspects of character status, ping, local and general server population at the time etc
Put an easy to use interface on that with a streamlined categorisation selector emphasing or restricting reports to your current development criteria and a limited space for textual description.
Have the devs rate each submission they read so that you are reading the content from reliable testers first.
Make that bug report panel prominently accessible and have its data constantly populated with last known good state so that testers can hit auto submit the minute they think they have a problem (cooldown on that function) or, at least, the minute the client thinks it has a problem.
Only two games I have tested have had anything so intelligent AoC and EQ which still uses this same basic mechanism after I suggested it 3 months prior to the LoY expansion.
One of the main problems with submitting data during a beta test is that you do actually get caught up in the game and you dont want to tab out to the forums. So you can have 10 useful and relevant thoughts that get lost in the heat of the action.
"Dammit, if I die now its going to take me an hour to work my way back to this point"
so I would say that at least half of the salient contributions I could have made in games have been lost because I wanted to continue the experience in the hope of finding something more useful than that annoying niggle which, at the end of the day, can be the annoying niggle that prevents players from playing at release.
So bug report = temporary character invulnerability, freeze client, log relevant ingame and client state variables and player comment, unfreeze game on submission = exploitable but its a beta test and the info is more valuable than the idiot that wants to avoid a pvp kill or whatever
So far the reviews I have read are basically non-commital and as per "its nice, its has flaws,but is it fair to judge at this stage?".
BioWare though have a ground rep for writing nicely immersive games, so I'd be pretty keen to make this my fifth major mmo beta test.
I do agree with an earlier comment that noted how few beta testers actually provided feedback, though its not unfair to say that mere presence and activity in a beta tends to help devs deal with baseline issues like server load tweaking and lag issues.
But, if someone from BioWare reads this ...
Give the testers an semi-automated bug report system that automatically registers area, location, current target, relevant aspects of character status, ping, local and general server population at the time etc
Put an easy to use interface on that with a streamlined categorisation selector emphasing or restricting reports to your current development criteria and a limited space for textual description.
Have the devs rate each submission they read so that you are reading the content from reliable testers first.
Make that bug report panel prominently accessible and have its data constantly populated with last known good state so that testers can hit auto submit the minute they think they have a problem (cooldown on that function) or, at least, the minute the client thinks it has a problem.
Only two games I have tested have had anything so intelligent AoC and EQ which still uses this same basic mechanism after I suggested it 3 months prior to the LoY expansion.
One of the main problems with submitting data during a beta test is that you do actually get caught up in the game and you dont want to tab out to the forums. So you can have 10 useful and relevant thoughts that get lost in the heat of the action.
"Dammit, if I die now its going to take me an hour to work my way back to this point"
so I would say that at least half of the salient contributions I could have made in games have been lost because I wanted to continue the experience in the hope of finding something more useful than that annoying niggle which, at the end of the day, can be the annoying niggle that prevents players from playing at release.
So bug report = temporary character invulnerability, freeze client, log relevant ingame and client state variables and player comment, unfreeze game on submission = exploitable but its a beta test and the info is more valuable than the idiot that wants to avoid a pvp kill or whatever
I WISH they would listen to you. And I'm not referring to any specific dev house, but rather all of them.
Interesting points. I did remember how frustrated I was in the Rift beta with all the WoW/not WoW conversations people kept repeating. That said a lot of beta testers are pretty hardcore. i like to give feedback in betas to ensure the older more casual player's views are represented and available for devs to consider if they wish.
There is a particular fascination for me with this game as going to see the original star wars movies as a child provides some of my earliest fantastic memories and aside from the above I selfishly want to see if the game captures that magic. So a selfish motive but I would tell the developers where it falls short in my view so even this could be potentially useful. however considering the level of oversubscription I stongly suspect I'll be waiting for release before I touch this game.
Comments
I like beta testing!
To me it's a challenge akin to a scavenger hunt, only instead of treasure I'm looking for broken game mechanics.
What I REALLY don't like is when I put the work into finding such flaws and they don't get fixed! I mean, isn't that why I'm there to begin with?
I want to, but never got invited. So I gave up.
No way, I wont go Beta ever again! First of all I am not getting paid for the testing and I dont c the reason anymore to work at something where I do get nothing in return. Actually it's even worse because going for a beta means sacrifing your gameplay experience as you know alot of content already and you know all the bugs and stuff that displeases your personal enjoyment.
I dont give a f*** about the 4-6months earlier entry, if I hear the game is crowded with unfinished stuff, which I do clearly not expect from BW, then I wait even a year more before I actually buy and play it. I wont kill my Star Wars adventures for any fucking reason, not even for my GF and surely not for Beta.
No matter how cynical you become, its never enough to keep up - Lily Tomlin
Yes, To check out the game mainly to see if I'd enjoy it (even if just for a few months). Also, I typically don't feel I'm exploiting opportunity since I've developed games (a Very long time ago) and understand what feedback they are looking for as well as actually test the game (professional tester which is unavoidable as a developer) as well being able to isolate the problem a bit better than most since I'm familiar with how most of the tech behind the games are designed and can typically recognise the methods without having to look at the code.
For me its a trade, Work for Gameplay (at my own pace and if I'm interested).
Furthermore, being a longtime Star Wars fan, I'm usually interested in new Star Wars games but also weary of them since as a longtime Star Wars fan I've seen tons of merchandise scams/ripoffs and what-not using the Star Wars franchise to sell it.
Currently unemployed and out of school, yes, I'm ready to be put to work!!! Let me test your game and give you feedback. Female gamer, I've beta tested since the WoW and EQ2 betas, I am seasoned and experienced...
Let me prove it.
No bitchers.
Yes i want to test the beta. Yes i want to contribute to making the game that much better.
Every beta ive played so far i always give feedback on bugs i find and screenshots when possible, for the most part theyre all known already tho.
The problem for me is that i have no incentive past enjoyment of the game to continue searching for bugs. If i play a beta and get bored of it after an hour i become unwilling to continue playing and trying to help out more.
If i was paid money however of course i would dive a whole hell of a lot more into a game i do not enjoy. While testing for free if i get bored of the game i just dont have the incentive to keep playing it.
I definitely love the idea of contributing to fixing and cleaning up these games.
Jeremiah 8:21 I weep for the hurt of my people; I stand amazed, silent, dumb with grief.
Join me on Twitch Facebook Twitter
Yeah I definitely liked this article and I strongly feel that EVERYONE who signed up to test the game should read this first. LOL, maybe they should make this exact post as a disclaimer, before you agree to the rules and such, then go on to download the game client.
Anyways, I've only done two betas before, my first one was for Everquest Online Adventures for PS2 and the second was for World of Warcraft. Beta for both was extremely time consuming(but WoW's seemed more the real deal than EQOA's did), as long as you were actually there to do the job properly and not just playing for fun. I've been kind of 50/50 about getting into beta for The Old Republic. This is one of my most anticipated games that I've ever waited for and half of me would really love to get into the beta to help ensure that this game is THE best of the best and not a flop(even though I'm confident in BioWare, since they're one of those elite game developers). I'll admit I'm just a tad worried because it'll be their first ever mmorpg. But then again World of Warcraft was also Blizzard's first ever mmorpg and that game is near perfect(haters can kiss my a$$).
But the other half of me doesn't want to get into the beta at all because I want to just suck it up and experience the game all at once on launch day when it's actually complete. And like you said, since this game is so story-driven, I really don't want anything to be spoiled ahead of time. Anyways, I'm still undecided but I'd still love to get a beta invite. I think actually getting an invite will help me decide once and for all if I want to do it or not. But I know I probably won't get an invite anyways because I'll be one of the few who'll actually do the job of testing properly, so why would fate let me get an invite? Lol j/k.
Exactly how I feel my freind..
Good read, and I have to say that the last couple of games I have beta tested, I didn't even bother buying.
I will wait for this game as I think (especially since SWG and devs have surrendered early, due to their crews testing the game) It will be everything Pre CU and CU SWG has been yearning for.
To answer the question at the end of the article - I am neither itching, nor burning with desire to beta test. But to be honest, I wouldn't mindplaying SWTOR soon, be it pre or post launch, as I am burnt out on pretty much any other MMO out there
Really? What rock has this writer been under? Beta test isn't what it used to be. When it is, they hand pick the testers based on their involvement on forums or other games. Beta testing is just part of marketing these days. Should it be that way? No. They should pay testers the way companies used to. Relying on 10 million players to spam them with "beta key plz" is just asinine. Just another example of companies getting something for nothing. Most companies don't even fix the bugs you report in beta anyway. It's like a running joke .. beta testing .. lol.
LFD tools are great for cramming people into content, but quality > quantity.
I am, usually on the sandbox .. more "hardcore" side of things, but I also do just want to have fun. So lighten up already
Precisely. Beta testing has nothing to do with player feedback. The developers don't care what the players have to say. The only reason they have a beta is so they can tell the investors they had one...to make everyone feel good and keep the money flowing.
How many betas have you been in where the same bugs that you reported show up at release? How many times have you heard "we told them about this is beta"? How many times have you heard developers say they changed something based on beta feedback? I've been in more betas than I care count and the answers are 1. Every time. 2. Every time. 3. Never.
So the author can keep his pretentious assumptions about what we do or don't want.
Probably in the minority but i really like testing software. I also like coding too so probably goes hand in hand.
Tested alot of games and submitted feedback regularly. I dont know if my feedback was ever acted on but i still feel i did my part as a beta tester.
So yes, I would like to test.
TSW - AoC - Aion - WOW - EVE - Fallen Earth - Co - Rift - || XNA C# Java Development
CONS: Like alot of people working hard to advance in the game beta or non-beta once you reach a high lvl and unlocked alot of cool stuff it sucks to see it all get wiped away. I know it is work but besides the giving feed back you are technically playing a game even though it isn't permanent. Alot of people don't realize once beta is over you loose everything and when they find out the hard way they will most likely give up on the whole thing.
PROS: It would be nice to have your idea's considered or the things you don't like put into question. It would benice to find bugs or glitches that others might over look so latter you don't have to be bothered by them. It would be nice to find out if the game could even run properly on you system.
(Those are a few things I feel the article left out.)
BioWare disagrees with you. From a July 2, 2011 Dev post:
(which mirrors what I said btw)
To the 'I have a lot of experience in MMO testing but BioWare invites my lousy friend instead who doesn't care' crowd:
Tests have several axes: Player feedback, automated metrics, and bugs. They are all valuable. Even a player that just plays and never fills out their surveys or gives any feedback is valuable to us in some form because of the playtest metrics they generate. We see what they do, where they get stuck, what classes they play, how they use their abilities, etc. If you add enough random players, these metrics become very powerful feedback by themselves. If you want to answer questions like 'where will people likely quit' the hardcore fan tester often isn't cutting it, because their tolerance for bad things is almost endless.
A) We don't have any way to validate such claims.
C) Testers that give exceptional feedback are, of course, very useful. In those cases, we do take steps to retain them.
EQ1, EQ2, SWG, SWTOR, GW, GW2 CoH, CoV, FFXI, WoW, CO, War,TSW and a slew of free trials and beta tests
I wonder how many community managers became community managers just to get early beta access and really see if the game will live up to the hype?
beta'd matrix online did ya? That failed pretty hard.. hopefully your not like midas in reverese where every game you beta turns to $hit : )
You're right, Mike, I don't want to beta TOR. Or get a free look at it. Or even play it after it launches.
"Many nights, my friend... Many nights I've put a blade to your throat while you were sleeping. Glad I never killed you, Steve. You're alright..."
Chavez y Chavez
rofl i love all you guys who dont like starwars or swtor but feel the need to comment anyway...
we will be glad to have you playing your generic fantasy game while were in our nice new sci fi star wars universe. you will not be missed.
I infact hope games like gw2 and archage release around the same time as swtor..it will suck all the dorks out who are just there cause its the newest mmorpg out and leave us actual starwars fans who will enjoy the game...
all in all the release of gw2 shall be a nice cleansing of swtor. this plus swtor being PTP should make for a good community
as for the beta....id give it a test for them..id tryn and avoid story line tho.
Hehe, good to read. They have quite a realistic view on the matter
My brand new bloggity blog.
I've tested quite a few games, and genuinely enjoy helping a developer create something awesome. With some games though, I've had the privilege *sarcasm* of watching something go from "good" to "god, what were they thinking?" Champions Online and SWG are two games that come to mind right off the top. More noteably, Champions.
Please, SW:TOR, don't do that. The end.
THE Rooster Nash
Why wouldn't we comment? In case your super keen senses missed it this thread is in the News area for everyone to give feedback on, not just TOR fanboys. Secodnly, he asked a Yes or No question, not a yes only question.
If the majority of TOR fans missed things such as that on a forum and sport a like attitude toward others just because they don't like a computer game, then I too will be glad that you are all corraled in that game. Which, by the way, liking or disliking of TOR in no way determines whether one is an "actual star wars fan".
"Many nights, my friend... Many nights I've put a blade to your throat while you were sleeping. Glad I never killed you, Steve. You're alright..."
Chavez y Chavez
So far the reviews I have read are basically non-commital and as per "its nice, its has flaws,but is it fair to judge at this stage?".
BioWare though have a ground rep for writing nicely immersive games, so I'd be pretty keen to make this my fifth major mmo beta test.
I do agree with an earlier comment that noted how few beta testers actually provided feedback, though its not unfair to say that mere presence and activity in a beta tends to help devs deal with baseline issues like server load tweaking and lag issues.
But, if someone from BioWare reads this ...
Give the testers an semi-automated bug report system that automatically registers area, location, current target, relevant aspects of character status, ping, local and general server population at the time etc
Put an easy to use interface on that with a streamlined categorisation selector emphasing or restricting reports to your current development criteria and a limited space for textual description.
Have the devs rate each submission they read so that you are reading the content from reliable testers first.
Make that bug report panel prominently accessible and have its data constantly populated with last known good state so that testers can hit auto submit the minute they think they have a problem (cooldown on that function) or, at least, the minute the client thinks it has a problem.
Only two games I have tested have had anything so intelligent AoC and EQ which still uses this same basic mechanism after I suggested it 3 months prior to the LoY expansion.
One of the main problems with submitting data during a beta test is that you do actually get caught up in the game and you dont want to tab out to the forums. So you can have 10 useful and relevant thoughts that get lost in the heat of the action.
"Dammit, if I die now its going to take me an hour to work my way back to this point"
so I would say that at least half of the salient contributions I could have made in games have been lost because I wanted to continue the experience in the hope of finding something more useful than that annoying niggle which, at the end of the day, can be the annoying niggle that prevents players from playing at release.
So bug report = temporary character invulnerability, freeze client, log relevant ingame and client state variables and player comment, unfreeze game on submission = exploitable but its a beta test and the info is more valuable than the idiot that wants to avoid a pvp kill or whatever
I WISH they would listen to you. And I'm not referring to any specific dev house, but rather all of them.
President of The Marvelously Meowhead Fan Club
Interesting points. I did remember how frustrated I was in the Rift beta with all the WoW/not WoW conversations people kept repeating. That said a lot of beta testers are pretty hardcore. i like to give feedback in betas to ensure the older more casual player's views are represented and available for devs to consider if they wish.
There is a particular fascination for me with this game as going to see the original star wars movies as a child provides some of my earliest fantastic memories and aside from the above I selfishly want to see if the game captures that magic. So a selfish motive but I would tell the developers where it falls short in my view so even this could be potentially useful. however considering the level of oversubscription I stongly suspect I'll be waiting for release before I touch this game.