by Karen Hertzberg on Jun 30, 2010
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Ah, beta. We all want it, don't we? And we covet closed beta
invitations most of all since they offer us an early glimpse into a
game in development. But does letting players into closed betas put
developers at a disadvantage? Is no beta experience at all much better
than a bad beta experience? We'll take a look at the ins and outs of
beta testing in today's
href="http://tentonhammer.com/loading/2010/jun/30">Loading...
Bad Beta.
You vote with what you
view at Ten Ton Hammer, and the
result
is the Ten Ton Pulse (What
is The Pulse?).
Today's
top 5 Pulse results this week:
Biggest
movers today:
Upcoming
Events
We often stop to ask our premium members how we're doing. When we ask
them what they'd like more of they inevitably shout in one voice, "Beta
keys!" And we hear them. We're gamers ourselves, of course, so there's
not a single one of us who hasn't refreshed his or her inbox
obsessively while waiting for an email saying, "Congratulations! You've
been chosen to participate in...."
Some beta keys are more coveted than others, but we gamers recognize
any beta as an opportunity to get a sneak peek at a MMOG before it
launches. Yes, I know, I know...some of you will straighten your
posture, blink and look down your collective noses as you say, "Beta is
not about getting a free preview; beta is about bug testing." And
closed beta is, of course. But, with rare exceptions (and I do know a
few hardcore bug hunters), we don't join beta to search for
glitches and exploits, we join it so we can experience a MMOG before
most others will. And during that preview time we make a decision--will
we buy this game when it releases or not?
I recently scored an invite to closed beta for a game some of our
community members are eager to play. (Of course I can't tell you which
one.) I was starting to get interested in this game myself, and when I
got that fateful email telling me I could download the client and start
playing I felt giddy. Despite some previous beta disappointments, my
expectations were high and I felt optimistic. But when I logged into
the game for the first time I found myself frustrated by many things
(none of which I'll get into right now to save you the
speculation.) I logged out after a half hour and told myself I'd give
the game another whirl after the next update. But I have to admit that
I'm not longer very optimistic about this MMOG.
And that's the rub when it comes to beta, isn't it? Developers take a
big risk when they hand over the keys to an incomplete and in-progress
game. Although I realize that the beta for the game I mentioned above
is still in fairly early stages, I feel less interested in the title
now, and less hopeful that it will be a game I want to play. I'll
certainly give it a chance to improve, and being a beta tester affords
me the opportunity to not only watch its growth but provide feedback if
I feel compelled to, but I'm no longer willing to run out and buy the
game at launch the way I'd planned to before my beta experience.
Despite the gaming community's beta key jones, I believe developers
should rely primarily on internal testing and offer closed beta only to
their most loyal and knowledgeable community members, the people likely
to actually test
a game, file bug reports, and provide valuable feedback. Closed beta
should go to those who'll say, "It's beta. This game is a work
in progress. Give it a chance." The vast majority of people clamoring
for keys don't fall into that category. Beta is a necessary
tool, but most gamers should only see a MMOG in its final stages of
development prior to launch lest they have their hopes and expectations
dashed by a game that's not ready for prime time. A solid few days of
open beta before launch can be a great marketing tool, but too many
cooks can spoil the closed beta broth in a hurry.
Have you taken part in a beta that drastically changed your
opinion of a game in development? Do you want to get your hands on any
and all closed betas, or would you rather wait until a MMOG is fully
formed and almost ready for release before you play it during open
beta? Share your opinion on beta testing in the
href="http://forums.tentonhammer.com/showthread.php?p=435402">Loading...
forum.
From our
href="http://forums.tentonhammer.com/forumdisplay.php?f=3">Tavern
of the Ten Ton Hammer forum
href="http://forums.tentonhammer.com/showthread.php?t=51961">What
game brings back memories?
XovoX's first post to the Ten Ton Hammer forums posed a great question:
what game (MMOG or otherwise) brings on a flood of memories? For me
it's EverQuest. For younger gamers it might be something like RuneScape
or Maple
Story. Perhaps for you it's some game you played on your
Commodore 64. Whatever the case may be, head over to our forum to
href="http://forums.tentonhammer.com/showthread.php?t=51961">wax
nostalgic.
==============================
Awesome Quotes from the
Epic Thread
"Well if we're talking
MMO
here, I would have to say RuneScape 2. It was new, fun, and quirky
enough for a youngun' like myself. It introduced me to the wonderful
world of MMO's, weird internet people, and wasting away in front of a
computer."
-
href="http://forums.tentonhammer.com/showpost.php?p=435188&postcount=8">The
Dread Lord
==============================
Have you spotted an Epic Thread on our forums?
href="http://forums.tentonhammer.com/showthread.php?t=32559">Tell
us!
5 Ten Ton Hammer
features
today! 128 Ten Ton Hammer
features
in June! 718
in 2010!
INTERVIEWS
Sock! Pow! Bam! DC
Universe Online An Interview with Senior Producer Wes Yanagi
http://www.tentonhammer.com/dcuo/yanagi-interview
Since
our first glimpses at DC Universe Online, Ten Ton Hammer has been
panting like the fanboys we are to get some details on this upcoming
MMOG. Fortunately, Doctor Fate owed us some favors and, therefore, he
summoned Wes Yanagi, senior producer for DC Universe Online to the
Tower of Fate to answer our questions. Given the choice between
answering our questions or being locked in an enclosed room with Ambush
Bug, Wes Yanagi chose to answer our questions.
MEDIA
Exploring Space with
Moonbase Alpha Screenshots
http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/86363
You
might have heard about NASA's online multiplayer game Moonbase Alpha.
Scheduled to launch on July 6th, Moonbase Alpha aims to provide an
educational and entertaining game for players to explore and learn more
about space exploration. We've managed to get our hands on several
screenshots from the game that offer a look at the content players can
experience when Moonbase Alpha launches on Steam.
FEATURES & GUIDES
Flying The Primae In EVE
Online
http://www.tentonhammer.com/eve/guides/ships/flying_primae
To
commemorate their company anniversary and to build up buzz for their
latest patch, Tyrannis, CCP has given each player account a special,
one-time ship called the Primae. In this guide Space Junkie examines
the ins and outs of this soon to be rare ship.
StarCraft II - The Top 10
Multiplayer Mistakes
http://www.tentonhammer.com/starcraft2/guides/top10mistakes
You
win some, you lose some. And over time, you learn little things that
slowly improve your game and make your strategy that much more
airtight. Fortunately, Stow has already taken the liberty of playing a
thousand games of StarCraft II to help you iron out those bad habits
before they start. Check out his guide to the top 10 multiplayer
mistakes and stop making embarrassing blunders.
Patch 3.3.5, Midsummer
Fire Festival, RAF, and More in The WoW Weekly Report
http://www.tentonhammer.com/wow/newsletter/issue73
The
WoW Weekly Report is our weekly newsletter dedicated to giving you a
wrap-up of the previous week in news, stories, and more. We take a look
the launch of Patch 3.3.5 and what it contains, but while waiting on
the Ruby Sanctum to open we also check out the Midsummer Fire Festival.
We bring you a look at buying and selling items outside the
Auction
House and a look at the effect the RAF promotion has on the game.
Today's
Hottest Articles, Guides, and Features
Thanks
for visiting the Ten Ton Hammer network!
- Karen "Shayalyn" Hertzberg and the Ten Ton Hammer Team.