Loading... For the Beta Hatahs

Welcome to the 1,061st Edition of Loading...

Loading... is the premier daily MMORPG news and commentary newsletter, only from Ten Ton Hammer.

Today's Loading is all about our latest feature article on the changing face of beta testing. Ten Ton Hammer's Cody Bye gathered insights from devs and players about beta - what works, what has room for improvement, and what to expect in the future. Does the fault for failed betas in the past lie with the players, the devs, or the marketeers? Check out Loading... Beta Blues for my thoughts, as well as links to

Need more newsletter? Play World of Warcraft? Jay "Medeor" Johnson's weekly WoW newsletter "The Overpull" comes out every Tuesday and keeps you entertained and informed on all the latest developments in WoW. Sign up!

The Pulse

You vote with what you view at Ten Ton Hammer, and the result is the Ten Ton Pulse (What is Pulse?).

Here's today's top 5 Pulse results for today:

Biggest Movers in the Top 20 today :

Free Realms (down 8 to #19)
Runes of Magic (UP 3 to #11)
Mabinogi (UP 3 to #13)

Loading... Daily

At Ten Ton Hammer we put out a ton of articles and guides on a weekly basis. I recently challenged our writers to put together a few articles per month that have broad appeal to all MMO players, no matter what game you're playing or are interested in. Cody Bye met that challenge in a big way with an extremely well done article on the changing face of beta testing. It's out for public consumption today. Though a hefty read at 9 text-packed pages, it's worthwhile for anyone interested in the development process or even anyone interested in the final product. So much hinges on "polish" as new games try to compete with games that have years of development and live play under their belt.

Cody metes out an incredible number of insightful quotes from devs would have had successful and unsuccessful beta runs. Especially poignant for me were former EQ2 producer Scott Hartsman's comments on the "launch-big-or-die" model, and two contrasting quotes from Brad McQuaid; one made regarding the high quality of the EverQuest beta testers and one made describing the comparatively taciturn Vanguard beta crowd. Coupling that with a number of quotes from our readers, you can sense a serious and growing disconnect between developers and players - between the business of MMOs and overall originality and quality of MMOs in general.

That concerns me, personally and professionally. One of our primary concerns for this network was to help bridge that gap, under what I still think is a valid assumption: more quality communication between players and devs necessarily means better games for everyone.

But more opportunities for communication also means more opportunities to be ignored; to violate the trust that (as I've mentioned before) is the real currency of today's much more interactive MMO design model. As Hartsman noted, "Bad news is being kept out of the market in hopes of keeping day-one sales high." Once NDA drops or we attend a preview event, we have a choice to make - do we share our honest impressions of content that was probably tailor made to produce giggles and grins, give in to our cynical side and bash the game for what we didn't see (what may or may not exist), or say nothing at all. Unlike the drive-by forum hater crowd, we have a long-term relationship with these studios and, as such, will probably opt for door number one or three. Straw man arguments might get you some short term traffic, but don't expect to be invited back.

That doesn't mean we dismiss our negativity outright. Good devs always want to hear constructive feedback, and usually we can work their responses to such feedback into the preview article. We, along with the developers and PR studios, have a responsibility to readers not to spread misinformation, but our vantage point (though slightly greater than yours at times) is limited.

What I took away from Cody's treatment of the subject is that development studios "get it," From Mythic's Steve Perkins: "A game beta is like a little morsel of food – if you find it delicious, you are going to want more and go out of your way to get more. If it leaves a bad taste in your mouth, you are not going back for seconds." But it's always easier to criticize how beta is done than to come up with a solution, if there even is such a thing as a one-size-fits-all beta solution for every MMO.

But from the tenor of the article's final paragraphs, it sounds like we're stuck with the traditional beta - perhaps the worst free trial ever - for at least the next wave of MMOs. What's your opinion? What's been your worst beta experience, and how would you have changed the experience if the tables were turned and you had control of the experience? Share your thoughts in the Loading... forum, or send me an email!

Shayalyn's Epic Thread of the Day

From our Tavern of the Ten Ton Hammer forum

Game Hopping

"I love MMORPGS but I just can't stick with one," says Ten Ton Hammer member btraill. "I've tried almost
every game under the sun. I play it for a few days and then stop.
Anyone else like this? ...How do you
stop?"

How
indeed. I'll admit, it's been quite a while since I played a MMOG that
inspired me to keep on playing for months on end. What's the key to
staying in a MMOG for the long haul? Has player mentality changed, or
have MMOGs changed? Perhaps it's a little of both.

Step into the Tavern of the Ten Ton Hammer to share your tips
to help commitment-phobic game hoppers stick with a game, and discuss
what MMOG developers can do to make games with staying power.

==============================
Awesome Quote from the Epic Thread

"I been completely the same lately. It seems whatever MMO I try feels like a new skin on the same game.
I've
been trying some non-MMO games and Fallout 3 has had me hooked for the
last month. The only problem is it lacks the social interaction (for
better or for worse) you get with MMOs.

Here's hoping this years MMO's will get off this cloning business."

- kageyfna
==============================

Have you spotted an Epic Thread on our forums? Tell us!

Feature: The Rigors of Beta Testing - Past, Present, and Future
Since the earliest days of MMO gaming, beta testing has played a pivotal role in the success or failure of our persistent worlds. We've come a long way since the initial tests of Ultima Online and The Realm, but what role do our current beta tests play in the potential outcomes of unreleased titles? To answer this question, Ten Ton Hammer turned to current and former beta decision makers at Cryptic Studios, NetDevil, Sony Online Entertainment, Funcom, and Mythic Entertainment. Some of their answers - and the information they reveal - may surprise you. On top of that selection, we also asked our Ten Ton Hammer premium members for their thoughts on beta testing as well!

6 new MMOG hand-crafted articles today! 93 in April! 480 in 2009!

New MMOG Articles At Ten Ton Hammer Today [Thanks Phil Comeau for links and Real World News]

Exclusive Alaganon Class Interview #2 - The Ranger

If there’s anything that players want to know about before a game launches, it’s the classes that they have the ability to play. As Alganon draws ever closer to its initial open beta, the Ten Ton Hammer staff has initiated a series of exclusive interviews with Lead Data Designer Hue Henry centered on the playable classes in the upcoming fantasy MMO. Two weeks ago, we published our first exclusive class interview with the developers of Alganon, which focused on the Soldier class. This week we follow it up with a look at the pet-loving, archery proficient Ranger. The class certainly looks like something current WoW Hunters may be into, so make sure you take a look. Enjoy!
EVE Online: Sins of a Solar Spymaster - Newbies in Space

For anyone that's been eager to jump into EVE Online now that Apocrypha has seen its official launch, Ten Ton Hammer certainly has the best selection of EVE editorials to whet your appetite. Don't believe me? Just check out The Mittani's latest feature titled "Newbies in Space." Once again, this weekly columnist gives readers a taste of what EVE is all about, even for the low folks on the totem pole.
Swagdog Giveaway

How can anyone take you seriously when you say you love World of Warcraft but you're wearing a generic shirt from a national clothing chain? Who will know which crew you roll with if all you have on your chest is some cliche logo or slogan? You need WoW gear, and you need it to display your guild tabard. You need Swagdog.
In the Ten Ton Hammer Swagdog Giveaway, you can enter to win a coupon worth $75 off of one purchase at swagdog.com. Swagdog has hoodies, tees, caps and long sleeve shirts. They just need the image of your tabard, your character information, and your slogan to get you the personalized apparel that shows your true allegiance!
geeked: Scrub it Good

Ten Ton Hammer's very own satirical webcomic on all things geek-related is delivering a shot of potty humor directly to your funny/gross bone today. Pirate Bill is holding up his local game store, but things don't go quite as planned.
Be sure to catch up on any issues of Geeked you've missed by visiting our Comics Portal. Don't forget to rate your favorites while you're at it!
World of Warcraft: Hunter Enchantments Guide

Gearing up your hunter in World of Warcraft is one thing, but once you have some decent gear, the next thing you want are some decent enchantments. Finding the right enchantments for the hunter can be a time consuming job if you try to sift through each of the countless ones available. Let Ten Ton Hammer do it for you! Join us as we take a look at some of the best enchantments and gems available for the hunter and some of the more cost effective ones if you're on a budget.
World of Warcraft: Death Knight Item Enhancement

In the World of Warcraft getting raid gear together is only half the problem. Once you have it, how do you enhance it? Which enchants, gems, armor kits, etc are the best for you to use? This guide steps in and helps everyone that is unsure of the best way to enhance their Death Knights raid items. So if you are just starting to raid, or are want to double check what you have been doing, this guide is for you!

Hot Content - Or, what I took a fancy to:

Real World News

Portable toilet arsonist sought

Interesting - what does it pay?
Student arrested, may be charged for shooting pigeon

Prosecutors willing to reduce the charges if he fully cooperates.
City bus hits and kills man in wheelchair, who was crippled previously by being hit by a city bus

I blame bad karma as the man never saw The Towers of Hanoi, and that's a fractal never forget.

(Super Obscure Bonus Wordplay for Programming Geeks!)

Thanks for visiting the Ten Ton Hammer network!

-Jeff "Ethec" Woleslagle and the Ten Ton Hammer team

Last Updated: Mar 13, 2016

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