Why you shouldn't have participated to the alpha/beta stages...

[Archon]

The OP has a valid point. Testing a game isn't all fun and it could certainly have jaded the most patient of players depending on their expectations.

My first foray into space was after gamma. I am thrilled and very impressed. The methods implemented for dealing with the vast distances of space are simply brilliant. Being able to see the fsd wake and interdict other ships is beyond expectations. Combat is more enjoyable than anything else I've ever used my joystick to play. Online play has been perfectly stable so far. I could go on.

At the end of the day, FD has successfully taken Elite to the next level. Am I a fanboy? Sure, I'm a fan of Elite and a boy... or maybe I'm a fanman. Not insulting at all.

 

[Elan]

I'm not sure what this "burn out" thing is that people mention...

I'm over 400 hours streamed to twitch.tv since the start of PB1 and there's sure to be several more hours to add to that from "offline" play...

I'm not going to be slowing down any time soon!

 

[MattBlaK]

I had to take my foot off the throttle for Gamma due to the last incoming wipe. Will still play a few hours a week but having put so much time in on previous betas that I thought it might be the last chance for a rest before "live". I really want to play but there are many hours invested in this already, and there still will be after release.

I wish people would stop damaging the public opinion by slating or reviewing an unreleased game. It just makes me a little sad... Their opinions have the potential to ruin the game for us more patient gamers.

I'm looking forward to playing for real in a few weeks, I wish it could come sooner, but most of all I hope they get the time they need to make it the game it deserves to be, and have put the effort in to make.

 

[DaveB]

Already done. And the minute I see my money returned is when I'll stop posting here.

I won't echo an earlier poster's opinion that you won't be missed, because you will. Every cmdr that leaves diminishes the universe the rest of us are playing in to some extent. If I may make a suggestion - instead of "the minute I see my money returned" say "the minute my case is concluded" - whether you actually get your money or not.

I say this for two reasons:
1: Your involvement with the game is done. You're only going to get negative results from continuing here after that point.
2: If you are going to pursue other avenues, eg legal ones, to try and get some of your money back, the first thing a lawyer will tell you is to shut up about it online, because anything you say publicly becomes something that an opposing lawyer can use.

I would hope it doesn't come to either case, or that you would reconsider and rejoin the game for what it is, not stay away because it isn't what you thought it would be. However, if you are definitely out, there does come a time to zip the lip and walk away - which may not necessarily be the date of achieving the outcome you want.

 

[Jenner]

I guess I need to remind folks of one of the basic rules of the forum:

Don't attack one another.

Flaming each other, name calling, etc. is not cool. If you have a point to make then do so without personal insults.

Thanks.

 

[Riandor]

I played quite a lot of Alpha and some early beta phases, but tailed off towards beta 2 and beyond.
Played a few hours here and there and tested as much as I had time for, but work makes me trace a lot,Mao I have a lot of enforced time away from the game.

This has been good in the sense that I still feel relatively fresh, though my combat skills have waned a little.

 

[HudZ]

This is exactly why pre-ordering games is a terrible idea. The trend for these developers is to launch a broken game and patch it as they go. Internet updates is definitely one of the worst things to happen to the gaming industry.

Excluding crowdsource projects. Those pre-orders are, of course, expected

 

[MattBlaK]

Don't attack one another.
Thanks.

Save that for the game world (Edit: Universe)

 

[vonFelty]

In 21 days your point will be moot.

Can they address all the issues found in Beta by the 16th? It would be nice, but I feel my realist side feel that given the rate of releases over the summer, I don't think they can magically do everything that needs to be done in that amount of time even if they worked 24/7.

 

[MattBlaK]

I've got confidence. But not before they hack off a good many people by not having it more stable before preview. It needed a few more weeks to save public ramifications...

You only need to see the share price over the last month to see it's having an effect.

https://www.google.co.uk/webhp?sour...=1&espv=2&es_th=1&ie=UTF-8#q=fdev share price

They'll be fine in the long run though, I hope...

Wont stop me playing it however It'll just lose some less understanding players.

 

[Wiskey Echo]

I BOUGHT ED to TEST! In my other life people PAY me for that privilege... Frontier has not provided more than an Engine / Tech Demo and has NOT used it's tester base effectively (mostly due to ship costs [but wrong thread for that talk])

What Modual where we testing in 3.9? The wipe mechanic?
What where we doing in 3.5/4/3/x???
In Beta 2?
etc etc

To somewhat agree with OP we didn't TEST ANYTHING we where provided the same content over and over... HOW where we supposed to provide feedback with out having any thing to compare with???

 

[Ozric]

I BOUGHT ED to TEST! In my other life people PAY me for that privilege... Frontier has not provided more than an Engine / Tech Demo and has NOT used it's tester base effectively (mostly due to ship costs [but wrong thread for that talk])

What Modual where we testing in 3.9? The wipe mechanic?
What where we doing in 3.5/4/3/x???
In Beta 2?
etc etc

To somewhat agree with OP we didn't TEST ANYTHING we where provided the same content over and over... HOW where we supposed to provide feedback with out having any thing to compare with???

Funny I was about to post something rather different At least it seems like we're both gluttons for punishment as I am also a software tester hehe.

I would say that every iteration since Premium Beta 1 (where I started) has had the main focus of the testing on different areas of the game. When a new version came out the pushed what they wanted us to test to the front and either "switched off" or greatly reduced those that they didn't, granted this could have been better communicated at times. On the day before a new release I made a note of all my open bugs and then when the new version came out, the first thing I did was to go and see if those bugs were still there, the majority had been fixed with the next release but certainly not all (although thankfully the landing pad guard one is OK now, it had been bugging me )

I'm not burnt out of the game because I still look forward to starting it up, but mainly because I've been treating it almost like work and through doing things I would not normally do in a game I have changed my mind at least 3 times as to what I want to do when I start playing, that's my biggest concern

 

[vonFelty]

Funny I was about to post something rather different At least it seems like we're both gluttons for punishment as I am also a software tester hehe.

I would say that every iteration since Premium Beta 1 (where I started) has had the main focus of the testing on different areas of the game. When a new version came out the pushed what they wanted us to test to the front and either "switched off" or greatly reduced those that they didn't, granted this could have been better communicated at times. On the day before a new release I made a note of all my open bugs and then when the new version came out, the first thing I did was to go and see if those bugs were still there, the majority had been fixed with the next release but certainly not all (although thankfully the landing pad guard one is OK now, it had been bugging me )

I'm not burnt out of the game because I still look forward to starting it up, but mainly because I've been treating it almost like work and through doing things I would not normally do in a game I have changed my mind at least 3 times as to what I want to do when I start playing, that's my biggest concern

You know. I have serious doubts that FDev wanted us to test anything in particular simply by changing the game mechanics to favor one behavior over another.

If that is how the communicate their wishes and desires, it reminds me of people who want others to mind read their hearts goals which usually leads to a failure in the relationship.

We can't mind read. If they want us to test something then announce it. Don't make the behavior any less fun or more fun because you can't balance a final product that way.

 

[r3per]

Total noob question here. Will the full game be released DEC 16th, and given the large number of testers posting here, is the game ready for full release - in your opinion?

 

[Ozric]

You know. I have serious doubts that FDev wanted us to test anything in particular simply by changing the game mechanics to favor one behavior over another.

If that is how the communicate their wishes and desires, it reminds me of people who want others to mind read their hearts goals which usually leads to a failure in the relationship.

We can't mind read. If they want us to test something then announce it. Don't make the behavior any less fun or more fun because you can't balance a final product that way.

I certainly didn't disagree that the communication needed to be better, but this was (to my mind) certainly the case when they turned off the markets so we would test the missions and storyline mechanics. I would say it was obvious the main things they wanted us to test each time, because they were new additions and announced in the newsletters. Then I would happily go off for the first week or two, while most people are testing the new mechanics, and see if I could break stuff

Maybe I'm completely wrong, but this is how I see it.

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Total noob question here. Will the full game be released DEC 16th, and given the large number of testers posting here, is the game ready for full release - in your opinion?

Yes it will be released then, as for if it's ready I really don't think this is the thread to be getting into that discussion I certainly think there will be a few bugs, there always is, but I do not believe that there will be anything game breaking left in. They still have a few things up their sleeves to show us and I can only hope that the amount of connection issues improves around update times.

It depends also entirely on what you're expecting from the game, really not the place for that discussion hehe.

 

[r3per]

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Yes it will be released then, as for if it's ready I really don't think this is the thread to be getting into that discussion I certainly think there will be a few bugs, there always is, but I do not believe that there will be anything game breaking left in. They still have a few things up their sleeves to show us and I can only hope that the amount of connection issues improves around update times.

It depends also entirely on what you're expecting from the game, really not the place for that discussion hehe.

Thanks and sorry for posting in the wrong section.

 

[Zorro]

I think you're talking about the number of venomous complaints from people over the course of the beta that it's buggy, in which case I agree. But they embarrass themselves more than anything else. I normally look at complaint threads and just think "lol"

Do you actually think that? No, really, you actually think "lol"?

You need a holiday.

 

[Ozric]

Thanks and sorry for posting in the wrong section.

No problem, it's not necessarily the wrong section, just it would either need it's own thread or to join one of the others. I dare say there's at least 3 going

 

[S'Rau]

Ah yes, the downside of making cash on Betas instead of having selected true beta testers : players take it as an early access while it is nothing more than a test and a bug hunt.
In such a case you expose yourself to moaning after design changes, cries and tears because of wipes, reprimand over bugs or stuff not yet included, players telling others how your game sucks while it is not complet, and finally the burnout with players leaving without even trying the RC software.

 

[robbyp]

Best post this week. This game is good, and its going to be great.