Alpha Release date speculation thread

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Minti2

Deadly, But very fluffy...
Minti2
Alpha or not?

Am thinking of upgrading again, Alpha testing this time, i really fancy being there at the beginning but is it worth it? £50 for four weeks head start(trial playing/testing)

Anyone else still thinking of upgrading, or everyone done now?
Theres still 700 odd places for Alpha, but i could see these disappearing nearer the time next year............also is the rewards packages open till the end of the year or some cut-off date?
 

ianw

I
I did the alpha a few weeks ago - couldn't resist.

Am even considering going for DDF - need more info at a faster rate...
 

jabokai

jabokai
Don't think of it as a head start...

Sure you will learn some stuff, inevitably, but they will be wiping all characters before release no doubt (and rightly so).

Alpha really is to try and get as many bugs/balancing issues sorted out to make the final product better. Indeed the Alpha and Beta will probably have several wipes, and possibly even several focused events where you can do nothing other than what the devs want you, to hammer some subsystem or other. So don't even think that the 1 month of Alpha will be like playing 1 continuous month of the game necessarily (with the same character progressing along), cos it MIGHT not be! :smilie:
 

ianw

I
Yeah - they are gonna wipe everything as they should..

But - four weeks of playing/crashing/getting used to the game engine has got to be worth something - especially for someone like me who's never used a joystick in anger against actual other people!

Need all the help/practise I can get...
 

jabokai

jabokai
ianw said:
But - four weeks of playing/crashing/getting used to the game engine has got to be worth something - especially for someone like me who's never used a joystick in anger against actual other people!

Need all the help/practise I can get...
Click to expand...

Yeah, totally... that sort of stuff that you learn won't suddenly be unlearned on release! :smilie:
 

insanephoton

insanephoton
Obviously it won't be a head start in terms of having built up a character, but participants in both the alpha and betas will have a head start on the learning curve. It would only be a small initial advantage, but still an advantage over the general population. I'm not sure that Alpha players would have much of an advantage over first Beta or even second Beta players when the game is finally released.

To be honest, I'm not at all bothered by the characters being wiped, because setting up characters can be part of the fun.

As to the original question, it's hard to say. Assuming that you can afford it, you already have or have budgeted for a suitable rig and peripherals, and it won't cause relationship issues (angry wife/girlfriend/boyfriend/partner/pet), then the choice is entirely yours.

Is it good value? if you get 4 weeks play it works out at £12.50 per week. Or another way of looking at it is 2x12 bottle case of Newky:D
 

Listeri69

Listeri69
1st round Alpha looks so tempting to me too, but for me its a question of amount of time I can put in to actually testing and being a bug reporter ect... I think i'll stick with 1st round beta for now but yeah there is an itch just to be one of the 1st members of the public to fire at an NPC or Player in anger :D
 

Minti2

Deadly, But very fluffy...
Minti2
Yeah i didn't word my OP well, not a head start, as i know any playtime/testing will be wiped at actual game release.

I meant when Alpha comes along, can i really just sit here at the forums listening to others doing it and reporting back on the forum how fun/good it is(hopefully) even with crashes bugs etc (ive played in betas before, so roughly know what to expect in those instances.

Thanks for the Alpha date info(Dec) if Dev gaming progressing well to i guess!

For some reason earlier i thought it was Jan but couldn't see the info on the Rewards page.
So thats not that long, and even more tempting (whether its single player or not its still gonna give you a feel for the game, so again tempting :)

DDF am not bothered about, happy to let you guys already there do your stuff and not muck it up, and so far seen (even with tempers flaring there) the proposals are looking good :) so Alpha would def be my final upgrade.

and Mark you know how my mind works! lol....i had worked out to each weeks cost, but not in Newky ale(nice touch!).....
and as you and Simon pointed out its time value to, if its playing/testing for bugs ect, as and when you find them then all good, but if asked to do something specific am not sure......Actually getting new computer would have to be earlier to(early Xmas present to self, yeah wife gonna love that! lol) if going for Alpha, hadnt thought of that...

Thanks guys some things to think about still :)
 
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DobrijZmej

DobrijZmej
I think about this question for a long time.
And, I tell you, I am glad that the amount of my money I can not afford to participate in the alpha test. Now my focus is to connect to a good channel of communication with the Internet, and can be updated iron my computer.
Participation in the alpha and beta tests may have an unpleasant surprise, which can ruin a further impression on the game. When I know how to create this or that function, it loses its magic, and does not give me enjoy her fully.
 

Minti2

Deadly, But very fluffy...
Minti2
DobrijZmej said:
I think about this question for a long time.
And, I tell you, I am glad that the amount of my money I can not afford to participate in the alpha test. Now my focus is to connect to a good channel of communication with the Internet, and can be updated iron my computer.
Participation in the alpha and beta tests may have an unpleasant surprise, which can ruin a further impression on the game. When I know how to create this or that function, it loses its magic, and does not give me enjoy her fully.
Click to expand...

Know what you mean DobrijZmej, its juggling costs, time, and whether it might spoil first impressions doing the testing phase, but ive done betas before bugs and all, and it was still fun to do so..... :)

Maybe, maybe not for me.....i just know i must not drink beer tonight when wife goes out, pressing upgrade buttons is easy after a few lol
 

Patrick_68000

Patrick_68000
I see a game like Elite dangerous in the long term. So I have all my time. I have access to the first beta test, but I will participate as a tourist for fun and discovered. I also have to upgrade my computer + screen. So I prefer to keep the money for it. Of course, I would have liked Alpha + DDF but the lack of time, and the language barrier is too complicated for me. I am very happy to participate in the forums and I hope there will be comments from players Alpha in December.
 

Oss133

Oss133
I have just upgraded from second beta to alpha. Patience is not a virtue, it is a waste of time. I have never been in on an alpha or beta before so I am looking forward to giving it a go. Can't wait to see how it plays.
 

Listeri69

Listeri69
Patrick_68000 said:
I see a game like Elite dangerous in the long term. So I have all my time. I have access to the first beta test, but I will participate as a tourist for fun and discovered. I also have to upgrade my computer + screen. So I prefer to keep the money for it. Of course, I would have liked Alpha + DDF but the lack of time, and the language barrier is too complicated for me. I am very happy to participate in the forums and I hope there will be comments from players Alpha in December.
Click to expand...

pretty sure it will be making the alpha players shut up that will be the problem :D. but other than the language prob im the same way I dont need a new pc but her indoors i said i wpuld buy her a new laptop this year.......
 

Zak Gordon

Zak Gordon
After being a beta-tester (years ago!) on a number of games and mods, i made a rule, i now only do that on my own games! Ymmv ;)

If you are the kind of person that will sleep outside a shop to try to be the 'first' to get a new console or game, then testing might be for you as you get to be 'first' to sample the game.

If your are not that kind of person it does have a double edged sword aspect of being interesting/frustrating/exciting/burning you out on the game for when it is fully released! And that last one can be a kicker.
 

Aewarin Jameson

Aewarin Jameson
Fromhell said:
6 months from now?? that can´t be much more than a single player dogfighting alpha, imho...
Click to expand...

When did you get a tour and personal project update from FD ? lucky you hey :rolleyes:

Alpha will be what it is .. The dates on KS are suggestive, not binding, so it will start when it does and last as long as it needs to. Any attempt to say otherwise is pointless speculation or worse trolling.
 
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Mobius

Mobius
I would have thought Alpha would have been sooner than December. 1 month aint much to play test and bug fix. either way it will be nice to get back into the cockpit.
 
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