April Alpha

[fourty6to3]

"In fact, I see the 50% discount of ship insurance as a "payment" for having to eternally test the development builds."

for having to TEST a game that we all want to play/test regardless of bugs .. in fact most people signed up to the Beta to help with that process.

I am so sorry you have the hardship of Testing the game .. Thanks you so much for taking the pain for me ... I have changed my mind Alpha's RULE !!!!

Again ... thank you so much ... i never released... and I doubt you will be eternally testing ...well I hope not....

Again, Sorry guys ... but this is the sort of thing that drives me wild ... I had better go for the night ...

Indeed, I was kind of hoping that the initial testing phase would be over once we hit beta - but now it looks as though buying into Alpha is a form of punishment for the very reason I stated. You THINK you want to play/test this thing, just like people demanded X Rebirth come out ASAP - and now they complain about how buggy the game is (legitimately, mind you...It's bloody awful).

In games that have separate beta builds from stable, I always switch between them and with Elite Dangerous I don't get that option while being in Alpha. It can be really frustrating when your game breaks for the next week - thus I see the 50% discount for insurance as a form of compensation.

 

[deusx_ophc]

There is no frustration, just pointing out terrible business practice.

the lol of the week, thanks of that ^^

 

[Patrick_68000]

It would be nice. Looking forward to seeing some new sights. But I can quite happy also to remain where we are until any niggling bugs are squashed. As testers we have to look to the bigger picture and put personal desires aside, and think of the product instead.

it is wise words

 

[deusx_ophc]

*selfie*

 

[deusx_ophc]

I dont understand most posts here and i been patient even a rock wud envy (including most beta pledgers) i am just happy and over the moon we closing in on Premium beta even if its stil 3(4) weeks away stil Just hope this aint an april fool joke i wud take that as bad taste and rub me the wrong way. But until this is confirmed i will have a smile that split my face in 2

hehe - nice one ^^

 

[kilvenny]

Part of my job involves testing software (often my own). I am in First Beta and I expect to see problems and report them. I expect the game to crash on me multiple times. Probably not as much as Alpha! I will be playing the game I have wanted to play for thirty years, so it will be pleasure and not a punishment that needs recompense from FD.

 

[Major Squeeze]

I'm afraid I must also add my voice to those comments that the additional "Early beta access" to Alpha backers is a unfair move on Premium Beta backers who have waited quite patiently for their moment to come, only to find their Premium exclusivity undermined by Alphas getting it first.

Don't get me wrong, I have enjoyed the last few months watching and/or commenting on multiple YouTube clips and twitch streams. I've been looking forward to those on the alpha delivering whatever news and feedback they could to the general public at large and not once have I felt I was at a disadvantage, simply because I chose not to pay for that advantage. I did not go for the Alpha as i had decided that to spend a total of £200 to buy into the earliest build of the game was not (at least for me personally) cost effective even though I could actually afford to pay for it. I was completely comfortable with watching others play and have truly marvelled at the level of detail and care that FD have put in the game so far.

It seems to me though that as the alpha end date has been announced today, that these two extra privileges were thought of quite recently in what seems like a final sales pitch sweetener to gain more alpha sales, despite the end date of Alpha being announced, and it's this point I think that been to the detriment of Premium Beta players who also have paid their fair share of their appropriate privilege level, only to find, actually you guys, you're not getting it first. To me the alpha process should end on the day the alpha stops being on sale, and everyone starts with a clean sheet with beta.

I feel slightly sad that I was looking forward to posting beta videos and twitch streams to others who have not got the premium beta level, but instead I’m going to find out what I'm going to get in my beta from YouTube videos I felt I should have been posting alongside the alpha players as a level playing field once the beta starts.

And how far does this incentive go? Alpha get it first followed by premium in a few days, followed by standard beta in a few days, followed by gamma in a few days...etc...It's just all really odd.

I do hope FD rethink this point, although now it's been offered i can't see them retracting it.

I am still fully behind the game as I can't wait to get my hands on the first beta on the next month or two.

 

[Mazhurg]

So I assume we might have Alpha 4.0 within the next couple of weeks then?

I would guesstimate next week. -> 3.4 is mostly about polishing netcode (related to the ethereal station). I suspect that in the main branch (4.0) the code is mostly fixed and that 3.4 is more of sanity check on part of the code that is still in flux.

 

[Cmdr Eagleboy]

So I assume we might have Alpha 4.0 within the next couple of weeks then?

Hard to say. At this point network code gets improved step by step (3.03 and 3.04 released with three days pause), but we still have some general issues there. Question is what FD sees as condition to move to FD. Will they just stabilize game? Then they could do it in next week. If they want to fix NPC sync issues, well, at least, most important ones, then my guess it will be around 14th April.

If they already working on those issues and don't need additional input, I would say we will see 3.05 at the end of this week, and 3.06 in next week - and then moving on to rather short alpha 4.0.

 

[blibbka]

I'm part of your "2nd tier" and have no problem waiting patiently for Premium Beta..

Please don't project your own point of view onto all - or even the majority of - non-alpha backers and suddenly claim that FD have a "growing PR problem". Three or four incredibly vocal critics do not make a "growing PR problem", they just make threads like these that won't die.

I second everything you say - took the words from my mouth

 

[Exmortis]

I'm astonished at how busy this forum has gotten. This thread started yesterday and it's at 26 pages. As to the primary topic, I used to be a huge Blizzard fan and they were (in)famous for taking their sweet time on their games. They would not announce a release date and would not release until it was highly polished. I hated waiting but nobody can argue with their success (pre-Activision). I'm as anxious to play this as anyone, but I hope FD takes the same approach.

 

[Evilroco]

Glad things are progressing well in Alpha and as a lowly Beta+ have tried to be patient and await Beta+ without shouting "are we their yet?" too much ,

But... I am feeling a bit "put out" by the announcement that my premium Beta (bought on KS) with the understanding that I would "Participate in the first round private beta test" , being given it after another player group has had "a round" on it is most certainly not the "first round" I was promised.

A simple solution would be to name it Alpha 5.0 and admit silly error

Still will have to content myself with more waiting and test footage

 

[Leonick]

A simple solution would be to name it Alpha 5.0 and admit silly error

It's every beta build, not just the first one.

 

[InnerCitySumo]

If the last time you can sign up for Alpha is end of this month then I am thinking at least another month after that before we can even think about Premium Beta being released.

Thinking some time in June but I don't care if it takes longer. Just loving the whole build up and you Tube vids people are kindly putting out there.

Ahh man...I am a kid days before Xmas once again....its been a while

 

[HoshiQaVam]

The newsletter says that alpha signup ends 25th of April, and that beta starts soon after.

Alpha 4 is more proof of concept rather than actual testing, since its focussing on what the beta will be primarily testing anyway, so if there are no major issies that will only likely run for a couple weeks.

Alpha 4 will probably be out in a week or two, and beta will start in early to mid May.

 

[Cmdr Eagleboy]

The newsletter says that alpha signup ends 25th of April, and that beta starts soon after.

Alpha 4 is more proof of concept rather than actual testing, since its focussing on what the beta will be primarily testing anyway, so if there are no major issies that will only likely run for a couple weeks.

Alpha 4 will probably be out in a week or two, and beta will start in early to mid May.

Something like that. Phase 3 was meant to test docking and outfitting, however majority of testing still goes on networking side. If those issues are solved, I don't see very long phase 4.

 

[Ayo]

Ok so it's now April, and Alpha backers await the release of Travel & Trading.

How about an update from Frontier Developments on when we might reasonably hope to see Beta. Y'know, that Beta we thought we'd paid to see 3 months ago.

You must have some idea of when you hope things will happen, and not really think it's OK to just trot out the line "when it's ready".

You sound so offended. It's not your project. It will be done when FD say it's done. They have no obligation to tell you in advance.

 

[Viking]

I don't want to hear FD say anything about when they expect the beta to arrive. I want them to tell us "It'll be ready when it's ready." and I want to tell them in return "Take your time and finish it before you release it. No hurry."

 

[Asp Explorer]

Very true Viking!

A lot of Beta backers may not appreciate quite what a lot of the Alpha backers have gone through to get us this far.

Running utterly unprotected machines and opening deity-knows-what ports in the vain hope we could get a connection. Dealing with problems like that, and spending literally hours on the phone or on Skype trying to help others get connected, all the time with a PC with literally nothing between it and the open interwebpwnage.

Hours of spinning sidewinders, suddenly exploding ships, random bizarreness - all of it tested by Alpha so far and worked upon by FD.

We suffered through Alpha so Beta peeps don't have to.

I really appreciate FD's gesture.

 

[avow555]

Give Beta's first alpha

As it says let us Prem Beta's have first Alpha experience, you know it's right