Complaint about BETA

[iFred]

Well, as much as it pains me to say, FD's record of bug free releases, or bug minimal, has not been stellar.
With that, your point of not having everything revealed, complete with videos and step by step instructions on how to game it, is well taken.

Quality was and is still a problem (GalMap-Bug for example in 2.3). But with the history of Premium Beta, the amount of tickets sent to FD and the well... high amount of bugs that made it into the final release (some of them still present) it was clearly shown that a public beta didn´t help too much.

So my conclusion is: FD´s ressources are limited and the amount of bugs found in the game will always be higher than the amount of bugs they are being able to fix. That´s not uncommon in software development. Customers have to live with it. I don´t like it but of course I don´t have a better solution to the situation.

 

[M. Volgrand]

I've taken part in multiple BETAs and every single time that I have been apart of them 100% of "new material" is present. The point of BETA is to test all aspects of the "new content" Not to cause people to think they are testing something when they aren't.

It's a rip off for the people who payed the 15 dollars to have the BETA access for this game. The only things that are being tested are "patch" worthy thing. They constantly "lock" the new stuff so it's not played in the "BETA". It's a ruse to get more money out of the people that's it. The BETA should include the new Thargoid stuff and any other new nuances. I seriously question them that why do they need a BETA if they can "perfect" the "locked" content without having it BETA tested? What are you actually testing? The Game has already been out for X amount of time and the server load tests should already be done, not RE TESTED!

Now I know many of you that may reply to this will be fanboi's of the company "can do no wrong and if they do it's got reasons behind it and it's still okay." and " You just want to see the spoiled stuff." But you're missing the point here. This isn't about seeing the "new" stuff. This is about testing everything to make sure it's up to speck and report any bugs. If they don't need it BETA tested then why even have a BETA for anything? They can do the same perfection they do for the "locked" stuff to the patches as well. It's fools gold with no shine.

Knock it off Frontier or stop doing the BETAs or it's just a glorified "Early access but lose your data after X day/weeks/months". Which IS NOT a BETA.

I don't hate Frontier I am saying I disagree with their approach. I do realize that none of us own this game but have a license to play it. That Frontier owns it and they can do whatever they want with it and they can use the word/term "BETA" out of definition and practice as they want. But it doesn't mean their practice is right just because they "do it" and haven't been forced to stop through lawsuit (not a threat just saying).

I have participated in all betas.
In one of them I did beta test the multicrew.
On another I did beta test CQC.
On another I did beta test new mining mechanics.
On another I did beta test Powerplay.
On another someone did beta test that the alien ruins were actually working (well, let's now mention the bugs later discovered), although the information you got from the ruins was locked.
On another I did beta test engineers.

And, guess what! On most of these betas I/We submitted feedback that did (more or less) influence on the later changes.

If that is not a BETA test, then care to explain what it is?

 

[Xenith]

To be fair, you're not really a "beta tester" either. You just paid to get access, you weren't "invited" based on your involvement in game development or forum suggestions or any other criteria that would make you a "good" beta tester for FD to want to use to test content. You just paid FD $15. In many other games beta testing requires invites, NDAs and many other requirements to ensure that the beta testing is useful and not just a bunch of players looking to get everything early by paying a small fee. FD has decided to monetize their "beta" access as DLC instead of running a proper beta so you get what you pay for in this case, which isn't much, but you also don't have any responsibilities or expectations to do any real "beta testing" for them either.

To be fair, being randomly invited doesn't make you a good beta tester either, anyone can be randomly invited just as anyone can pay to enter. Regardless of how you got your beta invite, the only way to be a good beta tester is to report bugs and give feedback, nothing else matters.

 

[CMDR MRMAURICE]

I think this thread needs beta testing

 

[Vandaahl]

...the only way to be a good beta tester is to report bugs and give feedback, nothing else matters.

And to keep his mouth shut. No 'BETA' ever signed an NDA, and usually (at least for the games I've been a real Beta for), thats the first thing you'll get on your mailbox.
Think that says enough.

There are no Beta teams, there are no test cases that get assigned to testers, this is no Beta, just early access with a wrong name.

 

[CmdrJacks]

Then it's not BETA testing it's limited early access with the title of BETA.

That is true, and it has always been true. We get to see some early stuff and possibly identify a few bugs which QA didn't spot before. If this were real beta testing then there would be requirements and deadlines and all sorts of uninteresting things, and most of us would be disqualified for not following proper procedures. Luckily, it's just a bit of early access stress testing.

 

[DukeIronHand]

I think this thread needs beta testing

Literally unreadable!

 

[lunithy]

Not sure, I skimmed through because consoles dont even get betas so its got naff all to do with me anyway. Im just wasting time between mode switching fer better missions, thought Id take a gander through.

OP, as much as I do stick with consoles only these days, I have done a bit of beta testing in the past...not on this game partly cos Im too lazy and jaded with the game to care that much to pay fer the privilege but point being, yer not taking part in a beta to please yerself on all the lovely content. Thats not how betas work in any game...yer there to stress test whatever content they allow ye to have and thats that. Storyline content can be tested privately as really the only test needed with that is whether it runs at all alongside the main content, so testing that would be more localized to a chosen few testers.

Im pretty dumb by many standards and Im sure as hell no fanboi or white knight, but even I know how betas work and what they are supposed to achieve. Players who buy into it have only really bought the right to logging into a beta...they dont get to dictate to anyone what or how the beta is run, doesnt matter who they are or what rights they think they have. Bottom line being that if its not in the beta, then its because they dont want every Tom and Harry involved...and thats that OP. The rest of the complaint is just forum noise that will almost certainly fall on deaf ears because its pretty laughable when ye read it ^

[big grin] I beta tested for a fair few ps3 games back in the day ... a quick Google can give you the list but as for this topic ah hem i don't think FD would be silly enough to let that sort of thing be released that way thargoids that is.

 

[Leo Sagan]

Sorry OP but beta is fine : I don't want your spoilers all over my youtube.
Smart move FD

 

[imski]

It's quite likely that the new Thargoid content is going to be destroyed stations and changes to some sectors in terms of the BGS.

Additionally, I don't recall did we beta test the Thargoid bases? They seemed to work fine. In fact I'll go further, they've likely been testing a lot of the Thargoid content for months, internally, at least since Horzons launched and don't need to test.

Finally since this beta will also have an open to everyone component, the argument that people paying for beta testing should get to see the new stuff is kind of moot, since they'll get what 3-4 weeks before everyone can jump in anyway, and that's before release.

 

[Darth Ender]

Hate on betas because fdev doesn't understand the point of one. Not because they aren't spoiling their narrative in them.

Ie. In a beta, you fix the bugs that are reported.
Ie. In a beta, you don't introduce more features after the beta closes.
Ie. In a beta, the last beta should be the next release

That's why you should hate betas for this game

 

[Soliluna]

The thargoid base stuff seems to work ok with out any testing. It was only the Alien ruins that wasn't working a d they had to do some under the hood stuff to get it working properly. I have to assume that any new stuff like that will be mostly fine from now on.



Not for me. I do testing. But it's up to you what you do in your beta time.

I wouldn't pay to test some one else's product.

 

[avow555]

Would rather not have the Thargoid content in beta.
The game has become totally spoiled with the amount of spoilers floating around the www.

 

[znôrt]

Hate on betas because fdev doesn't understand the point of one. Not because they aren't spoiling their narrative in them.

Ie. In a beta, you fix the bugs that are reported.
Ie. In a beta, you don't introduce more features after the beta closes.
Ie. In a beta, the last beta should be the next release

That's why you should hate betas for this game

why hate? just ignore them.

you're completely right, though, that's not beta testing regardless of how it's called or how frontier (or the white knights) try to talk it into it. qa in this game is absolutely laughable, always has been (even by game software standards which are record low in the industry, which has much to do with the target audience).

just wait it out, in a month or so the circus will be over and we'll see what is left.

 

[Seljdon]

I stopped after the title as I guessed, quite righly as it happens, what the complaint was...they want all the toys and they want them right now because they have rights see and they paid fer those rights...welcome to the internet ^

Nope not what I said at all. I said I want frontier to run real BETAs not the mockery half backed rediculous display of what they call a BETA which isn't a BETA. You can go play ANY MMO that does BETAs and they release 100% of expansions during the BETA testing phase.

 

[Robbie84]

We paid for the Beta access but now it will be open beta after a week or so. Refund?

 

[Seljdon]

It's quite likely that the new Thargoid content is going to be destroyed stations and changes to some sectors in terms of the BGS.

Additionally, I don't recall did we beta test the Thargoid bases? They seemed to work fine. In fact I'll go further, they've likely been testing a lot of the Thargoid content for months, internally, at least since Horzons launched and don't need to test.

Finally since this beta will also have an open to everyone component, the argument that people paying for beta testing should get to see the new stuff is kind of moot, since they'll get what 3-4 weeks before everyone can jump in anyway, and that's before release.

But my point on that is that if they can perfect the content they withhold then there is no reason to do a BETA. They can perfect without player participation. We don't need to BETA test around old content. BETA tests ALL new data not just part of it. All new coding can effect previous coding in ways they didn't forsee. If they're going to do a BETA do it right or not at all.

 

[verminstar]

Nope not what I said at all. I said I want frontier to run real BETAs not the mockery half backed rediculous display of what they call a BETA which isn't a BETA. You can go play ANY MMO that does BETAs and they release 100% of expansions during the BETA testing phase.

Really? Ive found that to not be the case on a number of mmo spanning some three decades...devs give ye what they want tested and thats the way betas have ran since the concept of testing betas began. A number of high profile dev teams have held stuff back from general beta testing because most, if not all have inhouse testing criteria of their own which runs completely independant from live beta testing.

You dont get to dictate what content ye test whether ye paid 5 quid or 500 quid...beta testing doesnt work like that and never has. If yer claiming it has then by all means provide an example of how the experts do beta testing.

I dont much care fer frontier btw, but beta testing is something I used to do quite a bit off in bygone days when I cared more. So either things have changed fairly drastically since I did it, or yer feeling an entitlement that ye shouldnt really have considering the circumstances. Perhaps ye should go back and read the small print?

 

[Calebe]

I don't thing the OP understands 'game development'. (Sorry I couldn't resist, some will know what I mean and that line was absolutely sarcasm for the rest).
.
This Beta it was announced that all would have access to it at some point for no cost, so part of the OP's objection is muted. In fact I thought as I read it he was going to say, hey some of us paid to be in the beta and now you will let everyone into it at no cost? Why did I pay for it then? That actually would be a better point then the one he is making. Personally I like the idea early Beta testers and if enough new content or as they suggested this time enough base code changed they need a wider audience go for it. However not all new content needs to be seen or tested by all or none. I have done other beta's where new content was not shown to all.
.
Let me give a couple Beta examples, I Beta tested Everquest multiple time, I was in a raiding guild. We won for years all the major raids but not once was I able to beta test the guild raids. Now the beta's for Everquest were free, well unless you remember that a 2 year subscription cost US $200 then in a way I paid for it. So new content, I was beta testing, I knew the raids would be in, yet did I test them or anyone I know in Beta's? Nope did not happen. So I am sorry to say to the OP not all Beta's show everything. In fact if you don't raid in Everquest you may never see the content you bought in beta or on the 'live' servers of the game. His point is null and void because beta isn't actually testing all new content, it is testing all the content that the developers want tested and have questions about. Sorry OP but a beta is not testing everything new but it is needed to test everything the developer wants tested not what you want. In fact FD could have pushed the Beta out, and never mentioned that the Thargoids portion would not be tested. They could have said, remember how they appeared for the first time months ago? Was that pre-tested? How about them on the planet and coming down, or the Thargoid structures and the star map? Never was in a beta and by your reasoning should not be in the game as never beta tested.
.
Not all content needs beta testing, sorry to burst your bubble, but beta testing is to test what the devs need testing not what you want to test. A huge difference.
.
Calebe

 

[CMDR Dreamstate]

I've taken part in multiple BETAs and every single time that I have been apart of them 100% of "new material" is present. The point of BETA is to test all aspects of the "new content" Not to cause people to think they are testing something when they aren't.

It's a rip off for the people who payed the 15 dollars to have the BETA access for this game. The only things that are being tested are "patch" worthy thing. They constantly "lock" the new stuff so it's not played in the "BETA". It's a ruse to get more money out of the people that's it. The BETA should include the new Thargoid stuff and any other new nuances. I seriously question them that why do they need a BETA if they can "perfect" the "locked" content without having it BETA tested? What are you actually testing? The Game has already been out for X amount of time and the server load tests should already be done, not RE TESTED!

Now I know many of you that may reply to this will be fanboi's of the company "can do no wrong and if they do it's got reasons behind it and it's still okay." and " You just want to see the spoiled stuff." But you're missing the point here. This isn't about seeing the "new" stuff. This is about testing everything to make sure it's up to speck and report any bugs. If they don't need it BETA tested then why even have a BETA for anything? They can do the same perfection they do for the "locked" stuff to the patches as well. It's fools gold with no shine.

Knock it off Frontier or stop doing the BETAs or it's just a glorified "Early access but lose your data after X day/weeks/months". Which IS NOT a BETA.

I don't hate Frontier I am saying I disagree with their approach. I do realize that none of us own this game but have a license to play it. That Frontier owns it and they can do whatever they want with it and they can use the word/term "BETA" out of definition and practice as they want. But it doesn't mean their practice is right just because they "do it" and haven't been forced to stop through lawsuit (not a threat just saying).

See, this is why I have never bought access for "Betas" from Frontier - if they want test-bed machines, they can bloody well let us test it for free like any other game on the market...

It's not like they don't have any money to support the game, you know...

Spoiler

The fact they are doing a 50/50 split this time between "closed" and then "open" betas shows that previous betas left up to those who bought it (beta access) as part of the old Horizon deal (plus backers) just isn't enough machines or players providing feedback (because players drop off over time, or lose interest, or can't be bothered to test anything because they only paid to play with new toys before main release, naturally) - because of this, every patch in Horizons has been a complete fracking disaster - and they know it, hence they are keeping their part of their "bargain" by allowing a closed beta, but are also allowing everyone else to actually test it, too.

Also, all the Thargoid content that has appeared so far has been tested extremely well internally by Frontier - so I don't expect that to be too bad on release.

What I really hate is Thargoid/Storyline content being spoiled by poeple because the Betas showed too much when it wasn't supposed to.