How long is the Alpha phase of the Beta phase?

[Rog]

May I then suggest a change of wording. Premium beta should be called second beta or early as 'premium' suggest 'first' or the likes. It just isn't premium anymore.

I agree.

Unfortunately the net result is the same: everybody in beta has been bumped down a rung of the testing ladder to allow alpha to test it first.

Perhaps for a few hours? Well I can hardly see the point if that's the case, but we'll just have to wait and see.

By the way, as I pledged earlier than the current shop, I've been politely told that there is no option to get any kind of downgrade in pledge level or refund.

Like it or lump it. Nice.

 

[Jezzah]

Of course its still Premium!

The prems get in before the standards - therefore quite bloody simply, your on a premium level before the standards.

I can say that a few other ways maybe to see if people can understand it - perhaps try different languages.

Your wait for the premium as Michael B has said may only be a matter of hours.

 

[HoshiQaVam]

Perhaps for a few hours? Well I can hardly see the point if that's the case

As a network engineer I can see quite a significant point in it.

There is going to be an increase in players trying to access the game when Premium Beta backers are given access, so running an Alpha backer stress test on the PB build for a few hours is very important from a networking stand point.

Even from the stand point of downloading the client, stress testing the download server is a pretty good idea as well.

Opening the flood gates never ends well, and there is no real "fair" way of phasing access amongst the Premium backers without people getting irate over it.

Simply put, FD either annoy a minority of PB backers by giving Alphas first access, or they annoy the majority of PB backers with incredibly slow client downloads and an inaccessible game.

 

[Michael Brookes]

I agree.

Unfortunately the net result is the same: everybody in beta has been bumped down a rung of the testing ladder to allow alpha to test it first.

Perhaps for a few hours? Well I can hardly see the point if that's the case, but we'll just have to wait and see.

By the way, as I pledged earlier than the current shop, I've been politely told that there is no option to get any kind of downgrade in pledge level or refund.

Like it or lump it. Nice.

That isn't correct, premium beta provides access to the first phases of the beta test. Normal beta access then kicks in for the later stages.

Michael

 

[JeffRyan]

That isn't correct, premium beta provides access to the first phases of the beta test. Normal beta access then kicks in for the later stages.

Michael

Thanks Michael for clearing that up.

 

[ZeeWolf]

Once we get a situation where the Alpha guys are offline for a couple of days while a zero day issue is being sorted and the Beta guys are able to continue play testing the seriously growing universe and complex game mechanics and writing up those tickets maybe the practices might appear to be more reasonable?

 

[stephen_usher]

Repeating what I've posted in another thread:

The reason for the Alpha testers to get a candidate beta build first is to test it before a wider release. Beta is divided into phases where premium beta access includes the early phases and normal beta access covers the later stages.

Michael

And I'm guessing that the reason is that Alpha Testers are used to the ticketing system and the methods used to create useful data for debugging.

Beta Testers will not know this and hence will be slower to respond and possibly not give as good information.

It's merely a matter of experience with the bug notification system when needed in a hurry.

 

[Michael Brookes]

And I'm guessing that the reason is that Alpha Testers are used to the ticketing system and the methods used to create useful data for debugging.

Beta Testers will not know this and hence will be slower to respond and possibly not give as good information.

It's merely a matter of experience with the bug notification system when needed in a hurry.

Partly, but it's also scalability. Simply put there are fewer alpha testers and the intention is to just trap major issues before they go to a wider audience.

Michael

 

[Jezzah]

Partly, but it's also scalability. Simply put there are fewer alpha testers and the intention is to just trap major issues before they go to a wider audience.

Michael

Why this hasn't been obvious to a select few from the beginning is beyond me. Enough people told em, maybe the same words from you will get through so thanks for the "clarification".

:smilie:

 

[Gibbonici]

Once we get a situation where the Alpha guys are offline for a couple of days while a zero day issue is being sorted and the Beta guys are able to continue play testing the seriously growing universe and complex game mechanics and writing up those tickets maybe the practices might appear to be more reasonable?

Or not, depending on your pledge level...

But we don't really know how it's going to work out right now. IF there is a test and beta server (and not just one that alphas get permanent use of) and IF alphas aren't forced to only use the test server (which I can't seem being forced to if that's the case) then it's entirely possible that most alphas will stick to the beta server instead of testing the new and buggy build on the test server.

 

[Rollo]

Of course its still Premium!

The prems get in before the standards - therefore quite bloody simply, your on a premium level before the standards.

I can say that a few other ways maybe to see if people can understand it - perhaps try different languages.

Your wait for the premium as Michael B has said may only be a matter of hours.

Ah, well now it's more clear. The premium beta comes after the 'superior beta', which should be an apt designation for the first beta-access by the alpha testers. To think you had all this information but chose to present it only now though...

You're seriously mocking me for my lack of proper English? I didn't see that coming on this, once, fine forum.

Please feel free though, to present it in more languages. I still suspect I'm a bit dense.

I can live with delays, it's not that. It was only an honest question as to whether it was a correct denomination nowadays.

 

[JeffRyan]

Partly, but it's also scalability. Simply put there are fewer alpha testers and the intention is to just trap major issues before they go to a wider audience.

Michael

This is what many of us have being saying and I thought was so obvious I was surprised by the uproar. I don't like being called a privileged Alphan!

 

[Cmdr Eagleboy]

Why this hasn't been obvious to a select few from the beginning is beyond me. Enough people told em, maybe the same words from you will get through so thanks for the "clarification".

:smilie:

Problem is thanks to hysterical Internet media (who does it simply out of click baiting), people see "pay to win" literary everywhere. Internet also has seemingly given green light for lot of people embrace emotional overtones instead of constructive discussion and criticism - because more controversy, more clicks, more ad views, and more profitable all this media business is.

In result, we get children garden atmosphere around no doubt serious issues like "pay to win", insane price tags for the copy of the game which have little content, griefing, etc. etc.

There are big exceptions like Total Biscuit and other "personalities" which tries to bring sanity to all these topics, but they are too few to counter atmosphere of nut cracking.

 

[Gibbonici]

Why this hasn't been obvious to a select few from the beginning is beyond me. Enough people told em, maybe the same words from you will get through so thanks for the "clarification".

A lot of people have said a lot of things about premium beta since January, and it's all been speculation. We've made a lot of speculations of our own in lieu of anything else, and it's not all turned out to be very accurate. I think most of us take speculation with a pinch of salt by now.

All we've wanted, well all I've wanted anyway, is some actual solid clarification from FD. On pretty much anything, tbh

 

[Luniticisi]

Partly, but it's also scalability. Simply put there are fewer alpha testers and the intention is to just trap major issues before they go to a wider audience.

Michael

Still, that should have been made clear ages ago and not "Introduced" to us in a newsletter 3 days ago .. it was badly handled.

 

[Amorelia]

Opening the flood gates never ends well, and there is no real "fair" way of phasing access amongst the Premium backers without people getting irate over it.

I think most would have been fine if it had been worded this way rather than as an exclusivity deal for new buyers with no timeline attached.

 

[KickahasTier]

I think most would have been fine if it had been worded this way rather than as an exclusivity deal for new buyers with no timeline attached.

Exactly this, Michaels comments have mollified me somewhat though.

 

[Rog]

Ah, well now it's more clear. The premium beta comes after the 'superior beta', which should be an apt designation for the first beta-access by the alpha testers. To think you had all this information but chose to present it only now though...

You're seriously mocking me for my lack of proper English? I didn't see that coming on this, once, fine forum.

Please feel free though, to present it in more languages. I still suspect I'm a bit dense.

I can live with delays, it's not that. It was only an honest question as to whether it was a correct denomination nowadays.

Your English is just fine, Rollo.

 

[Yaffle]

Your English is just fine, Rollo.

It is better than many native speakers who type on the internet.

 

[Amorelia]

Why this hasn't been obvious to a select few from the beginning is beyond me. Enough people told em, maybe the same words from you will get through so thanks for the "clarification".

Due to the way the newsletter was worded, it was not obvious to anyone at all. It was mostly hype and speculation by FD apologists trying to fill in the gaps the newsletter left behind.