28 replies to this topic

[Xantars]

Id realy love to try beta out so i know if its worth putting down $60.00 on the founders pack. I dont want to pay $60.00 and find out I hate the game. chances are im going to love it but i realy want in to beta to see first. who with me on this ??

[Minsc]

The point of a Beta Test is not to preview a game before its release, it is to test, find bugs, imbalances, flaws, and you spend quite a bit of time creating and submitting reports to the developers. Really, it turns a game more into work than anything. Do you get a preview of things to come? Absolutely, but wanting into the beta simply to play it early should not be your motivation.

In addition, it is unknown at this time when we lose the ability to purchase a founders pack. It could easily be available the first several weeks after the game launches. Even if it isn't, play the game when it comes out and if you enjoy, there will be other purchases that can be made.

[Jordan Kell]

With the amount of time and care that Pirahana has put into MWO I am not too worried about being disappointed in the product. Besides they will be releasing another 500 keys soon. Hold out hope for that

[Scott]

The purpose of the founders pack as it stands now is for those people who have faith in the game or that they will enjoy the game. Obviously everyone wants to try something for free before they spend money, but that's why the founders pack is such a good deal. It's like a gamble. If you buy it and like the game, you come out ahead. If you buy it and hate the game. . . then it's not such a great deal.

Just wait for it to come out, and try it for a month and then you can decide if you want to spend money on it.

[Nick Makiaveli]

Also didn't they say it would be available for at least some time after launch?

[Xantars]

I know what a beta is ive beta tested 14 diffrent games and the beta will give you a good over all look at the game As i said Im going to play it one way or another but id like to see the beta before i plunk down that $60.00 so i know what im getting

[Warskull]

The best way to handle it would be to have the founders pack available for purchase into an open beta.

The founder packs need slightly reworked too. Elite level should give two mechs. Founder players should then be able to buy "founder mechs" for an additional $5-10 per mech. They want to buy the mechs, shut up and take their money.

[Minsc]

Scott, on 03 June 2012 - 11:09 AM, said:

The purpose of the founders pack as it stands now is for those people who have faith in the game or that they will enjoy the game. Obviously everyone wants to try something for free before they spend money, but that's why the founders pack is such a good deal. It's like a gamble. If you buy it and like the game, you come out ahead. If you buy it and hate the game. . . then it's not such a great deal.

Just wait for it to come out, and try it for a month and then you can decide if you want to spend money on it.

This. Founders pack is pretty much a gamble. I know a few people who have teh same reservations as the OP, myself included. Though chances are we will get them the first couple of days they are on sale.

Nick Makiaveli, on 03 June 2012 - 11:10 AM, said:

Also didn't they say it would be available for at least some time after launch?

Did they? I don't recall seeing that any where, but it is possible in some of the clarification the devs have posted after its announcement.

[Kynlore]

Minsc, on 03 June 2012 - 11:05 AM, said:

The point of a Beta Test is not to preview a game before its release, it is to test, find bugs, imbalances, flaws, and you spend quite a bit of time creating and submitting reports to the developers. Really, it turns a game more into work than anything. Do you get a preview of things to come? Absolutely, but wanting into the beta simply to play it early should not be your motivation.

In addition, it is unknown at this time when we lose the ability to purchase a founders pack. It could easily be available the first several weeks after the game launches. Even if it isn't, play the game when it comes out and if you enjoy, there will be other purchases that can be made.

I think the purpose of beta has changed. It isn't about "testing" anymore, players use it to try the game and developers use it as a marketing tool to get players to pre-order or commit to the game before release.

[Gauge]

I agree with the OP, but I also understand that the purpose of the beta is not as a trial. When it comes right down to it for me, I'm just not willing to put that kind of money behind a game (particularly a free one) that I haven't tried.

If I get the chance to get my hands on the game in advance, I will probably order a founder's pack if I enjoy it. Otherwise, I'll save my money until I know for sure. And I doubt I'll be bothered by it either way.

[nuked4ever]

I noticed a lot of the questions for the beta sign up were geared more towards would you actually be useful in a beta test. Most people who sit there and claim to have beta tested so many games just sat there and played the game..and probably didn't do anything to help the devs recreate bugs so they could be eliminated before the next release.

That being said, I'd love to legitimately beta test MWO and look for bugs so that they don't end up in the final product. I'm a verification engineer with Qualcomm, so I already get paid to find bugs with what I do. I just like finding bugs in general.
I'm hoping to be in the next batch, for real though. I love Mechwarrior and want MWO to be what every fan has been looking for

Also, for my post to be on topic, it would be nice to have a trial to know if dropping $60 is worth it. I don't think a beta would be good enough to base that off of, though.

Edited by nuked4ever, 03 June 2012 - 11:22 AM.

[Halfinax]

Kynlore, on 03 June 2012 - 11:13 AM, said:

I think the purpose of beta has changed. It isn't about "testing" anymore, players use it to try the game and developers use it as a marketing tool to get players to pre-order or commit to the game before release.

You're describing an "Open Beta," what PGI is currently doing is a "Closed Beta" which actually is for debugging and problem finding.

[Badfinger]

Everyone seems to believe we get a founders mech and a starter mech. I'm wondering if they are one in the same and we are only getting the bonus that comes with founders pack for our starter mech? Calling it a founders mech! Do we know for sure?

[William Petersen]

Minsc, on 03 June 2012 - 11:05 AM, said:

The point of a Beta Test is not to preview a game before its release, it is to test, find bugs, imbalances, flaws, and you spend quite a bit of time creating and submitting reports to the developers. Really, it turns a game more into work than anything. Do you get a preview of things to come? Absolutely, but wanting into the beta simply to play it early should not be your motivation.

In addition, it is unknown at this time when we lose the ability to purchase a founders pack. It could easily be available the first several weeks after the game launches. Even if it isn't, play the game when it comes out and if you enjoy, there will be other purchases that can be made.

I understand this, but I'm still with the OP. I don't even know if the game will run on my system; I'd kind of like that answered before throwing down cash for a Mech I really want but might not even be able to use. =-/

[Kynlore]

Halfinax, on 03 June 2012 - 11:22 AM, said:

You're describing an "Open Beta," what PGI is currently doing is a "Closed Beta" which actually is for debugging and problem finding.

Technically you're right, but I don't think there is the distinction there once was between the two.

[Joanna Conners]

Xantars, on 03 June 2012 - 10:58 AM, said:

Id realy love to try beta out so i know if its worth putting down $60.00 on the founders pack. I dont want to pay $60.00 and find out I hate the game. chances are im going to love it but i realy want in to beta to see first. who with me on this ??

Liking the beta is no indication you'll like the game. The same is true of the reverse. I don't really have any sympathy. I grew up having to do research. Sometimes all you had were commercials. The internet wasn't there to help you learn more. You make a gamble based on a franchise or an IP you're faithful to. This is the way of things.

[cinco]

Kynlore, on 03 June 2012 - 11:34 AM, said:

Technically you're right, but I don't think there is the distinction there once was between the two.

well you're wrong.

[MadBoris]

PGI and IGP are setting the bar very high, we will have to wait to see how close they come to reaching it.

$60 is the cost of the best retail games in existence, and that have been in existence (few exclusions), which include a full game experience on many levels.
Considering there is no AI to deal with by the developer resources, or to setup /test for every level, not a lot of major physics work to be done, no 20 hours of SP maps, levels, storytelling and game play to make/test, no four star engine to have to build for years, that can only mean...

I'd expect an amazingly rich gaming experience online only for $60.

If the developers are in need of more resources early on, and are asking more upfront for because things are not optimal financially, well that I can really understand, there is no indication of that.

Edited by MadBoris, 03 June 2012 - 11:54 AM.

[domokun]

Minsc, on 03 June 2012 - 11:05 AM, said:

The point of a Beta Test is not to preview a game before its release, it is to test, find bugs, imbalances, flaws, and you spend quite a bit of time creating and submitting reports to the developers. Really, it turns a game more into work than anything. Do you get a preview of things to come? Absolutely, but wanting into the beta simply to play it early should not be your motivation.

In addition, it is unknown at this time when we lose the ability to purchase a founders pack. It could easily be available the first several weeks after the game launches. Even if it isn't, play the game when it comes out and if you enjoy, there will be other purchases that can be made.

It doesn't work that way anymore with beta testing when it comes to online games. In the past worst bugs got out of game in alpha testing by actual developers or in house testers. Now closed beta has become what alpha-phase did in past, usually finding bugs and it's meant at least stamp out worst of 'em. Testers who don't have to be bribed with stuff like free game or something are much more affordable. Open beta is usually mostly about marketing, let players play the game for some time for free and in case of freemium games play free as paying customers would after launch. The thing that is tested with open beta is mostly customer behavior.

[Gremlich Johns]

How many of us know a guy who plunked down $60 plus tax for a game only to find out he did not care for it and said "Oh, well>" and moved on to the next game.

$60 is not that much of a gamble, considering what we have already seen. It's not like it is a Kickstarter experiment, now, is it.