20 replies to this topic

[Python46]

first, this is NOT a pre-order. you can't pre-order a game that you don't have to pay for, to play. the founders packs did not originally guarantee closed beta access, before Aug 7. the fact they chose to add the closed beta access by random draw, in July, instead, was just an extra perk for founders. it was a way for people who want the game to succeed to help PGI pay for the development of the game and make sure it'll be a good product.

and the reason you don't know of any non-founders in the closed beta is because of the NDA. founders can admit to being in the closed beta, because they are ALL in the closed beta and we all know it. take a look at the people who have been here for more than 4 months and you probably have a 50/50 shot at them being CBT members, even if they aren't founders. but that doesn't matter, since the NDA means they can't tell you that.

the NDA is in place for 2 reasons. 1) so bad press doesn't get out about a game that's not finished. and 2) so that their intellectual property(what they've done to develop the game so far) can't be stolen before publishing to the general public. recall what happened between Apple and Microsoft(bill gates). gates stole ideas from them and incorporated them into what became windows, before the macintosh operating system was released or even fully known. it's common in tech to steal one another's ideas and claim them as your own. so NDAs are used to try and protect publishers from the actions of unscrupulous people.

as to the schedule, they have put out 2 or 3 topics about the dates for different phases of beta. no release date has ever been posted by PGI, that i know of. the closed beta started a couple of months ago(June). when they added the founders packs, they set the Aug 7th date as an early access to beta, prior to Open Beta starting. OBT was always scheduled for the end of summer, which means mid to late September. and no, they probably won't be doing a lottery for the move to Open Beta. by definition, it's not Open Beta, if everyone who wants in can't just get a key and get in. it'll likely be handled like the Founders packs were on July 27th and since, automatic sending of Beta keys to all registered members seeking Beta access. release, to my knowledge, is still an amorphous concept, rather than a scheduled date.

also, everything was held up some because of delays in the production hardware, which delayed the start of stress testing. once that began, which was the impetus for the influx of founders into CBT, the process was put back on track. it's possible some non-founders might get into CBT before OBT begins, so being registered may give you a shot at CBT, but Open will start next month, barring any unexpected problems. then we'll all be in and you can decide if you want to buy things in the cash shop or not. if you don't like the game, at that point, you can just quit playing and move on. don't have to spend a dime, until you really want to.