15 replies to this topic

[Talcom]

I'm a new player here and I quite like this game so far.

One thing that strikes me though is the negative tone on these forums. People trashing the game and complaining about some feature not having made it in the game yet. Often these posts are very selfish, going like "I will never play this again because the developers haven't done what I wanted them to do by now.."

Sadly I've seen this behaviour in other games in beta as well.

I think that there are people out there who got no clue what "beta" means. And I think the game industry as a whole is to blame for this.

Let me first make it clear what beta actually means: It means that the game is UNFINISHED and it means that the game is IN DEVELOPMENT. At this stage people are invited to play the game to help the developers IDENTIFY BUGS and test out the features of the game AS THEY ARE ADDED.

Hence complaining about this game being unfinished is like complaining about a raw potatoe being raw and not cooked. It's stupid. Plain and simple.

The reason I think the game industry can be blamed for this lack of understanding is that if you look at games being released, a lot of them are given the beta tag and keeps it like forever. Just look at facebook games. Some of them never exits beta, despite having been around for years. The users will most likely consider such a game completed. Another reason for confusion is that several games in beta stage sell in game currency for real life money, just like this game. The reason behind it might seem fair enough. By paying, you help the developers get bread on the table so they dont end up dying while putting the game together. However paying for in game contents in a beta game make people consider the game to be a product and the more unfinished that product feels, the more cheaten they might feel when the development speed doesn't match the greed of the players.

So, if you want to blame the developers here for something, blame them for just doing what everyone else in the game industry is doing.

If you want them to make a good game, accept that this is beta and that the game is unfinished. Report the bugs, offer constructive suggestions and be a supporter of the game instead of a hater. Haters only turn new potential players away. So if you want to keep playing, then it is counter productive to diss the game at every chance, because you might end up with a game being closed down for lack of players.

[soarra]

This is normal for pretty much any online game. Avoid forums and enjoy the game

[Icebound]

Talcom, on 23 November 2012 - 08:51 AM, said:

I think that there are people out there who got no clue what "beta" means.

It's a free to play game. Two years from now it will still be in "open beta" and there will still be people using that defense.

[Bluescuba]

Many many suggestions were put forward in closed beta, these were mostly ignored.

Close beta testers screamed that the game wasn't ready for open beta.

This the result...

However, from a commercial standpoint pgi were caught between a rock and a hard place. I wish MWO were better, and I can only hope that it survives long enough to become a great game.

[MaddMaxx]

Icebound, on 23 November 2012 - 09:16 AM, said:

It's a free to play game. Two years from now it will still be in "open beta" and there will still be people using that defense.

And if the Opening Splash Screen states as much, they will be correct in using said defense.

Sadly, for some "Free" just isn't good enough any more.

[Soylent Pete]

Being beta, it's a little hard to totally ignore the forums if you're actively trying to participate in the process. You need to be aware of what is going on. If you're learning the game, this is currently the only place to really gather info unless you have a team/guild/whatever to help you.

And being the interwebs, we will be forever surrounded by yelling and all-or-nothing arguments (and name calling, for zest). It would be great if people were nice to each other once and while. But don't hold your breath.

[PurpleNinja]

Is this another BETA thread?

[Thorn Hallis]

Totally unheard of that released games have bugs.

[KhanCipher]

imo "open beta" is just a term used by developers to keep investors "happy" untill the game is "released".

"Closed beta" however still has the value of being a "beta" product.

[Balsover]

There is no way youre "a new player". This sounds more like a long term player posting on an alt to me.

[nitra]

Talcom, on 23 November 2012 - 08:51 AM, said:

I'm a new player here and I quite like this game so far.

One thing that strikes me though is the negative tone on these forums. People trashing the game and complaining about some feature not having made it in the game yet. Often these posts are very selfish, going like "I will never play this again because the developers haven't done what I wanted them to do by now.."

Sadly I've seen this behaviour in other games in beta as well.

I think that there are people out there who got no clue what "beta" means. And I think the game industry as a whole is to blame for this.

Let me first make it clear what beta actually means: It means that the game is UNFINISHED and it means that the game is IN DEVELOPMENT. At this stage people are invited to play the game to help the developers IDENTIFY BUGS and test out the features of the game AS THEY ARE ADDED.

Hence complaining about this game being unfinished is like complaining about a raw potatoe being raw and not cooked. It's stupid. Plain and simple.

The reason I think the game industry can be blamed for this lack of understanding is that if you look at games being released, a lot of them are given the beta tag and keeps it like forever. Just look at facebook games. Some of them never exits beta, despite having been around for years. The users will most likely consider such a game completed. Another reason for confusion is that several games in beta stage sell in game currency for real life money, just like this game. The reason behind it might seem fair enough. By paying, you help the developers get bread on the table so they dont end up dying while putting the game together. However paying for in game contents in a beta game make people consider the game to be a product and the more unfinished that product feels, the more cheaten they might feel when the development speed doesn't match the greed of the players.

So, if you want to blame the developers here for something, blame them for just doing what everyone else in the game industry is doing.

If you want them to make a good game, accept that this is beta and that the game is unfinished. Report the bugs, offer constructive suggestions and be a supporter of the game instead of a hater. Haters only turn new potential players away. So if you want to keep playing, then it is counter productive to diss the game at every chance, because you might end up with a game being closed down for lack of players.

Actually their was a time that beta ment code complete . Meaning the product was finished and that it was near ready to ship.

over the years it has pretty much devolved to mean anything from barley playable to fully functional but, please dont mind the 5 year old bugs because its you know ... beta.

What you see here is pretty much an alpha quality game. severely lacking content and plagued with several crippling issues. (not bugs but actual issues)

the vision outlined by the devs is but a mirage in the desert and the players are the thirsty explorers crawling to that mirage in hopes of finding the nectar to quench their thirst . every patch is just one more oasis along that path . however these oases have been quite dry leaving some quite parched. thus the frustration . and some of it is quite justified .

However their is hope and the devs are aware of the issues and are working hard to make this dream come true.
when things start to solidify and some core game issues fixed, you will see less disenchantment and more enthusiastic threads about mechs cannon and clans . until then its going to be heatsinks netcode and weapons.

But as far as the game being shutdown for lack of players that will be on the developer not the community , for it is their responsibility to make a game that is strong enough to support a long term player base that will participate and bring this game world to life. (and that player base is there.)

If they achieve their long term vision properly (and not short cut it) this "tough crowd of negativity" will spring forth and herald the greatness of mech warrior online.

Edited by nitra, 23 November 2012 - 09:44 AM.

[DraigUK]

So far as I'm concerned it stopped being Beta when they started taking peoples money.

It's now a F2P game that has issues, and those issues are being worked on.

If people want to complain about the issues, being labelled a "Beta" is no longer good enough, and people are quite right to voice their opinions/praise/whatever on the forums.

And Paul, post under your own name in future instead of a 1 post alt account.

[Rutok]

This could have been posted in any of the "why are people so mad?" or "chill out, its still beta" threads..

I think like DraigUK: when they focus more on selling ingame stuff and gold for cash than testing the game is "released".

Also: the developers are adults (i hope?).. they can probably defend themselves against forum rage and critics.

[Araevin Teshurr]

Dude, you should have seen Eve-online CoAD forums a while back, it was totally negative, completely carrying the war in space over to the war with words. People got paid to trash their adversaries posts as fast as possible.
MWO is like a warm fuzzy kitten compared to that.

[Osiris1975]

The way in which developers have used Beta has evolved over the past decade or so.

Initially a beta test was just that, a way to test a pre-release version of the game. You had to apply to get a spot in a closed beta, and usually you had to make a case as to why they should accept you over the next guy.

This created an air of exclusivity which made getting into a beta test a badge of honor for some gamers. These people with 'gamer-cred' would then tell their friends who weren't in the beta about the game. In other words, the devs got free advertising (once NDA is lifted) from their beta players, who were seen as legitimate sources of information by the player base.

Hence beta test started becoming a marketing tool. More people want to get into beta tests, and game devs realized they didn't need to pay as many in-house testers, that in fact they could get people to do it for free, or in the case of MWO, actually pay money while participating in the 'beta'.

In today's world, beta tests perform two functions: the original purpose of actually testing a game and preparing it for release, and the marketing purpose, which along with the free-to-play model, has blurred the lines between the beta and release states of a game.

[Lin Shai]

Balsover, on 23 November 2012 - 09:38 AM, said:

There is no way youre "a new player". This sounds more like a long term player posting on an alt to me.

Obvious alt-account shill is obvious.