14 replies to this topic

[sirflukesalot]

I have been looking at this for a while and it seems that the word "beta" gets thrown around as both an excuse and counter excuse(could not come up with a better word), it seems now that there is two types of "beta" in video game production now, there's traditional Beta tests of which are the nearly complete game with quite a bit of bugs and glitches here and there whereas the other type of Beta we are seeing is this almost entirely different style of development where (in this case)you are still adding main features and bug fixing at the same time.

I can understand why people will shout about that beta means unfinished product and others will use the wiki page for what "Beta" stage in development and that it means that the game should be almost done, but i really think that you cant bring this form of what Beta is and apply it it to games like MW:O and even other non-mmo games such as minecraft as they have a completely different style of development and production.

just my 2 pence

[Vassago Rain]

It's the new way to say Genesis does what Nintendont.

[Buck Cake]

Whenever you use the words "It's beta", you move one step on the evolutionary scale towards Eric Cartman.

[Vassago Rain]

[MustrumRidcully]

Like versions numbers, the denotion of Beta seems more a political/management decision then anything that is well-defined. Maybe there used to be a definition for beta, but I am not convinced that MW:O qualifies.

In the end, discussing it's Beta or not Beta is a bit of a strawman.

The question people really care about is - is this game good? And people try to put this question into a context, like "for a Beta, I think it's fine". Others will say "no, it's horrible, game X is way more polished!" and then someone else will say "but this is a Beta, Game X isn't really Beta" or something like that. Others may then point out "Yeah, but what about Game Y, that's also in Beta, but looks better!" .

I think all of this points mostly out that people are worried that this game is not progressing as good as it should (or must, if it is to succeed), and others disagreeing with that.

I think ultimately the quesiton will not be decided by the Beta tag. It will be decided based on whether people think the game is good enough, in whatever context they consider the "good enough". And maybe not even that, but it depends on how much the people that are playing or testing the game right now are willing to spend on it (unless the income from the MC purchases are irrelevant for the game's bottom line, which I doubt.), which can be a factor of "good enough" and "but it's still called a Beta".

My personal feeling is that the game is not doing as well as it should or could, considering that it's now exposed to any player that may be possibly interested in a Mechwarrior title. I fear that the need to earn money from micro-transactios necessitated an open beta earlier than was good for the game, and that the team was put in a rock and a hard place.

[zhajin]

its a marketing term used to raise money when your game is not done... Its the same practice of releasing an unfished product, they are just more honest about it being unfinished than mmos have been in the past.

really you can kinda blame the delution of the term on google, they "release" everything in beta for years before its official release. Though they also do not charge for their products...

Edited by zhajin, 17 December 2012 - 06:38 AM.

[Heeden]

Essentially beta means it is a work-in-progress that has enough ground-work done to have a playable core game.

[MrPenguin]

Beta tag = Unfinished software

Its really as simple as that, it baffles me that people are willing to use this a crutch both for or against the game.

Just because its a beta doesn't mean we should ignore problems, and saying "Its not a beta" doesn't reinforce your arguments or pull more developer attention towards you. It just makes you look like a tool.

Honestly, both sides are really idiotic.

Edited by MrPenguin, 17 December 2012 - 07:55 AM.

[AlexEss]

Heeden, on 17 December 2012 - 07:52 AM, said:

Essentially beta means it is a work-in-progress that has enough ground-work done to have a playable core game.

I pretty much second this.

As a player of this game you have to either take this (and leave level-headed and well thought out feedback) or step out until a later date when the game is more complete.

[MrPenguin]

Vassago Rain, on 17 December 2012 - 04:47 AM, said:

It's the new way to say Genesis does what Nintendont.

[CMDR Sunset Shimmer]

Beta= Minimum viability product.

Does it function? Yes.

Does it have bugs? Yes.

Will people pay for it? Yep.

OPEN BETA FOR ALL!

[MrPenguin]

Jade Kitsune, on 17 December 2012 - 08:51 AM, said:

OPEN BETA BEES FOR ALL!

[stjobe]

What the others have said, with this addition:

MWO had always been intended to move into open beta, and subsequently release, as a Minimum Viable Product; enough to play and enjoy, but not feature-complete. This isn't by accident, it is by design. They don't have the funds to do a normal release, so they have to do it this way or not at all.

So, in MWO's case, beta means "not finished". Be advised though, that release may also mean "not finished", since it's also intended to be a Minimum Viable Product. They will be adding things up to and after release as well.

Edited by stjobe, 17 December 2012 - 08:59 AM.

[MrPenguin]

Buck Cake, on 17 December 2012 - 04:52 AM, said:

Whenever you use the words "It's beta", you move one step on the evolutionary scale towards Eric Cartman.

Respect his authorita

[SpiralRazor]

Buck Cake, on 17 December 2012 - 04:52 AM, said:

Whenever you use the words "It's beta", you move one step on the evolutionary scale towards Eric Cartman.

Cartman is pretty smart.

Id say one step closer to bathroom slime.