Memphis_Bill

Having the very limited, slowly growing pool of closed beta testers works out MUCH better than the "Everyone in the pool!" open betas. People mention a bug, then the (say) 100 other people in there take a look and test it, quickly. There's usually MUCH more focused discussion. That small core then becomes a resource when the next (say) 250 people come in (I am, of course, making up the numbers, I have no idea how many people in each 'wave') they can answer questions and help direct testing. (The direction not being intentional, but someone coming in, say, wave 3 and seeing "Oh, looks like they fixed this, anyone else still having Mastermind henchmen prefer walking on the ceiling?" is probably going to test that early.) It's also easier, with that smaller pool, for Devs to ask for specific feedback - it's like turning a rudder on a small motorboat instead of on an oil tanker, they'll get a faster reaction.

Plus, as far as focus, if the devs have a specific requirement they're looking for - say, more direct PVP changes - they can tailor their "invitation list" as needed to get more PVPers in early. If they want to test, say, a wide variety of people with ATI cards, they can browse the forums and see who asks about ATI issues and who posts about them, and invite them specifically. They can't do that with an open beta since it, by definition, is open to everyone - and then they have to weed out specific responses from the "This is cool!" "This sux!" "Oh, I just got a puppy this week!" posts.

When there's just a small issue without many major changes, the "All in" is probably (by comparison) fine. With something like what we know is coming with I17 (and with whatever we don't know about it,) the closed -> growing pool -> open model works better, IMHO.

Edit:
And

Just have to point out that you can't know that. Can't go by forum posts - the times I've been in beta, open or closed, as well as on live most of my bug reporting is in-game via /bug, not forum posts, and you as a player won't see those.

Stuck on giant damn statues (I just gave it a quick skim, after all.)

It'd work for my "opt out" request, yes. Not sure how anyone interested in using the idea would react, though.

I don't particularly see a reason for anything other than a low, one-time fee for a base item. You're buying it for private display, after all.

Public... eh. I've never been enamored of the idea, especially given some of the names/costumes I've seen around. >.< Throw in an option to turn off the statue locally, though, so I don't need to see a 50' 'satins asasin angle' and I wouldn't care how much INF anyone chose to throw at it.

Edit: Side benefit/additional problem - the City Vault's need to access character records, if I recall correctly, was the reason it never saw the light of day (or, rather, the massive load problems it caused in doing so was.) So either that could be a problem with this - or, conversely, if it worked for this, the same method might be applicable to a revived City Vault.

*points to guide to early video in sig*

>.>

They seem to do a few random ones. That or a clipboard that I recall.

(And yeah, I wanted to say "since GV came out," but couldn't recall - just that it was there pre-Cim.)

You do realize this has been updated so it offers slow protection now, right? Yes, it actually has a purpose (two if you count "another spot for a KB resist IO.")

(And yeah, I do use Dimension Shift. :P Not typically in group builds, though.)

Useless -
Time bomb. I have yet to see anyone with it, in 5 years of playing.
Poison's Poison Trap. It does a good imitation of ze gogglez.

/applaud

How it read to me:

OP: "They should add new stuff to this set."
You: "I picked up a totally different travel power and it completely changed the set!"

If you were talking about the alternate MA animations, it would at least have been in the same realm, to me. So no, reading through it, it didn't seem particularly relevant. It sounded like "My car seems like an entirely new car because I started parking on the other side of the lot."

(Edit: IOW, I see what you're saying, but it didn't read that way to me - and honestly still seems on the edge IMHO.)

You asked about abandoned ideas. I pointed out several that have potential, but have had nothing done with them. Sure, it "can" happen but it sure hasn't. Thus my bringing them up.
Do show me where I said "Don't waste our time," or even hinted at it. Go on. You've got a full thread of quotes. I've said it's not likely because of the *amount* of time and effort it would take versus the number of people it would impact. Totally different animal. I'd appreciate you NOT putting words into my mouth.
Again, degree of work for just plain animation vs creating new graphics for a new form from scratch, fitting it in and animating it.

You didn't need to respond to what I said, which itself was said in response to one of the OP's replies. However, you chose, apparently, to take a general response personally and try to twist what was said (such as "not likely due to the time it would take among other factors" into "don't waste our time," such as was quoted earlier here.)

... of course, Ninja Run doesn't change MA OR shield's animations, but is a completely different power itself, so how one's relevant to the other...

How much work would go into animations for existing powers? Yes, we're going into customization - but don't forget, it's more than *just* the powers themselves. You want a new form, it's going to be more work than (say) a different punch or kick for MA.

And yet that's precisely what some say about Khelds, our only shifting ATs. I don't *agree* but it is said.
And I'd argue that yes, they do abandon ideas all the time. I don't just mean things like Avilians, which were initially how we were going to get wings (and which I'd still have loved to see.) There are, after all, still hints about them in game which will not come to light now. I mean things like Dual Blades' combo system. What else uses it? Other things certainly *could* use it, even if only in other ATs (say, control combos, blast combos, etc.) to maintain Dual Blades' "flavor," but I'm not holding my breath for it. How about the Dual Pistols ammo-switching? Do you actually think we'll ever see that mechanic anywhere else in the next - oh - three years?
I was asking you with all seriousness to consider the work vs how much benefit for how many people. If you feel like snarking, point it somewhere else. As much as I enjoy the AT (three at 50, several at other levels,) Khelds just aren't that numerous - and even when they get unlocked at 20, I don't foresee a huge rise in population. They're more complex beasts to use properly. A different *animation* won't change that.

Besides, when they "Add to the old," what have they done? Changed times and values. Changed skeletal movement. There hasn't been a power that has - say - changed your arm into a cannon. And even that would, logically, be simpler than *creating a whole new form* and animating the various attacks and powers - or, more precisely, animating the *same old* attacks and powers on a new body.

"Ahh, but they just made alternate animations!" Yes, they did. For some sets, And only a few powers. And those animations don't change your body type. They don't require new artwork, like creation of a new form would. New animation definitions (and even that might be questioned at times.) Thus my statement that it would be closer to creating a new *set* of powers as far as effort.

Plus, where do the new forms stop? You have someone mentioning a velociraptor type form. Meh, not interested. Where's my gorilla, my Lovecraftian-inspired form that whaps things around with longer arm-tentacles, my flying space-Quetzlcoatl-like-form, my giant dragon, my... my... Does everyone get their own individual form? What ELSE gets put off while resources are tied up in this?

Yes, the devs do add to the old. But they don't just rush off and add stuff whenever it comes to mind. One project that would affect a very small number of users and eat up a lot of one or two departments time (art/animation, plus of course working it into the UI, testing that it actually works in all instances as it should, etc.) - oh, and don't forget adding these new forms to Kheld lore, as being an epic AT they're tied directly to it and yes, some folks (like me, see sig) would hold them accountable for it - I wouldn't hold my breath.

TLDR version:
"Would it be cool" - Yes. Though you still won't have people happy with the choices.
Would it be likely - I wouldn't hold my breath because of the work involved vs the benefit.