Loyalty Scheme and beta for GR

Well, I just hit my two-year mark, so short of shelling out for three more years of paid time, I doubt I'll be getting into GR closed beta. But considering that 95% of the time, I want to get in so I can film, it's not like not getting in is the end of the world.

I know there are other folks who are absolutely fantastic at finding bugs and are unsung heroes at catching stuff that might otherwise make it past the radar, and generally improve the overall game experience for the rest of us, so I'd rather see them get in.

As far as rewarding loyalty, I'm not planning on going anywhere in the foreseeable future, so if they want to give me a spiffy badge for sticking around, I'm game.

Though I do find it amusing that if the picture of the Vigilant badge from the email is the one they intend to use, they're using Jack Emmert's characters (Statesman and Sister Psyche).

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

So the majority of EU players are kept out of the first wave of beta access on a technicality, but I suspect there might be a further barrier to it.

Due to lack of numbers qualifying for it, do you think it likely that the EU will get a first wave beta at all as it is likely to take place on the US training room...

Considering that Tier 2 is "Anyone who got a Vigilant badge" and Tier 3 is "Anyone who pre-ordered the expansion", I really don't think anyone is being excluded. It's only a matter of who gets in first.

With a closed beta, the first group is always the smallest. That's when you most want controlled conditions and that group is going to see the earliest and most glaring bugs and unfinished game concepts.

You want your first group to be people who will be most interested in finding bugs and less interested in being judgemental about things that aren't yet 100% functional and/or obviously broken. 60-month players are a pretty good place to find that group. It doesn't mean that people who aren't in that group are inadequate, it just means that it's a convenient filter that has the side benefit of making the qualification look like a kind of Veteran's Reward.

I'm a little surprised to see all the complaining over this.

Obviously it's an attempt by Paragon to minimize attrition due to CO; they would be stupid to not try something like this. As to the question of whether this is enough inducement to do that, I'm not sure, but it's a little beside the point, because this is also a program to reward customer loyalty, which includes people who have been here a long time (the 60 monthers getting first tier closed Beta access).

I've already pre-ordered CO, but I'm also subscribed to CoX through mid-2010. CO will have to be something very special to make me ditch this game, and from early reports I highly doubt that it is. Still, I want to try it to see what Cryptic has come up with.

Seems quite a good idea to keep people subbed while they try CO to me.

Dont know if it will work or not.

As for beta access, id rather not try it before live, no point getting bored even quicker.

I just want a better bribe. If I was wavering about canceling CoX to try CO then that's partly a financial decision. Especially in these tough economic times, I'm going to want some extra value for my money if I have two subscriptions going at once. A badge is like a free cookie at the grocery store bakery. If I'm supposed to keep shopping at the grocery instead of switching to the new market that just opened up the street, then I'd better get a bag of groceries, or at least some good coupons.

wasn't going to be canceling CoX anytime soon, though it's good to see them offering the 12 month subscription with the bonus months again. didn't have the cash the first time around, but i should be able to scrape it together before the end of the month. would be nice to get into closed beta, but it's the beta, i don't see where all the complaining about not getting into when it first gets going is coming from.

Disinterested in badges & betas, but good for them trying to buff their numbers in the face of direct competition.

I'll stick around because I (mostly) like the direction the game is going, not because of the perks. Also I'm wildly unimpressed with the CO team and the direction they've chosen.

After 4 years I just took a second account with the 6 +1 offer, and my main account now has the 12+1 offer. Not expecting to get in with the "60 months paid time" since I assume that means 60 months of previously paid time but I must say I will be looking forward to a second wave invite.

Been in on a closed before in the first wave and must say it isnt quite my thing. I am not a true bug hunter but did find numerous text errors that I reported (ahhhh the English major). I would be more interested in reading about it and found numerous helpful hints on the closed boards.

I like that true vets are getting in in the first wave since i think their time ingame will help quash nuisance bugs. Looking forward to this greatly even if I am in the second, third or open beta only!

Yes, I'm in!