Issue 16 : Closed Beta Confidentiality
By
alphaman23,
Posted on: 2009-08-13 24:38 in The Global Training Room Test Server
Playstation 3 - XBox 360 - Wii - PSP
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Samuel_Tow: Your avatar is... I think I like it
Is this why I never get into closed Beta?
You guys know all it takes is a cookie to get me to talk?
That blue thing running around saying "Cookies are sometimes food" is Praetorian Cookie Monster!
Shoot on sight, please.
when Im on a beta issue I barely post to others on beta, I most times find bug in game and convince another player to bug it.
Keep it hush, that why its a "closed " beta.
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Now that's a pretty big incentive to keep mum.|
Originally Posted by Ghost Falcon
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So yeah. Closed Beta. Fight Club. You know the rules.
Head of TRICK, the all Trick Arrow and Traps SG
Part of the Repeat Offenders
Still waiting for his Official BackAlleyBrawler No-Prize
Not that I'm in the closed beta, or have ever been invited to one, but in all honesty, WHY?
At least some of the invites are sent out to random-seeming accounts. People who have let account expire, for example. How in the world can you claim that confidentiality is crucial, then let a small number of random people in?
For that matter, do you really believe that it HELPS the community to know that certain people have access to all the information about the new expansion, and can't tell the "normal" people about it? Don't you think this might contribute to the perception that an "elite" group in closed beta gets extra dev attention? Or the gripe posts that come up EVERY closed beta complaining that some people seem to always get in, and some 60+ month veterans have never been invited?
Obviously, you believe that the secrecy surrounding a new issue is worth some player discontent. Is this something that has been really considered, or just something that's just always been this way?
119088 - Outcasts Overcharged. Heroic.
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"If it's your first day in Closed Beta Club, you have to bug report."
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Originally Posted by Rush_Bolt
Now that's a pretty big incentive to keep mum.
So yeah. Closed Beta. Fight Club. You know the rules. |
Playstation 3 - XBox 360 - Wii - PSP
Remember kids, crack is whack!
Samuel_Tow: Your avatar is... I think I like it
Quote:
So hurry up and push it to open beta already so we can identify bugs that will make it to live anyways.
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Originally Posted by Ghost Falcon
It's been brought to my attention that some Beta players that were invited into Issue 16 Closed Beta have been disclosing some of the things here on the forums and on the Live servers.
Please note that :
Thanks in advance for your understanding. -Ghost Falcon |
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Because things change.|
Originally Posted by Lakanna
Not that I'm in the closed beta, or have ever been invited to one, but in all honesty, WHY?
At least some of the invites are sent out to random-seeming accounts. People who have let account expire, for example. How in the world can you claim that confidentiality is crucial, then let a small number of random people in? For that matter, do you really believe that it HELPS the community to know that certain people have access to all the information about the new expansion, and can't tell the "normal" people about it? Don't you think this might contribute to the perception that an "elite" group in closed beta gets extra dev attention? Or the gripe posts that come up EVERY closed beta complaining that some people seem to always get in, and some 60+ month veterans have never been invited? Obviously, you believe that the secrecy surrounding a new issue is worth some player discontent. Is this something that has been really considered, or just something that's just always been this way? |
What's in the Closed Beta might not be what's in the Open Beta, or even in the final product. Leaks of things that get people excited, only to have them change later, leads to possible disappointment or even nerdrage.
You'll notice that they never announce things that aren't 99.99% certain to happen. It's the same deal.
Posi: "Hey guys, we're working on this...and it might be like this."
Fans: "YAY!"
Posi: "Oh, wait...never mind...now we're not working on it anymore."
Fans: "BOO! WE HATE YOU, POSI!"
So yeah...it's not to keep things "secret"...it's to assure that what hits the public will almost certainly be what the final product will be, or at least a pretty close approximation. Showing the public as a whole a rather buggy and incomplete version of the final product is never a good idea.
I assume, based on logic, that they sent out beta invites to the people who've been the most active on the forums.
They obviously want people who will provide feedback and participate in the testing process. Not someone who just wants to preview Issue 16.
I'm not shocked that stuff is being leaked. There's always gonna be someone who can't keep quiet, but I haven't been able to find any leaks on the internet. At least it seems to be leaking within the community. Not saying that it's a good thing, but it's better than being pasted all over popular gaming websites.
Unless they're removing some features or options I saw at Comic Con, I can't imagine any of it being bad publicity. Guess we'll find out when it hits live.
i understand about leaking info but how is that any different then when the devs are telling us about it??
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSyQJkjwaw4|
Originally Posted by Soulie
I assume, based on logic, that they sent out beta invites to the people who've been the most active on the forums.
They obviously want people who will provide feedback and participate in the testing process. Not someone who just wants to preview Issue 16. I'm not shocked that stuff is being leaked. There's always gonna be someone who can't keep quiet, but I haven't been able to find any leaks on the internet. At least it seems to be leaking within the community. Not saying that it's a good thing, but it's better than being pasted all over popular gaming websites. Unless they're removing some features or options I saw at Comic Con, I can't imagine any of it being bad publicity. Guess we'll find out when it hits live. |
There's your leak, you now know stuff about closed beta that you shouldn't and will be banned soon.
Well, we all saw what happened with last issue's Open-Closed Beta. A bunch of people getting on test, seeing it buggy,then running right to the boards complaining on how "This is a buggy POS "How could the Dev's release something like this!! ZOMG!!111!!eleventy-eleven!!11!!!!!
To which BaB's responded "Welcome to day 1 of closed beta. Told you guys it wasn't as fun as you all seemed to think they were."
Closed Beta is not some exclusive club, to which you need the secret password in order to get in. And as for the so-called "elite" you speak of, if you mean players that along with just playing the game, the also have the dedication to pound/peck/twist/contort something so see if they can break it, and report their findings to the Dev's, then yes, I suppose there are an "elite" class of players. They would be the ones you don't hear saying "Why should I do the Dev's job for them?" They are the one's that do this out of their love for the game.
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The main problem with issue 15's little special clopen beta piece was that players identified stuff, and it didn't get fixed until after it went live anyways.|
Originally Posted by Red_Valkyrja
Well, we all saw what happened with last issue's Open-Closed Beta. A bunch of people getting on test, seeing it buggy,then running right to the boards complaining on how "This is a buggy POS "How could the Dev's release something like this!! ZOMG!!111!!eleventy-eleven!!11!!!!!
To which BaB's responded "Welcome to day 1 of closed beta. Told you guys it wasn't as fun as you all seemed to think they were." Closed Beta is not some exclusive club, to which you need the secret password in order to get in. And as for the so-called "elite" you speak of, if you mean players that along with just playing the game, the also have the dedication to pound/peck/twist/contort something so see if they can break it, and report their findings to the Dev's, then yes, I suppose there are an "elite" class of players. They would be the ones you don't hear saying "Why should I do the Dev's job for them?" They are the one's that do this out of their love for the game. |
As far as people whining that "this is broke etc", if the dev's didn't expect this then they are no smarter than not expecting people to exploit AE for massive xp gains when they released that.
Basically, that beta accomplished the same that any of the other 'normal' betas have been doing. They got about the same amount of stuff fixed and released it in about the same time period; thus the difference between having this closed beta BS and what they did in issue 15 is...well I haven't found one yet. Aside from the whiners, but that's to be expected and who cares.
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As a participant in past closed betas here and a viewer of the 15 clopen beta, I can, and will, declare bull on that statement.|
Originally Posted by biff10426
Basically, that beta accomplished the same that any of the other 'normal' betas have been doing. They got about the same amount of stuff fixed and released it in about the same time period;
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The 15 clopen beta was a travesty.
Head of TRICK, the all Trick Arrow and Traps SG
Part of the Repeat Offenders
Still waiting for his Official BackAlleyBrawler No-Prize
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Because the devs don't release info until it's in or close to final stage.
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Originally Posted by alphaman23
i understand about leaking info but how is that any different then when the devs are telling us about it??
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Well, the Dev's are authorized to release certain details, players are not.
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Originally Posted by alphaman23
i understand about leaking info but how is that any different then when the devs are telling us about it??
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Can we still disclose made-up facts if we are not in Closed Beta?
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Oh, you mean like the Zombie Apocalypse and the Rikti Raids occurring simultaneously in the same zone?|
Originally Posted by Karl_Rove_Man
Can we still disclose made-up facts if we are not in Closed Beta?
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They are telling us stuff that they either know will make the cut and be released, or are willing to take the heat on if they change their minds about it. If players leak stuff that the devs are just trying out, they don't want to constantly fight PR battles with disappointed players in the forums. |
Originally Posted by alphaman23
i understand about leaking info but how is that any different then when the devs are telling us about it??
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Additionally, there are questions of competition as well. The less other companies know about your internal status, the better. Sneaking your employees into another company's closed beta is ethically questionable and potentially actionable in court. Reading leaks posted by closed beta participants on the internet is research.
Ultimately, the closed beta is based on an honor system: if you ain't got no honor, you shouldn't be in the system.
The kinds of players who are most useful in the closed beta are those who will organize with other players to exhaustively test various subsystems, spending a lot of time and effort to find bugs and then cogently report them. It's really quite tedious and painful being a tester.
Most of us don't want to do that. We just want a sneak peak at the new features. We're not interested in running the new TF 15 or 20 times, or running through the costume creator 500 times to check out how trench coats clip with the new belts and bottoms, or assembling a team 42 different ways based on all combinations of mission holder level, auto-SK levels, auto-exemp levels, mission levels, etc.
Not that I'm in the closed beta -- I'm not. But that's just the sort of help that seems most useful for software developers to have: a bunch of trained monkeys to wring out the infinite number of ways to break things.
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The new Zombie Rikti AV, Et'UrBrane, is pretty sweet looking.
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Originally Posted by Red_Valkyrja
Oh, you mean like the Zombie Apocalypse and the Rikti Raids occurring simultaneously in the same zone?
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That's the one that drops the Vorpal Sword temp power isn't it?
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Originally Posted by Karl_Rove_Man
The new Zombie Rikti AV, Et'UrBrane, is pretty sweet looking.
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Exactly. Signal-to-noise ratio. That's why Closed Betas are only a small portion of the playerbase. Because a small number of testers brings the problems to the foreground, and don't get drowned out by "WE WANT POWER CUSTOMIZATION NAO! AND PONIES!"
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Originally Posted by Rush_Bolt
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The 15 clopen beta was a travesty. |
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Originally Posted by Back Alley Brawler
Did you just use "casual gamer" and "purpled-out warshade" in the same sentence?
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SNICKER-SNACK!|
Originally Posted by Red_Valkyrja
That's the one that drops the Vorpal Sword temp power isn't it?
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But it only works on Jabberwocks. The Jabberwock hunt is the new mini-game. If you find and slay the Jabberwock with the Vorpal Blade, you get a Recipe for Jubjub Bird wings.
The Jubjub wings recipe requires salvage that is only drop by Bandersnatches, which are found in the Tulgey Woods.
New story arcs coming soon (ARC IDs will be aded when I finish the arc):
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and
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I've also heard that there is a chance to find one in a rubble pile, located in a new cave map. Don't know what the percentage drop for that is though.
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Originally Posted by Lightfoot
SNICKER-SNACK!
But it only works on Jabberwocks. The Jabberwock hunt is the new mini-game. If you find and slay the Jabberwock with the Vorpal Blade, you get a Recipe for Jubjub Bird wings. The Jubjub wings recipe requires salvage that is only drop by Bandersnatches, which are found in the Tulgey Woods. |
It's been brought to my attention that some Beta players that were invited into Issue 16 Closed Beta have been disclosing some of the things here on the forums and on the Live servers.
Please note that :
- This breaks the confidentiality of "Closed Beta".
- If we hear reports of confidentiality violations, (and we verify that the violation occurred), the player's account will be removed from Closed Beta.
- Players removed from the Closed Beta phase will not be considered a "player in good standing", and even if they qualify for the "Veteran" Pool for Going Rogue Closed Beta, they will not be offered an invitation to that Closed Beta.
I have to underscore that confidentiality during Closed Beta is critical.Thanks in advance for your understanding.
-Ghost Falcon