Hi! I was just wondering what other Betas the people here have tried before. Did you do your job as a Beta tester properly? Or did you just enjoy playing a game for free before others got the chance.
Only true betas I played were a ccg called Exile Gods on Facebook (where I was actually ended up as an admin and part of the test team - one man studio, he had to sleep et c!) and SW:TOR . Star Wars was more of a marketing test, rather than actualling bug finding. I don't count working (Don't Starve, Dota2 and other buy-ins) betas tbh, they usually dont' want feedback - just call it a beta until they think it's "finished" or the late betas of MMO's - been in several of those.
Sometimes, "doing your job properly" as a beta tester is just playing the game. Developers can often gain valuable data just from observations made when people simply just play their game, especially when it is so heavily server-side based as this one is. But I also report any bugs I find along the way and stuff like that as well, even though usually anything I encounter has already been reported since there have been other people playing the beta already for quite some time. As far as other games I've beta tested, I've tested (and am testing) some games for iPhone and I joined the Hawken open beta. Oh, and I played the Playstation All Stars multiplayer beta, and the Gotham City Imposters beta, both for PS3.
Yes, I know what you mean. Lately some gaming companies have been using the excuse of "Beta" to justify releasing an incomplete game so they can gain more funding before the product is even finished.
My very first beta was the Diablo 2 closed beta. Then the World of Warcraft closed beta. And somehow I got into the Starcraft 2 closed beta but NOT the Diablo 3 beta. Which is fine.
Wow, that is some really big game names you got involved with. The beta testers must have done a great job in all those since they were all such huge hits! Lol Thank goodness you avoided being associated with Diablo 3 huh? I only got into Betas of some lesser titles. The first of which being Tribes: Ascend, then some other FPS games like Planetside 2, Firefall, Mechwarrior online and Hawken. I did my best to give good feedback in all of them, but FPS games were never my strongest genre. I really much prefer tactic and fantasy games.
I was in the closed beta for: Tribes: Ascend Planetside 2 Mechwarrior online End of Nations (actually was in the closed Alpha too) Dungeonland Smite and of course Dota 2, because, well everyone seems to have a key. I've been in open betas too numerous to count. Open Beta often feels like they are less receptive about player feedback compared to closed, and are at that point; just using it for server stress testing and stability testing on as many machines as possible. I really liked what they did with the Tribes Ascend and End of Nations in the betas/alphas; really taking to heart feedback about balance issues and the F2P monetization systems. Dungeonland really should have had more testing IMO but that didn't stop me from buying a 4-pack. As for "doing my job properly"... eh, no, I don't think so. I really like watching and reporting on a game as it progresses through the beta and not so much trying to influence it. I can tell you if it is fun or is going to be fun and why/why not but that is about as far as I am willing to go.
Alpha world of warcraft ,warcraft 3, league of legends,Hon beta world of warcraft,tbc,wotlk, warcraft 3, starcraft 2, tribes, firefall,smite,Dota allstars, dota 2, mechwarrior online,mechwarrior tactics online, magic online,airmech .... and so on. Since i used to be very talented at Mobas when the first came about i got a lot of push that way but it doesn't hurt having a best friend who has a big brother being contracted by big game companys.
Planetside 2 Tribes Ascend Perfect World End of Nations Hawken Warframe World of Warplanes World of Tanks Guild Wars 2 Darkblood APB Sword Girls Diablo 3 Rosh Online Ragnarok Online Starwars the old republic Battlefield 3 ARGO Online Rift Bloodline Champions Forsaken World Vindictus S4 League Most WoW betas Starcraft 2 Dungeon fighter online LOCO These are just the ones i remember off hand. I'm sure there are many more. I do my job as beta tester and ensure testing to the fullest when i can, providing feedback and bug reporting. During the time it gives me an idea if i will like the game and as most betas are free, there is no reason not to apply. I will say this is the first game for beta i applied that ive spent so much time on the forums with others trying to help and spend time with everyone. I really feel Card Hunter will be my next big game for a while.
Holy ****e, all those big names... I'm in the Prison Architect Alpha, was in the Don't Starve late Beta and of course the DotA2 Beta (although everyone and their moms seems to have a key these days...) I applied for quite alot of Betas actually, but never got any invites. I remember applying for Smite, Tribes, Planetside, End of Nations etc. When I GET in the Alpha / Beta however (up until now due to buy-in), I mostly lurk the Forums and drop some lines here and there. I mostly give feedback when there's already another person having a similar issue OR if its something big thats bugging me AND is for discussion. I always try to think to myself "Well, the devs put this in for a reason. Why was that?" And then, most of the time, it makes sense to me and I leave it be..... Anyway, wow, so many big names here. It's an honour writing with you guys
World of Warplanes World of Tanks APB Star Trek Online Lord of the Rings Online (f2p) A whole bunch of Paradox war/strategy games A whole bunch of Hearts of Iron mod squads
I often notice problems with a game in beta but when it came to voicing my concern I always found that there was already a topic about it being discussed so my contribution would always come out as: "oh, me too, I noticed that as well". If there was one company I would love to always be a part of testing with; it would be Paradox, even with their flawed releases I just like the games they make.
League of Legends Bloodline champions HoN League was probably the most fun just due to the fact it was something other than Dota at the time. I couldnt really get into Bloodline kinda felt more like wow pvp and HoN was taking too much time from LoL. Koopa Rammus was cool to get since I played in the beta.
I was in the beta for Star Trek Online's Free to Play convertion. (I even got a purple Tribble for it ) If, and when, I get my beta key here, this will be my 2nd beta test.
oh let me think back... i believe i was in both Guildwars betas then there is Smite and League of Legends i got into End of Nations if i recall correctly i also played in Path of Exile closed beta for 2 weekends then there was Planetside 2...but i guess it doesnt really count because i got my beta key only a few days before it released^^ then there was SW TOR and i believe i had access to Hellgate London beta but i am not sure if i remember that correctly and to answer the second question of the op i usually go for just playing and hitting the forums whenever i encounter something either weird or not working...anything that i feel needs improvement if there already is a post about it i usually confirm it(if there isnt already a lot of ppl who did that) and if possible try to add any new information or ideas i have about it i dont always do it as much as i would like to...just because when i encounter sth i make a mental note about it and if i am distracted enough i tend to forget about it but as someone already said...usually the forums are already full to the brim about a problem you encounter and i guess if a game employs a bugreport system then there probably are hundreds or even thousands of duplicate reports...but still...if you dont know if someone said sth about it...better do it yourself
Hrm, actual betas? I've been a tester for Namco, but I don't think that counts as Betas. So let's see... Poseidon (alpha/beta) Majesty Ryzom (alpha/beta) Guild Wars 1 Rise of Nations Tower Wars Path of Exile ..I'm sure there are a few I'm forgetting. Also a long list of indy games for developer friends of mine (again not sure I would count these as Betas) Oh, I guess I shouldn't forget my years of being a beta tester for M:TG (not online).
Also managed to get into Diablo 2 closed beta as well. Still feels odd to see beta tester names in the credits. I've been in a ridiculous number of betas since Everquest 1; some closed, some friends and family, and many open. The most notable experience over the years was actually a game that was never released. That game was Multiplayer BattleTech: 3025. Still some of my best online experiences to date. Complete shame it was cut. I do send feedback, especially in the area of interface design. I programmed for a design studio for a number of years and the various strong opinions, regarding design, rubbed off on me. And by design I mean how a person interacts with the interface and not so much the graphics. I also enjoy trying to find what I call the "path of least resistance", the easy gamer's path, or try to game various mechanics and AI. I've worked on a number of my own projects dealing with board games, card games, and computer games. Since I tend to seek out new mechanics beta's are a great way to get a new taste. My hope is that by submitting bugs and my opinions I can help make the game more enjoyable for someone else.
Betas: Tribes Ascend Guild Wars 2 Starcraft 2 Diablo 3 Mechwarrior Online Path of Exile Mostly I just played the games for fun but was also a very active participant in the feedback forums, particularly in the Diablo, Starcraft and Mechwarrior Betas as I have a long history with those titles. I remember posting querulously when they removed drag and drop functionality from the skills interface in the Diablo beta, wondering why they would move away from something simple and elegant to the multipage menu interface they chose (it made more sense for console). We're lucky that this game is so fresh and new, no predecessor to build expectations or legend to live up to. No matter what ultimately comes out from Blue Manchu, I have no preconceptions to tinge my experience with regret about what could or should have been.
