How will beta testers be selected?

You know, a big reason for registering on the forum was the idea that I was giving Blue Manchu my email address and making myself publicly visible as a believer in the game.

Maybe we're already signed up and they just aren't announcing it yet.

 

Well there are 439 registered members of the forum at the time of this posting. That includes Admin and B Manchu folks as well. Plus X number of people that signed up at Pax. Whats the usual sample size for a beta?

 

It depends on the game, it could be in the 10's to 100's of thousands.

 

There's that. Also, I was hoping I could get hired.

Now, I'm settling for insinuating my way into the ranks of the unwary, conquering the forum from within, and awaiting my chance to strike.

Yeah, and it depends on what the developers want. Blizzard will do small, quiet tests to achieve a specific goal, and then huge beta tests where the populace goes crazy and people even hack their way in.

 

Still, 439 - Blue Manchu affiliates + PAX signatories seems like a very large number. My apologies to all those at the end of the alphabet!

 

Very astute, sir. Very astute. You seem like the scientific type, am I right?

I'll be quietly standing in the rain.

 

I'll bring an umbrella big enough to share.

 

Would I be beating an over-referenced quasi-funny dead horse to remind you that rain barrels exist? Yes? No?

I'll be going now.

 

Card Hunter, you will be mine!

Eventually.

Not gonna lie, I don't hold out much hope of getting into that earliest of Betas, but when you're ready to let me in, I'll be here. Reading the forums. In a barrel.

 

I'll bring my magic cards. We can play under Dhramunds umbrella while we wait.

 

Awww, I was hoping you were looking at a ~1000 people Beta, so that I actually had a shot at getting in. Still, I hope to get a shot at the Beta in any case.

 

I was going to make a dirty joke, but in doing so I realized that quoting also reveals a member number. Maybe you could use this to help reward people who have been on the boards longer?

 

I, personally, believe that those of us who have been waiting the longest (Signed up and working the forums for a bit) should get a bit better odds of getting in.

I'm not saying that people who just joined shouldn't, but it wouldn't be very nice to give all the keys to people who just got here and make the rest of us suffer even more torture of waiting after over a year or more of biting our nails and checking the website every day for more information.

 

Agreed (though I didn't sign up on the forum until january... I think I found it in nov/dec last year, it's been on my daily check-list since then).

 

Eh, I disagree. Oldest first sets a bad precedent for company/consumer interaction and can engender feelings of unfair treatment in newer players. "What, just because Zoorland learned about the game a year before me he's more important than I am? Y'all suck."

There are certainly reasons to prioritize some players over others, especially for Betas. Most especially for Betas of sequels to other games where players of the previous title would be able to provide significant developmental and balancing assistance. In our case, however, Forum Member 167 has no intrinsic value over Forum Member 628.

Especially for the very first wave of testers, the people who should be prioritized are those who are most likely to be useful to the development team in sussing out any potential problems with the game.

All things being equal, I'd much prefer a properly random assignment chosen from all available forum members and PAX signups.

 

I have to agree, it's probably best to go with those who have experience in beta testing, in so far as they've actually written bug reports and sent them in. Selecting for that seems difficult however, so I'm guessing its going to be a shotgun approach, with the hopes of catching some meticulous playtesters in the blast.

 

That is to say . . . they're going to pick playtesters out of a barrel. Curse Farbs for being on-topic!

 

Of course, we can't forget about the barrels. I'll find a real barrel if that's what it takes mind you.

 

What if i use two barrels? Do i get 2x chance of getting beta invite?