Just for your information, some posts from the beta forums, since you should know what's going on there:
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Lyrah Sommerset
Miracle builds and REAL stress tests
First off, I am NOT new to beta testing...not even close. So I have seen beta games in stages from wire framing (not EVEN rendered) to release date. I have also seen beta games with communication from devs IN game chatting with testers (of whom their are WAY into the thousands) and actually listening and making changes, to devs are in some bunker 50 feet under ground and do NOT answer the phone, their email or even return a page. And states of technology from EQ to DnL/other unreleased "next generation Mogs".
So...I got a clue on this whole testing thing. First off, a stress test that does NOT have the WHOLE version the DEVS have is NOT a stress test...it is fiddling around with info that in the end is totally meaningless.
Why is a "bare bones" stress test worthless?
Well your client DOES affect your network. Things like casting spells, fighting mobs, crafting items CAN and often DO create lag. And things you do NOT think SHOULD affect each other...often do.
SO...until you put the crafting system in game, and the final skill tree...at this point SURELY you have a "final" client...if you don't I truly pity you...I will not stress test, since it is a meaningless waste of time.
And trust me...I am NOT the only one that feels this way.
As for the miracle build, I am also NOT a three year old that believes in fairy tales. I know Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny are make believe, and the miracle "In house version" that you are going to "spring" on players at release "to preserve the element of surprise" is just about as real as any other myth. If you don't test EVERYTHING you are going to release, there WILL be surprises...and that is NOT a good thing for the release of a game where you stand to either gain OR lose in the MILLIONS of dollars.
Ok...Short version.
Miracle build=LIE
Stress test with watered down client=not worth logging on to crash 500 times.
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ltshadow
Ok, you are newer here so I won't be too hard on you, but I've been here quite some time and I've seen patch after patch that really didn't do that much. Where is crafting, where is all the stuff we have been promised. If you think that they have some secret, massive, change the game completely patch in house, I think you will be pretty disapointed when it comes out.
Hey I hope they do to, I'm just speaking from experience
And I'll say this, if they release now, their game will fail I don't want to see that, oh man i don't want to see that.
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-Inferno-
Crafting was supposed to be in at the end of August. Is it in now? No. Instead we see half-assed stress tests with a number of beta testers that can't be a stress test for the servers. We see no fortress capture, no quests, no NPCs. What exactly is there going to be in this game in November that will keep the players interested? The combat system and lvling alone aren't enough by far and way too boring.
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Lord Anubis
The state of beta
Ok to start this off i am really trying to see the good side of this beta and i am trying to come across as not a whiner or moaner.
OK so were been let down again ....... lets face it no real surprise.
At current the beta forms and IRC chat moral seems to be at an all time low. We as beta testers seem to be treated as something that was stepped in while walking the dog.
You as in NP3 want us to do yet again one more pointless stress test to help you out. Ok but let me ask this why should we?
We have been let down time after time again.
We know virtually nothing more than the people in the public forums. In fact I think some of them know more than us.
There seem to be no feedback for beta`in this game at all as in information about classes and of such.
We have no idea what so ever how your beta is doing I say your beta as it seems the beta testers don’t get an up-to-date version or even remotely close to the version np3 have. I believe this is a matter of trust or lack there off (you said so your self’s)
Now moving on to the NDA leaks do you honestly expect for these not to happen with the current state of moral on these forms I mean I have seen funerals happier than this place.
All I will say on this expect more a lot more.
Now moving on to the bugs which most of us have reported there seem to be no progress or even interest in them what so ever. I mean the "you have been disconnected" bug....... enough said there.
All most of us want is a little feedback even to say we sorted this but haven’t coded it in. I know you’re busy and I know you haven’t really got time for this. But if you didn’t have these so many points against you we would maybe have a little more than 150 people out of 3000 helping out.
I know this thread isn’t going to make me well liked but it had to be said I wont be at this stress test others will I personally don’t see a point in it. Please at least try to change some of the above.
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De La Sosa
Actually what i think the biggest issue is we have no clue as to what we are testing. The same "content" that has been in the game for months is still all we have to test.
Additionally, they keep on using the word stress, but really it could only apply if in two contexts 1) stressing the servers, 2) stressing the content. We have already established that no new content is being tested (in fact there is less content than before we started stress testing) we would then think we would have to stress the server. As we have seen people are not showing up during the asked times. So the only way to really do a stress the server is to do an open beta with the limited client so that everyone can try it. Guarentee they will have more than 1000 people to stress their server. I would wager that if they invited 2k people from the general boards that have posted within the last month all 2k people would show up.
To me where we have all gotten tired of this beta is that we are so close to release, have nothing new to test, and feel as tho we are out of the loop, when in fact we should be the most in the loop people. I used to be afraid to post on the general forums because i would accidentally leak info, then i looked at the general and realized there was more info being posted, more responses and more interaction there than here. Not saying they shouldn't have a larger team for the larger population, but there is seriously somethign wrong when i have no clue about most of the devs and mods for the beta and IM IN BETA.
NP3 i would offer a suggestion, We understand delays, we understand issues and problems, but realize we are also intelligent people. We have lives, work and some go to school. Most of all we don't want to just play your game and leave, we actually want to test! Yes thats right, a majority of your core posters here in the beta forums really want to TEST out your game. Because we want to do this, you contracted us as volunteers, all we ask is really 2 things: 1) a open line of communication that states the ebb and flow of changes for the road map set in front of us. As we gear up to test your systems, designs, dynamics and content we want to know whats new, whats changed. Not only does it make us excited it gives us a goal on how to try and break it so you can fix it. 2) Give us some grandious information on how some of your systems work, even if its only to be tested by you. This way you can actually get some input on what your core player base thinks about it, and if possible you guys can tweak, redo, or just tell us to suck it up. However this shows that we are testing at a minimum your ideas of what we would like to play, and perhaps give you some outside perspective on how to help inprove the game before release.
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Agarwaen
The last time I logged in other than today was August 2004 I think, and it looks like it's still the same problems. One of the first things I noticed when I was let into beta was the lack of dev communication. If so many people are speaking up and it's so obvious, don't you think you guys should do something about it? I would love to test this game to full extent to help you make the most of it, and in turn give your customers the most they can get out of it. Help us help you!
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Lyrah Sommerset
I agree that release is going to be a rude awakening for NP3 inc, but I also think the rudest awakening is going to be for those that bought into the "miracle build"/"they got a better version than we get to see" myth.
Let me explain how miracle builds work. You log on for the LAST stress test, the night before release gather with your clan/guild (whatever) and stress the crap out of the JUNK beta version...and crash the server somewhere in the teens to twenties...again. Then you run to the mail box and get your boxed game (complete with in game code for your shoulder cow! *rolls eyes*) and install it, patch it and TA DA....same stupid version as the beta...except for the coin NPC's and shoulder cow/other STUPID prepay bribe.
You and your guild gather and grind to get the guild put together (most games charge for guild formation, mostly to keep 800 level 1 guilds from clogging up the server data base) and yall watch each of you lag like you had a dead elephant on your back (funny, you put that post in via email AND forums like 50 times...a week), then one by one you crash, then when you are logging on again...the SERVER crashes. Three hours latter you and the clan leader log in...no one else can get in...crash has their accounts bugged up...so until server reset, you can see them in game...in npc form, but they can NOT log in.
This continues for three YEARS, some patches are ok, others are HORRORS. The attitude towards players is totally unchanged, they are mushrooms, fed fertilizer and kept in the dark or out right LIED to. You watch as one by one, even the DIE hard players leave the game in disgust.
How could they avoid this?
Easy. Release to the beta servers EVERYTHING they have, bugs and all.
Begin OPEN two way communications with every beta tester, meaning they start to LISTEN to the beta testers and realize that the VAST majority of us have IQ's WAY higher than the average turnip, and have played and tested more than two or three games...this year.
Realize that there ARE games in beta...due for release before December that are in MUCH better shape...in their beta form...than DNL, and that crap releases are NOT tollerated and permanently harm the reputation of the game company.
Knowing this^^^move release as far into the future as it takes to release NOTHING less than all the web site promises...AT RELEASE not some pie in the sky future patch that you KNOW will never come. In the long run, you will lose FAR less money extending beta than you will trying to pick up the pieces when your release explodes in your face.
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thePREdiger
It was totally clear that the 21th wont hold - as no date ever announced did hold in this beta.
It's not the lack of us beta testers that the game is what it is today - it is the
diet from content and gameplay NP3 has put us on over the past years.
We logged on to the stress tests - and those who logged on are your "faithful
members" - the rest got disappointed by a 2 year reign of lack of information
and turned away from this game.
6 weeks and the clock is ticking... noone wants to have an untested release
in November.
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Mitranielle
AD Team
Greetings,
The beta server "current" won't reopen tomorrow (09/21/05) like it was stated in a previous announcement. For the moment we don't have a schedule to communicate.
NP3 team is focused on the Stress tests which in spite of the low number of people give them valuable information to identify many bugs.
With this goal, a new stress test will be organized this week end.
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Mitranielle
AD Team
Stress Test feedback
Greetings,
First of all, we (AD and NP3) want to thank all the beta testers who participated to the week-end stress test. Your help was much appreciated and useful.
Now to give you a little feedback:
The server reacted very well; these tests were conclusive but not as meaningful as NP3 hoped.
In order to complete the info gathering, other stress tests will be planned. We will soon give you the schedule for these new tests.
Have a nice day,
The DnL Team.
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Triage
Beta testers = worthless
WARNING: There is some major whining, reader be warned!
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When I was given my beta invite I was very excited. I even skipped a class so I could go home to start the games DL. When the game was done downloading I played the game for hours observing and recording everything I could to help make this game better.
Over the past few months I’ve seen a lot of great beta testers helping people out, making suggestions for the game, doing everything they could to help the Devs improve on what could be an excellent game. I understand that we are in beta, content needs to be added, features finalized ect, but when concerns are voiced by many beta players then it needs to be addressed.
This isn’t my first beta experience, I have participated in over 5 big named MMO’s in closed betas but this is the first beta where the Devs have not communicated to their testers or asked for their input. The AD team rarely posts on the forums and when WE the gamers made a post explaining our worries about the game not being ready for the November release date
http://www.darkandlight.net/private...ead.php?t=10537
the thread is closed without the Devs or the AD team asking “what can be done to make our beta testers happy, where are we lacking?” Instead the forum is closed for almost no reason. I use to have faith in this game but the lack of faith from the Dev have pushed me away from pursuing this game any further.
I’m sure many people reading this don’t care but I am not going to promote or test this game when my (the gamer who will pay for this game) views, opinions, and suggestions are ignored.
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This should give you some insight into the beta of DnL. Dream on.
Dachte erst es Handelt über Star Wars... (The Dark and Light side...)
Zitat von Desotho