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I've never been In a Alpha/Beta before and am just curious as to how it works.
1)Do you get to play the game while your testing up until the release of the retail version or do you get cut-off at some time?
2)Do you get to keep your character & It's stats/weapons/etc?
3)If yes to #2...what If you want to go to another server...are you able to do so or are you stuck on the server you were on when you were testing?
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How does Beta to full game work?
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#2
Posted 16 March 2010 - 01:21 PM
CaptainAnon, on 16 March 2010 - 12:53 PM, said:
I've never been In a Alpha/Beta before and am just curious as to how it works.
1)Do you get to play the game while your testing up until the release of the retail version or do you get cut-off at some time?
2)Do you get to keep your character & It's stats/weapons/etc?
3)If yes to #2...what If you want to go to another server...are you able to do so or are you stuck on the server you were on when you were testing?
1)Do you get to play the game while your testing up until the release of the retail version or do you get cut-off at some time?
2)Do you get to keep your character & It's stats/weapons/etc?
3)If yes to #2...what If you want to go to another server...are you able to do so or are you stuck on the server you were on when you were testing?
The last time I played a Beta, you played/tested till sometime before official release. I was unable to keep my character/etc but I was able to keep the character name. It's possible this is different with each company and their respective beta client/game.
I'm pretty sure when you start the game officially, you'll be able to choose new servers/etc.
Most betas are pretty limited and don't include everything in the final game client. The primary goal of the beta is to test it for bugs/glitches/ and server loads.
This post has been edited by Majae: 16 March 2010 - 01:23 PM
#3
Posted 16 March 2010 - 01:51 PM
Majae, on 16 March 2010 - 01:21 PM, said:
The last time I played a Beta, you played/tested till sometime before official release. I was unable to keep my character/etc but I was able to keep the character name. It's possible this is different with each company and their respective beta client/game.
I'm pretty sure when you start the game officially, you'll be able to choose new servers/etc.
Most betas are pretty limited and don't include everything in the final game client. The primary goal of the beta is to test it for bugs/glitches/ and server loads.
I'm pretty sure when you start the game officially, you'll be able to choose new servers/etc.
Most betas are pretty limited and don't include everything in the final game client. The primary goal of the beta is to test it for bugs/glitches/ and server loads.
that pretty much hits the nail on the head.
#4
Posted 16 March 2010 - 01:55 PM
1) you usually get cut off at some point. but this is usually pretty close to the actual release date.
2) nope. nothing from your beta character transfers over to the actual game for FFXIV. not sure if they'll throw in any beta perks tho (like a show item or something)
3) no to #2, but afaik test servers remain test servers even when the game is released.. so you'd definitely have to relocate.
2) nope. nothing from your beta character transfers over to the actual game for FFXIV. not sure if they'll throw in any beta perks tho (like a show item or something)
3) no to #2, but afaik test servers remain test servers even when the game is released.. so you'd definitely have to relocate.
#5
Posted 16 March 2010 - 02:02 PM
With XI beta you couldnt use your character after it was over.
Although about a year and some later they let you reactivate your beta account with the return to vanadiel. Think they're linked to Asura.
Although about a year and some later they let you reactivate your beta account with the return to vanadiel. Think they're linked to Asura.
#6
Posted 16 March 2010 - 02:55 PM
I've been in quite a few MMO beta tests (although, not this one "yet" 
) and it's different for each companies goal. Most betas will end about 3 days to 1 week before retail release. Most of them will wipe the servers of all beta characters and some of those will allow the beta players to create new characters so that if you are planning to play the final game you'll have a few days to get a head start over the retail buyers (Star Trek Online just did theirs that way). And yet some others just end the beta, wipe the characters and everyone starts at the same time when the game actually releases. Some will give beta testers (reguardless of how they handle the characters at the end of the bata) some special in-game item/insignia/look so that other players will know that they were among the first to play before the retail release. I really enjoy have a chance to beta test MMO's as it gives me a chance to see if there's something else I'd like to play whenever I stop playing FFXI. But alas, for me, most of the PC MMO's feel the same (just different graphics) and I'm looking for something with a very unique feel and style to it. FFXI has spoiled me with the fact that I can play the game with nothing but the game controller in my hand (if I'm feeling "anti-social") and I can do everything possible in the game.
I can't wait to get my hands on FFXIV. I just hope I can get in on the beta first to see if I'll like the control scheme.
) and it's different for each companies goal. Most betas will end about 3 days to 1 week before retail release. Most of them will wipe the servers of all beta characters and some of those will allow the beta players to create new characters so that if you are planning to play the final game you'll have a few days to get a head start over the retail buyers (Star Trek Online just did theirs that way). And yet some others just end the beta, wipe the characters and everyone starts at the same time when the game actually releases. Some will give beta testers (reguardless of how they handle the characters at the end of the bata) some special in-game item/insignia/look so that other players will know that they were among the first to play before the retail release. I really enjoy have a chance to beta test MMO's as it gives me a chance to see if there's something else I'd like to play whenever I stop playing FFXI. But alas, for me, most of the PC MMO's feel the same (just different graphics) and I'm looking for something with a very unique feel and style to it. FFXI has spoiled me with the fact that I can play the game with nothing but the game controller in my hand (if I'm feeling "anti-social") and I can do everything possible in the game.I can't wait to get my hands on FFXIV. I just hope I can get in on the beta first to see if I'll like the control scheme.
#7
Posted 16 March 2010 - 05:02 PM
In game development we have what are called milestones. They are what the majority of public know as Pre-Alpha, Alpha, Beta, Green phases.
Pre-Alpha or Prototype Phase:
This is the initial phase of development and can last anywhere from 1 to 5 years. Bare in mind most titles in pre-alpha past the 3year mark get canned and forgotten or get scraped into a new project. This phase is where the bare essentials of game play and functionality for the title are fleshed out. Very little of the developed story is implemented, however majority of the level design is done at this phase. Usually in this phase you will see the structures for every level that will be in the final product, and those that will be cut in their rawest forms i.e object and shader place holders etc. The focus during this phase is to get as much ground work down to present a working product to the QA department to flesh out bugs that affect functionality and cohesiveness.
Milestone Alpha:
This phase is one of the most crucial in development. The period of time a product can be in this phase is anywhere from 3 months to 1 year. During this phase physics, animation, level flow, environment collision issues are focused on heavily to hammer out a majority of bugs and make the Beta phase as close to the finished product as possible. During this phase of development old ideas from pre-alpha are either fleshed out fully to prepare for Beta, or cut from the project altogether. Occasionally during this phase somebody comes up with a great idea, which then gets introduced forcing the extension of this phase anywhere to a month or 3 months. Long story short, the period between the Alpha and Beta milestone is filled with long hours and lots of work. If the job is done right you will enter into Beta with very little work left to do to reach Green or what is known as a Retail Build.
Milestone Beta:
This phase is pretty much what the end product is going to look like, barring polishing here and there with regards to physics, texture templates, and animations. When a product is in Beta is not bug free to say the least but all place holders for animation, cinema, texture, and etc should no longer be present. If the team that is working on the project is really good the Beta build can default into the Retail Build. That only happens 1% of the time. This phase lasts anywhere from a month to 3 months. The focus at this point is to go through the product with a fine comb to make sure nothing MAJOR was missed. When developing a MMO this is when the game get's introduced to the select few in the public in hopes the extra 'unpaid' manpower will discover something critical that was overlooked and save $ in the process.
Green Retail:
This what is hoped by the developer is what you will see when you pop in your newly purchased title into your PC or console. It's not always perfect. Sometimes there is a day 1 title update because something nasty got through on beta and none of the *first parties caught it on their submissions. During this phase if there is any major flaws they are immediately addressed. This can be one of the most expensive phases of development if the product fails first party submissions.
*Milestone Submissions:
To segue into the different stages of development, a developer or publisher must submit a copy of the product to the first party. The first party being a corporation associated to the platform the product will be accessed on.. i.e Microsoft for Xbox360, Sony for PS3/PSP, Nintendo for Wii/DS titles. During these submissions the first party is reviewing the product and comparing it to their standards for what they would want to have associated to their product/name. If you submit a product and it gets approved good news you can go onto the next stage, one step closer to retail and recouping your development costs. If you submit a product and it doesn't get approved.. you pay $20,000 for failing and have to resubmit and hope you do not fail again, and move onto the next stage of development.
Hope that helps and gives you some clarity on production phases.
*Edit : With regard to retaining your progress for Beta Testing on an MMO, it all depends on the developer and if there are major differences between the Beta Product and Retail. It will probably come down to whether or not SEI wants everyone to have fresh start or retain some holder over beta accounts in hopes those users will be helpful to the games neophytes.
Pre-Alpha or Prototype Phase:
This is the initial phase of development and can last anywhere from 1 to 5 years. Bare in mind most titles in pre-alpha past the 3year mark get canned and forgotten or get scraped into a new project. This phase is where the bare essentials of game play and functionality for the title are fleshed out. Very little of the developed story is implemented, however majority of the level design is done at this phase. Usually in this phase you will see the structures for every level that will be in the final product, and those that will be cut in their rawest forms i.e object and shader place holders etc. The focus during this phase is to get as much ground work down to present a working product to the QA department to flesh out bugs that affect functionality and cohesiveness.
Milestone Alpha:
This phase is one of the most crucial in development. The period of time a product can be in this phase is anywhere from 3 months to 1 year. During this phase physics, animation, level flow, environment collision issues are focused on heavily to hammer out a majority of bugs and make the Beta phase as close to the finished product as possible. During this phase of development old ideas from pre-alpha are either fleshed out fully to prepare for Beta, or cut from the project altogether. Occasionally during this phase somebody comes up with a great idea, which then gets introduced forcing the extension of this phase anywhere to a month or 3 months. Long story short, the period between the Alpha and Beta milestone is filled with long hours and lots of work. If the job is done right you will enter into Beta with very little work left to do to reach Green or what is known as a Retail Build.
Milestone Beta:
This phase is pretty much what the end product is going to look like, barring polishing here and there with regards to physics, texture templates, and animations. When a product is in Beta is not bug free to say the least but all place holders for animation, cinema, texture, and etc should no longer be present. If the team that is working on the project is really good the Beta build can default into the Retail Build. That only happens 1% of the time. This phase lasts anywhere from a month to 3 months. The focus at this point is to go through the product with a fine comb to make sure nothing MAJOR was missed. When developing a MMO this is when the game get's introduced to the select few in the public in hopes the extra 'unpaid' manpower will discover something critical that was overlooked and save $ in the process.
Green Retail:
This what is hoped by the developer is what you will see when you pop in your newly purchased title into your PC or console. It's not always perfect. Sometimes there is a day 1 title update because something nasty got through on beta and none of the *first parties caught it on their submissions. During this phase if there is any major flaws they are immediately addressed. This can be one of the most expensive phases of development if the product fails first party submissions.
*Milestone Submissions:
To segue into the different stages of development, a developer or publisher must submit a copy of the product to the first party. The first party being a corporation associated to the platform the product will be accessed on.. i.e Microsoft for Xbox360, Sony for PS3/PSP, Nintendo for Wii/DS titles. During these submissions the first party is reviewing the product and comparing it to their standards for what they would want to have associated to their product/name. If you submit a product and it gets approved good news you can go onto the next stage, one step closer to retail and recouping your development costs. If you submit a product and it doesn't get approved.. you pay $20,000 for failing and have to resubmit and hope you do not fail again, and move onto the next stage of development.
Hope that helps and gives you some clarity on production phases.
*Edit : With regard to retaining your progress for Beta Testing on an MMO, it all depends on the developer and if there are major differences between the Beta Product and Retail. It will probably come down to whether or not SEI wants everyone to have fresh start or retain some holder over beta accounts in hopes those users will be helpful to the games neophytes.
Spoiler
This post has been edited by 1: 16 March 2010 - 05:30 PM
#8
Posted 17 March 2010 - 12:47 AM
very interesting info. never knew most of that milestone stuff.
so if what i think i understand is correct, there is no first party for PC games?
so if what i think i understand is correct, there is no first party for PC games?
#9
Posted 17 March 2010 - 01:18 AM
It ends up being Microsoft for the most part unless it is one of those rare titles released on Mac, most titles today if they are PC/Xbox360, are referred to as Xenon builds. They're just ported builds of Xbox360 to Pc, used to be the reverse with the original Xbox. Only thing that is checked on is little nit picky things end users never see, mostly it's the read me files having the correct trademarkings and installation... i.e installer functionality versus, copying files directly to a folder on the Hard drive etc. Though take into consideration PC submission is a bit more relaxed in comparison due to the fact one can always update after release, which unfortunately is something a lot of developers take advantage of with the 7th generation consoles as well.
There is a very strong possibility the 8th generation consoles, i.e the next generation, will be limited in terms of hard drive accessibility.
Due to cost, profit margins and overall laziness of developers in light of unrealistic deadlines; which has been displayed in the current generation in the capacity of taking advantage of internet functionality and hard drives to rely on the day 1 title updates. i.e when you buy a game on its shipping/release date at the store and then pop it in and are forced to update..means the game has a major flaw and is broken and was not ready for street date. It's also one of the reasons Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo have been cracking down hard on vendors making titles available for release before the official ship date due to the fact the title updates are not available on the networks until that date... since they can not police vendors the only option is to remove the option for developers..but now I might have said too much with regard to being off topic.
There is a very strong possibility the 8th generation consoles, i.e the next generation, will be limited in terms of hard drive accessibility.
Due to cost, profit margins and overall laziness of developers in light of unrealistic deadlines; which has been displayed in the current generation in the capacity of taking advantage of internet functionality and hard drives to rely on the day 1 title updates. i.e when you buy a game on its shipping/release date at the store and then pop it in and are forced to update..means the game has a major flaw and is broken and was not ready for street date. It's also one of the reasons Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo have been cracking down hard on vendors making titles available for release before the official ship date due to the fact the title updates are not available on the networks until that date... since they can not police vendors the only option is to remove the option for developers..but now I might have said too much with regard to being off topic.
This post has been edited by 1: 17 March 2010 - 02:06 AM
#10
Posted 19 March 2010 - 04:44 AM
maybe just a little.
day 1 update problems don't really apply to MMORPGs since everything is controlled serverside and you can't even play the game even if you somehow manage to get it earlier.
I read in a recent interview that SE is considering beta transfers to full game tho. I'm under the impression they mean character names only, and not entire characters...
day 1 update problems don't really apply to MMORPGs since everything is controlled serverside and you can't even play the game even if you somehow manage to get it earlier.
I read in a recent interview that SE is considering beta transfers to full game tho. I'm under the impression they mean character names only, and not entire characters...
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