beta question

[DuoMaxwell007]

Now in all my years of gaming I always though the point of a beta was to play/demo a game to see if theres any glitches/bugs/ etc etc that need to be fixed and give feedback to the devs so they can take care of it before final release?


If that is the case then what purpose does it serve to have a beta played on a build thats "a few months old" when the current build might already have all the issues in the old build fixed already?.

Thus to me beta testing on a build thats anything other than the most recent build just sounds completely dumb to me, though if anyone can explain to me how testing on an old build makes sense then please do.

[SYN BLACK XS]

Just because its a few months old doesnt necessarily mean the things we're testing in it arent still an issue. Its probably something theyre trying to resolve 100%, and with our help, they can test each case thoroughly, as well as pick up tons of feedback in the process

[ironhands]

Now in all my years of gaming I always though the point of a beta was to play/demo a game to see if theres any glitches/bugs/ etc etc that need to be fixed and give feedback to the devs so they can take care of it before final release?

If that is the case then what purpose does it serve to have a beta played on a build thats "a few months old" when the current build might already have all the issues in the old build fixed already?.

Thus to me beta testing on a build thats anything other than the most recent build just sounds completely dumb to me, though if anyone can explain to me how testing on an old build makes sense then please do.

A lot of the things being tested in the 3rd beta weren't client end bugs, but server end bugs.

[mcwjimbo]

A lot of the things being tested in the 3rd beta weren't client end bugs, but server end bugs.

^ yepp, stress testing the servers & such

[ironhands]

^ yepp, stress testing the servers & such

stress testing, client-server protocol, load balancing, all kinds of things can be tested out that aren't client dependent. Microsoft also has some issues with "beta" software it seems. PC version wasn't an older client, but it was a repeat of the same areas previously done.

[DuoMaxwell007]

A lot of the things being tested in the 3rd beta weren't client end bugs, but server end bugs.

so then voice chat not workinhgg 90% of teh time is a server end issue and not client?

Also when ppl whine about how bad the graphics are ppl say "its a beta" or "its an old build" as if the final release is gonna look better graphically (even if that WERE the case i dont see graphics making a HUGE change in just a few months). so Youre also saying graphics is a server issue and not client?

[Sytek]

How are the Defiance graphics crap? explain please? Are they cutting edge visuals? No, but by no means are they bad in anyway.

[mcwjimbo]

How are the Defiance graphics crap? explain please? Are they cutting edge visuals? No, but by no means are they bad in anyway.

^ agreed

I read some of the complaints and laugh because a real F'd up alpha & beta & launch & F'd up post launch 1 yr later= Funcom

Trion is not funcom, so its all good

[ironhands]

so then voice chat not workinhgg 90% of teh time is a server end issue and not client?

Also when ppl whine about how bad the graphics are ppl say "its a beta" or "its an old build" as if the final release is gonna look better graphically (even if that WERE the case i dont see graphics making a HUGE change in just a few months). so Youre also saying graphics is a server issue and not client?

I can't say for certain the cause of voice chat issues, but it could very well be a server side issue, if the voice chat is routed through the game servers, it might not be a peer to peer connection, and even if it was it would still rely on something server-side to make sure it goes to the right person.

Yes, the final build will often look better. While you are correct that graphics aren't a server issue, obviously, graphics aren't something that you really test... You look for feedback on them. The graphics can be made to look much better on final release, because often during a beta you make use of placeholder models, or low-res textures to make the download smaller, in addition to enabling or enhancing graphic features that may disabled or temporary, because they may not impact what was specifically being tested.

[ironhands]

^ agreed

I read some of the complaints and laugh because a real F'd up alpha & beta & launch & F'd up post launch 1 yr later= Funcom

Trion is not funcom, so its all good

And Funcom is still going. Anarchy Online's still running with a great player base... A new engine is (still) in the works and will be released soon (valve time).