I disagree with how they're handling beta invites.

VioletZero · 2012-03-05, 06:50 PM

Notably, how they're giving priority to dedicated fans of the game.

Before anyone tries to accuse me of jealousy, I have my PC gamer key redeemed already. So I'm in priority access. More likely than not, what I'm arguing for would mean that I would get in later. This is just here to let you know that this isn't about when I personally do or don't get into the beta. This has to do with the game's quality in the long run.

Given how Planetside 2 is hoping to stretch beyond just being a love letter to the fans and reach the FPS and MMORPG market at large, I think it was a mistake to prioritize dedicated fans over everyone else. Whether that be people who would spend the time and money going to the con, veterans of the first game or just people who got the copy of PC gamer to get in, it really does prioritize fans over everyone else.

One of the, if not THE best reason to hold an external beta like this is to see the feedback on your mechanics and see if it is fun. Sure, we all like to talk up finding bugs. And that's important too. But the most important reason to hold a large scale beta is definitely to see what works and what doesn't.

A big problem with how they're handling the beta is that, during the earliest stages, the entire testgroup is going to have a singular mindset going in. And that is that you are familiar and at least like the idea of Planetside enough to spend money on it before going into it. And that's putting it mildly as a majority of the early testers will be Planetside 1 veterans.

This will almost guarantee a majority of the feedback to be in favor of changing the game to be more like Planetside 1. No matter how good or bad it might be for Planetside 2.

I'm not saying you shouldn't listen to Planetside 1 fans. But what I am saying is that you shouldn't organize your beta so that they are guaranteed to be the popular opinion. This is especially the case if there happens to be an issue that would come up that would confuse new players, but Planetside 1 fans would be fine.

What I am saying is that instead of prioritizing fans of the game, it should have picked players at random. This way they would have a much more diverse pool of player feedback, both from the fan and the newcomer. Which could iron out issues

Again I must stress, this isn't about when I get into the beta. I want to see this game flourish among PS1 fans and newcomers alike. Good, diverse feedback is critical to achieving this goal. By prioritizing fans first, you are limiting the amount of time that is given to the diverse pool of players to develop good, constructive feedback from their background.

TL;DR version: Invite less fans and veterans and invite more newcomers to the franchise for more diverse feedback for a longer period of time.

Sirisian · 2012-03-05, 06:57 PM

Originally Posted by VioletZero

TL;DR version: Invite less fans and veterans and invite more newcomers to the franchise for diverse opinions.

There's less than 100 Planetside fans in the world. (Trust me I counted). The continents hold 2K people each. For testing they are probably going to need a lot of people. It'll be fine.

Originally Posted by VioletZero

This will almost guarantee a majority of the feedback to be in favor of changing the game to be more like Planetside 1. No matter how good or bad it might be for Planetside 2.

That is a problem I have too. That's why I'm biding my time and waiting to gather a larger mech and creatures community. Soon...

WiteBeam · 2012-03-05, 06:57 PM

The number of none PS fans with a PCGamer beta key greatly out numbers players like us who bought the magazine for beta or still play PS1 for access.

So would your concern now be when each group is allowed to start beta and give the deva feedback? I'd bet they would all be thrown in the same pot and it wouldn't be an issue of bias.

Raymac · 2012-03-05, 06:59 PM

They haven't given any details on how beta is going to work. You are making a criticism based on an flimsy assumption. I highly doubt only Planetside fans will be early beta testers.

VioletZero · 2012-03-05, 07:00 PM

Originally Posted by Raymac

They haven't given any details on how beta is going to work. You are making a criticism based on an flimsy assumption. I highly doubt only Planetside fans will be early beta testers.

They will, without a doubt, be the majority of testers at first.

Raymac · 2012-03-05, 07:01 PM

Originally Posted by VioletZero

They will, without a doubt, be the majority of testers at first.

Without a doubt, eh? You know something the rest of us don't?

Vash02 · 2012-03-05, 07:05 PM

I know right? They still haven't sent invites to veterans yet!

Oh wait, is that not what this topic is about?

WiteBeam · 2012-03-05, 07:05 PM

Originally Posted by VioletZero

They will, without a doubt, be the majority of testers at first.

Dude. Do you really think they will start beta with only 500 players?

WiteBeam · 2012-03-05, 07:08 PM

Originally Posted by Vash02

I know right? They still haven't sent invites to veterans yet!

Oh wait, is that not what this topic is about?

Thats not what he is saying at all if you read any of his post.
And any vet that cares enough about beta already has a beta key from PCgamer.

DayOne · 2012-03-05, 07:10 PM

Originally Posted by WiteBeam

And any vet that cares enough about beta already has a beta key from PCgamer.

Except the ones in Europe!

RedKnights · 2012-03-05, 07:10 PM

Not all of us still play Planetside because we like Planetside, but because we like what it could have been and we like playing with tons of people.

I mainly play a lot of BF3 and other shooters, and I imagine most PS vets do too, so I don't think your concerns are that serious, we know what is fun, and there is more than one kind. ^^

SuperMorto · 2012-03-05, 07:10 PM

Originally Posted by VioletZero

This will almost guarantee a majority of the feedback to be in favor of changing the game to be more like Planetside 1. No matter how good or bad it might be for Planetside 2.

Being like PS1 will not be a bad thing. Planetside 1 was way before its time, and could of done so much better. It is the game that PS2 will be based off. And that is the best thing they can do to make it a success.

Planetside 1 would of been a massive hit if things had gone a different way. Look now, its still has active users enjoying it everyday, even after all of this time.

Of course we don't want it to be PS1, but we do want the "PS1" feeling in the game or something better. PS1 was a milestone in gaming (I know it wasn't the biggest/best) but it was an achievement that PS2 should be very similar to. Or it just wont be Planetside and you will see new and old folks leaving in the masses.

Thats my lil bit.

Morto.

Gaff · 2012-03-05, 07:12 PM

I doubt you will find many people here that will agree with you.

The fact is that current and former PlanetSide players are going to be extremely picky and judgmental. If something works (or doesn't) they will have no problem saying exactly how and why, and what they think should be changed.

I happen to think that there wasn't much wrong with the first game (other than some technical and server issues) so what isn't broken doesn't need fixing, but there are plenty of new features in the sequel (dynamic missions, classes, resources, etc.) that both appeal to former PS1 vets as well as making it more inclusive for a newer player to pick up.

Don't forget that at its height, at the very peak of its popularity, PlanetSide had perhaps 80,000 active subscribers (and that might be erring a little on the generous side). Let's say half of those people still have access to their SOE station account, and half of them actually have the time / inclination to participate in the PlanetSide 2 beta, that's maybe 20,000 people. Given that they will probably need in excess of 100,000 testers (to fully test as many hardware configurations as they can) then the vast majority of testers are going to be people who did not play the original game.

In essence, they will be "rewarding" former players of the first game by giving them a sneak-peek for PS2, but that's about it. Make no mistake, they seem to be in this for the long haul (hence PS2 becoming a full sequel in its own right, and not just a graphical overhaul of the original game, as was the original plan a couple of years ago) and they know they have to appeal to a substantial cross-section of players.

I have no doubt that they will do key giveaways and competitions for people to get into the beta as it advances in order to help diversify their beta base, but in the beginning it's going to be concentrated on former PlanetSide vets and PCG keys because they know those people can be relied on to a) play, and b) give feedback (vocally!)

TL;DR: it's going to be fine, and SOE just want to hit the ground running with the initial couple of waves in the beta with people they can rely on, before expanding it to other, less PlanetSide-y, people.

VioletZero · 2012-03-05, 07:13 PM

Originally Posted by SuperMorto

Being like PS1 will not be a bad thing. Planetside 1 was way before its time, and could of done so much better. It is the game that PS2 will be based off. And that is the best thing they can do to make it a success.

Planetside 1 would of been a massive hit if things had gone a different way. Look now, its still has active users enjoying it everyday, even after all of this time.

Of course we don't want it to be PS1, but we do want the "PS1" feeling in the game or something better. PS1 was a milestone in gaming (I know it wasn't the biggest/best) but it was an achievement that PS2 should be very similar to. Or it just wont be Planetside and you will see new and old folks leaving in the masses.

Thats my lil bit.

Morto.

I get that Planetside 1 was a good game, but Planetside 2 is going to be completely different. And just because it worked in that game doesn't mean it'll work in its sequel too. And just because an idea didn't work in PS1 doesn't mean it can't work in PS2.

Mastachief · 2012-03-05, 07:15 PM

Bollocks. Violentzero, have you even played the original game?