Should Beta players be allowed to record?

That doesn't help the impression part...

 

I say if people want to record... let them, it's your choice if you want to watch the videos by them, no one forces you to watch them. But I think there should be limits, like you could only get to so and so tier while recording.

 

Kinky.

 

Honestly, comparing Minecraft's beta to most any other game's beta is silly. Minecraft's beta and probably alpha(I didn't play alpha) were more like an online game's 1.0, it may not have been "complete", but it was being bought, it was being played and updated, it's my opinion that it wasn't really a beta in the normal use of the term.

 

The bottom line is that this game is being made ultimately to make a profit and a living for the developers. This is not a bad thing. But to do this they need their game to get exposure, and the more exposure they have the better their game will do. Keeping it in the dark and under wraps for the people who want to know as few details as possible until the game releases is arbitrary at best. Having bugs in a game is part of the beta process and is expected. They won't gain any popularity by being secretive about what it is they are making.

 

I voted NO.
Unless it is a public beta, the information should be Embargo'd.
Beta footage can reflect poorly on a game, as the purpose is to test for bugs and glitches.
I would not like to hurt the sales of this game by promoting it with buggy beta footage.

We should just be happy with the gameplay footage that the developers provide for us.

 

i dont think it would be best. but either way, there is always gonna be "that" one guy/girl who leaks everything

 

I'm all for them making a profit, I'm not saying anything against that. And I'm also for word of the game spreading, even if it brings unwanted trolls to it as well.

However, I still think that if there were to be any beta videos, they should be put up by the people making the game. Then, they can show off the things that would catch peoples interest, without taking all the mystery out of the game that would keep people interested. I'm not saying they should wait until 1 week before release and start uploading videos, just that there shouldn't be dozens of videos of the game while the game is constantly changing and full of bugs. Because like I believe I said in a previous post, not everyone is actually aware that betas are for ironing out the bugs, and since Minecraft was brought up since then, I suspect a lot of people would expect the game they'd be watching would be the finished project.

 

I say no to the recording. Beta should be for testing and quality assurance, and if people are busy recording then they usually aren't really testing as effectively. However, maybe the Devs could let a few press types into the Beta (TotalBiscuit/Jesse Cox?) to do the whole viral advertisement thing and leave the rest of the testers to make the game better for release.

 

Some people get annoyed if they don't know a lot about games. If the devs were to make videos, then it would only show key points.
They could miss out on a lot, a mistake that could cause people to either not find interest, or get angered that they bought a product they do not like.

I personally like to know what I'm getting,
and although they have released a lot of info, that doesn't mean I have correctly interpreted the info they gave me.



..and that's why I watch let's plays..

 

d) not enough information.

If the devs say no videos, then the beta players should not make videos. If they say go for it, then they can.

 

I say yes, if the beta is so restricted it only shows a few features. I loved following PBat's videos when he was doing Terraria, so I'm impartial. I vote no overall though, since I want the full experience myself, without knowing epic items exist.

 

I think it depends. If anything, having someone known create a Let's Play series during the end-beta could bring in a lot more customers. However, I believe if this were to be done, a lot of features should be left out of such a preview.
But, as far as public recordings, I vote no.

 

That is true. But I'm thinking more like what I said in the previous post I mentioned in my last post, not just some trailer showing off a couple things for a minute or two, but a series of videos showing things like "So, here we have a smaller sized water planet, lets build a boat and sail across it!" and stuff like how the planet selection works. Kinda like, a let's play that has a lot of focus showing off things that are important game-play mechanics, using the closest to release version of beta. And if they uploaded it, they could add little text pop-ups to the video saying "this was actually changed to this:" or "this was a bug that should be fixed now"... Lost my train of thought a couple times, but something like that.

 

When the game goes to beta, testers will have to sign a non-disclosure agreement. There is no way they'd be allowed to sit and record live gameplay and post it on Youtube. It would ruin it for those who want to experience it on their own, and it would also expose features of the game the team does not want released to the public yet.

 

If you don't like it, don't watch, don't take the option away from people who want to see it (like me).

 

That's not the point. It's that it improperly advertises a game at a point where it is incomplete and buggy. We DON'T need videos and videos complaining. Let a select few who properly review or do first impressions make the videos.

 

Minecraft was buggy a heck on release, but thanks to people like the Yogscast it has, what, 3 million sales now? I know what you are saying, but I feel it would cause fewer sales to NOT have stuff like that. But that's just my opinion.

 

for a Beta TEST? the difference between Minecraft and Starbound is that (hopefully) it isn't in a semi permanent state of beta. It's really a bad comparison.

 

I don't really think it'd be too great if people were allowed to record gameplay footage. Beta isn't exactly for "giving a select few a sneak peek at the game." It's about finding bugs and having them corrected before the public release.