Pre-order/beta thoughts

i see that thread is going in wrong direction. The main purpose of this topis is to see what people think about open beta. What are advantages and disadvantages of this kind of beta in games. That's NOT another "we want to play Starbound now" thread!

 

Well I think the gist so far is, a large majority of people who voted say the open/preorder beta is a good thing, while the majority of people who posted on the thread think it's a bad thing. A rather odd disconnect.

 

I attribute this to the "pre-order is bad" crowd being a vocal minority. I'd like to come up with a comparison that isn't horrifically insulting, but the ideas elude me right now.

EDIT: I understand that the second sentence implies that I think lowly of those people that do not share my opinion. This is not true. I simply didn't know how else to word it. I respect your opinions even though I do not share them.

 

A very vocal, very whiny, and also somewhat small minority.

It's not that I mock them for sharing their opinion or having a different opinion than me, but I DO mock doomsaying.

 

One could argue that it simply demonstrates what would end up happening in real life: the majority of people that want an open beta would simply play (or in this case vote) and leave no feedback.

 

As excited as I am for Starbound I won't be crushed if the devs decide not to do an open beta. As excited as I am to play the game, I personally would rather play a fully developed Starbound with all the major kinks and bugs worked out of it than a half-done version that was released for the sake of meeting some deadline. And with the massive following the game already has I don't really think an open-beta is necessary to keep people interested. Starbound's already generated enough buzz to be one of the most anticipated indy games coming out in 2013.

This isn't to say I wouldn't pounce on the opportunity to pre-order the game should the option be made available. I'm as eager for the game's release as the next person, but I don't think that means the devs should give into the pressure to release the game early. I'm under the impression that Starbound should only be made available to the public once the developers decide it's ready, and not a moment sooner. Ultimately it's their decision, and those who are clamoring for an early release need to learn some patience.

 

And the ones whining about how the devs should take more time than necessary should realize that wasting time for a business in the gaming industry is the same as wasting money, which has caused as many if not more companies to fail than releasing bad games.

I'm not saying "omgwtfbbq release teh gaem nao", nor are very many other people. But the later the project is finished, the later the company starts to make money-- thus, some features get scrapped, some a bit underdone, some a bit rushed, in order to get it out, because they DO have to eat you know.

A pre-order with beta access is a compromise between wanting to continue developing and wanting to release a purely finished game-- being, as it is, essentially a finished game already, but not yet entirely polished, and most players are glad to give feedback to make a good game better. In the majority of cases, it is a good thing, not a bad thing. In the remaining cases where it is a bad thing, most of the time this was because the game was at best barely even in the beta stage.

There will always be whiners on the internet. You could release the Games of Divinity, games so good that they give you heavenly euphoria just by making a single move, and people would STILL whine about it on the internet. The ones who have actually decent complaints should be listened to, an the rest ignored-- and people who are incapable of critical thinking to the point where they cannot do this are unlikely to make good decisions anyway.

 

You're misunderstanding my point. I'm not saying it's absolutely necessary for the devs to take another three months developing the game before it's released. I'm saying if they feel they need more time to refine the game before they think it's ready to be released to the public then they shouldn't feel pressure to release an unfinished beta version for the sole purpose of satisfying those who don't want to wait. As far as I know, none of the developers have mentioned anything about them 'running out time or money' to develop Starbound, and even if worst came to worst and such a thing did occur I'm sure there are a large number of people who would be willing to donate money to get the project back on its feet again. Like I said before, Starbound is one of the most anticipated indy games of 2013. I doubt they'll lose their entire fanbase if they decide they need to take another month or two to refine the game before it's ready.

I'm not necessarily against the idea of a open beta test either. I just worry about people who will play the beta version under the mistaken impression that it's a finished game and form bad impressions as a result. For every dedicated tester who's actually committed to finding bugs and offering feedback there will probably be three others that complain about the various bugs and other kinks a beta version is bound to have.

 

"I just worry about people who will play the beta version under the mistaken impression that it's a finished game and form bad impressions as a result."

There will always be the mentally defective. You should not let them ruin a good thing for everyone else by acting like they're hte only ones that exist.

 

This is true. However, as you said there will always be idiots, and not everyone has the capacity to ignore the naysayers. Negative reviews spread about by those who might form a bad impression of the game due to bugs and unfinished content in the beta version have just as much potential to influence a person's decision to buy the game as positive reviews made by a person who understands the game's still in beta and has yet to be fully refined.

I'm not saying this is a reason to deny people access to an open-beta. It's just something to take into consideration before deciding to open a beta version to the public. Bottom line, if they do release a beta version of the game I would hope it's a near finished product that they feel is ready for the public eye, not a half-finished game that was rushed out to satisfy those who can't wait another month.

 

"As far as I know, none of the developers have mentioned anything about them 'running out time or money' to develop Starbound, and even if worst came to worst and such a thing did occur I'm sure there are a large number of people who would be willing to donate money to get the project back on its feet again."
And this is my point: maybe Tiy brought up the whole idea of "preorder for beta access" because they could be running out of money. I'm not exactly the best judge of anyones character, but Tiy strikes me as someone who doesn't feel comfortable taking donations.

Also remember he did state "beta access when beta is ready". To me, a beta is basically a finished game that needs some intense hammering to see IF there are any undiscovered bugs, etc. So in my mind he's not offfering an unfinished product, more like looking to the fanbase for a little help in the grand bug hunt ^^

 

Hey, don't get me wrong, if they devs feel the game's finished enough to warrant a beta-release then I'm all for it. I just don't want them to needlessly rush development in order to get the game out sooner.

All in all I'll trust in whatever decision they make.

 

I agree with this part except for everything that is orange. I think a open beta would be the best way to go. From my perspective, it would crush more bugs than a closed beta, and they already have a closed beta right now, making it just a tiny bit larger wouldn't do much.

With a open beta, the majority would be able to crush bugs. And the idea was that (if you pre-order the game) you would have access to beta. That would make the majority happy in my conclusion.

If they made a larger closed beta group, many people would be disappointed, specifically those that has waited for the release of the game for 6 months, having hopes for summer 2012 release, and then by the end of 2012, and then get to know that: "Well you know what, we are making a (500 people) larger closed beta group, you will have to wait until 2014 to play the game, and you are not good enough to participate for closed beta."

You know, I'll tell you right now, what I'm against the most is to give specific people a higher authority, when there are possibly a thousand others that could do a better job.

I strongly disagree to go with (larger closed beta) instead of (open beta).

 

This is exactly what I tried to stress in my posts before you ridiculed me. No one cares about the game's development here, they just want to play the fucking game early.


LISTEN HERE EVERYONE. Quit bullshitting around. If you want to help out with game development, then go donate some money to the development team; they'd love that. Sitting around and pretending that you want a beta to "help out with the game development"... You're just lying to yourself.

 

PS: The dev team doesn't take donations, the closest you can do is buying Wanderlust since part of the money goes to the SB devs too.

 

Then buy Wanderlust... That is still technically donating. I can guarantee that 80%+ of those on this thread that have been saying they want to "help the production team" haven't even bought Wanderlust.

 

A bit of an over-reaction, don't you think?

I would donate some money, if I could, but they won't accept it. I did buy a few copies of Wanderlust: Rebirth, but that only goes so far.

If I were to participate in a beta, I would provide as much helpful feedback as possible. Most people probably wouldn't, but some people would. I don't even want to participate in one, I just wish I could pre-order to help them out.

You need to chill.

 

Not even phased. The reaction is needed. I don't want to see another good game take a bad route due to pressure on the devs from the community. What needs to be done, is the community stop bothering the devs and let them make the game. They got it man and don't need your help with development.


Pre-Orders are fine, don't get me wrong. This could be a good marketing stance for the devs to take in order to raise money for production, if needed. There doesn't need to be a beta to go along with it though.

 

The developers know what they need, you don't. The reaction was unnecessary, not to mention distasteful.

You are right, the developers do have it, and they don't need you trying to "protect" their development. They will not give in to pressure if they don't want to.

 

You've got some reckless statements there.

Firstly, telling the community what to do is not really your responsibility, if you think highly of yourself then you should know better than to stand out in this manner. I don't think anyone here is pressuring the devs. I'm sure the devs can handle themselves fine without you trying to speak up for them, "in your own opinion".

You are right about your last part, there doesn't have to be a beta to go along with it. But if the devs want to give out beta access as a bonus, then that is their choice. In my opinion that would make the majority happy as a result, I don't think it would have much negative effects.