Starbound Beta: Open or Closed?

Literally just having an argument with someone to the point they've just blocked me on skype, over if starbound, as of it'd December release, is in Open Beta or Closed Beta. So since it's gotten to the point of fanaticism i think its easier to ask the forums, and devs.

Is Starbound currently Open or Closed beta.

What is open/closed beta?:

We all know what beta is, the difference is:
Open beta means anyone can access it as they please. Generally just requiring signing up or such.
Closed beta means that only selected people can play it. Often you apply on a site and the devs select people.

(Yahoo says)

Open = you can join and don't need an invite from someone already in the beta.

Closed = you can't join unless you are given an invitation to do so.

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His argument it is Closed: (copied off skype)

The prerequisite is buying it, it's closed, because not EVERYONE can play it unless they do something (( buying it ))

Free to play games aren't open beta unless they say they are in beta. It's only open beta if a FREE enrollment is allowed with no waiting for an invite, and the game is still in beta, where as a closed beta REQUIRES something from the player. Eitehr waiting for an invite, or buying in. Look at "Mighty Quest for Epic Loot" which is a CLOSED beta unless you BUY into it, and then they have OPEN beta weekends where anyone can play.



My argument it is Open:

As a former beta tester (unpaid of course) of several games, including World of Tanks, Battlefield, Minecraft, I say it is open as currently anyone can buy the game on Steam or one of the other selling sites. There is no need to sign up on steam even, just buy it, and there is no restricted access. It is open in the way any paid for game is open, people are not specifically selected for it. If it was closed then only select people who pre ordered it would have access and not everyone.

There is no requirement to own another game or such, just to own the game itself. Much like Minecraft was when it was open beta

By his logic only Free to Play games can have open betas.


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Now i know many of you may see this as an insanely trivial thing to argue over. But we have, to the point he's now blocked me on Skype. So if he won't listen to me, maybe he will you, The community. And hopefully at some point a Dev or moderator.

So let's see your opinions.

 

This is why Steam calls it "Early Access". You're both wrong. It isn't open beta or closed beta. It's in Early Access, which is a Beta you pay into that turns into a full version. BOOM!

 

Open beta, because it's open to the public. Steam just classifies it as early access because you get it before it's done, still a beta.

 

Or closed beta because you have to pay into it, and by paying you become "selected" to beta test. Thus it's closed.

Early Access is a NEW concept for games.

Closed Beta
Open Beta
Early Access

They are DIFFERENT categories now. It's called innovation!

 

Technically it would be open-beta, but it just bugs me, because it's like "Yeah, we're open to everyone! If you pay."

The same could be said for closed-beta, such as "Yeah, we're open to everyone! If you're invited."

The difference is though, an invite is something you simply cannot get if you didn't get one (unless you get one from another player, etc.). While purchasing a game/beta relies on money, and it isn't physically impossible to purchase the game as it's not physically impossible to get money, it may be difficult for some, but not impossible.

 

a closed beta means screenings of the people and manually selected for the most part. games like this where you get in from purchasing it are considered OPEN. since there is no application and no screening of the applicants

 

The open/closed aspect of a beta refers to the ability of the public (us) to play the beta without needing to ask for it. We can buy it without directly asking anyone, by going through automated purchase systems, and play the beta. It's openly available to anyone willing to pay for it.

Closed betas are closed because normally the only way in is invitation. They are 'closed off' from the public.

This should be proof enough:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_release_life_cycle#Open_and_closed_beta

 

Their argument sounds like an inverse square rule.

It's an open beta. Free or pay doesn't matter. Especially since Chucklefish isn't really in the same position as a AAA studio, and can't really give away free copies of the game to 100,000 people.

 

It's open beta. Closed beta is the phase where the game is not open to the public except by invite. Having a paywall (ie having to pay for the game) does not define it as being closed. The game is for purchase and is not intended to be free. As such the game is in an open beta.

The game would be closed beta if it was for purchase and players were playing it by invite before it was available for public access. Since its open to the public its in open status.

Early access is the same thing as an open beta. It can be behind a paywall or free, its just steam's term for open beta within their environment.

 

This thread actually just happened. Wow.

In any case - I'd say it is open as it is open to the general public and there is no need to be selected. Just pay. Which is different from being explicitly picked from a group of people.

 

Sorry, it must be said

 

My opinion: you need to get better friends

 

Early... Access... It's the future...

 

as Arcaster says: it is neither.

"open" beta means, any and everyone who register has access to the game in some sort of way (there may be premium content for those who bought it
"closed" beta means, that only a handfull/few/some players will get access to the game while others will be excluded

in this case: you buy the game and get free access to the beta and all updates to the beta, "early Access" is the best name you can find, thanks for steam to give a name for those kind of games