Why it is important to get a Beta out

Yes we go Off-Topic Easy in every thread, it's this Forum Script makes communication easy and any topic starts inside another topic.

But if the Biggest Companies, Consoles, do this, we will need to give up, LIKE SimCity, I HATED that online absurd DRM with crappy servers... But I love the game, I buyed it, sigh.

 

Don't Starve and Minecraft both had beta's with the pre-purchase and it went pretty well for them I think.

 

Yeah, I wasn't around for the mid-80's crash. But it'd be nice to see one. I really get the feeling that companies like EA really need a giant slap in the face to come and get them. That way they can realise they just can't get away with it anymore. Personally I boycott companies like that (Sega, EA etc) but it'd be good for them to get what is coming to them.

Hopefully it can lead to a great resurgence of creativity and developers getting the respect and rewards they deserve for making something special and putting it out there. Not just soulless money grabbing titles.

Also on that note I've sold my console a while back because the way it was going, I know for sure I won't be getting the next generation stuff. It's just not for me anymore. Oh and to actually be slightly more on topic, I'm happy to wait for the Beta, I'd love to play it right now but I don't want them to rush and I certainly want things to be smoother than say an Alpha.

 

Sadly i'm fairly sure the only way this will happen is if Tiy were open to discuss it (by posting here) and willing to let us know what we could possibly do or say to show we'd prefer it differently than how he wants it. But barring that we are not getting it till everything is done.

 

This should be name World Games War I

 

Yeah, I basically just don't buy EA or Activision anymore. And only certain franchises from Capcom. ANYWAY.

I still releasing a beta too early would be bad news. As someone earlier in the thread said, people don't seem to have any clue what beta actually means anymore, besides playing the game sooner. There are enough people who would pick up a beta with big holes in it and go, "GASP! These knaves have duped me! My money is gone, and they have given me a shoddy product in return!"

An these same people would make sure everyone within CAPS LOCK OMG distance would hear about it.

 

For end the topic inside the topic inside the Main Topic:
We all will give up sooner or later to this Control the Big Companies want to force into the Gaming Community of PC and Consoles.

If they launch games we LOVE with online-forced DRM and Absurd Price DLC...
Or we live without it and resist, or we Buy it and live with that fact... for play a game we like.

Simply, no other option. =/

 

I think a more accurate model to compare would be minecraft. The people who complained about that game being unfinished were certainly not a majority (i haven't met anyone who has) because of both the type of game and how it was presented. They came right out and said the game is as is, it's unfinished, and will be updated. Most of the people were happy. I feel the same would be the case here.

 

Very much agree Lyrael, I've heard about people who brought early access titles on Steam and complained that the games they played were buggy messes , clearly not understanding or reading into what an Alpha was- which to be honest is clearly stated for anyone with half a nut. Much less an actual Beta!

 

Ah, but I covered that in my earlier post. The advantage Minecraft had there was being a totally original experience, something to which nothing in recent memory could even really be compared. Any shoddiness was overidden by the fact that people were quite literally in awe of what could be done with the giant Lego Sim.

Starbound doesn't have that advantage.

 

Lyrael: Say that to the numerous people on these forums who get fumed if you compare this to terraria. But that aside it is in the sandbox exploration genre much like minecraft, not in the first person shooter genre like CoD. The type of player who do the complaining are not the type who would even show interest in a game like this.

 

People don't understand what is a BETA or Alpha, they just complain and downrate the game to Hell, it Happens a lot (just see the youtube rage videos) and it will harm Starbound because that same thing if Starbound releases a BETA before it's time.

That's why most games, or don't make BETAs, or make them complete and stable enough for the Test Version. Early BETAs are a bad idea, simply a bad idea.
That's the same motive for the Alphas aren't accessible to the community for the majority of games.

 

I wasn't specifically comparing it to Terrarria, per se. Just saying that, at this point, this genre Is A Thing, largely thanks to the popularity of MC and Terrarria.

Also, man. Are you kiddin' me, Lusid? Did you not see the massive shit storm over a friggin' stretch goal? On the whole, no, this fanbase is not the type to complain needlessly. Do we have a vocal minority who will? You're damn right we do.

 

I think that current situation is really good for Starbound. The pre-order created some buzz, we're getting new screenshots and info from the game, we can track progress on the Roadmap. Next month we will probably see the trailer released which will create more buzz. I think this tempo is fairly good and I personally identify myself with the "beta release in June/July" theory. It would be just the right time to take the next step. Time from beta to gold is imho largely dependant on our cooperation with devs by helping them with debugging, and on the team's feeling. It's their baby and they want it to come out shining I would expect gold in september/october and it would make the most sense, but that's just my guess.

 

I completely disagree. In fact, I should make a thread "Why People Need to be Patient", something that so many people in this community are lacking.

Regarding your arguments:

1. The beta indeed will create hype before release. However, having a longer beta can be detrimental, as it gives time for the hype to drop to realistic levels.

2. We don't even know the release date. A lot of betas last only ONE month. If Starbound's release date is in December, it's reasonable to expect beta to start in November, maybe even October. In your third point, you even mention that you don't believe that the beta will be a disaster. That option actually supports the argument that the beta period needs not be any longer than one typically is.

3. People have already bought the game without any actual evidence that the developers will support it. People will buy the game because it looks fun and is a worthwhile purchase being only 15-20$. At that price, do you really think there are a significant number of people who will second guess their impulse to purchase the game just because the developers may not move Heaven and Earth to make the game a "high-quality product"? Also, supporting the game during beta is hardly evidence that the developers will support the game post-release.

To me, this thread comes across as another impatient kid desperate to play Starbound during his summer vacation. Try as you might to rationalize it, these kinds of arguments reflect poorly on the community as a whole and are disrespectful to the developers, for you have the audacity to assume that you know better. They are the ones making the game. They have more invested into its success. They are more informed about its current state. They will know when it is ready for beta and release.

 

I need a popcorn brb

 

THAT. If a Simple Stretch Goal was enough to cause a Huge Flame War, from Forums, to Social Networks, IRC, etc... Imagine an Earlier BETA, more unstable and crashy.
Developers are aware of such thing that's why in most games they don't give community that until it's ready and stable enough!

 

I've said it twice already, but I really want people to look at this modern day example. This is a game that is a sandbox game also, and also takes place with future themes, but is 3D and also has the word star in the title.

If Starbound is not in a good place to play, it will go awful. Just awful. I want everyone to check out Starforge forums right now on steam. It's an alpha that they released really early at request and is barely playable.

http://steamcommunity.com/app/227680/discussions/

people are just taking this game apart

I can completely understand why the devs want to release a beta that for the most part works. If it goes wrong, it will destroy them. People used to be hyped for Starforge, and now look at it.

 

This isn't really worth talking about. When to release a beta isn't a matter of whether you should get it out early versus waiting until later, it's a balancing act between the two. It's kinda like trying to throw a ball as far as possible: you can't toss it straight vertically or horizontally, you have to throw it at an upwards angle to maximize hang time and forward velocity. To really maximize it, you also have to consider environmental factors like wind and tree branches.

For Starbound, there really aren't many special factors to consider. This community is actually very small compared to the gaming world at large, so how impatient people are here doesn't really matter. I think Trailers and the full release date are more important factors to the success of Starbound at large, and those shouldn't be revealed until the game is getting rather close to release.

 

DeadlyLuvdisc, you are right. Most things on this forum, minus questions, aren't worth talking about. We should all just be waiting patiently and minding to ourselves, right?

On the other hand, a large amount of things said in real life aren't worth talking about, but we do anyway. Because thats what communities do

Some people just have the time to emancipate their opinions on this forums, and others have the time to listen so why not?