Are Secret Beta Tests The Way To Go?
Mendevel
Join Date: 2003-09-27 Member: 21274Members, Constellation
Join Date: 2003-09-27 Member: 21274Members, Constellation
<div class="IPBDescription">increasing the skill plateau for 3.0</div> Whenever there isn't big news going on, theres talk of the lack of newbie flow, or "is ns dying?" threads.
You want a bigger community, stop driving players away. For those not included in the beta test its nice to know that rising past these "so-called" vets is getting harder all the time.
The reason I say this is because when you have these "secret beta tests" where only those higher up on the skill list get to play; if surpassing them weren't hard enough, now they all have a month or more experience ahead of you. This is even worse for mediocre clans trying to make it big, we can't even come up with good strategies because we don't really know whats coming down the pipe, only bits leaked out to the public.
Whats more, for 2.0 players, the overwhelming majority of the elite players are gone. If I can dominate on Hamptons something is definitely wrong.
When 2.0 came out it was rather messed up balance-wise, and thats when the betas were given out to the public, THAT was the largest group of playtesters, and things really went up from there.
Want to balance pub-play so we don't get a repeat of 2.0? <b><span style='color:red'><span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>LET THE PUBS PLAY IT</span></span></b>
Want the community to grow? Maybe giving the folks that arent on the list a over month's playtime disadvantage isn't the way to do it.
You want a bigger community, stop driving players away. For those not included in the beta test its nice to know that rising past these "so-called" vets is getting harder all the time.
The reason I say this is because when you have these "secret beta tests" where only those higher up on the skill list get to play; if surpassing them weren't hard enough, now they all have a month or more experience ahead of you. This is even worse for mediocre clans trying to make it big, we can't even come up with good strategies because we don't really know whats coming down the pipe, only bits leaked out to the public.
Whats more, for 2.0 players, the overwhelming majority of the elite players are gone. If I can dominate on Hamptons something is definitely wrong.
When 2.0 came out it was rather messed up balance-wise, and thats when the betas were given out to the public, THAT was the largest group of playtesters, and things really went up from there.
Want to balance pub-play so we don't get a repeat of 2.0? <b><span style='color:red'><span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>LET THE PUBS PLAY IT</span></span></b>
Want the community to grow? Maybe giving the folks that arent on the list a over month's playtime disadvantage isn't the way to do it.
Comments
The rest of your post makes some sense, even though I can't really be bothered to be bothered about it, but...
Uhh...
Why exactly would this be a bad thing?
I think 2.0 is pretty boss.
Thanks man.
Also, I have always been under the impression that bringing CMs into the beta program was the way of bringing pub play to the beta. Of course, with bringing in the new vets a large number of CMs now have their clans in the beta which kills off a part of the pub play aspect of the beta, most of them are nice enough not to clan stack.
There are 14-17 servers for the beta currently. 4-5 of them are Vet only scrim servers. The rest of them are for anyone with access. A vast majority of the testing being done is in a pub environment.
I know that really doesn't make up for having it a "secret beta test (with 2000+ people and the ability to get in only requires 5 other peoples forum names and steamids and an email account or $20)" But really, its not all that fun. There are huge bugs that can just overall ruin the game. For example, 3.0a had a bug where the server crashed if people killed and egg, or jumped while shooting a GL. Now, do you really think it would be fun if you allowed everyone access to the beta and people just went around egging in marine start and jumping like jack rabbits with a GL to purposly crash the server? Heck no.
I'm not superior to you or anyone else and I playtest. And If you still feel that way then you are welcome to join a veteran clan or donate 20 dollars....
BAH is a vet clan, isn't it? And isn't it true that any clan, whether they're mediocre or not, can join thevet program? You have me confused mendevel, do explain.
And I don't think you will ever find an true NSPlayer with constallation, nor any other total nub. Ba-da-tshh !
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Quit complaining. The NS developers are offering a great thing for free. If you want the privilege to play the version that is in the testing phase, come up with the $20 and support the cause.
If you are really <b>that</b> bothered about people becoming oh so skilled during the PT, send some money in the post, which GreyDuck has kindly pointed out for you.
If 3.0 was released as it is now, a lot of new players would be driven away because it's not balanced yet, and there are still some bugs to iron out. Also, the general idea is, if you're willing to pay $20, or if you're in a clan, you're not going to be an arsehole who just plays the game to annoy others. This, of course, is not 100% correct because in the version where killing an egg crashed the server, a lot of alien teams just ran to marine start and evolved into gorges. The marines either shot the eggs and crashed the server, or waited for them to hatch and try and win against a 6 gorg attack.
The word "vet" doesn't really have any great meaning any more. I never respected a vet "just because they were a vet" anyway, i had to see they were good enough to respect (and a lot of the old ones are). But the newer vets... they aren't crap, they're just not what i'd define as a "vet": They're just clans.
As for you worrying about people getting so much experience playing 3.0 that you'll be owned as soon as you download the patch: Don't worry at all. The only people good enough to completely own a server are the people who don't play in pub games anyway. And if you're worried about your clan getting owned in a match, just get into the beta.
The basics of the game are the same: Marine = shoot things with claws. Aliens = eat things with guns.
Who needs to be taught NS? I had to learn on my own, no one helped me. No one knew what they were doing. <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo--> Don't expect people to hold your hand all the time, some people do, and that's why they are the way they are. Whiners.
(On a personal note: Lerks are amazing now, its a common occurance for Lerks to down JetPackers mid-air.)
Nice way to jump into condescension, Stickman. You misinterpet what my origional post was about; I was speaking of the skill difference which only grows due to the way updates are being released to the supposed elite and the imbalance and other bugs which only become evident in pub servers. I know the 2.0 redeeming onos seemed a good idea at the time, but you didnt let nubs get a hold of it and redeem over and over again.
Anyway, there are plenty of "nubs" testing now. And i (and others) play quite a lot of lame tactics to try and get them all out. Such as the cloaking now, it's a bit... insane. A leaping skulk barely uncloaks, for example.
Anyway, don't worry about it. There's no other way to test the game really.
the one thing that gets on my nerves in the ns community is that everyone is being so perfectionist about it.
in 1.0, a "1.1" was promised within like 2 weeks was it? how long did it take, like 8 MONTHS?
what the developers should have done was release more patches. AS they get fixes in the game, they release a patch, instead of getting a ton of elitest playtesters and release a "balanced" 2.0 to the public after 2/3rds of a year, which is now undergoing even more huge changes.
and now, status is not being given out fairly. I started playing ns about 2 weeks after it came out. thats over a year now, and iv been 95% dedicated to this ONE Game the entire time. yet i have nothing to show for it, except for unedited skill (0 scripts or performance boosters). Veteran means experience, yet some people with all the experience arent getting ****, while noobs that started playing ns 2 months ago and joined a noob clan get to playtest.
Now I use the word 'veteran' in sarcastic contempt, because most 'veterans' aren't even worth the effort it takes to **** on their doorstep. They're the only ones to have sent me racist death threats over PM. I wish I saved them, I'd post them for all to see.
Sorry, but 3.0 is in the Beta Testing Stages and it will not be released until the testing is done. There are a number of hideous Bugs in the game and It is unacceptable to release those in a public version. Im sorry to sound like the NS Gestapo over here But your just going to have to wait. NOW GET BACK IN ZEE LINE!