Empire: Total War Beta Group

[Tsavong]

http://shoguntotalwar.yuku.com/reply/702470

Hi guys,

We are going to start an invitation-only Beta group, where selected members of the community will be able to try out future updates before release and feedback directly to the Empire: Total War team.

If you are interested in taking part in the Beta group, please send a PM to me with the subject line "Beta Group". Space is limited, so any additional information of previous support will help your application.

In order to take part in and stay in the Beta group we will need you to provide regular and constructive feedback on the updates. All information and content included in the Beta test is strictly confidential, so if invited, you will need to complete and return an NDA (non-disclosure agreement) to us.

Applications will be considered until 5pm on Friday 3rd April.

Thanks,

Mark O'Connell
(aka SenseiTW)

I hope if they do this that the 'testers' dont use it as an excuse to flame

[pevergreen]

OMOFMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOGM

brb applying.

[al Roumi]

Why are you in a rush? It doesn't sound like much fun -unless your game is totally messed up at the momment.

The game was buggy so they released updates, the updates are buggy so they released hot fixes... finally they try beta testing...

Man they must have been behind schedule. Whoever was running their project/authorised its release at this time must have be having a hard time!

[pevergreen]

Trust me, I dont think I've wanted anything more for a long long time.

Sex is nothing compared to this.

I think I screwed up my application. Wrong title... If they look past that, I don't see why I should get it, I've done plently of closed beta testing under a NDA in my time.

[BeenPlayingSinceRTW]

http://shoguntotalwar.yuku.com/reply/702470



I hope if they do this that the 'testers' dont use it as an excuse to flame

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't beta testing something that is usually done before a software product is released to production?


<-- Sega management


<-- CA devs


<-- customers who paid for a copy of ETW

[pevergreen]

We are going to start an invitation-only Beta group, where selected members of the community will be able to try out future updates before release and feedback directly to the Empire: Total War team...

What part of that don't you understand.

I'm getting quite sick of you TBH.

[Beskar]

I like the fact they posted it on the 1st of April.

Yeah, no one likes him, pevergreen.

[BeenPlayingSinceRTW]

I'm getting quite sick of you TBH.

[Phog_of_War]

Not a personal attack here BPSR:TW, but sometimes its hard to figure out if you are making a valid argument/point or if you are just being a troll. Apparently some people think you are a troll but I am undecided at the moment on you.

[BeenPlayingSinceRTW]

Not a personal attack here BPSR:TW, but sometimes its hard to figure out if you are making a valid argument/point or if you are just being a troll. Apparently some people think you are a troll but I am undecided at the moment on you.

Thanks for giving me the benefit of the doubt.

I'm just making a valid point, which is that beta testing is supposed to happen before a software product ships. They (CA) should have done this type of thing before ever releasing the product and taking people's money for it.

Unless Pevergreen and TiberiusBeskar are affiliated with CA/Sega, I really don't see why my opinion should be of such great concern to them. The whole purpose of a message board is to see a variety of different points of view, and IMHO it is always suspect when certian individuals seem to want to stifle divergent points of view.

[gollum]

Beta testing is done after release too BeenPlayingSinceRTW. This is quite good policy especially since fixes can be made quickly available.

HOWEVER CA SHOULD BETTER GET MPERS FOR THE TACTICAL BATTLES AND NOT SPERS ONLY (THAT USUALLY HELP ON THAT SIDE OF THE GAME). There is also a SEVERE ISSUE OF POLITICS WITHIN BETA TEAMS - TAKE THEM ALL FROM ONE CLAN/FORUM, AND THE POINT OF VIEW BECOMES ONE SIDED, TAKE THEM FROM TOO MANY/RIVAL ONES AND THE WORK WILL LACK DIRECTION.

Lets hope that CA will choose wisely players that have the respect of community as a whole as well as the necessary skills to test as they did for the M2TW RETROFIT mod.

[Melvish]

interesting and not interesting....

Doing beta work for game could be fun but i'm an evil capitalist. I like to get something more than self gratification and online notoriety out of my work.

If at least they could give a t-shirt...

No offense intended, i've got lot of respect for people who agree to do this for free.

[Devastatin Dave]

Maybe BPSR needs to do some beta testing with some Hooked on Phonics. Its Beta for NEW UPDATES not for the actual game release. Silly boy.

[The historian]

I just have one word for CA give us all the mod tools nedeed to modify every aspect of the game and remove al hardcoded limits, we'll fix the game for youno need to waste time on betatesting. Anyhow for the guys who are going to betatest good luck and make us proud:2thumbsup.

[pevergreen]

The main good part of this is, that -to my knowledge- this is the first time CA have done closed beta testing to the public. If it goes well, they may choose to utilise the community again, which would lead to possible beta testing of the next game, creating a less buggy launch?

edit: yeah good point Kraxis, I read that post before, but I seem to have forgotten it by the time I made this post. Sorry!

[Kraxis]

The main good part of this is, that -to my knowledge- this is the first time CA have done closed beta testing to the public.

Look up a bit...

[markaoliver]

The main good part of this is, that -to my knowledge- this is the first time CA have done closed beta testing to the public. If it goes well, they may choose to utilise the community again, which would lead to possible beta testing of the next game, creating a less buggy launch?

I would love to think that, but my gut feeling is that this is the start of the damage limitation excercise. "We know we did it wrong", "We opened up testing for the fanboyz". Some articles in the tame gaming press and all is forgiven and everything is set to sweep up on the ETW expansion.

CA are masters at this sort of marketing chicanary.

Ask yourselves this ... if ETW had flopped, do you think you would be getting any patches at all? I dont ...

[Callahan9119]

Guys, this is every release since shogun...you'll get over it. My main gripe is naval landings (India gets very lonely)...I can live with no SLI and random crap.

Pevergreen said
"You offend my honour! I demand satisfaction!

I defend this game because I like the game, and because I personally don't have any of the problems anyone else seems to get. Someone's gotta stick up for CA.

No more personal attacks please"

After he tells some dude he finds him obnoxious.

I for one think your possibly the most annoying dude on these boards. Have a nice day.

[pevergreen]

After he tells some dude he finds him obnoxious.

I for one think your possibly the most annoying dude on these boards. Have a nice day.

I live to serve all believers.

I stay nice at least.

[BeenPlayingSinceRTW]

Ask yourselves this ... if ETW had flopped, do you think you would be getting any patches at all? I dont ...

Isn't it a flop so far? They got a pop at launch due to heavy promotion to Valve's base of Steam users and pre-orders...

But since then, sales rate is below M2TW due to poor word of mouth. The sales profile of game that opens well and continues selling for the next 6 - 8 months is substantially higher than a game that opens big, but then has sales fall of a cliff. (Another clue: In the week after ETW launched, Amazon discounted it by 25% to avoid being stuck with a lot of unsold inventory - if the game had been selling to expectations, they would have kept the price up.)

[Wandarah]

A flop?

It broke U.K sales records, it continues to sell extremely well - and as far as I know, the sales figures have only been released for the first two weeks of March as of the 24th. E:TW is still top.

Honestly, you're making stuff up, and you seem to have an inflated sense of your own importance when you say things like 'word of mouth'.

[CookieRawr]

Whats this, We're paying for a game in Beta still?

[Kraxis]

Whats this, We're paying for a game in Beta still?

Please... It's been answered within this very thread, at the least do everyone the favour of reading the previous posts.