Beta?

[Warmaster Horus]

Well, as with any game, I'd be anxious to try it before it came it. Players always have something to say.

So I voted yes here. However, let's remember there are a few important things here:
-Lusted is working on it (from what I understood, I don't know the specifics of his job there)
-this is a new "age" of Total War we're talking about: a beta would incorporate the campaign, and that would maybe be a shame.
-there will most likely be a demo for the battle side, so... And the demo should have a sea battle available. I mean, it's really advertised, so...

[Freedom Onanist]

I can't really see why you would say no to a beta of this game? I mean to have the chance to be involved from a relatively early stage in a project like this isn't something that comes along very often.

Sign me up!

[pevergreen]

Betas only help a game, unless it is bad. If they can put a decent beta out, go for it

[Elmar Bijlsma]

If the questioner meant should there be a beta test by a select few customers: hell yeah! There's nothing a programmer can code that twenty odd customers can't break. As such, ETW would no doubt be greatly improved by having a select few members of the public test things and give a more user based impression of it.


Would I myself want to be part of it? Meh.
Testing can be very rewarding and fun at times. Often though it will bore you to tears and/or frustrate you to the point of shoving a keyboard through the monitor with some force. It's definitely not playing a game for free and early, as some here seem to think.

[Husar]

Would I myself want to be part of it? Meh.
Testing can be very rewarding and fun at times. Often though it will bore you to tears and/or frustrate you to the point of shoving a keyboard through the monitor with some force. It's definitely not playing a game for free and early, as some here seem to think.

You haven't tested the World in Conflict Beta then, it had almost no noticeable bugs.
While that may be ideal, I'd also test a buggier beta to make the final product better.

[CBR]

CA always sends out a beta. That is version 1.0 and you have to pay for it


CBR

[pevergreen]

Nearly sig-worthy.

[Chuffy]

CA have always done in-house testing for their games with...less than satisfactory results. Maybe their testers aren't very good? Maybe they are all yes-men who don't want to say anything negative? Maybe they are only human and overlook things...

Whatever the reason, ETW is a good opportunity for this to change. CA should really think about doing a closed beta sign-up (and maybe later an open beta), not just bringing in a few guys from the surrounding area and then saying their finished product is properly tested!