Empire: Total War Beta Group

[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.

[Merak]

betatesting is done before any patch not just before the game release. they have just done it internaly before this

[gollum]

Originally posted by BeenPlayingSinceRTW
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.

Well they didnt exactly put their hands in peoples pockets to get the money out BeenPlayingSinceRTW. CA had a chronic problem with patches and patching policy that manifested most evidently in M2TW. Steam gives the opportunity to overcome these problems.

If you are asking for a game that has no bugs or has had extensive betatesting before release then TW simply isnt that kind of game anymore, and every one who plays since RTW should know that. If you are looking to put a consumers ethos into a mainstream video game release you are wasting your own time and effort. Better stick with less mainstream games that do provide support closely because their releases are smaller and more manageable and their fanbase smaller and more fragile.

CA/SEGA are doing alright for a mainstream/developer publisher - they have taken their fanbases demands into consideration in this release to the extend their position as a mainstream developer allows.

In short, in principle i agree with you in many points - i just think that they are somewhat misplaced relative to TW games.



EDIT
As for patrons like pevergreen, they act like this because they are pet patrons - they dislike any against the grain infusion of opinion, because they cant see what is legitimate complain and what illegitimate banter - and not because they are CA affiliated. Just let them be.

[Barkhorn1x]

Tell you what I see:
- Evidence points to an unfinished product knowingly pushed out the door too early.
- The STEAM release was a fiasco due to a STEAM Client issue and that reflected poorly on CA
- The hot fix process has been a sad joke – fix one thing and break two more
- And now CA finally invites actual players to help them QA the fixes

Two approaches would have been very helpful up-front:
- Admitting on release day that some functionality was not fully implemented and that patches were in the offing
- Immediately inviting players to test the fixes

Bottom line = ETW I a huge black eye for CA and they really should have done much more to manage expectations.

[Beskar]

As for patrons like pevergreen, they act like this because they are pet patrons - they dislike any against the grain infusion of opinion, because they cant see what is legitimate complain and what illegitimate banter - and not because they are CA affiliated. Just let them be.

Though the user in question doesn't even have the game and makes countless topics and posts insulting it. They can't give a valid critical opinion of the subject since they never actually once played the game and only do so to cause trouble.

Saying there is trouble and what needs fixing is one thing, especially from a customer, but he isn't a customer. He is the person who comments about food at the restaurant saying it is bad, yet, has never tasted it or seen it, or any valid independent assumptions.

[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.