All sorts of thoughts: It depending on how you look at it, so here goes. Good points of private testing: A chosen group of private testers is as good as the one doing the : choosing. Get a wide variety of machine configurations, game playing skills and experience, and knowledge of whether something is a bug in the game or a system related problem, and you'll have success. Accurate reporting, in an understandable format, including clearly written, correctly punctuated and including proper spelling, is a must. The beta process will go more quickly because the developer knows the testers, the unnecessary repeated troubleshooting and technical support won't be taking up the developer's time, resulting in a reliable product. You won't be bogged down with hundreds of suggestions as to what should or should not be put into the game in the way of features, and you can get on to the business of game testing and development. A selected group of testers tends to work together more as a team than a huge number of testers, and can be more easily managed if personal issues arise within the group.
Good points of mass beta testing: More machines of different types and configurations means that bugs will be found and can be confirmed by a larger number of sources. Suggestions of features wanted will surely be sent and can be discussed. The news of a game being worked on can be more quickly spread, and more people can take part in the game's creation. Gamers will be able to get a better feel as what the finished product will be like, and can make a decision on whether to buy. Public betas are, in a way, a way of advertising, and at not much cost. I personally am in favor of private testing over public betas, or a combination of the two. Test a beta until it is pretty stable and reliable, then put it out there for the public to try. --- In God we trust! ----- Original Message ----- From: "Philip Bennefall" <phi...@blastbay.com> To: "A public mailing list for Blastbay Studios." <t...@blastbay.com> Cc: "Gamers Discussion list" <gamers@audyssey.org> Sent: Saturday, January 02, 2010 1:33 PM Subject: [Audyssey] Public betas vs private testing Hi all, I just wanted to put a question out. What are your opinions of private testing with a dedicated team versus publicly released betas that everyone can try out? I have a new game in development now, and I am considering whether to make a public beta available similar to what Thomas Ward and Jason Alan have done. I see some pros and cons with private testing, though: Pros: 1. Easier to manage. Since you have only a few people who are testing the game you do not need to answer the same questions or receive the same bug reports numerous times. 2. The element of surprise. With a private team, very few people know about the development and so it comes as more of a nice surprise when something new is released, where as in the case when everyone knows pretty much everything that is going on it's hardly unexpected when a game finally is released. In the worst case, some people may even have gotten tired of the game after playing the betas! Cons: 1. Limited testing=more possible bugs. If you have a smaller team you are not as likely to catch every single bug before the product goes to release. This can result in some pretty rapid patch releases (1.0.1, 1.0.2, 1.1, etc) right after 1.0 has been put out and this obviously doesn't look too good. 2. Nagging. If everyone knows about the game while it is being developed, I fear that some people would be sending emails asking when the next version is out or wanting to know why this or that feature that they suggested hasn't been implemented. This is of course a very broad generalization and I do not in any way wish to insinuate that a lot of people do this, but there are a few cases and it might make it annoying for the developer to see the project all the way to the end. If no one except the private testing team knows about the game, then you will not get any public comments before you go 1.0 and then you are obviosly prepared to take them. On the other hand, of course, more public suggestions means more good possible ideas for the developer to work with. Thoughts, anyone? Kind regards, Philip Bennefall --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/gam...@audyssey.org. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org. --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/gam...@audyssey.org. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org.
