|
Dedagn Yamamoto
Registered User
Join date: 18 Apr 2003
Posts: 37
|
04-19-2003 13:01
Ah AOL, I used to remember when they sent me CD's in the mail, and I'd turn them into shurikens... (hmm, note to self: make shurikens in game)
|
|
Avondell Jones
Registered User
Join date: 16 Apr 2003
Posts: 82
|
04-19-2003 13:57
I suppose I can comment on this. Heck, I comment on everything anyways...
Little background. I have worked as a designer and coder for a couple games in the past. They were nonpublic betas and I had the marvelous fortune of dealing with a mass of beta testers firsthand. Thats sarcasm, btw.
It takes all sorts of people to beta test. From the people who take beta testing very seriously and all they do is find and report bugs, to the guys who could care less. From a developers standpoint, everyone is valuable in their own way.
Trust me, the Lindens dont want every single one of us submitting bug reports on every single bug we find. For devs, thats a dictionary definition of hell.
In every group of testers, there is a little of everything. If you want to bug hunt, have at it. If you just want to play the game, go for it. It all helps out in different ways.
Avondell
|
|
Darwin Appleby
I Was Beaten With Satan
Join date: 14 Mar 2003
Posts: 2,779
|
04-20-2003 08:45
Dave: Sorry I couldn't get back on time, but sorry bout that. I really have to stop drinking  btw: Don't worry, I use SBC lol
_____________________
Touche.
|
|
Dave Zeeman
Master Procrastinator
Join date: 28 Jan 2003
Posts: 1,025
|
04-20-2003 21:48
Avondell you put the entire thing into perspective for me, thank you! I now apologize to those I offended, and admit openly that yes, I am elitist. Cas.. dude... okay thanks a bunch for flaming me for a character flaw. I think I'll refrain from returning fire. Versh, good band-aid quote  But just so everyone knows, it was my personal belief that people beta tested games only if they were up to speed with computing, and not if they bought a computer just a week ago. From now on, I'll try to keep from imposing my beliefs on others. *shrugs*
_____________________
llToggleDaveZeemanIntelligence(FALSE);
Philip Linden: Zeeman, strip off the suit!
Dave Zeeman - Keeping Lindens on their toes since v0.3.2!
|
|
Rickenbacker Jones
Registered User
Join date: 16 Apr 2003
Posts: 13
|
04-23-2003 14:00
Hey, I'm a journalist. I'm only here for the free stuff  . |
|
Avondell Jones
Registered User
Join date: 16 Apr 2003
Posts: 82
|
04-23-2003 23:08
Well, I dont know you, Dave, but I suspect you are a valuable asset to the devs. There was a point one time where I had 97 beta testers under my direct control. There was supposed to be 100, but there were always 3 I just couldnt handle so I kicked em regularly.
Out of the 97, probably 60 just played the game (it was an rpg) and hung out and maybe filed a couple bug reports when something really annoyed them.
Another 35% of them were good testers and would organize groups and go test areas for me....as a group, they'd be sure to only submit one, very detailed, bug report. Extremely helpful...as much as bug chasing could be, anyways.
The last 5% were the hell. They would report every single bug. Every day. Apparently, they thought we werent getting thier bug report if the bug wasnt fixed in 15 minutes. Even when we begged on the forums...WE KNOW!!
You cant imagine how annoying it is to have to look thru and delete 500 bug reports about the same bug. Sometimes that takes longer than fixing the bug does.
So dont worry. Although I agree with you about some things. Like, dont enter a beta test if you just bought your first computer last week. But for the most part, everyone in a beta stage in a future MMOG is valuable...
Avondell
|