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The Evolution of Combat coming to RuneScape for player testing June 26th
What words are music to players' ears? "Biggest content update in its history." And RuneScape fans are getting just that! Jagex announced today that a massive content update bringing the all-new combat system, dubbed The Evolution of Combat, is on its way to the free-to-play fantasy game. The game-altering new system is promised to be more immersive and more involving. Lead Designer Mark Ogilvie noted that a combat revamp was the community's most requested update and he emphasized the value of community feedback. To garner more feedback, Jagex is offering RuneScape members the opportunity to test the update starting June 26th. This limited-access beta will then run through September, giving beta participants the chance to help "shape the future of one of the most important elements of the game." For the opportunity to participate in this exclusive combat system beta, players need to be an existing member of RuneScape or sign up for membership on the official site by June 1st. [Source: Press release]
Beta Testing 101: Good group etiquette
The most crucial piece of information for you to remember while beta testing is that the process can be grueling and frustrating. Servers will go up and down, instances will crash, and above all, the people playing the expansion's beta will be just as inexperienced as you are with the content. Here are some etiquette tips on how to stay calm during a productive group session during beta. Be patient. Patience is essential to the beta process. Flaws in the software or gameplay are not discovered without time for those problems to manifest. Be a good tester and log on to WoW with the mindset that you might not be in for the smoothest run. As a beta tester, your patience will be tried. You'll wipe, fail, screw up, die, whatever. It's a game that you're helping to make just that much better. Put aside the gung-ho group attitude and talk to your team about testing -- that helps me focus on the task at hand.
In the beginning: Tester reminisces about LotRO's beta
It's always fun to sit back and recount the days of yore in video game land, especially when the MMOs of yore are yorely different than how those games are today. Haakon Stormbrow over at A Casual Stroll to Mordor has an interesting retrospective piece up about his time in Lord of the Rings Online's beta. He takes us back to September 2006, when the game world was still being shaped by Turbine and many of the features and locales that we've come to know and love had yet to be implemented. Apart from old animations and cloak designs, the biggest difference in LotRO from today's version was how rough and unfinished the landscape looked. Stormbrow recounts his exploration through Bree, Lone-lands, North Downs and even Angmar, noting how empty it was without mobs and how the devs had artificial walls to keep the testers from exploring where they shouldn't. By exploiting a few bugs, he and his friend were able to view the zones from heights that players today are simply unable to see: Exploring a little further north, we found an area [that] had all sorts of buildings and statues and ruins and a waterplane about 100 feet in the air. When you walked under the water plane, you flew very quickly up to the plane and began swimming. Then when you swam off the edge, you floated back down to the ground. If you're fascinated by the shaping of currently established MMO worlds, then do yourself a favor and give this article a read!
Cataclysm beta testing: Choosing to opt out
This article has been brought to you by Seed, the Aol guest writer program that puts your words on WoW.com. Burning with desire to slip into the Cataclysm beta test, grab a goblin or worgen and run wild? Not these players. We asked readers to tell us why they do or do not want to participate in Cataclysm beta testing -- and while plenty affirmed their beta aspirations with desperately ardent pleas, we found ourselves more intrigued by the reasoning of those who said they weren't interested. Why would they pass up this opportunity of a gaming lifetime? What could they possibly hope to be doing for fun, instead? Read on to hear the opinions of three players on why, when it comes to Cataclysm beta testing, they will be opting out.
Call for submissions: Do you want to be in the Cataclysm beta?
Are you pining for a Cataclysm beta invitation? Do you love testing new encounters? Is your guild eager to "practice" as many raid encounters as possible? Are you in a hurry to see everything the expansion can offer? ... Or do you want to wait until everything is completely ready, pure as driven snow? Are you shunning the very topic of beta testing, waiting patiently until Cataclysm goes live? WoW.com is looking for a guest article featuring your best arguments for or against participating in the beta of the game you already know and love. Why do you want to -- or not want to -- be a Cataclysm beta tester? Explain your position thoroughly, pro or con, in 500 words or less. As with all guest post call-outs, only the best submissions will be accepted. Here's what to do: read up about the Seed guest writer program, sign up (we won't accept submissions under pen names or character names), and then submit your article (you can't see the article page unless you have a Seed account). Unfortunately, we are currently only able to take submissions from individuals living in the United States; we hope to be able to accept international submissions in the future. We'll accept submissions for this call-out until 11:59 p.m. EST on Thursday, May 20. If you have questions, you can email seed (at) wow (dot) com.
The Daily Grind: Is beta testing just free labour?
It seems 2009 is the Summer of Betas. There certainly are a lot going on at the moment: Aion, Cities XL and Champions Online are just three of the most popular currently going on but the sheer concept of beta testing is a bit of a bug-bear amongst players. There are basically two camps: those who lap up a beta and treat it is a chance to explore the newest games (and seems to include most of Team Massively) or the latest content months before anyone else. Camp number two is a little more pragmatic. For these folks, betas (while fun and exciting) are just an excuse for Company X to save some money by getting a few million free and eager quality assurance monkeys. After all they ask for detailed bug reports and the same kind of information that is asked of professionals who get paid minimum wage to play games for hours.So, readers, as you mull over your coffee and cereal this morning, I'm eager to know to which camp you see yourself belonging? Are betas just a cheap ploy to get a few thousand fresh pairs of eyes or a genuine attempt to gauge a new game? Drop your thoughts in the box below.
The Daily Grind: Do you prefer a structured or sandbox beta?
Betas are fun. There's that awesome feeling of specialness, you (and a few others) have been chosen to join an elite group to try out the next biggest MMO of the year. Then there's that feeling of adventure, the chance to look at a new vibrant world, immerse yourself in lore and craft a unique character. Sometimes, you even get a chance to offer feedback and actively help shape a new virtual world. Most betas are sandboxes and involve lengthy periods where you can play to your heart's content. You get a specific number of zones to play in and you can wander where you will, choose professions and do quests. But some, like Aion, are structured and designed to test a specific faction or zone, they are usually shorter, deployed in stages and much more focused. I want to know whether you prefer being left to your own devices over a period of weeks or months. Alternatively do you prefer having a shorter but more intense period of play when you are given the option of playing a specific faction? Do you prefer to choose your class or just explore and see what the world has to offer? Drop your thoughts in the comment box below.
The best of WoW Insider: October 28-November 4, 2008
It's almost here. While Election Day is surely going to be exciting, and yes, we're also waiting for Gears of War 2, the biggest game release for WoW fans comes next week: the Wrath of the Lich King is finally upon us. And Joystiq's sister site WoW Insider is on top of things as usual -- stay tuned to the site all this week for pre-expansion news, and next week, at T minus zero to launch, we'll have more updates than Arthas has zombies. It'll be great! News Fox News covers WoW's Zombie InvasionSurprise! Someone in the mainstream media treats WoW like a game played by adults, and it's Fox News. The Bro Squad 3-mans KarazhanOh how the mighty (formerly 10-man instance) have fallen. Invincible Vengeance no moreNothing encourages the crying and whining quite like Paladin nerfs. Official class forums get new role forums addedOriginally, Blizzard was going to delete the class forums entirely, but they soon came to their senses. World of Warcraft 3.0.3 patch notesThere's a new patch in town, with lots more updates and fixes before the expansion release next week. Features Ask a Beta Tester: Questions I wish we'd been askedOur beta tester (one of them, actually) sits down and answers questions that haven't been asked yet. Ask a Beta Tester: Tradeskills, training and rep gainsBut of course we're also answering your questions, too, while the beta is still active. Know Your Lore: Preparing for Wrath of the Lich KingEverything you need to know to get the story straight before the expansion. Preview of the new minimap mod SexyMapYour minimap has never looked so good. Insider Trader: Inscription from 1-100Our professions column hits on the new profession, and tells you how to roll through the first 100 points.
Ask a Beta Tester: Daily quests, skill trainers, and Arthas, oh my!
Another day is upon us -- and that means we've got yet another chance for more questions and answers straight from the Wrath of the Lich King beta. Elizabeth here today, and I'd like to start out with a tiny bit of extra information on a question Alex answered yesterday. Vjax asks... Can you still do level 70 dailies for gold, and do you get XP for doing them?Alex said these wouldn't be worth your while, and he was right. For those of you interested in specifics, though, you seem to get 3g 40s and 9,500xp for your average daily quest in Wrath. On the other hand, you could be doing quests in one of the starting zones of Northrend and getting yourself 4 to 5g and in the 20,000xp range per quest. Executive summary: go to Northrend. Go directly to Northrend. Do not pass Go, do not collect $200.
Breakfast topic: Why should you be in the Beta?
Not long ago Blizzard opened up the expansion content to selected friends and family. We've had a few days to sign up for the Wrath of the Lich King beta test. Blizzard has made it clear that assignment in the Beta test that aside from a better chance of selection among* World Wide Invitational attendees, the beta testers will be selected by a random lottery. But what is it that makes a good beta tester? I've entered twice for the Beta, as I have two accounts. I'm not sure how many participants will be selected, but I really hope I get in. If I wasn't with WoW Insider, I probably would avoid the beta. I'm rather in favor of delicious surprised once the expansion is actually released. Recent iterations of the Public Test Realm have invited everyone to come and play. Many have taken that challenge to see nifty, new gear and test new mechanics. Blizzard has proven open to feedback through progressive testing.
Are We All Just Beta Testers?
GameDaily has an interesting article up about how game developers seem to be using players as beta testers. Buggy code is released as a final product to the public with the thought that it can always be fixed with a later patch. And, while the article specifically discusses single player games, the argument is perhaps even more applicable to large MMO's in which regular patches to add content (and fix old bugs) are the norm. While it's understandable to an extent - World of Warcraft is a massive game, and it would be impossible to test every race, class, and talent spec in every situation - some of the bugs are sufficiently obvious that they make one wonder how much testing happens at all. However, perhaps MMO's are so expansive that it's imposible to give them the full quality assurance treatment in the traditional sense - which is why we've ended up with test servers and a regular patch cycle. What do you think - are we beta testing the software we're paying for? And should we be?
