Without a doubt, the beta testing experience has changed since the beginning of the MMO industry. In a recent article that Ten Ton Hammer released to the public, the staff compiled a variety of quotes from present and past MMO developers while putting these side-by-side with thoughts from the Ten Ton Hammer premium members. Not wanting to miss the action, the BioWare Austin developers working on Star Wars: The Old Republic sent over their own thoughts on beta testing. Straight from the mind of Co-Studio VP, Richard Vogel, this Q&A gives players a hint of what they might expect from the upcoming SW:TOR beta test.
Quote:
Ten Ton Hammer: When is it appropriate to let a lot of gamers see your upcoming game? Does it hurt a company to never have a truly public display before a game launches?
Vogel: We feel that limiting the [number of] beta testers is a good thing. We get better data with fewer, more dedicated players and we are able to focus test specific areas of the game. You can’t do that with tens of thousands of players. It is a coordination issue. It is good, however, to allow enough players into the game to make sure it can handle the load under stress.
To read the rest of the Q&A with Richard Vogel, click here!
If you want to check out our entire beta testing article with quotes from WAR, EQ2, and LOTRO devs, click here!
This is the next MMORPG for me. My last hope for a good one while I play WAR is this, and I wanted to try Aion and Spellborn but haven't been lucky enough to try them out yet.
Besides STO, SWTOR is the only game that's tweaked my interest. Both companies seem to be on the ball with their respective games. Which is a surprise in Cryptic's case, since they so messed up not having factions in CO at release, and deep factional based conflict in the game. I hope they don't screw that element up with STO. Bioware seems to have all their ducks in a row, which isn't surprising given it's Canadians essentially running the show.
I, too, am looking forward to TOR. In this albeit short, but telling interview, BioWare's Vogel delineates an insightful, conservative approach to beta testing that clearly exemplifies the fact that this "old school" approach to beta has the most chance of success.
Developer Weighs in on Beta Testing
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