[Tarkas]

Here's how things look right now:

existing beta players in the game by mid-late next week; new players in by either late next week or early the following week. We should be logging into the SOE servers ourselves internally today.

Things are moving along very well -- we're maybe a week behind where I'd hoped we would be, and that isn't too bad IMHO.
__________________
Brad McQuaid
CEO, Sigil Games Online, Inc.
Exec. Producer, Vanguard: Saga of Heroes.

This is the latest post i have found by brad.

[Navid]

lol i posted the same thing hehe, man i am so exited!

[Tarkas]

yep and 1 min apart too hehe. But do i get the win for direct quote? LOL

[Loampounder]

(yes, full quote ftw)

If a company like Sigil say end of this coming week or beginning of the week after, it is certain to be the latter at the earliest.

[rabb1t]

It doesn't matter when it is unless you have an invite.

[pariah]

Originally Posted by rabb1t

It doesn't matter when it is unless you have an invite.

Heheh...I wonder when those will go out.

[rabb1t]

I'd expect when Brad said they would. (Hint: New peeps can't log in without invites. )

[Lulian]

* Waits. *

[rabb1t]

This thread wins, as it has more posts.

I am in Beta 3

Originally Posted by Aradune Mithara

This post isn't to show off or anything; rather to let you guys know the great progress we and SOE are making. I just now from home logged into Beta 3 on the SOE servers, created a character, and walked around a bit in one of the Qalian starting villages.

So we're definitely getting there. There's a few minor bugs (like the font not showing up, so it's using the default font), and a few issues with the patcher. As soon as we get those fixed, we will get all existing beta testers in, see how that goes, and it shouldn't be more than a week after the existing beta testers are in that we start bringing in batches of new players from the various pools (board, CGM, guilds, etc.) The only thing that would hold any of this up would be 1. problems the existing beta testers find and b. making sure that all of the beta 3 features are ready (they need to be tested, like, for example, ships).

The account creation was very easy -- used a station ID, code, etc. -- very smooth. The patcher was very nice (other than a few issues as I mentioned above that need to be tweaked). So the overall 'get a beta tester into Vanguard' process I would say is orders of magnitude better than it was in previous betas.

[greymain]

I really hate all this build up for beta invites. Knowing the thousands of invites going out will leave the vast majority of the 100,000 plus eligible, feeling rejected.

We know that anyone bothered to buy a magazine or guild members who had never heard of vanguard before someone in their guild pointed out quick entry into a beta are all are on an equal footing to those registered on the forums which could mean that just a few thousand forum members will be selected.

I would rather be left in blissful ignorance until an invitation arrived out of the blue or not as the case may be.

[Eburk]

I'm actually torn with this. I'm EXTREMELY excited for Beta 3, but whether or not I wanna get in...hm. There's a lotta work associated with beta and I like to talk about games, but regardless of whether I'm just testing or not, a lot of the content will probably still be revealed. And that's not necessarily something I want...so I dunno. Maybe I'd be better off just waiting and having Brad and some of the post a ton of new info

[Otarin]

Originally Posted by greymain

I really hate all this build up for beta invites. Knowing the thousands of invites going out will leave the vast majority of the 100,000 plus eligible, feeling rejected.

It seems to me that they've been purposefully vague about what they mean by the "forum" pool. It could be less than half the 100k number that's thrown around, if by "forum" pool they mean people that signed up before the end of '05 and actually received an application.

Of course, that could be false hope on my part since under that definition my chances improve considerably.

I just want in. Badly. I want this game to succeed, and just thinking about all the people that got invites but never login, much less test, makes my blood boil.

[rabb1t]

Originally Posted by Otarin

by the "forum" pool. It could be less than half the 100k number that's thrown around

It will be far less than half. If you go by what Brad stated, he wants to pack up the server. He has previously indicated each server, post release, is being targeted at 25,000. Assuming 2 continents are up of 3, that reduces the number to 2/3 = 16,500 total possible. Reducing further by previous posts which referenced 4,000 already in = 12,500 at most that you could count on.

If we assume that no board members are in (which we know to be untrue) that is roughly 100,000:12,500 or 8:1. Which, actually, 8 to 1 odds are really good. Most betas I've been in have draws closer to 25 to 35 to 1. (To compare, most lottery scratcher tickets have 6:1 odds to win any prize.)

if by "forum" pool they mean people that signed up before the end of '05 and actually received an application.

I'm sure many of us wonder if they will 'pull from the back first' as there are many of us in the 'prior to November 15th '05' category who never actually got our 'guaranteed' app in the first place.

The problem will arise when they think they sent us one, and crossed us off the list as it were, and then never send us a new one.
/cry
/cry
Hopefully, the invite a friend thing can help balance this out some.

Of course, that could be false hope on my part since under that definition my chances improve considerably.

It would not surprise me to hear that they did indeed 'start from the back first'. But, that would also likely reduce the chances of acceptance of the invite; peeps move on loosing interest, they change emails, etc. etc. Logically, more recent people have a chance of accepting. However, honor says they should pick from those waiting the longest first.

I just want in. Badly. I want this game to succeed, and just thinking about all the people that got invites but never login, much less test, makes my blood boil.

But even by doing nothing people are testing. That is their vote saying "I don't like the game in the current state". Now, if they just stop logging in that is a problem. However, if they stop logging in, but do keep posting on the boards and voicing what they don't like, that is ok.

Like I was in the Auto Assault beta for more than 6 months prior to release. When I played for the very first time I was overwhelemed by how it was different. I had a total blast... for about a week. The it rapidly became dull and boring, as all you did was drive in circles and hold down fire. I (and many many others) voice our opinions on why we felt the game was seriously lacking, and many of us stopped logging in for a while. The dev team took that to heart and delayed the game launch by 6 months in order to make tons of changes. As time went on those changes went in, and many were happy again. Me, I still felt it was 'meh'. I would go in maybe one or two sessions a month (it was only up 3 days a week for about 4-6 hours a session) and I'd again post my feelings on what was new or what I still felt was lacking. In this case, I didn't like the game very much, but by my 'not testing' I was still testing because I was giving feedback on why the game didn't draw me in and why I didn't care to play it because of what it was compared to what I hoped it would be and even compared to what I felt its potential was.

I also was one of the louder voices trying to improve D&D O, but when Ken Troop replied in my thread 'this is the way it is like it or don't' I decided to effectively stop playing. In that case, they didn't listen to the players, many of us did stop testing, and well... we all see what is happening now. The game is failing for exactly the reasons we testers referenced it would fail.

Got kinda rambly there, but again, peeps not testing is a form of testing as long as they are vocal on why.

[Otarin]

Originally Posted by rabb1t

If we assume that no board members are in (which we know to be untrue) that is roughly 100,000:12,500 or 8:1.

While those are still very good odds, I was thinking more along the lines of:

If by "forum" pool they mean people that signed up before the end of '05 and actually received an application. That would be more like 40,000(or less!):10-20,000 (going by Brad's estimates). Even better odds, hehe.

re: 'not testing' = testing
While that was true in your case, from my experience in other betas and from reading various posts by disgruntled NDA breakers, that is generally not the case.

[rabb1t]

You have to consider the following though.

Originally Posted by Brad

and it shouldn't be more than a week after the existing beta testers are in that we start bringing in batches of new players from the various pools (board, CGM, guilds, etc.)

Notice he lists 3 pools. That means they have set numbers they are pooling from each of the locations. So it wouldn't all be just x peeps from the boards. So, were your odds to increase with a certain type of board pool, they will decrease due to the invites being split 3 ways. Assuming an equal pull of ~12,000 split 3 ways you are looking at 4,000 per group.

Not trying to be super pessimistic about invites. I'm just saying I find beta apps are best compared to a wishing well. You drop in your coin and make your wish and if anything ever comes of that its a big surprise.

True enough about not-testers, but I wouldn't be surprised to hear that like 75% or more of all testers stop testing at some point during their access period. Public beta, during any phase, is really more about marketing than it is about having good testers. Yeah, you get good testers, sure, but it balances out with those who are just 'playing' or who just stop testing and those who simply never post good or bad comments.

[Danth]

"I really hate all this build up for beta invites. Knowing the thousands of invites going out will leave the vast majority of the 100,000 plus eligible, feeling rejected."

That's the beauty of owning an old PC. I know I won't be in beta, no anticipation necessary.


Danth

[rabb1t]

Unless you consider the fact that the mag and guild betas don't have PC specs, and that they very likely tossed out spec requirements for this phase and on.

[Navid]

Also keep in mind if you are in all three batches (you are signed up for the boards, you are in a guild, and you bought a magazine) you have three rolls at this 8:1 chance or whatever it is... I myself am in 2

[greymain]

I theory I am in 4 pools in that I am a member of 2 guilds who have applied for beta. this is reduced in that I have never received a respose from my Magazine email, got missed off of one guilds list. Always wonder if I completed my OVF registration. Only time will tell

[rabb1t]

Originally Posted by Navid

you have three rolls at this 8:1 chance or whatever it is...

I don't think it would reduce that way. With what I recall of stats, which is only a basic college level, I haven't had the mid-level required by the masters yet... you would have to break it out into individual pools and say 100,000:4,166 or 24:1 three times. Consider that when you buy a lotto ticket your chances to win increase, but the odds don't change. So this is like buying multiple lotto tickets.

(Of course, I don't even know if that kind of odd calculation applies, as that is based on a static pool of draw one then put it back in and draw again, while something like a beta pull is draw one, then draw another, where the odds increase with each pull.)

But hey, don't worry about odds too much. I once got 2 beta entries into SWG when the estimated odds were worse than 35:1. hehehe
(One from random beta pull and one from a contest.)

Grey - let's hope they don't go by "completed" registrations, as there are many of us who fit in that 'old member' category who, for whatever reason, never completed the reg or got out app emails. I'm thinking they may just have a bot run a check - if 'member < date x -> then check beta email list -> if not on list then = beta email pool'.

I don't know. If the peep in question is an older member and/or has a mag entry they should get in at some point.

Though I would worry about not getting a confirmation email from the mag. I got one I think within 15 min of completing my entry.