TheSixthAxis Criticizes Developer for Beta Testing
An author of TheSixthAxis recently posted up an article that questioned why Titan Studios, the developers behind Fat Princess, were doing a closed beta test for the PSN title. Turning the closed beta into a fun, little contest was a neat idea on the developer’s part, and does stand to create some positive buzz for the quirky, innovative title. What better process to see if gamers respond well to the title than to let actual gamers become exposed to it for the first time?
TheSixthAxis, however, feels otherwise and asks:
“…what kind of credentials would the general gamer have to provide valid, constructive criticism to a game clearly still very much in development?”
Well, let’s see. Anyone who’s been playing games for the past few years generally has a pretty good grasp on what makes games fun. You wouldn’t choose the games you did unless you found them enjoyable. And it’s not like the development team doesn’t have access to Sony’s internal QA testers; this is simply a way of getting public feedback on the game.
The author continues to judge gamers, arguing that:
“…they’d download the game, get bored within the hour and write off the promising PSN title as a bug-ridden disaster.”
Now this is just jumping the gun. Unless you’ve actually played the game, there’s no way to know if the title has had the majority, or all, of its bugs and glitches removed. Therefore, it’s unprofessional for TheSixthAxis to make technical criticisms without having had any hands-on experience.
From the gameplay footage that’s been shown, Fat Princess looks like a lot of fun, and definitely not something that gamers would suddenly get bored of. Public betas are simply a good way to iron out any possible gameplay imbalances and squash any remaining bugs, some of which only occur in very specific scenarios. Also, it’s important to point out that only 5000 people will be allowed to participate in this Beta. It’s not a simple contest that anyone can win.
So what do you guys think? Are Public Betas a waste of everyone’s time, or do you feel such Betas are a positive way of improving the final product? Let us know.
20 Responses to “TheSixthAxis Criticizes Developer for Beta Testing”
ill been playing the fat princess beta, and yea its buggy, but im having tons of fun
the biggest problem is that so many people are playing i can never get in a game…but thats really a good thing.
The game is quite a bit of fun, I just suck at it. I have the beta, and played it before at the GDC Blog meet up. My son likes the game more than me though.
I don’t like to hate on another writer……but where the fuck was this guy when the Halo 3 beta test was out? Or LBP? Or Warhawk? Or SOCOM? Or Super Street Fighter HD Remix? Or PlayStation Home? Or any other of countless public betas that have been out since the 7th generation consoles came out?
This guy either just crawled out of the cave he’d been sleeping in for the last 3 and a half years, or he’s a fucking moron. Either way, I don;t think anyone needs to be taking his opinion too seriously.
Hey John whats with the constant swearing in comments on the blog, i know people get mad but how does the f word help?
I think they were complaining about how beta testers are chosen promotionally vs. based on status or gaming experience. Somewhat flawed argument though, since most gamers who would be on the PlayStation.Blog are generally capable of conducting beta tests and they show enough interest and capability of writing up bug reports – simply by being involved in the blog and the community already. You’d think if they’d single out a flawed beta handout, they’d point out USA Today’s giveaway.
Either way, betas haven’t been associated with status since they stopped giving them just to G.A.P. people – this has been for years. Come on, you get betas for buying Qore, winning a raffle on a gaming site (LBP), or doing various other antics. I’m not sure why nofi (who is the owner of TheSixthAxis I think) would write this article. IGN and others will be giving out beta codes soon. To me, it sounded like NoFi was frustrated that TSA didn’t get any codes to hang out. Just my thought on it.
“Hey John whats with the constant swearing in comments on the blog, i know people get mad but how does the f word help?”
*chuckles* You think John is a mind reader? If you have a question like that, isn’t it kinda easier to ask the person that’s doing it and not someone else?
The Beta and the previous ones have been done for a few reasons.
1. Drum up interest in the community
2. The Resistance/LBP betas were to test the infrastructure. FP is probably to a a lesser extent.
Clearly Beta testing is done for a variety of reasons , but you can get some major feedback from your general gamer. After all, it’s the end user experience that you are looking at.
Sounds like the chaps over there didn’t get a invite for Fat Princess.
Bugs, beta. Isnt that the point?
I don’t care who tests it, just test it. And make sure the servers can handle the load.
next.
i never knew Sixth Axis were a bunch of nubs
i have been a beta testers for home, socom, killzone, resistance 2 and i think that is it. But the public betas never really did much, the private betas gave more feed back that was worth reading and more helpfull. I think that betas are a great thing, it can help give some realyl good feed back on a game and it helps to promote the game. But for the early betas you have to pick people that will play the game and go on the forums and stuff and talk about the problems with the game. Give some good feedback.
Once Home opened up to more beta testers the fourms started to get filled with a bunch of crap. A lot of the new people would come in and keep saying that it should have this and this and none of their ideas would ever make it into home because they would not be possible or would offened someone or would wreck home.
Another thing with betas is you have to understand that it is a beta. It is suppose to have bugs in it and the game is not finished. With the resistance 2 beta the private beta was good and fun and we talked about a lot of the problems with the game, and they did change some things that we said. But once it went to an open beta you got a lot of people in there that complained about so much stuff that was only happening because it was a beta. And when the game came out it was fixed. But idk people just need to get that betas are just a test. Also beta testers need to know that they should not get anything for testing the game. What they get is they get to play the game early nothing more
I think it would be a good idea for a game company to get a beta out as soon has possible and only send invites to people that wont go around showing videos of it and will give good feedback. Then the game dev can keep the beta updated with new game things they have been working on and the players can give their feedback right away and they can make the game the way the players want.
So to end this book i think that betas are good and it would be better to have more of them. But there is a difference between betas that are trying to improve the game and betas that are out there to kind of promote the game.
also i think it is funny that playstationlifestyle is going against sixth axis!
WEB WAR!!!
I did keep them to a minimum; there were only two! *laughs* Point taken though; I’ll tone down on my usage of “bad words” for the less evolved people that have yet to question exactly why these words are “bad” and have found no logical answer.
This guy really did piss me off though. I don’t like people that stick their heads in the sand and pretend that nothing matters except for what pertains to the point they’re trying to make.
@ D. Jackson,
Using the “F” bomb shows a lack of creativity and to claim that being able to use it makes you a more highly evolved human is a misconception. Since there are more creative words in the english language that can be used if you know how to us a thesaraus. Most people that tend to overuse that word show a lack of true ability to communicate on a different meaningful level. This is a main reason that I stay away from playing video games in front of the kids, since most M rated games feel that they have to use that word to get that rating to make sales increase.
I find it offensive on the grounds that it is a lazy sexual slang word that is a denegrating verb.
Okay enough on that, but most of what the writer of the Sixthaxis has to say is more about holding up the games release to find out how popular it will be before people have to pay for it. In some ways that is good but to some like the author feel that it is a waste of time and just release the game and demo to the public and let it create its own buzz…
This yutz is a jerkoff first and foremost. it is one of the
As was mentioned, after I got my PS2 when it 1st debuted, I was in the GAP/Playstation Underground. I LOVED getting access to the Beta Tests, and it didn’t matter what game it was. And God knows I was in a load of them, I think the count was 22 on the PS2. Anyway, when I got invited the 1st time, I was in awe. I actually had a chance, to play a game before it came out, but more importantly, GIVE FEEDBACK to the creators and designers of the game I was asked to test!
What a privelage it was then, and even more so NOW.
nn I took a lot of pride in testing them, no matter what game it was. Notebook at my side, and every little glitch, lag, frame rate issues etc. was marked down, then relayed via email to that company. Seriously, the 1st time you tested a game, now I can’t speak for anyone, but come on, YOU had to test the game BEFORE MILLIONS of people got them. YOU/I HELPED shape that game.
Now if some, or even none of your ideas/suggetions, were implemented, fine. But the errors were fixed, and you helped change that. I take it seriously as ever now. Maybe that’s why I am or have been invited/chosen and in the rare contest win( twice..lol) to partake in testing them. I was exstatic when I got the Motorstorm invite, as I was the SOCOM one. But SOCOM, even NOW, 8 months later, still has problems because NEW patch comes everyweek it seems…lol
HOME, I got that and I was PUMPED for it, because I wanted to have that since it debuted at E3. I sent in hundreds of emails, recommendations, suggestions in on what I thought was a great enhancement, or improvement in. Little Big Planet I was thrilled, and more excited because this game had a lot of promise and was innovative.. Resistance 2.. wow…online mode was the greatest online multiplayer ever, and played hundreds of hours on it.
And now I get to test out my Little Fat Princess and as usual, I will play the hell out of it, and send in a few dozens emails, if called upon. Yeah, some people play for an hour and then never pick it up again. The companies who DO send out contests, invites etc, should keep track of who sends in what so they know, hey, Haskell420 ahs sent us in 25 emails pertaining to problems her found while playing, and has also given 10 emails on improvements to the game to make it better!.
Now look at Joe friggan Blow.. he got a Beta Code, sent in 1, or no emails on problems. Well not we mark own that this guy doesn’t take it seriously, so next time, if he applies, or invited whatever.. we know HE is not the type of person we want playing, and testing our game.
Maybe that’s why I am have been asked to be in over 30+ Beta tests since 2000.
it’;s BECAUSE I take it seriously, and I do what is asked of me. To play our game, and if you find any problems, let us know so we can make the game BETTER for you! (us)
I will simplify this for the poor guy over at sixth axis
1. It is a beta.
2. Sorry you didn’t get into it.
3. ( hands sixth axis guy a tissue).
damn you developers for trying to interact with your customers! bastards!
@SPD55: If you say so. This is the wrong forum for such a debate, and I have no interest in pursuing it even it it was. We’ll just say that you have your opinion, and I have mine.
Too bad because usually beta tests like this are stress tests and nothing more.
If it’s buggy then it can reflect poorly on the perception. I really enjoyed the LBP beta, but I felt it was something that should have been given out to random gamers on PSN….not on websites that nobody goes to (like USA today).