Clans invited to play beta early! [Unconstructive whining will be deleted] - Page 24

aceshigh · 2012-06-13, 08:20 PM

What doesn't make sense to me is what kind of feedback could community leaders from other games give if they have never played the game or the original and it is a forum/brainstorming event type thing.

Karmic Revenge · 2012-06-13, 08:28 PM

Originally Posted by aceshigh

What doesn't make sense to me is what kind of feedback could community leaders from other games give if they have never played the game or the original and it is a forum/brainstorming event type thing.

1) Everything is marketing to an extent, so they're also there to be converted and evangelize.
2) I don't know as much about, say, art deco archetecture, as I could. But that doesn't mean I am incapable of looking at a building and rending an opinion.
3) SOE asked us all (I assume all of you vets got the same survey I did a long time ago) what we wanted to see in PS2. We hadn't seen the second game at all at that point. Some of us hadn;t played PS1 in a long damn time. That didn't mean we were incapable of having an opinion.

All the people in First Platoon will be playing eventually.

UnDeAdKiTtY · 2012-06-13, 08:30 PM

Thank you for addressing this Higby, you guys are doing great and we can't wait till beta is open for more people. Keep up the great work.

Everyone that is upset about this, please understand we all feel frustrated and you should express yourself but keep it nice we all want to play.

I am ( and you should be too) very happy that outfits are getting into a closed part of the beta to address balance. The better and sooner the feedback we will "ALL BENEFIT FROM" to make the game feel like and rock like planetside should. So thank you so much Higby for the update.

Bags · 2012-06-13, 08:45 PM

Thanks higs.

GreatMazinkaise · 2012-06-13, 08:48 PM

Here's hoping that Planetside wins over Forumside, but I'm not sanguine about that...

Hmr85 · 2012-06-13, 08:51 PM

Thanks for the update Higby

Celsian · 2012-06-13, 09:03 PM

Normally I would be upset that a development team would do this, but strangely I'm not.
Don't get me wrong, I've been waiting a long time for this, but from what I can tell so far, SOE has done an excellent job on this game. Far be it for me to step in and scold them for fairness.

This is a product, if they feel the best way to produce an amazing product is to bring in a few third party testers prior to the gigantic rush we all know will consume this game shortly, then go for it. I want this game to be going strong 5 or more years from now, let's make that happen!

As long as they make good on their promise of "a few weeks" and don't pull a Valve, all is well.

maradine · 2012-06-13, 09:06 PM

Originally Posted by GreatMazinkaise

Here's hoping that Planetside wins over Forumside, but I'm not sanguine about that...

Nonsense. All conflict on Auraxis shall henceforth take place in a dedicated Roleplaying section of the PSU forums. Individual battles shall be handled in threads, while gamemasters judge prose on structure and flow, and modify the world maps accordingly. Players are encouraged to develop collaborative backstories and meaningful interpersonal grudges.

See, no matter what you think right now, it can be worse.

Wait a tick, that was brilliant . . .

Xyntech · 2012-06-13, 09:26 PM

It is kind of interesting seeing some people take this as a bad thing. Especially considering that prior to E3, we didn't have anything but a vague "soon" to go on, which had been the same "soon" answer we had gotten for months prior.

During E3 we got several "in the next few weeks" tempered with a few "when it's ready" answers as well. Still more promising than "soon," but also a little vague still. But this information about certain players being on the verge of getting in or possibly already being in is confirmation that the gears of beta are truly starting to turn, which means that we will all be in "soon," instead of how it was previously, where the best we could have realistically hoped for is that a handful of us would be in "soon."

This is very exciting news. I hope the people who get in first are able to help get a lot of shit sorted out quickly so that more and more of us can get in and help out as well.

Red Beard · 2012-06-13, 10:03 PM

This thread has been quite the read, lol. It's frustrating to see people get upset about not being included...we have to remember that they don't owe us anything *even if someone is an humble, elite player, that has a lot exposure value and volunteers great ideas for free*.

I'm just thankful I've been able to see the development process this close, and being spoiled enough to have the indirect ear of the devs through this forum. (*Tip of the hat to Hamma*)

It seems like there's still comfusion as to what exactly that forum is for, so I'll just throw out there what I would be doing if I was Higby, and you guys can draw your own conclusions based on my groundless theorizing

If I'm Higby, I believe that social functions are key to the success of this game. I draw this conclusion based on his approach to in game VOIP. While with other issues he's been generally open to anything, he has been gracious but firm concerning the inclusion and implementation of in game VOIP and it's interaction with a player-driven missions system (which I am a fan of). It's his baby from what I've seen.

This tells me he feels the same way about command UI functionality and it's integration into both the missions system and the VOIP. This will help a lot of things, including population balance, more concise control over (potentially) larger fighting forces sharing a common command structure and general ease of communication for numbers MUCH greater than PS1. He wants to give the players the tools without telling them how to play (again, just my impression based on what I've seen).

So if I'm Higby, I want the command UI to be easy to get into, intuitive and new player friendly without taking away from more in-depth squad and outfit functionality.

In other words I want the squad and outfit experience of PS2 to be as unique and ground breaking as the open world scale, and general shooter mechanics of PS2.

How would I do that? Set up (*before hand*) a forum from amongst the future, general beta population specifically dedicated to the refinement of command and VOIP functionality.

Who do I pick? Leaders of dedicated shooter clans, leaders of multi-game clans, guys in media that run outfits/clans...People with clout/influence/ability to spread word of mouth quickly.

Why not "hardcore PS1 vets that were a glimmer in the eye of the pre-beta selection process"? Because I want to compare clan leader feedback from outside the community with outfit leader feedback from within the community, in order to compare and contrast them, and find the sweet spot/overlap/best fit scenario. Not only that, but I kill 2 birds with one stone, turning it into a medium of spreading word of mouth by giving people from other gaming circles a opportunity to feel included in the process, thus getting them excited about it, which is extremely contagious.

It's not a change in ideology, it's not a snub at the community; Higby designing a game with the greatest mass appeal while hanging on to the core elements that made PS1 a great game.

In fact he's going to make the core elements better. You wait and see.

Daffan · 2012-06-13, 10:23 PM

It's nice that Higby posted here and on Reddit, it must be quite daunting when their are these people that investigate every nook and cranny , cant let the leaks eventuate!

Thanks Higby

Sardus · 2012-06-13, 10:46 PM

Originally Posted by Higby

Sorry you guys didn't hear directly from us about what was happening with this, you should have. A lot of balls in the air around here lately, we're doing our best to stay as communicative as possible without giving anyone any expectations we can't deliver on. It's a tough balance and we'll get better.

Major props for the sincere post Higby.

Hamma · 2012-06-13, 11:10 PM

Higby

Brusi · 2012-06-13, 11:34 PM

Originally Posted by RedKnights

The strategy of getting people OUTSIDE the planetside community first, that run really tightknit clans, is actually a really really good idea, will attract a lot of attention, and make the game more far-reaching.

This sounds almost exactly like what blizzard did to EQ guild leaders in the lead up to the release of World of Warcraft...

eheheh

drennam · 2012-06-13, 11:44 PM

you know what, who cares? there is nothing a game needs more than constructive feedback more than ever in its devo stages.

most people play beta just for the fact of playing.
and we all know a bad design choice can take ages to backframe after its in place.

so if ya really have the games quality at heart, than shush and accept the fact that ps2's dev team are pouring their heart and minds into something epic...
just.
for.
us.