Beta Key Givaways to active loggers

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whiteBoy88 wrote:

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Kolmir wrote:

I think the best solution would be to simply re-inject the accounts which are beta certified in the pool when they did not play for a month or so. Doing so, they could decrease the timer to allow more people in. Also, those who did not log in the game for a month should simply have their beta status removed.

We are here to test a product, if you don't test it anymore for a month well I am sorry, but you do not deserve the beta member title at all.

We're talking about a month here, which is huge.

Adding those accounts back to the selection pool would lower your chances of being picked. Why would you want that? Even if they reduced the timer to compensate, you still wouldn't have a much better chance of being picked on any given day. It would be far more favorable to suggest that they just reduce the timer and leave all the "inactive" accounts where they are.

Anyway, searching for a solution implies that there's a problem that needs solving, but GGG hasn't said this is a problem. They are getting the number of active testers they want, so who has the right to say the system is broken? After all, we're here to test a product, like you said. GGG must be content with the amount of testing and feedback that beta members are providing, or they would simply invite more testers.

You probably misunderstood me. Those players would not be put back in the pool. Why would they add them back if they have been removed from the beta tester group for a good reason ?

Your logic about solution - problem is, in my opinion, flawed. While GGG might not see a problem, it is pretty spread out from those who did not reach the beta member group that this method is simply not optimal at all. This can also be an indicator on future behaviors, if GGG doesn't listen to their community at all during the beta phase, what might happen during the launch ? Even if there is no "problem", is it impossible to actually "make it better"? If managing the beta members pool is too much work, they could at least have more events for those who are very active to participate and have an extra chance for a key. Amateur drawings, class design ideas etc. I've found out that usually, those with the best ideas are usually among your clients and just doesn't know how to express their ideas. Sometimes, it can be very rewarding to simply please your potential future customers.

I think that the system currently used is perverse and double-edged. It creates an over-hype over something abstract, people are, without even realizing it, playing a game while waiting for their beta membership. They are playing a lottery wheel, it keep the suspense active. However, by doing it this way I think that some unwanted effects might happen:
1) When the open beta or launch will be released, playing the game will LOSE in value. You are not anymore a special one among the others, you are just one among the others.
2) People might lose interest. Do some research on Google Insight and alike, you will note that Path of Exile is not following a healthy progressing curve, it looks more like a rolley coaster.

I will take myself as example, when I first discovered Path of Exile, I was amazed. It looked like THE real Diablo 3 many around me were waiting for. So I quickly spread the word to some close friends to check out this game. Then, I saw the multiple rants on the forum... It made me wonder, but I continued the fight. Now, as time pass by and I know that I will more likely not be accepted, I tell people around me to check out this game... Might be fun. However, not to expect anything from it. I even think that the game of "being accepted" is slowly replacing the game itself for my case. I do not think their system is working as intended, unless their goal was to make people give up on the game.

Now, you might say that people like me doesn't deserve to play this game or that I am simply one among a vast sea. However, how would you know ? If I am thinking this way, some other people are probably thinking alike. What if it's a hidden majority ? Should this game be reserved to those for whom the game plays a major role in their life ? If so, then the timer is not the right system.

At the moment, you are golden if you just "might" want to play and cursed if you actually do care about playing. However, the curse can be cured if you get selected by the timer.

Anyway, this is only my thought as you might have seen, I've used mostly personal pronouns. Feel free to disagree.

its over 9000!!!!!

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Kolmir wrote:

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Kolmir wrote:

I think the best solution would be to simply re-inject the accounts which are beta certified in the pool when they did not play for a month or so. Doing so, they could decrease the timer to allow more people in.

You probably misunderstood me. Those players would not be put back in the pool. Why would they add them back if they have been removed from the beta tester group for a good reason?

Bolded the pertinent statement.

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Kolmir wrote:

Your logic about solution - problem is, in my opinion, flawed. While GGG might not see a problem, it is pretty spread out from those who did not reach the beta member group that this method is simply not optimal at all.

Not optimal for getting those people into the beta? Of course. No closed beta system allows access to all desiring people. It's only a problem for those who aren't getting selected. As volunteer testers, we are giving our time for GGG's benefit. If they're getting what they need, then the system is working fine. In the beta's first few days, they actually invited more than double what they wanted, because the fans wanted in.

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Kolmir wrote:

This can also be an indicator on future behaviors, if GGG doesn't listen to their community at all during the beta phase, what might happen during the launch?

They do listen. They take feedback seriously. Beta members can attest to this; devs respond to almost all of the feedback and bug report threads in the beta section. You can find numerous replies from GGG in the general, beta invite, and suggestions forums. It can even be seen in some of Chris' early posts about the invite system. They've changed it more than once based on feedback and complaints.

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Kolmir wrote:

Even if there is no "problem", is it impossible to actually "make it better"? If managing the beta members pool is too much work, they could at least have more events for those who are very active to participate and have an extra chance for a key. Amateur drawings, class design ideas etc. I've found out that usually, those with the best ideas are usually among your clients and just doesn't know how to express their ideas. Sometimes, it can be very rewarding to simply please your potential future customers.

To quote a number from Chris, "thousands" of beta keys have been given out on the forums, Twitter, Facebook, and to game sites and streamers. Numerous beta members have also given away their friend invites on the forum, youtube, and streams by way of contests or random drawings. GGG has also hand-picked numerous forum members to be beta testers.

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Kolmir wrote:

I think that the system currently used is perverse and double-edged. It creates an over-hype over something abstract, people are, without even realizing it, playing a game while waiting for their beta membership. They are playing a lottery wheel, it keep the suspense active. However, by doing it this way I think that some unwanted effects might happen:
1) When the open beta or launch will be released, playing the game will LOSE in value. You are not anymore a special one among the others, you are just one among the others.
2) People might lose interest. Do some research on Google Insight and alike, you will note that Path of Exile is not following a healthy progressing curve, it looks more like a rolley coaster.

This is the case for many betas where you "opt in" for access. You might get in, you might not. If it were any different, it would be open beta. Hype and advertising are essential to the success of a free-to-play game, especially from an unknown indie team.

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Kolmir wrote:

Now, you might say that people like me doesn't deserve to play this game or that I am simply one among a vast sea. However, how would you know?

I don't think that at all. I believe everyone should have an equal chance, and that is how the invite timer works (sans people who try to exploit the system, which is unavoidable).

preach on whiteboy!

It's called a 'Closed' Beta for a reason. It's for the developers to test their product as they see fit. No one has a right to access unless the devs deem it so. If this were an Open Beta and you were denied admission, then it would be a different story. As i see it the system is perfectly intact and finctioning properly.

@Kolmir - If a company put out an advertisement for 3 job openings, are they perverse simply because they have a limit to how many people they are hiring? They need only 3 people for their business but welcome all to apply. Is that somehow unfair to you because you got excited with anticipation but didnt get a job?

As much as I would like to play, apparently Kolmir as well, I have to agree with the fact that this system is working for GGG. The purpose of the beta is to test EVERYTHING. This means the amount of players currently active may be putting some sort of strain on the hardware. If this is the case then let's cross our fingers and hope the developers decide to upgrade. This would allow for more players to come into the fold. If I were running a beta, my intent would be to have as many people testing it as feasible. This means I doubt GGG is keeping the timer to be mean to all the applicants.

Also, as for losing potential customers, I find it highly unlikely. I'm curious to hear about the topics so I rummage through the forums here and there, but I will eventually lose interest and kill time doing other things. If that email comes however, my eagerness to play will easily be reestablished and possibly 2-fold as I would now have a key.

I've seen some of the names drawn from last year. Now, though I would feel bad about grabbing up a key so quickly, while others have waiting so long, that feeling will certainly not stop me from cutting and pasting the beta key as soon as physically possible.

give us it
DanAbnormal

Once again whiteboy, you did not understand what I said in my first comment. They need to re-inject these places, not the people.

If they accept one person each 25 minutes, I guess it's right to believe they have the mean to support this. If only 1/2 of these beta members play the game while the other is completely idle (and mind you, I know for sure some people have not played the game while being a beta tester for minimum a month), then they could at least put back these seat open for people who are actively looking to participate.

To take the company comparison, if you have 3 jobs opening as you said, you hire 3 then 1 goes missing. You replace him.

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Kolmir wrote:

Once again whiteboy, you did not understand what I said in my first comment. They need to re-inject these places, not the people.

If they accept one person each 25 minutes, I guess it's right to believe they have the mean to support this. If only 1/2 of these beta members play the game while the other is completely idle (and mind you, I know for sure some people have not played the game while being a beta tester for minimum a month), then they could at least put back these seat open for people who are actively looking to participate.

To take the company comparison, if you have 3 jobs opening as you said, you hire 3 then 1 goes missing. You replace him.

But if you need 3, and you know 1 is going to go missing anyway, (which they do), you hire 4. 1 goes missing. mission accomplished.
This is exactly what happens here.

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Kolmir wrote:

Once again whiteboy, you did not understand what I said in my first comment. They need to re-inject these places, not the people.

That is not what you originally said. Whiteboy hilighted your exact statement. You should be more clear, when trying to get your point across.

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Kolmir wrote:

To take the company comparison, if you have 3 jobs opening as you said, you hire 3 then 1 goes missing. You replace him.

This would seem only logical. However, let's say the company ran into some unexpected hardship after the person went missing or even before. Perhaps they are not being as profitable as they thought, or perhaps they realize that the 2 others left are perfectly capable of performing all the job functions of 3 people. Point is, we don't know what's going with the company and should not judge them or claim that their practices or systems are broken simply because we don't see what is going on. Nor because we, like so many others, have not been picked yet.

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Shadsy wrote:

But if you need 3, and you know 1 is going to go missing anyway, (which they do), you hire 4. 1 goes missing. mission accomplished.
This is exactly what happens here.

This could also be the case, again we dont know. The system is working as intended. Perhaps seeing how many users go inactive after a month is part of the testing. Maybe that's information the devs would like to know.

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troopertroup wrote:

maybe they shoud have a filter for people who are getting keys that last logged on in august or spetember.... its absoutely not fair at all people have keys rotting away because they never are logged on... i sat here for at least 3 hours and every time someones name came up i only saw one person that logged on in october..... rediculious!!!!

You've been signed up for 1 day man....