Beta test: I'm IN!!!!

[Padma]

Well, I followed the *first* method, so it shouldn't be buried under *any* paper.

You must then either:

* scan the final page with signature and email it back electronically (preferred)

 

[Hygro]

Originally posted by Padma
Well, I followed the *first* method, so it shouldn't be buried under *any* paper.

I did that too except it took me a few days and, well, I told the rest of the story a page or 2 back.

 

[Bloodclot]

Originally posted by Sir Eric
Any Australian Beta testers yet?

Has any one who got accepted for this beta test done beta testing before?
I just wanted to know if it was as much fun as it sounds....or whether it involves a lot of problem solving and retesting the same thing over and over till it works.

Congratulations to those lucky enough to be selected.

I'm not beta testing this game but I did beta test "Third Reich" years ago. It's not really problem solving that a beta tester does, its problem identifying. You're play testing in order to find the bugs and when you find one, you must email a detailed letter to the point of contact explaining exactly the moves you made and/or the things you clicked on that lead up to the bug. When the bug gets fixed, you have to test it to make sure that it truly is fixed. Also, you have to retest things that you previously tested because sometimes programmers will make a fix to one thing but the fix will inadvertently create a bug somewhere else. It can be, and is, hard time-consuming work, and I gotta tell ya, it sounds like a lot of fun and all, but by the time I was finished doing my job and the game finally got released, Third Reich was the LAST thing I wanted to play. Just an FYI.

 

[Chieftess]

Originally posted by Sir Eric
Any Australian Beta testers yet?

Has any one who got accepted for this beta test done beta testing before?
I just wanted to know if it was as much fun as it sounds....or whether it involves a lot of problem solving and retesting the same thing over and over till it works.

Congratulations to those lucky enough to be selected.

I've beta tested half the PTW patches. Testing is fun (more so when you enjoy the game you're testing). When you find a bug, you should try and recreate it, and see if others can recreate it, giving in precise detail what happened.

For exaple: (note: this is a fake bug that I made up. It's not gonna happen no matter how many times you try. I'm writing this, since someone actually tried a fake example I once wrote for another game...

Bug: Placing a worked tile causes the queue to disapear.

1 - double click the city of Athens
2 - In the city screen, Remove the tile 1 NW of the city
3 - Change the production to Hoplites.
4 - Enqueue 10 hoplites
5 - Place the tile back on and look at the queue.

You would then provide the save and screenshot (if needed).

Then, in the next update, you would check to see if that's fixed. Sometimes, programmers might focus on one part of the game, and fix the bug later, especially if it's asthetic, or a minor exploit.

But, there WILL be those nagging bugs that can't be reproduced, or reproduced on multiple computers. That's why you need to check bugs that other people find.

Also look for things that you wouldn't normally do, things that might happen once in a while. Test the extremes (i.e., the min and max world sizes in Civ3, the x/y axis).

 

[Arvedui]

I'm in!!!!

 

[Sunstone]

I received :
"Hello and welcome to the Beta Test for Civilization III: Conquests!" .
The NDA did arrive . Yeha. I hope all of you got this mail too.

 

[Chris85]

I just got my NDA repsonse back about an hour ago.

I feel a sense of relief.

 

[Padma]

So when I get home tonight and can check my email, I should have something waiting for me.

Good!

 

[Hygro]

Oh man, I have world a history final tomorrow and instead all I want to do is hang out with the beta testers in psuedo-history lands.

 

[Chieftess]

I had to re-fax mine. I hope they get it.

 

[pdescobar]

Heck, CT, you're close enough you could hand-deliver the thing if not

 

[tomart109]

Originally posted by Chieftess
I had to re-fax mine. I hope they get it.

How did you know you had to re-fax? Did you email them, asking if they got it?
I just faxed mine today - printout said it went through...

 

[Padma]

Well, I happen to know the bete-test QA was chatting with her (she was chatting with me, too ), so she may have told CT that they hadn't received it yet.

 

[tomart109]

ahh, ok....
well, i emailed and asked them and they did get it, so
...(flood of relief)...

 

[Turner]

I envy all you beta testers. I didn't even apply. Aside from beta testing DyP right now, I also work full time and go to school full time. I get maybe an hour a day of computer time at home. Most of that is email and PBEM. I wouldn't have time for this. . .

So. . . is there any latitude in the NDA to say what's going on? They just might increase sales if y'all can shine just a little bit of light on the game. . . .

 

[superslug]

I can't speak for the other beta testers, but the NDA intimidated me. I mean it's a legal document from a corportation that I signed and agreed to. I know I can't say WHAT is in the game, so I don't know that I can say even HOW it's being tested.

I'm going to take the NDA to heart (I did sign it) so my policy I'm afraid is I could tell you but then I'd have to kill you.

I guess the one thing they couldn't get mad about me saying is, the beta-testing is in the hands of fanatics and many more than PTW was, so rests easy, we'll do everything we can to make worth the money.

 

[Turner]

Originally posted by superslug
I can't speak for the other beta testers, but the NDA intimidated me. I mean it's a legal document from a corportation that I signed and agreed to. I know I can't say WHAT is in the game, so I don't know that I can say even HOW it's being tested.

I figured as much.

Originally posted by superslug
I'm going to take the NDA to heart (I did sign it) so my policy I'm afraid is I could tell you but then I'd have to kill you.

January 27th, 3573 is open for me. How does that fit into your schedule?

Originally posted by superslug
I guess the one thing they couldn't get mad about me saying is, the beta-testing is in the hands of fanatics and many more than PTW was, so rests easy, we'll do everything we can to make worth the money.

Of that, I have every confidence in the world. I know that y'all here would put the game first, looking at it from a gamers standpoint, and not as a bean-counter, looking at how much money it can make.

 

[Mark Young]

Thanks for replyng Bloodclot and Chieftess.

I guess in a way I'm glad that I didn't get chosen to beta test.
The amount of time that needs to be put into it sounds like a little more than I could manage at the moment. And beyond my level of playing ability.
With all the effort that you put into it, it doesn't seem like there is much time for playing the game. I guess that is it's own reward.

Anyway I've just recently discovered DyP so that will distract me untill C3:C gets released.

BTW has anyone seen civcube or civrules lately? They were both really upset that they weren't picked to beta test. I hope that nothing has happened to them.

 

[Steph]

Is any of the most productive modders, like Kal El or TETurkhan in?

It is really hard to find motivation to work on a mod, knowing you may very well start again in a few months, as you don't know it it will be compatible or what would be the new features...

 

[pdescobar]

Originally posted by Steph
Is any of the most productive modders, like Kal El or TETurkhan in?

I will only say that I am a tester and that I have recognized several members of the modding community whose work I greatly respect there. Individuals can choose to confirm, deny, or say nothing about their own status on their own.

It is really hard to find motivation to work on a mod, knowing you may very well start again in a few months, as you don't know it it will be compatible or what would be the new features...

That's very understandable. I imagine many people felt that way when PTW came around too. If it helps, any, remember that a good deal of what you have should transition easily to the expansion; recall that while a lot of things changed from vanilla to PTW, a lot of things stayed the same as well. If you are enjoying working on your mod and others are enjoying it as well, I say keep at it. Public Beta testing has just started and news items TF has posted are claiming a late October ship date. That means the expansion is several months away. That's a lot of lost development time if you put everything on hold and a good portion of what you do during that time will probably work with the new version with little or no changes necessary. And anyone who is going to use your mod but not buy Conquests will appreciate it if you keep at it too Finally, remember that while those of us who are testers get a peek at things to come, at this stage we can't do much more than plan and think about possibilities because things may come and go as testing progresses.