Would you pay to help test Civ5?

[EdCase]

No. Beta testing is boring, repetitive and frustrating (if you do it correctly).

I'd say 9 out of 10 times I've alpha'd and beta'd over the years I didn't end up buying the product as I was burnt out on it.

 

[thungrim]

No. Beta testing is boring, repetitive and frustrating (if you do it correctly).

I'd say 9 out of 10 times I've alpha'd and beta'd over the years I didn't end up buying the product as I was burnt out on it.

Wow, you said it man. Also, we could pretty much count on hordes of people who mistake "beta" for "early access". Just imagine all the threads... "OMG! I paid $XX for this and its BROKEN!"

 

[Chalks]

Wow, you said it man. Also, we could pretty much count on hordes of people who mistake "beta" for "early access". Just imagine all the threads... "OMG! I paid $XX for this and its BROKEN!"

Yep, post number 4 dude, post number 4.

 

[Decimatus]

Why not wait 5 months and pay to own the final game like any reasonable person would?

This isn't the "Reasonable Civvers" forum, this is the "Civ Fanatics" forum.

 

[nzk13]

It depends on how much, $20-$30 is about as high as i would go.

 

[Shurdus]

No. I will buy the game for sure, paying to let me tell them what I think about it... No thanks.

 

[Mathew952]

If game testing didn't suck, then maybe. But just imagine that you had to play Civ V, in stupid bizarre ways, TRYING to make it crash and glitch with stupid combinations of things that someone somewhere might maybe do and then whine about, for 8 hours a day, 5 or 6 days a week, for 6 months. All while keeping studious notes about EXACTLY how you broke it each time.

 

[Janig]

...or imagine that you were given the opportunity to help. Lets say you get assigned to playthrough, cuz lets be honest we cant depend on strangers to do demanding work for us. some of ur attitudes make me sick! god

 

[StittsvilleJame]

Absolutely not. Because "Patience is the companion of wisdom.” - St. Augustine

 

[NBAfan]

I'll pay to play but not to test.

 

[Shurdus]

...or imagine that you were given the opportunity to help. Lets say you get assigned to playthrough, cuz lets be honest we cant depend on strangers to do demanding work for us. some of ur attitudes make me sick! god

I lolled.

Testing does suck, and there will be people testing the game. Civ IV was tested by strangers and they did fine by my standards. So you may think of this as you will, I think it worked fine. Can and will trust these strangers to do my demanding work!

 

[jimmywat]

Because the question is actually misleading.
Beta testing of any game that isn't on a server is very tedious.
Beta testing is done to iron out problems that occur with different computer set ups, finding things that have been overlooked, and to stress-test the program. The last part isn't that important with non-server games, which means you are looking mainly for CTDs. This also mean that, if done properly, you will be playing the same thing a gazillion times, just to make sure that the CTD is reproducible and/or that it wont happen.
You will also have to play a certain way, i.e. try all the civs with advanced start, or whatever.
Most people don't know how beta testing is done. And while an open beta of, say, WoW can be fun, beta testing Civ is an entirely different beast. With the WoW open beta, you were mostly stress testing, which means that you actually got to play the game.

You do beta because you want to help with the game and see what it offers ASAP, not to play it nor have fun.

This, and what Chalks said, except I don't want into Civ beta, as I simply don't have the time required anymore (or they would have to pay me a fair bit more than what I make now).

Thanks for this very informative answer. It cures me from wanting to Beta test. However, what about the stress test? I would pay to stress test. I represent a richer, more enthusiastic group and would pay. It would also be a great mailing list for the company: Here is a list of all the people with money to burn who like your product. Putting on my greed hat, I might offer tiers, $500 for the earliest down to full price for the closest to full release. They could construct their own price/profit curve from proven data.

 

[epicivfreak]

to the OP:
I would "pay" to test civ5 if Firaxis said they'd let all those who pre-ordered the deluxe version to get in on the testing. That would be the only way.

 

[paradigmx]

Civ doesn't need to be stress tested, it's a primarily single player game and it's not putting much load on any servers, stress testing is done almost exclusively by MMOs

 

[aziantuntija]

I dont want to test any software, especially not some game that im supposed to enjoy in about 5 months, cause it would just ruin the experience for civ5 when its released.

If they pay me really well then i might test, but i most certainly wouldnt pay for it myself!