Question about joining the Beta

[furball]

Originally Posted by gzambo

should someone from each of the top 20 alliances not have a rep in the beta to ensure impartiality

How about we put competent PA players in the betas to actually get an idea of how the stats work? Putting 2 players from each alliance in will just ensure that the top alliance players have it easy and the stats aren't put under any stress.

What you need is a lot of intelligent good players to test and play around with the stats, building up big fleets to try to find flaws. People like jer and pig would be included in that. I'm sure that they wouldn't mind trying to 'break' the game, as Soveh suggested, in return for this access.

[hook]

Originally Posted by furball

How about we put competent PA players in the betas to actually get an idea of how the stats work? Putting 2 players from each alliance in will just ensure that the top alliance players have it easy and the stats aren't put under any stress.

Cause evidently, the only decent players are in the top alliances.

Oh please.

[Phil^]

Originally Posted by hook

Cause evidently, the only decent players are in the top alliances.

Oh please.

He isnt saying "two players from the top alliances"
he's saying "the top two players from each alliance"

besides, it sounds like hes more concerned that alliance players wont test properly, or if they do it will be for their alliance and not the game that will benefit from it.

[furball]

Originally Posted by hook

Cause evidently, the only decent players are in the top alliances.

Oh please.

It is generally the case that the best players are in the best alliances. Quality rises to the top for two reasons:

1. Good players in alliances of lesser quality generally move on to a better alliance to further their PA careers. You won't get #1 if you're not in a top 5 alliance.
   
2. Top alliances are constantly looking for good players to join them.

I did mean to add this as a rider to my previous post to prevent replies like yours, but it's a bit late now.

[hook]

Originally Posted by Phil^

He isnt saying "two players from the top alliances"
he's saying "the top two players from each alliance"

Who is? Cause I certainly do not read that in furball's post I replied to.

[hook]

Originally Posted by furball

It is generally the case that the best players are in the best alliances. Quality rises to the top for two reasons:

1. Good players in alliances of lesser quality generally move on to a better alliance to further their PA careers. You won't get #1 if you're not in a top 5 alliance.
2. Top alliances are constantly looking for good players to join them.

I did mean to add this as a rider to my previous post to prevent replies like yours, but it's a bit late now.

I'm not here to nit-pick on your posts, mind you. I replied because I feel there's some quality in smaller alliances aswell (who choose a new challenge instead of planet management), these players shouldn't be dismissed out of thin air simply because they're not amongst the top ranks. Therefore I feel gzambo has a point saying these alliances shouldn't be disregarded (easily, I may add).

[furball]

Originally Posted by hook

I'm not here to nit-pick on your posts, mind you. I replied because I feel there's some quality in smaller alliances aswell (who choose a new challenge instead of planet management), these players shouldn't be dismissed out of thin air simply because they're not amongst the top ranks. Therefore I feel gzambo has a point saying these alliances shouldn't be disregarded (easily, I may add).

The usual invites should still be available via #alliances, just that access should also be given to the "intelligent good players" (as I referred to earlier) to ensure that full testing occurs.

Doing a Noah and putting two of each alliance into the beta seems like an intrinsically bad idea to me.

[hook]

Originally Posted by furball

The usual invites should still be available via #alliances, just that access should also be given to the "intelligent good players" (as I referred to earlier) to ensure that full testing occurs.

Doing a Noah and putting two of each alliance into the beta seems like an intrinsically bad idea to me.

I'm not necesarilly convinced of it being a bad idea, I just don't believe it's sufficient on it's own. Perhaps a combination with high-profile players to stress the stats would give a good reflection of how the community experiences the stats, which is in turn in the game's interest aswell.

Dismissing these possibly less-quality players doesn't seem like a good strategy to me either, seeing they ARE a part of the customer base and possibly represent how new players experience the stats.

(P.S To the person(s) negrepping me - please point out the flaws in my argument as a catchy one-liner doesn't help anyone one bit. Thanks)

[Kargool]

Here is one idea, all the top 100 players from the round before automatically qualifies as beta testers.

[furball]

Originally Posted by hook

Dismissing these possibly less-quality players doesn't seem like a good strategy to me either, seeing they ARE a part of the customer base and possibly represent how new players experience the stats.

Yes, they are part of the customer base. The same part of the customer base that regularly suggests that we include Death Stars in the game.

More importantly, they share with the top players a common goal - for the game to be as balanced as possible. I believe that a beta tester needs either experience or skill to succeed in the role, preferably both.

[Marv]

Erm..on the Alliances matter.

All the alliance HC reps that sit in #alliances were invited to join the beta.

Not all of them chose to but I did speak to them in that channel and invite them to join.

[notsure]

Originally Posted by robban1

#Strategy ; #Support - Sovereign

well with the amount of ppl in support its kinda weird how little you guys do to the ppl asking about help about stuff. so i take it you guys are the pa-team asskissing crew^^ no wonder nothing happens gg

I've always found the people in #support extremely helpful - they've either solved my problems, or if they couldn't they've referred me to someone who could.

[hook]

Originally Posted by furball

More importantly, they share with the top players a common goal - for the game to be as balanced as possible. I believe that a beta tester needs either experience or skill to succeed in the role, preferably both.

Since I really do not have much time for this, let's agree to disagree then. (P.S I also do not believe 'balanced stats' are the be all end all).

[Ultimate Newbie]

Originally Posted by robban1

well with the amount of ppl in support its kinda weird how little you guys do to the ppl asking about help about stuff.

Certain questions can only be handed by people with admin access - namely, all questions relating to people being closed and the like. As this represents about 40% of all the questions, then it is true - support must hand over multihunter cases to multihunters. Mind you, that is the whole point of having multihunters.

If you do, however, happen to have a question that you would like answered, then ask it and we'll do our best to answer it. What specifically are you refering to?

so i take it you guys are the pa-team asskissing crew^^ no wonder nothing happens gg

It is unfortunate that nothing can be done about the morons who inhabit this forum - more specifically, you.

and i find it intresting how fast jerome's stats got ignored and beta continues with shitstats as usual

Just because Jerome's ship stats havent been implemented, does not mean that they've been ignored. Whilst i dont know the exact reason why they havent been implemented (i could ask, i suppose), a quick search through common sense could name a couple of possibilities; the elimination of a whole race (and associated coding with all the little things attached to the race), that there is dissent from jerome's stats (not everyone likes them, contrary to popular belief), etc. Whilst ship stats dont need to satasfy both of those conditions, jerome's stats represent a very significant shift compared to previous rounds - similar to R6. That is not neccessarily a bad thing by far; just i think it warrants further study. "Look before you leap".

[jerome]

the main issue is they haven't even taken some of the suggested ideas or well ANYTHING to make the game any more interesting, the stats are still as one dimensional as ever and why don't people realise how boring that is, any skill pa ever had has definitely gone by now; it's the people who adapt quickest who are good, not the people who are good several rounds later

[Kargool]

Originally Posted by jerome

the main issue is they haven't even taken some of the suggested ideas or well ANYTHING to make the game any more interesting, the stats are still as one dimensional as ever and why don't people realise how boring that is, any skill pa ever had has definitely gone by now; it's the people who adapt quickest who are good, not the people who are good several rounds later

Wont less stats make the game more one dimensional? Could you explain to me why only 3 races would make the game more varied?

[Ace]

Originally Posted by Marv

Erm..on the Alliances matter.

All the alliance HC reps that sit in #alliances were invited to join the beta.

Not all of them chose to but I did speak to them in that channel and invite them to join.

You asked all ???

[pig]

Beta is always a contentious subject. The problem that actually arises from beta is that you dont seem to have a team who look to test. Instead you have random people who I have never heard of playing and being zik and going "ZOMG I'M #1 IN BETA!!!". Now I dont mind people seeing to see if zik is effective etc. Thats coolio with me, but if you controlled the quality of the beta. For example have an application process where people can apply.

Then one of the support staff can do something and select a group of players on there crudentials in the game and the commitment. Now before people have a go at me and go "but what about the random player etc" **** them. Its beta its supposed to be getting it right before the round. There is normally always an open beta just before the round so everyone being on a level playing field is not an issue.

Now how do you select these players? I would personally invite some and do the application process. Take proven players who know and understand the stats. I would also consult them on what could be added/taken away and have a coder on hand to do the work and change the game.

I would like to add at this point that I believe there needs to be a change in the format of the stats. Those who played the world cup may agree with me in that the world cup stats were fresh, balanced and fairly interesting. Why not go back to two races? It was balanced, tactical and I enjoyed it. As did others with calls of reverting back to those stats. I'm not a developer/programmer etc but there are some clever people in this community who are ideas people from jerome` to jester people are there to help out.

Who is timeline btw? Or am I out of the loop?