A question about open BETA

[TFU] Thegoon84 · 13 Jan 2010 at 13:52

Could some define open beta, i have google but havn't got the exact meaning.

Now reason i ask is this.... as far as i am aware open beta means any1 can get access to a beta key so long as they register with the company in question.

So if that is the case, why is a certain website (not naming it incase its classed as a competitor to ocuk) saying "Early beta key access when you pre-order BFBC2"

I cant understand it? i ordered my copy direct from EA surely if anything i'd be gaurenteed beta!

When EA said BC2 would be open beta in North America people could just log on and get a beta key! Really lost.... if only a few people can get a beta key doesn't that mean its closed beta?

Tripnologist · 13 Jan 2010 at 13:55

Open Beta does not equal unlimited keys.
Guaranteed Beta Access means you are guaranteed to get one of the limited keys.

Tombstone · 13 Jan 2010 at 14:05

The definition of Open Beta is quite varied and there isnt really any single one solid sure fire definition of it.

For some companies it simply means the phase after the lifting of NDAs.

For others it means that anyone can download and use, no keys, no registration.

For others it means that its the stage after "internal" only users

For others it means that its the phase where a limited number of people can use but simply a wider range than previous phases.

Its all very hit and miss as to which definition an individual company is using on a product. Generally speaking though its not often that Open Beta means anyone, anywhere can use it in an unrestricted form.

Disjunto · 13 Jan 2010 at 14:14

it's normally used to describe the beta being open to the public, rather than an isolated beta testing team or internal staff only. It isn't synonymous with a unlimited beta, where anyone can sign up and play, this is just one method of open beta testing.

Sleepery · 13 Jan 2010 at 14:22

Technically, a beta is a final testing phase before going live with a game / application / whatever. An alpha is the first phase of testing.

So basically, saying something is a beta has no relation to whether you're entitled to a key or not.

Strictly speaking an open beta should be a testing phase that anyone and everyone can take part in, but it's become so much part of the marketing machine for new games that the publisher only releases keys to websites and retailers that are heavily promoting the game. Not much you can do except live with it.

McGray · 13 Jan 2010 at 14:25

An open beta may as well be called a demo.

Disjunto · 13 Jan 2010 at 14:29

As a developer, I don't use alpha and beta to refer to testing phases, but about the state of the product. alpha is used to describe very early stages, it's either not pretty or not very functional, it has massive bugs and missing features, but is the first "usable" point in the products life. beta is used to describe a later state, where there are still lots of bugs, not all features are in, but it's reasonably close to the final product, optimisations should start to be added, most debug code removed and features start to become locked. RC (release candidate), is one that most people don't talk about much, but this is after all the features should be locked and is simply a big load of bug fixes and optimisation before final product

Devlish · 13 Jan 2010 at 14:36

Open beta used to mean open to everyone. The reason for having an open beta was to test some elements of the game, such as server load. It was a beta so it didnt reflect the final state of the game.

Then, as mmogs became more popular people started regarding open beta as a demo and reacting very badly to parts of the mmog that werent working (the very thing open beta was meant to do - stress test the game to breaking point). So companies realised that open beta had to virtually be a working environment. I think the turning point from my POV was the Neocron Open Beta. The idiot company in charge decided to use the last open beta before launch as a vehicle to test common exploits. So anyone thinking of buying the game was met with a completely disfunctional economy where everything could be copied by using the transporters. It was kind of how WOW would be if everyone started off in T5 gear with billions of gold in the bank, nothing to buy because there were about 800 copies of the best weapon in the game being chucked away in the street, and with a range of hacks at their disposal. New people joining were just being killed on the spot. Unsurprisingly not many signed up once the game started up (with all the exploits squashed, but waaaay too late). Oops rant over.

So nowadays all of the development is done in closed beta with NDA protection (as far as it went) and Open Beta became advertising.

Finally some companies realised they were giving stuff away for free, so they started offering Open Beta keys to other things, like pre-purchasing.

So open Beta as a concept is dead. It is basically a demo.

Rroff · 13 Jan 2010 at 14:51

Open BETA usually means the NDA has been lifted - nothing more nothing less... its not really an indication as tho how open to the public access to the beta is.

Main reason for an open beta as mentioned above is to test server loads, etc. before the main product goes live - so you minimize unwanted suprises on the day it finally goes live with full content.