Buy in Beta Testing Anyone?

As a PS3 and PS Vita owner, I am not sure of the ins and outs of what a Beta Program entails with Sony ... how much time is needed to set it up and get approval to have a Beta Program. In addition, the table must be placed on PSN for us users to access and download it.

I am willing to pay to be a Beta Tester on PSN. What Do I mean? I mean I am willing to buy the Table Pack up front in order to Beta Test it. Beta testing can be as little one or two weeks, I don't even think it needs to be more than one week. A special website must be set up for the Beta Testers that they only have access to in order to report bugs. In this program, Beta Testers would also receive a special digital free gift for Beta Testing ... it could be as simple as an Avatar to use on the PSN network, a special virtual pinball that glows, so you can see the ball more easily in the most distant, Birdseye camera view of the table, or a wallpaper. The gift should be given upon payment and download of the Beta Version.

This may be the most economically feasible way to set up a Beta Testing program as FarSight will get income up front and we, knowing that it is a Beta Test will not be disappointed if bugs are in the table as we are upon its official release. Once the game is released, we will just download its official release since we have already paid for it.

So the question is, are you willing to pay to be a Beta Tester? Yes or No?

Oh and please leave your comments on your thoughts ...

Since I planned on buying all of the DLC the first moment I could I would love to do something like this. At this point all I want is the bugs to be fixed and this to be done in a timely manner. In a little bit I will get to work on starting a compendium in the PS Vita section of these forums that categorizes and lists all of the bugs and glitches that are found on each table. Hopefully that will help speed up the bug fixing process for the developers.

You know, I have seen this sort of 'Beta Testing" program before and it is toted as "Pre-Order and you also get the opportunity to be a Beta Tester!" So it certainly is possible.

I've been a beta tester for many playstation games as I'm sure many others here have been. I've been in closed, invite only betas, semi-open betas where it was open to all who pre-ordered and open betas that were open for anyone to download on psn. The most frustrating part of beta testing was that almost all reported bugs found during beta testing were in the initial release. I now understand that its mostly because of the long approval time for sony to approve the patch to go live. So we'd beta test for a month and then have to play with the full release with the bugs for a month and then finally the first patch would come out to start fixing some of the bugs that we found in the pre-release beta. I have a feeling that many users aren't going to understand this concept.

I've volunteered my services, but I cannot say I would pay. I suppose if it was regarded as a pre-order, per the original poster that would be cool.

I think it could really work out, especailly if it is toted as a pre order deal with a free gift. We should really be Beta Testing on talbes that are expected to be released two or three months from when we test them, that gives FarSight time to make changes possibly before the tables release date ... at least the very prominent bugs could be fixed like the non-transparent PinBot panel in BOP or failure of the left center rollover with the red light to register in The Black Hole.

The useful thing about a semi-public beta is that we would all be looking for things outside those normally specifically tested for by the developer. Also the majority of us have experience of the actual pinball machines too, which can be quite extensive in the case of home owners.

I would love to help out in any way I can, simply because I want the game to be as good as possible.

RetroBlast said:

I think it could really work out, especailly if it is toted as a pre order deal with a free gift. We should really be Beta Testing on talbes that are expected to be released two or three months from when we test them, that gives FarSight time to make changes possibly before the tables release date ... at least the very prominent bugs could be fixed like the non-transparent PinBot panel in BOP or failure of the left center rollover with the red light to register in The Black Hole.

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I don't know what FarSight's development schedule is but I don't think they have a playable product that far from the release date.

I think they are at least a DLC pack ahead ... granted, that would mean they have 2 tables just about ready to go and two tables being worked on, I would say that is realistic, I would also say that all of them have bugs. Also many people are saying hold off new content until its more polished. I think if FarSight started a Beta Testing pre order, people would be patient because they would at least know something is going on.

Invite only beta.

yep and I want to be invited .... hehe

Yes, I would definitely be interested in doing this. I plan on buying all tables that come out anyways, so I'd be in essence pre-ordering, but I'd also be helping to make sure that the tables are as bug free as possible on release. Sounds good to me!

I think this would be difficult for FarSight to do. Yes, there are large-scale betas, but those are from large developers, or have a large backing from Sony or MS behind them. My cousin is a developer, and I asked him if I could beta test a PS3 game he was working on at the time, and he said the only way I could do that is if I had a Sony dev kit (which I didn't).

I already pay to be a beta tester!

starck said:

I already pay to be a beta tester!

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Oh I see what you did there.

Yeah - I like beta testing!

I would kill to be a beta tester, if for no reason then I would not feel so impotent when the blatantly obvious bugs make the release.

Not going to pay for that though, I mean seriously at what point do you draw the line...free is one thing but PAY to do work is a bit beyond.

Of course 99% of beta testers never submit a bug report, they just want early access and game companies know this. Maybe if they did a fairly open beta and based on the quality of submitted reports would whittle down the pool of candidates invited to test in the future it would be a winning formula. If you don't put in any work you don't get in again.

Test is work, ask anyone who does it for real, it isn't playing video games all day for a paycheck.

There is a limit to what most players can contribute though. Look at the Black Hole gate problem. Dunno about anyone else but the last time I played BH in real life was the year it was released, in some Vegas craphole where I had to play on a stool I was so little...so my memory of specific game rules is a bit hazy

I have already beta tested on PSP , PS3 , and PC . The requirements are a good english communicating skill in describing specific occurences in the game , whether or not they can be re-created at will , and helping the DEV TEAM find those problems via your diagnosis so they can run over their code and remove or alter the game. This DOES mean playing the game in a pre-release state , this DOES not mean that is all that is required . You play, write detailed reports on what flaws are found , and try to "break" the game in playing it. You do not quality consult the said game , You quality check the game . meaning your job is not to offer an opinion on how good the game is , but to check it for flaws prior to public sale. Such beta testers might have to continually receive and send back "beta" games via postal delivery , and maintain a NON DISCLOSURE AGREEMENT .

Sinistar said:

I have already beta tested on PSP , PS3 , and PC . The requirements are a good english communicating skill in describing specific occurences in the game , whether or not they can be re-created at will , and helping the DEV TEAM find those problems via your diagnosis so they can run over their code and remove or alter the game. This DOES mean playing the game in a pre-release state , this DOES not mean that is all that is required . You play, write detailed reports on what flaws are found , and try to "break" the game in playing it. You do not quality consult the said game , You quality check the game . meaning your job is not to offer an opinion on how good the game is , but to check it for flaws prior to public sale. Such beta testers might have to continually receive and send back "beta" games via postal delivery , and maintain a NON DISCLOSURE AGREEMENT .

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That leaves me out then dont it...i can produce code but hell if im expressive....still its all graevy to me made best purchase in ten yrs game wise

The resons we won't see beta testing on the consoles are both time and money. The beta version would have to go through the same console approval process that the DLC goes through. Thats 5 weeks. Then time for us to play test it. At least two weeks, right? Then time for FS to fix problems. Again about two weeks probably. Then they resubmit to consoles again and pay again to sony and MS. Then five weeks later it would be released. So thats almost three times longer than normal and twice the price. Seems like a no brainer to me. Release and put fixes on the next DLC thats going in for approval. Hopefully that would be the DLC that would be two months after release.

A console beta program means that we wouldn't see DLC for about 14 weeks after android and apple releases even once FS gets the console process perfected. Plus you're asking them to pay for extra approvals for the betas. For a small publisher I think its too much to ask for.