Beta testing has started

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Fribbi · #101 Post by **Fribbi** » Thu Jan 24, 2008 4:52 pm

Why was I not selected? Well I don't mind it at all. How many beta testers were selected for this task?

#102 Post by **Erpy** » Thu Jan 24, 2008 4:57 pm

20 out of 306 people were contacted yesterday. That's like 1 out of 15.

Zahmatra(n) · #103 Post by **Zahmatra(n)** » Thu Jan 24, 2008 5:42 pm

Erpy,

Did you make sure you didn't misspelled my email, right?? I didn't receive anything yet. ;)

Gronagor · #104 Post by **Gronagor** » Thu Jan 24, 2008 6:36 pm

Hey AGDs! You must be relieved! For once the pressure is on the Beta testers rather than you!!

TheBlueFrog and Neodraven! Move it! :p

adeyke · #105 Post by **adeyke** » Thu Jan 24, 2008 6:57 pm

Finding the bugs is only half the battle. Getting to the beta stage doesn't really mean it's time for them to relax

.

NeoDraven · #106 Post by **NeoDraven** » Thu Jan 24, 2008 7:04 pm

Do you think for a second that I'd be posting on here if I already had a beta copy of the game to test? For shame, sir, for shame.

This is going to be like when I got to beta test Al Emmo, but far more labor-intensive; at least two weeks' worth of red-eyed, up until 2am or later nights, acute carpal tunnel from pixel-hunting, replaying QFG1 over and over to start characters with all kinds of different stats and equipment set-ups... I would not be surprised in the slightest were this experience to be more nerve-wracking than the last.

At least this time around, I know the storyline in advance, so I know what to look for. That in itself is almost intimidating, considering the sheer amount of rooms, characters, dialogue trees, inventory items, battles, etc.

I can probably safely predict that by the time that the mass public gets to play the finished product, all of the testers will have a far better and personal understanding of what took so long to make sure this game came out as a perfect, complete and bug-free title.

Six BILLION people in this world, and less than 40 of them get to actually touch this game within the next couple of weeks. I feel pretty damned special right about now.

#107 Post by **navynuke04** » Thu Jan 24, 2008 10:16 pm

NeoDraven wrote:I found where AGD1's, AGD2's, navynuke04's and Erpy's houses were, went there in the middle of the night with an acoustic guitar, bawled a drunken, loud, angry, emo-inspired version of "Mmm Bop" to each of them, and left a flaming bag on their front doorsteps. The whole 'stick-and-carrot' mentality.

I got a ticket for noise violation, btw. I'll be sending you a bill.

Bobbin Threadbare · #108 Post by **Bobbin Threadbare** » Fri Jan 25, 2008 5:16 am

Anonymous Game Creator 2 wrote:Finally, we also looked for people who could commit to at least 2 hours (preferably more) of thorough testing time per day. Judging from personal experience, this game takes quite a long time to play through and anything less than 2 hours wouldn't really yield the kind of progress or results needed to find the remaining bugs and get the game released within a reasonable amount of time. Yup, we're 100% serious when we mentioned these beta testers will have their work cut out for them.

I guess this is not a big problem for experienced players (such as myself...

: ) that has played this game couple of times. And overall for all gamers, 2 hours means little compared to the excitements they get.

Well, anyway... congrats to the selected beta testers. Not only that you all get to try the game first, your name will be officially noted in the credits.

Hope that you guys don't run out of energy here...

:

haradan · #109 Post by **haradan** » Fri Jan 25, 2008 8:19 pm

MusicallyInspired wrote:That's what you get for giving up on waiting . The ones who still believed got lucky!

j/k

Dude, I am a believer. I never gave up, I just, mmh, left for a while. Bad timing, that's for sure...

I guess this is not a big problem for experienced players (such as myself... Laugh: ) that has played this game couple of times. And overall for all gamers, 2 hours means little compared to the excitements they get.

A couple of times? I have played this game dozens of times, I've never stop playing it since I got it (and that's back in 1991!). I have literally hundreds of flight hours with QFG2, that's the reason I think I'd be a wonderful beta tester for this game, I've tried everything that's possible, I've talked about all of the subjects with all of the characters, I even entered Raseir in day 9 with a borrowed, cheating-obtained visa and went back to Shapeir the next day, I'VE DONE EVERYTHING!!!!

(End of rant)

Ah, that feels good.

Well, the joke' on me, anyway. Good luck to all of you beta testers. Lucky bastards......

NeoDraven · #110 Post by **NeoDraven** » Fri Jan 25, 2008 8:43 pm

Speaking directly to the "lucky bastards" appellation; I can't speak for the other beta testers that were selected, but I can say that I didn't apply to be a tester so that I could be one of the first people to play the game, nor to have my name in the credits (though the latter IS pretty sweet).

After working on Al Emmo, I can tell you first-hand that beta-testing ISN'T getting a preview copy of the game to demo on and then tell the creators how much you liked it. It's real, hard work. When you normally play any other adventure game, you're just trying to advance the storyline, gain experience, grind a little (I'm notorious for having uber-leveled characters in every single RPG, SRPG or Adventure game I've ever played), unlock Easter Eggs, etc.

When beta-testing, you're literally sitting there, in the same room, using every available icon, clicking it on every possible pixel. Then, when an inventory item changes, or there's a score change, or anything new happens in the game, you get to go back to the same room again and do it all over. And over. And over.

Granted, it's fun as hell for the first time you enter a new room or unlock a new section; for the first few minutes. Then, it becomes a test of patience and ingenuity. I'm absolutely positive that that's why there are as many testers as there are, AND there are more than one wave of them, to give a fresh perspective (and to squash the bugs the first round found).

I'm still a "lucky bastard", but there's a lot more sweat and tears involved than appears at first glance. Just getting 4 characters ready to import with max stats has taken me about 7 hours so far, and I haven't even gotten a copy of the game yet. I'm currently working on a low-level, minimalist Fighter to import with as little stats, money and equipment as possible. It's not easy beating even the Kobold with 27 Strength.

#111 Post by **Anonymous Game Creator 2** » Fri Jan 25, 2008 9:10 pm

Heed this man's words well, for this is the kind of attitude towards beta testing that every tester should have.

Why, if we had 10 NeoDraven's testing the game, it probably couldn't get any more bug-free, even if you unloaded an entire can of fly-spray on it!

NeoDraven · #112 Post by **NeoDraven** » Sat Jan 26, 2008 12:05 am

You just liked my midnight rendering of your favorite Hanson song; tell the truth.

You were the only one that didn't call the cops or sic a dog on me. :lol

aragorn256 · #113 Post by **aragorn256** » Sat Jan 26, 2008 4:16 pm

Well I was not a lucky(?) one for the beta

But only one things matters: Congratulations to those chosen, they know have a daunting but rewarding task(when we play the game flawlessly we should know whom to thank along with the creators

).
Take your time people!! Squash every little bug out! We waited long but I dont care to wait a little more to get a finer experience!
Work and good luck!

#114 Post by **Anonymous Game Creator 2** » Sat Jan 26, 2008 8:48 pm

You just liked my midnight rendering of your favorite Hanson song; tell the truth.

You were the only one that didn't call the cops or sic a dog on me.

Thanks very much. It's taken me 10 whole years to forget about that song; to erase those nonsensical lyrics from my head. To quell those urges I used to have of grabbing Zac, Taylor, and Isaac by their long girly hair and banging all 3 of their heads together simultaneously. But now I'm going to start hearing it play over and over in my head again like the Chinese water torture. You'll pay for this! We're gonna save the nastiest bugs just for you. ;)

*Ahem* The current beta round is going pretty well and the testers are finding some well-hidden bugs and glitches. Lots of improvements being made to various areas of the game. All in all, so far, so good!

haradan · #115 Post by **haradan** » Sat Jan 26, 2008 8:57 pm

Trust me, I know what you are talking about, of course it's a lot of hard work and it wasn't my intention to imply it was all fun when it comes to beta testing, it's just that I'd feel great if I could help in a project that I've been following for so many years, I'd love to "give a hand" and participate actively in this game, so I wouldn't mind working hours and hours because at the end the satisfaction and feeling of helping a project that everybody is going to love, is going to be a lot better than all the hard work put into it. That's the reason of the "lucky bastards" joke, nothing more.

But I'm glad you take it seriously and you are already devoting time into it, that's what matters, I'm sure the game will be practically bug-free if everybody takes the same attitude. Good luck and godspeed, YOU LUCKY BASTARD! :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol

avoozl snot · #116 Post by **avoozl snot** » Sat Jan 26, 2008 9:54 pm

For everyone that still wants to help out, but didn't get to be a beta tester - why not introduce Quest for Glory to a friend? Lots of us are oldschool gamers, but there's no real reason why the younger crowd wouldn't find something special in the series.

Those in their twenties, teens, and younger years are spending more on video games than ever before. Maybe people aren't "into" adventure games because they've never really played anything like QFG. Let's all make new fans of the series.. new fans who will want more adventure games, and maybe push the market back in that direction.

Zahmatra(n) · #117 Post by **Zahmatra(n)** » Sun Jan 27, 2008 2:05 am

Problem with the new gamers is that everything has to be fast-paced. Move fast, aim and shoot. Gamers of this generation don't want to stop and think.

Just show them Graham trying to clean the path were the snake is. Instead of trying to use any item in the pack, they will look for a gun/bomb/laser to blow it in pieces.

Gamers don't want to think. They just want to break through.

Yet the idea to show them QG2 is really good and hopefully they will learn that a calm spell can be much better than a flame dart. Hehhehe!!

avoozl snot · #118 Post by **avoozl snot** » Sun Jan 27, 2008 2:30 am

Do you really want to be that person who complains about "the kids these days"?

The only reason you are not "like" them is because you grew up at a different time and didn't have all the flashy toys and opportunities they did.

There's no reason why plenty of young people wouldn't enjoy QFG if introduced. They aren't inherently different than we were.

gandri25 · #119 Post by **gandri25** » Sun Jan 27, 2008 4:34 am

ok zahmatra(n)

i have said this too a lot of people now I'm 16 and Ive play QFG KQ SQ and so on
i enjoy thinking out problems and i know alot of other people my age who enjoy adventure games too

I'm not sure if I'm gonna get yelled at for saying that i just hate people telling off us younger people

avoozl snot · #120 Post by **avoozl snot** » Sun Jan 27, 2008 4:56 am

Thank you Gandri. I know there are "young" players on these msg boards. I am 24 myself. Sometimes I catch myself saying something like "kids these days" or "music these days" and I HATE it. You will do the same (maybe not often, but you will) in a few years. It's just human nature.. the brain is growing and the world is fresh when we're young, and we remember how things were with rose-colored glasses.

Everyone tends to think that the time they grew up was the best time to grow up.. we had the best toys, the music that really meant something, whatever.

Pink Floyd albums still sell, and it's not because they get heavy airtime on MTV. It's because people want to share what they like with others. The fact that QFG is so different from a lot of games out now is a great reason why the young crowd will want to try it. Under-18s love novelty. We're the close-minded ones for refusing to play "the games these days, where you just pull out a weapon". (I know I'm guilty.)

gandri25 · #121 Post by **gandri25** » Sun Jan 27, 2008 5:07 am

oh yeah i know what your getting at

but yeah my dad introduced me to KQ SQ and all that stuff about 4 or 5 years ago but I'm glad theres some people who hate it when they get mad at younger people i mean this was the second time today I've posted something like this because people don't think younger kids like to play these games or don't think younger kids can play these games cause you have to think

Gronagor · #122 Post by **Gronagor** » Sun Jan 27, 2008 6:02 pm

Heh. I agree.

I don't really think it's got anything to do with age.
If you look at older people (every generation) who started playing games in the last decade, most of them have the same taste as the 'kids' who started at the same time.

But there is a definite movement back towards adventure type games. There's only so many things you can blow up before you get bored with it...
(unless you're one of those 'supposedly nerdy' Brainiac guys on Discovery channel who think blowing up everything in the kitchen and other places one-by-one is fun. Sheesh... no creativity in those brains.)

Bigfan · #123 Post by **Bigfan** » Sun Jan 27, 2008 9:28 pm

Hey now. Leave the Mythbusters out of this.

Speaking as a 22-year-old, I can say that the difference between old and new games is more than just the explosion factor. There's a different type of enjoyment to be extracted from blowing stuff up than from figuring out a puzzle and taking part in a compelling story. For the former, I'll play Halo (though I'll be the first to admit that the story in that game is fantastic, particularly for the genre). For the latter, I'll play Quest for Glory or Space Quest. Most gamers nowadays merely haven't had the opportunity to experience both styles of play.

We must also consider the fact that some games have come very close to bridging the gap between the two. Just off the top of my head, I'll say anything by Bioware (KotOR, Mass Effect, Baldur's Gate), Kingdom Hearts, and the aforementioned Halo. Games these days can have intricate stories, however they are often paired with the style of gameplay that we, as older gamers, might tend to shy away from.

If you want to complain about something, I'd recommend complaining about the economy and the market for video games -- the last big flux took the power out of the hands of the PC developers and placed it squarely in the hands of the consoles. I know that's who I blame for the demise of the adventure game. ;-)

In any event, I propose that the old Sierra games we know and love suffer from obscurity simply because that particular style of play hasn't been promulgated in today's market, and the only way we can change that is, as was said above, to expose as many of our friends and family to them as possible. My wife and I long ago came to the conclusion that Sierra games are going to play a very large part in the education of our future children, both for their critical-thinking, educational value and for their value as modern-day fairy tales.

Blackthorne519 · #124 Post by **Blackthorne519** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 4:29 am

Gamers play what they're given.

Games are produced by old-men in suits who have lots of money. They don't care about the content, as long as it sells.

Games are made by people who are often frustrated by the suits lack of insight into anything remotely creative.

It's a vicious cycle.

What we need is a suit (venture capiltalist) who is willing to put some money on the line for adventure style games. But, in monetary terms, the return isn't often as good as say, crankin' out a bloody 1st person shooter with lots of controversial content.

Anyway, my best wishes to the beta testers. I know what a hard job it is, but I appreciate you doing it. It makes a better product for us all in the end, and it's really an important job.

Bt

Bobbin Threadbare · #125 Post by **Bobbin Threadbare** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 6:22 am

haradan wrote:A couple of times? I have played this game dozens of times, I've never stop playing it since I got it (and that's back in 1991!). I have literally hundreds of flight hours with QFG2, that's the reason I think I'd be a wonderful beta tester for this game, I've tried everything that's possible, I've talked about all of the subjects with all of the characters, I even entered Raseir in day 9 with a borrowed, cheating-obtained visa and went back to Shapeir the next day, I'VE DONE EVERYTHING!!!!

hey... I have similar experience as yours, back in the days when I'm still hardcore Sierra gamer. Done some crazy things with the series especially QFG2.

But later then around '97, emulation struck my interest and because of that, I was introduced to the world of japanese RPG where it combines mastermind storyline and exciting combat gameplay and character growth with ever growing beautiful graphics. And thus, I was introduced to the world of Final Fantasies and other popular RPG that nowadays still growing strong.

Still... Adventure were being rooted in my mind and it's enjoyment are none like others, even today I'm still craving for more good adventure games.

Of course, now it's kinda though between personal pleasure between adv with rpg, plus real life responsibilities making it harder to enjoy every good game titles out there...

:

just another day in paradise...

: