Venting on the Current Beta State

This beta isnt about balance or gameplay. Its testing for these crashes,desyncs and connectivity you are having.  This is a REAL beta, and not just an online demo with everything working perfectly. If a.i are levelling 20x faster than you, then you just need to some practice I guess coz as it is a 3v1 is pretty easy (agaisnt a.i).

However, I do agree - this beta can be VERY frustrating, but we just have to accept this is what a real beta is. If you wanna avoid all this trouble it would be better to just wait for the release. All these balances and crashes can drive someone mad, but hopefully beta 3 will be out soon.

the alpha build was not more stable then the beta build, how you got your hands on the alpha version is beyond me as well.

You say you want to test the "Core" part of the game well guess what, Game stability, networking and graphics are all Core parts of the game. If you wanted just to give your imput on the fact that hammer should deal 150 less damage each level you will like beta3, but this is beta2.

Demigod's Beta phase has been far worse than any other game I have tested, and just what betas have you been in before demigods? Demigods beta has actually been a really comfortable one, as soon as you noticed a bug or had a problem you were able to get in touch with the developers on IRC and ask/report it. Actually alot of use help improve networking by using a testprogram one of the devs wrote just to check network stability. But I take it your experience with betas such as DoW2 and Battleforge (both a.k.a. demos) were better.

If you dont like being unable to join games, if you dont like not being able to complete games, if you dont like overpowered hammer then perhaps you should just wait till the game is released for real.

All you acomplished by this thread was point out to the devs that their game is in beta state, and me to waste a few minutes writing this, good work.

I'm going to say it whether you want to hear it or not. Your expectations for the beta were too high. Come back in a month.

His concerns are valid.  Just because it's a Beta doesn't mean the expectations are so low that the game can be impossible to play consistently with other players and nobody ought to be worried.

Yes, it's a Beta, so hopefully with a bit more time things will shape up considerably.  However, I can't say I don't find the current state of things troubling, and I think anyone here who says they aren't at least a bit worried are ignorant or lieing. 

Plus, it's not like the game would be amazing if it weren't for the game-breaking desync, connection, and crash issues.  The game still needs a fair bit of work on balance and depth. 

Not to mention that the online matchmaker / lobby / UI isn't spectacular.  To be fair though, I've only seen a bit of that and I do have low expectations for that in a Beta build.

You sound alot like i did a month ago, all excited to participate in this Beta Test but i was only left with the "Trying to Connect" screen day after day and then joining a game and getting unplayable lag or desyncs. Was i wrong to get frustrated after 2 weeks of trying to play a full online game and wasting hours a day starting at the game lobby? I found it particularly insulting when the developers referred to these frustrated people and myself as "newbie beta testers", saying for some reason i had no right to be frustrated for wasting weeks trying to connect to their broken test that they rushed out far too early. I paid my money to help test and support this game but it just lead to complete frustration at the game and immaturity of some Devs.

I spent alot of my time trying to test online, playing offline and making my formal suggestions on how to improve gameplay and also help test their command line connection method to try and solve some connection issues, but when a negative point came across a Dev or 2 in particular started crying and got defensive, so i pretty much took a few weeks off from wasting my time here and im chilling out until a stable build is released for me to get back to testing. If you are frustrated like i was i suggest you also take a time out period and wait until you are able to actually participate in the beta test the game that you paid your hard earned money on.

Did you also tell people that during Beta 1? Will you also tell people the exact same thing during Beta 3? Why should we not have some sort of expectations for Beta 2. This is not last September, the game is "supposed" to be released in a few short months so people expect that a combination program from 2 of the most respectable and accomplished game developers could produce a far more stable Beta 2 release. There is no point to get defensive on their behalf... this is their business and their job, and some people expected that the 2nd Beta would have actually been playable for them to do some sort of online testing of the gameplay and balancing.

I played for about a week and tested everything out.  I posted my ideas on the forum, was never replied to.  I have not played since and it has been quite awhile now.  Probably will never play again inless I see some major updates.  I love the game, but can honestly agree with many cons in this thread and it makes me not want to play again.

Kind of like AoC release.

Uh I've played plenty of games without desyncs - that only happens to me maybe 5% of the time. Getting a 3v3 or larger going is a bit of a task, but really, I haven't had nearly the horrible experience you guys are describing.

Then their expectations were too high. Producers have even said themselves that games they produce tend to be very rough diamonds up until release.

For all computer games, two general guidelines apply:

1) If you don't like it, don't play it

2) If it's beta, you may like it later on even if you don't like it now

But I am not saying people are stupid for posting threads like these. They are great. They are the best kind of beta feedback you can get. Why isn't the game working? Why is it boring to play? Why am I "quitting" the game? Any producer would be insane not to listen VERY carefully. I am not trying to make you stop posting. But if you think the game cannot improve, then you are wrong. So my suggestion still stands, just as it did a month ago and a month before that. If you don't like it right now, come back in a month. I haven't played more than 3-4 games the last 6 weeks or so. Connection issues kill any chance of enjoying the game (in current stage of beta).

Yesterday we were sitting for 30 minutes with 5 players in lobby and 6 more trying to connect (we eventually went with a 2 v 3).

The frustration at this point is that you can get random 2 v 2 games pretty easily but you can't pick whom you play with, at all.  3 v 3 is still a very iffy proposition and just forget about 4 v 4 or 5 v 5.   

I think I'm going to take a break. 

I'll catch you guys in the next Beta.

if you got 6 guys connecting there is probably atleast one that got left in the loop while they may as well have just closed the game several min ago.No one will be able to connect to them and this is why you rehost the game if no one joins for a good while.

may help for everyone to restart demigod as well.

Its small tricks like these you learn during a beta

True   I forgot to mention this was the third remake - It was probably an hour of trying, all told...

just to throw my weight behind Heavenfall.

i work in QA (quality assurance) testing software and reporting bugs. meaning that people are paid to do this thing. which usually means it's not fun stuff.

the jokes goes:

how many testers does it take to change a light bulb?

none. we just say it's dark.

StarDock's approach is cool because it allows enthusiasts (sp?) to help out and provide a greater testbed of hardware and software configs. leading to a better game when it's released.

i can understand's people's frustration if they expecting something more polished right now! but seriously i'm impressed it even starts and have enough faith and trust in SD to put my money upfront and help out.

windging is simply pointless and saps energy from the project. if you must windge then point/scream/shout at any and all black bulbs you find.

peace and soup

MrL

p.s. example: i've +2 karma on the sins board but not here, wtf! i worked hard for that =P

I"m sorry but the problem here is your expectations of what Beta 2 is.  Beta 1 was core engine, Beta 2 is network connectivity, and Beta 3 is gameplay.  So yes, you will be able to "Beta test the game with other players to balance and make Demigod a great game", it just won't happen until Beta 3 when, you know, the developers are at that stage in development.

I apologize in advance if anything I'm saying here sounds curt, but if you don't want to test issues related to, or have problems with, connectivity, then don't participate in phase of Beta that is specifically designated for that.  Wait until Beta 3 if you're only interested in play balancing and don't care to test networking issues - there's nothing wrong with that, beta testing network connectivity is not "fun", nor is it intended to be.

As others have said, this is a beta test.  The problem here is most companies use a beta test as nothing more than a sneak preview marketting tool.  That's not what this is, this is an actual beta.  Specifically, Beta 2 is focused on discovering, analyzing, and ultimately working through the issues which you are so frustrated about.

Then "some people" weren't paying attention.  Beta 2 has always been about network connectivity.  I really don't know how the developers could have been any more clear on the fact that gameplay and balancing will be done in Beta 3, not Beta 2.

I tried to give you a +1 karma but the website doesn't seem to work in IE or firefox.  Maybe your +1 will karma will show up later.

Did Sins of Solar Empire use this same multiplayer network code?

I think this is Stardocks first time implementing their new multiplayer network.  If demigod used the old supcom multiplayer, gpgnet, we would have less issues.  Stardock will probably reuse this multiplayer network in their next game Elemental. 

I have been around since Beta 1.  I preordered last year and didn't mind testing the engine parts of the game.  However, the game was supposed to be released in February, and I'm not sure how far the release date has been pushed back if at all.  Thats my problem.  Also they promised Beta 2 would be much more fun and in fact its not its far worse.

sorry about the misunderstanding.  Unlike some companies, this beta isn't just a publicity attempt.  Its a beta.  There was once a time when betas were not something you showed to the public because it was incomplete.  It would be a nightmare to most companies to let their betas hit market.   Then certain strategy games and MMO started doing mostly finished betas and now people have this idea that a 'beta' is anything close to release.  A beta is just after the 'alpha' which usually doesn't even work.

If I had a dollar for how often I said "I wish this company would let me play what they have now, even though its not finished" I'd have a lot of money.  everybody should be happy you have the oppurtunity.

I knew this type of response would come.  I just wanted to voice my frustration.  The game was supposed to be released already.  I am not denying any of your responses are not true.  I was just voicing my dissatisfication with what I expected.  I completely understand the process of the beta.  I'm just saying that I expected it would be beta 3 by now.  Its not and its frustrating especially if beta 3 lasts for only 2-4 weeks.  Thats all I am saying.  I preordered this game the first day available when it was supposed to be released December or January.  Its mid February and the game as I see it is not even close to release.  In a game like this, full team balances have to be done over and over to make the game good on release.  I'm not sure that this will happen, but I hope it will.

Stardock has no problems pushing back release dates for games they publish.  Look at Sins of a Solar Empire, both the original and it's expac Entrenchment.  Entrenchment is coming out Feb 25th, having been pushed back months based on beta feedback.

You say "the game is supposed to be released already", and you "expected it would be Beta 3", but you must realize that there are two choices to be made:

1. Push out a product that hasn't been tested/completed/bug fixed

2. Push back a release date to fix issues or add requested features.

Those are the realities.  I might wish that I could fly space ponies to work and that broccoli tasted like rainbows, but the reality is I'm commuting in a Honda and broccoli tastes like death warmed over.  I suppose I could make a post on the unjustness of the situation, but I'm not sure what the point would be.

TLDR version - Stardock has shown a willingness to hold onto a game until it's ready, and their past games have been great. Give them at least credit for that, and be patient.  I'm sure GPG/Stardock want the game out the door even more than you or I.

I think it's rather fine as it is. Granted, I haven't spent nearly as much time as I should, but at first glance it isn't bad at all.

fair enough Heartsbane. i'm finding the waiting hard too.

maybe change the title to:

"release it now or the bunny gets it"

haha

If all they really want us here for in Phase 2 is to try endlessly to connect to one another and test their poor network connectivity, then they really shouldn't be surprised that people are frustrated / disillusioned / unmotivated.

You can talk all you want about how "Betas are meant to be unfinished" and "the Betas you guys are thinking of are basically demos!" (which isn't really true at all...I've been in multiple PLAYABLE Alphas / Betas that underwent very significant changes based on player feedback).  The fact is, there's no point in us even testing this game if it's not reasonably playable by groups of people.  Might as well keep the testing internal if the game is at a state where a ) players can't consistently play with one another and b ) they aren't looking for player feedback on gameplay / mechanics anyway.

p.s. saying that most Betas these days are for publicity and are basically almost-finished demos is overlooking the fact that the majority of Betas for major releases last for months and have strictly enforced NDAs.

No point? They've developed new network code to get around the problem of requiring router config and port forwarding, but there's no point in a large group of people testing out their connections with a wide variety of network hardware and making the data available to Stardock in order for them to identify, isolate, and correct issues in the network code?  I can agree with it being no fun, but no point?

I understand the frustration of not being able to get games going, believe me.  Stardock/GPG is already working on the issue, it's already gotten significantly better than where it was, and they've stated that it needs to significantly improve further.  Give them time to fix it.

Sorry, I know I've probably come across as an asshole in this thread, but I'm just incredulous by some of the statements made. I work in the software industry (albeit not gaming), maybe that's skewed my perspective too much where I can't relate to what y'all are complaining about.

Sounds like some of you would have absolutely HATED the Sins of a Solar Empire beta.

Demigod has been extremely straight forward compared to Sins of a Solar Empire. We were making major gameplay changes right into Gamma.  

Sins of a Solar Empire, as in, the game that won more game of the year awards this past year than any other game.

Our beta process on our games is extremely rough. They are (as someone else put it) REAL betas.

The Elemental beta will be far rougher than the Demigod beta btw.