I don't think it has been done before. It most certainly hasn't with any TES games.

Anyway. Do you think there should be a Beta? It would get rid of a MASSIVE amount of bugs before release. The thing is that I don't see many Betas for Single-Player RPGs for some reason (If you know why, enlighten me)... maybe because it ruins the story and the element of surprise? Hmm... Wadda ya think?

No, really, just.. no.

Why?

EDIT: I just don't see why SPRPGs do not have Betas... WHY? Is there a specific reason?

imo beta testing is only for multiplayer games. It would be lame "having" to play (I know we're not forced, but we would do it.) a buggy version, it's gonna ruin a bit of the fun later on, when the game actually releases. IMO.

edit: sure the release is gonna be buggy, but still it's probably better not to have a beta.

Because there really isn't a point for a single player RPG to have a open/private beta. They have people who are hired to test the game, they don't need us to do that. And it's not like with a MMO or a Shooter like halo, there is no multiplayer to balance or anything. They don't have to worry about the "pistol" being to OP.

My F:NV is nearly unplayable. OB and F3 had a ton of bugs. Those "hired" people aren't doing a good enough job obviously. Or, there is just not enough of them.

I voted no (other reason) because there is a very specific reason I do not want it, the best way to ruin a perfectly good game or a perfectly good story is to tell someone info about it, there should be no testing that goes on that is not done by the team making the game, and the team making the game need to have a pretty good motivation not to tell anything, and as I understand they are not allowed to tell anything and that is good.

There being info about a game can cause me not to buy it, if I know too much about it, then it can ruin it for me, and it′s not like I′d have to search, people can write just about anywhere something about a game, and I could be some unlucky chap that accidentally reads something he should not, spoilers are worse than thievery, only there is no law about spoilers.

So why not have a private Beta? No info coming out to the internet?

There have been small private betas in the past for TES related stuff, like Bloodmoon. But I don't think that will happen with TES5.

In reality though that is still a beta test. It's just not an open beta test.

Every game has to have had some beta testing. It's simply part of any proper software development process these days. Though having a beta phase doesn't mean that they have set up a proper testing procedure with sufficient and skilled beta testers.

I do not expect nor want Bethesda to have an open Beta test. Most open Beta tests don't generate more results than well set-up private beta's anyhow. It's the beta procedure and planning that's what's important, and the selection of people who actually know how to actively contribute to a proper beta test.

I wouldn't want to spoil my experience by beta testing Skyrim, but I do not oppose the general idea of a (closed!) beta. Though as already stated, there's people who are doing that already.

While I typed that I knew someone would post this. I personally had no issues with bugs in OB, F3, or FNV. All played when they first came out without patches. Maybe I'm just lucky? :shrug:


I know that. I meant I don't see why a single player rpg needs a beta open to the public. Whether its private or not. That is to say there shouldn't be people playing the beta because it's "cool" that's not what a beta is for as you pointed out in the last part of your post. So we are in agreement. :icecream:

All open World games have tons of bugs, get over it or go play something else. And F: NV's 'unplayability' was fixed very fast, because a week after it was released I had no problems. Honestly stop striving for perfection because you will never find it, but rather find beauty in the imperfections and take joy in them.

Given the history of the franchise, and the way they kept the secret before the announcement, that is unlikely. Too much danger of spoilers.

Exactly. Just keep it closed. Hire some skilled beta testers (there are masses out there, even professionals) under a binding non-disclosure agreement, and set up a proper beta procedure.

An open beta, or a beta which allows random people from teh public who usually just want to play the game, will just result in major spoilers and leaks to torrent trackers and usenet anyhow.



Alrighty then. It's nice to agree. Share a cookie?

All right calm down... Just a suggestion geez...

Beta Tests are usually limited to Qualified QA testers, interns, family, and friends of family(well defined). Professional QA testing is pretty serious.

No, this isn't no MMO. You just want to play the game before it's released...

The vast majority of bugs in an open-world RPG are not technical, they're quest related. Things like "If I go here and talk to Character A then wait 24 hours next to the character then talk to Character A again, the quest dialogue option will have disappeared." Little bugs that make it impossible (or highly difficult) to proceed along a questline. Any sort of beta they could run would have to be focused purely on technical bugs, not quest-related issues, so it would be fairly ineffectual when it comes to actually fixing anything worthwhile. The only way they could properly "beta test" the game is by allowing people to play through all of the content - main quest, factions, everything. And there's no way that's happening.

Beta Testing is still done internally regardless of weather it's an MMO or not...yes of course this isn't an MMO but testing is always done internally.

Beta is a stage in development. All stages will have testing (at least playable stages). Therefor there is beta testing. I assume BGS does it in-house but I don't know. For testing these kind of games, however, there needs to be strong lines of communication, which is impossible with the participants of an open beta. Making an open beta pointless.

No. There isn't any reason to open something like this up to a public beta.

Closed beta though is likely, because there are too many possible situations in game and hardware set ups outside the game, for a small hired test team to check, So closed beta with a larger, but confidential, and non paid group is very helpful.

Haha sorry. I didn't mean to come of like a tool. I just live and breathe open World RPG's. I can honestly foresee that being a problem when my Fiance moves in... :/

Private Beta. Help squash all those stupid, careless, sloppy bugs Bethesda tends to leave in their games.