There will be no normal closed beta for NA\EU?

[BloodyAngel]

Originally Posted by Mark

Probably. If there is one. :l

I just had an idea.

What if they're avoiding beta so they can show off and say "look, we had no beta but our game is better than those with betas! Ha ha! You all lose, Aion winz."

This is something like a wishful thinking

[Wicked_Edge]

Ok well, I just visited mmorpg.com and they had some info on the preview events.

http://www.mmorpg.com/discussion2.cfm/thread/193127

Apparently gc2008 and pax are giving away spots to the preview events. My guess is that they'll make a couple preview events, one (obviously the first) where u sign up and be one of the lucky few to preview aion (which is the one where ull get access to from pax and gc08) and another that is probably a worldwide (prolly NA/EU) preview event.

[ILLUSIA]

looks like they are panicly (whats adjective version of "panic"? ok I`m sure you`ll understand me) afraid of negative reviews and want to show Aion only to small number of true fans-addicts.

[Sangre]

Originally Posted by Wicked_Edge

Ok well, I just visited mmorpg.com and they had some info on the preview events.

http://www.mmorpg.com/discussion2.cfm/thread/193127

Apparently gc2008 and pax are giving away spots to the preview events. My guess is that they'll make a couple preview events, one (obviously the first) where u sign up and be one of the lucky few to preview aion (which is the one where ull get access to from pax and gc08) and another that is probably a worldwide (prolly NA/EU) preview event.

Isn't this what the main post has?

[lyankyj]

Why I'm worried regarding these previes is that we don't know how long they last. I mean, if an event takes only 3 days, I know there will not be a proper way to report and feedback on stuff. Once they release more information about the events, we will see how they're working out. For now, I'm in standby position of freaking out. If there will be longer, 1week or so events aswell, where we can normally test the game and properly give our opinions on it, I'm totally cool with these PEs.

[Terpsichore]

Open beta or gtfo.

[Wicked_Edge]

Originally Posted by Sangre

Isn't this what the main post has?

The main post vaguely tells of "preview" events. I'm just sort of "hypothetically" clarifying them up, since as with other games, aka guild wars, ncsoft has done preview events for entire weekends.

[anicaus]

I just hope I am not busy the few days I am in, if I get picked!! Now that would suck.

[Kaycy]

Every major A title MMO in the west opens with open beta or a trial so you can test the game before you buy it. I don't know what you're doing here NCsoft but a different standard / continent isn't going to get you a lot of fans.

[dalavita]

Originally Posted by Kaycy

Every major A title MMO in the west opens with open beta or a trial so you can test the game before you buy it. I don't know what you're doing here NCsoft but a different standard / continent isn't going to get you a lot of fans.

As one NCsoft fan, I don't care about no open beta. That's just a bonus. It's all about a good release and a good game.

Trials will come anyway.

[Erienne]

Originally Posted by Kaycy

Every major A title MMO in the west opens with open beta or a trial so you can test the game before you buy it. I don't know what you're doing here NCsoft but a different standard / continent isn't going to get you a lot of fans.

Open Betas are useful if when the game comes out the bugs that were reported are fixed. Unfortunately that is not always the case (or maybe requiem has turned me into a skeptic). And they are doing betas in Korea so what needs to be tested in NA/EU is the localization and server load aspects.

About testing the game before buying it they can give you a trial period after release (doesn't really require an Open Beta for that).

I'm hoping (and waiting) for the Open Beta but just because i'm impatient and just want to play the darn game already .

[Kazi]

I tend to enjoy OB just for the fact of being sneaky and finding things before release (IE. bugs, fall through world points, etc). But it's not a necessity, just nice for impatient people.

[dalin]

Originally Posted by kieron

Aion has already undergone extensive beta testing and will go through more before the game is released in the US and EU next year. Don't let the fancy name fool you; we will still be asking for community feedback on the game and major issues, not to mention server stress testing and other assistance. With the amount of testing that has gone before, future tests and the Preview events, we are confident Aion will be a polished and complete game when it is released.

thanks for the clarification kieron...

Originally Posted by ILLUSIA

kieron, thanks for quick answer. you mentioned "future tests" Did you mean Korean future tests or EUNA tests besides preview events or something else like internal tests for devs only?

P.S. there was an info not long time ago that there`ll be 2 seasons (previewswhatever you name it) for EuropeNA. First - late 2008, second in the beginning of 2009. Does it still actual?

excellent points illusia... i too would like to get some more detail on what the "future tests" will be...

Originally Posted by Ariel

I am outraged....i was rly hoping to be in beta....
Now all my hopes and drams crshed becuz i hape to be a PAX to get into an "event"

as mark mentioned, the media events are not the same as the preview events... one (media events like PAX) are more geared towards marketing the game... letting folks who can report on what they've seen get some one on one experience with the game... while the preview events are opportunities for "everyone else" to have their own experience...

Originally Posted by Rio

Am I the only one who sees this as a possitive development? It means we are past the CBT stage. Also, I think NCsoft knows that there are lots of ppl in NA/EU who want to try this game before release to see if it is even worth playing and they are compromising by giving us these "previews" I wanted to play in beta as much as the next person but do you guys really expect NCsoft to undergo yet another CBT if it really isnt neccesary?

thats another great point... this definitely marks a great turning point in the development cycle... i just hope that the US/EU markets will have some means to voice their feedback (both positive and negative) after participating in these events...

Originally Posted by Wicked_Edge

If I remember correctly for guild wars they had a preview event where for like a whole weekend or a week, anyone and everyone could download and play the game. Don't quote me on that, but I think there were @ least a couple events like that. So I'm assuming that this might be something similar to that (hopefully).

EDIT: OK so I was searching the web and I was right. They did have a worldwide preview event for Guild Wars in 2004.

Blue's News: Guild Wars World Preview Event Starts Friday

you could be onto something here... from the sound of the press releases, we could very well see several weekend (or week) events in the near future...

[ulle]

i think a open beta is a good advertising. many interessted people can play, find out what class or race they want to play. these people reflect to others. so i don´t understand, why they do it in that way.

in corea the server maybe running stable on heavy load. but i work 15 years in technical buisness, so i knew, what works on place "a", can be a desaster on place "b". server, isp and such things are not so easy, that you can say, one ist working, so all 3 housing places will be working.

they have experience with l2 and gw. so i think they knew the risks. now i wait to buy and then when i read less problems than aoc in forums, i decide to buy or not. because i don´t want to pay for testing. that´s a beta thing. one possible pre order customer less.

one postive thing is, they so euphoric and great selfconsious, that they do it their way. so looking for opinions from people they play aion.

[Kaycy]

Originally Posted by ulle

i think a open beta is a good advertising. many interessted people can play, find out what class or race they want to play. these people reflect to others. so i don´t understand, why they do it in that way.

in corea the server maybe running stable on heavy load. but i work 15 years in technical buisness, so i knew, what works on place "a", can be a desaster on place "b". server, isp and such things are not so easy, that you can say, one ist working, so all 3 housing places will be working.

they have experience with l2 and gw. so i think they knew the risks. now i wait to buy and then when i read less problems than aoc in forums, i decide to buy or not. because i don´t want to pay for testing. that´s a beta thing. one possible pre order customer less.

one postive thing is, they so euphoric and great selfconsious, that they do it their way. so looking for opinions from people they play aion.

My point exactly. The recent games that had no open beta or trial were horrible at launch, AoC and Vanguard just to name the worst. The only reason these games had no public preview is because they were in fact horribly broken and not ready to be released yet.

I wouldn't want an open beta if every game coming out had no bugs and was perfect to begin with, but that's not the case and lately people buying games are expected to play a semi-game beta at launch until the subscription money comes in to fix it.

If I go buy a non-fiction book in a store I expect to be able to look into it before I buy it so I know what I buy, I expect the same from MMO.