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

[Calindor]

NCSoft Seoul must have decided it was too much effort/money for them to take care of the western world, so we get a 3 month old translated version of their game full of exploits

Finish reading that awesome Eurogamer article about Aion, and it sparks everyones anticipation and interest again (atleast in my clan ). And now there is talk of no betas, cash shops and B2P/F2P for Aion...NCSoft always has to do something stupid and **** up all their games.

[Arvalo85]

well if they have NO betas at all and add cash shops and B2P/F2P or anything along that short i will not be playing aion.... im sorry but those things represent everything i hate about 95% of the crap mmos out right now...

no beta i can deal with but cash shops are just a no.

[Knite]

Ok, people, put the pitchforks and torches away and listen for a moment.

Some of you are taking this all WAY out of context. If these exact same announcements had been made but it was called "beta" instead of "preview," we wouldn't be having this conversation. Let me try to explain it as clearly as I can.

1) Aion will be playable at both GC08 and PAX. Other conventions may follow.
2) While its not being called a "beta" people will have the chance to play Aion from home, before launch.
3) Feedback will be gathered from these preview events, servers will be stress tested, and I'm sure bugs/typos will be submitted.
4) You will NOT need to attend a convention to gain access to these "previews." The team has said there will be opportunities to secure a spot whether you attend the conventions or not.

Let me point something else out. Most of us who want beta access want it to be able to play the game that we've waited for. Companies see beta as a means for technical testing, player feedback, bug reports, balance, and mainly getting the product ready to capture and keep as many subscribers as possible. Many gamers see beta as a chance to try a game for free. True, some want to really test it and help make it the best it can be, but its a fraction of the other group. Calling it a preview takes at least some of that obligation away from the people who never intended to oblige anyway.

So, to sum it up, all the info we have makes it appear very much like a beta, but with less emphasis on TESTING the game and more on PLAYING it.

The bottom line is, YOU WILL HAVE A CHANCE TO PLAY AION, FROM HOME, BEFORE IT RELEASES, and that should make you happy. I know it makes me happy. Be happy.

[Calindor]

I wont be playing if its anything other than P2P, no betas is also kind of annoying...the way these "previews" sound, it will be just a change to get a look at/feel of Aion, maybe play it for an hour or something. I want a chance to actually try out the game, level a few different classes up past 10, etc...

There will be no conventions short of a $1500 plane ticket from where I live, can someone confirm the tests we get to do from home will last more than a few hours...like will they be a few days or a week so we can actually play the game?

To me and everyone I've talked to about it, it just screams NCSoft Seoul doesnt care about what happens in NA/EU, and it somehow seems like a more extreme/worse version of what happened to Lineage 2.

[Fleiva]

You should get used to this "no completely open betas" approach, it's getting quite popular due to the way people use these betas, and specially since WoW opened the market.

[Calindor]

AoC would have been a decent game if its beta was about 3 times longer

[Terpsichore]

Open beta is the best way to "clean" the game as much as possible before launch, as well as attract more people.

Do we want serious exploits and silly translation typos?

[Shade]

Originally Posted by Terpsichore

Do we want serious exploits and silly translation typos?

No, but it looks like NCSoft do.

[Calindor]

I hardly know anyone who would consider buying a MMO without getting to try it in a beta or at least a week long trial...unless they have been anticipating it, but that would pretty much limit it to the aionsource community. Open beta is where any game but WoW is going to get its popularity.

[dalin]

Originally Posted by Calindor

the way these "previews" sound, it will be just a change to get a look at/feel of Aion, maybe play it for an hour or something. I want a chance to actually try out the game, level a few different classes up past 10, etc... like will they be a few days or a week so we can actually play the game?

at what point has there ever been made a reference to the time the Preview Events will last? and when was the last time you saw a AAA title with an opportunity to see the game for as little as an hour?

rest assured, a preview event will encompass a weekend, or week, etc. in short, a decent amount of time to fully experience the initial stages of the game...

Originally Posted by knite16

Ok, people, put the pitchforks and torches away and listen for a moment.

Some of you are taking this all WAY out of context. If these exact same announcements had been made but it was called "beta" instead of "preview," we wouldn't be having this conversation. Let me try to explain it as clearly as I can.

1) Aion will be playable at both GC08 and PAX. Other conventions may follow.
2) While its not being called a "beta" people will have the chance to play Aion from home, before launch.
3) Feedback will be gathered from these preview events, servers will be stress tested, and I'm sure bugs/typos will be submitted.
4) You will NOT need to attend a convention to gain access to these "previews." The team has said there will be opportunities to secure a spot whether you attend the conventions or not.

Let me point something else out. Most of us who want beta access want it to be able to play the game that we've waited for. Companies see beta as a means for technical testing, player feedback, bug reports, balance, and mainly getting the product ready to capture and keep as many subscribers as possible. Many gamers see beta as a chance to try a game for free. True, some want to really test it and help make it the best it can be, but its a fraction of the other group. Calling it a preview takes at least some of that obligation away from the people who never intended to oblige anyway.

So, to sum it up, all the info we have makes it appear very much like a beta, but with less emphasis on TESTING the game and more on PLAYING it.

The bottom line is, YOU WILL HAVE A CHANCE TO PLAY AION, FROM HOME, BEFORE IT RELEASES, and that should make you happy. I know it makes me happy. Be happy.

quoted... because he's had the most rational post addressing this turn of events...

thanks knite...

nothing shady going on folks... we just have a more concrete definition of whats "expected" of us, and when we can expect things to happen...

carry on...

[lyankyj]

I want betas, because there are quite a few things I'd like to report officially to the devs/guys who work with the western client. I don't care what kind of events, betas, chances we get to play it until I can participate in it and help the game with my thoughts and suggestions.

[dalin]

^^while i agree it would have been nice (and made sense from a mass market appeal standpoint) to have contributed some meaningful input BEFORE launch, that just isnt going to be the case...

however, we all know MMOs are perpetually in development... constantly balancing this and that... i feel confident that US/EU players will have their voices heard, and those changes (if necessary) will be reflected in future patches and/or expansion packs...

[Shade]

Originally Posted by dalin

at what point has there ever been made a reference to the time the Preview Events will last? and when was the last time you saw a AAA title with an opportunity to see the game for as little as an hour?

Aion? AAA? What?

[dalin]

Originally Posted by Shade

Aion? AAA? What?

are you confused about the acronym, or jabbing at the fact that ive classified Aion as one?

[Calindor]

Originally Posted by lyankyj

I want betas, because there are quite a few things I'd like to report officially to the devs/guys who work with the western client. I don't care what kind of events, betas, chances we get to play it until I can participate in it and help the game with my thoughts and suggestions.

At the rate its going, even if we do get a beta, nothing will be changed, because the client in korea is already months ahead of us.


I also have no idea what AAA is.