- SgtSTFU
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- Exalted Mythic Member
Posted by: Recon Number 54
Posted by: SgtSTFU
To state the obvious, I'm thinking it should be removed shortly after the beta is done (give people enough time to get their two cents in). Seeing as we had hundreds of thread about the beta, who was getting in, etc then I definitely think we should have a forum for it when it actually comes out. I'm eager to see what people think about it.. since I still don't have a 360 :D
Good point.
However, IMO a discussion thread is a lousy place for beta-test feedback. If someone wants to report a bug, then the reporting is far more efficient if it is one-way (with some sort of acknowledgment). The real risk of asking players to "tell us what you think" is that far too many gamers who consider themselves closet designers/critics are going to expect their criticisms and/or ideas to be addressed/implemented without delay or question.
I think a great deal of the post Halo 2 furor resulted from people getting pre-production glimpses, talking about their ideas and concepts in a Bungie forum, and then feeling as if they were ignored when the game envisioned and anticipated in their imagination was not what came on the disk. "We told them what we wanted...." "They promised us....." and so on.
I think that a significant percentage of people playing the Beta are not listening (or understanding) all of the warnings of "this is not the final product, this is a test revision of the game, this is NOT a demo..." and will find fault and "flaws" in the Beta because they are expecting a sneak peek of the final game.
Similarly, I think that another significant percentage of Beta participants are rubbing their hands together because "finally Bungie has gotten smart and is going to listen to what I tell them the game should be, and I am DEFINITELY going to tell them...."
Neither of which are (at least my understanding) the intent or purpose of the Beta. But to those two types of gamers... that is what they want it to be, so that it what it is.
Discussion threads would be horrible ways to process feedback from those groups. It would be much like the Halo 3 forum is now, only with the added urgency of "I need to tell them my ideas/thoughts/opinion now, before it is too late". And the attacks/defenses that would occur in a discussion thread.
If there is a forum, or thread that is made for this, I will do my job and moderate it as directed..... but I am able to foresee the powder-keg that is could be.
You're probably right, so if this does happen them I'm hoping that Bungie wouldn't solely base the direction Halo 3 goes only on what the "halo 3 beta crowd" says. I'm pretty sure they won't, now that I think about it. They obviously knew what they were doing with Halo 2 (not only the game, but the matchmaking system), and people complained quite a bit at first. It just took some time to get used to.