Halo: Reach Forum
This topic has moved here: Subject: Bungie, test as much as possible in the Beta
  • Subject: Bungie, test as much as possible in the Beta
Subject: Bungie, test as much as possible in the Beta

Posted by: Duardo
I'd love to be a 10 year old and tell my mom I'm going on an adventure out into the world catching Pokemon, with her full support. Never mind the fact that there are rapists, criminals, and murders out there, or the fact that I may get killed by a Pokemon.

Luckily I have Pikachu.

For almost two years we have been playing the final build of Halo 3's multiplayer, but beforehand many select members of the Halo community (or those who bought Crackdown) have played it even longer.

The Halo 3 Multiplayer Beta made some things better in the final game, but it also made somethings worse (Tripmine). However, the biggest flaw with the Beta was that Bungie restricted the use of many weapons, vehicles, and of course Elite character models.

I think with the Halo: Reach beta comes a great opportunity to address these issues before the game ships, I think in the Halo: Reach Beta Bungie should add every possible weapon, every possible vehicle, and also allow us to play as Elites in order to work out many of the balancing issues ahead of time so there will be less complaints later on about overpowered Maulers, or not being able to headshot Elites.

PS: Bungie, please listen and do something about the spawn system this time around. I'd hate to get stuck with another spawn system like Halo 3's again.

  • 08.02.2009 2:36 PM PDT
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Do you even know what the Beta stage for a game?

  • 08.02.2009 2:43 PM PDT

I agree. If they are going to release a beta to public, they need to include every feature for feedback from the community.

  • 08.02.2009 2:47 PM PDT

Posted by: Duardo
I'd love to be a 10 year old and tell my mom I'm going on an adventure out into the world catching Pokemon, with her full support. Never mind the fact that there are rapists, criminals, and murders out there, or the fact that I may get killed by a Pokemon.

Luckily I have Pikachu.

Posted by: Uae Gamer
Do you even know what the Beta stage for a game?
Yeah I do, it's a piece of software that has passed the Alpha stage of development, it is still incomplete and being tested during the Beta stage. Did you even read the OP?

[Edited on 08.02.2009 2:48 PM PDT]

  • 08.02.2009 2:48 PM PDT
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Posted by: The BS Police
Posted by: Uae Gamer
Do you even know what the Beta stage for a game?
Yeah I do, it's a piece of software that has passed the Alpha stage of development, it is still incomplete and being tested during the Beta stage. Did you even read the OP?

Yes, I read the OP and I agree.

  • 08.02.2009 2:50 PM PDT

I agree. More content destined for the final game that is in the beta equals a less buggy game. However, you can't have every single piece of content in the Beta - sort of defeats the point of a final build.

  • 08.02.2009 2:57 PM PDT

Posted by: Duardo
I'd love to be a 10 year old and tell my mom I'm going on an adventure out into the world catching Pokemon, with her full support. Never mind the fact that there are rapists, criminals, and murders out there, or the fact that I may get killed by a Pokemon.

Luckily I have Pikachu.

Posted by: Wafflecannon02
I agree. More content destined for the final game that is in the beta equals a less buggy game. However, you can't have every single piece of content in the Beta - sort of defeats the point of a final build.
True, I don't expect any more than three multiplayer maps in the game. However, the more content in the Beta the better.

  • 08.02.2009 2:59 PM PDT
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Although I agree, I think this would ruin the element of suprise for the full release. Hence why developers hire testers to make sure most glitches are tackled.

  • 08.02.2009 3:05 PM PDT
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Yes, the beta needs most of the options that are wanted to be made available come release.

A co-op mission would be nice too!

  • 08.02.2009 3:16 PM PDT

Do you even realize what they do? The open beta to those who buy ODST is to test network more or less on a large scale. They have beta testing in house to test out balancing and bugs and then they probably will have an closed open beta open to family members and whatnot with most features.

  • 08.02.2009 3:22 PM PDT
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As you progress throughout your life you realize that the older you get the closer your are to death, the only thing you cannot change.

The Beta needs the majority of the features, I mean if you had a game(in multiplayer anyway) without any surprises it's something that ultimately doesn't thrill you, you will probaly be happy with playing it, but if they gave enerything away to the public to just try and know of months before the realese they might find out some trick that has gone unnoticed.

Sorry for my sloppy post I am tired right now and I don't want to think.

  • 08.02.2009 3:23 PM PDT

Well, think of it this way:

Correct me if I am wrong as I didn't have a 360 back then, but in Halo 3, to get the beta, you needed to be one of the lucky people who signed up early, preordered crackdown, or something else.

Not everyone who played Halo 2 could get into the beta as a result, it was a smaller sample size.

For this, all you need to do is get ODST, and there is a huge time window to get it in and its not like "You need to preorder ODST". The sample size will be much larger for this beta.

As for the features the beta should test? If memory serves, one of the main focuses for the Halo 3 beta was the saved films. They wanted lots of users playing and saving films and sharing it with their friends to see if there were any glitches at all.

More recently however, they implemented Bungie Pro so you could render said videos online.

Now would it make any sense at all not to be able to render videos online with Reach right from the beta? Saves you time and money if you could test both with one shot. It just makes sense to me at least.

Slightly rambling, but I'm sure they will test a lot with Reach. Especially if it strays far from the Halo 2/ Halo 3 format of FPS.

  • 08.02.2009 3:25 PM PDT

PLEASE DO NOT SEND ME GROUP INVITATIONS

The Halo REACH Script (post thoughts in thread)

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Look... I'm on bungiepedia!

I think that the testers who sign NDAs get access to a more complete version of the Beta with all weapons. I doubt Bungie would give us access to all player models, weapons, and vehicles before the game comes out... that would ruin the surprise that they always try to keep. I just hope that whoever has access to the full Beta dosn't make any stupid suggestions.

  • 08.02.2009 3:26 PM PDT
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As you progress throughout your life you realize that the older you get the closer your are to death, the only thing you cannot change.

Posted by: MLG Cheehwawa
I think that the testers who sign NDAs get access to a more complete version of the Beta with all weapons. I doubt Bungie would give us access to all player models, weapons, and vehicles before the game comes out... that would ruin the surprise that they always try to keep. I just hope that whoever has access to the full Beta dosn't make any stupid suggestions.


Well before nearly any Beta testing is under way Bungie will have been playing it and fine tuning it for a while, and they won't let anybody screw up a game they like to play.

  • 08.02.2009 3:29 PM PDT
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I've been playing Halo since 2002. My earliest memories include hiding at the shotgun window on Damnation and killing my dad with grenades while playing co-op on Pillar of Autumn.

Posted by: Gdude
Posted by: MLG Cheehwawa
I think that the testers who sign NDAs get access to a more complete version of the Beta with all weapons. I doubt Bungie would give us access to all player models, weapons, and vehicles before the game comes out... that would ruin the surprise that they always try to keep. I just hope that whoever has access to the full Beta dosn't make any stupid suggestions.


Well before nearly any Beta testing is under way Bungie will have been playing it and fine tuning it for a while, and they won't let anybody screw up a game they like to play.


They're probably playing it right now.

  • 08.02.2009 3:35 PM PDT

(Bungie > 343i)

Posted by: BWO I3lue Devil
I agree. If they are going to release a beta to public, they need to include every feature for feedback from the community.

  • 08.02.2009 3:38 PM PDT

Posted by: joedanny96
Posted by: Gdude
Posted by: MLG Cheehwawa
I think that the testers who sign NDAs get access to a more complete version of the Beta with all weapons. I doubt Bungie would give us access to all player models, weapons, and vehicles before the game comes out... that would ruin the surprise that they always try to keep. I just hope that whoever has access to the full Beta dosn't make any stupid suggestions.


Well before nearly any Beta testing is under way Bungie will have been playing it and fine tuning it for a while, and they won't let anybody screw up a game they like to play.


They're probably playing it right now.

Its probably still in the Alpha stage actually. I'm guessing it will flop over to the private Beta stage come this winter when they start showing it off to magazines and kids of Microsoft employees and finally open it up to the public beta later on in spring.

  • 08.02.2009 3:41 PM PDT
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I've been playing Halo since 2002. My earliest memories include hiding at the shotgun window on Damnation and killing my dad with grenades while playing co-op on Pillar of Autumn.

Posted by: Hylebos
Posted by: joedanny96
Posted by: Gdude
Posted by: MLG Cheehwawa
I think that the testers who sign NDAs get access to a more complete version of the Beta with all weapons. I doubt Bungie would give us access to all player models, weapons, and vehicles before the game comes out... that would ruin the surprise that they always try to keep. I just hope that whoever has access to the full Beta dosn't make any stupid suggestions.


Well before nearly any Beta testing is under way Bungie will have been playing it and fine tuning it for a while, and they won't let anybody screw up a game they like to play.


They're probably playing it right now.

Its probably still in the Alpha stage actually. I'm guessing it will flop over to the private Beta stage come this winter when they start showing it off to magazines and kids of Microsoft employees and finally open it up to the public beta later on in spring.


So private beta being you can only play it via Halo 3 ODST?

  • 08.02.2009 3:45 PM PDT

Posted by: joedanny96
Posted by: Hylebos
Posted by: joedanny96
Posted by: Gdude
Posted by: MLG Cheehwawa
I think that the testers who sign NDAs get access to a more complete version of the Beta with all weapons. I doubt Bungie would give us access to all player models, weapons, and vehicles before the game comes out... that would ruin the surprise that they always try to keep. I just hope that whoever has access to the full Beta dosn't make any stupid suggestions.


Well before nearly any Beta testing is under way Bungie will have been playing it and fine tuning it for a while, and they won't let anybody screw up a game they like to play.


They're probably playing it right now.

Its probably still in the Alpha stage actually. I'm guessing it will flop over to the private Beta stage come this winter when they start showing it off to magazines and kids of Microsoft employees and finally open it up to the public beta later on in spring.


So private beta being you can only play it via Halo 3 ODST?

By Private I mean only a few people in the media and gametesters from microsoft get to try it out, not Bungie Employees testing their own stuff all the time.

Forgive me if I used improper game design terms :)

  • 08.02.2009 3:48 PM PDT