Do beta tests ruin the game?

[Locust]

I have found that when I play a beta of a game, it ruins the shock value of the product. One chooses to be in a beta, but I feel it is better just to wait for the finished product.

 

[bliink]

not games like counterstrike, because they are constantly updated... theres no real ruining occuring, just stuff being added. but with games that only come out once (HL2) it would ruin it somewhat

 

[filipeg165]

yeh i only play betas of games like counter-strike, that are multiplayer only or something like that, big games like far cry, hl2 or doom 3, i rather wait the finished product cuz i think it would ruin the whole experience

 

[The Mullinator]

If the game is story driven or has some significantly new and unique features or styles of gameplay then yes. Otherwise no I wouldn't really say so. I think alot of people don't actually realize that the purpose of a beta isn't to allow future customers to get the game early and free, but is instead to actually thouroughly test and debug. When you sign up for a beta you have an obligation to point out as many bugs as you can find, not to have fun.

 

[Dalamari]

MMO games are the worst to beta, mostly because you need to do everything but sell your first born to patch the damn thing.

 

[Locust]

I played the doom beta and it kind of ruined the game, but it wasn't an official beta.

 

[CrazyHarij]

I don't ever sign up to be beta tester in games I'm hyped up for, since it does ruin the shock feel a little.

 

[sHm0zY]

well cs wont rewin the game because if you allredy watched the video's you allredy know what dust looks like.
i wonder what all the other maps look like.

 

[synth]

Betas can ruin the game if you don't like spoilers. You're playing a beta to help the dev team squish bugs and test new stuff out, so it's really helpful to them. To you, if you don't like playing incomplete games, don't play betas.

 

[DizzyOne]

Usually I find playing betas of any game making the final game more satisfying (if its a good game).
Makes me play the game smoothly and gets me more attached to the game cuz ive seen it develop.
Besides imo a good game should have a very high replay value, I also rate a game on its MP.

 

[redundant]

I played the doom beta and it kind of ruined the game, but it wasn't an official beta

that's because the doom "beta" wasn't a beta. it was pre-alpha. what do you expect from a stolen build of a game over a year before its release?

 

[SpuD]

Never played a beta, i will with CS:S though

 

[Locust]

I say screw betas!! Let the developers do their job and deliver a quality product instead of relying on the consumer to deliver their product.

 

[Asuka]

I dont mind beta testing the multiplayer of a game, but i will never beta test the single player of a game.

 

[Sui]

ive been a beta tester for DOW (very fun ) but i really wanna beta test world of warcraft. its like having a free MMORPG that you dont have to pay for for a couple of months plus WOW is a great game, hope i get in.

 

[Raxxman]

The two beta's I've been in didn't really spoil the game, in fact I remember one were I sent in a grammatical error to them, when I played the final version it was fixed. I was like cool, I might of been responsible for that .

That said I haven't been in a beta for years now.

 

[The Mullinator]

I say screw betas!! Let the developers do their job and deliver a quality product instead of relying on the consumer to deliver their product.

You do realize that a beta tester is considered a really considered more of a vollunteer worker for the company than a consumer right?

The incredible amount of work required to actually go through the entire game searching for every possible bug that could arise could easily take several extra months for some projects if it was just the developers doing the testing. It doesn't matter how good the developers are, the larger the project will mean the harder it will be to find the bugs and the more bugs that there will be to find.

 

[IchI]

What a stupid question.

 

[Dr. Freeman]

not games like counterstrike, because they are constantly updated... theres no real ruining occuring, just stuff being added. but with games that only come out once (HL2) it would ruin it somewhat

u mean betas ruin MP games but not so much the SP games right?
i agree with that.. since a player is more likely to MP more often than SP.

however im sure there are examples out there of SP games which can be ruined because of a beta... i guess its "beta tester beware" meaning.. think twice before signing up for a beta.

 

[Direwolf]

I think he meant that MP games can't be ruined by a beta...they're gonna be fun anyway. SP games get the story and surprises ruined though.