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DATarbell,
A point about beta-testing. There is another very important purpose to beta-testing that you overlook: playbalancing. Its also the way outsiders can help the most. Because insiders, ie people inside the company or professional testers, are going to have a very skewed way of looking at the game. Company people cos they can't look at the game in a fresh way, and professional testers cos they're playing the game in a different way (primarily hunting for bugs for instance) and have all the baggage of their professional past.
Outsiders would look at the game in a different way. And play balancing is extremely key in these kinds of games. A huge problem with the CtP games (and a big reason why the Wes mods are so good) is because they didn't properly playbalance them. That could make or break a game. With features like unique units, the importance of balancing is greater than ever. Something likely slightly tweaking the strength of a unit or building could be done very late in the game development process, I'd hope.
Further, Firaxis says they are working up game modification features, like event editors. Why not show people here at Apolyton how that is shaping up, so they could give meaningful feedback, and make sure that the tools scenario makers want are included? After all, these tools are being made mainly for they kind of people who inhabit these boards - so why keep this element of the game shrouded in secrecy at this point, outside beta or not? I sent an email to Firaxis to this effect months ago, but nothing ever came of it.
A point about beta-testing. There is another very important purpose to beta-testing that you overlook: playbalancing. Its also the way outsiders can help the most. Because insiders, ie people inside the company or professional testers, are going to have a very skewed way of looking at the game. Company people cos they can't look at the game in a fresh way, and professional testers cos they're playing the game in a different way (primarily hunting for bugs for instance) and have all the baggage of their professional past.
Outsiders would look at the game in a different way. And play balancing is extremely key in these kinds of games. A huge problem with the CtP games (and a big reason why the Wes mods are so good) is because they didn't properly playbalance them. That could make or break a game. With features like unique units, the importance of balancing is greater than ever. Something likely slightly tweaking the strength of a unit or building could be done very late in the game development process, I'd hope.
Further, Firaxis says they are working up game modification features, like event editors. Why not show people here at Apolyton how that is shaping up, so they could give meaningful feedback, and make sure that the tools scenario makers want are included? After all, these tools are being made mainly for they kind of people who inhabit these boards - so why keep this element of the game shrouded in secrecy at this point, outside beta or not? I sent an email to Firaxis to this effect months ago, but nothing ever came of it.
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