Beta will be "limited" in attendance

[Risingred]

Bashiok posted about this in the official forum.

We have a huge and talented QA department just for purposes like these, yes, but it's still no comparison to thousands and thousands of players hammering the system. We can run simulations to see what breaks just from over-crowding, but it's ultimately no comparison to real players testing the system.

But we also do want player feedback on systems and how the game feels and plays for the content that's available. The first few hours are the most crucial for any game, so we definitely want to make sure we get them right.

This will be the most limited beta in recent memory, and because of of how new the back end is, we expect it to be the most unstable as well.

[Yab]

In what way "limited"? We know it will be short in content and most probably short in terms of duration but .. I hope not limited in numbers of invitations..

[jamesL]

sure sounds like he means limited in invitations :(

[Risingred]

That's precisely what he meant. Short in number of invitations. That's specifically what I asked him about and he actually answered.

[spindrjr]

Bummersauce.

[Ophian]

I'm too lazy to look it up but isn't there an investor conference call coming up where they may give a beta release date?

[Risingred]

I'm too lazy to look it up but isn't there an investor conference call coming up where they may give a beta release date?

That's this wednesday.
Beta must be just around the corner.

[Septar]

The way he wrote it seems more like it's limited in terms of content that is accessible.

[Yab]

The way he wrote it seems more like it's limited in terms of content that is accessible.

That's what I thought at first too :scratchchin:

[DuB]

The way he wrote it seems more like it's limited in terms of content that is accessible.

Agree... he starts off saying how it's valuable to have "thousands and thousands" hammer the system... making it seem like he says many will get in. Then he switches topics to content.. then makes that comment.

[spindrjr]

The way he wrote it seems more like it's limited in terms of content that is accessible.

I would agree that it sounds like this just reading Bash's quote. But OP said he asked specifically about number of people in beta so.......

Maybe we can get some clarification.

Edit:
Bash was responding to this:


Don't you guys have QA labs just for this purpose?
It just seems to me that you don't even need to test this game, really. I can't imagine how long it will go, can't be very long at all, because you aren't exactly new to the online game scene. All of this stuff in D3, it's been done before by Blizzard and it's down to as close to a science as it's going to get.

Is this going to be a very open beta, like SC2, at least?

[remodemo]

any elaboration as to why "This will be the most limited beta in recent memory"?
hope they're gonna reconsider that.

[Septar]

The OP's specific wording was this:

Don't you guys have QA labs just for this purpose?
It just seems to me that you don't even need to test this game, really. I can't imagine how long it will go, can't be very long at all, because you aren't exactly new to the online game scene. All of this stuff in D3, it's been done before by Blizzard and it's down to as close to a science as it's going to get.

Is this going to be a very open beta, like SC2, at least?

This isn't quite clear, and "very open beta" can read like having all of online SC2 play available, which IIRC, it was.

[Zeek]

Limited in duration cause they want it out by Christmas. More likely after the investor call where they explain the real money auction house they'll have it out by the end of the month. All those dollar signs in the investor's eyes will get the ball rolling really fast. :crazyeyes:

[Risingred]

Agree... he starts off saying how it's valuable to have "thousands and thousands" hammer the system... making it seem like he says many will get in. Then he switches topics to content.. then makes that comment.

Re-reading what I wrote, yes, it's possible he was referring to content, but I highly doubt it. We'd already discussed content, and I think he knew precisely what I mean by "open".

We had also been discussing that earlier in the thread when Bash jumped in and I'm sure he knew what was being discussed, or else he wouldn't have responded/asked for clarification.

[sirdond]

now we know it why its limited. they don't sending out so much invites :/