What is an alpha, really? What’s the dividing line between an alpha and a pre-alpha when both are playable? If a game has had a functional cash shop since the prior presidential administration but is still officially not launched, is it still in beta? These are the questions being addressed in the latest development dispatch from Crowfall‘s development team, and they’re questions with no firm answers. But there’s still plenty of room for discussion.
The short version is that Artcraft believes terms like “pre-alpha” are primarily useful for external conversation; internally, the build that’s being played is much further along than more technical alpha builds. The important point to note is that even in this early build, there are elements that can be changed, but there are also things that cannot be changed or simply will not be changed, despite the early test status. It’s something important to consider for the game’s early testing, as well as any other game you might test, a soft indictment of the very concept of the beta defense.
