What makes a beta a beta? It’s been a source of scowling-faced commenter “discussion” ever since marketing betas and early access muddied the water. In the case of Crowfall, and according to an interview J. Todd Coleman held with German website MeinMMO, the latest build of the game is technically a beta, as referenced here from a Google translated part of the interview:
“The beta isn’t really about a collection of features. However … technically we have already reached it. This is the version that players come in and that we call beta. We still bring bug fixes. As soon as we have reached a level where we feel comfortable enough, we start inviting players who are not backers. All backers can play now, but at the moment we are not letting players in who have not supported.”
While the game is technically a beta, Coleman hastens to mention that the game has to reach a certain level of quality and have a number of bugs cleared, but he also promises that a full beta date is coming soon™. The interview also touches on a couple of topics like Crowfall’s planned monetization scheme (buy-to-play with a cash shop and optional VIP membership) and the game’s aspirations for itself and the MMO genre.
As for that current build, it’s referred to as The Awakening, which introduces the first chapter of the new player experience and a variety of enhancements to the GvG Dregs world. As of this writing, the update should be on the Live servers as of yesterday, while EU players are getting their own seven-day Dregs campaign starting today at 10:00 a.m. EDT until Thursday, June 30th.
I got caught up in the Kickstarter hype for Crowfall and now I have no interest in it whatsoever. I don’t care enough to try the alpha or even remotely keep up with the updates.
I don’t see this one doing much. I feel much like Deadly Habit feels, I think he has it nailed.
if this is “Technically” the beta, then thats not a good sign.
The game feels “technically” like an early alpha, at best
Can we can start calling any time a MMO goes persistent regardless of saying it’s early access, alpha, beta as being fully released?
Devs can’t keep hiding behind these labels as excuses to shirk criticism or “not being released” etc while having full release pricing and monetization models or even when they stop wiping progress on characters or worlds.
I don’t think Crowfall has actually gone to persistence yet, there will still be wipes, but I agree with your point. I definitely have my concerns about the game, and the apparent lack of hype for it, but I wouldn’t put it into the category of games that are launched in all but name.
*clap*clap*clap* exactly.
LOL what? While I agree with your definition you are ill informed. Crowfall will have multiple wipes before launch. At least one before open Beta and another at launch.
Yeah, no.
There’s literally no hype for this game and rightfully so.
Hard pass.
I couldn’t imagine actually following this game all these years. Seems exhausting to the point I don’t think I would even want to play the game when it releases having burned out on it long ago in what the devs would later say was “technically” the beta.