SEV Betatest...

[Atrocities]

Also a beta test is not suppose to be a nit pick free for all. The developer is looking for feed back yes, but not out right negative critisim of their products. The most likely need and want all feed back that a beta test has, but that does not mean that they want to a steady diet of "This sucks" "That sucks," etc. If something sucks, be detailed and explain why it sucks and be specific about what it is you would like to see done to improve it.

Bug reports are the most helpful thing to a developer, or so I would think. So reporting those, along with detailed information about how you came acrossed it would be the most advantagious thing to do. (Or so it is my opinion.)

I have seen so many beta tests go south because people post about how bad the beta is when they fail to understand that it is a BETA and not the finished product.

Case in point Tribes Vengence. Although the big issue there was the cheating on the MP games, ignored by VUG, the beta degenerated into a negative posting fest of epic proportions. It got so bad they closed the forum. The game was not bad, it just was not good.

Space Empires players are far more decidely professional than the twitch monekies that participated in the T:V beta so my confidence is high that Aaron will be getting the best beta testers in the world.

[Instar]

The trick is GOOD bug reports. Details people, details!
Debugging is fun, if you ask me... then again, I'm insane.

[RudyHuxtable]

I beta'd on Ultima Online. Now THAT was a headache. There were so many awesome features that I thought would make it into the final edit, like Necromancy and the like, but I guess they just couldn't work out the kinks at the time, and EA said hurry up. So come launch day I play the game and was annoyed because I was such an advocate for so many of the features that got tossed.

Reporting the bugs was insane. Simple insane. Like, put me in a rubber room I don't want to talk about walking through walls or Corp Por backlashing ever again... oh my GOD!