Draginol Draginol

Elemental Alpha Plans

▼

Elemental Alpha Plans

from JoeUser Forums

image

As some of you know, the Elemental Beta 0 got nixed due to us needing to throw developers onto Demigod to help GPG and Raknet with the online experience.  The team is starting to migrate back and we’re all glad to be back on Elemental but we did lose some time.

But we are still pushing to have an Alpha build on June 25th to give out.  It’ll be cloth map only (so what you see in the above screenshot won’t be in the alpha series and the betas will look a lot better than what you see above too). 

For the alpha series we’re only going to select around 100 people to be in it.  It’ll be a lottery.  Picture a big hat with players getting for each Stardock game they' have – GalCiv, Sins of a Solar Empire, Demigod who have also pre-ordered Elemental.  The team is also pre-selecting about two dozen people who have been really helpful in the past from the community to be in it as well. 

We’re pretty excited because we plan to do this somewhat differently than other builds.

368,374 views 131 replies
Reply #76 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting Annatar11, reply 17

Anyway, I would like to see a focused itemised testing list, an organised bug list and general system issues one as well time requirement expectations for the alpha. I would also like to see the selected people broken down into specific teams with weekly objectives. This is so so SD can get the maximum development benefit from the course of action at hand for the commuity.
I recall we once had a similar discussion

No doubt brother. Lets hope that worm has turned. :borg:

Additionally, even though those selected for the inital list may be random for the majority, the selectees can chose to accept the guidlines or not. It is a win/win for all concerned parties.

@GW - Accountability is key in my not so humle opinion. Moreover forgive my lack of clarity. A DB was part of the intended meaning. Sorry I often type these things at 3:00AM or later. Consequently my fingers and brain get lazy due to my very long work days.

Reply #77 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting Annatar11, reply 25
... As for the plan - it does take effort to set up, and it requires much more frequent and detailed communication between the testers and the dev team. And if they're going to do that, why would they gamble on how many people would be actively involved in the plan? ...

I can think of one answer quickly: They might really only want a few tens of viable volunteers and a pool of a 100 or so candidates might be necessary to find that viable core. The whole business of them deliberaly selecting 'a couple of dozen' while also semi-randomly selecting a larger set from the preorder pool makes me think that they are wisely questioning their own ability to find the 'ideal' set of volunteers. This is about satisfying customers and not meeting an engineering spec, after all.

Offworld Trading Company
Reply #78 from Elemental Forums Top

Don't have Demigod, but I got the rest coverd!  :bebi:

 

For those of us that don't make it... Please keep the tidbits comming!   And for those of us that DO make it.  Give good feedback so it becomes a game we can all love!  I don't know how many thousands of hours I lost to playing Master of Magic or Civilization for just one more turn....

 

 

Reply #79 from Demigod Forums Top

I can think of one answer quickly: They might really only want a few tens of viable volunteers and a pool of a 100 or so candidates might be necessary to find that viable core. The whole business of them deliberaly selecting 'a couple of dozen' while also semi-randomly selecting a larger set from the preorder pool makes me think that they are wisely questioning their own ability to find the 'ideal' set of volunteers. This is about satisfying customers and not meeting an engineering spec, after all.

Perhaps so! Maybe we'll get to see.

Reply #80 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting foxfire1234, reply 3
Don't have Demigod, but I got the rest coverd! 

 

For those of us that don't make it... Please keep the tidbits comming!   And for those of us that DO make it.  Give good feedback so it becomes a game we can all love!  I don't know how many thousands of hours I lost to playing Master of Magic or Civilization for just one more turn....

 

 

 

Sadly enough I think a NDA will be the first order of business. I could be wrong however, but it would seem so...

The watershed factor for this title is very high in my opinion and careful information management will be a key factor it controlling the hype and hip factor.

Reply #81 from Demigod Forums Top

As I said above, unless the plan changed from invite-only test towards the end of development to invite-only concurrently with open beta, I doubt the Alpha will have an NDA - there's not much sense in doing it if after a month or two those NDA'd people will just roll over to public beta and everyone will see anyway.

Reply #82 from Elemental Forums Top

I'd love to help with the Alpha, and think I could do well since I've done a fair amount of software QA, but acknowledge that with only 7 Karma and a few Stardock Titles (Galciv II through TOA, everything ObjectDesktop-related, Sins+Entrenchment), my changes are pretty slim.

That given, when is Beta 1 (the "open beta") tentatively scheduled for?

Reply #83 from Demigod Forums Top

True but again it all depends on the plan at hand. The details of which we are simply are not privy to at the moment. A controlled short term group to lay the foundation under a NDA then a general pubic one after the fact followed by a third high quality selected third one under a NDA again prior to release would seem a good course of action in my opinion.

Reply #85 from Demigod Forums Top

Quoting Spartan, reply 8
True but again it all depends on the plan at hand. The details of which are simply are not privy to at the moment. A controlled short term group to lay the foundation under a NDA then a general pubic one after the fact followed by a third high quality selected third one under a NDA again prior to release would seem a good course of action in my opinion.

I'll see if I can catch Yarlen to see if he'd mind answering if the Alpha will be under NDA or not. :)

Reply #86 from Elemental Forums Top

I don't mind a NDA as long as there are pics shown by Stardock. Yes, I know they would be cloth map pics but that's fine as I' interested in it too.

Reply #87 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting Ynglaur, reply 7
That given, when is Beta 1 (the "open beta") tentatively scheduled for?

August.

Longest.

Summer.

Ever!

Reply #88 from Elemental Forums Top

I don't mind a NDA as long as there are pics shown by Stardock. Yes, I know they would be cloth map pics but that's fine as I' interested in it too.

Well, I think not just pics, but  also scanned copies of bear cavalry drawn by Brad. B)  

Reply #89 from Elemental Forums Top

I do wonder how many people are going to be in the drawing.   I mean, just how many people have all three titles?

It would be nice to know my chances.

+1 Loading…
Reply #90 from Demigod Forums Top

Well, I think not just pics, but also scanned copies of bear cavalry drawn by Brad.
Haven't you seen the older Elemental journals?

 

:fox:

Reply #91 from Demigod Forums Top

There shall be no NDA for the alpha:

[16:30] <Annatar> Yarlen, can I bug you with a quickie Elemental alpha question? :P
[16:30] <@Yarlen> You may
[16:31] <UsedRugs> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Moon_Is_a_Harsh_Mistress
[16:31] <Annatar> Is it going to have an NDA? People started wondering in the thread
[16:31] <UsedRugs> good book read it like 10 years ago
[16:31] <@Yarlen> No, you'll just have to had pre-ordered the game as usual for us.
[16:31] <Annatar> What I thought :) Thanks

Reply #92 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting Kitkun, reply 15

Well, I think not just pics, but also scanned copies of bear cavalry drawn by Brad.Haven't you seen the older Elemental journals?

 

I've found pictures of horse cavalry drawn by Brad, but not yet bear cavalry.

Reply #93 from Elemental Forums Top

Yay! This helps me, since I can't keep my mouth shut. :D

You didn't happen to ask about bears, I suppose? :rolleyes:

Reply #94 from Demigod Forums Top

I didn't want to push my luck. One must not anger the Yarlen :P Seriously though, no, didn't ask :)

Reply #95 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting Luckmann, reply 18
Yay! This helps me, since I can't keep my mouth shut.

But haven't you not pre-ordered? In which case you'd have no chance (unless they pre-select you)...

And on a selfish note I have now migrated all my Stardock registrations to this account so maybe I have a chance :P

Reply #96 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting Annatar11, reply 19
I didn't want to push my luck. One must not anger the Yarlen :P Seriously though, no, didn't ask :)
Good choice. I wouldn't push the Luck either.

I tend to punch back.

;P

Reply #97 from Elemental Forums Top

Ok, I've been lurking around these boards for a while now, trying to figure out what Elemental is all about (I didn't even know it existed until I took the time to read the occasional journals that would pop up on the Sins site) Now that I've spent some time looking around, reading posts, etc, it looks like it will be an awesome game! I am totally going to pre-order it now!

Reply #98 from Elemental Forums Top

No intention of derailing, I just know some people only hang out on the Dev journals. Just want you to know there is a 2nd survey available on Surveymonkey for any that are interested.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=SU4WRikn4eAGbyHYufNOpg_3d_3d

+1 Loading…
Reply #99 from Elemental Forums Top

I've decided I hope the alpha doesn't have an NDA.  Unlike the Gamma (which might have something the Beta does not and should be secret until release) the Alpha is unlikely to have anything that won't be in the public beta.   (I want to write articles for an elemental fansite about the alpha if I'm picked)

though I'd want it to stay if it means I could get hired somewhere >_>

 

on topic of karma influencing alpha entry, I hope/suspect SD would have a way of telling from which threads karma originates.  That would but Annatar pretty low since pretty much all his karma is from off-topic.   I personally feel having an awesome avatar is a valid reason to get karma because ultimatly having awesome avatars does create a memorable community, and creating a memorable community I think is what karma is intended to do.  And ultimatly, the people with high karma likely did things to deserve it.  I personally feel I should have gotten more karma for a few of the things I've done, but what it does mean that it didn't make as much of an inpact on the community as say... making a good joke might have.  

+1 Loading…
Reply #100 from Demigod Forums Top

I've found pictures of horse cavalry drawn by Brad, but not yet bear cavalry.
I'm thinking more of the art style. O:)

 

:fox: