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Re: Pixelmon 2.2 Beta Preview [Minecraft 1.5.2]

PostPosted: 15 May 2013 16:03
by MrMasochism
Tom_X wrote:
SPG wrote:
Tom_X wrote:Well... I had adopted a position of protecting the beta and it's secrets, as I had been told when I started beta-testing, but now the beta seems so widely known and played, I don't think I'll keep restricting its distribution. So, Beta's for everyone! (you'd wish that, huh?)

Not going to lie, but i dont like how this beta was handeled either, yes giving it to a server owner to test it is helpful, but for it to be so easily acquired seems pointless for a beta to me that we might as well hav an open beta because that is what this one felt like

My exact thoughts... there should be a minimum requirement to join Vik's or Yokon's servers similar to the ones to Beta Test, as I've seen people I don't think even has an account here ask for the beta to join the server, and get it. If it keeps on going like this, there's no actual point in being a Beta Tester, as it's almost the same as a normal server player.


Maybe you should keep an eye on what's been going on then. I've been handing this out to the servers for the very obvious reason that there are things that they can test that you guys can't/won't. Vik's been struggling with crash bugs so I've been working hard trying to identify the cause then giving him a beta to distribute as to get those crashes to happen requires a reasonably high load on the server. Once those bugs are fixed it won't be handed out to the servers but there is no other way to get those issues sorted.

Re: Pixelmon 2.2 Beta Preview [Minecraft 1.5.2]

PostPosted: 15 May 2013 16:25
by Tom_X
MrMasochism wrote:Maybe you should keep an eye on what's been going on then. I've been handing this out to the servers for the very obvious reason that there are things that they can test that you guys can't/won't. Vik's been struggling with crash bugs so I've been working hard trying to identify the cause then giving him a beta to distribute as to get those crashes to happen requires a reasonably high load on the server. Once those bugs are fixed it won't be handed out to the servers but there is no other way to get those issues sorted.

I'm not saying the beta shouldn't be handed to servers, but that the requirements to play the beta on the server are so low (practically don't exist) that having to get an account here and 20 posts, and compromising to report bugs, becomes rather useless, as you can ask Vik (or any player of the server) to give you the beta directly. Just my opinion, though, but there should be some kind of control over who gets the beta, or joins the server.

Re: Pixelmon 2.2 Beta Preview [Minecraft 1.5.2]

PostPosted: 15 May 2013 16:42
by Rados
I'm on the fence here, I agree with MrM that we need to get Server crashes and bugs squashed, but I really don't like how it has been handed so easily too, Yokon had a public download link to the beta, at least Vikerus has so you have to Pm someone to get it

Re: Pixelmon 2.2 Beta Preview [Minecraft 1.5.2]

PostPosted: 15 May 2013 17:11
by KuryoZT
Rados wrote:I'm on the fence here, I agree with MrM that we need to get Server crashes and bugs squashed, but I really don't like how it has been handed so easily too, Yokon had a public download link to the beta, at least Vikerus has so you have to Pm someone to get it

Maybe there could be a special server for that then? Free hosting is possible right? For a small time maybe, just enough to get rid of the bugs, and have it whitelisted to Beta testers only. That way it would solve all the problems, and that's where I begin to believe this whole post is nothing but bullstuff since if I can think of it you guys already thought of it and denied it for some reason.
Anyway, it isn't much harder for vikerus' server since you just need to ask, or mayber because it were only some people ?ummm....

Re: Pixelmon 2.2 Beta Preview [Minecraft 1.5.2]

PostPosted: 15 May 2013 17:38
by MrMasochism
One of the crashes was confined to vikerus's server so I had to keep sending it back to him

Re: Pixelmon 2.2 Beta Preview [Minecraft 1.5.2]

PostPosted: 15 May 2013 18:12
by ChaoticIntake
MrMasochism wrote:
Tom_X wrote:
SPG wrote:Not going to lie, but i dont like how this beta was handeled either, yes giving it to a server owner to test it is helpful, but for it to be so easily acquired seems pointless for a beta to me that we might as well hav an open beta because that is what this one felt like

My exact thoughts... there should be a minimum requirement to join Vik's or Yokon's servers similar to the ones to Beta Test, as I've seen people I don't think even has an account here ask for the beta to join the server, and get it. If it keeps on going like this, there's no actual point in being a Beta Tester, as it's almost the same as a normal server player.


Maybe you should keep an eye on what's been going on then. I've been handing this out to the servers for the very obvious reason that there are things that they can test that you guys can't/won't. Vik's been struggling with crash bugs so I've been working hard trying to identify the cause then giving him a beta to distribute as to get those crashes to happen requires a reasonably high load on the server. Once those bugs are fixed it won't be handed out to the servers but there is no other way to get those issues sorted.



So, I worked as a QA Tester for a video game company for a year and a half. The team we had consisted of me and three other people, one of which was our lead. He couldn't help us most times because he was in meetings all the time, so it was really just me and two other people. We tested an entire game for like six solid months, because we couldn't get the approval for any more people.

It got to the point where we couldn't handle the day-to-day workload we were given, because it was just too much. We'd come in, be given a bunch of tasks to do, then have to stretch that day's tasks into the next day. Sometimes, those tasks were urgent, so we ended up staying until like midnight, sometimes later, to get all this crap done.

One of the things that happened that helped us IMMENSELY was when we went into our Closed Beta phase. It was basically free QA to the people we handed out codes to. Instead of us reporting bugs, checking them, sending them to the appropriate people, and verifying the fix when they got fixed, THEY would report bugs, leaving the rest of the steps to us, but cutting out a BIG part of our work, which helped us so much. Plus, some of the stuff we couldn't see with our small team. We had to have more people playing.

This is exactly what MrM is doing. He's employing the Closed Beta strategy. Give a build of the game to popular servers or active community members, and let THEM test things. Like he said, some crashes and bugs won't occur until large numbers of players are playing. This is the perfect opportunity for him to find these things.

I get that you guys have personal lives, which is cool, and you don't get paid to do this, so I don't understand why beta builds of the mod have to be some "cool kids club" where all the cool kids have to gather round and majority vote on whether or not to accept new members. The only thing this is doing is helping the mod. It's not like a leak of this mod is going to end the world, because the base game is already out, and beta builds are, by definition, buggy in at least some sense and sometimes unplayable. Again, all MrM does by having more eyes on the beta builds is help the mod become more stable.

And for the record, as far as I know, free hosting, unless you do it from your own computer, is complete shit. Plus, servers have enough issues with a constantly-updating database, and if you aren't paying someone to host your server, there's most likely less they'd be willing to put up with.

And don't worry, I understand the points you're all making about "why do we even have beta testers then". I don't have a good answer for that, because I'm not MrM. My best guess is the size issue. There's a good amount of you, as far as I know, but it's hard synchronizing everyone's schedules to spend three hours testing a version of the game for a few crash bugs. My best guess is that he wants you beta testers to log functionality or graphical bugs, and if he needs help with the big stuff, he employs the Closed Beta strategy I talked about above.

Re: Pixelmon 2.2 Beta Preview [Minecraft 1.5.2]

PostPosted: 16 May 2013 03:29
by Rudy156
This is gonna be great I know it! Keep making the mod more awesome!

Re: Pixelmon 2.2 Beta Preview [Minecraft 1.5.2]

PostPosted: 16 May 2013 13:48
by xisko14
When will it be ready?

Re: Pixelmon 2.2 Beta Preview [Minecraft 1.5.2]

PostPosted: 16 May 2013 14:05
by Jack_Attack12
xisko14 wrote:When will it be ready?

When its done.

Re: Pixelmon 2.2 Beta Preview [Minecraft 1.5.2]

PostPosted: 16 May 2013 14:19
by 04paynea
Can't wait for it to be out :) hope its as good as all the other updates