is this even a 'closed' beta test?

[hickwarrior]

So, i wanted to know this of the community, do they think it is a closed beta test? Of SoS, i mean.

Please state your points if this is a closed beta or not.

My opinion over this is that it's not, mainly because it takes so long to be a closed beta and i think there are alot of people invited(although the latter is pure speculation). I think the same happened with fiesta, being a long loooong time online. As if they also conducted a server test, for that matter.

So what do you guys think?

[shiftfallout]

So, i wanted to know this of the community, do they think it is a closed beta test? Of SoS, i mean.

Please state your points if this is a closed beta or not.

My opinion over this is that it's not, mainly because it takes so long to be a closed beta and i think there are alot of people invited(although the latter is pure speculation). I think the same happened with fiesta, being a long loooong time online. As if they also conducted a server test, for that matter.

So what do you guys think?

I think the server is called Closed Beta server. Really, you cannot get around the fact that it is in Closed Beta.

Closed Betas have no real set time, they can go from over a year to less than a week.

Once it goes open beta, they will tell us. This is really a silly topic.

[lavayane]

Shiftallout is right.

A cat is called a Cat! So SoS CB is of course a CB.
Why do u doubt about it?
Be advised to that some ppl can play thanks to a registration bug....and in my oppinion, u need an average number of players to find bugs, give oppinion and report facts. So i dont think this CB is CRAWLING of players.
U should have seen the beggining of 2Moons OMG....

A closed beta dont have setted life time too, and thats the case: we still dont know when the OB will b released.

[DragonOfOblivion9344]

idiot. of course SoS CB is closed beta. thats what the CB stands for. no offense but what idiots voted for no?

[Bhujerba]

If you're saying because there are so many players online, then it's due to the fact that you can't have a successful CB without testing the limits of your server, so randomly new members can register and download and become a CB. It's just good business to have CB be a random chance registration loophole.

[Mpcchg]

idiot. of course SoS CB is closed beta. thats what the CB stands for. no offense but what idiots voted for no?



Sometimes, beta tests are referred to as "open" or "closed". A closed beta test has a limited number of spots open for testing, while an open beta has either an unlimited number of spots (i.e. anyone who wants to can participate) or a very large number of spots in cases where opening it up to everyone is impractical.

Interesting how the "definition" of closed beta says LIMITED number of spots open. Yet SoS still lets people download and play so that alone contridicts the term usage of "Closed Beta" , so before slinging derogatory words around you may want to consult the internet or websters to read what they say.

[rokurgepta]

idiot. of course SoS CB is closed beta. thats what the CB stands for. no offense but what idiots voted for no?

Before insulting people you should look up what a closed beta normally is. Closed beta usually includes an NDA(non disclosure agreement). I did not get an invite, I did not sign an NDA and yet i have been playing the game for a week. I registered for outspark, downloaded and the game worked. I had no idea they were in closed beta until i read it on the forums.

This game is being advertised on other websites like it is an open beta or released game not a CB. So to be honest I do not feel it is a closed beta as much as a randomly open beta.

[Aklass]

REAlly now.

[tokuda]

I think the server is called Closed Beta server. Really, you cannot get around the fact that it is in Closed Beta.

This is really a silly topic.

i think your post is silly. you have no justification behind calling it closed beta. other than saying "because it's called CBT"

i mean hickwarrior, and several others who have posted on this topic, have already justified why it can't be a closed beta.

so.. why is it closed beta? sorry but "because it is" doesn't really answer it



Shiftallout is right.

A cat is called a Cat! So SoS CB is of course a CB.
Why do u doubt about it?


i love the logic. if i look at an animal that barks, walks on all fours, wags its tail, and is known as "man's best friend" and the guy next to me tells me that that animal is a bird.. well.. i guess that makes it a bird right? lol "why do u doubt about it?"

maybe you missed my point. why call it CBT when there are reasons deeming it otherwise? "otherwise" potentially defined as open beta

edit: lol a few weeks after my "Did you receive an 'invite' to play SoS" poll was deleted :(:(:( i take it no one cared much for it. i ruffle too many feathers?

[shiftfallout]

i think your post is silly. you have no justification behind calling it closed beta. other than saying "because it's called CBT"

i mean hickwarrior, and several others who have posted on this topic, have already justified why it can't be a closed beta.

so.. why is it closed beta? sorry but "because it is" doesn't really answer it



Can anyone log in and play the game? No. Is the game limited in players? Yes.
How many servers are there? 1. What does the company in charge of its status call it? Closed Beta.

You = Fail.

I have every justification to name the status of the game in which the publisher says its in. Alpha, beta, open or closed. They choose what it is.

In f2p games, open beta usually has an item mall open unless there is another wipe. Is the item mall open? Nope.

Nice try, but no cigar.




i love the logic.

Me too, which is why I am surprised you dont see it. ^
By the way, a 50% xp increase starting today.... cmon. really now. Use your head.

[tokuda]

Can anyone log in and play the game? No. Is the game limited in players? Yes.
How many servers are there? 1. What does the company in charge of its status call it? Closed Beta.

You = Fail.

I have every justification to name the status of the game in which the publisher says its in. Alpha, beta, open or closed. They choose what it is.

In f2p games, open beta usually has an item mall open unless there is another wipe. Is the item mall open? Nope.

"can anyone log in and play the game?" have you considered the number of people who can't play versus those [without an invite] who can play? i'd like to use my poll as some sort of evidence but well.. it got deleted. and sure, maybe some kids got the butt-end of the stick and can't log in, but put that next to those who can play and can log in (without a formal invite), and well.. yeah, i'd like to think almost anyone can "log in and play the game"

limited in players? lol are you playing right now? should i make a poll "Do you think the server is limited in players?" maybe phrase it "Do you think the server population is increasing?" assuming you can play, ever encounter any lag this weekend? maybe your party members? notice that the area players vending in bryn has increased? it doesn't seem "closed" to me :(

quoting the company? going back to my previous post.. the dog is SoS right now. calling it a "bird" is calling it "CBT." the "guy next to me" is the Outspark team. where'd that poll about whether or not the Outspark team is doing enough for us go..

your "1" server is probably the one thing i can't really come up with a counterargument for. i think the other ones are stronger though.

i don't know anything about an item mall. the closest thing thus far would be "SparkCash." i don't find using an "item mall" as some sort of Open Beta indicator is as good as the things you've mentioned. but you're free to me a topic about it and confirm it.. a topic with someone from the Outspark team confirming its release in OB of course lol.




Me too, which is why I am surprised you dont see it. ^
By the way, a 50% xp increase starting today.... cmon. really now. Use your head.

sorry but i don't see what a rate increase has to do with anything. enlighten me on how that would reiterate any sort of point you've made so far

oh and incorporating that whole "you fail at posting lolzolz nice try 4 u" bit into your topic is boring :(. i only said your post was silly :D

[DragonMan949]

So, i wanted to know this of the community, do they think it is a closed beta test? Of SoS, i mean.

Please state your points if this is a closed beta or not.

My opinion over this is that it's not, mainly because it takes so long to be a closed beta and i think there are alot of people invited(although the latter is pure speculation). I think the same happened with fiesta, being a long loooong time online. As if they also conducted a server test, for that matter.

So what do you guys think?

This is a closed beta test. It seems like alot of people are invited but its really not. A reason why so many people are on is because some who just registered to outspark just downloaded the game without an invitation, and some are just making a new character.

In my opinion, it is a test and when OBT comes you`ll see the difference.

[shiftfallout]

"can anyone log in and play the game?" have you considered the number of people who can't play versus those [without an invite] who can play? i'd like to use my poll as some sort of evidence but well.. it got deleted. and sure, maybe some kids got the butt-end of the stick and can't log in, but put that next to those who can play and can log in (without a formal invite), and well.. yeah, i'd like to think almost anyone can "log in and play the game"

LOL. AN open beta is OPENNNNNN. Everyone would be able to get in. Thats why its called OPEN beta. The server name would be OPEN BETA SERVER or have a NAME. lol I dont know how blind you are choosing to be, but it is clearly not open beta. You cannot call it a open beta and admit some cannot can get in.

Do you want to know what the message is for those not allowed into the game, and there are a lot of those people. Not everyone decides to join in on a forum.

"Thank you for your interest in Secret of the Solstice. Access to the game is currently limited to members of the closed beta program. We'll be sure to let you know when this exciting game becomes available to the public."-notice

ITS A CLOSED BETA. Dear god kid, seriously, this is silly.


limited in players? lol are you playing right now? should i make a poll "Do you think the server is limited in players?" maybe phrase it "Do you think the server population is increasing?" assuming you can play, ever encounter any lag this weekend? maybe your party members? notice that the area players vending in bryn has increased? it doesn't seem "closed" to me :(

Your counter arguments are more word play than actual arguments with substance. Yes the server is more limited in its players, the classes are capped because there is no update, and it is limited due to the fact the game is not OPEN to all. Simple really.


quoting the company? going back to my previous post.. the dog is SoS right now. calling it a "bird" is calling it "CBT." the "guy next to me" is the Outspark team. where'd that poll about whether or not the Outspark team is doing enough for us go..

LOL thats the most ridiculous statement i have heard yet. Let me ask you something, who knows more about their product. YOU, or Outspark?

Outspark still calls it a closed beta. It is not OPEN to all. The item shop, which is normal for open betas, its also how they make their money, is not even functional. Its closed, no matter how often you want to call it something else.

Again a quote by outspark regarding players who cannot play the game:"Thank you for your interest in Secret of the Solstice. Access to the game is currently limited to members of the closed beta program. We'll be sure to let you know when this exciting game becomes available to the public."



your "1" server is probably the one thing i can't really come up with a counterargument for. i think the other ones are stronger though.

A game like SoS would be hosting more than one server if it was OPEN beta, or else they would have added more to the game in order to spread out the populace.



i don't know anything about an item mall. the closest thing thus far would be "SparkCash." i don't find using an "item mall" as some sort of Open Beta indicator is as good as the things you've mentioned. but you're free to me a topic about it and confirm it.. a topic with someone from the Outspark team confirming its release in OB of course lol.

The item mall is one of the most clear signs you have other than it being named a CLOSED BETA. F2P games make their money off of item malls. You pay real cash to get in game items. These are generally in place for open betas.

I am sorry but you really do fail at logic. Its more like you are trying desperately to believe your characters are safe because it is Open beta, when in fact it says closed no matter how long you look at it.

There is now a 50% xp increase.... that leads us to believe there definately will be a wipe now for the closed beta. Remember, when you start messing with xp rates like that, in a beta, its usually a clear sign as to what is about to come.
(Rate's are usually doubled or tripled in Closed betas to test out more high level features and locations. It is also the reason used for more wipes as the xp rate messes with what some claim as "fairness")

[rokurgepta]

LOL. AN open beta is OPENNNNNN. Everyone would be able to get in. Thats why its called OPEN beta. The server name would be OPEN BETA SERVER or have a NAME. lol I dont know how blind you are choosing to be, but it is clearly not open beta. You cannot call it a open beta and admit some cannot can get in.

Do you want to know what the message is for those not allowed into the game, and there are a lot of those people. Not everyone decides to join in on a forum.

"Thank you for your interest in Secret of the Solstice. Access to the game is currently limited to members of the closed beta program. We'll be sure to let you know when this exciting game becomes available to the public."-notice

ITS A CLOSED BETA. Dear god kid, seriously, this is silly.



Your counter arguments are more word play than actual arguments with substance. Yes the server is more limited in its players, the classes are capped because there is no update, and it is limited due to the fact the game is not OPEN to all. Simple really.



LOL thats the most ridiculous statement i have heard yet. Let me ask you something, who knows more about their product. YOU, or Outspark?

Outspark still calls it a closed beta. It is not OPEN to all. The item shop, which is normal for open betas, its also how they make their money, is not even functional. Its closed, no matter how often you want to call it something else.

Again a quote by outspark regarding players who cannot play the game:"Thank you for your interest in Secret of the Solstice. Access to the game is currently limited to members of the closed beta program. We'll be sure to let you know when this exciting game becomes available to the public."



A game like SoS would be hosting more than one server if it was OPEN beta, or else they would have added more to the game in order to spread out the populace.



The item mall is one of the most clear signs you have other than it being named a CLOSED BETA. F2P games make their money off of item malls. You pay real cash to get in game items. These are generally in place for open betas.

I am sorry but you really do fail at logic. Its more like you are trying desperately to believe your characters are safe because it is Open beta, when in fact it says closed no matter how long you look at it.

There is now a 50% xp increase.... that leads us to believe there definately will be a wipe now for the closed beta. Remember, when you start messing with xp rates like that, in a beta, its usually a clear sign as to what is about to come.
(Rate's are usually doubled or tripled in Closed betas to test out more high level features and locations. It is also the reason used for more wipes as the xp rate messes with what some claim as "fairness")


I would have to agree a wipe seems more likely now with the EXP boost. Still this is the strangest CB i have ever seen. No NDC, people are getting in with no invite. It is more of a random beta than open or closed.

[shiftfallout]

I would have to agree a wipe seems more likely now with the EXP boost. Still this is the strangest CB i have ever seen. No NDC, people are getting in with no invite. It is more of a random beta than open or closed.

lol yeah it is strange, but not nearly as strange as what Perfect World English-MY did with their OpenClosed beta... it was an open beta with a wipe or something, but they called it the OCB.

[rokurgepta]

lol yeah it is strange, but not nearly as strange as what Perfect World English-MY did with their OpenClosed beta... it was an open beta with a wipe or something, but they called it the OCB.


All I know is I was not invited but have been playing for almost a week now. I feel like I snuck into a party and they forget to check me at the door.

[shiftfallout]

All I know is I was not invited but have been playing for almost a week now. I feel like I snuck into a party and they forget to check me at the door.

haha, the same with me. I didnt get an invite, but those i know also cannot get in either.

I believe they set up the server to be region specific, or set up that for every X amount of players that sign up, only X-Y will be able to get in.

[tokuda]

aw i lose 1111

character count

[hickwarrior]

Well, there is definitely logic in it, but how long is the supposed beta under way? i heard it's more than a month by now.

I don't do much research, but aren't closed betas supposed to last this long? You must be doing something wrong if the beta has to stay this long. Oh yea, i got another account to use and the game seems as good as it can get. So why the unnecessary wait?

[shiftfallout]

Well, there is definitely logic in it, but how long is the supposed beta under way? i heard it's more than a month by now.

I don't do much research, but aren't closed betas supposed to last this long? You must be doing something wrong if the beta has to stay this long. Oh yea, i got another account to use and the game seems as good as it can get. So why the unnecessary wait?

Betas can last anywhere from a year or more, to less than that. Closed or open, it doesnt matter. They can go on for a very long time.

In this case with outspark, i believe they are waiting on the devs in asia to send them the next update. Usually by contract, the publisher and licensee (outspark), has to wait on the developers to get what they need and are usually unable to hire others to co-develop the game themselves. Thus its just a waiting game till they get everything in order. Outspark is also probably getting the servers ready as well as the item mall set up.

[Rodaa]

you should look at KRO2's OB
Thats been going for about half a year and they dont play to do a full release til 2010!

But then theres only about 8 of them there including the janitor

[hickwarrior]

so shift, this means they weren't even sure when the CB would end? looks like messy organisation to me. eSO just had a week of CB and are already transitioning to OB/full release(19th nov).

I'd love to speculate why outspark does this, but that'd be off-topic. Anyway, carry on, if there is still discussion.

[Xanthros]

Well, there is definitely logic in it, but how long is the supposed beta under way? i heard it's more than a month by now.

I don't do much research, but aren't closed betas supposed to last this long? You must be doing something wrong if the beta has to stay this long. Oh yea, i got another account to use and the game seems as good as it can get. So why the unnecessary wait?

As a programmer in the infosec realm, I can tell you that some betas (especially those that have e-commerce involved) will go for 3-5 months a piece, and it's quite possible that they'd go through 2 CB before open is ever seen. I've seen it, done, it, and participated in it over my 16+ years as a programmer. The way they're rolling things out, anticipate a pwipe and be happy if they don't do it.

My .02,

X-

[shiftfallout]

so shift, this means they weren't even sure when the CB would end? looks like messy organisation to me. eSO just had a week of CB and are already transitioning to OB/full release(19th nov).

I'd love to speculate why outspark does this, but that'd be off-topic. Anyway, carry on, if there is still discussion.

No i am sure they have their own preset deadline as to when it will go OB. But as you might have guessed, they didnt call me up on the phone to tell whenOB will be.

The fact is, no one really knows except them and until they choose to tell us, then its up in the air as to when OB will start.

[hickwarrior]

then i'm just curious why seal online did have only a week for CB and needs about 3 or so weeks to transition into OB/full release.

[rokurgepta]

then i'm just curious why seal online did have only a week for CB and needs about 3 or so weeks to transition into OB/full release.

They may be pushing ahead with problems hoping to fix them all ASAP. They may be having money issues and need to get revenue rolling in ASAP. Just because they are going to full release does not mean the game is ready for release. Plenty of online games were released before they were truly ready.

SOS has a lot of issues still. Between bad spelling in the translations and random disconnections and other small issues that need to be caught before full release.

[hickwarrior]

eSO is as good as it can get, cause played the CB of it. Just a few minor bugs, but it's not troublesome at all.

[rokurgepta]

eSO is as good as it can get, cause played the CB of it. Just a few minor bugs, but it's not troublesome at all.

How far did you get during the eSO CB? Did you reach end game content?

[hickwarrior]

No. I didn't, but that's for later. level 250 seems to be the cap, which is a long long way, but maybe that some users might achieve it. Some got lvl 70 or so in the week of the beta, though.

[rokurgepta]

No. I didn't, but that's for later. level 250 seems to be the cap, which is a long long way, but maybe that some users might achieve it. Some got lvl 70 or so in the week of the beta, though.

With a 250 level cap I not surprised on a short beta. Kind of like ok game is good to level 70 or so and gives them time to work on the rest as they go. They could still end up with problems after such a short beta. My guess is they need the money. Or they just programmed perfectly and got lucky as hell.

[hickwarrior]

I then hope it's the latter. Or we are in for a nasty surprise... Cause i want seal to stay, mind you.

this topic digressed, i think, so it's better to lay it to rest.