Open Beta!!!

[Capitaine]

Agree 100% with Ross. I suppose some posters on here don't know what the wargame biz is all about. Many, many sales will be to people who want to piddle with the game and perhaps never really get into it. Give them an "open beta" to d/l, and you give them the experience they're looking for with the full game. A "demo" should be very limited; not an "open beta" thing.

Most "open betas" I've seen are in the MMORPG area where server endurance and the "massive" part of the game gets a little test. Those make sense b/c they last for a month or two, endure frequent "character wipes" and deny the player the "full experience".

Also, beta testing is, IIUC, a phase where players "test" the rules for functionality; not try to redesign the game or "make it better". I would not like that going on too much in ANY beta test of any wargame. Too many chefs.

The immediate post publication period has traditionally, with computer wargames, been the period where certain issues and refinements are discovered and made. That is what we've come to expect. An "open beta" would, essentially, be the post publication period w/o publication.

I believe Matrix knows what it's doing here, and we've all been haggling about certain rules and things for months. Game design isn't a democracy. Nor do I wish it to be. If it's a bad game, Matrix will be the party to suffer the most. They've seen companies' actions prior to their own formation. They know what they're dealing with.

Have some confidence in Matrix to do things right. They have so far with products I've bought (just about all).