Matrix Games Forums

Is there going to be a Beta?

Yes you can apply right now

The first wave of beta testers have been chosen and invitations have just been sent out by e-mail.

Good to know that the first selections have been made. I applied, but realistically I'm almost certain I didn't make the cut. I've never been a big poster either on these forms or over at NWS, and it would make perfect sense to give priority to existing NWS testers and some of the more talkative folks here.

Congrats to all of those selected! I know the rest of us will be getting a polished and excellent product because of your efforts.

Haven't been chosen either, so I doubt "standing" or activity on the NWS forums played any role in selection

TBR186 wrote: Mon Sep 05, 2022 3:02 pm Haven't been chosen either, so I doubt "standing" or activity on the NWS forums played any role in selection

I recognize you from the NWS site, and it's surprising (at least to me) that you didn't get picked.

I don't know what the criteria is/was for selection, but I would imagine the programmer and devs feel more comfortable with people they already know from RTW and RTW 2 testing.

In my case I never really thought I stood any chance of being added to the beta, but that won't keep me from supporting the finished product.

pz501 wrote: Mon Sep 05, 2022 5:58 pm

TBR186 wrote: Mon Sep 05, 2022 3:02 pm Haven't been chosen either, so I doubt "standing" or activity on the NWS forums played any role in selection

I recognize you from the NWS site, and it's surprising (at least to me) that you didn't get picked.

I don't know what the criteria is/was for selection, but I would imagine the programmer and devs feel more comfortable with people they already know from RTW and RTW 2 testing.

In my case I never really thought I stood any chance of being added to the beta, but that won't keep me from supporting the finished product.

I think that they like to break the Beta into phases, so not being selected for the first phase, where they're smoothing out the rough edges, doesn't rule out getting selected for a subsequent phase where they seek to refine the game more.

If they have your name you might still get selected for a later phase. FWIW, I didn't get picked up ether.

HTH

Just for clarification, we had hundreds of applicants for 50 spots in the initial wave, so if you did not make it in you are in very good company. The odds of being part of the first wave were relatively low.

We'll be adding more testers in over time and we generally do use earlier applicants first.

Erik,

I just a few seconds ago sent you a PM regarding an unusual thing I ran into while downloading Steam keys for some other products.

The subject of the PM IS however directly related to Rule The Waves 3. When you check the PM you'll see what I mean.

pz501 wrote: Mon Sep 05, 2022 5:58 pm

TBR186 wrote: Mon Sep 05, 2022 3:02 pm Haven't been chosen either, so I doubt "standing" or activity on the NWS forums played any role in selection

I don't know what the criteria is/was for selection, but I would imagine the programmer and devs feel more comfortable with people they already know from RTW and RTW 2 testing.

Folks... I don't know what was in the developer's minds and I haven't seen their criteria and I certainly don't speak for the RTW team in any way, shape or form. However I have been a successful applicant for many beta teams including:
* Europa Universalis (the original... yes, I am that old)
* Flashpoint Germany
* World in Flames
* Strategic Command: American Civil War
* RTW3 ... and many more.

Here are the things I list in my applications:
* my IT background including being on many software development teams in a commercial environment
* semi-retired so I can devote time to the work
* I'm autistic so have high attention to detail (Hurray !!! Finally a positive from being autistic)
* I only ever betatest one game at a time so I can focus all my attention on that game.
* My PC comfortably exceeds the minimum spec for the game

I would believe (without any proof) that Matrix has a list of people who have provided good betatest work in the past and if any of those people apply for a slot then they are almost automatically greenlighted. Certainly I see the same names popping up repeatedly in these testing teams (Hello gwgardner). So if you aren't already on this mythical list, then how do you get your foot in the door?

Well if I ran Matrix and was considering a person's application to be a tester then I would review every entry that person made in the Matrix Forums for the last (say) three years:
* I don't care if they trashed a game - I'm interested in how methodical they were in their analysis or did they just write "This game sucks" without providing proper feedback?
* Is their language respectful to their peers and to Matrix staff?
* Do their posts get bogged down in acrimonious issues of personal preferences, or do they show respect to other peoples tastes in games?"
* Do they ever lead a discussion? For example, in another game forum I once opined on the possibility of a strategic WWII game where airpower had never been invented. Some people immediately jumped in to aggressively and mindlessly hose it down as impossible while others went along with the Thought Experiment. Which sort of person are you?


All of which probably doesn't help you in your application to test RTW3, but it might help for RTW4 or for some other game. HINT: Pick a game which you believe is due for an upgrade in the next year or two and become productive in that games forums... it can't hurt. Remember that Developers are interested in what *value* you bring to the team. Start demonstrating that value.

FWIW I bought RTW1 when it was released way back in 2015(?) and at the time I added a few thoughts to the Forums , but I totally skipped RTW2 and only applied for RTW3 when I saw the Matrix Post in Facebook. So I highly doubt selection is based on "... the programmer and devs feel[ing] more comfortable with people they already know from RTW and RTW 2 testing." In my experience Betatesting and Bug reporting is an extremely pragmatic exercise and has little to do with how much you like/dislike a person.

Hope this helps, but remember that everything in this post is just my thoughts based on my experience in a commercial IT environment and does not represent the thoughts, words or deeds of anyone at Matrix

I'd like to note that for some testers who were approved, the invitation e-mails were not received. If you want to double-check whether you are in the Beta or not, go to the "My Page" link at the top of the site, login and then scroll down to the bottom to see if RTW3 is listed in "My Betas".

You gave me hope - then it was brutally extinguished

Just FYI for all, a second wave of beta test invitations has been sent out.

Some received the invitation e-mail before the forum permissions update was completed. If this happened in your case, just give it another try, all forum permissions should be up to date now.