[vorlon31]

Would Jumpgate Evolution benefit from having its beta test phase getting a kick start using the current player bases stats from its beginning in addition to the new blood?

So yes, some players go in with their billions and yes many many would start already at opti level, I think that this would enable everything in the game to be tested right from the offing.

The question is, do you think that it would speed up the processes of bug finding/feature enhancement the beta version of Jumpgate Evolution in comparison to waiting for people to level up and gain enough cash/exp/flux-giblets etc in order to try out the games new features and in so doing help Netdevil take it to retail sooner?

I think that the sooner it goes to retail the better and there's not many games can beta test all levels at once from the start because not many new projects have an existing player base to work from.

Of course this is assuming that all things get wiped clean when the game goes retail/live of course.

Bearing in mind we're talking of testing a product for general release please give your altruistic opinions on this question.

[Chemdog]

I think you would need to do both. You are marketing a new game for the most part. They will definitely need to have experienced and non-experienced players levelling from ground 0. They can give everyone a boost part of the way through beta and let everyone try the high levels too. Whether you let McPlowed in with his 20 billion or just make everyone Opti with 1 billion, it wouldn't make a difference.

[alphabet]

Every game Ive beta tested has been like that Chem. You start out with nothing and play test for the devs, report issues, etc. Then the GMs bump you up after a few days and you test, report, rinse/repeat, until your at the highest player level of the game. Then the testers throw wrenches at you, like taking away your money, giving you negative PR, etc. You test like this until you have basically covered everything a player can "realistically" run into in the game environment.

[Liet]

I wish I could keep my Nights Blades and Sarath's Rages....

Ya hear, Scorch?! I'm willing to make backroom deals!

[king0815]

Keep the medals, kills and death and reset all other stats to zero!

[Gent30]

Remove medals and all stats on retail kicking in

If Jumpgate Classic players retain their same name, commend active Jumpgate Classic players 2 months before beta with a "Jumpgate Classic medal" of some sort.

Commend all beta testers with a "beta test medal"

[alphabet]

All current medals that you keep when you reset your pilot, you should also keep in the Jumpgate Evolution. Reset everything else including money and K/D ratios.

[Ambrosius]

I want to wipe my death stats and keep everything else.

Is it Groundhog Day again?

[Pyrophred]

Originally Posted by alphabet

All current medals that you keep when you reset your pilot, you should also keep in the Jumpgate Evolution. Reset everything else including money and K/D ratios.

Ill second this one.

As for the OP not too bad of an idea either, being able to test everything and its mother at the same time wouldnt be a bad thing. Im assuming that they are keeping the mentor system, or some variation thereof?

[Dragonar]

I accept that some pilots who have made a career out of accumulating stats such as kills or money would really not like to see all their work wasted. On the other hand, I think (or rather hope) that Jumpgate Evolution will be set into the future, and not pull off some 'We found these blueprints behind the sofa' scenario.

To answer the initial point, I would be all for letting people keep medals, and I'd be very happy if there was another medal for Jumpgate Classic veterans who keep on playing. RP-wise, though, if Jumpgate Classic is indeed set into the future, they ought to keep in mind that their pilots could indeed be OAPs or worse, depending on the length of the jump forward in time. That's a sticky point for me.

[Aphelion]

Originally Posted by vorlon31

The question is, do you think that it would speed up the processes of bug finding/feature enhancement the beta version of Jumpgate Evolution in comparison to waiting for people to level up and gain enough cash/exp/flux-giblets etc in order to try out the games new features and in so doing help Netdevil take it to retail sooner?

No, for the same reasons about beta tests mentioned above. I think the game should be restarted anyway since I'm sure it's going to be in the future of Jumpgate Classic, but there is no reason that the beta should give us our characters back. This is silly. They should give every pilot the same amount of resources, poke and prod everyone, and make everyone break the game until the game becomes releasable. Beta's aren't about past accomplishments, they're about future releases, and going through the hassle of coding Jumpgate Classic pilots into the new game seems like a waste of time.

[dahalb]

does anyone actually know when beta begins yet?