Pay $50 and become a Firaxis beta tester! Here's how!

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Author Topic:   Pay $50 and become a Firaxis beta tester! Here's how!

yin26 posted 02-26-99 02:21 AM ET
1. Buy Beta (I mean, Alpha) Centauri.
2. Do all the testing WE should have done.
3. Let us know what we should have asked you about months ago.*
* A FREE tech-tree poster to the first person to complete a game WITHOUT finding a bug--and I don't mean a Mindworm (ha ha, a little Firaxis humor). Sure, we included a poster in the box, but nobody around here can make sense out of it so we thought we'd just give it away!

Rubikahn posted 02-26-99 06:08 AM ET
And patches - don't forget about the bug-free patches...
Spencer Olson posted 02-26-99 12:17 PM ET
OK, now here's where I draw he line..
In a day and age where games are -regularly- shipped out in states where they are basically unplayable without a few patches, I think Firaxis has done a damn good job what with the relatively small amount of problems with Alpha Centauri.
Now, I'm not about to say it's perfect.. but compared to, say, recent first person shooter games which were unable to be played in multiplayer mode until downloading a patch from the company web page, I think it's a winner.
However, I will admit that the tech tree chart is kinda confusing.
Spencer "At least there are no tech tree dead ends this time" Olson
Wen_Amon posted 02-26-99 12:34 PM ET
Kinda? Lets face it, you need a phd in smac to determine what it takes to get Gene Splicing!!!
Good thing I got mine...
Utrecht posted 02-26-99 01:40 PM ET
Quite Frankly Ihave not experienced any significant bug problems. The game seems to have been EXTREMELY well tested.
The bottom line is that there are several huyndred thousand lines of codes and 12 full time testers and 25 beta testers will NEVER be able to find every single issue.
Would I lover perfect games? YES!. But it is not going to happen. There is NOT ONE SINGLE GAME that does not require a patch.
Pathces are a fact of life, Consequently you must accept them or stop playing computer games.
End Rant.
Destr posted 02-26-99 03:51 PM ET
These problems is what one get,relying on worlds most buggy os: win9x.
Win9x has NEVER worked perfectly and letting it control most of ones hw is just asking for troubles(especially through games).they should abandon the trend of "MS allready auto-detect code which dont work properly" and rather do it the linux-way.
Corwyn posted 02-26-99 05:42 PM ET
I liked the game single player--although slow it is ok. But it is one of the buggest games I have ever not been able to play multiplayer.
Shining1 posted 02-26-99 05:44 PM ET
Rubikhan - it does actually mention on the Patch that it is a BETA version. I.e - use at your own risk.
And the game does actually work - the only problems I've found are an incorrect terrain readout, and the repeated stuttering sound. Which seems to have been fixed (I make a couple of changes to the Alpha.ini file).
Most complaints about the game have been about things that aren't actually bugs - like the graphics and aggressive A.I.
For the record, I've had the game crash only once - a record that only Starcraft can match.
Microsoft: We don't hate you for your monopoly, we hate you for making a system that doesn't work properly and THEN monopolising that...
hellrazor posted 02-26-99 07:21 PM ET
Just a word in defense of Firaxis...this game is one of the more polished and bug free games I have purchased recently. I've just got done playing Fallout 2, and (don't get me wrong, I loved that game) it had bugs out the @$$, even with the patch. Other games I've purchased recently: Axis and Allies (Unplayable before the patch, still buggy after) and (don't laugh) several Sierra games. Playing SMAC is a welcome break...no game-killing bugs and the other bugs I've noticed are rare or could be clasified as design oversights.
Killer Bee posted 02-26-99 09:05 PM ET
The only bug-free games you'll get are mostly from Lucasarts (Jedi Knight, MotS and Rebellion as best examples).
Otherwise, we gamers are weird people.
On the one hand, we want a game shipped NOW because we've been waiting desperately for it since 199x (Birth of the Federation is my favorite example), on the other we want an utterly bug-free game. We gamers are weird people....
Golem posted 02-27-99 11:47 AM ET
I personally think that SMAC is very well
tested & bug free. BUT I also think that
SMAC have serious tecnical problems with sound. I've tested SMAC on four machines and only on one computer I could play it without getting any tecnical problems. And all
problems were concerning sound.
yin26 posted 02-28-99 07:09 AM ET
O.K.--I admit. Compared to most games I've played recently, SMAC is nearly a gem: two lock-ups and weird sound aside. And I have to give Firaxis kudos for even having a site like this where an overdemanding gamer like me can't write smart-ass comments.
Dear Firaxis,
Please forgive my pissy topic. I just am tired in general of companies using the Net as a way to clean up their own messes. But, like many people have said, SMAC is a pretty solid game with a responsive team (hopefully) keeping up with its problems.
Thanks for that at least.
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Author	Topic: Pay $50 and become a Firaxis beta tester! Here's how!
yin26	posted 02-26-99 02:21 AM ET 1. Buy Beta (I mean, Alpha) Centauri. 2. Do all the testing WE should have done. 3. Let us know what we should have asked you about months ago.* * A FREE tech-tree poster to the first person to complete a game WITHOUT finding a bug--and I don't mean a Mindworm (ha ha, a little Firaxis humor). Sure, we included a poster in the box, but nobody around here can make sense out of it so we thought we'd just give it away!
Rubikahn	posted 02-26-99 06:08 AM ET And patches - don't forget about the bug-free patches...
Spencer Olson	posted 02-26-99 12:17 PM ET OK, now here's where I draw he line.. In a day and age where games are -regularly- shipped out in states where they are basically unplayable without a few patches, I think Firaxis has done a damn good job what with the relatively small amount of problems with Alpha Centauri. Now, I'm not about to say it's perfect.. but compared to, say, recent first person shooter games which were unable to be played in multiplayer mode until downloading a patch from the company web page, I think it's a winner. However, I will admit that the tech tree chart is kinda confusing. Spencer "At least there are no tech tree dead ends this time" Olson
Wen_Amon	posted 02-26-99 12:34 PM ET Kinda? Lets face it, you need a phd in smac to determine what it takes to get Gene Splicing!!! Good thing I got mine...
Utrecht	posted 02-26-99 01:40 PM ET Quite Frankly Ihave not experienced any significant bug problems. The game seems to have been EXTREMELY well tested. The bottom line is that there are several huyndred thousand lines of codes and 12 full time testers and 25 beta testers will NEVER be able to find every single issue. Would I lover perfect games? YES!. But it is not going to happen. There is NOT ONE SINGLE GAME that does not require a patch. Pathces are a fact of life, Consequently you must accept them or stop playing computer games. End Rant.
Destr	posted 02-26-99 03:51 PM ET These problems is what one get,relying on worlds most buggy os: win9x. Win9x has NEVER worked perfectly and letting it control most of ones hw is just asking for troubles(especially through games).they should abandon the trend of "MS allready auto-detect code which dont work properly" and rather do it the linux-way.
Corwyn	posted 02-26-99 05:42 PM ET I liked the game single player--although slow it is ok. But it is one of the buggest games I have ever not been able to play multiplayer.
Shining1	posted 02-26-99 05:44 PM ET Rubikhan - it does actually mention on the Patch that it is a BETA version. I.e - use at your own risk. And the game does actually work - the only problems I've found are an incorrect terrain readout, and the repeated stuttering sound. Which seems to have been fixed (I make a couple of changes to the Alpha.ini file). Most complaints about the game have been about things that aren't actually bugs - like the graphics and aggressive A.I. For the record, I've had the game crash only once - a record that only Starcraft can match. Microsoft: We don't hate you for your monopoly, we hate you for making a system that doesn't work properly and THEN monopolising that...
hellrazor	posted 02-26-99 07:21 PM ET Just a word in defense of Firaxis...this game is one of the more polished and bug free games I have purchased recently. I've just got done playing Fallout 2, and (don't get me wrong, I loved that game) it had bugs out the @$$, even with the patch. Other games I've purchased recently: Axis and Allies (Unplayable before the patch, still buggy after) and (don't laugh) several Sierra games. Playing SMAC is a welcome break...no game-killing bugs and the other bugs I've noticed are rare or could be clasified as design oversights.
Killer Bee	posted 02-26-99 09:05 PM ET The only bug-free games you'll get are mostly from Lucasarts (Jedi Knight, MotS and Rebellion as best examples). Otherwise, we gamers are weird people. On the one hand, we want a game shipped NOW because we've been waiting desperately for it since 199x (Birth of the Federation is my favorite example), on the other we want an utterly bug-free game. We gamers are weird people....
Golem	posted 02-27-99 11:47 AM ET I personally think that SMAC is very well tested & bug free. BUT I also think that SMAC have serious tecnical problems with sound. I've tested SMAC on four machines and only on one computer I could play it without getting any tecnical problems. And all problems were concerning sound.
yin26	posted 02-28-99 07:09 AM ET O.K.--I admit. Compared to most games I've played recently, SMAC is nearly a gem: two lock-ups and weird sound aside. And I have to give Firaxis kudos for even having a site like this where an overdemanding gamer like me can't write smart-ass comments. Dear Firaxis, Please forgive my pissy topic. I just am tired in general of companies using the Net as a way to clean up their own messes. But, like many people have said, SMAC is a pretty solid game with a responsive team (hopefully) keeping up with its problems. Thanks for that at least.