Looking for volunteers for alpha next week.

[Aquohn]

Wait, just checking...but do all the alpha testers have to buy the game first? Because some of us don't have the privilege of a PayPal account, a credit card, or parents willing to buy games during exam season

[x4000]

One of the perks of being an alpha tester is that you get a free copy of the game.  If you want to get in on the beta, the game is available at a discounted price.

Alpha testers are subjected to brutalities that we don't ask of our beta players.

[Aquohn]

Sweet! So when do we know who got in?

[x4000]

I'm not sure if we're going to be quite ready for alpha tomorrow; the gods and buildings still need their spreadsheet values transferred to the game, and there are some various features that are not yet complete.  I kind of want the base actual in-game experience (meta aspects aside) to be complete before we start alpha.  But I suppose we'll see.  I should think that Tuesday we'll be ready at the latest.  We'll be completing most of the other features by beta; most of the missions, edicts, profile stats, multiplayer, and things of that nature.  All of those things are either designed or partially implemented or both, which puts us far ahead of any alpha or beta we've ever done before, even Shattered Haven.

Once we figure out the specifics of the days, then we'll be notifying people in small batches on the days we choose them.  So if we started Tuesday, then probably 5ish people would get a note every day from Tuesday through Friday or so.  Roughly speaking.

[Aklyon]

At this rate of completedness in alpha you'll run out of alphas after exodus of the machine, chris

[x4000]

That won't always be the case for sure, and with Exodus won't be either.  Though that I think will largely have a complete arc in a certain sense (which Shattered Haven did, kind of, too).  With Skyward Collapse it's kind of an all-or-nothing sort of game, though.  It's hard to test it much in a meaningful way until it's all there, you know?

So far we've tested it enough to know that:
a) it's fun.
b) with some knob-turning, the balance is in the ballpark (except where noted as not implemented yet)
c) there aren't a whole lot of bugs, knock on wood.
d) it's as clear an interface as we've ever been able to make.

So with alpha on this one it's mostly going to be based around:
1. Finding knob-turns that we need to make for balance.
2. Finding areas that are confusing.
3. Finding any rough edges that are un-fun that we might be able to smooth off.
4. Looking at the new features in the same light as we get this feature-complete (ideally) by beta.
5. And... I think that's about it.

It's really different from a game like Valley 1 or 2 where even during beta the game was heavily evolving and thus there was lots of conceptual feedback from players.  Like with Shattered Haven, this one has pretty well evolved already and is past that stage and into the polish and refinement (and last implementation) stages.

[mrhanman]

I'm really looking forward to this one.  Good luck getting everything ready!

[Aquohn]

Ah, it feels like just yesterday that Chris said "All we have right now are the name and the idea" or something along those lines...great work guys! Look how far you've come, and how quickly!

[x4000]

Haha -- I don't remember saying that, but I believe you.  It doesn't seem that long ago that that was essentially true.  We're looking at alpha perhaps on Wednesday or so at this point, is our best guess right now.

Anyway, thanks for the kudos folks.

[tigersfan]

Haha -- I don't remember saying that, but I believe you.  It doesn't seem that long ago that that was essentially true.  We're looking at alpha perhaps on Wednesday or so at this point, is our best guess right now.

Anyway, thanks for the kudos folks.

I remember you saying that, and it feels like it was last week.

[x4000]

I'm sure the only reason I don't remember that is that everything has been such a blur and blank spots since then.

This really has come together superfast, especially for how large it's become in a lot of respects.

[orzelek]

Wednesday is good.. my vacation starts then

Is the alpha still planned to be quite short so I could look forward to beta during next 1.5 weeks if I don't pull alpha ticket?

[x4000]

We are hoping for beta to start on this coming Monday the 6th, or within a few days of that.  Anyhow, yep -- quite a short alpha.

[Penumbra]

One of the perks of being an alpha tester is that you get a free copy of the game.

Wow. I had no idea Alpha testers got a free copy of the game.

[madcow]

And because of reshuffling around of my schedule, especially not needing to do some traveling I thought I would need to do, looks like I would have time to alpha test as well.