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when you are in a core test team for a game under a strict NDA, and yet the videos and press releases a game developer keep releasing are total bullshit and fabrications that are either not in the game or are totally broken in the game.
I feel like by not speaking out I am being complicit in online fraud.
on the other hand the dev team in question come across as really nice genuine people that want to provide the game they are hyping, but sadly they just do not seem to have the actual skills or money to do so.
Comments
just make sure to cover your own ass.
"There are at least two kinds of games.
One could be called finite, the other infinite.
A finite game is played for the purpose of winning,
an infinite game for the purpose of continuing play."
Finite and Infinite Games, James Carse
disagreeing with a developer is an entirely different matter than knowing that the developer is openly lying about their game, their skills and experience, etc.
but ya, make sure there's a real moral issue here, don't make one out of your own vision of how things should be.
"There are at least two kinds of games.
One could be called finite, the other infinite.
A finite game is played for the purpose of winning,
an infinite game for the purpose of continuing play."
Finite and Infinite Games, James Carse
If the game is junk people are going to find out. One person breaking an NDA will have very little impact compared to what gaming media and the gamers themselves will do to a junk game.
"classification of games into MMOs is not by rational reasoning" - nariusseldon
Love Minecraft. And check out my Youtube channel OhCanadaGamer
Try a MUD today at http://www.mudconnect.com/If you think you can help the game with your feedback, stay and give it. If you don't think it will do any good, say goodbye, and hold your opinion til the NDA lifts.
I'm in a beta of a big project right now, and it's not going well at all imo. I let them know what I thought, and bowed out. Until the NDA lifts, there will be no specifics coming out from me.
If you are holding out for the perfect game, the only game you play will be the waiting one.
Somebody, somewhere has better skills as you have, more experience as you have, is smarter than you, has more friends as you do and can stay online longer. Just pray he's not out to get you.
Wait till the NDA is lifted. They always do right around open beta, and certainly the game is released.
As long as you warn people about the untruth before the game is released, it is fine.
He's not obligated to say anything at all.
In my humble opinion, the moment you sign an NDA, you have already made your choice. It's a job now. Do the job to the best of your ability, collect the paycheck, go home and sleep well. So long as it's not your endorsement in the hype, whether the project meets the hype is the responsibility of external reviewers to judge and the person holding all the NDAs to wear.
I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been -Wayne Gretzky
Somebody, somewhere has better skills as you have, more experience as you have, is smarter than you, has more friends as you do and can stay online longer. Just pray he's not out to get you.
You and me both.
Favorite MMO: Vanilla WoW
Currently playing: GW2, EVE
Excited for: Wildstar, maybe?
So the game companies word is worth nothing.... how much is your word worth ? You gave it when you agreed to that NDA.
The NDA will drop before launch. If it really bothers you, wait till then and you're free to post with a clear conscience
Somebody, somewhere has better skills as you have, more experience as you have, is smarter than you, has more friends as you do and can stay online longer. Just pray he's not out to get you.
Advice #1: do not do anything; you signed a NDA and you should act like a professional; Also consider the fact that breaking the NDA can make you lose a nice sum of money.
Advice #2: if you are just a tester or developer, give them feedback about the product and do your best to inform the ones responsible about your thoughts and ideas. If you are indeed part of the hype propaganda and you have problems with the company's agenda, then your best option would be to find a new home (there are a lot of gaming companies that are hiring).
As some said before, do not come out even if you think you are safe; if by any chance you will be discovered (and chance are very high that you will) then you'll have a very hard time finding a good job in this industry in the future.
Favorite MMO: Vanilla WoW
Currently playing: GW2, EVE
Excited for: Wildstar, maybe?
I would take a long, hard look at my motives for wanting to expose what I perceive to be a lie after promising through my participation that I would not. If it's true that at the end of the day all you have is your word, I would think really long and hard about breaking it for something as simple as a video game as the repercussions of doing so, even on your psyche, may have long term implications.
Plus, are you sure that you are not just playing some crippled up build that they are letting you see just to keep you somewhat in the dark regarding the finished product? That happens a lot, even in-house, because developers know that a lot of testers, especially the ones who get that level spike in order to test the endgame content, tend to not come back if they are exposed to too much of the game during beta.
So are you sure that what you are seeing is the finished product? And even if you are do you really care that it is not up to the level of goodness that they are saying that it is? Or are you just eager to gain notoriety by scooping the story?
Not trying to be offensive, but its an honest question I would ask myself.
Problem is by that time players have bought the game and the rip off devs have made millions. The other problem is the starry eyed fans who wont believe anything bad said about the game in question. Fans have made a rod for there own back and it's to late to turn back.
Dev who have nothing to hide should not have an NDA, go back to the pre WOW days even blizzard had no NDA on WOW. You could go to the beta forums and read everything about the beta and watch vids but you couldn't post if you were not in the beta.
Be professional, continue to testplay the game and provide feedback as it is. Do not leak out anything, and see whether all the hype generated will be available in game. Once your testing phrase is over, leave the game without making a scene.
This is the type of professionalism other developers of games are looking for, especially if you want to carry on testplaying, as well to put into a resume with seeking game related jobs.
In another words, be selfish. Nobody is going to thank you for providing truths about a bad game; you incur the fanbois' wrath, you are scorned by haters for testing a bad game, and you leave a black mark in testing games, which developers will dodge immediately. Let the gamers decide for themselves, and if they are dumb enough to purchase a crappy game without doing a little research, it is their fault, not yours.
The possibility of the universe collapsing into a singularity is higher than the birth of a perfect MMORPG.
Probably WOW has no serious competition during its era. Now? No can do, with all the mmos copying each other over the slightest innovation.
The possibility of the universe collapsing into a singularity is higher than the birth of a perfect MMORPG.
I have always believed that the first step in any grievance is to approach those you have the grievance with instead running someplace else and stirring up trouble
- Al
Personally the only modern MMORPG trend that annoys me is the idea that MMOs need to be designed in a way to attract people who don't actually like MMOs. Which to me makes about as much sense as someone trying to figure out a way to get vegetarians to eat at their steakhouse.- FARGIN_WAR
There are certain queer times and occasions in this strange mixed affair we call life when a man takes this whole universe for a vast practical joke, though the wit thereof he but dimly discerns, and more than suspects that the joke is at nobody's expense but his own.
-- Herman Melville
Respect the companies terms in which you signed up for. I'd hardly cast judgement on a game in alpha or beta as the final. Obviously there is going to be a lot of bugs and missing features. Alpha and beta means the game is not done, why you would think it was anything other than that is beyond us. Companies do not need threads like this as their game is a work in progress and your feedback is needed to help make the game better. This thread doesn't help or benefit anyone. When signing up for alphas and betas you need to keep in mind you are testing an unfinished product. At best you need to post your concerns on their site and not here.