From the Alpha to the Beta

Posted by Thorin Tabor on March 21, 2013, 9:42 a.m.

The private alpha test of Against the Dark Yogi will be coming to an end in the next week or two. This marks a turning point in the development of the game, as the first public beta is expected to launch shortly thereafter. Once the public beta has launched, the game (or at least certain parts of it) will become available for download on the Tab Creations website and for critique on the public beta forums. Anyone who has also contacted us in an interest in the game will receive an email about the release of the public beta as well.

Once the public beta is online anyone can download and try out the game, keeping in mind that what's available:

1. )Is an early version of the game and may not yet be fully balanced (after all, playtesting for balance is partially what the public beta is for).
2. Doesn't yet have all of the character creations options that will eventually be available. We're looking to test the basic systems of the game before laying out all of the various options.
3. Hasn't yet been copy-edited, so expect basic typos. We'll have the game professionally edited before final publication.

In terms of what we're specifically looking for in the beta, I will quote from the ReadMe file that will be included in the first beta:

The beta test will take place in several phases. Each phase will get a new release of the Beta documents. Everyone on the bet's mailing list will be sent an email when a new download is available. If need be, a particular phase may be repeated multiple times until it's gotten right. These will be numbered with a decimal, so 1, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3 and so on. The different phases of the Beta and their aims are described below:

Beta 1: The first beta is designed to concentrate on the core systems used by the game. If you have any feedback on the design decisions that have gone into the core systems now is the time to voice it. Feedback on individual traits or components of systems will also be heard, and may see some tweaks between Beta 1 and Beta 2, but these are not the focus of this phase. Additionally, the selection of character options may be somewhat limited for this initial Beta and don't reflect the wealth of options that will be seen in the final game. Additional options will be released in the Beta once we feel we've got the core systems done correctly.

Beta 2: The second phase of the beta is designed to flesh out the full number of options found in the game. This phase will likely be repeated multiple times, with an increasing number of character options and GM options being presented each time. In some cases individual options may undergo significant revision between iterations as we try to get things right in response to beta tester feedback.

Beta 3: The final phase of the beta is designed to polish off any remaining sore spots in the game, working out the last of the mistakes, typos and mechanical bits that aren't quite ready for prime time yet.

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