Unfair Beta distribution

No, it's not unfair. They pay for the privelage of playing the game months before anyone else, and the satisfaction of knowing they helped make it stable.

If the beta got given to everyone, it'll be a total nightmare. Previous open betas have proven that, due to the sheer stupidity of people who don't know what the word "beta" means.

Marcathonas is spot on, this is a perfectly fair way to distribute the DA beta. The only other point I will add is that if u make the beta open to all, some will play that and then not buy DA at all.

Another point to add was that everyone was free to pre-order up until midnight the day of it's release. There was also plenty of advanced notice. Anyone that missed being in on the Beta has only themselves to blame.

Megalobob is spot on, if you want to play, you have to pay. It is fair in the sense that if you are willing to part with your money to help Stardock create a fairly bug free release, the company recognizes this and knows if you are playing and paying for the Beta, more than likely you are going to report any bugs you find and not hope that someone else finds them.

I personally do not sign up for Beta testing. I do not have the time or patience and I know this, therefore I did not pay and I am not playing. Pretty fair if you ask me sir.

One additional point - feedback from beta testers often has a significant impact on how a game is fleshed out during development. During beta, the entire game is undergoing massive changes as they try to determine what gameplay works and what doesn't, and the input from people playing it is likely to affect the final form the game takes. Consequently, some people enjoy trying to nudge the game's development in the direction they feel it should go, and betas offer them that opportunity.

By the time the release rolls around, the game is pretty much settled into its final form, and only minor changes will be made after that via patches.

it's like making people pay to do the testing for you

1) No one's being made to do anything.
2) No one's paying to beta test. The game is the same price whether you buy it now or you buy it in February. The people that choose to beta test haven't paid a penny extra, they're just promising to buy the game when it's released.

Well I would love to take part in the beta but I like to get my stuff from Play.com, it's a lot cheaper and faster and I want the box and goodies.
I will be buying it, as Gal Civ II, for me, was the best game of the year despite the 10010 memory leaks.
Anyways if we can acquire a list of all those p reordering and beta testing then if it does turn out crap we have someone to blame.

Anyways if we can acquire a list of all those p reordering and beta testing then if it does turn out crap we have someone to blame.

SOMEBODIES bitter about not getting to make the game uber.

Hehe, you could be right there mate.

1) There's supposed to be a second window for joining the beta.

2) Neither markets nor software testing are about being "fair." They're about making money and meeting quality goals.

3) Stardock's practice here seems a reasonable approach to culling the pool of potential volunteers. Wide-open betas are really hard to manage, and willingness to buy early is as good a filter criteria as any I can imagine

What sealed the deal for me is the fact that you aren't paying any extra for the beta. So you aren't paying for the beta, you're just paying for the game early; in return, Stardock is letting you play the game early. This to me is an awesome deal.

As far as the window for joining the beta goes, I was able to join yesterday (Saturday, 18th Nov.). (Yes, I know I'm horrible for not having got my preorder in sooner, but real world finances suck sometimes. Anyhow, I can't guarantee it's still open, but it may be.

Don't forget some of us got $5 off for pre-ordering early enough too.

If we gave the beta out to anyone for free, I'd need a cloning vat and a LOT more computers in order to deal with all the posts about it on the forum

The forums are already a mess with DA issues. Why would you want to play a half baked beta ?

I'm going to be patient and wait for the "final" release. Which I'm sure will still have bugs/ leaks / and balance issues. For all the problems GC2 has had over this much time, I can't imagine being involved in beta testing of a significant expansion.

half baked beta ?

While I agree the forums are a mess, the entire point of a beta is it's half baked. So the final release isn't.

Yeh! just a half baked bottom bean beta. Who needs it hu?

Don't you think it's unfair to only let people that pre-order the game have the beta release?

NO

People who pre-order are being given the additional bonus privledge of being able to participate in the beta. We've given them money to develop the game, because we have faith in the development teams ability to make a great game. The faithful are rewarded by their geeky gods.

The faithful are rewarded by their geeky gods.

ALL HAIL STARDOCK!

ALL HAIL THE MIGHTY KRYO!!!!!!  
To add my two cents to this... no, it is not unfair to allow people who pre-ordered a chance to give the expansion beta a "test drive". As you may or may not be aware of, there are many people in here who can lend great insight to the developers by being beta testers. These people are fanatics when it comes to the ins and outs of this game and know what they are looking for/doing, trust me on that. I myself pre-ordered, and am trying to decide myself if I want to go through with it and try the beta, as I am easily frustrated by things that don't quite work the way they should. But I know this going into it so if there's an issue, it is only on me. So if you feel cheated, sorry. And as someone else mentioned, there will be another chance to get in on the beta testing, so keep your eyes peeled for info. The bottom line is the game is scheduled to be released in February. Either way, you wouldn't know if the game is going to be "crap" or not until then.  

Think of it as our way of supporting the ongoing development. Money now can be more useful to Stardock than money later. We get something in return for our support, which is nice. If you believe in the product, you should support it.

Now I am willing to bet you don't have the spare money to preorder the beta or this would be a moot issue probably. Few and far between would make such a statement, especially considering a product they obviously look forward to using. If that's the case - your budget doesn't allow you to preorder - then keep in mind that it's your budget that's keeping you from the beta, not Stardock. Stardock's just using a reasonable business model to benefit both sides of the business relationship.

I'm sure the folks at SD are nice people and all but this IS a business, not a charity. Both sides of the business need to be willing and able to put something on the table for each other.

I pre-ordered in early August - wayyyyy before they announced that the release was being moved back form November to February.

I may or may not beta test - (still enjoying 1.4, and honestly, I work in the field and really don't feel like working while playing - but that is my choice;)- that is not why I pre-ordered; but it is a bonus. I think it was a great gesture on SD's part to offer the beta to those who pre-ordered early to make up for the 3 month extension of the release date.

It may be unfair that I could beta test if I want to ...but maybe won't take advantage of it...my beta download is there waiting for me on SDC...unused...

my beta download is there waiting for me on SDC...unused...

Same here. Not sure if I'm ready to dive into the deep end yet. I enjoy playing without issues and since my games have been going well... I don't know if I want to upset the apple cart yet.  

I certainly don't mind. I would otherwise just buy DA the second it came out. Even if it was a "bucket of crap", Stardock would fix it.

mmm. Preorder it now. It is so cheap that you can preorder it and then buy it at the store.

My view has always been that the best feedback on a given thing comes from people who are already into that kind of thing.

When I see open betas, I cringe because you know a lot of the people participating would never even have bought the game so you end up getting feedback that's really off the wall.

I can see it now "We should be able to take control of individual ships and see it from the perspective of the ships' bridge and walk around inside the ship!"