The purpose of the "beta" is not to gather feedback

[Tazor]

Beta is in quotes because it's not really a beta. The game is basically done, not much you can improve in 3 months. It's a demo.

The purpose is to drive up the pre-orders and exploit FOMO. If feedback was really their main concern this would have been an open beta or they would have used a professional QA team.

Note the big bold black letters "PRE-ORDER TO JOIN BETA" on a yellow background right there in the artwork for the game.



Now feel free to throw all manner of personal insults at me because my opinion differs from yours and you lack the mental capacity for a discussion.

[Luca]

If you play the beta, you can still refund the game. You could play the Beta for 50h an still get a refund.
So it is pretty useful as a customer. You can get a nice Idea of the game, and could refund it all the time.

[Brahlam]

Someone wears his Tinfoil hat a bit tight today...

[sel]

Yeah ur probably right. I wish you werent and that this would be a good fully made game. I thought this game was Early access after watching multiple streamers play it, but its not...
another boring survival game to add to the pile.

[sel]

Originally posted by mr.devolver:

Originally posted by PHI:

If you play the beta, you can still refund the game. You could play the Beta for 50h an still get a refund.
So it is pretty useful as a customer. You can get a nice Idea of the game, and could refund it all the time.

I don't believe this. Steam's refund policy is very strict about this, it's limited to 2 hours of game play and I've seen many cases when Valve said there are going to be no exceptions for this or that title.

So long as the game hasnt released yet you can get a refund. This was the case with multiple other games doing the same play before release model.

[Luca]

Originally posted by mr.devolver:

Originally posted by PHI:

If you play the beta, you can still refund the game. You could play the Beta for 50h an still get a refund.
So it is pretty useful as a customer. You can get a nice Idea of the game, and could refund it all the time.

I don't believe this. Steam's refund policy is very strict about this, it's limited to 2 hours of game play and I've seen many cases when Valve said there are going to be no exceptions for this or that title.

Yes, but you don't have the Playtime on "Icarus". You get the playtime on "Icarus Beta". Your refund would be for "Icarus" where you have no playtime.
And I just checked it, I could request one without any waning regarding playtime (Played the Beta for more than 2h).

[Tazor]

Originally posted by Brahlam:

Someone wears his Tinfoil hat a bit tight today...

Snowden is a tinfoil hat. So thank you. You don't even know how to insult me.

[Tazor]

Originally posted by PHI:

If you play the beta, you can still refund the game. You could play the Beta for 50h an still get a refund.
So it is pretty useful as a customer. You can get a nice Idea of the game, and could refund it all the time.

If that's the case, why not make it an open beta? Since anyone can just refund at any time and the beta is TECHNICALLY free.

[Netcode]

Originally posted by Tazor:

The purpose is to drive up the pre-orders and exploit FOMO.

Seems like it.

[Omalley]

Originally posted by mr.devolver:

Originally posted by PHI:

If you play the beta, you can still refund the game. You could play the Beta for 50h an still get a refund.
So it is pretty useful as a customer. You can get a nice Idea of the game, and could refund it all the time.

I don't believe this. Steam's refund policy is very strict about this, it's limited to 2 hours of game play and I've seen many cases when Valve said there are going to be no exceptions for this or that title.

Because the devs made the beta a different client then the actual game, so you have no hours on what you bought

[Shamm]

Hi! Here to dispel a few myths or assumptions that you might have:

- We have 2 purposes with this beta. Test our features and get real feedback from players (hence the 6 weekend rollout) and give players a chance to test without the 2 hour countdown looming over them (confirmed it won't count towards it)

- We have a very capable and talented QA team! They're the bees knees. But players also want a say, so here's a beta for you to do that!

- That artwork was me! I did that so people would know that if they pre-ordered, they could come test the beta out! The fact you noticed it, meant I did my job right! Woohoo!

Hope this helps!

Liam

[Malphas]

Originally posted by Tazor:

Originally posted by PHI:

If you play the beta, you can still refund the game. You could play the Beta for 50h an still get a refund.
So it is pretty useful as a customer. You can get a nice Idea of the game, and could refund it all the time.

If that's the case, why not make it an open beta? Since anyone can just refund at any time and the beta is TECHNICALLY free.

To keep peasants like you away

[Skriggly Goblin]

Originally posted by mr.devolver:

I don't believe this. Steam's refund policy is very strict about this, it's limited to 2 hours of game play and I've seen many cases when Valve said there are going to be no exceptions for this or that title.

It is limited to 2 hours of game play AFTER THE GAME IS RELEASED. To quote the Icarus devs in one of their news posts: "Anyone who pre-orders Icarus before its launch will gain access to the Beta, and pre-orders can be refunded at any time no matter how long you have played the Beta for."

[PALADIN POTATO]

Originally posted by mr.devolver:

Originally posted by PHI:

If you play the beta, you can still refund the game. You could play the Beta for 50h an still get a refund.
So it is pretty useful as a customer. You can get a nice Idea of the game, and could refund it all the time.

I don't believe this. Steam's refund policy is very strict about this, it's limited to 2 hours of game play and I've seen many cases when Valve said there are going to be no exceptions for this or that title.

I played 20+ hours of Hood: Outlaws and Legends during its "Beta" or whatever the hell you wanna call it phase. Once it released, I was able to put an extra hour into it before refunding. The 2 hour window starts ticking down the moment the game is fully released.

[-AKEVA-BANSHEE-]

Originally posted by Lil Shammgod:

Hi! Here to dispel a few myths or assumptions that you might have:

- We have 2 purposes with this beta. Test our features and get real feedback from players (hence the 6 weekend rollout) and give players a chance to test without the 2 hour countdown looming over them (confirmed it won't count towards it)

- We have a very capable and talented QA team! They're the bees knees. But players also want a say, so here's a beta for you to do that!

- That artwork was me! I did that so people would know that if they pre-ordered, they could come test the beta out! The fact you noticed it, meant I did my job right! Woohoo!

Hope this helps!

Liam

You keep delaying what is essentially a finished product and offering more beta weekends. Steam has a time limit in which you can request a refund I believe that you are driving up the hype and using these beta weekends to get around this fact. I have requested a refund due to this. I bought the game when the launch date was changed thinking sure most games have delays. Thats normal and expected. But after seeing beta weekend content in live streams I started to doubt this. Every game has bugs and no launch day is flawless. Just release it or don't.

[Tony Snark]

It's an ok way to gather feedback and a really great way to gather cash.