A question for Gjon about the dev team

[Guy Moulton]

Your best bet would have been to have 2 beta testing groups. The paid group- us right now. We get restricted forum access and we just do what we ddo now.

Then the free beta group. They'd sign NDA's and would have unrestricted access and ISI picks them out from a group of applicants. If they are not active, or not helpful they lose all access.

The problem is that the beta was sold as a product (even though it isknown to be an unfinished beta) which grants us certtain rights but people think grants us even more. So the forums have turned into.the wild wild west.

[Tim Wheatley]

Your best bet would have been to have 2 beta testing groups. The paid group- us right now. We get restricted forum access and we just do what we ddo now.

Then the free beta group. They'd sign NDA's and would have unrestricted access and ISI picks them out from a group of applicants. If they are not active, or not helpful they lose all access.

The problem is that the beta was sold as a product (even though it isknown to be an unfinished beta) which grants us certtain rights but people think grants us even more. So the forums have turned into.the wild wild west.

Um, you already are part of our second group. We have a first group, under NDA, who is made up of people we have selected, race drivers, etc. They have a separate forum, and they test the builds before you do. Of course some things aren't found in a smaller testing group, and that's where you come in.

Some (very few) members of that first group have the 'ISI Tester' tag on their posts:
http://imagespaceinc.com/forums/

I have no problems at all with the forums, I've seen much worse and they are far from 'wild west' in my definition of that.

[RafBR]

I for one feel sorry the forums have had a negative impact on you, you clearly care alot about what you do and trying to communicate with everyone which is quite amazing really. For what it's worth it stands out about a million miles that you care and try your very best and the people on here with a brain love you for it

great words!

[mikeyk1985]

great words!

Thanks RafBR, I was thinking that never got read for a while

[jubuttib]

The problem is that the beta was sold as a product

Not really. Say what you will and despite your motivations when you bought into this, from a legal sense you did not buy into the beta, nor was the beta sold to you. You prebought the finished game and as a bonus they gave you access to the beta.

[coops]

Busy or don't like forums for various reasons.

yes cannot blame them: most threads in here get taken over with other crap instead of replying to what the thread is about.

[MarcG]

yes cannot blame them: most threads in here get taken over with other crap instead of replying to what the thread is about.

That happens in every forum, nothing different here!

[1959nikos]

Not really. Say what you will and despite your motivations when you bought into this, from a legal sense you did not buy into the beta, nor was the beta sold to you. You prebought the finished game and as a bonus they gave you access to the beta.

Yes, I thought it was crystal clear from the start.

[osella]

Not really. Say what you will and despite your motivations when you bought into this, from a legal sense you did not buy into the beta, nor was the beta sold to you. You prebought the finished game and as a bonus they gave you access to the beta.

This is how it is, yes. But not how most people think it is.

[jubuttib]

This is how it is, yes. But not how most people think it is.

And from my point of view how people think stuff is is totally irrelevant in face of how they really are, in unambiguous cases like this.

[osella]

Not when you're selling your work. ISI isn't money hungry like EA or other big corps, we all know that, but they can't do it for free either. So they need to make people think something that will increase sales, which must be often "not so true".

[jubuttib]

Not when you're selling your work. ISI isn't money hungry like EA or other big corps, we all know that, but they can't do it for free either. So they need to make people think something that will increase sales, which must be often "not so true".

Marketing = lying. Making money and being successful doesn't mean you're right. Opinions don't decide what is true. We seem to be talking about totally different things.

And that really is beside the point in this case anyway, ISI never said anything to suggest that what people are buying here is the beta. In fact they encouraged those who prebought the game not to join the beta unless they're absolutely sure they want to be a part of the problem solving process.

[Tim Wheatley]

Marketing = lying? lol, no.

Marketing can be simply talking about your product, interacting, or even letting someone try it and express their opinions. Some may consider what we've done so far (the Monaco video, etc) to be marketing. I don't.

But it's all about personal perception. I did try pretty hard to tell people to not get too excited, but the tsunami of people were probably too strong for anything which was said. It's obvious there was a need for a product before we were/are ready, so people got excited. Can't blame them really.

[jubuttib]

Marketing = lying? lol, no.

Marketing can be simply talking about your product, interacting, or even letting someone try it and express their opinions. Some may consider what we've done so far (the Monaco video, etc) to be marketing. I don't.

But it's all about personal perception. I did try pretty hard to tell people to not get too excited, but the tsunami of people were probably too strong for anything which was said. It's obvious there was a need for a product before we were/are ready, so people got excited. Can't blame them really.

Sorry, I should have said "advertising = lying". Even that isn't totally true, but it's a much better approximation. =)