bobbysocks |
03-11-2011 07:28 AM |
Quote:
Originally Posted by Robotic Pope
(Post 218817)
Yeah I believe it is very costly for a publisher to release a beta onto the console networks. Only the biggest games can afford to do this.
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pope, i agree to your, "ON THE NETWORKS" comment. however, by that time you are in the marketing and promotion phase. all development and testing should have been long competed. now you should have a polished and FINAL product ready to release. what i am addressing is the of the end of the development phase and the final editing prior to publishing. so as thus, i am not talking about a mass media release on xbox, ps3, or pc of a beta but sent to a select group of testers. THIS, is financially feasible for even the smallest of developers. they could direct mail ( fed-ex, ups, etc) a cd of the beta to predetermined testers ( 6, 12, 20 testers from EACH platform)...who could run through as many missions as possible in the allotted time frame ( 7 to ??? days) and report any glitches or concerns. the testers would be required return the cd in a prepaid mailer. if a developer cant afford burn off 60 or so CDs and ship them they have no absolutely no business being in the business. all legal and copyright concerns can be safe guarded by a strict contract and hidden tracking number on each beta CD. additionally, strict conditions ( OPSEC) for the testers handling the Beta would be included in the prearrangement along with the repercussions for "leaking" a copy to the populous . i am telling you all of this could be accomplished for less then $1-2000USD (5k if you get into deep background checks on the testers) and give or take a few $$ depending upon how much the lawyer gouges you for his fees, of course....
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