Re: CHARGING FOR PLAYTESTS

From: madcentral@aol.com (MadCentral)

Date: Sun, 08 Nov 1998 00:00:00 +0000

>>Of course, as Devil's Advocate here, you can't really be sure that what
you are offering them *is* going to be a *good* playtest until you get
going on it. Bugs are always there, hidden, lurking, awaiting their chance
to destroy your data. What might look like a well-tested game can fall
apart quickly under the right (wrong) circumstances.

If you can guarantee a *good* playtest, then it doesn't really need
playtesting.<<

Not true at all.  Dungeon has had many bugs during the playtest.
This is because it is constantly growing and so new bugs are introduced
as it does so.  So it certainly needed playtesting and there was no way I was
going to call it commercial.  However, I know that, because its so big, it
needed a few hundred playtesters.  I also knew I couldn't afford to give away
Eight Grands worth of turns... we're quite big but we aren't Macdonalds!  So,
calling it a playtest was the most honest way of telling players the state of
the game.  We then charged it at a reduced rate... but not massively reduced...

All the players seem pretty keen and the dropout rate is extremely low.  New
players are still flowing in quite smoothly... I can therefore only assume
we've got it all right as far as our players are concerned and we've done so
making a good profit too...  I very pleased with it.

Steve Tierney
-Madhouse UK

References

Re: CHARGING FOR PLAYTESTS
"Steve Pritchard" <steve@spelbind.demon.co.uk>
Thu, 05 Nov 1998 00:00:00 +0000