Guild Wars 2

KarsaiB.9475:

Just my 2 cents.

I’m wondering why you don’t invite all players from the main pvp teams on both EU and NA. Considering you’re advertising Stronghold and the Revenant so much, it’d be smart to give players that fuel the scene the opportunity to test and learn the map and class BEFORE big tournaments instead of having to learn on the fly, or worse, have some teams have access and others not… That’s how any company would do if they were wanting a healthy scene with teams that actually have game knowledge and legitimacy, not just 5 people that like playing together and have a lot of free time.

And yea, I’m pretty kittened not being considered “loyal enough” or not “elligible enough” or whatever.

This beta event is a server stress test, not an “oh look at that thing” event, it’s also on the PvE map so PvP teams don’t really factor in – outside of PvP they’re just normal players.

No-one said you weren’t loyal enough, you just weren’t lucky enough to be chosen in the list of thousands of fans that are just as loyal as you are.

lordkrall.7241:

Aomine.5012:

Even if he played 24/7 since last month, he wouldn’t have played 5k~10k hrs like many of us in forums :P

Having played 5k hours since release doesn’t mean you have played more than someone that have played 200 hours in a month though. Relatively speaking that is.

There have been 22,512 (give or take a few) hours since release. 5k is less than a fifth of that time.

One month is 744 hours. That means that those 200 hours is fourth or something like that. Which basically means that the one playing 200 hours one month after release have played relatively more than someone that have played 5k hours since release.

Loyalty implies continuity. I don’t think one month is time enough to express loyalty.

I know a lot of people who quit Gw2 after 1-2 months.

The fact that “most loyal” and “just bought” came together in this thread is upsetting to more than a few players it seems. I think some people need to get over the fact that others are more sensitive.

And “raging” isn’t even remotely similar to upset.

We’re all loyal players; we all want to participate. That’s why this is based on lottery.

Imagine the case where ANet actually send invitations based on playtime, achievement point, and gem purchases. Do you EVEN want that to happen? Can you imagine what would this discussion be like?

Congratulations to everyone who got the invite! I’ll be watching the subforums for news

To all those that didn’t get the invite and are a little bit disappointed: don’t worry guys, better luck next time!

To all those that didn’t get the invite and are crying about the “loyal players” phrasing: grow up, babies. Your salty tears feed my contempt.

It would make sense if they invited a handful of new players just to get a sense of how confusing the new stuff would be to newer players.

However, I’d imagine the vast majority will have been randomly drawn from a pool of players who have been playing longer.

They probably shouldn’t have said loyal though. That word is very loaded and people get hung up over it instead of taking on board the actual message/intend. They probably didn’t expect that word to have such an effect on people.

KarsaiB.9475:

Just my 2 cents.

I’m wondering why you don’t invite all players from the main pvp teams on both EU and NA. Considering you’re advertising Stronghold and the Revenant so much, it’d be smart to give players that fuel the scene the opportunity to test and learn the map and class BEFORE big tournaments instead of having to learn on the fly, or worse, have some teams have access and others not… That’s how any company would do if they were wanting a healthy scene with teams that actually have game knowledge and legitimacy, not just 5 people that like playing together and have a lot of free time.

And yea, I’m pretty kittened not being considered “loyal enough” or not “elligible enough” or whatever.

Man, think about it. What about teams that are just below the level of the top ones, and could possibly compete with the best ones and take their place soon BUT due to the update will be wrecked as all their “higher” opponents were introduced do the new update long time ago. If you’ll let that team in then there will be another one just below the level… No, it’s a terrible idea.
I agree that random selection of members of one team and not another isn’t good too tho.

For anyone curious, being a forum specialist doesn’t mean that you automatically get a beta invite; I didn’t get one. That said, congratulations to those who did! I’m envious that you get to try both Stronghold and Revenant!

Thank you Anet! I’m very grateful for the invite. I am an incredibly devoted player so I’m looking forward to giving beta feedback, and it’s so soon! Very excited to play, woo!

I got invited but..

• Create a new human character. (All professions will be available, including the new revenant profession.)

Do i have to create a human character?

Aomine.5012:

That’s why people suggest to fix the wording to “selected from some of the luckiest fellows among all accounts”, because otherwise it’s misleading.

Is it a better choice as an opening statement in a congratulatory letter though? Just to be perfectly neutral on all players? This is a letter that informs you about an invitation of beta, not telling a player that he/she is more loyal than others.

There is another way to look at this: “As one of our most loyal players” appear to be the phrase that everyone focuses on the most. Now, can you disprove that the players who received invitations are not loyal players?

This is why ANet tend to keep their communication to minimal requirement. Every time they say something, a statement gets blown out of proportion.

Gaile Gray.6029:

To everyone who was not amongst the small number of invitees this time around, please know we will be doing more tests in the future. If you want to boost your chances, sign up for the newsletter, as we draw some number of testers from that pool.

Any idea of those future beta dates maybe? :P I didn’t get to this beta

Congratulations to those who got invitation by the way!

guildabd.6529:

I got invited but..

• Create a new human character. (All professions will be available, including the new revenant profession.)
  Do i have to create a human character?

Yes, that’s the way it was in the PAX demos as well.

Aomine.5012:

Antaris.5281:

We’re all loyal players; we all want to participate. That’s why this is based on lottery.

Imagine the case where ANet actually send invitations based on playtime, achievement point, and gem purchases. Do you EVEN want that to happen? Can you imagine what would this discussion be like?

That’s why people suggest to fix the wording to “selected from some of the luckiest fellows among all accounts”, because otherwise it’s misleading.

That’s how it’s already worded

Woooot! I’m invited And hyped!
Thank you!

Congrats to everyone who got in the Beta test!

I did not, which is fine. Looking at the date and times, I wouldn’t have been able to participate anyway.

For those who are disappointed that they didn’t get it, remember the Anet ran several Beta/stress tests prior to the release of GW2. There will be more opportunities. Good luck! In the meantime, you can pester your friends who did get in for tibbits about the game.

I’m just sad that, as a relatively new player, my chances of beta testing are non-existent.

Congratulations to the people who got invited.
Have fun and give us feedback!

Jeez guys, its just a game…..

Without anyone knowing what parameters Arenanet has truly used to pick this group of players for this Beta stress test, how can anyone take such personal offence or have such emotional reactions to what is obviously a generic email?

I think it says more about the person than the company.

Vix.6730:

But let’s not kid ourselves. This is not a real “beta” where a gaming company is looking for testers. It’s a demo open to random players.

Yes this is a real Beta, not “just a demo for random players”. But you can tell yourself what you want to make yourself feel better for not being selected.

On the bright sight (or less bright for those who look forward to play the Beta), Betas are rarely fun to play, especially MMO Betas are a pain and not that fun.

I’ve been in the closed-Beta for Wildstar, TESO and SW:TOR. Between the many crashes, failed login attempts and tons of lag I think I had merely 30 minutes to actually play these Betas during each Beta weekend. Not much fun at all.

Who knows, maybe the HoT closed-Beta will be different, but I doubt it. I guess I’ll see when I’m gonna try it out on the 24th.

I got in. They sent another wave of invites last night.
Not gonna lie, I was super salty when I didn’t get one yesterday. So I feel for everyone that didn’t get in, and I hope we can play together in the next Beta

this community I s2g lmao

rapthorne.7345:

I’m just sad that, as a relatively new player, my chances of beta testing are non-existent.

But its not non-existent, beta players were picked from people who signed up to the newsletter, they’re not looking at your account history or how long you’ve been playing

It can definately be down-heartened to not have received an invite, to participate in the Beta HOT Stress Test, more so especially for everyone who wanted to have an opportunity to play it. My household have played Guild Wars since when it was only the first campaign – Prophecies. Well, I got an invite and my husband did not. In the words of my husband, " that’s just how the cookie crumbles".

Pandaman.4758:

What the…

“One of the most loyal” does not imply not being chosen means you’re not considered a loyal player, it just means a person who got invited is literally just one of the people considered eligible for an invite. They’re not saying they’re inviting everyone who is “loyal”, just a random few, so it’s only natural there will be people who are left out.

And congratulations to everyone who got invited, I hope you all have fun even if it’s likely there will be bugs and crashes galore (not a dig at ANet, just how early betas usually are).

Hey weren’t you at TTS’s Triple Trouble today?

I didn’t even apply to get an Beta invite, that’s how much I care about this expansion!

Seriously people. They could have been rolling a D20 for every person on a list and anyone that scored a 17+ on a roll was put on the beta tester list for all we know.

Anyone who’s feelings are hurt about getting to beta for 2 hours in the middle of the week needs to find something better to do with their time.

…. oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!

gathering my torches, check!
sharpening my pitchfork, check!
get my rage face on, check!

check my email, rats! Got the invite.

slowly puts away the cool toys and mumbles to myself “next time Anet…”

PookieDaWombat.6209:

Seriously people. They could have been rolling a D20 for every person on a list and anyone that scored a 17+ on a roll was put on the beta tester list for all we know.

Anyone who’s feelings are hurt about getting to beta for 2 hours in the middle of the week needs to find something better to do with their time.

This. I already know what I’m doing on the 24th since I can’t do the HoT beta. The Dungeon Fighter Online Open Beta Test I starts then, I’ll just be playing that to death.

Very happy that I got an invite and looking forward to play on Tuesday

I got my invite email this morning, so either my email provider is super slow at delivering or Anet sent some more out!

Congratulations to everyone who gets to participate! I only hate you all a tiny, tiny bit. <3

I was sad that I did not get an invite, but I know that ANET is not being unfair. RNGS are RNGs.

Would everyone who didn’t get an invite stop crying Anet stated that it would be a few players and if you play GW2 you are considered a loyal customer it doesn’t matter how many hours you have player or how long you have played Anet considers us all as loyal customers and we should respect their decisions.

Yes, it’s called a draw. You were all in it. Some got their name drawn, some did not. Nothing to be upset over. Personally, I will have to work extra hours the day before and the day after the scheduled test just to make the 5-7 PST time slot. Happens to be the busiest time of year for me at work. However, this will be my first opportunity to do something like this, so I want to make the time. I actually feel there will be lots of problems and the two hour window will not feel like much time at all. It’s a stress test, after all, not a full on “hey we got this polished awesome new game for you please play and have fun” kind of test. We can’t keep what we get, we can’t keep the characters. We will be no better off than anyone else after the test is done.

Didn’t get in. I’m a bit salty but random is random. Congrats to anyone else who did, though

LucosTheDutch.4819:

Vix.6730:

But let’s not kid ourselves. This is not a real “beta” where a gaming company is looking for testers. It’s a demo open to random players.

Yes this is a real Beta, not “just a demo for random players”. But you can tell yourself what you want to make yourself feel better for not being selected.

On the bright sight (or less bright for those who look forward to play the Beta), Betas are rarely fun to play, especially MMO Betas are a pain and not that fun.

I’ve been in the closed-Beta for Wildstar, TESO and SW:TOR. Between the many crashes, failed login attempts and tons of lag I think I had merely 30 minutes to actually play these Betas during each Beta weekend. Not much fun at all.

Who knows, maybe the HoT closed-Beta will be different, but I doubt it. I guess I’ll see when I’m gonna try it out on the 24th.

Without contradicting the above points, by the time open public betas began for base GW2 in April 2012, enough of the bugs had been ironed out that playing the game – as I recall, being a participant in the public betas – was actually fun. So I’d suggest that people who might feel upset about not being chosen for the closed betas look forward instead to the public betas when they’ll be presented with something that they can actually play without wanting to tear their hair out every five minutes.

I received an invitation
Although is a working day for me, I will spend some hours playing for sure.

Gaile Gray.6029:

Pandaman.4758:

What the…

“One of the most loyal” does not imply not being chosen means you’re not considered a loyal player, it just means a person who got invited is literally just one of the people considered eligible for an invite. They’re not saying they’re inviting everyone who is “loyal”, just a random few, so it’s only natural there will be people who are left out.

And congratulations to everyone who got invited, I hope you all have fun even if it’s likely there will be bugs and crashes galore (not a dig at ANet, just how early betas usually are).

I think you expressed this very well, Pandaman, and thank you. It truly was not “every loyal player into the test” but just “We’ve inviting a few loyal players” with the knowledge that this is a brief stress test and there will be other opportunities in the future!

I guess I was one of the unlucky ones. :/
But hey, congrats to those who got it, and we’ll be joining you guys at the official release!
Happy bug-hunting!

Is there a way to confirm whether you’re on the correct newsletter list?

I do receive a newsletter from GW2 periodically regarding releases. As a matter of fact, I have two accounts, plus both my kids’ emails forward to mine, and I subscribe to the twitch stream and get at least 3 emails from that per week, so I am not sure which of the accounts is still subscribed to the proper gw2 newsletter and which ones aren’t. I could just go through and re-subscribe them all, but good lord receiving 4 copies of the same email plus twitch notifications 2-3 times a week just doesn’t appeal.

So back to the question (maybe Gaile can answer?) if I am getting emails from gw2 about living story releases, and whatnot, is that the correct list to be on? is there somewhere in my account that i can verify whether i [as in, my main account] am signed up for the newsletter?

I’m going to suggest the possibility that there are several ‘types’ of people they want in the Beta.

They’ll want people who play the game a lot. And people who play the game some. And people who only play a little. And people who haven’t played it at all before. (The last is based on the fact that at the demo booth at Pax East, they were inviting people to sign up for the beta, even if they’d never played GW2 before, by signing up for the newsletter.)

The reasoning behind this theory is that they want a wide representation of impressions of the expansion.

As for WHO they pick that fall into some of those categories, and the ‘other’ metrics that have been suggested on here, there are tons of possibilities.

Hours in game. Number of characters on account. Achievement points. Use of in game bug report feature. Posts on the official forums.

Bottom line is this…

The use of the phrase “One of the most loyal” has indeed rubbed some people who didn’t get an invite the wrong way because it made them feel that they weren’t ‘loyal’ enough.

I think we can all agree that ANet didn’t mean to imply that ONLY loyal people were getting an invite, but that doesn’t change that it could be interpreted that way.

I’m sure there are some people that they excluded from the Beta (people who repeatedly are given infractions on the forums comes to mind) because they will be looking for people who are willing to give them considered and constructive feedback. Other than that, I suspect that there were X number of slots for the various ‘types’ of players I mentioned and it was a lottery system.

So there will be LOTS of people in each category that ‘fit’ the description but it doesn’t mean all of them will be invited.

Guildy got one, it’s just a 2h stress test, nothing to fret about.

I got in!

And then I saw the hours. I am at work during both stress tests. Major Bummer.

Will not attending this stress test disqualify me from being invited to future ones?

I feel like I was expecting a letter from Santa and just to find out I was on the naughty list…
No mail for me :_(

I’m really shocked there’s a single complaint about this. Yes, I got in and I’m happy to stress test this and give feedback. I consider it a service to the community and the game. For those unhappy, think of it this way, what we’re doing over those 2 hrs get’s erased the moment we log out. Meanwhile, YOUR 2 hours spent in game you get to keep. So you could be that much farther ahead of us in wealth, in ranks, toward a Legendary, etc.

There is no truth to the rumor that invites were packaged in Black Lion Chests. ;-)~

Gaviston Hawkington.9647:

There is no truth to the rumor that invites were packaged in Black Lion Chests. ;-)~

Psst…. these are gifts for voting for Ellen

They might also be selecting people known to be good about sending in bug reports. I do my fair share, and in great detail.

DeWolfe.2174:

For those unhappy, think of it this way, what we’re doing over those 2 hrs get’s erased the moment we log out. Meanwhile, YOUR 2 hours spent in game you get to keep. So you could be that much farther ahead of us in wealth, in ranks, toward a Legendary, etc.

Those complaining are the REALLY loyal/active players who already have unlimited wealth, maximum ranks/levels, and all currently available legendaries they want. Although the complaints are uncalled-for, I can justify their disappointment.

I got nothing Have fun to ya all lucky people ://

Just a flesh wound.3589:

Congratulations! As one of our most loyal players, we value your feedback. We want to invite you to join us on March 24 to stress test Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns™* and find out what you think.

“As one of our most loyal players, we value your feedback”
So instead of giving beta access to those who would spend the time doing actual testing, it turned out to be a better idea to just let the beta keys be a pay-to-win subject? That encourages everyone to buy gems to access the beta or just write nice things on the forums to attract attention…

Beta testers should be chosen from a gameplay point of view, nothing else. It would also be great if the sign-up worked as intended instead of never registering for every other player.