Guild Wars 2

agree completely as EU player

The previous weekend and the first revenant testing weekend rolled out earlier in the day than planned though. Around 4 pm GMT.

With all due respect to our brethren across the waves, I suspect the start time has everything to do with (possibly) having a chance to meet first thing in the morning to go through any kind of last-minute details, and making sure they have all hands on-deck in case of problems.

I live in America. I go to work at noon, I come home at nine. They start the beta at a point where any late-shift U.S. folks get to miss an entire day’s play.

Normally I try and empathize with EU folks on issues like this, but seriously, guy? Seriously? They have to start it sometime, and whichever time they pick, it’s going to cheese off someone. Maybe, just maybe, deal with it. Stay up late, get up early, or miss a little bit of playtime.

I won’t guarantee you’re missing an entire day’s play like I am, but y’know? I bet a lot of you EU guys won’t be.

I work Thursday through Monday, so times are irrelevant to me anyway. I love missing every single weekend event in games. I really do.

Because they are an American company and they aren’t going to start the beta at some weird kitten time for their employees. Especially on a holiday weekend in the US. Sorry, but that’s just the way it is.

It starts before PoI.

They will never please everyone, I work late but I completely understand that whether they do it Morning, Mid day, or Evening, someone won’t be able to play.

Daniel Handler.4816:

Europeans get to start their session at night time, and they get to end at night time. The Americans get to start in the middle of the day, and end in the middle of the day. Would it be asking so much to start the BWE at midnight on Friday, and end it at midnight on Monday?

Because right now the message seems to be that ANET does care if EU plays the beta or not. Seriously, how much feedback from EU is lost because you overlap the start and ends times with the times that people want to sleep.

So, assuming that players work a normal 9am to 5pm type of job….

EU players will get a shot at it all day Saturday, all day Sunday, and Monday evening.
NA players will get a shot at it Friday evening, all day Saturday, and all day Sunday.

Oh gods, the unfairness of it all! What cruel, cruel monsters they must be!

I don’t see how the eu times would be a slap in the face, i think they are perfect, i get 3 evenings of beta play, and 2 full weekend days.

Daniel Handler.4816:

Europeans get to start their session at night time, and they get to end at night time. The Americans get to start in the middle of the day, and end in the middle of the day. Would it be asking so much to start the BWE at midnight on Friday, and end it at midnight on Monday?

Because right now the message seems to be that ANET does care if EU plays the beta or not. Seriously, how much feedback from EU is lost because you overlap the start and ends times with the times that people want to sleep.

Wrong. I get to play at 2 pm cst and the beta ends at 1:59 am. So middle of the day and middle of the night for me an American.

Given that BWE is about beta testing and not having fun, you aren’t really missing anything beyond the chance to improve the product before it ships – and as horrifying as the prospect may be, I think you’ll just have to trust the Americans to give good feedback on balance issues and bugs in your stead.

Oh God, what am I saying? It’s all doomed! (I’m kidding, I’m kidding! Mostly)

Pandaman.4758:

Given that BWE is about beta testing and not having fun, you aren’t really missing anything beyond the chance to improve the product before it ships – and as horrifying as the prospect may be, I think you’ll just have to trust the Americans to give good feedback on balance issues and bugs in your stead.

Oh God, what am I saying? It’s all doomed! (I’m kidding, I’m kidding! Mostly)

I see that bolded part a lot from some people, and I gotta say, it’s not either or, it’s both. The devs have publicly stated they want to know what’s fun as well as what’s broken in the beta weekend events. Sometimes you gotta figure out the latter before you can get to the former as we saw last beta.

And yeah, I’ll echo the sentiment that this probably has to do with Anet hours of operation in Bellevue, Washington. Quick question to those peeved by this, what are some examples of companies that have done beta event times that are equally amenable in all regions and times zones?

nightwulf.1986:

I see that bolded part a lot from some people, and I gotta say, it’s not either or, it’s both. The devs have publicly stated they want to know what’s fun as well as what’s broken in the beta weekend events. Sometimes you gotta figure out the latter before you can get to the former as we saw last beta.

And yeah, I’ll echo the sentiment that this probably has to do with Anet hours of operation in Bellevue, Washington. Quick question to those peeved by this, what are some examples of companies that have done beta event times that are equally amenable in all regions and times zones?

Well, i can think of one, for this games beta tests, they fire them up at the start of business hours on the East coast of the United States. For me im still sleeping when they start it.

Edited: to fix the wrong coast!

It’s a beta weekend. I don’t expect anything as awesome as the legendary black moa hunt from BWE1 3 years ago, so you won’t miss out on much if you play a bit less.

Is there any phrase more overused on the Internet than “a slap in the face”? I can’t even take you seriously after that.

Starfall.6813:

Is there any phrase more overused on the Internet than “a slap in the face”? I can’t even take you seriously after that.

lol

Starfall.6813:

Is there any phrase more overused on the Internet than “a slap in the face”? I can’t even take you seriously after that.

In complete agreement. If the worst you have to moan about is a few hours on a beta weekend, things aren’t all that bad.

Haha, the entire thread is made sadder (and more funny at the same time) by the fact that some people actually PAID for the promise of beta weekends.

So your suggestion is that in order to make it so that EU doesn’t have the beta start and end “when people want to sleep” that instead it should start when the US wants to sleep. Which means you’re basically asking for the Anet staff to work through the night just to get the beta going and monitor it.

Its got to start and end sometime. And no matter what time that may be, someone is going to have an inconvenient start time. Timezones and all of that. Heck, its not even that convenient for the US honestly, as many folks are going to be working or going to school in the middle of the day when it does start. Better, then, to work around the companies’ schedule and not the players’, since the company is one in place with no timezone nonsense to work with.

What are you talking about? I am from Germany and the times are perfect for my taste.

Starting at 9pm Today (no need to take a day off from work) and ending at 9am on Monday. By the way 9 in the evening is not “the middle of the night” unless you are a Kid that has to be in his bed at 7pm.

Since this thread got a red post, may I make a modest proposal to ANet?

This expansion needs to be renamed. From The Heart of Thorns: Journey into the Heart of Maguuma to The Slapped Face: Journey into the Heart of Entitlement.

I ain’t never seen so many people with slapped faces on the forums before and the expansion hasn’t even started yet. In fact, I don’t think there is any part of this expansion that hasn’t reached out and whapped at least one person across the kisser and if there is, it probably stabbed them in the back instead.

Why do we need travel into a distant land to fight the savage Mordrem? If you change the name and focus of the expansion we can stay here on the forums instead and argue from the comforts of our home about what time the beta starts and how the $50 we spent 3 years ago is more than enough money spent to support the game and we should get the expansion for free, or at least a substantial discount.

Gaile Gray.6029:

This is not a preview, early start, or sneak peek. It’s a test. <— said in my Admiral Akbar voice, and if you get the reference, kudos to you!

This thread tough, “It’s a trap!”

I live live Europe and I have no problems at all with the times…

I mean if BWE would have started earlier it would have started During Working hours on Friday and ended before monday. Now it starts almost right after working hours atleast it’s enough to get home and get stuff done and then I am ready for BWE. On monday I even get the chance to play alittle more when I get home.

My GF works on weekends, should she complain that the beta is at weekends when she works? No. As some have said, there will be always someone hit by what time the BWE starts. Also it is only a few hours, you need to eat, sleep and stretch your legs even during a BWE.

Ramming your cheek into someone’s palm does NOT constitute being slapped in the face. In fact the entire phrase is more like a tool for self-flagging that your attached complaint is supremely hyperbolic.

Beta-testers are working for ArenaNet (at Anet’s convenience, imagine that…) not the other way around.

Daniel Handler.4816:

… people want to sleep.

Oh Lord, the amount of self-centered hypocrisy here is nauseating.

You want to sleep, but people at Anet should replace their blood with caffeine, right?

I’m in Europe (England), I work 8am-6pm and the BWE timings suit me just fine. I don’t get your problem unless you’re a super-duper big-bang-theory-inspired let’s-stay-up-for-48-hours-playing-MMOs kinda nerd.

Starting noon -7 means its up in europe at eavening and this is just fine.
And 11:59 p.m. means already monday morning in europe.
So in europe you have friday eavening till monday morning. This sounds like perfect timing.

Gaile Gray.6029:

This is not a preview, early start, or sneak peek. It’s a test. <— said in my Admiral Akbar voice, and if you get the reference, kudos to you!

Our shields cant repel logic of this magnitude!!

Bwahaha everything is a ‘slap in the face!!!!111111’ these days. I don’t understand how people get bent out of shape and play the victim for even the smallest of things.

If it’s not a beta weekend start time, then it’s someone writing a huge essay on how the expansion should be free because (s)he bought the original 3 years back. People get a free outfit, and it’s a ‘slap in teh faec’ that it’s not an armour set. They announce raids, and it’s a slap in teh faaaace that this feature dares to exist since omg now it’s just like wow!!!1111. People feel insulted worked up way too easily these days. :P

Relevant:

And unto him that slaps you in the face offer also the other cheek. [Lk 6:29; KJV]

Seriously, whenever I see someone use the phrase “slap in the face” I know exactly what to expect. Never been disappointed.

We should be thankful that the phrase exists, it helps us pick out these… personalities… quickly and easily.

i have to say that the simplest solutions for this would be different times activation for the beta in NA and EU servers.
However if how Gray says that the dev team is checking the performance on live instead checking later the reports, then yes all the servers should run synchronized.

For EU the times aren’t the best however they are good enough. to be able to begin in the evening (9-10pm) and play most of the weekend.
It would be cool although if Anet could begin earlier the beta, let’s say at 9am UTC so EU wold be like 6-7pm.
I think that could make everyone happy.

Starfall.6813:

Is there any phrase more overused on the Internet than “a slap in the face”? I can’t even take you seriously after that.

Yep, my feelings exactly.

OP, don’t move to Australia. You think you’re crying now? lol

I’m an EU player, due to the nature of my work schedule I’m usually out of the house from 7am – 7pm Monday – Friday and therefore will miss both the start and end of the beta. I’m just happy I get to play it at all.

The last one I got to play for 30 minutes because I was away from home until just before it ended. (I literally got in, dropped my bag, turned the computer on and started playing and managed 30 minutes before the server kicked me off.)

I will miss all of Sunday, but that’s because I’m going to see Foo Fighters live so I don’t care.

Overall I think the people saying they’ll never be able to please everyone and it’s most important for the developers to be able to participate, monitor feedback and act on it than for any particular region to have their ideal time.

I +1’d what Vayne said. :P You think you guys in the US and EU have it tough?? We actually miss out on one whole day of the BWE because it falls on a Monday, when everybody goes back to work/school. So I don’t want to hear anything about “slaps in the face”; we OCX/SEA folks have been getting the short end of the stick for YEARS.

Gaile Gray.6029:

Please note: Our studio — and that means our entire development team — is located in the United States, in the Pacific Time Zone. We work very hard to synchronize as many things as possible, but beta weekend events are best organized around the times that our development team will be able to devote as many hours as possible to testing, in-game observations, forum tracking, feedback reviews, and even possible on-the-fly changes. (The latter is not likely, but it has been known to happen.)

In no way do we want anyone to feel distanced by the hours chosen, and we do apologize if the hours are somewhat inconvenient for someone (although with a test that runs for a couple of days, surely not all hours will prove to be inaccessible ). For practical purposes, the hours selected are the best possible for the team developing this game for you, and we ask for your understanding of that fact.

This is not a preview, early start, or sneak peek. It’s a test. <— said in my Admiral Akbar voice, and if you get the reference, kudos to you!

I wonder though, don’t you guys have weekends off? I am kinda worried about the expansion releasing on a Friday, because if there is any critical stuff that needs fixing asap, a weekend sounds like a time where patching stuff isn’t as easy.

Vennyhedgie.5369:

Gaile Gray.6029:

Please note: Our studio — and that means our entire development team — is located in the United States, in the Pacific Time Zone. We work very hard to synchronize as many things as possible, but beta weekend events are best organized around the times that our development team will be able to devote as many hours as possible to testing, in-game observations, forum tracking, feedback reviews, and even possible on-the-fly changes. (The latter is not likely, but it has been known to happen.)

In no way do we want anyone to feel distanced by the hours chosen, and we do apologize if the hours are somewhat inconvenient for someone (although with a test that runs for a couple of days, surely not all hours will prove to be inaccessible ). For practical purposes, the hours selected are the best possible for the team developing this game for you, and we ask for your understanding of that fact.

This is not a preview, early start, or sneak peek. It’s a test. <— said in my Admiral Akbar voice, and if you get the reference, kudos to you!

I wonder though, don’t you guys have weekends off? I am kinda worried about the expansion releasing on a Friday, because if there is any critical stuff that needs fixing asap, a weekend sounds like a time where patching stuff isn’t as easy.

I think it is a safe assumption that they are going to work through the weekend for this beta testing.

Palador.2170:

Starfall.6813:

Is there any phrase more overused on the Internet than “a slap in the face”? I can’t even take you seriously after that.

lol

yes , i think the phrase ‘’ Can we all take a moment for ….. ’’ is more or equally overused

as an EU player, I don’t see an issue. we start later, but we end later. on the last day, US folk only get ‘til midday, we get almost the whole day. the time we get’s the same, just slightly shifted.

I’ve never understood this logic. To me the times seem more suited to most Europeans (I’m in the UK and they suit me fine), because we get to start the beta at about 7-8pm, which is after work for me. For the poor americans, a lot of them will have to wait until after they finish work/school before they can jump in game. So in my opinion, the US players get more shafted than us EU players.

And like Gaile rightly said, it is a whole weekend, surely you can find some time in those many hours to try the beta?

Also consider that GW2 is global, so no matter what time they start it at, they will upset someone. So it is far easier for Anet to start the beta at a time that is better for them, so they can monitor and test things, and it should be safe to assume that most players have the brains to understand why.

At what time does it start in GMT anyway?

Gaile Gray.6029:

Please note: Our studio — and that means our entire development team — is located in the United States, in the Pacific Time Zone. We work very hard to synchronize as many things as possible, but beta weekend events are best organized around the times that our development team will be able to devote as many hours as possible to testing, in-game observations, forum tracking, feedback reviews, and even possible on-the-fly changes. (The latter is not likely, but it has been known to happen.)

In no way do we want anyone to feel distanced by the hours chosen, and we do apologize if the hours are somewhat inconvenient for someone (although with a test that runs for a couple of days, surely not all hours will prove to be inaccessible ). For practical purposes, the hours selected are the best possible for the team developing this game for you, and we ask for your understanding of that fact.

This is not a preview, early start, or sneak peek. It’s a test. <— said in my Admiral Akbar voice, and if you get the reference, kudos to you!

It’s a…
Now I’m afraid to log in :O

Gaile Gray.6029:

Please note: Our studio — and that means our entire development team — is located in the United States, in the Pacific Time Zone. We work very hard to synchronize as many things as possible, but beta weekend events are best organized around the times that our development team will be able to devote as many hours as possible to testing, in-game observations, forum tracking, feedback reviews, and even possible on-the-fly changes. (The latter is not likely, but it has been known to happen.)

In no way do we want anyone to feel distanced by the hours chosen, and we do apologize if the hours are somewhat inconvenient for someone (although with a test that runs for a couple of days, surely not all hours will prove to be inaccessible ). For practical purposes, the hours selected are the best possible for the team developing this game for you, and we ask for your understanding of that fact.

This is not a preview, early start, or sneak peek. It’s a test. <— said in my Admiral Akbar voice, and if you get the reference, kudos to you!

It’s a beta!

Windu The Forbidden One.6045:

At what time does it start in GMT anyway?

7pm

eisberg.2379:

Windu The Forbidden One.6045:

At what time does it start in GMT anyway?

7pm

Thanks. So that would be 9pm (21:00) for me since I’m in GMT +2

Windu The Forbidden One.6045:

eisberg.2379:

Windu The Forbidden One.6045:

At what time does it start in GMT anyway?

7pm

Thanks. So that would be 9pm (21:00) for me since I’m in GMT +2

You are not going to be able to play anyways, you are the forbidden one from playing =P