I have been holding my breath for weeks, waiting for the NDA to drop, so that I can talk about the asshats in Beta.

This particular rant pertains to the EverQuest II Rise of Kunark Beta experience, but it really doesn't matter what game you're in, the story is the same.

There is a palpable evolution, or perhaps devolution, as clear and inexorable as the progress of seasons, that the longer Beta goes on, and the more people are let in, the proportion of complete morons and selfish jerks rises exponentially.

In the early days of Beta, everyone is there for the right reasons. Testers are polite, courteous and good humored. Conversations in the out of character channel (/ooc) are actually fun. Discussions about various beta issues and bugs are interesting and thoughtful. I can sit for quite some time and just read /ooc and gain many insights.

Cut to a month later, and Beta is a charnel house of profanity, posturing and pouting. A veritable clash of egos and entitlement stride about in the swill that /ooc has become.

The guy who is peeved that no one linked him the class gear, and no GMs answered his repeated ooc demands to see it, so that he could compare it to the EOF stuff and give his comments... dude, if they really wanted to know, in detail, YOUR particular and sole opinion on your class gear, I am sure they would have invited you to Beta earlier and sent you some. Shaddap.

The guy who rants on for twenty minutes about how much the RoK class gear for Monks sucks... dude. Use /feedback and the forums. We don't give a rat's ass, really we don't. Not even the other Monks.

To the people carrying on a pissing contest in the shout channel about whose guild sucks more - it's a tie. Please go away now.

To the several people claiming they cannot do ANYTHING in Beta till they get their fabled gear and buff to 80 - you must be playing a different game than I am, where I am 73 and have at best treasured and adept spells. I seem to be able to test a lot of content. Ohhhh, right, you are a RAIDER, and that is a whole other class of people, I forgot. Keep yelling.

To those whining about how EASY the mobs in Kylong Plains are - move along... leave the solo content to those who love it.

To those whining about how HARD the mobs elsewhere are to solo - move along... that's group content.

To the dozen or more people who stated that the devs are screwing you once again, as always - isn't it time you found another game? I mean, how dumb can you be if they are doing this to you as often as you say? Look, I'll even buy it for you. Just go.


These are people for whom being in Beta has nothing to do with helping make the game better, and everything to do with their own selfish ends. Thank goodness we're almost at the end... the light... I see the LIGHT!

To those in Beta who took the time and trouble to file /bug, /feedback, answer questions in various channels and provided meaningful data for the dev team... I thank you from the bottom of my Dwarven heart. To borrow an old Irish blessing, "May you always get into Beta a month before the devil knows you're gone."



Want my Beta report? Too bad, here it is.

Is it finished? Not quite, but it's close. The lands are stunning and there will be plenty to keep you going. The remaining issues are minor enough that they will be patched in without you even noticing (mostly quest issues). Of course, that's not to say that some HUGE bug or two will not make it to Live servers - that falls under the realm of Murphy's Law as it relates to computer hoodoo and voodoo.

Is it laggy? Hell yes, particularly in the dock area where everyone congregates to spout off in the various channels. Besides, it's Beta, it is always laggy. Debug code is being run and all that. Still, in outlying areas, I have not had much trouble.

Is it good? Oh, Rise of Kunark is hella good, and very playable. There are some very cool changes to the game as a whole (in AAs, racial traditions, special training), and soooo much to do. Just try to pry me out.


Now hurry up and pre-order - your time's almost up! Pre-order ends midnight, November 11th. Don't make this Burynai sad!


As for me, I've got some maps to work on!

;-)#
Brasse

ps. You can drop by our forums to share your beta stories or call me names for calling you an asshat in this thread.