SimCity Beta.

[philw254 0]

I saw someone asking for keys.... everyone said beta not out yet, but website says it is? What's going on? Is beta out yet? Also where are all these you tube videos coming from, if the beta isn't out yet?

[Hamish 1,369]

Can you post links to the website that says that it is out? I had a quick look at simcity.com, and from what I can tell, it isn't out yet.

Maxis is also doing a lot of promotional videos for simcity, maybe these are what you have been viewing on YouTube.

So far, all I know is that there has been no official word from maxis, and I would expect them to make an announcement when it is released.

[jrm541992 17]

http://www.simcity.com/en_US/beta/info

I see on the official US site saying "SimCity Beta is Here!". It's strange though b/c I haven't heard of any announcements related to the beta as of late.

[Tarkus 6,932]

http://www.simcity.com/en_US/beta/info

I see on the official US site saying "SimCity Beta is Here!". It's strange though b/c I haven't heard of any announcements related to the beta as of late.

That same page also has a big orange "Register For The Beta" button on it, too. By "here", it means the opportunity to register for it is "here", not the actual beta itself.

-Tarkus

[Hybr1d 20]

I just registered for the beta. I hope I get picked as a tester.

[tomfoolery_79 85]

Ocean put on his twitter just a few days ago that beta is NOT out and he's not sure when it will be.

[Zulnex 1]

Ocean put on his twitter just a few days ago that beta is NOT out and he's not sure when it will be.

Thank you. I was wondering about it as well.

[Morbx 16]

Well, they are kind of running out of time to get any serious testing done... March isn't too far away.

[tSlater 134]

The approach companies take to "beta" has changed over the years. It's not so much for testing any more as it is for promotion. I've a feeling the most actual testing they'll do with a beta is checking server load on the online end. Thus, they could really end up waiting until late February to do any beta.

[croxis 150]

The approach companies take to "beta" has changed over the years. It's not so much for testing any more as it is for promotion. I've a feeling the most actual testing they'll do with a beta is checking server load on the online end. Thus, they could really end up waiting until late February to do any beta.

This is true. But on the other hand many people who participate in these betas also treat it as a demo instead of participating in the beta process of systematiclly testing features and filing detailed bug reports. A smaller closed hush hush beta with select community members is probably going to happen first.

[CXLMachine 17]

I participated in the CXL beta as a lot of us were able to. Now weve all paid for a copy and still play it to this day!

[Azurespecter 506]

Lucy Bradshaw recently said, "We’re entering the final stages of development"

That suggests to me that the game isn't completed, it's just getting to the last phase of development. And I don't think they'll release the beta until the game is completely finished.

[Rokugatsu 126]

Lucy Bradshaw recently said, "We’re entering the final stages of development"

That suggests to me that the game isn't completed, it's just getting to the last phase of development. And I don't think they'll release the beta until the game is completely finished.

Why would they release the beta after the game is finished? The point of beta is to release it BEFORE the game is completed so they can still fix some things.

[Hoipus 292]

Something tells me I failed the survey for the beta.

[Azurespecter 506]

Lucy Bradshaw recently said, "We’re entering the final stages of development"

That suggests to me that the game isn't completed, it's just getting to the last phase of development. And I don't think they'll release the beta until the game is completely finished.

Why would they release the beta after the game is finished? The point of beta is to release it BEFORE the game is completed so they can still fix some things.

Because EA (and a lot of game publishers these days) are using beta's as a marketing tool, rather than product development. They are going to finish the game, and then get it out to opinion leaders, which usually come from the early adopters market segment. They hope that this will rapidly accelerate the market diffusion of the product.

Ya, there will be a bit of bug fixing. But these days most bug fixes are just patched, rather than fixed during product development.

[F2CMaDMaXX 12]

You gus understand the concept of a beta test, right?

We're not their beta testers, God no! could you imagine?! Whilst there would undoubtedly be some good reports, the rest would be a farce.

They can and will only use the public beta testing for specifically selected portions of the game only. They cannot load test like the community can, so that will likely be the main testing portion. It also doesn't seem to matter how much they're told, the community will always whine about *everything* even in a beta, so they need to 'finish' the game before we get our grubby mits on it.

[LostMK 0]

Closed Alpha is currently underway

[Azurespecter 506]

Closed Alpha is currently underway

Is this new? Or are you just agreeing that it hasn't moved to beta phase yet?

Because I'm pretty sure that technically a "Closed Alpha" is underway from the moment the developers can run the program

[macvirt 361]

Closed Alpha is currently underway

Is this new? Or are you just agreeing that it hasn't moved to beta phase yet?

Because I'm pretty sure that technically a "Closed Alpha" is underway from the moment the developers can run the program

No, it's old news. Closed Alpha is a different stage from internal demo's and test runs btw. A lot of studios today tend to put a friends & family round (as it was originally called) in the same box as closed alpha. Kinda funny.

[monzilla 0]

VIP beta is out. Evidence:

Trying not to embarrass myself in the office by bouncing in my chair; I’ve been invited to a VIP beta of the new @simcity! #soexcited

— Adam Levermore (@lexigeek)

January 8, 2013

. Notice the reply from the official Simcity twitter account...

What is a VIP beta? Is that just for gaming sites and other people who could contribute to the marketing of the game? Is the whole "closed beta" thing on the frontpage a big scam?

[macvirt 361]

Just a marketing term for a special purpose round.

[ilikehotdogsalot 308]

So on the website it says you can register for the beta...can anyone play the beta then? I'm a little confused.

[Eurofighter1200 0]

Yes the beta started a few days ago with vip invitations for a small group of Players i hope they give other players a chance too (this info is from a good friend who is invited)

and a link to twitter from other sources : https://mobile.twitter.com/simcity/status/288705544691277824?p=v

[Azurespecter 506]

Beta's usually send out invites in batches. First comes friends and family, usually includes big gaming community leaders and such. Then they'll probably send out waves of invites, slowly increasing the capacity of players on the server. That's how they'll test the servers maximums and stuff.

So if you don't get a Beta invite at first, just be patient. I think there is a very good chance that everyone who applied for the beta will get an invite before the game is released. Although it might only be a week or two before, or possibly through an "open-beta weekend" which has become more common recently.

[Guibanez_ 177]

Big news!

Big news regarding the SimCity Beta coming tomorrow morning. Follow @simcity to find out when the Beta goes live.

— Charlie Sinhaseni (@Charlie_Sin)

January 18, 2013

[Pandemic 32]

Charlie Sinhaseni, PR Manager for SimCity & The Sims at EA has posted the following tweet about the SimCity Beta,

Ocean Quigley, Creative director and Art Director on the new SimCity also retweeted the above tweet, just for those that are not sure if Charlie Sinhaseni is a valid source

Update:

[Dewm 177]

:/

I won't be playing it....unless they decided not to put the beta on Origins.

[Cottoncandy Cyanide 145]

:/

I won't be playing it....unless they decided not to put the beta on Origins.

If the beta is in origins, who would play it? Okay maybe a few people but still, most of us hate Origins right?

[Pandemic 32]

Apparently invites have already been sent out?

This is off someone that supposedly got in today,

[ZackAttack 0]

Hmmmm.............. It's nice to play beta, but if you read the contract to most beta, HOLY! RULES! you can't even express what you feel about the game.

I would know because I'm one of those few people who read the end of term user agreements (Star Wars: The Old Republic beta tester), it was basically play this game in a closed room with no one even seeing you, and it's like i never played it.

So just assumptions here: who ever does get beta can't even tell a fly! translates into no posting of in-game play and a whole lot more.