how would i get to become a beta tester

[dubuque]

and if im picked would i be able to do it from my home?

[Agamemnus]

You do it from your computer.

When there is a new beta coming, you can express interest and fill in the form to apply. Additionally your chances go up exponentially if:

1) The betatests.net site goes up and you show what game "experience" you have, specs, etc. Atari likes variety and/or (playing computer game /beta testing) experience when it picks people.

2) http://www.ataricommunity.com/forums/showthread.php?t=315781

3) I would like to put something funny here but for some reason all I can think of is a bunny with a pancake hat.

[dubuque]

would i get paid to do it also

[nx306]

yes you would get paid... you would get to try top the game afew omnths before release... if thats not enough for you, there are a lot of other for whose it is enough :)

[Agamemnus]

:(

Where's my check then? :weird:

[DerPapierTiger]

:(

Where's my check then? :weird:

We got cheated my friend, we got cheated..... ;)

Beta testers usually don't get paid. They get the honor of playing a game before the population can. Most of the time the selection process is random, although game experience does help sometimes.

The people who get paid to test games are called quality assurance teams IIRC. They're employed inhouse by publishers and developers, and usually have some background knowledge on programming and technical skills.

[dubuque]

can i still beta test driver 4? eventhough it comes out next week

[DerPapierTiger]

Usually beta testing occurs several months before the product is released. Reason why is because it takes a month to get the CD's ready to be made and distributed. If driver 4 is coming out next, it's already passed the beta testing stages and entering being distributed.

For Atari, you can apply to become a beta tester at this site, www.betatests.net/ . Unfortunately, the site is down for me at the moment. Just keep tabs on games, and if they're accepting beta testers, they'll announce it and you can apply. :)

[dubuque]

ok, how do you get the games any way, i was wondering that, do they mail them to you using fed ex for example?

[DerPapierTiger]

Usually they'll either allow you to download it from a secured FTP, or they'll mail you a CD of it.

[dubuque]

can you keep the game free of charge after your done with it

[Agamemnus]

Is that a question? I suppose you'll ask another one right after I answer your "question"....

You can keep the game (Atari can't physically pry it from your computer...), but sometimes the developer or publisher will decide to set it to expire after a certain date using hidden registry keys...

[b0bbert_r0ss]

For Atari, you can apply to become a beta tester at this site, www.betatests.net/ (http://www.betatests.net/) . Unfortunately, the site is down for me at the moment. Just keep tabs on games, and if they're accepting beta testers, they'll announce it and you can apply. :)

Well the site is down for me as well. But do you have any other good sites which you could possibly give out for me/the rest of us who want to know?


but sometimes the developer or publisher will decide to set it to expire after a certain date using hidden registry keys...

Tat's just harsh, they honor you with the privalige to play the beta, yet they may not let you keep it... Darn shame.

[Agamemnus]

The best site so far is the forum and/or Betatestadmin's subconscious mind. But we all know the minds of geeks are scary places.. I wouldn't want to venture two feet into my own subconscious...

Tat's just harsh, they honor you with the privalige to play the beta, yet they may not let you keep it... Darn shame.

Well usually it's because they don't want people leaking the beta (intentionally or not) after the actual game is out I guess, to preserve the image. Or, maybe certain portions of the beta code, when used online (i.e. in an online game), will make the server throw up, sputter, and die.

There's only one game so far where this has happened AFAIK, so don't worry, in all likelihood you can keep playing with da bugs until they finish you off... :alien:

[Gen.Killer]

What other betatest sites are there? How do you beta test for other companies besides Atari ?

[dubuque]

i know microsoft does the beta testing thing also but i dont know there site

[DerPapierTiger]

Sometimes you have to be at the right spot at the right time. Sometimes developers do an open public testing, where the public is invited in to play the game. This is usually used on MMORPG since they need to test stress the servers with tons of players. I think this also happened with BFME2.

Other times, developers do a close testing and will only ask like only on their main site or even just their forums. That was how AoW:HT beta testing was done. It was announced on the forums.

So keep an eye on your favorite games and check their forums regularly. Btw, just a note, but it's rare to test console games. Those are usually handled by the QA guys. :)

[Gen.Killer]

What do you think has the better chance of having the Beta Test application thread? The Devoloper or the Publisher's site?

[Agamemnus]

I know microsoft does the beta testing thing also, but I don't know its site.

It's www.microsoft.com. Microsoft games don't have public beta tests as far as I know.

What do you think has the better chance of having the Beta Test application thread? The Devoloper or the Publisher's site?

Depends on the capability of each company, but I'd say publisher..........................

[Kyle of Alberta]

What other betatest sites are there? How do you beta test for other companies besides Atari ?

Well, there are a number of ways:

Jelsoft Enterprises - before a MAJOUR release of their Bulletin Board Software system, existing customers can get their hands on the beta software.
Google - sometimes, registrations are limited and restricted and they'll send you an invitation (GMail, Google Analytics, Google Home Page Creator, Google AdSense for Feeds and the list goes on).
Zend - you have to be an existing customer of a product to beta test their new products.
Microsoft - to beta test Vista you had to follow certain circumstances. In fact, even now, if you have a MSDN Subscription (http://msdn.microsoft.com/subscriptions/), you can beta test Windows Vista (http://msdn.microsoft.com/windowsvista/).Okay, that's about it. Anyone want to chime in?

[nx306]

microsoft do public betas of their games sometimes...
you can click on the link in my sig, im trying to maintain a database of active betatests programs and how to get in. In the Betas->Publishers,Devs sections

[Bowarcher]

i know microsoft does the beta testing thing also but i dont know there site

Microsoft Playtesting? (http://www.microsoft.com/playtest/default.mspx)