EXPLANATION OF ALPHA!

[jockurt 4]

I have seen alot of threads with folks complaining about Dayz error/bugs etc... over and over and over agian. They get the same answer all the time. But doesn't seem to understand it...

So here it goes... :rolleyes:

Development stage terminology expresses how the development of a piece of software(DAYZ) has progressed and how much further development it may require. Each major version of a product usually goes through a stage when new features are added (alpha stage), then a stage when it is actively debugged (beta stage), and finally a stage when all important bugs have been removed (stable stage). Intermediate stages may also be recognized. The stages may be formally announced and regulated by the project's developers, but sometimes the terms are used informally to describe the state of a product. Conventionally, code names are often used by many companies for versions prior to the release of the product, though the actual product and features are rarely secret

Pre-alpha

Sometimes a build known as pre-alpha is issued, before the release of an alpha or beta. In contrast to alpha and beta versions, the pre-alpha is usually not "feature complete". At this stage designers are still determining exactly what functionalities the product should have. Such builds can also be called development releases or nightly builds.

Alpha (THIS STAGE IS DAYZ IN NOW)

The alpha version of a product still awaits full debugging or full implementation of all its functionality, but satisfies a majority of the software requirements. It often lacks features promised in the final release, but demonstrates the feasibility and basic structure of the software.

The alpha build of the software is the first build delivered to the software testers. (US IN THIS CASE)

In the first phase of alpha testing, developers test the software using white box techniques. Additional inspection is then performed using black box or grey box techniques. This is usually done by another dedicated testing team sometimes concurrently. Moving to black box testing is often known as the second stage of alpha testing.

Alpha software can be UNSTABLE and could cause CRASHES or DATA LOSS.

The name is derived from alpha, the first letter in the Greek alphabet.

Beta (THEY ARE NOT THERE YEAT!)

A beta version or beta release usually represents the first version of a computer program that implements all required features although additional features may be added. It is likely to be unstable but useful for internal demonstrations and previews to select customers, but not yet ready for release. Some developers refer to this stage as a preview, as a technical preview (TP) or as an early access.

Hoped it Helped! :D

Source=GOOGLE

(READ THE POST BELOW!)

[Josh (DayZ) 0]

It's okay to report (and its encouraged) the bugs that you come across, but you need to do it in a respectful manner. Go into the game understanding you may trip over a few dozen bugs one day but not the next. Be ready to loose your stuff due to an error. It happens in Alpha and BETA stages. When you come to report a problem, do it respectfully and everything will be fine. Be as detailed as you can with your report. Give the developers your system specifications, version you are running, where it happened, what you did, what you had, etc. Anything and everything that you can so that they might be able to reproduce the error(s).

[jockurt 4]

Yes of course! Good words :)

[Legacy (DayZ) 1091]

Theres a difference between discussing, reporting, and complaining. While a lot of us may or may not have a right to 'complain' about some bugs, they are to be expected and the game isn't exactly perfect until they can call it a full version. The great thing is even though it's already an alpha it has gotten so much attention from everywhere, to where even people just buy the game before even looking into anything and end up complaining otherwise. A simple calm and respectful approach on bugs and other issues is to be expected.

[jockurt 4]

Of course its a difference. You should post error, bugs and so.. but i have seen many complaining theards too! therefore this theard.

[Legacy (DayZ) 1091]

Thread*

Of course people are going to complain because it is the public, they wanted to play the game and something may prevent them or something ends up changing the style they are use to. Only natural.

[jockurt 4]

Yeah i understand that, i just hope that this will help them with some of their questions.

[Legacy (DayZ) 1091]

A lot of people might not ever look at this thread and go along their way, but we also need to remind ourselves that they are free to their own opinions and ways as they are. (Abiding to the forum rules of course.)

[jockurt 4]

And a lot of people might. And i did never say that they arent free to have their own opinions and ways.

[Legacy (DayZ) 1091]

Of course though, but simply what I had running through my head to speak.

[oktyabr 53]

A lot of the complaints I've read have been from people that purchased A2:CO just to play this mod. They feel somehow entitled to a complete, stable, and well balanced game (which they did truly purchase!) since they spent money to play DayZ.

I only wish the articles and reviews I've read would stress the word "ALPHA" more, as in "YMMV" and "Play at your own risk!"

I've said it before and I'll say it again... You are either an Alpha *Tester* or you are not. If you don't want to be one then I recommend not playing until this mod at least reaches a "Beta" designation.

[Legacy (DayZ) 1091]

I consider myself both! If I see a bug I'll end up asking it around or reporting it, otherwise I'm enjoying the game as it is even if it may be buggy all together, but I won't exactly complain or be disrespectful against it's flaws because I can understand it is under development and I am okay with whatever may happen to my character/experience because they expect feedback on improving the game so other people in the future may like it and not have to have a bad experience and prevention of playing the game.

[Virfortis 111]

"This is buggy!"

"Buggy?"

"THIS. IS. ALPHA!"

It had to be done, but really guys...bugs happen. Just keep trying and move on. Rocket sees the bugs, so he's working on them in his spare time.

[Shimmler 4]

A good intent posting it here, but I doubt it will change anything. Ignorant noobs don't care to read stuff, they just post all their bug-rage.

[oktyabr 53]

Welcome to Alpha. You may experience mild Alpha during the Alpha.

lol

[Josh (DayZ) 0]

A good intent posting it here' date=' but I doubt it will change anything. Ignorant noobs don't care to read stuff, they just post all their bug-rage.

[/quote']

Yeah, exactly. Some/most people in general don't know how to handle a bug or problem when it happens. Unfortunately, there isn't much you can do about this. Obviously DayZ is still in ALPHA mode so there will be a lot of bugs, that should be expected. Unfortunately like said before, people don't read. They simply react. They don't take the time to think out a response or to help provide as much information as possible.

I'm a moderator for a company based in the U.K. who hold the NASCAR License so they can create Official NASCAR Video Games. When their previous title released it was considered a flop by many, and understandably people were upset. How ever, they didn't take the time to read or think things through. They opened up the forums and started to rant and rave even though there is/was documentation saying that they are known and are working on it. Most of their 'bug reports' were 'THIS DOESN'T WORK! THE AI SUCKS". Most of the time it wasn't spelled correctly.

If you truly care about the development of the game, you have to approach this out of a gamer standpoint. I'm not saying approach the game out of your normal self, but go into it ready to help bug report. Typically, Alpha versions are kept in-house for Q&A. Be lucky we are playing this mod at this very moment, he could've felt it should at least wait until BETA. If you honestly do not care about help testing the mod, and you just want to play it then as said before, just go into the bushes and wait. Wait until the game reaches Final or BETA stage. Alpha Versions are usually very unstable and glitchy. Most of the time (depending on how early) 60% of the features may not be fully operational.. be lucky the mod is at where it is today.. Just enjoy it and if you can log everything you do in your head, that way if you crash all of a sudden.. You know where you are, what you were doing, what you may think caused it, and what your specs are, server, etc.

TL : DR - Quit your bitchin' its an ALPHA. Be happy it is open for the public!

[Arlt 2]

should not have made it public with so many god damn problems.... the game for some reason ALWAYS decides to respawn me in the fucking debug forest and then on the beach subsequently after TAKING AWAY ALL MY EQUIPMENT..... second time ive lost a character that was multiple days old...please fix your broken game... or stop releasing bad versions of the game.

[Josh (DayZ) 0]

should not have made it public with so many god damn problems.... the game for some reason ALWAYS decides to respawn me in the fucking debug forest and then on the beach subsequently after TAKING AWAY ALL MY EQUIPMENT..... second time ive lost a character that was multiple days old...please fix your broken game... or stop releasing bad versions of the game.

Arlt,

I believe the primary reason as to why it was made public in Alpha stage is to help test the load stress and servers. I do not think you read anything in this thread by the way that you are speaking here. Why not helping some out by posting in the designated forum? The "Bug Report" forum: http://dayzmod.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?fid=6

There is a thread asking you to please read it before you post, that thread will have all of the information you may need to make a bug report. You have raised the awareness of that happening, how ever, you have not assisted in reproducing the bug with sufficient information. Please look at the thread in the "Bug Report" area and fill out as much as you can, if you think you have more information then please do so.

Alpha Testing can be used for multiple things. It can be done to test the stability in a high play count area, where as if you did an internal Alpha using a Q&A Department you couldn't get near as many results as you could with a public Alpha. Majority of Q&A Departments are In-House so they are on stable machines using stable internet connections. When you do a public testing you get so many variations it isn't even funny.. So this is helping with stability of high play count as well as server load. Now if only you'd do your part and submit a proper bug report and wait patiently for it to be tested, tested again, looked into, fixed, tested some more, then released for a public test... Then go from there.

[cuca 20]

A lot of the complaints I've read have been from people that purchased A2:CO just to play this mod. They feel somehow entitled to a complete' date=' stable, and well balanced game (which they did truly purchase!) since they spent money to play DayZ.

I only wish the articles and reviews I've read would stress the word "ALPHA" more, as in "YMMV" and "Play at your own risk!"

I've said it before and I'll say it again... You are either an Alpha *Tester* or you are not. If you don't want to be one then I recommend not playing until this mod at least reaches a "Beta" designation.

[/quote']

Are you like saying that vanila arma is stable, full and well balanced?

'Its alpha' really cant be the answer to everything cause core arma still has some major issues...

[BannedOpinion 14]

Try explaining this to the hundreds of new players who didn't "see" 'Alpha' on the download button.

Game is largely playable as it is. I just avoid stairs if I can If I feel I may fall off them and die because the Arma2 wasn't really designed with house-to-house fighting primarily on their mind.

---

should not have made it public with so many god damn problems.... the game for some reason ALWAYS decides to respawn me in the fucking debug forest and then on the beach subsequently after TAKING AWAY ALL MY EQUIPMENT..... second time ive lost a character that was multiple days old...please fix your broken game... or stop releasing bad versions of the game.

What's the broken game? Please clarify your point; this is a modification of a game.

You just cannot please people, had this been announced before release people would be begging for a release. Don't announce it and release it, people just cannot stop complaining.

MODIFICATION.

Thankfully, the complaints come from the absolute minority of new players. New players generally complain on servers, but when you explain to them the issues, they quickly understand and just get on with it. Just the select few believe they have a god given right to a perfect game.

[Arlt 2]

my point is that i have lost 3 characters that were multiple days old and lost my NVG twice along with all my pretty guns to bugs...falling through roofs, spawning in the debug forest and losing all my items and lets not forget people disconnecting when u shoot them then reconnecting to shoot u in the back when u move past. LOL... simple fact is id rather have the games bugs fixed before any new features come out.... its fucking infuriating to waste a bunch of hours and days to just suddenly lose all my gear. no where was there any mention that the game was incredibly buggy as is... i would have waited for a more polished version before i spent money on arma. great concept, too many problems for me to enjoy it anymore. and for those who are going come on here and say "then dont play it" dont worry tonight was my last night.

[Ciznit (DayZ) 3]

^ Wow. Pretty self-entitled for someone who's ALPHA TESTING a FREE mod.

[griffinz 2816]

Look at it this way;

Characters will probably be wiped clean come release, or even beta.

[Solid.nl 2]

my point is that i have lost 3 characters that were multiple days old and lost my NVG twice along with all my pretty guns to bugs...falling through roofs' date=' spawning in the debug forest and losing all my items and lets not forget people disconnecting when u shoot them then reconnecting to shoot u in the back when u move past. LOL... simple fact is id rather have the games bugs fixed before any new features come out.... its fucking infuriating to waste a bunch of hours and days to just suddenly lose all my gear. no where was there any mention that the game was incredibly buggy as is... i would have waited for a more polished version before i spent money on arma. great concept, too many problems for me to enjoy it anymore. and for those who are going come on here and say "then dont play it" dont worry tonight was my last night.

[/quote']

You are one of these people that clearly does not understand the whole point of this thread.

Alpha is all about getting the feature's in and a way for dev's to break the game to see what works and what doesn't. After the dev's (or in this case rocket) is happy with the game in terms of feature's and playability he will probably move it to beta and this is where all the bug crushing begins. Sure bug fixes will be made in the alpha but its basically still in development. If you cannot handle the things that go wrong in a alpha then wait till the game goes into beta where its about smoothing out the game/mod but even then things can go wrong, hell even if your working in stable things can go wrong.

Its nice to be in a alpha of a game since you get to see a game evolve, but since most major game companies are inviting everybody to join their beta testing which in most cases only goes into open beta to stress test. Most people actually already enter a pretty much finished product and its only a trick to get more people to pre order. So alot of people are under the impression that these testing stages mean most of the game is already done.

Greetz Solid

[peetgamer 10]

It play rather well for a alpha, but i understand why so many complain they bought in a impuls(as these dayz most young people do ARMA II) and thought buying a already released game.

Most of them don't understand what a total conversion mod means and do to a already released game and alpha stages its in currently.