Helpful Tips for Beta Testers!

So I am pretty upset as well with the whole Forsaken World beta but here are some tips for people who actually want to try and help the game and not just play early.

1) Keep a pad of paper and writing utensil next to you at all times. Write down everything you do that has odd/unintended consequences for an accurate report and post the reports. Even better if they provide client side log for further details. Be sure to use the proper format.

2) You will likely crash often during testing. Patience is a virtue here and is part of the process. Remember, this is a test wherein you work for the company in providing feedback and making the game better. This is not an opportunity to learn secrets of the game for when it goes live.

3) Every step of the way, you actually are doing your job if you make the game crash. Report what you were doing in a post. Start with the character creation screen. Try multiple combos of clicks and keystrokes, combos of creation options, watch the graphics, try ridiculously stupid possibilities for names (such as names including numbers and punctuation marks), listen for sound artifacts and errors, animation stalls, etc.

4) When in the game, consider the environment. Look for holes, mismatched effects, trees floating in the air, etc. Take notice of your surroundings and the animations. Do avatars move smoothly, are some colors out of whack etc.

5) UI is next. Try everything, even stuff that no one would normally even consider during normal gameplay. The plan is to find problems and break the game, so just go nuts. Try opening trade windows with mobs/guards/villagers, try buffing mailboxes and attacking tables, anything that seems out there try it.

6) Read all dialog and quest descriptions. (I know this step is going to be extremely difficult for most "beta testers".) Check for spelling errors and grammatical issues. Most players gloss over familiar words but make sure to pay attention as sometimes even the simplest things are missed, especially with smaller dev teams working day and night on their vision. Don't miss the forest for the the trees. (Did you see what I just did there? Keep an eye out for that in-game!)

7) Experiment with all social options, any available emotes, chat windows, and the controls for those. How is the learning curve; is info available and intuitive to the nature of the game? Even style choices can be a source of beta testing reports if it makes the player experience better.

8 ) Make sure whatever you test, test it again. If you find a bug, try repeating it and write down what you find out. Until a bug can be recreated on a regular basis, it's not really a bug. The more info you can provide in a report, the better.

9) Be creative, do things you wouldn't normally do, and always report what you find.