Age of Conan

Well open beta starts May 1st, however, what's with having to be a FilePlanet member to download the client.  Damnit!  I get sick and tired of being nickle and dimed all the time by MMOs.  They can take their open(pay to play) beta and stuff it.  I'll get my taste when the client is free to download and I don't have to be a member of some website to DL.

I am reading this correct aren't I?  You can't just be registered at FilePlanet like for the free content; you actually have to be a paying member?

That's what I've heard. Funcom is wonderful, isn't it? (sarcasm)

as far as i know, u have to be a paying Fileplanet sub, which i am, i get alot of use out of Fileplanet, and the sub just helps, get free games now and then, from hitpoints, along with Beta invites to alot of betas, not just MMOs either, i suggest if ur really into games period, ( all games not just MMOs) look into the sub, i get my moneys worth.

Their open beta is more or less just a big stress test. Fileplanet is popular and can deliver numbers in order to test that. It's up to Eidos and FP on who is chosen and why. People seem to be mistaking beta's as "try before you buy", but thats not at all their purpose. Their purpose is to test and put out a proper product, not letting everyone get a taste of the game before its launched. They are a business and need the retail intrigue to at least cover some development costs in case of it being a failure, and honestly a beta will tell you nothing about how good the game will be to experience start to finish and beyond. You don't have to participate, its optional, and entirely up to you if you really want to do so. It's not a god given right to get into a beta, its almost like a job really.

and besides that, the way Fileplanet usually works is they let their paid subs get first pickings, then they usually open it to all.  at least thats how it usually worked in the past

I imagine if bandwidth was free and Funcom didn't have to, oh, put the finishing touches on the game before retail launch, then maybe it would be free. But bandwidth isn't free and Funcom doesn't have the manpower free right now to set all that up. Fileplanet does and had a setup to distribute the keys and facilitate the 50K players they are putting keys out for.

Do I like it? Heck no. I see no point in paying Fileplanet for a service I may use once every couple of years and only if they get beta keys to games I'm interested in. Am I angry? Nope, not at all. If you look at it objectively, from a business standpoint it's the best thing to do. And make no mistake about it, this is a business first, on all accounts. Paying all that money it would cost Funcom to just make it open for everyone hoping that every single person bought the game. That's a hefty gamble there. When you're talking that kind of money, you don't make a gamble like that. That's why you'll note that Funcom isn't the only developer utilizing Fileplanet, and you will no doubt see FP being use alot in the future for MMO open betas.

Originally posted by Khalathwyr

I imagine if bandwidth was free and Funcom didn't have to, oh, put the finishing touches on the game before retail launch, then maybe it would be free. But bandwidth isn't free and Funcom doesn't have the manpower free right now to set all that up. Fileplanet does and had a setup to distribute the keys and facilitate the 50K players they are putting keys out for.

Do I like it? Heck no. I see no point in paying Fileplanet for a service I may use once every couple of years and only if they get beta keys to games I'm interested in. Am I angry? Nope, not at all. If you look at it objectively, from a business standpoint it's the best thing to do. And make no mistake about it, this is a business first, on all accounts. Paying all that money it would cost Funcom to just make it open for everyone hoping that every single person bought the game. That's a hefty gamble there. When you're talking that kind of money, you don't make a gamble like that. That's why you'll note that Funcom isn't the only developer utilizing Fileplanet, and you will no doubt see FP being use alot in the future for MMO open betas.

You're absolutely right, but it does suck for us who are not subscribers and have no desire to be a subscriber.  Oh well.  I do understand why it is being done the way it is and I am not angry, just disappointed.

Calling it an "open beta" is a misnomer.

It's really a "paid promotional demo". 

No biggie, it'll be in release soon, and all the level 13 characters will be wiped.

yes i agree this is no open beta...

imo if they did a real open beta , they would lose alot of money , so many people are hyped up on aoc but let me tell you the game is a bust , however its better than war but thats not saying much , but whatever , people will say i am a hater or whatever but i am in both war and aoc betas , and vanguard looked better than they both do, but back to the topic "this is not an open beta on may 1st"

Originally posted by dirtyside

imo if they did a real open beta , they would lose alot of money , so many people are hyped up on aoc but let me tell you the game is a bust , however its better than war but thats not saying much , but whatever , people will say i am a hater or whatever but i am in both war and aoc betas , and vanguard looked better than they both do, but back to th