Bungie publishes new closed playtests for Marathon (previous alpha players only)

cormack12

Gold Member
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Don't know why they went open Alpha route in the first place. Small test like this would have told them all they need to know.

Then again, probably for the best the way things have played out.
 
Getting feedback throughout this delay window is going to be crucial for any possibility of a successful turnaround.

Again, based on their list of things I think they have a rough understanding of what needs to be fixed/changed but I still think if they keep this general art direction they're going to be in trouble.

I think they could announce a single player mode and overnight the narrative on this game would change instantly.

Don't know why they went open Alpha route in the first place. Small test like this would have told them all they need to know.

Then again, probably for the best the way things have played out.

To be fair, it was supposed to be a closed alpha under NDA in the first place, but they saw there was a lot of negativity after the reveal and were trying to buy goodwill.

I agree, things have turned out for the best, because they needed to hit that panic button and I doubt they would have if it had been a true closed alpha shrouded in secrecy with some leakage here and there.
 
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Getting feedback throughout this delay window is going to be crucial for any possibility of a successful turnaround.

Again, based on their list of things I think they have a rough understanding of what needs to be fixed/changed but I still think if they keep this general art direction they're going to be in trouble.

I think they could announce a single player mode and overnight the narrative on this game would change instantly.
I quite like the style personally. If they delivered on the OG trailer I'd be happy.

Some of the characters desgins are fucking awful though.
 
Don't know why they went open Alpha route in the first place. Small test like this would have told them all they need to know.

Then again, probably for the best the way things have played out.
According to some of the people that have been testing this game for a couple of years now it sounds like they told Bungie some of the changes that were needed and Bungie ignored them
 
According to some of the people that have been testing this game for a couple of years now it sounds like they told Bungie some of the changes that were needed and Bungie ignored them
Big wake up call for them this past month or two.

Hopefully the game comes together in the end, much work to be done though.

We have Arc Raiders this fall so I see no reason to rush this out of the door.
 
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According to some of the people that have been testing this game for a couple of years now it sounds like they told Bungie some of the changes that were needed and Bungie ignored them
Then why they do an alpha test in the first place if you are ignoring all the feedback
 
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So they listened to player feedback and tried to incorporate it? Even delayed the game to make it better? Why is that a bad thing NeoGaf?

I don't play GAAS slop so maybe there's something im missing here?
 
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So they listened to player feedback and tried to incorporate it? Even delayed the game to make it better? Why is that a bad thing NeoGaf?

I don't play GAAS slop so maybe there's something im missing here?
Becuase you can polish a turd but only so much.
 
So they listened to player feedback and tried to incorporate it? Even delayed the game to make it better? Why is that a bad thing NeoGaf?

I don't play GAAS slop so maybe there's something im missing here?
From the time of the last Alpha until now there can not have been enough meaningful changes to save it

Now maybe they just want to test how the prox chat is working and a better solo queue experience (which was horrible for solo players like myself) and still plan massive changes but even then its too soon to be testing anything imo
 
So they listened to player feedback and tried to incorporate it? Even delayed the game to make it better? Why is that a bad thing NeoGaf?

I don't play GAAS slop so maybe there's something im missing here?
It shouldn't have gotten to this point.

Deliberately ignoring feedback is what causes these situations for so many developers.

In a nutshell, everything is more readily accessible and connected these days.

Whether it's social media, events, leaks, etc. It isn't the same as the older days, waiting for an E3 or your latest gaming magazine.

You pretty much get one shot to entice or impress your audience. If you fail, or become embroiled on controversy(i.e. stolen art) that's it, especially for GAAS.

This game is getting a delay to work on feedback that should've been listened to, but the reality is it probably will not matter.

Its worth noting that Suicide Squad was delayed an entire year for "polish and feedback", but it didn't matter. I'm not sure it will here, either.
 
And here it goes again.
Hopefully this ends soon and they drop this game for good. And they still have Fair Game to worry about as well.
 
I honestly lived the look of this from the first trailer, please get back to that vibe.
I'm totally onboard for this game but the need to capture the look and materials of that first trailer.
 
Have there been any games that received bad feedback but turned into gems in the end?


No Man Sky is the biggest turnaround that comes to my mind.

The problem is Bungie. They are arrogant pricks who lack the humility to really amend their mistakes.

In this particular case, it's also about time and momey. Making Marathon good will demand a lot of both.
 
If you need someone to test your game to know what are you doing wrong... You haven't a clue what the fuck you are doing.

You don't need to taste shit to know it'll taste like shit 'cause if it already smells like shit what are the chances it will be chocolate?
 
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Why are people calling it an alpha when it was coming out like 3 months after the test.

If you need someone to test your game to know what are you doing wrong... You haven't a clue what the fuck you are doing.

You don't need to taste shit to know it'll taste like shit 'cause if it already smells like shit what are the chances it will be chocolate?

So many of the greatest games ever were great because of rigorous playtesting. You are fucking clueless.
 
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this is a good thing, since they are going to delay and improve the game. Get more feedback from the players is a must.
 
Why are people calling it an alpha when it was coming out like 3 months after the test.

Your timeline is wrong. The Alpha was in May and the game was coming out in September, so it was 4 months. Still agree with you general sentiment to a degree. I said early on that I feel like alphas of games of this size and scope really need at least 6 months.

This short period is either a green flag or a red flag and in this case it turned out to be a red flag.

They weren't confident with showing the game in say March, which is when an alpha for September would have been appropriate. I honestly think they game will need a year of extra development, so I still think it'll be a mistake to release this in CY Q1 - 2026.

At best it should be pushed to Q3.



So many of the greatest games ever were great because of rigorous playtesting. You are fucking clueless.

Agreed.
 
If you need someone to test your game to know what are you doing wrong... You haven't a clue what the fuck you are doing.

You don't need to taste shit to know it'll taste like shit 'cause if it already smells like shit what are the chances it will be chocolate?
Most multiplayer games do this you plum. They've been testing Arc Raiders for the best part of 2 years for example.
 
Only alpha players again is not good. Alpha barely had players and I barely saw actual people in the game. Let more people try it, Bungie.
 
The king of them all, No Man's Sky.
I have a problem with this for one reason: It was a small indie game made by a small indie developer from the beginning. It was the publisher's decision to market it like a AAA title that futzed with people's expectations. The only reason the game turned out like it has is because of the success and hard work of the team after launch. Cyberpunk is a much better example of the question, in my opinion.
 
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