http://cgonline.com/index.php?option=co ... 3&Itemid=1
related Vanguard thread
http://www.vanguardsoh.com/forums/showt ... hp?t=50570
I added the bold
http://www.vanguardsoh.com/forums/showt ... 583&page=2
CGMSteve wrote:Just to clarify this point, you have it backwards. When preparing this deal/promotion/article, there was a very specific date in mind for the Beta.
The words used to promote the Beta were chosen very carefully, and with the input of Sigil. For example, it doesn't say you'll be granted immediate access to the Beta with the code. It says you'll need the code to download the client, which is true. It's also true that anyone with a code is in the beta. However, the client isn't available for download yet.
Admittedly, that's splitting hairs. Does the wording imply that you'd be able to download it the moment you purchase the magazine? I can understand how anyone would interpret it that way, and regret any confusion. I would have preferred to leave in some wiggle room, but was asked to remove a reference to possible software delays. In retrospect, I should have pushed harder to leave that in.
As for the article itself, I can also understand how that reinforces the "It should be available now!" sentiment. It was written to accompany the testing for a couple of reasons: We'd just done a large, 3-page feature on the game a month earlier. Because of the Beta, it didn't make much sense to do a normal preview and say, "You'll be able to do X, Y, and Z" when in fact you could actually do those things yourself. So we worked with Sigil to create a crafting guide, and to give some journals that would highlight some cool places for you to visit.
I can understand the frustration of reading an article written this way without being able to access the Beta. But I'd ask for everyone to also keep in mind that this is the June issue, and it will be on-sale for the next 30 days. Everyone here rushed out to purchase it, and for that we're grateful, but most copies were sold before it was technically available. It's only been officially on-sale for two days.
I don't believe we've mislead people, and we certainly have no interest in getting people to purchase the magazine under false pretenses. That does us no good in the long run and only harms the reputation we've worked so hard to earn. Computer Games Magazine has existed for over 15 years (in various names: Strategy Plus, Computer Games Strategy Plus, etc.), and I believe we have a good reputation for being honest with our readers.
Having said that, I do believe we could have improved the wording of all of the promotions and apologize for any confusion it may have caused. But as of today, one thing remains absolutely true: Anyone purchasing the magazine and using the code has guaranteed access to the Beta. Whether that happens tomorrow, next week, or next month, in Beta 3, 4, 5, or 17, isn't in our hands. I'm hoping for it to be sooner rather than later, however.
Aradune Mithara wrote:First, if you are reading this and haven't already read my posts re: this issue on other threads, please do so.
Now let me add this:
Steve and everyone at CGM are awesome -- I've known them for years and have a great relationship with them. They have always treated us right, and their magazine is top notch. They are also people of high integrity.
If there was something that could have been worded better or more clearly, I take full responsibility. The buck stops here. Steve has no need to apologize for anything.
The idea here was to promote Vanguard and give people who don't normally post on these boards and who were not part of the original pool of people a chance to be in beta. Anything that might have been interpreted as 'immediate access' to beta simply was not the intent, neither CGM nor Sigil's intent. As you all know, Sigil is committed to a long beta and releasing this game when it's ready. We will also honor the promises we have made -- people who use the CGM code will be in beta, people who have attended the Fanguard events will be in beta, and we will also draw from the general pool of board posters (as we have already been doing). But given that we don't know when the future phases will begin today, we certainly didn't know when they would begin when we worked with CGM for the Vanguard cover months ago; rather, we knew less.
Beta for Vanguard will likely be 5 phases, not 4 as originally planned. I don't have any dates right now, but the last phases will require a LOT of people. The second to last beta will require filling up an entire shard, and we are guessing 4-5k per shard, meaning we will need 10-15k people just for that. Then when we hit the final phase, we will be opening up multiple shards.
With EverQuest 1, phase 4 involved over 25k people. Again, while I can't begin to guess an exact number at this time, Vanguard having a large and seamless world and due to the nature of the way the world is laid out, it being group centric (but with plenty of solo/casual as well as raid content too), etc. I am guessing the final phase will easily exceed what EQ 1 required, and by a lot.
So to wrap things up, as Steve said, if you bought the magazine and used the code, you *will* be in beta – it’s just a matter of ‘when’, *not* ‘if.’
The most accurate I can be in regards to ‘when’ is as follows:
We will begin processing the next batch of beta people from our available pools of applicants, including the CGM code folks, shortly after E3.
Finally, if you look at the numbers above, assuming you are not already in beta, and assuming you don’t buy the magazine, I still think you have a very good chance of being in one of the phases. Like I have said, we will need a lot of people, especially in the latter phases, to make this game as ready as we want it to be, and as ready as I believe you all want it to be as well.
Thanks all,
