Remember the N.D.A

[Trollbasher]

All of the experienced game testers out there will aready know this so this is mainly for the inexperienced.

As soon as you are accepted as a Closed Beta Tester you are governed by the N.D.A Non Disclosure Agreament.

Do Not imediatly jump into the forums yelling yeh i got my beta account because you will most likely lose it.

Under the N.D.A you are not even allowed to tell anyone you have been accepted as a Closed Beta Tester,

this is to prevent people approaching you for game accounts and information on the game that has not been officaily released yet, also remember you wont be allowed to post screenshots taken ingame or information about the game anywhere until the N.D.A has been lifted.


Congratulations to everyone who recieved an email inviting them to apply for Beta Testing but remember you have not been accepted yet

[a3xis]

i love NDA's
it's like not telling people you're part of a secret goverment organisation that visits other worlds through wormholes


oops

[AngelBullock]

Thank you for posting that cause as soon as I saw the posts about "Yay! I got my beta invite" I had a feeling that there was going to be many people that will most likely end up crushed if they actually did get accepted and since a lot of people just blindly accept any terms and conditions, they wouldn't notice what an N.D.A actually means.

[SlickShoes]

Lol, i cant remember the specifics of my NDA when i worked at Rockstar North. I worked on an "unreleased title" for the PS2 and i have no idea if i am allowed to mention what it was now that its clearly never been released! Has been bugging me for years now!

[a3xis]

Originally Posted by SlickShoes

Lol, i cant remember the specifics of my NDA when i worked at Rockstar North. I worked on an "unreleased title" for the PS2 and i have no idea if i am allowed to mention what it was now that its clearly never been released! Has been bugging me for years now!

maybe you should just tell us and find out
*tries to tempt you*

[Trollbasher]

If the game was not released and has not been classed as abandonware then you will still be covered by the NDA.

[Ascended Ancient]

All i'm worried about is that i have all ths hype about Beta, and if i do get selected, I might not like the game lol. That would suck.

[AngelBullock]

Yeah... Not like they secretly installed a key-logger on your computer that triggers a signal to them any time you mention any key words that pertain to the game. *grins*

[a3xis]

Originally Posted by Ascended Ancient

All i'm worried about is that i have all ths hype about Beta, and if i do get selected, I might not like the game lol. That would suck.

then it's your duty to make sure you comment on the stuff you don't like...
or start discussion about it

for example: make topics like "NEED JEDI CLASS"
kidding ofcource

[RockyBst]

I could quite easily see a whole group of people posting that they've gotten into the closed beta and losing it before they could even download the client. There does seem to be a little too much hype and emphasis on getting in.

[a3xis]

so you're saying other MMO's didn't have this beta hype?
cool, wasn't there then

[Krieghton]

one thing you have to also remember is, some NDA's allow the testers to say they are testing, but no details.

all companies don't use the same blanket NDA. people should actually READ the NDA when we get the chance to see it instead of just clicking "yes" or "accept" to get into the game as quickly as possible.

right now, you are just assuming what we will be able to say and what we won't be able to say. people just need to actually read it when it's made available to us.

[Trollbasher]

From my vast experience the vast majority of companys dont allow you to anounce you have been accepted as a tester especailly the major ones,
they dont want rival companys approaching the testers and and offering them money for game secrets they want to steal and possibly place in thier own games that are much closer to completion,
Also a lot of gaming companys sign exclusive rights contracts to certain gaming website and magazines, if a tester gave or sold information to a rival site or magazine it could cost the company thousands in breach of contract or advertising.

[SlickShoes]

Originally Posted by a3xis

maybe you should just tell us and find out
*tries to tempt you*

Nice try, ive been gagging to talk about i for years but can only speak with close friends and family about it and none of them are gamers!

I also have no idea if it was classed as abandonware or anything since i stopped working there not long after. I would imagine it has since it is a PS2 game and should have come out in 2006, at least it adds a bit of mystery to my CV when i get to put it on there in my previous experience!

[steve30x]

I wasin 3 betas out of 5 which didnt have it in the NDA that you are not allowed to say your a beta tester. 75% of the time that is excluded from the NDA.

But it is always wise to read the NDA to make sure you dont break any rules on the NDA because if it says you are not allowed to tell your a Beta tester and you tell everybody , that will be the end of your beta testing for that game.

[Ascended Ancient]

Originally Posted by Trollbasher

From my vast experience the vast majority of companys dont allow you to anounce you have been accepted as a tester especailly the major ones,
they dont want rival companys approaching the testers and and offering them money for game secrets they want to steal and possibly place in thier own games that are much closer to completion,
Also a lot of gaming companys sign exclusive rights contracts to certain gaming website and magazines, if a tester gave or sold information to a rival site or magazine it could cost the company thousands in breach of contract or advertising.

But isnt that a very dramatic scenario? What company has done that, receive classified info of another rivial? Im not saying it isnt possible.

[phoenix]

An NDA is game and company specific. For example, the Warhammer Beta testers ARE allowed to say they're in Beta, the AoC ones aren't (i think).

[digitalpimp]

ahh ok i got a email but i havnt been on forums for a while and wasnt sure if it was a fake is there a client download or do i have to wait to seen if i have been picked first ?

[Firefalcon]

NDA = No Direct Answer...if someone asks what game you are playing(at least...to them that is what looks like is going on), when they come over and see you in it...don't give them a direct answer. Then...and only then...can you truely feel covert.

[phoenix]

Originally Posted by digitalpimp

ahh ok i got a email but i havnt been on forums for a while and wasnt sure if it was a fake is there a client download or do i have to wait to seen if i have been picked first ?

Your email is inviting you to register for Beta testing. You will have to wait until you are picked for Beta testing before you need to worry about a client.

[Khabarach]

Originally Posted by digitalpimp

ahh ok i got a email but i havnt been on forums for a while and wasnt sure if it was a fake is there a client download or do i have to wait to seen if i have been picked first ?

Wait to see if you've been picked

[prinses]

Originally Posted by Khabarach

Wait to see if you've been picked

But downloading the client gives you hope since you already got a part of the game.. and if you get a invite you can immediatly start

[digitalpimp]

yea i dont think ive been picked for it jsut had a email like everyone else did

[Krieghton]

Originally Posted by Trollbasher

From my vast experience the vast majority of companys dont allow you to anounce you have been accepted as a tester especailly the major ones,
they dont want rival companys approaching the testers and and offering them money for game secrets they want to steal and possibly place in thier own games that are much closer to completion,
Also a lot of gaming companys sign exclusive rights contracts to certain gaming website and magazines, if a tester gave or sold information to a rival site or magazine it could cost the company thousands in breach of contract or advertising.

just an example, EQ betas I was in we were not even allowed to say we were in beta. WAR beta, which i am currently in, we are allowed to say we are a tester, but nothing else.

[NuclearWaste]

Here's a "hypothetical" situation:

Let's say I have a "friend" who registers for the SGW beta but whose computer is in the same room as his 2 roommates computers so they're all within sight of this "friend"....think that'll disqualify me....ermm, I mean "my friend" from being a tester?