Wish Beta 2?

[WayAbvPar]

Got an email invitation a few days ago. Has anyone else joined up? Is it worth checking into again? Some updated info from the mail includes -

upgraded graphics, a refined skill system, and a totally redesigned
>combat system. We have also added a wealth of features, such as a
>robust crafting system.

I will probably check it out if I get time. Just curious if others are going to share my pain =P

[HRose]

No thanks :)

[Anonymous]

I look forward to discovering how goats were incorporated into crafting.

[Rasix]

I look forward to discovering how goats were incorporated into crafting.

Skill checks.  

"You successfully forged a bastard sword.  A goat comes along and eats the handle and 1/5 of the blade.  The sword is ruined. You have become better at goat evasion (50)."

[HaemishM]

All hail the Goat God, BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.

[Rasix]

All hail the Goat God, BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.

Stevie Nicks?

[HaemishM]

"Thunder only happens when it's raining!"

[schild]

The last time I was in the ultra massively gigantic world that is wish, I could walk for 5 minutes before my keyboard would stop responding. Then my computer would just fucking hang. They're practicing some sort of satanic ritual over there I think. And it wouldn't surprise me if those stupid goats were involved. Big fans of Adam Sandler shouldn't play games.

Edit: ""goats were an unintended use and have since been disabled (you cannot fight farm animals)."

That's from MR, so the goats are gone.

[Soukyan]

The last time I was in the ultra massively gigantic world that is wish, I could walk for 5 minutes before my keyboard would stop responding. Then my computer would just fucking hang. They're practicing some sort of satanic ritual over there I think. And it wouldn't surprise me if those stupid goats were involved. Big fans of Adam Sandler shouldn't play games.

Edit: ""goats were an unintended use and have since been disabled (you cannot fight farm animals)."

That's from MR, so the goats are gone.

...

Now what will we do? Bake bread?

[geldonyetich]

Now what will we do? Bake bread?

Indeed, thus degoated I'm not sure where Wish's limitations are now.

Seriously though, I'm overall encouraged with what I'm hearing.

Totally redesigned combat?  It sure had better be - the combat I was seeing before was about as involving as Ultima Online's without the spells.  

Refined skill system?  Yes indeed, although I imagine it'd be hard not to refine what is a crude base system.

Robust crafting system?  No doubt, as I could see hints of them working on that before.   Although personally my current mantra for MMORPGs goe something along the lines of: Hello, Housing and Trade Skills suck.  Give me adventure.   Which is one of the reasons why I was dissipointed Ultima X was canned.

Considering how much has (allegedly) changed about Wish, I'm reserving all actual judgement until I see it in it's current state.   (And, if the NDA is as relaxed as it was last time, anyone not in the beta will likely hear of it.)

[Numtini]

I'll certainly take a peek, but I've just never seen really significant changes during a beta.

They must have changed something if you can't fight goats since that was the only thing you could possibly kill as a newbie.

[Signe]

No goats?  Oh dear!   Numtini is right, though... in early beta if you ventured past sight of the town walls and goat area, you would be immediately killed by something 20 levels above your own.  I couldn't stomach the thought of 20 levels of goat killing just to get to the next area, even in an early beta test.  I never even submitted a bug report as the berry picking and goat killing worked pretty well.

I'll give it another go, however, especially since I really like beta tests that include Numtini.  When I want an opinion about something without sifting through strings of obscenity, she's the man! ;)


Edit: This from Wishmaster:

So far, not a single applicant has been declined for Beta 2 yet.

Marc Laukien
President and Founder
Mutable Realms, Inc.

[HaemishM]

Hard to decline anyone when your beta test gets about 20 applicants a month.

[Signe]

Hard to decline anyone when your beta test gets about 20 applicants a month.

I DO seem to live in a bubble these days. I remember back even as short a time ago as Horizons when all but the most obscure fansite forums were busy and interesting.  Now, most game forums... even those with a bit of recognition... go days, sometimes more than a week, with no comments.  Not even dev updates.  What's happened?  Did WoW and EQ2 steal everyone's thunder?  Should I be looking for another hobby all together?  Maybe I'll start fiddling with MUDs again.

Edit:  Oh, if anyone is interested:

Tonight at 8PM Eastern, Mutable Realms Producer James C. Moffet IV and World Designer Dana Massey will be on hand to answer your questions in our third Wish Stratics House of Commons. The chat will be in #WishHoC.

Here is the IRC server information:

irc.epaxsys.net port 6667, USA - Colorado
stratics.frws.com port 6667, USA - Colorado
irc.glowfish.de port 6667, EU - Germany
stratics.afraidyet.net 6667, USA - Atlanta

[RipSnort]

First time I've seen a game have an open beta then shut down and reopen it month's later. There has to be points given for trying hard anyhoo.
I'm curious enough to peek in and see the changes.

[Venkman]

RipSnort, you talking about Ryzom or Wish? Last I read, the Wish beta was a closed one (I was in the Alpha, as were some folks here).

Wish has lost its way. It happens.

[Signe]

Ryzom is in closed beta but now has 'open' weekends.  Only a small focus group tests at other times.  I didn't bother applying for the focus group... the game never made any sense to me.  Wish is still in closed beta but they have stated several times now, "if you apply, you will be accepted", which is about as close to an open beta can be without calling it an open beta.  Wish made more sense to me the few times I actually tested, but there was not anything to do yet.  I'm a little curious to see how it's progressed.  I remember thinking I looked quite angelic with my herd of goats.  (well, herd of two goats)

[Alluvian]

That wish beta signup still around?  If I have a nice link I might sign up.  It is not really worth the google time for me... or the time it took to write this message.  Damn me.

[HaemishM]

First time I've seen a game have an open beta then shut down and reopen it month's later. There has to be points given for trying hard anyhoo.
I'm curious enough to peek in and see the changes.

The "open beta" really wasn't, it was nothing more than a stress test. They were trying to get their ULTRA MASSIVELY MULTIPLAYER server tech working right. Once that phase was done, they shrunk the beta group back to alpha sizes and closed off the open testing part, to more properly focus on non-lag related testing. Or better goat formation combat, I'm not sure.

I was actually impressed with their plan for testing, it's just the game that was boring.

[Signe]

That wish beta signup still around?  If I have a nice link I might sign up.  It is not really worth the google time for me... or the time it took to write this message.  Damn me.

You are lazy in a very strange way.

https://www.mutablerealms.com/account/application.php

Or, if you rather, just post your personal information here, and I'll go fill out the form for you.  I have no life at the moment, you see.

[HRose]

Wish has lost its way. It happens.

Wish has lost the only designer to replace it with a story writer.

Perhaps the designer sucked and the story writer does a better work as a designer, but it still looks stupid.

[RipSnort]

Aha I didn't realize they intended all along to stop the first open beta or er stress test. I thought they went back to a closed beta because of feedback sayin' the game sucked. To implement new combat methods and such.

[Venkman]

They prevented that from happening just in the nick of time.

I'm being harsh though. Wish was going to be a few things I liked in a game. It felt like a more modern version of UO than SWG ever will be (that'll careen into a new direction), with some of the same glossy-eyed views on what abilities should be afforded players.

It wasn't only partly the departure of Dave that kicked me. It was also my impression that the game would never appeal to enough people to capitalize on the ULTRA MASSIVE MULTIPLAYER bit, yet the game was being designed/shackled by that.

100k per server is nice, if you've got 100k players.

Better for them to license the server architecture to someone who's got the means and knowhow to make a sellable game with it.

[HRose]

Better for them to license the server architecture to someone who's got the means and knowhow to make a sellable game with it.

That server architecture allowed something like a "dynamical instancing". If there are too many peoples around you, the server breaks the zone in smaller segments.

Sounds good? Well, tell me that when you'll see zergs of players fighting by you and vanishing because they are jumping from an instance to another.

Between my 600+ wasted long posts on that forum I pointed that too.

[Numtini]

The open beta was temporary, but the 2nd stage was supposed to be in June and was supposed to be open to everyone who'd been in on the first. When I followed the link, it was another full application and they won't be sending invites for months.

Now would be a very good time for investors to cut and run.

[Signe]

Here is a link to the dev chat that took place last night.

http://www.stratics.com/content/portals/wish/content/community/hocs/28_07_2004.php

[NiX]

I'll go fill out the form for you.  I have no life at the moment, you see.

You could make a business doing that.

[WayAbvPar]

Here is a link to the dev chat that took place last night.

http://www.stratics.com/content/portals/wish/content/community/hocs/28_07_2004.php

Not sure if it was just the questions that were asked, but that had to be one of the most boring dev chats I have ever read. Not one thing mentioned in there really made me sit up and think 'Wow...that will be fun!'.

Guess I will have to check the beta out to make sure, but it sounds dull.

[HaemishM]

That dev chat had some interesting ideas, until I start to think about just how much boring ass grinding most of it will become. I really think Wish has long since headed down the path of mass suckitude.

[Alkiera]

that had to be one of the most boring dev chats I have ever read.

Eh, par for the course, really.  This IS stratics we're talking about, here.  There's very little you can say about a game this early in development regarding how fun it is to play.  I recall all the disparaging remarks made about CoH early in its deve cycle, and it turned out to be a blast.

Admittedly, Goatamon wasn't really a good start.  Supposedly alot of things have been revamped, since beta 1.  Eh, we shall see.

--
Alkiera