Realm Works Update - Beta Testers Selected!

[TehBagder]

Originally Posted by rob

You can sign up for the Beta via the link provided in our last newsletter (accessible from our main website). The Beta 1 team has already been selected, but we'll be increasing the size for Beta 2 in a few months, so you can potentially get in when we start the next round.

I already signed up, and wasn't selected for the first batch. I was just hoping to bribe someone. At least I'm being honest about the bribery

[rob]

The Beta Agreement is still with the lawyer. We were not able to get it fully sorted out today. Theoretically, we'll have it finished on Monday and sent out to everyone then. <fingers and toes crossed>

Thanks for everyone's patience!

[rob]

Originally Posted by thedarkelf007

Having worked with ND agreements in the past I say how much of a pain in the #$&@ they are to get right.

So painfully true....

Originally Posted by thedarkelf007

They have the issue of it being an agreement with the GM, and their gaming group or groups.

This definitely complicates things a bit. However, I think we've got a reasonable solution sorted out. We'll see once everyone actually gets the Beta agreement and tells us.

Originally Posted by thedarkelf007

And as they didn't advertise who was in the first beta, I'm sure we not supposed to say if we got into it or not

That's not a problem. People on the Beta team can identify themselves if they want. It's not a "super-secret" Beta like some companies do. However, we don't feel it's our place to tell everyone publicly who's on the team and who isn't. That's something each Beta team member can decide to share or not, at his/her own discretion.

That being said, public comments about the Beta will definitely be discouraged. Vague comments like "this is awesome" or "it needs a lot of work" (hopefully much more of the former ) will be fine, but specific references to features will not.

Originally Posted by thedarkelf007

And if you did get in, find out what format of feedback they need.

We'll be posting those details within the private space we've setup for the Beta team.

Originally Posted by thedarkelf007

I am expecting a basic report document to submit after each game session run noting down what worked and what didn't, how you used it, what preparation stuff you did with the tool before the session and what changes you did after the session.

You've obviously worked with some very detail-oriented companies when it comes to Beta testing. I have too (many years ago) and I was not impressed with how it worked or the end result produced. We're not quite so.... hmm... OCD about things. So we'll definitely be asking for lots of feedback, but it won't be nearly as rigorously structured as you're expecting.

[Doctorfuzion]

Like I told John in my email, I've worked with beta forms in my past at gaming companies for teams I was managing...and I too know how much of a pain they can be. But it's a necessary thing and I'm patient.

My group is very interested, and they're being patient as well to start our campaign because they know I'm testing something for y'all on it.

A standardized feedback form will be good to have, so you can hear about things you want to hear about, rather than unorganized rambling. (something I tend to do.)

[thedarkelf007]

I don't mind if the feedback form changes from week to week (more often or less often) as you want us to try different things.

Knowing what you want tested will give you a targeted test, and then we can give general feedback on what else we are doing at the time.

Having written regression testing in the past for projects I know how useful it can be

My groups are all patient and very eager. I produce lots of documents, have recordings of most game sessions, and use a lot of electronic resources. So they are wanting to see what they can access during the game

[bodrin]

I wasn't selected , however I've just wrapped up a 6 year long D20 v3.5 Age of Worms campaign, which grew into a beast to manage properly, and will be launching a Carrion Crown game in the next 2 weeks !

I'm hoping to get on the phase 2 beta, **nudge nudge**, when it gets underway.

I haven't utilised a campaign manager before as I preferred good 'ol pen and paper notes but I'm seriously considering electronic book keeping and hopefully maintaining a better filing system to scraps of paper that are easily lost!

[thedarkelf007]

Until you get into the beta (or the produce comes out) I would recommend the following:

Word document processing - much neater than hand written and copies are easy, as is cut and past, including pictures, making diagrams, overlays.

HTML - for those willing to get into the tags and structure this can make quite an interesting journal, can also be shared. Overlays, hyperlinks, images, video and audio are all options when using html.

Wiki - good sharing if you can follow the basic structure, not as good as html (but you can code HTML into it). I nice distribution mechanism which I never really used too much.

OneNote/Evernote/collaborative notepad - is okay, can have links to pages, can make some of the collection of notes easier.

There are campaign notebooks out there as well, you can use the structure of one to get you started... 3.5 has quite a few associated with it.

Now none of these comes close to what Realm Works has promised, but it might help you start down the digital path and prepare you for the campaign manager.

I was once pen and paper only as well, now I use all of the above to some extent.