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Tuesday, May 19, 2015

How to apply for beta testing


This is a guide on how to apply to be a beta tester for Celtic Heroes.
When new content is about to be released for Celtic Heroes, there will be a beta test before it is released to everyone. To join the beta test, you need to fill out an application.

The applications for beta testing will be announced on the forums, with a post from Community that has a link to a site with an application form.

The application form will ask you standard questions like:
  • What is your forum name?
  • What world do you play on?
  • What is the email address of your Apple ID?
  • What are your character names/levels?
  • How much time can you devote to testing per week?
  • And the most important question: why do you feel you should be a beta tester?


OTM looks at a number of factors when determining who should be a beta tester. From a post in 2011, Admin said:

For selecting a beta tester we need someone who is active in the game and also on the forums, and willing to post feedback and bugs they find. So factors we will take into account for update 3 will be; how long a person has been playing the game, how much play time they have had, what variety of characters they have played, how many posts on the forum have they made, and what were the posts about etc.
So when you are writing your paragraph on why you feel you should be a beta tester, there are a few things, in my opinion that you should highlight:

1) Show you know Celtic Heroes, and other MMORPGs

Tell OTM how long you have been playing Celtic heroes, and what classes you have tried, as well as what levels you have attained. Were you a clan chief? Tell them! Did you come up with your clan's strategy on how to defeat the Necromancer? Tell them! Did you beta test for Celtic Heroes before? Tell them! Let OTM know about characteristics that make you stand out from the crowd.

You should also tell about other video games and MMORPGs that you have played. Having experience in other games will help generate ideas that will help Celtic Heroes. If you were an active player in other games (World of Warcraft, Runescape, etc.) let them know! Did you beta test any other video games? Let them know!


2) Be an active forum poster

It is important to be active on the forums, so that OTM can see that you are able to communicate well via this medium. All bug reporting is done through the forums, so it is important for you to show that you have a history of submitting quality posts. I say "quality posts" because they will not take into account if you have a history of submitting one word posts to boost your post count. "+1" and "lol" will increase your number of posts, but it will not increase your chances of being accepted into beta testing.

It is also important to be an active poster in the Feedback and Suggestions section of the forums. Posting there often will show that you have a desire to make the game better, and the intelligence to think of better ways of doing things. If the majority of your posts are misspelled rage posts in the "Rants" section of the forums, it will not look as good as if you have regular, well thought out posts in other areas.


3) Show off your intelligence

Being able to catch bugs means that you need to be smart, and you need to be able to logically think through a problem. OTM doesn't ask for this, but I feel that it is important to include your highest level of education in your application. Being a beta tester means that:

  • You need to be able to solve logic problems
  • You need to communicate effectively and concisely
For example, if you received good grades in English classes in High School, that can be an asset because you will be able to write bug reports well. If you are an Electrical Engineering major in college, that can be an asset because it shows you can solve a problem logically. Even though your educational experience might not directly relate to beta testing an MMORPG, you can take that experience and show how it makes you an asset to the beta testing team.

Conclusion

What you should highlight in your application is:
  • How long you have been playing Celtic Heroes.
  • Character names, levels, and world(s).
  • Forum name, making sure that you have a history of regular, quality posts.
  • Things you have done in Celtic Heroes that might make you stand out from other people.
  • Other video games/MMORPGs that you have played or beta tested.
  • Your real life educational history that shows you are able to write well, and logically solve problems.
Including all of this information will give you a higher chance of being accepted into beta testing.

FAQ

I am a low level, will that hurt my chances of being accepted into beta?
Not necessarily. Some times OTM has a level requirement for being accepted into beta testing (Gelebron's Tower beta was 170), and other times they were specifically looking for a variety of levels to test all content throughout the game (Destiny Engine beta test). If you are not a high level, but have been playing for a long time, you should emphasize how long you have been playing and the number of hours you play per week, so you show that you know how Celtic heroes works. 

I applied to a previous beta test and was accepted. Do I need to apply again?
Yes. There is a new application for every beta test. The only exception is if you applied for a current "closed" beta test that is being expanded to be an "open" beta test. You would not have to apply again in this case.

I applied to a previous beta test and was not accepted. Will that hurt my chances of being accepted?
No. You are welcome to apply again to another beta test.

Do I need iOS 8 to apply for beta?
Yes, your device needs to be updated to at least iOS 8.

What are the terms and conditions for applying to the beta test?
This is a example of what you may expect for the terms and conditions. This may change for future beta tests.

What is the difference between an "open" and "closed" beta test?
Closed beta tests are limited to a small number of people, and come before an open beta test. This is done to eliminate many of the obvious bugs that can be caught by a small number of people. The open beta test is done after so that a large number of people can catch the less obvious bugs, can test device compatibility, and can perform a stress test on the server and at boss fights.

How will I know that I've been accepted?
You will receive an email from One Thumb Mobile at the email address you provided in your application. This email address should be the one linked to your Apple ID so that you can sign into Testflight. 

Will OTM share any of the information that I submitted to them in the beta application?
Information submitted will be treated in accordance with the One THumb Mobile privacy policy.

I submitted my application, when will I know if I've been accepted?
Watch the forums for updates. It will be announced when beta testing emails have gone out. If you were not accepted, you will not receive an email or have access to the beta test section of the forums.

Does OTM only choose people who have been in beta before to be beta testers?
Any player has a chance to be chosen to help with beta testing

What is Testflight?
Testflight is an app that you download from the App Store. It is a staging area that all developers use to present their beta test builds to their testers. Once you have Testflight installed, and are logged in with the correct Apple ID, you can install the beta build on your device.

I installed Testflight, but the beta build is not there! What do I do?
One of three things is happening:

  • You didn't accept the invitation in the email that OTM sent you - find the email and click the link 
  • You are signed in with the wrong Apple ID - Go to the iTunes store, scroll down to the bottom, and sign in with the correct Apple ID.
  • OTM is currently updating the build - While OTM is updating the build, the old one will not be visible for new users. just be patient and check the forums while it is updating. It will eventually be there.
I was accepted, because I can see the beta test forum, but I never received my email. What do I do?
First, check your spam folder. If it isn't there, it might have been blocked. I have experienced this before using a Yahoo email account. If you create an icloud.com email account on your Apple ID, that will always work. If you didn't receive your email, and you are sure that you were accepted, send a private message to an admin (someone with a red name on the forums) that you did not receive your email. They will be able to help you by re-sending the email to another email address.

What does "Submitted to Apple" mean?
This means that the current build has been sent to Apple for their approval or denial. It may take up to 10 working days for Apple to approve or deny it. If it is approved, OTM can release the new build as soon as they like. If it is denied, OTM needs to fix the problems, and submit it to Apple again, at which point it may take another 8 days to find out if it has been accepted. If it is submitted over a holiday, that will slow down the approval process further.

Can I share beta information with people not in beta testing?

  • Closed Beta Test: No. Sharing information from beta will get you removed from beta testing and will get you banned from future beta tests.
  • Open Beta Test/Android Beta Test: Yes. Since the beta test is open to all, you are encouraged to share screenshots and videos.


Sources



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