I'm happy to announce that the closed beta for Blimp Wars is officially started!
Everyone receiving this mail is invited to head to http://beta.blimpwarsonline.com and start to check the game.
There is no NDA on the closed beta but I'd ask that you do not post publicly the url for the beta. Since there's only 1 of me and closed beta being what it is, I need to keep control on the focus and amount of feedback received.
Feedback can be posted on the forums here: http://forums.blimpwarsonline.com/
The forums is linked to your game account so you'll first have to create an account on http://beta.blimpwarsonline.com.
Check the forums carefully as I'll be posting "focus tests" threads where I'll ask for feedback on specific things.
Here's a Q&A to get you started:
== Requirements ==
High-speed Internet connection and Firefox 3.5.x
For release I plan to support Firefox, IE, Safari and Chrome but for now, I want to focus on gameplay elements and not on bugs related to browsers.
In theory, the game should be about fine in Safari and Chrome but IE is a whole different matter. So please use only Firefox 3.5.x for now. Tests on other browsers will come later.
== What is the technology behind Blimp Wars? ==
This is NOT a Flash game. Like Golemizer, Blimp Wars is using only HTML and Javascript for the client (server-side is using .NET and SQL Server).
The reason behind this tech is mostly because this is the stuff I'm using in my day job and building a game in HTML and Javascript is a nice challenge.
Flash or Unity would open more possibilities but this is not the point here. Besides, if your workplace is blocking the Flash player on your computer you can still play Blimp Wars!
== The server seems a bit slow ==
The game is currently running on the same server as the website and forums of Golemizer. This server is a low end VPS so it's possible that performances will not be great if there's many players online at the same time.
This is only temporary for the closed beta. I will get a server possibly similar to the one running the actual game of Golemizer which is a quad-core with more than enough RAM.
Such hardware does not come for free however so that's why I'd like to keep Blimp Wars on the current VPS for closed beta. If it proves to be unplayable on this server, I'll take action.
== Are the current stats for blimps final? ==
No. Not all items and blimps have been added to the game yet. Balancing will come later.
== I saw Altus Coins and the word "buy"? ==
Yes, there will be a cash shop in Blimp Wars, just like the one found in Golemizer.
It is very important to note that a player spending money on the game will NOT have an unfair advantage when playing against a non-paying player.
There will be no "better" items sold in the store. Altus Coins will be used to make personal progression of players faster and for cosmetic items.
A player progressing faster than another one will not put you in an unfair situation. All games have a level restriction and level is determined by your blimp and the parts on use in it.
So for example if player A is be able to get a level 90 blimp he would not be able to play against player B who is only able to pilot a level 10 blimp. Player A would have to configure a level 10 blimps to be able to play against player B.
Note that for now I have not set any level restriction on games.
I thought it was important to talk about that right from the start so nobody would feel "cheated" if the cash shop was to be added later.
== What's the deal with "Today's games left"? ==
Each player can play X games per day (number to be decided). For the beta, this number is set to 1,000.
Players can buy extra games if they want to keep playing once their daily games are expended.
Think of it like a turn based game. Each day you can play X turns. However, in a typical turn based game, players buying extra turns DO have an unfair advantage against other players as they can take action against offline players which is not the case in Blimp Wars.
Your progress might be slower than other players but in Blimp Wars you can only play against players matching your "level".
== I'm alone! Can I still test? ==
Blimp Wars is a multiplayer game but for testing purpose I have set single player maps. If you are alone, use these.
I will later call for specific testing dates and time through this mailing list in the hope to gather some players together to have multiplayer matches.
== X feature is missing, Y is bad, Z is awful! ==
That's what closed beta is for. Please post feedback in the forums and remember that things will change. Not all items/features are currently available as I need to proceed step by step.
If there's a problem with the core gameplay, I need to fix this before taking too many steps. Just keep that in mind when providing feedback so it remains constructive and helpful.
== My account is not working anymore! ==
Expect regular accounts reset. When it happens, just create again your account. Note that all testing accounts should enough money to buy everything in the store and I might from time to time set your account to higher "levels" for testing purpose.
== What do I get to test Blimp Wars? ==
First My gratitude(!) but I will also award Altus Coins to ACTIVE testers once the game is released. This is my way to thank you for participating in this closed beta.
Thanks to everyone for their help and time and I can't wait to read your feedback on the forums.
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