T - Testing phases

Whatever happened to REALLY testing games?

Remember when you got into a beta test and you played the game and it wasn't just a shitty demo of the game?  You used to have to play it and leave feedback.  You would fill out a form or file a ticket when there was an issues.  Developers updated a blog or had a newsletter that let people know what was being fixed or what kind of issues they saw.  You used to lose your characters pretty regularly. They would give you new ones to test something specific or ask people to play a certain class and see how something worked out.  It was a lot of fun and it was how testing should be conducted.

How are they testing these games now?  It seems that more times than not people are finding exploits, not reporting them and then using them for their own games at release.  This doesn't make for fun or exciting gameplay and it doesn't make for a competitive or interesting environment for others.  It just sucks.

I've been in many, MANY betas over the years and I always try to give feedback for things that are appropriate.  I want to see new things and places, but I also want to see a product come to market that is the best that it can be.  I actually gave up my access to the SWToR beta, because I wanted to experience the game fresh on release.  I didn't want to burn myself out on it and then not want to play anymore.

I recently purchased a pass with Blizzard that ensures that I am a beta tester for the next expansion.  I am not sure what that really means, but I sure hope that their testing is more like what I described above and not the standard method used now.  I'm not sure when it begins, but I am deeply excited to see something fresh and new in WoW.  I am also looking forward to providing feedback to improve a game that I so dearly love.