Will the Beta be fun... Yes and No or yeahno if you want...

Correction if this is anything like the begginning of the Gal Civ 2 beta then it will not really be fun. There will be alot of crashes, missing content, simplistic gameplay, and overall an unfinished product (hence the beta term). The fun comes later in beta 3 and 4 after beta testers have helped Stardock iron out the bugs and at that point content from Stardock and features requested from the beta testers begins to come in in earnest and you begin to see something that looks like a finished product. 

The warnings are there to make sure that no one gets dissapointed in the first beta and demands a refund or anything like that or goes on the forums trolling about how bad the beta is and how the retail game is going to suck. 

This isn't going to stop me from slogging through the beta from day one though. I want to make sure that this game becomes as good as my expectations want it to be. 

Ahh crap you mean I didn't spend $49.95 when pre-ordering for a chance to help make a game. Dang it!

I will still have fun, like you said, helping develop the game nonetheless.

Though the game itself might not be fun yet, i at least expect witnessing the game develop from up close will be.

If you believe, anything is possible

Anyways, the most fun part of beta one is either going to be to help find bugs or to make cool suggestions that are really taken into consideration (or helping to make easter eggs, like Pink Space Ponies in SoaSE)

The point is to manage people's expectations towards the beta. If you tell people over and over and over that the first beta will not be fun and then they play the beta and don't find it fun then those few who complain just have something wrong with their heads.

Frogboy said the first beta of Demigod wouldn't be fun either, but it was alright. Nowhere near as much fun as the finished product, of course. I'm expecting Elemental to be much the same - kinda fun but lacking the depth and polish that will come later.

And by playing the beta we can help shape the game. Which can be fun by itself.

::nods::

And given that my son has real interest in game design theory, having the chance for him to see the process first hand is worth it right there.  Not to mention that he'll be able to use some of the mod tools etc .

E: WoM is the first game I've really been excited about for quite a long time, I just don't like RTS and I've been missing games like MoM, Moo I/II etc for decades.  CiV has only been able to do so much as far as filling the void is concerned

James

The fun in early beta, is that we can give our ideas about making the game more like we want to see it...

I'm a "gamer" and having the chance to make a game like I really want to see it. I've also some skills in programation so I like to find bugs to help making the game even better...

I think if you are expecting a game like most games in beta (90% complete and helping iron out gameplay balance and bugs) then you are probably going to be disappointed.

I think they are sincere in saying they don't expect it to be fun (other than the enjoyment of watching a game come together from the ground up). But if you are expecting a fun GAMING experience at the beginning, again I think that is what they are warning against.

Yes they want to MAKE it fun on the cloth map before they open up the pretty map. But that point where they will have achieved a fun game on the cloth map I don't think anyone expects will be next week. Maybe towards the end of the year. I think warning everyone in advance not to expect a game that delivers fun in the early beta is pretty smart - now if anyone whines about it they have plenty of "We told you so..."

Once they have made the cloth game fun that is about when I expect they will start moving from just the cloth map to the full map.

Since I was going to buy the game when it came out anyway, I saw no reason in not preordering it and taking a look at the beta.  For that reason, I guess it won't be a big deal to me if the beta isn't fun.  I didn't preorder the beta just to get a pre-release version of the game.  However I do hope it will be fun, or perhaps interesting, enough for me to have a desire to toy around with it.  Though either way I won't be too upset.

If nothing else, the beta will give us something to talk about on the forums!

OP ANSWER: Eventually.  But I think it will be fun, outside the game, like what kevinlrt sayd - It will give us ALL sorts of ideas to discuss in the forum to make the game PERFECT.  Well..awesome anyway.

I still reckon they should stick a warning notice on Impulse before you download the first beta.  It would save a lot of trolling

Agreed. Doubly agreed astrath, I forsee many complaints about the 'game' in beta.

Actually the purpose of the beta is so we (the beta testers) can get a feel for the game at the core level learning the ins and outs of how the engine works. We also will master gameplay at the most basic level in the game during beta 1. Once this is achieved, more features will be added so we can slowly adjust to the increasing amount of depth to the game. As the release nears, we will be so experienced at the game that all the new people who begin to play will be no match to us and we will simply dominate everyone for the next 5 years leaving all the noobs without a glimmer of hope in succeeding at the game. People will be in awe of the level of mastery that our small yet elite group has attained and worship us and beg us for our teachings and blessings that we may bestow them over the years to come.

As long as there is beta I don't care if it's fun or not. I'm getting some serious anxiety problems about it right now.

You may want to consider getting your priorities adjusted if the lack of a beta for a computer game is causing you health issues and you don't have a vested interest in the company producing said game.

I agree.

Well it's not like this is anywhere close to vaporware considering the people behind it, I'm more worried by far about a bunch of awesome indie games.

At the risk of feeding your trolling or sarcasm skills, that is not the purpose of beta, really.  The purpose of beta is to find bugs, inconsistencies, balance, and gameplay issues.  It is not to hone your skills.

I am pretty sure that your post is a joke, but with the nature of people on the internet, I really can't tell.  Some people actually do take your point of view.

I, for one, enjoy the debugging aspect.  As a novice programmer, I only wish I could troubleshoot the code itself as it relates to any bugs I may discover. 

At least you didn't order a Pandora!  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenPandora#Development_history  (Hope to get mine this year.)

I think the beta will be fun because of the bugs.  The company where I'm currently employed will have bi-yearly software bug hunts for their business server software and I actually enjoy finding bugs.... especially major bugs you believe nobody else has found!!  I've participated in these bug hunts even when my current pay level means I'm doing it for free, but I've always won a money prize.   Perhaps I'm just twisted.      

I think someones sarcasm meter may be broken...

Hey, I have been playing Champions Online these last weeks mostly non-stop (CB, OB, HS...), Tropico 3 demo this weekend. But it gets me anxious (general health issue, not just this game related) that it's always in the next corner just to get delayed.. and delayed... and delayed... Glad this is not Duke Nuken Forever or else...!!! I know the wait is worthy every second of it, that doesn't mean I have to like the wait!

I don't care if it is "not fun" to begin with.

A couple friends and I have been complaining about the lack of a REAL successor to MoM for too long, and I A) want to see what these guys have in store, and if they are missing key points, would like to help get them in there for all the other MoM fanboys out there.

Plus, helping make the game "Fun" for several thousand other people tickles the martyr in me...

Yeah, it's a hell of a job, but someone got to do it...

Pfff, martyr, smartyr, i just want bragging rights.