Next Patch - Look forward to it when you're ready. =)

I see two main reasons not to do this for a beta to the detail you enquire about.

First, I just plain rather have them working on the game than writing long lists.

Second, when people read the changes they will try to predict how it will impact the game without actually playing the game. That is, in my book, particularly useless "feedback". (edit: The point is, if you see one change you can predict how it will change the game. If you see two things change, you're in muddy waters. And if you see 50, you're really just guessing with no real idea how it will change the game)

I completely agree with heavelfall here. We've already got a rediculous forum post about how split xp is going to rape babies. I'm dissapointed it is taking them so long to release the next patch as well, but that's mainly because I'm at a loss of what to keep testing.

Still, I would prefer they keep working at what they are doing then post things that will make giraffes start nuclear wars.

Good points.

I suggested splitting the .xml files into a separate load so we could at least test some balance changes and give feedback on typos/descriptions. Certainly not the impact of an updated UI/game mechanics/AI, but we could at least see how this is progressing in the current schema.

Which is a good suggestion.

Not really... one change in the XML structure due to a change in the game engine and the XML's would crash version 0.77.

man someone has a brain around here eh

ppl is able to figure out the universe and we cant even try to figure out a game from a patch note?

ofc when there are many and different changes could be hard to understand where the game is going thats obvious but you can still understand and judge many changes a patch bring no problem

I don't know. I have seem walls of useless feedback by people that are either not in the beta or don't understand the core mechanics and what is possible with this game. Let them change the things we asked them to and then give us a polished beta. I think that is fair. 

I agree... as far as I can tell, a lot of the issues are merely a matter of balance or AI... the basic game functions nicely in most areas. I'd looove to have a new beta with more gameplay, but I want FE to succeed.

Me too.

I don't know about useless As the author of at least one such wall, I'm well aware that the time for detailed polish to arrive is much later, but Stardock needs to have some idea of how much work that is likely to be so that they can allocate sufficient resources later on. Given what was considered an 'acceptable' level of polish before E:WoM went out the door, or even after GCII:TA was patched out, early feedback can't hurt.

That said, I fully agree that what they should be addressing at this point is gameplay mechanics.

Useless feedback is when a tester points out something as a problem that is only a problem to the tester because they don't understand the game mechanics. Ex: The game needs cities and roads to be good. There has been quite a bit of this and the only thing it really tells the devs is that the tester did not play the tutorial.

It is also useless to develop convoluted solutions to problems in the game. Ex: Magic is too rare, don't make it require mana. Techs are boring, don't have any techs. Obviously there is a set design for the game. They are not going to change core features that are present in every TBS since MoM at the whim of a few testers. But even this tells the devs that techs are perhaps unbalanced. Reporting the problem is useful. That should be the focus of a beta tester. Go ahead and think of possible solutions, but don't expect the devs to necessarily implement them all. 

Useless feedback can also be in terms of the soothsayers that are still pissed about WoM and are sure that this game will suck too. There is a clear vision and scope of this game. It is not AoW:SM, Mount and Blade, HoMM3, or a clone of MoM. It is loosely based on MoM. Take some time to learn the limits of the engine and what can be done with the modding freedom we have. You won't be able to add a siege function or LOS. You can certainly make larger more interesting tactical battles, spells, abilities, improvements, techs, Paths, traits, races, factions, Sovereigns, and monsters. If that doesn't satisfy your TBS needs, the game you want this game to be exactly like is the game for you. 

There is alot of good feedback on the forums too, but with the good, comes the bad and the ugly. 

I'm just looking forward to getting access to the beta. Not as much as a few weeks ago. The buzz fades. Purchased on Nov 1st 2010. My group is weeks past the original access date. Still no word on when we might be let in :~(

Yes, I must admit that bothers me a bit... granted, I am in the first group, but it would be nice if they'd stick to those promises

Ah, well, I certainly agree with that. My misinterpretation of which posts you were originally referring to.

I've been judging this game on this standard: 

If .75 was WOM 1.0 release back in August 2009, how would I feel about this game x days after release?

By this standard, I've been mostly satisfied, but I want patching to fix the problems.  I don't know whether this is truly a fair standard, but given the WOM issues, I think it is.   I would have been a little irritated at release, delighted by the .76/.77 patches fixing the stability problems, but I'd be grousing on the gameplay and bugs now, and asking for a 1.1 patch to fix some of this stuff.

That said, I wouldn't be demanding a refund or declaring the game a horrible disease.  I'd have given a grade of B or B- to this game though.

(By contrast: WOM was a D, and Twilight was an A-)

I'll be frank and say I'm pretty restless and would like to see the new patch come out.

Yeah, well, (un) fortunately this is a beta and the only reason we can play it is because we cashed out on WoM and that wasnt really such a good game... Untill the official release, for which there is no date, we're going to have to stick with 0.77, beta version, or whatever bone they throw us. *gnaws on his 0.77th of a bone of FE*

I'd love to have a new version to see the improvements and also provide feedback. I'm a bit frustrated by the lack of acknowledgement of most issues, but I'm hopeful the next release notes will highlight that various concerns/issues were indeed cataloged and addressed. I keep scouring the forums for news on the next beta update, but nothing specific yet.