Author note: This is an imaginary interview; I have never actually met Rich Vogel, and have no idea if he really speaks this way. That said, the following information is true and correct at the time of publication, and hopefully, you'll find this a heck of a lot more entertaining.
KJ: Hey, Rich, que pasa?
RICH VOGEL: How's it hangin' dude?
KJ: How's the Austin Gaming Conference?
RICH VOGEL: Totally awesome.
KJ: You help run the fort at BioWare, there in the Alamo City. So, a lot of the folks who read our MMORPG Blog wanna know - what is BETA testing really like from your end? After all, you run the things.
RICH VOGEL: Wow - like dude, it's intense. It's like, great for the players, ya know, 'cause they can do pretty much whatever they want, it doesn't cost anything - and we really want 'em to catch bugs.
KJ: How is it different from "live" play?
RICH VOGEL: Well, back in the day, the hard-core gamers were like, really into playing the game, y'know? They really wanted to help us work out the bugs. Nowdays, it's all about gettin' one-up on everyone else - figuring things out about the game so they can really kick everyone else's ass when it goes live.
KJ: Wow...talk about a lack of sportsmanship.
RICH VOGEL: And people do stuff in Beta that they'd never think about otherwise...I witnessed a great many 'raids' on the Light Elf town by
the Dark Elves, a roleplay-related slaughter-fest that would never
happen in the real game, where dropped gear can mean the loss of
hundreds of hours.
KJ: Bummer.
RICH VOGEL: And man, you really gotta let things roll off your back. On one side, you got the gamers, on the other side you got the developers - keepin' 'em both happy is no mean feat, I tell you what. It gets worse when gamers have "expectations."
KJ: What do you mean?
RICH VOGEL: Like, when it's already a franchise with a fan base, like Star Wars or Lord Of The Rings. There's a LOT to live up to.
KJ: I hear ya, man.
RICH VOGEL: Pluggin' leaks, too. Ya know, people just love to blab. I’ve always
hired 4 or 5 moderators for those forums, because without someone to crack the whip, the forums would just turn into a jabberfest about nothin' - like Seinfeld. When you run a beta, you gotta have some areas for the legit testers and some for everyone else - that way, we can keep a lid on stuff.
KJ: Do you get a lot of suggestions?
RICH VOGEL: Oh, yeah...but I always tell the developers to take 'em with a grain of salt. Sometimes a HUGE grain.
KJ: A lot of B.S. goes on?
RICH VOGEL: Oh, man...I'll tell you what, there's only about 13% of the players that are really serious on these forums, but that 13% is great. They wanna know stuff like How many people play rogues? What skill do
they use most often? What do they specialize in?
KJ: How do you know when the game is ready to go "live"?
RICH VOGEL: We ask 'em the six million dollar question: "Would
you recommend this game to a friend?" If only 3 outta 4 say "yes," it's back to the drawing board.
KJ: Any suggestions for people who think they wanna do your job?
RICH VOGEL: It's like trying to score with chicks or opening a show on Broadway: you got one shot to make a first impression. Deliver
what you promise, make visible changes if things are wrong, and never
get defensive or negative.
KJ: Well, thanks for sharing, Rich.
RICH VOGEL: Any time, dude.
Titles
