CodyValkyrie
Charter Member 2016
I was going over the Samson SA-2 thread and I felt I had to speak up a bit.
The beta testing process is something that is desperately misunderstood many times over in the FS community. The interaction of the developer and the beta testers is something that cannot be understated. It is a two way street.
I'm willing to bet that I have had access to more beta tests here than most people, with some exceptions like perhaps Nick Churchill and company as well as a few others. Every beta test group functions differently. What I see most often is a group of beta testers who come in enthusiastically which eventually dies as time goes on. When a developer however is more active in the beta testing process however it can keep the beta testers moving forward, plugging away through problems, but this is not always the case.
Some developers choose to pick beta testers who are renown throughout the community, the problem with this is that their time is often more limited. In my case I have been given access to beta testing that I did not have much time to spend spend with. I always try to contribute when and where I can however, time constraints withholding.
The most interesting position I have worked in, in this regard is quality testing, working as the go between for the beta testers and the developer, organizing bug reports, etc. In this role I finally understood the relationship between the developer and testers. As I said above, it is a two way street where BOTH must contribute equally. Finding good beta testers can be a process that is very hard as ideally what a developer wants is someone who has a lot of free time, is committed to the project and has a wealth of knowledge (or willingness to research).
Let's change lanes a bit, I find that the community often is very critical of a hobby business. I, like most here, have made purchases that I have regretted. I have seen numerous times where developers (some in very good standing) are oblivious to very obvious problems with their product. What matters more than anything to me is that the developers are willing to fix said problems WHEN the community interacts with them. I will use Vertigo Studios as an example, and I commend them on their dedication to fix their Bearcat based upon issues that the community has brought up.
This leads me to another problem, is the communities EXPECTATIONS of a product. I believe if we all had a more open mind when purchasing a product, with a willingness to learn and let the developers lead us rather than in-fight with their plan, we will all find products more suitable and we can be more content with what developers produce.
I feel that while the above is true for most of the community, there is a strong, small and loud minority that knee jerks based upon their expectations. I find it interesting that many of the people in this group are willing to part so quickly with their money and be disappointed so quickly. Many in this group could do themselves a favor and WAIT until they hear feedback from the community and/or read reviews of these products. I can also wish to become a millionaire in this hobby doing the work I love.... but it will never happen.
I stand in the corner of Nemeth Designs in this regard, and with them success with the SA-2 and any further products they create. Until such a time that I find they are trying to shovel junk-ware to the community in the name of sales, this stance will not change. It is obvious to me that Nemeth has taken the harder development route by attempting to simulate more complex systems, which shows a passion for their work, even if the aircraft in question is "mythical." Anyone can create a model, a few basic instruments and shovel out a simple .air file.
Perhaps we are all a bit spoiled by some developers, and I think it shows at times.
David Brice of Iris fame is another developer who at times has taken a considerable amount of heat from this, and other communities. He is also someone whose work I will completely defend. David has expressed to me many times in phone conversations that he creates what he loves. In an effort to lead customers to products they will be happier with, he differentiated his aircraft line. Interesting that customers do not take this into consideration when they purchase a product from a different line and expect the same standards.
Then of course we come to the mindset that some want very simple models. This flies in the face of people such as myself who want high fidelity simulations, but in effect nearly doubles the developer's time to bring a product to market should they develop to both standards.
Let's break some numbers down for you all, and I want to ask you if it is worth it to you?
Let's say we create a product that took 5 months of development, release it and it sells for $32.
This product after release sells only 500 copies (yes, a very realistic number depending on the company) in a year.
32x500 = 16,000!
$16,000 sounds like a nice profit doesn't it? AHA! We forgot to add taxes, which in the states equate to more or less 30%.
16,000 x .7 = $11,200
Of course, we forgot to pay anyone else on the team for their efforts, such as the person who crafted the FDE, any marketing, etc. If you released no OTHER product that year, you would have netted < $11,200. Could you put food on your plate? Your kids? Wife?
Ask yourself, from a developer's standpoint, is it worth it? Would YOU double the amount of time of development to offer an adjustable complexity product? To develop that system a "little further?" To release multiple patches?
I will further use a developer of whom I will not name to drive my point home. They spent YEARS developing a product which has won multiple awards and praise from the community. There is a possibility they will leave this community because they are not making enough money from development to pay their mortgage (which is a quite reasonable payment).
Hug a developer folks. It is not all roses. Anyone developing freeware for fun and in their off time who tries to make a LIVING off this work is taking a HUGE RISK. This is why most developers have day jobs and development times drag on.
On the opposite hand, there ARE companies in this community who are profit driven with little regards for the customer. We know who they are, and what junk they shovel on everyone. We do not have to name them. We can defend ourselves by being informed customers. We also should commend them if they break from this mold.
/offsoapbox
The beta testing process is something that is desperately misunderstood many times over in the FS community. The interaction of the developer and the beta testers is something that cannot be understated. It is a two way street.
I'm willing to bet that I have had access to more beta tests here than most people, with some exceptions like perhaps Nick Churchill and company as well as a few others. Every beta test group functions differently. What I see most often is a group of beta testers who come in enthusiastically which eventually dies as time goes on. When a developer however is more active in the beta testing process however it can keep the beta testers moving forward, plugging away through problems, but this is not always the case.
Some developers choose to pick beta testers who are renown throughout the community, the problem with this is that their time is often more limited. In my case I have been given access to beta testing that I did not have much time to spend spend with. I always try to contribute when and where I can however, time constraints withholding.
The most interesting position I have worked in, in this regard is quality testing, working as the go between for the beta testers and the developer, organizing bug reports, etc. In this role I finally understood the relationship between the developer and testers. As I said above, it is a two way street where BOTH must contribute equally. Finding good beta testers can be a process that is very hard as ideally what a developer wants is someone who has a lot of free time, is committed to the project and has a wealth of knowledge (or willingness to research).
Let's change lanes a bit, I find that the community often is very critical of a hobby business. I, like most here, have made purchases that I have regretted. I have seen numerous times where developers (some in very good standing) are oblivious to very obvious problems with their product. What matters more than anything to me is that the developers are willing to fix said problems WHEN the community interacts with them. I will use Vertigo Studios as an example, and I commend them on their dedication to fix their Bearcat based upon issues that the community has brought up.
This leads me to another problem, is the communities EXPECTATIONS of a product. I believe if we all had a more open mind when purchasing a product, with a willingness to learn and let the developers lead us rather than in-fight with their plan, we will all find products more suitable and we can be more content with what developers produce.
I feel that while the above is true for most of the community, there is a strong, small and loud minority that knee jerks based upon their expectations. I find it interesting that many of the people in this group are willing to part so quickly with their money and be disappointed so quickly. Many in this group could do themselves a favor and WAIT until they hear feedback from the community and/or read reviews of these products. I can also wish to become a millionaire in this hobby doing the work I love.... but it will never happen.
I stand in the corner of Nemeth Designs in this regard, and with them success with the SA-2 and any further products they create. Until such a time that I find they are trying to shovel junk-ware to the community in the name of sales, this stance will not change. It is obvious to me that Nemeth has taken the harder development route by attempting to simulate more complex systems, which shows a passion for their work, even if the aircraft in question is "mythical." Anyone can create a model, a few basic instruments and shovel out a simple .air file.
Perhaps we are all a bit spoiled by some developers, and I think it shows at times.
David Brice of Iris fame is another developer who at times has taken a considerable amount of heat from this, and other communities. He is also someone whose work I will completely defend. David has expressed to me many times in phone conversations that he creates what he loves. In an effort to lead customers to products they will be happier with, he differentiated his aircraft line. Interesting that customers do not take this into consideration when they purchase a product from a different line and expect the same standards.
Then of course we come to the mindset that some want very simple models. This flies in the face of people such as myself who want high fidelity simulations, but in effect nearly doubles the developer's time to bring a product to market should they develop to both standards.
Let's break some numbers down for you all, and I want to ask you if it is worth it to you?
Let's say we create a product that took 5 months of development, release it and it sells for $32.
This product after release sells only 500 copies (yes, a very realistic number depending on the company) in a year.
32x500 = 16,000!
$16,000 sounds like a nice profit doesn't it? AHA! We forgot to add taxes, which in the states equate to more or less 30%.
16,000 x .7 = $11,200
Of course, we forgot to pay anyone else on the team for their efforts, such as the person who crafted the FDE, any marketing, etc. If you released no OTHER product that year, you would have netted < $11,200. Could you put food on your plate? Your kids? Wife?
Ask yourself, from a developer's standpoint, is it worth it? Would YOU double the amount of time of development to offer an adjustable complexity product? To develop that system a "little further?" To release multiple patches?
I will further use a developer of whom I will not name to drive my point home. They spent YEARS developing a product which has won multiple awards and praise from the community. There is a possibility they will leave this community because they are not making enough money from development to pay their mortgage (which is a quite reasonable payment).
Hug a developer folks. It is not all roses. Anyone developing freeware for fun and in their off time who tries to make a LIVING off this work is taking a HUGE RISK. This is why most developers have day jobs and development times drag on.
On the opposite hand, there ARE companies in this community who are profit driven with little regards for the customer. We know who they are, and what junk they shovel on everyone. We do not have to name them. We can defend ourselves by being informed customers. We also should commend them if they break from this mold.
/offsoapbox
