Can someone with knowledge of game development tell me what "pre-alpha" is? I always thought that alpha meant that you had a barebones game where you test in stuff you want to put in and the design still isnt set. Beta is when the game is done but still needs to be brushed up in bugfixes and balance.
Now this would place prealpha in a situation where you just only have some design papers. Still most games with early access and the like say they are in prealpha.
Im confused.
pre-alpha means even buggier alpha.
it's just something they say to give impression that all the issues people are having will get fixed, because it's super duper early in development
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_release_life_cycle#Pre-alpha
>>344062697
Pre Alpha has less than no meaning. It's a buzzword used to market games in unbelievably poor States.
Alpha means you are making a game.
Beta is "feature complete"(also losing meaning since post release patching is normal)
"Gone Gold" is released. This is a throwback to having printed the discs for distribution.
Also if you charge money your game is neither beta nor alpha it has gone gold. You are just using those terms to make your customers OK with receiving shiddy products.
It's not set in stone. All of them just means "content, performance, stability, etc. not final", saying alpha or pre-alpha or whatever new term people come with later just means the same as beta but harder.
What is considered alpha or beta is ultimately arbitrary and is up to the developer.
>>344063571
>Pre-alpha refers to all activities performed during the software project before testing. These activities can include requirements analysis, software design, software development, and unit testing.
So it is basically putting together the core game but not actually testing if anything isnt a buggy mess?
first of all it means dick
but use your head
pre-alpha = content not finished
alpha = content finished, lots of work to do
beta = everything finished, iron out bugs
with kikestarter and early release, they just do more of the QC earlier in development, which is not necessarily a good idea
>>344062697
it means it's not finished at all
alpha is internal testing
beta is external testing
pre-alpha is when the game is still being built
>>344063775
It means that the game is only playable superficially. It's basically an element testing sandbox.
>>344064213
>>344063875
>>344064003
why do people sell a game pre-alpha then? Why would people buy a game pre-alpha then?
>>344063775
keep in mind, 99% of indie devs don't even know a proper software release life cycle. pre-alphas are generally not released to the public but I also see it constantly on early access.
here's what everything should mean:
pre-alpha: software hasn't been announced, it may not even be demo-able and includes everything, even design & planning. there's probably a shitload of placeholder code and graphics in the game.
alpha: internal testing has begun, a playthrough should be close to finishable but might be missing several features.
beta: external testing has begun, you should be able to complete the game in its entirety, all features that are required for release 1.0 should be done. all we're doing is fixing bugs and tweaking of existing features.
but, in reality, most indies just throw these terms around to avoid criticism.
>>344062697
A brief summary of gave development cycles:
>Pre-development
Ideas are brainstormed, stories are thought up, gameplay features are considered, pitches are made, staff are hired or assigned and concept art is drawn up.
95% of all indie projects die at this stage.
>Pre-alpha
More of a tech demo than an actual game. This is usually a barebones idea of what the final game may be. Physics are worked out and ran in-engine. Most assets are placeholders.
At this stage, an onlooker will likely not have a fucking clue what the game is about, but you can get a good feel for how it will play.
This is usually the most time consuming stage.
>Alpha
Following feedback from the pre-Alpha, the ideas and physics etc. are refined. At this point, one gets a very good idea of what the end product will be like.
This is usually the stage where additional levels, maps, content and assets are created, because the pre-alpha has proven that the concept is stable enough to actually work.
This is generally the stage where games are considered stable enough for their in-engine content to be used for marketing.
>Beta
The game is more or less finished. This stage is used for troubleshooting, bug squashing, closing of plotholes and removal of exploits.
Open and closed betas are used. Closed betas have the advantage of ensuring that no bad news gets out about the product, but can fuck you over if the people testing it don't do a rigorous enough job. Open beta allows many to test the game, so you may end up with a few tens of thousands of gameplay hours for feedback. The downside is that most open betatesters treat the stage like a demo and will give you little actual feedback and will talk shit about the game.
>Release
It's out in public.
Generally a Pre-Alpha is before most of the core functionality is added. Think Tech Demos how they show what it could be but what they want is not in place yet.
The Doom 0.2 Pre-Alpha is a perfect example of this. No audio, No way to kill things, a small room, a couple static enemies showing off what could be here, you cant kill anything, and the obligatory crashes.
In general it would be like this
>Tech Demo - a showcase of what can be done with the team
>Pre-Alpha - roughest it can be aside from a "Hello World" but more complete than a Tech Demo
>Alpha - core mechanics programmed in, knows what it wants to be but buggy as fuck and not content complete
>Pre-Beta - Not quite the point of Beta but still more complete than Alpha
>Beta (closed or open) - Content nearly complete or complete, just needed for bug testing
>E3 Demos (playable) - After Beta but a section specifically meant to be played on a showroom floor
>E3 Demos (only dev on stage plays it) - a gimmick to showcase things that aren't in the final game or any prototypes. Used solely to generate hype
>Debug prototypes - At any point where you can access a dev menu or debug menu (Pre-Alpha Debug build for example)
>Review Build - milestones, or finalized content almost ready for production
>Release/Retail - complete gameunless we look at Ubisoft, EA or Bethesda
Heres some examples
E3 Non-playable demo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8blIojirqFU
E3 playable Demo (Alpha)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abuOT5fLsKc
Debug Prototype
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bz7dc-wt7Bc
Tech Demo/Alpha
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEQYC87_wPo
Pre-Beta
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aFoNPJt_G0
Debug Review
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giNoOsEfy6k
It's pretty nice regardless. Milestones, Debug builds, alphas, placeholders, tech demos, internal builds, etc. If you can learn from something it's worth preserving.
>>344065268
Of course. In the modern world of stupid marketing shit and shitting, these phrases have taken on new meanings.
>Pre-alpha (actually early beta)
"This looks really awesome, and it's only in pre-alpha so just think how awesome the final product will be!"
>Alpha (actually late beta)
"Woah look how awesome this is! And to think that there's still so much work to do!"
>Beta (ready for release and put out for free marketing)
"What? That doesn't work. Don't worry. It's beta. It'll be fixed."
>Release
You've done fuck all but market the game since last November but you've already recouped the value of the game ten times over so it doesn't actually matter if it's a bug laden mess.
You laugh your money to the bank and release a Remastered Edition of Skyrim.
>>344062697
Pre-alpha, Alpha, Beta are all arbitrary terms.
People use different terms under different circumstances and they don't have any consistent meaning.
>>344065579
Theres a lot of disagreement for what makes something an alpha or a beta, but in the end you would just rely on changelogs and where they take place compared to milestone builds.
I just hope one day we can find a way to have a generally accepted way of sorting things.
For some of my builds I organize them as such if theyre on discs
Disc Image (what is burned to discs): [Game Name][Developer][Platform][Type of Content][Version Number][Build Date][Burn Date][Video Signal][File Extension]
Indivisible_Lab_Zero_PC_Debug_V0.84_US_NTSC-U_MMDDYYYY.ISO
Disc Label (so what shows in Drive D: for example): [Game Name][Platform][Type of Content][Version Number][Video Signal or Region][Build Date]
The Last of Us PS4 DLC V1.03 MMDDYYYY
Label on Disc: [Game Name][Developer][Platform][Type of Content][Version Number][Video Signal or Region][Build Date][Burn Date][Comments - What it's for]
Pokemon
GameFreak
3DS SRC V0.02 EU PAL50/60
Build Date - MM/DD/YYYY
Burn Date - MM/DD/YYYY
I dont have any of these but hey it's nice to stay organized
>>344066702
>I dont have any of these but hey it's nice to stay organized
>>344062697
I work in game industry.
Alpha - game is completely done, can be played from start to finish but some additional mechanics are missing and game has lots of bugs.
Beta - nearly finished, polished game. Only has a few bugs to iron out.
Pre-alpha means not all content is finished or fully designed.
>>344066702
See I'm working on a [TOP SECRET UNLICENSED FORGOTTEN REALMS ONLINE RPG SESSION] game and I'd say I'm in pre-alpha ATM because I've got an engine and I'm testing to see if my physics/roll simulations work on it, but I have fuck all in the way of lighting or art assets ATM.
I have a few friends who have worked on games use a similar model to the one I said about on >>344065268, but yeah.
It's basically all arbitrary.
Thanks everyone.
>>344066937
I fucking wish I had some Pokemon prototypes.
But no in the end I only have Xbox Live Source (which for some reason has Halo 2 Server Source too).
All the builds in that binder are uploaded (with the exception of 3 discs that need to be fixed). I'd have some more interesting things but the folks with the neat shit (namely halo and cod4 content) wont share with me since they know it would end up public and ruin the value of the builds.
>>344067197
I know the drill. NDAs are fucking dumb. My dev contacts dont care after a while but it's what it is.
I'm still wondering when (or if) that C&D will come from capcom. Dont be a retard like me.
>>344067423
You're welcome OP
Hopefully autism has helped educate you today
>>344065579
At least you get skyrum for free on pc if you own the original. Most indie rereleases you get maybe a shitty discount for the new version.
>>344067820
>Heh thanks for buying my game at full price when I had fuck all money, now I'm loaded and to say thanks here's 2% off the remastered HD version of that game you bought 5 years ago
>>344067423
That looks like a good hentai? Is it?
>>344065268
Incorrect, my man
>prototype
A small program designed to test out individual mechanics. Made quickly, and code is thrown out after because it's usually a real mess
>pre-alpha
Actual production, any stage before alpha
>Alpha
All the content is finished, but almost completely untested
It's very likely you can't even play the game from start to finish due to game killer bugs, areas not linked up, menus not working etc
Expect a lot of placeholder art, but everything is accounted for
>Beta
Actually playable from start to finish, most bugs ironed out, all the art/menus/music are finished
Things like credits, splash screens etc probably not added yet.
Some minor bugs, but major bug testing rounds have been done already and ideally game breaking bugs are fixed
t. worked on actual video games
>>344068606
>Incorrect, my man
>Prototype usually a mess
But that's wrong. Yes its normally when you think of a prototype it's usually something that works but not well, but anything pre-final is a prototype, which is why we have the alpha, beta, pre-alpha, tech demos, and shit to name them accordingly.
Prototype is a blanket term for all pre-final content.
>Alpha
>All the content is finished
No.
The only thing you got rigth was Beta.what game did you work on senpai~?
