I have decided I have found my place on steemit. Here it is, I am going after a mindset that says X,Y and Z are okay. I want to be clear that I am not going after people, at all. What I am after is the constant stream of "it's okay" being fed to us when speaking out on aspects of the system that are sources of deep frustration.
Steemit: Alpha
Your going to tell me it's in Beta, give it time. That's what I read over and over, but it is not entirely true. Really at this point of the game it's an Alpha stage test. I looked up definitions I feel best portray the definitions as they pertain to steemit. Here's what that means:
A working alpha state game is the game itself with all the basic core concepts in place (and most likely some still being developed or drawn up) allowing players the base freedoms that allow the game to resolve gameplay issues, early exploits, small bugs, major bugs, early balancing and many other issues that you wont see in a fully released game that does not state that its an alpha or beta state game.
This all being said, the best way to get thing that devs have as a tool is in my eyes the community or "us" putting it plainly. We are the force that drives them to make an outstanding product that we are all eager to enjoy. When developers see the forums exploding with issues like people saying that "the game is dying" or "this game sucks" then whats the point of them continuing on making this game for people that have already given up on them? Things like this in some extreme cases do have valid points but in very rare cases do they matter for Alpha state games that have literally just been made playable for people.
The best thing that you can do in the Alpha State of game development (especially with a working and released alpha state game) is to give constructive feedback to the devs so that they can interact with the community, sharing ideas or even allowing us to sometimes vote on different content that could be included in the game later on. For those that are alpha testers who stay around from this point forwards our word and feedback becomes very valued and wanted by the devs because we would have more experience than a fresh player at release. This in itself can create a much better and more fluid game for everyone to enjoy.
This is really where we are at. it feels like it right? To show how the two are distinct, let's look at what Beta means:
Beta State Games
Beta state games are in some cases a simple fine tuning of a 90% complete game, or could be another stage for the devs to add another round of content for the end product itself. There are a lot of different ways to see what beta state games are and normally they are categorized by the different numbers associated with them. a common way of seeing this (in most games but not all) are the 3 numbers in patch notes such as 0.1.9 (early beta phase) or 0.9.8 (late beta stage) different developers have different ways of doing this but the higher the number, the later in the creation it is.
Now this is a time when its like going over a game with a fine tooth comb to find all the last existing bugs or balance changes. At this point more and more players will most likely take a stance on if the game is a good one or not as most of the time (not all) the future potential has been revealed and what the devs work ethic is and how it will be possibly during later development and release. But this stage is critical as well, because sometimes large bugs, exploits, glitches and other issues do pass over from the alpha state. But its also the time when a lot of new content can be added, tested and looked over.
At this point in development keep an open mind, but keep active on the forums, look for issues and things that might need to be addressed by the devs. Or bring up new ideas and suggestions on in game stuff and mechanics
Alpha RECAP
Alpha state games are:
-Incomplete basic forms of the game
-Full of bugs
-Unbalanced in some areas (or all)
-Will have major changes at times (such as the removal of Station PvP which is being re-implimented and will not be removed from game
-Graphics Artifacts
- And a lot of other inconsistencies with the game that wont be in a full release or even beta state games
Beta Review
-Less bugs and issues
-Better balancing
-quicker hotfixes or updates
-more content (but not all)
-game changes
Alpha stage may make it sound worse, like being demoted. I highly disagree and find it to be the very thing that can save what we value here, by rethinking our expectations and roles to be appropriate to the stage of development.
This line resonates with me the most:
It is safe to say that we all love the aspects and promise of what is offered from the site. Do we have an outstanding product in steemit itself (the site with rewards removed) though? If we look at this as being truly an Alpha stage product... it changes what we need to look at. Steemit posts and personal banter blogs are about all we should have at this point. It allows us to bond as a community and deal with the issues and tweaks as a unified force.
Recruiting
We need to stop. In fact, I would say change to invite only until we reach a unified consensus on having completed Alpha stage testing. Don't be stingy with the invites, no need to be, say 5 a month? This isn't to try for what I have read in the past as being exclusive and cool, it allows us to bring in our friends and people we think could be interested. It allows us to present it as something new and exciting but maybe not quite public ready.
It changes their expectations.
If This Is Beta
What we have imminently ready to release is a platform that inspires civil war.
Anyone who has ever been downvoted, will probably downvote something, especially since the reputation and hidden comments were introduced. It was not as problematic prior to these, it was a monetary decision. Now it has completely changed and is wielded as a weapon.
Designated Curation Groups
I don't know where to begin here. What I feel, is that they are a necessary solution if we truly consider this site to be in Beta. I personally find them to be a terrible solution, it points to the problem of a site people don't enjoy using, and it more than highlights the disparity in voting power.
My worry is because of the need for them, and I 100% agree there is a need currently for them, we create policing organizations that hold views opposed to our own. In every real way we say to new users:
We have created a governing body and the only answer is to create a stronger governing body.
Using pictures as an example. The steemit platform has zero liability for any picture I post, it falls on me as the author. In fact... even sourcing the photo does nothing to legitimize your use without express implied consent from the photographer. I think an appropriate response if you were truly bothered by this happening would be to contact the photographer and inform them their work had been misappropriated. I can also see saying we will not reward work that was stolen, true of plagiarism as well.
The problem lies in the fact that the legal course of action is not pursued, and so we build groups that pursue their own version of justice.
SteemBusters
This is my own organization, and here is what I propose.
If you want to make a change, invest in yourself here.
If you see a post you really liked, share it in a room with other people you really like.
Make a friend and never look at their wallet.
Look at the problem, and look for a solution.
We report on problems, not on people.
This truly is Alpha, steemit 0.1.4 (or whatever), this is the time we decide how we continue, and support or devs in development.
It's also the time we decide our future participation by the dev's commitment to us.
Photo Stuff
Rules: http://bernhardtwealth.com/be-wary-of-rules-of-thumb/
Cool Design I Found Doing Google Image Search For Alpha: http://www.deviantart.com/browse/all/designs/tattoos/?q=alpha+and+omega&order=13
Billboard: That's mine :)
Quoted text on Alpha & Beta stages: *****https://steamcommunity.com/app/255500/discussions/0/630800445001699632/*
Favorite Posts Today!!:
https://steemit.com/steemit/@skeptic/steem-life
https://steemit.com/programming/@cristi/discovering-new-authors-faster
https://steemit.com/steemit/@razvanelulmarin/the-hot-seat-with-thisisbenbrick-episode-2
Each I really liked and regretfully am going to make you go look and discover for yourself.
Follow and Upvote without a fancy button. I promise I will try to be worth the effort :)