The game comes out in 5ish months, so wouldn't it atleast be in beta by now?

All development cycles work differently. The terms like alpha and beta mean completely different things for certain developers as well so its not something consumers like us should pay attention to.

In Sweden, pre-alpha means about to go gold. 
 
True fact.

They are showing an optimized pre-alpha build. Doesn't mean their current build, they have over at DICE, still is pre-alpha. They are probably working hard to meet beta by the end of the summer.

@withateethuh: Is it? I'm pretty sure that's just what they are showing off. Plus 5 months is a decent bit of time. All they need to do is polish and fix bugs.

Plus alpha/beta have a variety of meanings for different devs. Sometimes, you are content locked in alpha, sometimes that's beta, sometimes it's before any of that, and alpha is getting the game decently playable wihtout major bugs, and Beta is polishing the shit out of the game.

What they have been showing is not the latest built of the game.

@TheMustacheHero said:

In Sweden, pre-alpha means about to go gold. True fact.

Case in point: Minecraft Beta :)

They are showing an optimized pre-alpha build. Doesn't mean their current build, they have over at DICE, still is pre-alpha. They are probably working hard to meet beta by the end of the summer.

More and more I'm convinced that it's just become a hype-drudging term,  "if you're that impressed with our when it's pre-alpha, you just can't even begin to imagine what the beta will look like, let alone the full game".

In Sweden, pre-alpha means about to go gold.  True fact.

More and more I'm convinced that it's just become a hype-drudging term,  "if you're that impressed with our when it's pre-alpha, you just can't even begin to imagine what the beta will look like, let alone the full game".

The game comes out in 5ish months, so wouldn't it atleast be in beta by now?

@dioxys said:

@TheMustacheHero said:

In Sweden, pre-alpha means about to go gold. True fact.

Case in point: Minecraft Beta :)

Minecraft never needs to go gold, the console version could come out and PC minecraft would still be in beta.

When a game is alpha, it has to have every feature that the final product will have. So pre-alpha just means they're adding more stuff (or removing).

                    In Sweden, pre-alpha means about to go gold.  True fact.

                   

               

People think that since it's in pre-alpha there will be major engine changes, but the game is only a few months away, that's just not possible. I don't think too much graphic wise will change for PC or Consoles when the game ships. I guess each dev just labels things differently than others.

Sounds exactly right actually. Beta in September, Alpha late July to August.

Yup, spot on.

Sounds exactly right actually. Beta in September, Alpha late July to August.

Yup, spot on.

@Ahmad_Metallic said:

@Rolyatkcinmai said:

Sounds exactly right actually. Beta in September, Alpha late July to August.

Yup, spot on.

How is that spot on? The beta needs to be at least 3 months before the game is out so that we get to play/test it for a month and the developer fixes all the shit we find for two months If the beta begins September 5th and ends the 30th, DICE will have 25 days to fix the game... what the hell gets done in 25 days? That beta is useless and their schedule is fucked up. DICE always screw up and have shit fire back at them, yet they never learn

I don't know what else to say other than that is standard business practice for a shooter in 2011. It's not like this is DICE's first foray into multiplayer shooters. They're not beta testing an MMO. 25 days is more than enough.

The Gears 3 beta was four weeks, and that game felt smooth as fucking hell by the end of it.

You're incorrect.

The fact that they're showing pre-alpha doesn't mean that they're still in that stage.

@Ahmad_Metallic said:

@Rolyatkcinmai said:

Sounds exactly right actually. Beta in September, Alpha late July to August.

Yup, spot on.

How is that spot on? The beta needs to be at least 3 months before the game is out so that we get to play/test it for a month and the developer fixes all the shit we find for two months If the beta begins September 5th and ends the 30th, DICE will have 25 days to fix the game... what the hell gets done in 25 days? That beta is useless and their schedule is fucked up. DICE always screw up and have shit fire back at them, yet they never learn

I don't know what else to say other than that is standard business practice for a shooter in 2011. It's not like this is DICE's first foray into multiplayer shooters. They're not beta testing an MMO. 25 days is more than enough.

The Gears 3 beta was four weeks, and that game felt smooth as fucking hell by the end of it.

You're incorrect.

@Ahmad_Metallic said:

Random nonsense

BC2 was phenomenal, and all multiplayer shooter betas have been around the same amount of time. You're clearly the odd one out here. No one cares.

@Ahmad_Metallic said:

Random nonsense

BC2 was phenomenal, and all multiplayer shooter betas have been around the same amount of time. You're clearly the odd one out here. No one cares.

Calling BF3 Pre Alpha means they are honest. Every other company sells their beta test products as full versions and then patch after release. ;)

@Ahmad_Metallic said:

@Rolyatkcinmai said:

@Ahmad_Metallic said:

Random nonsense

BC2 was phenomenal, and all multiplayer shooter betas have been around the same amount of time. You're clearly the odd one out here. No one cares.

Either that you're trolling me, or that you're completely oblivious to the technical trainwreck that is Bad Company 2 You don't believe me? Or you didn't know? Go on the official EA BC2 forums, or any gaming forums for that matter, and see the hundreds of month-spanning threads discussing the game's clusterfuck of issues and asking for help and fixes. Or the threads where people collectively agree on the game's crystal clear flaws and bugs But since you replaced my comment with those two words, and ignored the rest of my points, i'll just assume that you're trolling me

I replaced your comment because it was you rambling on about nothing with your lies and fallacies.

I know loads of people who play BC2 still (including Vietnam) and have never experienced problems. Go to the game forums for any game and you will see people with problems bitching, that's what those forums are for. BC2 was a massive success and a fantastic MP game. Go cry elsewhere. Look at the rest of this thread, you're wrong. Deal with it. This is the last time I reply to your cynical ass. If you don't think they will have enough time (which is pretty fucking stupid since no one has played it), then don't buy the game. No one will miss you.

@Ahmad_Metallic: Dude, you fired the first salvo by completely dismissing a game that a lot of people love.

Maybe I only play crappy MP shooters, but I have NEVER played a game that didn't have annoying issues during the first few weeks. Every BF game has had this for sure.

Luckily they gave us a single player mode this time to hold many over while they fix their server difficulties at launch. Brilliant move. 
 
Edit: So it seems that their development cycle is more like beta is 90% complete with bugs, and gold will be after debugging and whatnot.

logic states they can't be in 'pre-alpha' even if they say. Did they not define pre-alpha? that it means not being feature locked. But what happens if you have a system that is easily modifiable, where adding new components or removing is quite easy? They could claim to be in pre-alpha when in fact they are in beta. So in one front they are pre-alpha, while in another front they are in beta. 
 
This Thursday is their last day of work and then they go on their one month long vacation, right? So BF3 work will continue in August? So they have 2 months. End of September they have to send it out to get certified and go into replication, right? August they need to make something solid in order to allow an open beta in September.