The time for the open beta is getting near. Things are very busy here at HTC and will continue to be that way for quite awhile. We will need all testers to help us maximize our productivity by making clear and concise reports in the appropriate forums, not reporting the things that are obviously unfinished, and by keeping up to date on the things that have been reported.
We do not have any tech support personnel at this point and it will be that way for most of the beta. Please bear with us if you are having problems running AH. Report your problem in the appropriate forum but please refrain from calling us. We cannot respond to everything that is posted, but we do read it all.
Much of the beta is in an incomplete state. There will be countless updates to download throughout this beta period.
We are pleased at all the interest people have shown about AH. However, our server resources and bandwidth are limited during the beta period. It is possible that our test group will exceed our current capabilities. We had a T1 installation order delayed until next month. Connectivity during the initial phase might be fine, it might be terrible.
The design our first terrain contest was won by Shaun "Ogre" Thomson. His design was exactly what we had in mind. He has been busy working on the beta terrain and has made a tremendous contribution to the development of AH. The screenshot Superfly posted yesterday came from Ogre's terrain. The initial release of the terrain is not completed but work will continue on that too. Much of it is still just roughed in. Terrain development is painstaking work and Ogre has had a very short time to learn and do it. If you see Ogre up during the beta, be sure to thank him for his efforts. We think this terrain will be a lot of fun.
Here's some other major stuff that is uncompleted in the beta:
Sounds- have hardly been worked on. We have an open format and will gladly accept player contributions.
Plane characteristics- There's a lot of stuff that hasn't been detailed out here. Damage, handling characteristics, gauges, structural limits, etc.
Bomber stuff- A lot of the features of the B-17 won't be in the first release. Gunners won't be there, the bombsight system hasn't been detailed out, I don't think it even has bombbay doors working yet.
Anyway, there's too much unfinished stuff to list it all but this gives you an idea of what to expect and the kind of things not to report.
We hope that the beta process is an enjoyable experience and that we see you all up there soon.
One last note, this is an open beta. You don't have to be invited to participate. All you have to do is download the software and open a free account(no credit card required).
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Doug "Pyro" Balmos
HiTech Creations
