User:Reisu

Gaming History
Way back in the day, internet "games" consisted of simple things: my first recollections are of Angband. From there, I moved on to a variety of MOOs/MUDs/MUSHs (Metaverse, MHS, then Elendor amongst others).

Current Games
I still occasionally play Guild Wars, although I am still rather wrapped up in World of Warcraft. I am still looking for that 'next best thing', and am always curious as to how game mechanics and theme mesh with my perceptions of how things 'should' be in an online community. I'm still involved with CoX, as well (go villains:)

In TR Beta, I go by the name of Threx

Beta Thoughts
Once MMORPGs started evolving, I mucked around with UO/AO/EQ...and from there, my beta testing frenzy began: Horizons, WoW, Planetside, E&B, EQ2, Shadowbane, LotR....to name a few. Regardless of beta, it's important to remember that when a new Beta or Alpha opens there are few golden rules to live by:
 * Welcome to Beta. Your presence in it is a privilege, not a right.
 * Reporting bugs = good. Whining about bugs = bad. Yes, everyone knows that things are not working as they should; this is Beta, after all. Use the resources given to you, via petition/in game mail, etc, to point these out.
 * Speaking of resources, with every beta invitation comes a customary "Hi, welcome to beta, find your stuff here." Please utilise it. A lot of useful information can be found there, and...in spite of the rather fast & frantic pace of these resources, 9 out of 10 times you will find that all roads lead to here.
 * How much better X-Y-Z game is in comparison to this Alpha/Beta/insert greek letter here is irrelevant. We are here to test, and find issues/deal breakers, and help the developers figure out how to make this game ready for release.
 * Remember the NDA:)
 * Patience is a virtue: often in global chat(s), there is a huge influx of commentary. Some of it useful, some of it not. Spamming ANY channel repeatedly is a detriment to the entire concept of beta testing. This isn't saying that you shouldn't socialise; however, political arguments/game A vs. game B diatribes should be best kept in check for an appropriate time.
 * Respect: whilst the internet is notorious for allowing the anonymity factor (better known as, the 'jackmuppet factor'), please try and remember that we are all here for one specific purpose: to test. This carries on to a fully developed game.
 * 'Older' members, everyone has started out at some point...in Alpha, games were less well developed than they are even in Beta. The knowledge you have accrued over time is useful to newer members, who just might be able to pick things out that were missed because they were too 'commonplace', back when you first played.
 * Enjoy yourself...and remember, this isn't a race to the end-game content. Try and work through this, and make it something that you would happily say, "Hell, yes, this game is good", and feel as if you were a part of something special, and helped make it something worth paying for.

Personal Info
I am a 30-something married woman, with a teenager daughter, and wonderful husband (he allows me my online gaming, much as I allow him his 3D modeling fascination:) I work for a dot.com as a Unix SA/Fault Analyst, and am originally from NY (Lawn Guyland, to be precise). I currently live in the SF Bay area, with hopes of moving to the Sierras within the year. I am a notoriously lousy cook. It's a burden my family has to deal with, and the delivery joints revel in.