17 Nov 2008 [ Prev | Next ]

Term Project: Alpha Release

Delayed from Nov 14.

What is an Alpha Release?

A partial draft, with some sections more or less fully complete, but whole sections left unfinished.

So, if you plan a website with a home page, four supporting pages, and a "credits" page, your alpha release might have the home page, just one supporting page, and an
incomplete "credits" page.

If you plan a game in which the character explores a three-story house, your alpha release might include one more-or-less complete floor.

The basic idea is that you need some parts complete enough that your users can actually test them usefully, but you have to be willing to change your work based on what you learn from your test users.

(A beta release is an essentially finished product - your game should have an ending, your website should be written and proofread.  Your beta-testers will identify improvements that you hadn't thought of -- synonyms you should implement in Inform 7, new sections or navigational features on web pages, etc.)


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