Myths About Beta Testing

Hey Jammers! I promised a post like this about a MILLION years ago, but completely forgot about it.

But now, after all that wait, it is here... Myths about beta testing.

In Animal Jam, you typically hear about beta testing minus the "testing" part. People consider some items "beta", and you'll hear many players, old and new, reminisce about the "beta days". 

But what exactly is beta testing? By the title of this post, you've probably already judged that there are some things about beta that a lot of people-- maybe even you --have gotten wrong.

With that in mind, let us begin! ^0^

Myth #1: Beta always looks the same.

A couple of years ago, WildWorks began to release the mobile version of Animal Jam that we all know today as Play Wild, or AJPW. At its beginning, AJHQ advertised it as PlayWild Beta, inviting a small number of Jammers to test it out.

Many Jammers saw the word "Beta" and instantly went into fits of hysteria trying to get invitation codes, thinking that this game would be a revival of "the beta days", with the older land designs, dens, items, and the overall "beta" aesthetic. 

Y'all know what I'm talking about.

Sadly, many of these Jammers were disappointed that PlayWild Beta was just a 3D version of "modern" AJ. A few of these Jammers felt lied to.

But no one was lied to. Why? Because the term "beta" is not simply used by Animal Jam, it's used by every game. Beta is not an aesthetic, but the word for the early developmental phase each game goes through where select players are allowed to play it to report bugs and give feedback.

For a more specific definition:

So there you have it. Beta testing!

Myth #2: Any item that's a bit old/in high demand can be considered Beta

I don't trade often, for a variety of reasons. One reason being is that I always get into so many arguments about what items are beta or not. I remember one time this seal was utterly convinced that Sunglasses were a beta item, and I could not at all explain to them otherwise. -_-

However, I don't hold it against them. I can understand where so much confusion comes from– a combination of The Forgotten Desert giving out beta items as prizes, and simply the fact that there have been more and more years since beta testing, blurring the definitions of what is beta.

Simply put, a real beta item is an item that was most recently released between July 17th, 2010 and September 9th, 2010. 

That short period of time, barely 2 months, was the period when Animal Jam was in beta testing. Because that span of time was so short, added to the fact that so many items from that time have lost their beta status because of rerelease or The Forgotten Desert, very few "true betas" remain.

(If you're wondering about that "Trading Post" page I added awhile ago, once I get around to updating it I plan to have a list of ALL true beta items in there.)

What gets tricky, however, is whether an item last released in early 2011 counts as beta. It is practically impossible to know the exact date an item went on clearance. Additionally, even if you do find out the date and it wasn't technically from beta, the person you're trading with might disagree with you because its demand is so high. 

How can age and demand factor in to make a fair trade? Is a perfectly fair trade even possible? Stay tuned, because once I update the Trading Post page, that question might just be answered. 0-0

Myth #3: Crystal Sands was remodeled immediately following beta testing

Contrary to popular belief, Crystal Sands' original design did not change to its current one after the last day of beta. In fact, about a year passed by before the waterslides were added on July 7th, 2011!

And even after then, it was a whole other year until Tierney Thys set up her aquarium in 2012. 

Once the aquarium was set up, a bridge of stone became accessible and the Pet Wash was moved up there. 

Ah... I remember that day. I always have mixed feelings about change, but now I really love Tierney's Aquarium! ^-^

Myth #4: EVERYTHING was different in beta testing

The above video was published midway through beta testing, and as you can see, Jam Mart Clothing looks exactly the same today! Not to mention the player bar (although the color has changed) and most of the top-bar settings.

I think a lot of what gives AJ its charm is that they rarely renovate rooms unnecessarily. Because of their interactions with the community, I think AJHQ pretty much understands what we want to keep on AJ.

Well, that's all the myths about beta testing I can think of today. If you know one that I didn't mention, feel free to comment! :D

And in the spirit of things past, I found an old Animal Jam blog from 2011:

Did you know that the Conservation Museum used to be called the Animal Museum? That changed after the first time an animal (monkey) traveled (then called "Endangered"), around mid-2012. Since then, the statues in the center of the museum were replaced by a coloring table. Fun fact: the crocodile statue was never completed.

They have not posted since early 2012 (the time I joined), but their website serves as a nice archive. Check it out: http://animaljamhq.com/?p=420

Were you around during beta? What's something you want to come back?

Comment!