Escape from Death - BETA CLOSED

You find yourself in the land of the dead, and your untimely demise left you with unfinished business. Will you beat Death using wit, force, or soul magic? Reclaim your life or seize Death’s throne!

Directions for beta testing:

Email us, beta AT choiceofgames for access.

DO NOT POST ASKING WHAT THE BETA EMAIL ADDRESS IS. The first test to becoming a beta tester is inferring what it is based on how we describe it above.

Do not send DMs/PMs through the forum mail system, Discord, text message, carrier pigeon, or any other method than email.

When you send your EMAIL, include:

  • the game you want to test in the Subject line of the email.
  • your forum-name
  • your real name (first and last). Please indicate if your family/surname comes first as well. Beta testers’ names are listed in the game’s credits, which are accessed with the “About” link you’ll see within the game. If you don’t want to appear in the credits, or you want to be credited under a name other than your real one, please let us know.

Do not email us multiple times about joining a beta. If you don’t email us as soon as we post a beta, you go into a queue. As we post new drafts, we admit more people from the queue. Eventually, we will get to you. Some beta processes last longer than others, and it may take up to a few weeks to reach the front of the queue.

When you have been admitted to the beta, we will send you a link, a username, and a password as a reply to your email.

When you have feedback to submit:

  • Return feedback as part of the same email thread where you were admitted. Copying beta@choiceofgames on that email is the best way to make sure your comments are seen as soon as possible.
  • Please send screenshots or copy/pasted quotes whenever you can; it helps us track down whatever observation you’re making. In particular, the author may see things that you don’t, and/or the screenshot may contain more information than you realize.
  • If you’re submitting feedback using the Bug/Submit button in the game, make sure you include your handle/name in the body of the email. The Submit button obscures your email address, and I can’t give you credit for feedback if I don’t know who you are.

A few more notes:

  • You cannot be testing two games at once. If you are already testing one game, send in feedback on that game before you apply to another. If you apply for multiple games at the same time, you will likely be admitted first to whichever game has testing slots open up first, and we won’t be able to admit you to the other one until you send in your comments for that one. (From an admin standpoint, it’s easiest if you don’t apply to more than one game at once – applying to multiple games makes it more likely that we’ll miss admitting you to one of them.)
  • If you’re admitted as a tester but realize you won’t be able to send in feedback for that game, please let us know! You won’t be penalized in any way - we’ll just take you off the list of testers for that game. But if you sign up to test a game and don’t send comments or withdraw, it will affect your chances of being admitted to future betas.
  • There’s no standard length of time for a beta testing period to last, and we usually don’t know exactly how long a game will be in beta when it opens. The best way to know how long a beta will be open is to follow the thread for updates.
  • It’s fine to send multiple feedback emails, but if you have a lot of quick comments, it’s easier to keep track of them if you bundle them into one email.

Tips on How to Give Feedback

We’re looking for “high level” and “low level” feedback. Not mid-level feedback.

Low-level = typos and continuity errors. A continuity error is when a character’s gender flips, or someone comes back from the dead, or you run into a plotline that just doesn’t make sense (because it’s probably a coding error). For these low-level issues, screenshots are very helpful. If you see a problem, take a screenshot, or copy and paste the text that is in error, and email that.

“High level” feedback has to do with things like plot, pacing, and characters. “Scene A didn’t work for me because x, y, and z,” is useful feedback. “B character was entirely unsympathetic, because u, w, and v,” is also useful feedback.

“Mid-level” feedback describes things like grammar, style, word choice, or the use of commas. As I said above, I do not want mid-level feedback. In particular, DO NOT WRITE TO ME ABOUT COMMAS.

“I had a great time and saw only a few spelling errors,” is not useful feedback. In fact, it’s the sort of thing that results in you not being given access to future betas.

Some examples of useful feedback :

  • In Choice of the Dragon, you get to choose what type of wings you have: leather or scaled. Someone wrote in and asked about having feathered wings. Great suggestion! Done!
  • In “The Eagle’s Heir,” someone asked about Eugenie. They said that the romance moved too quickly–because she only appeared in the last third of the game–and wished they could have had an opportunity to meet her earlier. So the authors added an opportunity to meet her and start the romance earlier in the game (in a scene that already existed).
  • In “Demon Mark: A Russian Saga” several people commented on how the PC’s parents were unsympathetic, so the authors added a choice or two to deepen the relationship with the parents in the first chapter, to help better establish their characters.
  • Pointing out a specific choice and saying, “this is who I imagined my character was at this particular moment, and none of these options seemed right for me. I would have liked an option to do X instead,” is also really helpful feedback.
  • If you choose an #option and then the results of that #option don’t make sense. Like, if you thought an #option might test one stat, but it seems to have tested a different one.
9 Likes

New draft, v40455! Changelog:

  • Solved spelling errors in chapters 1-3.
  • Added more references to the PC’s background at the start of chapter 2.
  • Reworked Desi joining the party and gave the PC more choices on whether or not to tell them the truth about their situation.
  • Gave more choices with Lee in the tent (chapter 2) on whether or not to tell them the truth about what happened with Venonetta.
  • Reworked the stats page.
1 Like

New draft, v40629! Changelog:

General:

Managed difficulty threshold of testing choices (mostly lowering the difficulty throughout the game)

Added Soul Echoes to stat page.

Ch. 1:

  • Generally improved the spread of different stat adjustments.

  • Lowered the increase in PC personality stats for better stat balance.

  • Increased the amount of command and dexterity options available.

  • Lowered the amount of tough options available.

  • Added exploration options to scene with the injured Elect, so that the player can ask about both Penitents and the Elect.

Ch.3-7

  • Resolved formatting on repeating dialogues.

Ch.8:

  • Resolved formatting issues on companions remaining

  • Resolved formatting issues on Gavin’s appearances throughout the chapter.

More updates still in progress!

3 Likes

New draft, v41109! Changelog:

Ch.1:

  • Added another PC background choice to the start of the chapter.

  • Added another choice on how the PC handles themselves when meeting Death at the car crash.

  • Moved the questions regarding the player’s anchor to end of chapter.

  • Added more context and a player choice to Gavin’s remark about keeping secrets from the scavengers, specifically the fact that the player is alive.

Ch.2:

  • Made Death’s Vision at start of this chapter match better with background and birthday memory from chapter 1.

Ch.8:

- Added references in Erasmo scenes after the confrontation with Death, checking if the PC had met him or not.

3 Likes

New draft, v41395! Changelog:

Chapter 2:

  • Clarified that the player has stolen Death’s powers.

  • Changed ruthless to rational checks when first talking with strike members.

  • Clarified the intention of Lee and the PC when enlisting Jiani’s help.

Chapter 3:

  • Clarified the intentions of the PC and NPCs at the very start of the chapter.

Chapter 4:

  • Made minor adjustment to start of chapter to fit with alterations in earlier scenes.

Chapter 5:

  • Added another dream sequence where the PC receives a visitor in their hospital room.

  • Added references to the PC’s contributions during the Sanctuary battle when first meeting Erika.

Chapter 6:

  • Added clarification that the player has a limited number of options during the day, before the PC can make any promises to Muhaimin.

Chapter 7:

  • Added new dialogue variations with Lee and Muhaimin when approaching them to talk, based on whether or not the player had made a promise to either of them and then not delivered.

This beta will probably be wrapping up within a week and a half or so, possibly less, so now is a great time to send in any remaining feedback, or to play again if you tested an earlier draft.

3 Likes

New draft, v41419! Changelog:

General:

  • Added achievements.

Chapter 2:

  • Added clarification to why Venonetta lets the player go and then immediately sends guards after them.

Chapter 3:

  • Changed the cockfighting ring so that the player can’t choose to place a bet on a winner if the PC is honorable, or has a certain past.

  • Also added more ruthless options in the exploratory passage before the birds, so the player can establish if they’ve engaged in something similar in their lifetime.

  • Changed the name Joe to avoid it being repeated in chapter 8.

Chapter 8:

  • Added references to whether the player had promised Desi revenge against Aaron or not.

  • Added another variation to Erasmo’s introduction in the throne room if he brought the defeated the PC and brought them to Aaron.

There’s less than a week left on this beta - please send in any remaining feedback as soon as you can!

2 Likes

New draft, v42244! Changelog:

General:

  • Increased stat boosts on secondary stats in early to mid game (chapters 1-6) to improve balance.

  • Lowered stat thresholds on opposed secondary stats (beloved/feared) in chapter 7 and 8 for better balance.

Chapter 6:

  • Added more RO development. Only two characters covered so far (Lee and Muhaimin). Will complete the rest.

  • Changed the ruthless option when dealing with the overcrowding to a perception-based check, to fit better with the tone of the game’s other choices.

Chapter 8:

- Changed the way Erasmo is presented in the basement of the Clockwork Hall. If the player has revealed Death’s secret to him, he actually helps guide them the rest of the way to the throne room.

Keep sending in final feedback! The game will be going to copyedit on September 12.

2 Likes

The game is now going to copyedit, so the beta is closed. Thanks so much to everyone who sent in comments!

3 Likes