Well, I’ve written over 30k words since my last public update, and instead of reopening that thread and posting more public updates, I’ve decided to just stay low profile on the forums for the next two months and cross the finish line to beta testing. I’d like to have the first wave or two of beta testers picked and ready to go so I can hit the ground running when the game is ready for testing.
Are you a good fit to beta test CCH 2?
-
Have you read CCH 1, preferably in the past few months? Or if you haven’t, are you willing to do so by July/August?
-
Do you have a history of testing CoG and/or HG games on the forums and giving specific, constructive feedback?
-
Will you have some free time in July and/or August?
If you answered “yes,” to all three, you’re exactly the person I’m looking for! And although I would LOVE to have some return beta testers from Part 1, it is certainly NOT a requirement that you participated in the Part 1 beta.
*Also, I would add that testers should be at least 18 years old. There is quite a bit of adult content in the story and I would not feel comfortable with minors testing it.
I will run beta testing in waves, as I did last time. That lets me work with a dozen or so people at a time and fix/tweak/add slowly. Because Part 2 is a complicated game, and a sequel, I would anticipate beta testing would take at least 6-8 weeks, but your commitment would only be for a week or two.
The first wave will start sometime in July, even if the story is only 90% done or whatever. If that’s the case, I will write the last few scenes during the testing process.
Finally, I will ask testers to test certain paths during different waves, to make sure all romance options, side adventures, and improvement paths are equally tested and explored during beta. I would assume most folks would be just fine with this, but I’m just throwing it out there for full disclosure. I’ll also link together Parts 1 and 2 during the last few weeks of beta testing and will need folks who are willing to test the whole eight-hour thing.
Please comment below if you fit the above criteria and you’re interested in helping out! Your help is ESSENTIAL and I REALLY appreciate folks who are willing to devote some time to help me make the story as good as it can be.
5/21/17 - EDITED TO ADD: I will keep my own comments to a minimum below, just so I don’t encourage conversations or otherwise gum up the works! 
5/22/17 - EDITED TO ADD: Wow! Great response everyone! I’ll leave this open for a while, perhaps even until testing, but I won’t comment much. I WILL give everyone at least a week or two’s notice before testing starts, and I’ll start sending out PM invites at that time.
I am firm on the “no minors in testing” rule. I know a good number of HG readers are younger teens, and you’re a vital part of the CCH audience, but for legal reasons, I do not want to discuss scenes of an adult nature with folks who are under the age of majority in the US. Still, if you’re under 18, you can help in a LOT of other ways, including helping spread the word when a release date is announced, recommending the game to your friends, and buying it!
I am also firm on testers having read CCH Part 1. I honestly don’t see how a tester could help testing Part 2 without having read the first one. I’m a little more flexible about testers’ testing histories, but I just want to be assured they will provide that specific help that will be requested.
5/24/17 - EDITED TO ADD: To those who are asking, yes the beta tester recruiting is still active. I’ll leave this thread open for a while, and I’ll only close it if looks like there will be too many folks. That would be hard to achieve, because I’m envisioning up to 6 testing waves, each with 12-15 people, so that’s…hmmm…carry the 2…well that’s like up in the 70s or 80s. That’s a lot of freakin’ people.
6/9/17 - EDITED TO ADD: Really plowing through Issue 8! But Issue 7 is pretty much non-existent. I still have about 50 days! This is doable!
6/12/17 - EDITED TO ADD: Leaving on vacation Wed for an entire week! Will bring my legal pad everywhere to write out scenes (plane, in the condo, by the pool, during strolls on the beach, during restroom visits, during the wedding we’re attending, at the reception, to the seedy dive bar we’re trying to find, etc)
6/22/17 - EDITED TO ADD: Soooo much work to do!! Still focusing on Issue 8 because finalizing the ending will really help me with the rest. I’ve also written (in notebooks) all the major scenes in Issue 7. My plan is to finish Issue 8 by the end of June and spend July coding Issue 7. I keep realizing I have so much stuff to add! That’s okay! I figure beta testing will take at least 2 months, possibly stretching into September. I’ll likely be adding scenes the entire way.
7/18/17 - EDITED TO ADD: I keep cranking out scenes, but my “To Do” punch-list keeps growing! I wrote over 3,000 words on Saturday but still hardly a dent. I’m still hoping to have this ready for beta sometime in August, but now it’s looking like late August at the earliest. I cut a few scenes that weren’t necessary but everything left on my punch-list feels like it is needed to progress the story. I just can’t see cutting anything else so I need to start checking them off one by one.
7/25/17 - EDITED TO ADD. Well, I’ve typed at least a few hundred words on CCH2 every night for like 7 or 8 nights in a row, and I plan to keep it going. Check out my Twitter @CCH_EricMoser to see my nightly word count updates.
8/11/17 - UPDATE ON TESTING SCHEDULE The first group is not officially starting until Aug 20th. I am still bug testing so they haven’t gotten the link yet.
Then each Group will have 1-2 weeks with the game. I still have a LOT of work to do, so beta testing will stretch through August, September, and October. Possibly longer.
As I move to the next group each time, I’ll send PMs to the new folks up to a week in advance. So as long as folks check the forums at least once a week, (which I figure most everyone does), they should have plenty of notice when it is their turn.