Is There an NDA in Effect?

[rico_d]

Just popped in to check on Dust and the new IL-2 when I saw this game. I'm a big sim/RTS fan, so it imediately got my attention. Before I start hunting down folks for details, is there an NDA in effect? Normally it'd be obvious, but it seems like there's a good amount of open information about Beta, so I just figured I'd ask. =)

Ubi has a pretty solid reputation for games with a fair bit of depth, so I'm glad to see something in the pipe in this genre. I think it's a really hard thing to pull off, so good luck guys! Really excited to see it.

[BB_Arad1]

Hey there rico. There is no NDA. Feel free to chat it up!

[rico_d]

Well, awesome! As it turns out, I just got a key in my email, so looks like my questions'll be of a different nature.

Glad to hear there's no NDA, though. I'll be able to tell the friends about it. Thanks!

[BB_Katealyst]

Well, awesome! As it turns out, I just got a key in my email, so looks like my questions'll be of a different nature.

Glad to hear there's no NDA, though. I'll be able to tell the friends about it. Thanks!

Tell your friends to register an account! They should be getting a beta key shortly after!

[StephenFS]

Nice to hear there isn't an NDA. I actually read one once for a beta from another LARGE company and it was scary.

[KillerClown]

Nice to hear there isn't an NDA. I actually read one once for a beta from another LARGE company and it was scary.

What is so scary about an NDA?

[MrGrimm1]

In some cases, some companies will have you sign a NDA to do a pre-beta playtest(sometimes refereed to as a proto-beta). It might be a game/product that hasn't even been announced publicly, so as to protect themselves from having secrets stolen and such they have that in place. So if you were to say play this game 6 months before it was even announced and you talked to the press about it, we would reserve the right to protect ourselves with ninja's or law suits.

[KillerClown]

In some cases, some companies will have you sign a NDA to do a pre-beta playtest(sometimes refereed to as a proto-beta). It might be a game/product that hasn't even been announced publicly, so as to protect themselves from having secrets stolen and such they have that in place. So if you were to say play this game 6 months before it was even announced and you talked to the press about it, we would reserve the right to protect ourselves with ninja's or law suits.

Was that supposed to be a reply to me?

I don't see how an NDA is scary for anyone besides the game company themselves, the "fear" of their designs/plans getting into the public before they want them to. I believe it's well justified that if you release information under an NDA they should be able to, in what I would consider to be more severe cases, "sue you" per se.

I've alpha and beta tested well over 300 titles, and I find nothing scary about an NDA from a beta tester/user/gamer perspective. ;p
And not necessarily trying to correct you (I'm a fairly straightforward and blunt individual, some of the way I say things comes across a bit "offensive" even though I do not intend them to be that way), but most NDA's aren't just based on "the press". If you release information, even in a non-press related venue, that manages to get enough attention that the company feels/can prove you've threatened the integrity of their operation, then they generally (and by all means should) have a right to "prosecute" you.

Note: I use the terms "sue" and "prosecute" very lightly, as I believe there are different levels at which you could release confidential information. Some more extreme than others, though all may be a violation of the NDA itself. These merely represent some of the further/more extensive cases.

[Baulthar]

I've been a professional "proto-beta" tester for about a decade now, and have no regrets on any NDA. I have worked with software and hardware of all colors, shapes & sizes.