I understand the beta process was likely done before the game was to be ported to the new consoles, but how exactly is this going to work? Beta implies early apha testing is complete, and that the game in very nearly done and bugs are being worked out for release... Yet we are still around a entire year from release.

Is the game going to just 'sit' complete on a hdd/master-disc while work on porting it is done? Is it going to be steadily and constantly improved over the rest of this year and most of next? Will there be a whole new Beta closer to release?

What do the rest of my fellow forumites thing?

I'm somewhat disgruntled by the pushing back of the date. I'm still young in my mid-twenties, but I am starting to get old enough that the passage of years is something to be met with a frown, and the idea that i'll be yet another year closer to 30 by the time I so much as get to hold TESO's disc is mildly annoying. And its also sad that i'm starting to note how old i'll be when certain games release. (For example, i'll likely be in my early to mid thirties by the time the next ES games is released. Scary when a development cycle can almost be used to chart half-decades .) I was rather looking forwards to playing it with my family, this year. By next year who knows what will have popped up that they might rather play?

Hell, Fallout 4 might be announced and fairly near release, as it will be around 3 years since Skyrim launched in Fall 2014. Looking at the 'patterns' of release since Oblivion to Skyrim the timing would be about right, and there is no way i'll have time for TESO if i'm playing FO4. on that same note, I was rather pleased, as there seems to be very little coming out towards the end of this year, leaving me plenty of 'room' in my gaming schedule for TESO. Who knows what will be out in late 2014? Its only my love of the Elder Scrolls (and vampires) that is tempting me to play at all, as i've not had much luck immersing myself into MMOs for years now, setbacks and other (singleplayer/co-op) titles fighting for my attention just decrease the chances of the MMO getting any real money out of me.

Testing thoroughly whole game doesnt really hurt it, it does exact opposite actually. They have tested DC nub location for months and acted on feedback, that is a good thing. Short beta with testing few bugs and release isnt that good thing. This is AAA title and no developer/publisher will release it before its ready. Well, except EA games of course

I prefer they take their time. Too early release is recipy for failure. The advantage ESO has is that ZOS publishes their own game.

The release date is set as "Spring 2014" that is not a year and a half from the beginning of the beta, at most it's a year.

Thing is, this appears to be a proper beta, not a glorified demo like most other recent games' betas.

Very likely!

That time will include the console betas, as well as possibly adding more content to the game before release that was going to be held back til shortly after launch. And more thorough testing isn't really a bad thing either.

This has been talked about over a hundred times and constantly shot down.

1. The date was never pushed back because there was no date, only an estimate.

2. Estimates get pushed back all the time, for many games, but MMOs usually see it the most because of their nature. It has nothing to do with the console versions.

3. Beta testing can last over a year, it has in the past. There are so many things they could test, and one of the biggest things to test is how the game handles with an increasing population, especially when you start testing all guild functions and everything that can come from it that deal with PvE and PvP.

4. If the game was ready for sale on a platform, I doubt it would be held back. Businesses want money and the way they get money is to sell products. Letting a product sitting on the shelf for over a year costs them money, and businesses hate stuff costing them money when it could be making them money.

Congratulations on being in your mid-twenties. I'm 30. You either haven't been around many MMOs, this is your first one, or you simply haven't been as involved as a consumer with a MMO in the past as you are now and just now realizing the big PITA waiting for an MMO's release can be.

I was in LOTRO closed beta, a little over a year before the game launched, so I see nothing strange here, the more fresh eyes you have on your product and time for the company to gather metrics, and see what players are doing and where, is a good thing, plus polish is always good to hear, all we can do is hope for the best..

How long the testing phase takes depends entirely on how large of a game it is, beta phases will last longer because it's testing that goes into more detail that an alpha - because alphas are more about get the essential game elements working.

I think you've got your timescale a little warped too, beta started in early March if I remember correctly, the game is now slated for Spring 2014, that's a year, not a year and a half. Plus even if Fallout 4 is announced before TESO is out of beta as a full product then you won't be playing Fallout for a good year at least. The reason why developers and publishers announce their game whilst it's still in development is so that interest grows in numbers, hence the reason why you don't ever get any surprise releases of games. I shouldn't need to tell anyone this.

It svcks to say but its our fault.... we complained we are unable to explore the rest of the worlds so Alliance Zones was made, then people whined "OMG theres only PVP in ESO, nothing for PVErs/raiders" so AZ was made. Etc etc. And those are just a tip of the iceberg. I suppose we should be happy, they're confident to give it another 1 year? maybe 1.2mill at Facebook is a good start?

If asked from me, gold-sink should be at launch too.. alternative progresion (endgame..why not to start it from the beginning?) after people have finished gear-grind so it doesnt just stop and players doesnt start to feel liek, its end now. Also gold-sink should give some meaning to Auction House/crafting too.

They are probably getting good feedback and the game isn't as ready as they thought it was based on beta testing comments. I wish I was there, but I am not so I cannot say for certain. Although I would say this is a very good guess.

I rather have a well tested game than a game that is rushed. I know that not all bugs can be avoided but unfinished incomplete quest lines could be avoided. Especially that past gem of a game.

first thing to know about software:
it's never done

well, and of course there's not just one freak coding the whole game by himself

so while the engine teams are working to get the game running on PS4 and XBOX one, the content team adds new content, the design team creates new stuff, the AI team fixes bugged AI-decisions, etc.

No thats not really accurate of what Betas are. Closed Beta simply means most if not all the game is playable and is now ready to be play tested. The game is no where close to being "done" and we are at least still around a year yet until they even think about printing discs and such. What they are doing now is play testing mechanics along side bug testing. That process generally take 6 Months to a Year sometime even more. You might be thinking of an Open Beta where its more about stress and bug testing, but no Closed Betas are more about testing their systems and balance along side fixing bugs and glitches.