Hey everyone!
With the release of 1.0, we talked briefly about how future public beta releases will work, and now it’s time to really talk about it!
Going forward, we’ll be releasing public betas for upcoming updates on a more regular schedule, similar to that of our Early Access days.
What Are Public Betas?
Public betas are short lived beta tests of an upcoming update to Tower Unite. They are builds of the game that include new features or bug fixes that we need to test before shipping it out to everyone in the game.
Why Public Betas?
Public betas come out just before an update. We’re using these public betas to iron out any immediate bugs or issues before making an update to the game.
With these public betas, you can help us test the game and provide feedback for new features before they fully release.
How To Participate
First, join our discord: Tower Unite
Once in, head to the #info-rules channel and click on the Checkbox reaction to the Public Beta Testing message for major public beta notifications. We may not always notify you using this role, though.
How Betas Work
Betas will be public and something players can opt-in to.
On our Discord, we’ll announce in a new channel (#betas-updates) when the beta branch has updated with a new beta version of the game, and a link to the Trello card of the changes the beta has in it.
After that, you can opt into the beta branch on Steam.
Opting Into Betas
To opt into the public beta, you’ll need to head to Steam.
- Right click on Tower Unite > Properties > Betas.
- From there click on the Beta Participation drop down and select Public Beta.
Note: When opting into a public beta, you will have to repatch your game each time you switch between beta and non-beta. It does not redownload the entire game, but it does have to patch in any changes to the beta, which can take a bit of time.
Removing The Beta/Going Back to Normal Game
In Steam:
- Right click on Tower Unite > Properties > Betas.
- From there click on the Beta Participation drop down and select None.
Joining Plaza Beta Servers
While in beta branch, you’ll see new buttons in the Plaza server list for Plaza beta servers. These will be servers exclusively for the beta itself.
Providing Feedback On Betas
We have a new Discord channel (#betas-chat) in the Game Developments section of our Discord.
This will be the place to share your feedback on the beta. It’ll also be the place to inform us if a bug that was fixed or not fixed, or if you discovered a new bug in the beta.
Does Progress Save During Betas?
Yes, all progress in public betas will save unless otherwise noted. This includes any units or EXP you’ve earned.
Condos
If you make changes to your Condo, it will save. We suggest that you make backups of your Condos (by using the snapshot tool) before making changes in the beta. We do test that the Condo data will save properly for every public beta, but we just want you to be on the safe side.
New Items
The beta branch may have new items that won’t be available in the non-beta. We will inform you of this when announcing a beta release.
Save Data
Save data between betas and non-betas will not always be fully backwards compatible.
-
If you use beta-only items in your Condo and return back to the default branch, they will not be in your Condo anymore,
-
Any newly added IO items or item edit options in a beta will not be compatible with non-beta branch.
-
We will make efforts to ensure Condo data is untouched during betas. Unless otherwise noted in our Discord, your Condo data will remain the same between beta and non-beta.
We strongly urge you to use snapshots and enable the backup system when building in beta mode.
Achievements / EXP Progress
Existing achievements and EXP will still save during betas.
Unless otherwise noted, EXP will save during betas.
Newly added achievements will not save during betas.
Appearance Items
Any newly released hats in the beta will not be compatible in the non-beta, but you will still have them in your inventory when the beta is released.
Once The Beta Goes Live
If you purchased any in-game items during the beta, unless otherwise stated, they will remain in your inventory once the beta goes live.
Can I Play With Players Who Are Not In The Public Beta?
No, you cannot. Once you are in the public beta, you will no longer be able to play with players who are not on the public beta. Public betas are short lived though and the new features will be pushed to the normal game soon after!
Can I Record or Stream Public Betas?
Absolutely! However, please inform anyone watching that it is a public beta and warn them of any spoilers ahead of time! Otherwise that’s just rude!
There Will Be Bugs!
Yes, as it’s a public beta, there may be bugs, that’s the whole point!
Reporting Bugs
Please use this sub-category to report bugs: