...sometime I have to learn how quoting works...

@Spider: I think what the questions you asked me were already answered in my post: authors can ask for feedback in forums or a beta area. And 2. I don't want to be forced to play betas when I want to take part in the normal "game-modes" (like PlayPal).
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Maybe I understood something completely wrong and that's what Spider wanted at first, but I could imagine the following:

2 PlayPals (The normal and a Beta-PP)
When you drive betas and have no beta yourself, the Karma gets transfered to the normal PP.

So there would be a benefit for those who drive betas. The people who just want to drive finished tracks can do that on normal PlayPal. Maybe there could be a conversion-rate fe. 1 Beta-Karma = 0.5 PlayPal-Karma. And a additional rule that you can only submit a replay in BetaPlayPal when you wrote a comment. (But then there must be a rule against nonsense-comments).

Hm, maybe that's not really an uncomlicated solution. But I don't care about betas anyway, I just don't want them in the normal PlayPals.

I was talking about one ppb and one pp and your idea with karma to pp was nice.
still, we must came up with a fair rank system on ppb first so your track climb as in pp.
Becouse that was the idea with ppb from the start.
btw maybe we can make award possible in beta and after 4 -or 5 award its out, becouse then it don´t need any more feedback, but the award and replay disapear after release as usual.

add a beta test feature so we can see if someone is willing to beta test a track
a bt icon = (a B on a blue dot or something) at the user so mx automaticly pm x beta testers at random
so maybe we don´t need a beta area just a depot where the tracks to keep our tracks.

wow, i just got an idea again

what about no beta area you just submit as usual and you mark your track with beta. and when you submit your track as beta, you get to a page where all free beta tester show up and say for example, you pick 5 of 100 users that show ("becouse they have the bt icon") up in the list and you mark 5 of them that you want to beta test your track.

should say if the beta tester like to beta test fs/tech or both.

the map can only be downloaded by the 5 you choice or maybe they got a pm with a link to the track.
And this message.

This is an automatic message from mx, becose SPIDER want you to beta test his new map.
and your beta icon is active. so give him some feedback or an award, if you are happy and decide it need no feedback from you.

automated spam to users, who agree to receive spam?

Space says:
automated spam to users, who agree to receive spam?

no spam, if you agree with the agreement and have a beta icon in your name.

haha, max only 2 maps per beta than.
if there is no bt user left, dunno.

All your ideas assume there are a lot of people who want to beta-test tracks. Well, let's face reality - there aren't many after all.
Only friends will do it as a favor or people who can't wait to see your next track.
Those few people that really love to beta-test will look into the beta forum.

So imo all those other ideas and extra beta-functions are pointless.

I think I said no to a beta area to MrA and I'm willing to pursue that decision further.

Here's how the system previously worked:
• Upload a track to the beta area.
• Pretend like people actually gave you meaningful feedback.
• Upload (release) the finished version.
• Send a million messages out to the users who "tested" your track asking for awards. That can be as subtle as "Here's my finished track. Thanks for testing! Don't forget to leave a comment (or award) ", to something as direct as "Here's my finished track. Award it now and I'll award one of yours!!! plz kthxbai ".

Forzyy says:
I think I said no to a beta area to MrA and I'm willing to pursue that decision further.

Well actually, I'm pretty sure my suggestion was also that the beta area should not be recreated at mania-exchange, go check the chat logs if you like

now i got it becouse
at tmx you have this, "click here to send a message to the whole team! "
what about this.
click here to send a message to all users ?"

DISCO at mx ^^ yee haa

SPIDER (15031) says:
click here to send a message to all users ?"

Now I'm sure that was on the list, but only for me

haha
btw: with disco i mean there will be alot of flashing message around but we won´t see it, just our own pm icon flashing 24/7.

you need some imagination to get this.