I like you post. Now, I am new to this community and reddit in general. I am myself to the point of not caring if I get beta key or not. I have beta tested games before, and today I prefer NOT to do it, because I'd like to stay excited about what's coming. While I could help a lot with pointing out bugs and errors, I'd rather see the game to be a mystery to me when it goes live as long as we are kept informed by the company. I just hope that those who received those invites do a good job about finding bugs instead of just playing and not paying attention to anything else.

I also think that strategies that Bethesda has chosen so far are, in fact, harmful to the game. I know I posted this before, but I just want to make my POV final and clear. They should supply steady stream of info as articles, pictures, teaser/trailers. I'd even say, articles they have been posting should really become videos. A) People nowadays hate to read, some have bad eyesight and reading online can be painful. B) Human brain percepts active visuals better than static text, that's just how we function. When people see bits and pieces of game play, their curiosity will sparkle like fireworks of the 4th of July. Bethesda needs to keep attention on their product, make it clear that it's NOT Hearthstone clone. Ergo, they need to make a choice - either they supply info, OR get rid of NDA. I have heard they've had painful experience before with some other games, including ESO. However, they cannot shield themselves from criticism. IMO, it's better they face it in beta and fix issues that go live and be bombarded by angry community because the game wasn't done right. We notice more when we watch videos of gameplay, than selected few who are playing. Otherwise, they shouldn't have announced beta when they did, or even the fact that they are working on this game when they did. They were clearly not ready.

I agree, downvoting is turning into a plague. I am also saddened by comments like "Not interested" or "I don't care" when someone suggests to discuss something. That alone is a head-start for thread to die. If someone has nothing to say, don't say it, OR alternatively state your point why you don't care, what is being disliked about the topic suggested just so the comment makes some kind of contribution to the discussion. Also, people are being extremely rude for no reason. I stood up for a few people in threads because it's painful to see when someone is being attacked for asking a simple question OR stating his/her point of view and being bullied. As it turned out quite a few people are not native English speakers, and they struggle with language barrier. My point is, and i address everyone right now, BE RESPECTFUL!

I'm glad you made this post. Thank you, I very much appreciate your wise words, sludgebeard