Stable v Open Beta

New to DCS but loving it. I'm a WW2 guy playing via Steam. Wish I would've understood I could've had downloaded it direct and end up doing that.

Through multiple threads it sounds like I need to be in Open Beta and not Stable. But it sounds like this changes constantly so is worth it to do all that only to have the OB converted to Stable a week later?

Am I thinking about this right?

Open Beta is where most things are, new features and multiplayer servers, but if you come across a bug, you are not allowed to cry because it is beta. (short summary of it)

Is it worth? Yeah, if you can look besides the fact that betas are buggy as hell, yes (staying always at open beta that is).

Open Beta is has more frequent changes and therefore is updated more often. When a module first comes out of pre-sale, it is only playable on open beta - until it is stable enough (most of the bugs worked out) to go to the stable release platform. An example of this is the JF-17 is on OB only right now; also newly added features to planes like the FA-18C and the F-16C, etc. get loaded to OB first.

So! If you want to be a true beta tester - meaning you are open to experiencing some problems and bugs, and reporting them, and not be frustrated with them - and you like getting access to the new stuff faster, then OB is a good way to go. If not, then your best bet is to stay with the stable release.

Another option - if you have the disk space - is to install both.

Open Beta is where most things are, new features and multiplayer servers, but if you come across a bug, you are not allowed to cry because it is beta. (short summary of it)

 

Is it worth? Yeah, if you can look besides the fact that betas are buggy as hell, yes (staying always at open beta that is).

+1

Open Beta is where most things are, new features and multiplayer servers, but if you come across a bug, you are not allowed to cry because it is beta. (short summary of it)

 

Is it worth? Yeah, if you can look besides the fact that betas are buggy as hell, yes (staying always at open beta that is).

-1 Open Beta contains a few new features, usually half completed or broken.

Anyway most of people are not able to wait one month until beta moves to "stable"... so congratulations, you are becoming community enforced beta tester. (Currently is "stable" 3 month old, because open beta is broken more...)

-1 Open Beta contains a few new features, usually half completed or broken.

Well, I'm one of those forever open beta players and I'm very happy with it. I haven't had any major issues with it in over a year (and probably even much longer than that). Sure, there are the usual small issues that come with each beta update, while other issues are getting fixed at the same time, but there nothing gamebreaking for me in a looong time.

@QuiGon, so if there were not any gamebreaking issues, why BlueFlag was not using latest open beta for some time?

@QuiGon, so if there were not any gamebreaking issues, why BlueFlag was not using latest open beta for some time?

That was much more than a year ago when they did that, because there have been gamebreaking issues indeed at one point, but this was much more than a year ago.

@QuiGon, let me remind you February this year...

I must have missed this and the mentioned DCS issues, as I was on vacation for 1.5 weeks starting on the 14th. :dunno:

Open Beta is the version currently supported by ED.

Ironically enough (given the name) it looks like stable is no longer supported - no bug-fixes this year/none planned for the forseeable future, users of Stable cannot install and play some of the DCS Planes (though suprise surprise the website still allows you to purchase them)

@jasonbirder, actually open beta should be more like "development" version. I recommend you to open https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/downloads/world/ and read "What is DCS World Open Beta?"

Let's put it this way: Every YouTube video you watch right now where someone is flying the JF-17, or teaching how to use a recently-updated feature, yet there was no update to the SR, they are on OB. When the F-16 first released, and all the tutorial vids were made, it was OB. All of Waggs tutorial vids for upcoming modules are created on OB. So to say there are "few" new updates is not accurate, but perhaps more relative to the type of modules you fly. "In development" and "beta release" coincide together. You have beta releases until the error threshold is met to release to a stable environment. I'm not championing OB; I just wanna give the man enough facts to make his own choice.

I run both but haven't been on SR since 2.5.6 came out on OB.

Nothing much to add to the explanation of bignewy.

Sure you get update earlier on the openbeta to the exchange of more risk of breaking but the delay in update it is not a major issue if, like me, you mostly play release module.

The only two case where i think OB is more interesting than stable is :

* you want to play online. A majority of server run the OB version (wich is a testimony of the fair stability of the OB, i think)

* you play an early acces module like the F-16 and want to get the update module as soon as possible

One interesting thing, you can switch you installation from release to OB anytime you want. You'll have to download a tons of update each time, but it's doable. So whatever version you choose, it's not a defintive choice.

Just a tip for the OP. I believe you can still transfer your Steam DCS modules to ED and play without Steam. Go to your profile page on your ED account (just create an account if you don't have one already) and you will find a button to bind your Steam account to ED. You then have to log in to Steam and authorize for data to be shared with ED. A quick search will give you several guides. As I have always ordered direct through ED, I can't advise you further, but it's worth taking a look at IMO.

Future purchases can be made through ED, and get rid of the Steam overhead, as well as keep Steam from taking a bite out of the money.

Open Beta is a public testing version of DCS World, it gets access to new features first so that the public at large can test and report back. At least that's it's intended purpose.

Once features are tested and major problems sorted out (crashes, performance, things not working the way they should be etc) then stable gets an update.

Both are actively supported by ED, however the release of 2.5.6 OB has caused widespread issues that have been reported by many, ED is on the case, and they are providing incremental updates that slowly try to rectify the problems. They are given to the OB branch so that people can test them out, did they work? Did they introduce new problems? Again, at least that is the intended purpose.

Once major problems are ironed out to a satisfactory level then stable gets an update that will match the state of the OB, until the OB is updated again.

The problems with 2.5.6 are severe and fixes are simply taking time to complete and actually gotten working - which is why stable hasn't seen an update in such a long time.

The updates need to be tested on the OB, and until that happens and they're working correctly, no updates for stable.

- A stable player.

I recall when I first got into DCS last year that people were saying the usual cycle for updates to hit stable was about 2 weeks after they were first introduced to OB. Is this still true, or does it vary?

Also, if you are playing through steam and are on OB, do the patches/updates hit Steam at the same time as they do via DCS direct, ir is there a lag for updates being introduced to steam?

I recall when I first got into DCS last year that people were saying the usual cycle for updates to hit stable was about 2 weeks after they were first introduced to OB. Is this still true, or does it vary?

 

Also, if you are playing through steam and are on OB, do the patches/updates hit Steam at the same time as they do via DCS direct, ir is there a lag for updates being introduced to steam?

I'd say every 3 weeks is a bit more accurate. The current delay of several months (since late December) is because there's been a lot to get right on 256 & it's had a bunch of teething problems that ED are getting corrected. Once it's good to go, it's fair to assume we'll be back to the old schedule.

Jasonbirder is being perhaps purposely misleading in his post asserting that stable is no longer being supported. This is par for the course when he was unhappy that individual content wasn't being updated individually, despite several people explaining why this couldn't& shouldn't happen. He has conflated this unusually long update cycle with 'stable not being supported' , which is completely fictitious as bignewy mentioned

To the OP: whether stable or OB is best for you, if you play multiplayer, it sounds like OB is the way to go. If you can't wait to have the latest updates, even in a semi tested state, OB is for you.

Laobi, when talking about early access hits the nail on the head at about 7:30 of the following video. The same exact logic for whether early access is right for you could be said for whether open beta is for you

You can also enable open beta from steam, but I would highly suggest switching over to standalone- regardless of stable or OB. I don't believe you accumulate miles with steam purchases the way you do on ED's store, and with those you can garner a significant discount on future purchases

Personally, I play standalone stable. I started on steam, I've tried open beta, but I prefer fewer yet more substantial &less buggy updates. I don't play multiplayer, and if I don't have the latest features enables now...they'll come in time. In the meantime, I have plenty of content to work thru . YMMV