Quote Originally Posted by Wynn View Post
I would assume it is because everyone was clamouring for in game footage to "believe" in XIV 2.0 and because they have to have something to show at these conventions.

I don't know. I think in SE's defense, our expectations of the alpha stuff is much higher than normal due to XIV's circumstances.

I will say this though: I realize not everyone will agree, but I think the environment in that video and others is absolutely stunning and if the character models look anything like that after all the industry tricks and technology is applied then we're all going to be very happy with the end results.
Yes at the end of the day we do all have to realize Alpha's tend to look like shit. There is that video of how the game looked going from alpha to beta way back when, and it was a huge difference. Alpha tests are generally to see how the game runs under server stress. Beta's are intended more for running the game on full steam and seeing what breaks.