I find your attitude quite astonishing. How many IF authors on this forum actually sell their games once they are playtested and finished? I think you will find it is very few, if any. I am sure that, like me, they write IF for pleasure, not profit. I have considered offering to pay playtesters, but my one regular playtester told me in no uncertain terms that it would not be a good idea.
As to the suggestion that I “get off this forum and go test it myself”, don’t you think I’ve been doing that? I don’t really think you have much concept of what is involved in writing an IF game and then getting it properly playtested. I try to think of every possible thing a player might do in a given situation but you cannot think of everything. My playtester never fails to amaze me with the things she tries. I try to anticipate her but she will ALWAYS try something different.
I note from your other posts that you use Inform7 to write IF. Have you actually written a full game? If so, did you have it playtested by paid playtesters? If not, when you finish your game are you intending to pay any playtesters that you “recruit”? Somehow, I don’t think so. (lol)
Very, very unhelpful. It’s well known the author is the worst person you want as the sole beta tester.
Also, to reiterate what Lazzah’s just said, I’m sure if he were intending to sell his games his approach would be different. But like most of us, he’s not. And like most of us, he’s relying on the existing community, which already has some beta-tester-finder tools in place.
Lazzah: So you still don’t have a beta-tester? I suppose you tried asking over at the ADRIFT forums?..
I have ONE regular playtester who is VERY good, but even she will not find EVERY bug or error, as different people play text adventures in different ways. I have asked on the ADRIFT forums for playtesters, but have had no takers. Back when I first wrote the games in the 1990’s I had a team of 5 or 6 testers and had other people who also volunteered. Even though I did sell the games then, the playtesters (some of whom were personal friends) did the job for pleasure and I know they would have been insulted if I had offered payment. They told me that it was enough reward to have their names mentioned in the credits for the game.
I have now taken your suggestion and have added a “Help me improve this game” page to my forthcoming games where I ask players to contact me if they find any bugs. The only reward for this that I can offer is to acknowledge that person on the credits page. Time will tell if it works!
Yeah, I was going to mention that again. One beta-tester is one beta-tester more than some games have. You can even also say that because you had such a hard time finding beta-testers (you can word it prettily and say things like the community going through an intensely creative and frenetic time that left no-one any real time to beta test ) you are particularly interested in bug-reports, as you want the game to be its best. Words to that effect.
EDIT -
Those were the days. . In those days I also heard that someone sent a letter to Bruno Bonell of Infogrames about Alone in the Dark, and actually got a reply.
I suppose you tried asking over at the ADRIFT forums?..
One beta-tester is one beta-tester more than some games have. You can even also say that because you had such a hard time finding beta-testers (you can word it prettily and say things like the community going through an intensely creative and frenetic time that left no-one any real time to beta test 
) you are particularly interested in bug-reports, as you want the game to be its best. Words to that effect.