ArtCraft Entertainment have posted their initial plans for how Crowfall’s first pre-alpha test will be handled:

We’re currently doing daily team internal testing and polishing of the Pre-Alpha Combat Test.  We’re going to start introducing backers with the Pre-Alpha reward into this same process, which means you’ll be playing alongside the development team.

We will likely do multiple rounds of Pre-Alpha Combat Testing with the backers that have the Pre-Alpha reward. This will take at least a week – we won’t know exactly how long, because it depends on how well the tests go. When we see that the Pre-Alpha Combat test version is solid, and we are ready to scale up participation, we’ll start inviting the backers with an Alpha 1 reward to join in!

Expanding the test to include Alpha 1 players will happen in groups (of 50 to 100, most likely). Access will be granted in (chronological) pledge order.  You will get an email with the details you need at least 24 hours in advance of your first test. Everyone with an Alpha 1 reward will get multiple opportunities to test! 

There isn’t a pre-set schedule for exactly how many players we will add to any given test, or exactlywhen we’ll invite the next group.  We will add players as we need to, and as we can, until all Alpha 1 backers have gotten access.

Test servers will typically be open for an hour or so at a time, at least a few days every week.  Everyone authorized and enabled for the test will be emailed the schedule of tests so that they can try and participate. You will not receive an email until we are ready to add your backer account to a test, after that you will receive test schedules as they are created.

And if you’re curious what the subject of this first pre-alpha test will be, here’s their list of planned features:

The features that we specifically wanted to test:

• Patching, login and authentication
• Character lobby (and lobby chat)
• Simplified character creation
• First pass versions of the Knight, Confessor and Legionnaire
• Avatar customization (equipment and color)
• Grouping/teams (up to 16 teams, three people per team)
• God crests
• Group/team chat
• Environmental effects (i.e. the Hunger)
• Inventory and equipment
• Containers (chests, corpses and looting)
• Loot spawners (weapons and armor)
• Powers & combo chains for all three archetypes (with sound FX and particles)
• Melee and ranged combat
• Stat pools (Health, Stamina, Energy, Rage)
• Healing (time and radius-based)

Additionally, there’s a new installment in their Combat Chat series, in which designers Thomas Blair and Tully Auckland discuss Hunger Dome, a last man standing-style tournament gameplay mode.