Testserver : PLAY or TEST?

[Toldi]

Hi

I have some problem with testserver and the patches in live servers.
All new patch include many annoying bugs. When 15.0 comes out and few days later 15.1, now the 16.0 and 2 days later and come the 16.1 patch.

I understand there are not enough bughunters, but the players can help in the bughunters work.
- In 14.5 was to high the new mob evades,there are not enough high characters who can try the new mobs.
- In 14.6 Critical damages, not enough Vision Enhancer or ELLTS for middle or high level characters.
And many many bug what the bughunters can't see before.

I think impossible for a normal player to test at the testserver. We can't try the new thigs, changes. Can't play at middle or high level. All player is below level 50.

I don't want play at low level, and start the gaming from zero. When i start a character at Live

server the start money is 5 mill + a yalm at level 25.
Anyone have 50 mill in testserver buy a new yalm for try?

I think the function of test server is the testing. I think need :

- Neverending cash buy in shop for normal items. ( I think the trade not interested )
- Need a LEVEL UP button.
- Need a lots of IPR point.

When this is too hard things then delete the buffed characters after 48 hours.

I think all who will play in testserver: Get new experiences, see the bugs. The normal players can try own character at testserver and can make a better character at live. This is good for FC and good for the players.

[__________Wraith God]

The problem with your suggestion is that the build on the testing server has to be identical to the intended live load for the testing to be meaningful. Anything special invalidates testing. Finding bugs is a tough job; having to sort out whether the added specials affect your problem is a black hole that you'd be crazy to go into.

[Toldi]

Yep, i know the test was a tought job. I just say, the player can help more when they can play higher levels, when see the problems in live few mins after the server patch why not see before the patching?

When the bug is known bugs, why load the patch to live?

I just see the bugs in live server, then anything wrong.

Maybe in testserver can't found the problems? Or found, just the FC will annoying the players?

[Thyrra]

the overwhelming majority of bugs -are- found on test. FC management decides when to patch, regardless of the state of bugs.

[__________Wraith God]

One possible way to get high level players in test is to do it through the character creation. This segement seems to be totally separate from the AO load (the 'AO is loading' message comes up after character creation now). So what you could do is to allow players to select a starting level in the test load of the character creation. This would give them an equivalent IP count to allocate when they arrive on Rubi Ka.

The downside is that the character creation testing would not be 100% valid, but its a small part, and likely worth the trouble to get better high-level player testing.