Droid Engineer Archive

Bria was coppied and used as a test center, but nothing was actually transferred to test center and that copy of bria is gone now.

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Jenden wrote:
Bria was coppied and used as a test center, but nothing was actually transferred to test center and that copy of bria is gone now.

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Yup.

It's too bad that character copy is now in the realm of vaporware, or I'd be there banging out as many droids as I could. But grind up MDE on a server with a fundamentally borked economy? I wish there were 30 hours in the day...

Audio

Theeconomy really isn't all that bad, resources cost way less on TC than on live servers, most resources I've seen areselling for 1-2 credits per unit, and missions still pay the same amount, so running artisan missions with a cheap speeder will make you quite a bit of cash in short amounts of time. Now once you make DE, sure, you won't have as big a market for your wares, but getting there isn't too hard.

Market for your wares?

Its a Test Center..and thats the problem with it. It should operate as one and not be a home from home for all those with the time to spend grinding everything twice.

If the Devs want me to test I'll test, but not till Char copy comes in. I did set up a char, but its just plain too time consuming to go through the hoops again.

Rare resources should be available by command

Skill levels should be variable by command

Credits should be available on demand.

Then, and only then, can anyone test anything..properly. (no disrespect intended to those with full chars on TC)

/sigh (*dreams of UO test server*)

the reason that makes a poor test server is it means you've got different code. Aside from a few debug flags, the code from test center is identical to what goes out on live. The more you change that, the less relevent you're testing becomes. Also, with instant resources/skills very little actually gets tested, generally only the top level things. That also goes along with the fact that you don't get any solid testing in, you get people who pop in, test a couple things they're interested in, and pop out, leaving most of the foundation untested.

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Jenden wrote:
the reason that makes a poor test server is it means you've got different code. Aside from a few debug flags, the code from test center is identical to what goes out on live. The more you change that, the less relevent you're testing becomes. Also, with instant resources/skills very little actually gets tested, generally only the top level things. That also goes along with the fact that you don't get any solid testing in, you get people who pop in, test a couple things they're interested in, and pop out, leaving most of the foundation untested.

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Message Edited by AudioOrgana on 02-29-2004 11:20 PM

What they should do is leave TC as it is, but use the Second Test Server (the one they copied Bria to) as a mass-testing server. Give out free xp to everybody (there is code already for this in the Correspondent Terminals) and free training, make the missions give out 10 or 100 times the credits, so they are very easy to come by for harvesters and whatnot, and keep every rare resourcein shift at all times. This way the regular TC gets used as it is now, with "regulars" testing things, and the major changes can get mass-tested with little time investment from live players. I don't see why they don't do something like this.

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Jenden wrote:

The problem is its really only a couple professions that aren't very well represented. One person can do all the high end testing, its the low level, every day, basic stuff that they need people actually playing for. Giving everyone the ability to get skills at will cuts all that out, but only giving it the the corresponents allows them to test all the high-level changes but still leave a large group in the middle testing the groundwork.

As far as the economy on TC goes, its actually better than on most live servers. Yes, people don't have as many credits to throw around but then again the overall price of goods is lower. If I could bring myself to leave all my devoted customers on Tarquinas I would actually switch over there (would never dissapear on my customers and friends like that, so I'll never be full time TC...)

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I guess I just disagree that one person can do all that testing. Drashk says he's gotten two hours in so far - and we are still missing some vital stats.

Systems need to be tested by lots of different types of players with different playstyles. Perhaps Drashk perfers to use copper as stock metal whereas someone else would use steel. Does it matter? Maybe not, but it could, and you need as many people banging out content in as many ways as possible - because it's going to happen 1000 times over once it hits live - and by then it may be too late. It's not even about load testing, it's simply about testing as many variables as possible - and a single person can never do that. What if a bug only comes up when an item is crafted in a research center? What if it comes up when you craft an item under the influence of one of those new skill foods and it resets all stats instead of enhances them?

Yes, those are far-fetched examples, but the point is you have no idea when a bug is going to show up.

I also disagree about low-level content. Yes, it's important to test all content but when it comes down to it the high-level content, especially for crafters, it is what has the largest game breaking potential. For example, if there is a bug with crafting Mabari Armor, a low-level item that relatively few people wear for very long in live play, it wouldn't be good but it wouldn't be gamebreaking. If there is a bug with Advanced Composite Armor, though, which many, many people use on a daily basis, it's going to have a much more sweeping and detremental effect on live players.

I just don't see why both types can't work - people who want to do it the way they are now can continue just as they are, and people that are casual testers could still participate using any number of aids (including charachter copy).

I have spent some time on TC in the past few weeks, probably 10-12 hours total, and I've traveled to every player city on Corellia, Tattoine, and Naboo where I was told the "action" was. Yes, when I could actually find items they were relatively inexpensive. But most vendors I found were empty or with limited quantities - especially in resources.

Even Shug has admitted that it is likely that because of the limited population TC it takes an even greater time commitment than live, even if that's the only server you play on.

I just wish TC was opened up more to casual play - because those that are going to "move" there exculsively largely already have and we need all the testing we can get.

Audio