Wait... No Public Test Server for this game?

[Dravion]

A Public Test Server would be fine, if players actually used it for Public Testing.While some will be looking for minor bugs "can't mount in this spot when I should be able too!" Most would use it just to peek at content early, and make a few complaints (craft items in dungeons) but if Yoshi and the team decide that's the way it is, then that's the way it is. So more than likely players would use it to practice new turns, extreme modes, etc. That way once everything is live they can easily breeze through the fight due to knowing all of the mechanics. Once that's done they'd find themselves here on the forums complaining that there is nothing to do.

[KarstenS]

Nothing from the PTR goes over to the lie game

Thats not true. The knowlegde what is coming does. Do you have ever asked yourself, why SE releases the patchnotes regular not before the servers shutdown for patch?

[Parz3val]

Public test servers are just to fix last bugs, not to change the way stuff works. SE is making a much better job at this than publishers of games I know they have public test server.

Not all PTR's are solely for bug-fixing. Many are for feedback on implementations & the like.

As Nekodar mentioned, a PTR for this game would require significant restrictions.

But SE could very well host a Test Realm for new systems.

Think if we could've gotten our hands on Atma, Hunts, Frontline, Wolves Den, all early.

The horrors this could have saved with our feedback.

Not all PTR's have to be about early-advantage or prerelease Raid practice.

[xvshanevx]

You miss[ed] the point. Anything you learn on the public test server, you can use to your advantage on live servers.

Okay, I see what you mean. That is a valid point. But I have to argue: do you then find it better for them to ship broken and flawed game play for the sake of some people given an advantage? (Not like Apps or giant LS have ruined the Hunt or anything, and this came out without a PTR.)

...but if Yoshi and the team decide that's the way it is, then that's the way it is.

This is leading to the main point I think I am trying to formulate, is that this development team sees it as "their way or the high way." I personally think that what they have done with the game is great. But leaving the concerns of the player base (the customer) out of their business plan really only spells disaster for the future of the game. I understand the trope of "early access for some = complaining about nothing to do," and there is very little you can do about that. Simply because a few hundred players will cry that there is nothing to do, since they spent their time in the PTR "playing" the game instead of "testing" the game, is no ones fault but their own.

Here's an analogy that might work: You're hosting a dinner party, and your main dish is going to be a dish that you have never cooked before. What do you do?

Most of the time I would leave options to choose, but you can come up with your own. But know this, if you've never cooked the dish, never tried what you have made, and no one you know has tried it either, then how will the party go once the dish is served?

[silentwindfr]

exept here, we are not talking of the raid, but the add of feature, by showing to a few bunch of player how it is, they can know if it will be good or not.

they can create a server test with NDA and save a lot of time and money for fix mess like hunt.

ps: more important, this server must be with player from all around the world, not only japanese or american or european.

[Pandastirfry]

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Yup, completely agree with this here. Either way you look at it though, you're having a select few trying, or previewing the new material, and if something fishy comes up, they then can report it. I think, what I'm trying to say is, SE creates new content for this game and then has no one try it out before releasing it. And this doesn't strike anyone as odd? Millions of players playing, world wide, and no player based testing. Nothing?

From my experience with PTRs, yeah people rummage around and find a few minor bugs and report them, maybe give some feed back about drop rates and boss mechanics that lead to wipes, but exploits, easily farmable stuff that will allow one to dominate the market, Player PvE abilities that really should be nerfed, and such... Prison Rules, baby! Snitches get stitches!

[BobbinT]

From what I learn about public test server, at least on XI, is to check latest feature before SE decide to release it in live server, or withhold it. Cait Sith summon and new UI are among those that's taken longest time being in test server, with Cait Sith summon being recently and officially approve for public live release after years being in test server and ppl already doubting it would see the light. Basically, test server serves as to test new features whether it's ok or not.

[Nekodar]

Okay, I see what you mean. That is a valid point. But I have to argue: do you then find it better for them to ship broken and flawed game play for the sake of some people given an advantage? (Not like Apps or giant LS have ruined the Hunt or anything, and this came out without a PTR.)

I just pointed out one reason for why PTR needs restrictions, I didn't say or mean that there shouldn't be any at all.
A PTR wouldn't have helped one bit against radars though, and the drawbacks of this kind of open world content was pointed out way before hunts, but people just waved it away as a non-issue.
I maintain that hunts should have been based on limited amounts of base pop items, possibly farmable for extra, with higher tier pop items being a possible drop from the base.

[WellFooled]

In my experience (besides the already mentioned hardcore raid groups), most people who participate in PTR do so casually to get a preview of the upcoming content, and PTR have a much lower population, and no progress can be applied to your characters on the live servers. Because of this, I don't think it would have changed anything about the implementation of hunts. There would be few people doing them and thus little competition. So the majority of problems associated with the hunt wouldn't have happened on the PTR.

[silentwindfr]

I just pointed out one reason for why PTR needs restrictions, I didn't say or mean that there shouldn't be any at all.
A PTR wouldn't have helped one bit against radars though, and the drawbacks of this kind of open world content was pointed out way before hunts, but people just waved it away as a non-issue.
I maintain that hunts should have been based on limited amounts of base pop items, possibly farmable for extra, with higher tier pop items being a possible drop from the base.

actually, if people had test this before hand, i highly doubt it will have reach the live... a lot of people was expecting something better than this. more deep and more fun... here is not deep is not fun is... pathetic...
i means how you can seriously think that 5000-6000 player per server will not rush to try this new system... did they forget the zergfest of the FATE at the 2.0? they really did expect player to be able to solo rang B monster that have 30 minute respawn?

you want to know what i think? they did add hunt like something trivial that player will do between dungeon or change of pace. but what yoshida and it team seems to loose of sight that the fact that people want more different content that dungeon and raid, they want other activity! Hunt was possibly one of them, but in this form, sorry it's a loose of time, money and energy.

but what anger me, it's the fact that they think it's all good because on japanese server they have less trouble, it's like we, european and american (or other people of the world actually) are second class citizen. i'm enraged to see how they have destroy a potentially amazing feature simply for?... i don't see why they didn't make it something better!
maybe they are afraid people will not do dungeon or raid anymore? but it's silly! if they are soo much scared of this, they only need to make the dungeon and raid more better! instead to destroy potential activity!