Test Server

[Pence]

I'm not sure why this isn't a thing as of yet. Can we please have one? So many 'mistakes' could have been avoided, and feedback received prior to a release so you can fix. Top of my head where feedback would have been massively useful?

- MCH. Remember when SE told us it's in a fine position but we just don't know how to play it? Big shock that now SE thinks it's DPS is low.......5 months after everyone else knew it.

- AST on launch. AST now kinda.

- Diadem. Everything about it.

- Diadem again. (It deserves two mentions)

[Malzian]

I'm not sure why this isn't a thing as of yet. Can we please have one? So many 'mistakes' could have been avoided, and feedback received prior to a release so you can fix. Top of my head where feedback would have been massively useful?

- MCH. Remember when SE told us it's in a fine position but we just don't know how to play it? Big shock that now SE thinks it's DPS is low.......5 months after everyone else knew it.

- AST on launch. AST now kinda.

- Diadem. Everything about it.

- Diadem again. (It deserves two mentions)

A PTR would be awesome, as long as they don't include dungeons and boss fights into the mix. Just general systems so we can test them would be wonderful.... but I don't expect they'll do this anytime soon since the Dev team seems to like to 'surprise' us with everything. (Also it's to keep people from 'mathing out' content like the Diadem before it releases, but honestly if they make changes from the PTR right before release this shouldn't be an issue.)

[Nalien]

A test server wouldn't fix things like Diadem, a test server can find small issues in content/Jobs, but Diadem is fundamentally flawed.

If they want to fix Diadem, they need to listen to their damn playerbase; Hunts get a lot of hate, but that's all Diadem really is... They made no effort to make Diadem about finding the NMs with your group, it's just more people shouting and calling in a zerg (the exact thing Hunts get flak for), then they just slapped gathering on top of the mess and called it an event, when they needed to do something to incorporate gathering into the flow of the event (effectively make it a support role by having them uncover chests with temporary items to help in combat, have them clear the way into various parts of the map by removing roots/rocks, etc.). Putting something like Diadem in a test server would just tell them the exact same stuff we're already telling them, and they're already ignoring.

I think Yoshida made a comment some time ago about how they've got plenty of programmers but are perhaps looking to hire content designers, and it really shows. Diadem had the bare minimum amount of effort put into designing it, as do dungeons and as do Trials (round circle every time). Hope they hire someone who can actually make some engaging content, because I'm getting real tired of the same thing with a different skin each update, they're lucky Sokens work can save most of them. I look a Sephirot standing in the same arena we've got since Ifrit (or Titan if you want to get picky with the whole falling off thing) and my eyes cannot roll harder, but then I hear a beautiful FFVI remix and all is right again...

A test server would be great for little things like Job adjustments though, more so with that Stone, Sky, Sea thing on the way. Can't really have us find bugs with something like Alexander: Midas, not without it spoiling Alexander: Midas at least, but we can always test Jobs for free, or adjustments to old content (although I'd rather they never nerf anything like they did with Second Coil).

[worldofneil]

I'd be very surprised if they didn't have at least one test server, especially since they had one with FF XI (called Atomos). I did some Googling and it suggests that they have at least two test servers for FFXIV, Narshe and Zvahl, although that might just be for 1.0. Just because they don't show us the names of them, doesn't mean they don't exist (it's probably less confusing to not show us since we don't really need to know).

[Pence]

I mean....they literally could have just made a forum post about what Diadem was and we probably could have picked it apart. All it'd take is 1 day testing to show them how bad it is - along with other exciting new content like Sieze. PVP should never be subject to RNG.

And worldofneil - I missed 'P' (public) out of OP, sorry. There are no open public servers. There's bound to be internal test servers.