Is it time we had Public Test Servers?

[ADVSS]

All of the issues we have had regarding balance can be sourced to lack of testing in a public environment.

Back when NIN came out and the community found a super optimal rotation that dropped mnks place and the devs had no idea. I agree that a test server should exist - it could only benefit both sides of the coin. Especially in situations like this, pre expansion. Would give a lot of mia players a reason to log in and contribute if they wanted to.

[Darkpaw]

A PTR is a double edged sword. On one hand yes it involves the community a bit more and helps make everyone happy or at the very least happier.

However, as people have pointed out that a PTR comes with a few inherent flaws and a few bad apples (which looking at these forums we have an abundance of) could and would destroy it for the rest of us.

So what about a limited ptr with only “experts” of any given role or job via the community. Well this is also built in with an inherent flaw, they will only ever really speak to what they want and i would wager a large part of the midcore/casual fanbase would be left in the dirt with jobs way more complex then they need to be to give the hardcores a better challenge.

There is also a world wide community and all of its feedback to think of and logistics to figure out on all that and you will constantly have dual sides arguing every change and while yes it could and should be a positive to both it could equally be bad for both. More stressed out devs trying to work out suggestions and balance it between hardcore and midcore/casual audience and more players feeling excluded and like their feedback doesnt matter creating this new depth of salt mines based on the ptr elites.. telling everyone how to play the game. Or at least the potential for it.

[Eli85]

If you want a Public Test Server, thinking that it will improve feedback to the devs for upcoming changes, then you misunderstand what a Public Test Server is for. It is not for feedback. It is for identifying and quashing bugs. You can ask anyone who works in game development: by the time changes hit a testing server, it is far too late to make significant alterations to those changes. Things like job changes are decided on months and months before developers are ready to talk about it, never mind putting it up for any sort of hypothetical testing.


English language feedback—as far as making it to the developers in a concise and expeditious manner—is something that could be improved upon, but a Public Test Server is not the way go to about it.

[Aramina]

Hey,

Following the recent upset with job changes I've seen, and from issues with balancing the past 2 expansions and ARR, do you think this game would benefit from a Public Test Server so players can try out changes and give feedback before they go live?

Maybe this would help communication with the devs. When we Beta tested ARR story cutscenes were omitted so no spoilers got out and a lot of content was limited, I think this could be done again to help improve the game over the long term maybe.

What are peoples opinions? Do you think this could help?

Based on certain other games having quite an extensive player testing period and still launching with some really really really bad bits..... no, I don't think a public test is likely to help anything.

[Melichoir]

PTRs are probably not good over the long haul. While it allows players to test changes, it also allows Devs to be less thoughtful in their design and more prone to making changes based on outcry rather than keeping to the game aesthetics. Depending how much content also becomes available in PTR is an issue too. If it allowed for all content to be tested (including raids and savage), then you could see a lot of stuff getting not only spoiled, but testers having a clear advantage on content clears vs people who dont see it.

I think the game, broadly, operates fine without one. The 'outcry' about the healer changes I think is pretty overblown.

[Mavrias]

You know what would come of a Public Test realm...

"They aren't listening to our feedback at all" (See WoW)

probably because wow devs do a terrible job of even showing feedback was heard.