Guild Wars 2

GW2 needs some kind of test server during feature packs (or better known as the next patch).

Players could copy their characters from live servers to this test server to try out the new features before they get put into game. And can give their opinions about what they like and what they don’t like. This is also a good place for players to find bugs for the Developers to fix before the “feature pack” goes live. So far this is my take on the new update.

Trading Post.. I like it, but their are things that I wish it had, like setting a default sell mode, instead of it being defaulted to lowest seller.

The new leveling system is a bad idea, it makes a lot of players look like idiots.

Class changes, I guess they are ok.. but I can only speak for thief.. love the cleave on daggers.

Putting minis in your H window.. yeah its ok.. but what is not ok is that you can’t even have them out to show them off without getting “map is too full, sorry”

It’s common knowledge ANet. Guild Wars 2 needs a test server, it would save a lot of trouble before releasing a feature pack.

Agreed.

A public test server the weekend before the update could benefit the game a lot. Private tests will only help you find some minor bugs, but it’s the weird people that plays in random ways the ones that can find out other bugs.

Star Trek Online has it and uses the test Server to great advantage.
They also have a better costume concept whit lots of looks you can switch between. Great emotes, and cool dances ;D

Agreed, they need the community feedback a test server provides to avoid yet another feature pack disaster.

Thanks for tagging this as a suggestion

(which ever mod you are )

Completely agree. Either a for-reals public test server (that frequently patches, with the big disclaimer that “this is NOT final content” obviously), or a more private one to which you will invite A LOT of players to. Not just a handful. Like enough to get together and do the bigger events. Really, you need a lot of players to ensure that all the weird little side things get tested and so on.

Star Trek Online sometimes has two test servers running, one for “latest content that hasn’t gone live yet”, and one for “wild hair we’re testing that may never see the light of day”. City of Heroes had a test server. There was a ‘copy char’ tool on the website that you could use to selectively copy all or just some of your characters over to the test database. (There was a separate install for the game, as I recall, but it may have just been the same install with a command line flag.) Other games do it. It’s not a new idea, and it doesn’t overly ruin the surprise of the game.

Bug reports on the test server should be flagged differently internally, of course, to keep them from being lumped in with bug reports from the live server.

Vegeta.2563:

GW2 needs some kind of test server during feature packs (or better known as the next patch).

I honestly would be fine with a Public Test Server that is only used for Feature Packs. Living World and story patches needs to stay out of the Test Server.

This would only be useful if they actually fixed bugs that were reported.

There’s bugs that have been in the game since Beta. Well known, frequently reported, completely ignored.

So many other games use this, and its proven to work.

Please Anet, let us help you fix this game!

well, I know a game that have this. (Diablo III cough*). it did a bit of good, for bugs mostly. but for content, devs do not listen. XD

I can’t +1 this enough.

If anything this feature pack definitely proves that Arenanet would benefit a lot from having a PTR for future feature packs. Players would have reported right away that the leveling changes are not right, and we might have been lucky enough to get the worst offenders pulled out.

It would be pretty cool for tuning up balance fixes in real-world PvP and PvE situations with real players.

Also, since the Living World is separated from the feature packs they would be able to make those test realms spoiler-free.

Dear gods in heaven, yes. Please, for the love of keeping this the game I love so much, please, please, please institute a test server and roll this stuff to it months or weeks before you roll it live, so you can see how it actually works.

I remember that we had requested for this way back,
but it has never happened.

Hopefully this time they might consider setting one up.

just let dulfy and wooden potato test the content, apparently they get early access

cheshirefox.7026:

just let dulfy and wooden potato test the content, apparently they get early access

That’s even worse… everyone or no one!

A test server would be really great. +1

Elrey.5472:

cheshirefox.7026:

just let dulfy and wooden potato test the content, apparently they get early access

That’s even worse… everyone or no one!

From an analysis standpoint, gathering data from the entire playerbase just to test a patch feature is just not going to work. Considering that there are thousands of players who play this game on a daily basis, overwhelming feedback (some constructive and others most likely going to be ramblings of an average gamer "DIZ PATCH IS BROKEN! GW2 IZ DED!!!!11) A focused group of a few players is going to be the more logical approach as you are likely going to get more constructive criticism and feedback.

Yea.. a puplic testing server would make it a LOT easier to balance the game, try out new features AND dont kitten people off. And to make certain that people actually test that stuff out give them some extra loot drops from whatever they test AFTER a survey that pops up if you are done. You could right away use the dialogue system for that like:

“So dude how did you like the (insert name here) feature? 1: not good, 5: good”

Answers would be then 1,2,3,4,5 and done

This way you would have a general idea if ppl like it or not… the details of what needs improvement or is alright how it is can be discussed in the forums and its easier to discuss with people who are not kittened off beyond belief cause stuff goes completely into a direction the (mayority of) people dont want or like at all. I know how it feels.. i needed to REALLY keep myself together yesterday to not comprise my posts of the word “kitten” repeated 100 times…