Second "backup" Beta Server

[Zeraphia]

I'd really appreciate it if for the future there was a current live-version of the server, but on a beta platform for testing purposes and making direct 1:1 comparisons for set redesigns and changes. For example, as it is on live, I may not have a completely directed character with Energy Melee pre-change with the current variation to compare and contrast what I do or do not like about the set and my overall impressions/feedback. 

[CrudeVileTerror]

I like the sound of this, but I wonder what kind of overhead the Devs might have to suffer to make and keep a whole 'nother cluster of servers (virtual or otherwise).   It might just be one too many things that could break.

But, yeah.  Being able to provide side-by-side comparisons between different versions of a beta patch or live release could be incredibly helpful.

Maybe some day the Devs will release the code for us to run it on virtual machines of our own for these comparisons.

[Outrider_01]

you mean as live is now?  Like 3 versions: Live, a current beta, and a pending beta change to the current beta?

 

Cause you can just Beta Center Copy Tool your current character, try it out, and respec to your hearts content to find what you might like.  Then compare current live without beta changes to the beta changes upcomming.

[CrudeVileTerror]

The point is that the live-release version of the game doesn't have the cheats enabled.  The idea is to provide a comparison server with the live version AND cheats, to compare against the beta version with cheats.  Create identical conditions for precise rigour in testing scenarios.

[GM Tock]

If you mean keeping a copy of the prior version of the game as a Beta server while advancing the Live version to Issue 27, that's not serving a purpose for developers.  Staging is for 'fast release' testing of patches in-between Issues and Pages.  It's supposed to be as close to the Live version as possible.

 

Beta and Staging use by players to compare characters or to try out builds apart from the Issue Release cycle is a side benefit.  It's cool to do that, with two caveats: 1) we wipe those shards with no advanced notice, and 2) that's not why the servers exist, so there may be periods they're unavailable or there's a test we're doing that has a negligible effect to compare with.

Edited October 29, 2020 by GM Tahquitz

[Grouchybeast]

On 10/29/2020 at 3:03 PM, GM Tahquitz said:

If you mean keeping a copy of the prior version of the game as a Beta server while advancing the Live version to Issue 27, that's not serving a purpose for developers.  Staging is for 'fast release' testing of patches in-between Issues and Pages.  It's supposed to be as close to the Live version as possible.

No, they're talking about a duplicate version of the current live server but with all the usual beta cheat codes available. to use now as part of testing I27.

 

Say I don't currently have a Trick Arrow defender on live, but I'd like to test the proposed TA changes.  I can make a TA Defender on the test server, but I can't compare how it plays to the current live game TA Defender unless I level up and slot out a character on live.   If there was a 'live copy' test server I could easily make the character there to use for comparison.