While I am a player and not a dev, I have worked in IT previously and it is extremely important for devs to have a dev server(s) away from a player (i.e. Live/production) server. Coding and testing should be done away from the player server as the player server MUST remain stable for the entire community at all costs. A bad database command or program code update can take a server into ruins to the point that the only one that knows what happened sometimes doesnt even realize they did it. This sometimes will require a restore from backup, and during this time the servers are OFFLINE to the players, and for those non-IT peeps reading this that like to play, if devs have full control of the play server, a severe server crash due to a unintentional mistake would be a matter of when, not if.
Bring in Game Masters (GM). These usually are support staff that use pre-coded programs that are built by devs to fix code issues on the "player" server. These are executed/run by GMs to assist players with known issues, and if built right they can report data/code back to the dev team and run pretested error captures each time they are used. This allows devs to identify common issues and their frequency without being involved one on one constantly with players that may be reporting problems that do not exist. One of the GM duties is to filter these reportings to not waste a devs time. There will "always" be a few bugs in the game that require GM assistance as long as contining development of the code exists. As players we must understand this, as devs they attempt to minimize this.
EXTREME KUDOS to ALL the DEV and SUPPORT teams that are volunteering their own time to get this emulator working!!! This game is so awesome I nearly lost a marriage over it, which says a lot that I would want to play it that much. It was and still is that great of a game and yes my marriage is still intact . Let's all step back and sleep through these frustrations as every dev will want to do things a bit different, but must sometimes set aside their ideas to reach the common goal using pre-existing coding techniques. Understand that long term once the emulator is back to LIVE state, I am sure some devs will want to take it to the next step and expand/improve the existing code, but the focus now is to get the emulation completed, which must be the first step before it can be expanded. More power to every dev wanting to improve the game!!! From a player, I am all for it, just make sure the player server stays monitored, balanced, online, and performing for the reason it exists which is the entire community's entertainment (not just a dev/GM wanting to improve his/her or friends accounts, or creating spawns or anything else for their enjoyment/testing as the dev servers exist for that - this is an observation from the thread and if this happened it should be addressed for multiple reasons as discussed). As a player, I trust the team to do what is right, afterall if the emulator doesnt work, they all know there are numerous other options for the players available at the nearest download link/retail store. Professionals will work through the inevitable disagreements and deliver a product that works for everyone, including themselves.
Sorry for the length of the reply! The team will work through this, it is an internal matter that probably shouldn't be in a public forum, but since it is it is good that people can see what code development life can be like, even when the ultimate goal isn't for the end profits.
NOTE: Please feel free to remove this post if it is not representative of the gaming development community. My experience was not in gaming, and it will not hurt my feelings if this post is removed due to bad references. It was meant to assist the players who may not understand why/how this can occur since it is on public view.