Stress Test 5: how to make it make sense as a test

[StarSeekerVDS]

This is my proposal for Stress Test 5 development cycle focused on class advancement. This presupposes the purpose of the stress test to be the bug-testing of these specific aspects of the emulator without concern for 150-level playability (which would be developed piece by piece in subsequent stress tests.)

1: Prior to ST5, finalize location of elements (stations, NPCs, navs) and all data regarding available NON-MISSION (see below) item drops. None of these should be touched after ST5 begins. If anything is buggy or unbalanced, note it and remove it before the beginning of ST5.

2: Remove and set aside all missions and other content excepting unbuggable locations, NPCs, navs, etc. Wipe all talk trees. Basically clean out everything possible that is not directly required for the below.

3: Grid out the full advancement for all classes, starting with skills. To simplify this, ensure that all classes have an equal number of skills with equal level distributions. (And, as much as possible, identical prerequisite trees.) Temporarily change the skill-granting levels so that all new skills are gained by level 30. (See below.) For any non-functional skills, either prioritize their repair or temporarily replace them with placeholders.

4: Determine what missions are required for granting class skills. Start from scratch and storyboard them so that all such missions are relevant to the current state of the game story. Use the simplest mission logic possible and make them modular, i.e. use the same mission structure for as many different missions as possible to minimize bugs.

5: At opening stations, post an NPC who gives a mission to automatically grant a level so that a player may level to 150 immediately if they wish. Flag characters that use this NPC and delete said characters weekly.

6: Weekly, request via in-game and forum announcements that players test the advancement missions of a specific class. Devote the next week repairing any issues uncovered. Once this process is complete, move on to skills for said classes (incorporating rebuilt skills if any were taken out previously.)

During this cycle no content development work should be done and any existing bugs in that field should be addressed as much as possible before ST5. Since this stress test would specifically focus on advancement and players are actively engaged in testing that, these game-breaking aspects should be rock-solid by the end of ST5 and optimally require no further changes later. It would also be useful to expand upon the mob functions during this time and institute the AI in a controlled fashion in specific locations, since this should not introduce bugs into the advancement development.

During ST5, after the missions above are done, the story team should be storyboarding all missions from 30-100, and working together with mission designers to plot out the missions from 30-50 which would be the focus of the next development cycle. Change some of the higher-level skills to be granted at level 50.

[bondct]

thats a big list... u sure your not talkin about ST6?

[StarSeekerVDS]

Maybe, in which case ST5 would focus on the steps 1 and 2 above, simplifying the game and making sure locs, items, etc. are all fixed in preparation for the next ST.

The first task in any sort of bug repair is isolation. In this and previous stress tests they've been doing the exact opposite, incorporating new features and haphazardly bugfixing whatever crops up in a completely overcomplicated system. That's nothing short of madness.

[seekeronos]

* mumbles something about the Altair gating bug and then trundles off back to his corner of the internets *

[StarSeekerVDS]

I'd love to know why people are giving this -rep. *rolls eyes*

[irrelevant]

I'd love to know why people are giving this -rep. *rolls eyes*

Cuz they are appalled at you suggesting level resets and disabling content, perhaps? (wasn't me )

[StarSeekerVDS]

Yeah probably. *sighs*

I'd rather endure a year of resets and disabling content if the end result is a game that works better.

[Floss]

I think it's a toss-up.

There are people purely working on content, others working on bug fixes. Not sure if all of them have the skills to work on the back-end, but I do understand the concerns with an informal development/test/promote process.

Maybe work on content in one sandbox, and work on bug fixes/working client in the other?

[StarSeekerVDS]

*grumble* If they aren't already doing that, they're insane.

[nimr0dbbow[IS]]

Stopping content is absolutely pointless because it won't be any faster!

Content Developers (CD) add content (mobs, missions, etc). Some may code but I don't so you'd still get any ingame effects / skills / etc as before. So, i'll decline that ST5 and continue to add (and alter) Progen content as that is what I do. Developers are involved in areas; the server code devs have their own list of priorites that may not be the people's here.

[StarSeekerVDS]

Obviously. I'm not saying stop work on content. I'm saying remove content from the live server so that TARGETED testing may be done there.