112 replies to this topic

[Tynan]

If you want people to use the test server in significant numbers, they need to get something for it. This isn't a something for nothing thing, it's that they're not even accumulating XP / CBills like they would on their live account. My suggestions are as follows, either would be good:

1) Give people one-shot GXP / CBill boost for playing at least x number of matches or something similar. Just enough to be a decent incentive to do it.

--OR--

2) Give every account on test a stupid number of MC / CBills / XP / mechbays. Let people go hog wild on things they don't already own. That will both entice people who've wanted to try out certain Hero mechs or higher priced mechs a chance to do so (and give them a tangible reason to play on test) and, in many cases, could lead to increased sales of some mechs on live after the test drive.

Without something in there it's fun, but you're actually sacrificing XP and CBill gain to test as it is now.

[Iron War]

Make your test on the Weekend and use one of your fancy challenges. 10 drops on the test server and get a new mech bay, color, patern, premium time or some such and throw a few champ clan mechs for ppl to use (not keep just use). hell u could say 20 drops if the reward matches . . . . U can get ppl to play for a few hours if u need. But it would be alot easier for ppl to get on if they had alonger window <--- that is why i couldnt get on.

[Cimarb]

Deathlike, on 25 June 2014 - 01:09 PM, said:

It makes less sense to test something that has changed already. It's hard to make use of that feedback outside of confirming/validating what was determined internally before that change. It's unproductive use of the players testing otherwise.

I have really strong concerns and issues over this change though... because it's literally going untested by the masses... I don't know what the fate of everyone will happen to be on Patch Day Wednesday...

I would rather them test something, even if it only confirms what they have already decided the day before, than not let us test it at all. It wasn't like that was the ONLY thing being tested, anyways.

[Foxfire kadrpg]

Public tests ought to be at least 12 hours, to span work shifts, school shifts, and binge drinking. Preferably 24 hours.

I simply could not make the time for this one. Would have been happy to do so, without a dangling carrot gift.

[hercules1981]

Jman5, on 24 June 2014 - 07:54 PM, said:

Just a thought, but if you want a lot of people next time you do a PTR, give the population some exclusive mech to play around with. For example if you let everyone play clans, I bet you would have had double those numbers. Or maybe you could give people a sneak peak for whatever the next mech is you plan on releasing. Or maybe if you have a new map coming you could put that baby up on the PTR.

Nice thoughts j but I would put the free MC in there, I would never do any amount of work for free for someone I don't even know, this game is not a beta anymore, even though it feels like it.I'm not testing crap for free. Give me and everyone else something of worth and u guys would get the #s u need next time.

[Goose]

I'm sorry I couldn't be there: That Pure Ronin que sounded like it could prove a thing or two …

[NRP]

Tynan, on 25 June 2014 - 01:20 PM, said:

If you want people to use the test server in significant numbers, they need to get something for it. This isn't a something for nothing thing . . . .

I'm sorry to pick your post as an example, but quite frankly I find this type of selfish, self-entitled attitude to be disgusting. This game is Free to Play, which means you get nearly everything . . . FOR FREE!!! Yet people like you seem to just want handout after handout after handout . . . .

If you feel entitled to complain about the matchmaker or the game mechanics, then you kind of have an obligation to help PGI test changes to said game systems. Being able to help test this game is a privilege, not a mere burden on your goddamn precious time.

/rant off

Edited by NRP, 25 June 2014 - 02:44 PM.

[jackal40]

I'm a fan of better notification (more than 48 hours) notice of a test. This is particularly important when we have to download the entire client, perform a separate install, and try to (if necessary) sort through the problems with that install. Then there is the times chosen for the test - I suppose there is a reason you won't run it over a weekend, but that could really help your participation numbers.

Seeing that some people had issues connecting to the test makes me ponder if this is contributory to the low turnout.

edit: As an afterthought, you should reconsider not allowing testers access to more mechs. Limiting them to whatever they have in their mech bay at the movement is going to discourage some who might otherwise be willing and available to test.

Edited by jackal40, 25 June 2014 - 02:50 PM.

[Edustaja]

Karl Berg, on 24 June 2014 - 11:40 PM, said:

The window was chosen to coincide with the production servers north american peak time, as per http://mwomercs.com/...test-24jun2014/

Unfortunately, even though we had very high population levels on production at the time, the turnout for public test was quite low. I'm sure there will be a lot of analysis as to the distributions of players who logged in, and how we might improve for the next time we run a population sensitive test. I will also pass your feedback on as well.

Thanks!

If you have high population on production server, maybe you can send a "red" reminder message about the test there like you do when closing the servers.

Edited by Edustaja, 25 June 2014 - 04:37 PM.

[MonkeyCheese]

Butane9000, on 25 June 2014 - 06:29 AM, said:

Combining 12 mans with non 12 man ques turned into stomps usually for the 12 man. I think this will bring back the days of 12 man teams stomping through pug groups. We'll have to see come July if this turns out to be true as we could have more 12 mans on. But I feel like this is going to bring up a relic of the past.

Yup my first thought when I droped as a 2man with my friend was oh crap there is a marik 12 man on the other team who will clearly be on teamspeak together.

And of course we got stomped and our 8man davion team didnt type a word the entire match...

My first thought was if taking a 2man group is going to put me in either the group queue or the pub/4man queue than I would rather say screw you to my buddy (as depressing and sad as that sounds </3) and drop solo just to not get stomped by 12 mans.

And I know I know the group queues is more like what community warfare will look like with smaller groups or solo people filling the gaps but at the moment there is no "decent" way to communicate in game without pausing to type while a 12 man is systematically stomping you, at least when community warfare comes there will be some kind of incentives and advancements to play and hopefully better communication systems but at the moment yes you are right that game I was in vs your 12 man was just like the old dark days of 8man pug stomping in the closed beta.

TLDR as always we need better ingame communications, sure getting on teamspeak is fine but it dosnt work if your team is pugs or multiple groups on their own voice coms.

[xMEPHISTOx]

Prosperity Park, on 24 June 2014 - 08:24 PM, said:

I hear you to an extent, but the fall damage is still kind of pidly for Light Mechs, and the Module for reducing fall damage makes it almost non-existent for Lights. If I were a Light Mech without JJ's, then I wouldn't start getting angry about how my legs hurt when I run off cliffs because, face it, I just ran off a cliff. That *should* cause my Mech's legs to shatter.

That's due to the fact that this feature is being injected so as to further nerf jump snipers while effecting others at a far reduced rate. Since the best sniper builds/platforms are heavies and assaults this is meant to mostly hurt those weight classes in particular.

[Toadkillerdog]

NRP, on 25 June 2014 - 02:42 PM, said:

I'm sorry to pick your post as an example, but quite frankly I find this type of selfish, self-entitled attitude to be disgusting. This game is Free to Play, which means you get nearly everything . . . FOR FREE!!! Yet people like you seem to just want handout after handout after handout . . . .

If you feel entitled to complain about the matchmaker or the game mechanics, then you kind of have an obligation to help PGI test changes to said game systems. Being able to help test this game is a privilege, not a mere burden on your goddamn precious time.

/rant off

well, except a lot of us HAVE paid for this game in some form or another. It sounds like the clan mech guys are pretty happy with their stuff, but the phoenix buyers promptly got **** on thanks to their mechs and medals awarding boosts to something that STILL doesn't exist. Add to that the fact that getting on this test server is frankly a damn nightmare, between having to download a whole other client and fight to get connected, all to do pretty much the same thing you do in the game only not having it count at all towards your cbills or anything.... That argument might be valid if this game was being made by a few guys just as a hobby with no real profits, but it's not, it's a decent sized company making some cash off of their first legit game. Besides, those of us that have been here since closed beta have done our damn free testing.

[MonkeyCheese]

Toadkillerdog, on 25 June 2014 - 05:49 PM, said:

Add to that the fact that getting on this test server is frankly a damn nightmare, between having to download a whole other client and fight to get connected

But that is 100% normal for test servers for PC games. Seems pointless have that you need to download the test server and test patches as a reason to complain.

[Jonnara]

Cavendish, on 24 June 2014 - 09:44 PM, said:

Me and a lot of other europeans would have loved to log on the PTS and help, but for some odd reason you placed this test really late at night.

Amen to that. If you want more people than make it the whole weekend so people over seas can join. Like in Australia for example.

[Kageru Ikazuchi]

If given the opportunity (stupid time zones), I would have participated in order to:
(1) help test out the new match making systems
(2) see how good / bad the new jump jet 'mechanics are going to be
(3) play 'mechs or weapons I don't normally play in a relatively stress-free environment

However, the afternoon / evening NA times are not good for me.

Test Server population is always going to be a problem without some incentive. Rather than cockpit items, paint, 'mechs, or bays, however, there are two things I would recommend ...
(1) Early access to new 'mechs ... whatever is next on the list, throw it out there for us to try ... if there's nothing ready (or if you don't want 50% of the community playing that new 'mech) ...
(2) A flat payment per match played ... I'll leave it up to PGI / IGP to determine how much is appropriate, but even if it's as low as 10 per match, it's still something

[Deathz Jester]

You know.... World of Tanks leaves its PT servers up for something like 1 or 2 weeks, lets players have enough currency on the test server to buy tanks they dont have and maybe want to test (Add Clan mechs for non-owners).


Just sayin, they have big population turnouts for testing probably because they do that (and admittedly they probably have a larger player-base)


Also... making sure you send out emails in general, on time or ahead of time, about things like this helps.

[N0MAD]

BLOOD WOLF, on 25 June 2014 - 05:01 AM, said:

I have to ask, do you have a profile on Moddb? I seen that name before.

Dont even know what Moddb is sorry.
I dont Facebook, Twitter, or any of the multiple social media things.
I have however run this name in online gaming for the last 20 years, same name in MW2/3/4,, SJ_NOMAD.

[Monsoon]

I did drop on the PTS (and left some feedback) for about six matches, unfortunately the time also overlapped with my Company's drop night.

[MightyMeatShield]

Karl Berg, on 24 June 2014 - 07:50 PM, said:

We saw less than 10% of the turnout that the Clans PTS drew a few weeks ago.

I'm pretty sure the 4 hour window on a weeknight had something to do with it...

[Gasoline]

CyclonerM, on 25 June 2014 - 03:39 AM, said:

Karl, i believe i have a solution. Just shut the live servers down for the duration of the test!

It makes sense: many may be disappointed, but if you can play in the live servers you can play in the test server, and if you want to play you have to download the test client

Personally i do not need such costraints: i always join the PTs when i can (and this means when it does not start at 1 AM )l.

Tell me when you announce this, I want to have my popcorn ready. This outrage will be epic!

In a second thought... Why not doing this while the live servers are patching?

Heffay, on 25 June 2014 - 09:14 AM, said:

Yah. Something like "play 10 matches, get a million . Play 25 matches, get 10 million !"

You'll get people grinding hard if that were to happen.

While I like your idea, the thing about rewards is, giving everyone a fair chance to get them. Otherwise you will have a few very happy people, but a whole lot of pissed peeps complaining about not having a chance. Giving away C-Bills would probably be an elegant solution tho.

Kageru Ikazuchi, on 25 June 2014 - 07:50 PM, said:

(1) Early access to new 'mechs ... whatever is next on the list, throw it out there for us to try ... if there's nothing ready (or if you don't want 50% of the community playing that new 'mech) ...
(2) A flat payment per match played ... I'll leave it up to PGI / IGP to determine how much is appropriate, but even if it's as low as 10 per match, it's still something

Ironically early access was what killed the test. Everyone wanted to grind their Clan mechs. But you're absolutely correct about the incentive. I like Jman5's approach of offering something special on the PTS more than giving away something. I personally would like to be part of this test, but I wouldn't kill myself if I missed it. If you give away a cockpit item, I bet someone out there will have issues with it.

I would've liked to test, but seriously... I haven't even downloaded any PTS clients so far, just because 90% of the tests have happened outside of my already short time for MWO. Why not leaving the test server open for 24 hours?