Test Server Feedback

CCP, please read this post.
https://forums.eveonline.com/default.aspx?g=posts&m=3694150#post3694150


Bottom line, the timeline is tight, and people will need to be able to use the Bastion module immediately, as opposed to taking days to train. (looks like 4 days for High Energy Physics alone for a non-specced char)

I doubt the fisrt masstest will be on Monday, or even in the first few days on the new iteration being on Sisi.
And given the pre-req's, people would have to wait 3-6 days before their training was complete.

The point is the timeline.

It is now Oct 4th.
These guys will likely have to lock down code a week before Nov 19th, so we are looking at roughly a 5 week window by the time the new iteration is on Sisi, to when the changes are finalized. These guys have shown with their flip-flops and their own words in the 230 page Marauder thread, that they have zero clue what to do with Marauders and are looking for a lot of feedback to get them right.

How are they going to get that feedback if people are waiting a week to get the skills to use the Bastion module? The window gets extremely tight.

And then with the new mirror a week or 2 after this mess goes on Sisi, they have to relearn the skills. And remember, CCP has flatly stated the skill pre-req's might change, so learning the skills on TQ in anticipation of the mirror is just plain dumb.

If CCP just turned down the pre-req's to 1, or gave everyone SP to learn the skills immediately, without waiting for any masstests, that would be the reasonable approach. Further, I am looking to get about 10 or 12 people together to actually test Incursions with Paladins. Now I have to co-ordinate ALL off them, across many TZ's, to be online for a masstest, to get the SP to learn the skills, BEFORE we can test Incursions?????

The Bastion skill must be easily learned on Sisi. CCP wants to make the pre-req's more challenging on TQ, no problem. But for testing, it has to be immediate.

What if Marauders are what he's really interested in.

Since Dinsdale has made an unequivocably useful and helpful suggestion, I will support it. There's literally no downside to doing something like giving SiSi characters a few million temporarily allocatable SP so that a significant new feature can be properly tested. The extra SP can be wiped out on the next mirror update if the idea gets anyones jimmies in a twist. The Test Server is supposed to be there to test things.

Mocam, there is now a 240 page thread on Marauder changes.
The devs' came up with a redesign, were thrown on a huge bonfire by the players, did a complete redesign, thrown on a bigger bonfire, and now have reverted back to 1st redesign, and have stated they want feedback.

Does that sound like they have settled on the next specs?

Ok... bastion mode - it'll need testing a bit but the hull needs looking at first.

I still think it can simply have the pre-req removed vs "all 5s". As you train up, you can use it better.

It is the test server.
Are you concerned about your clone cost on the test server????

i was under the impression they save testing of new features for tranquility

Fine, don't give out the skills.
Just change the pre-req's to level 1, at least for the 1st few weeks.

You want people to test stuff, then don't burden them with 4 plus day skill trains, before they can even think of testing, then force them to retrain the same skills when you do a mirror from TQ a couple weeks from now.

I don't generally agree with Dinsdale on anything. In this case, I have to. Is it completely outside the realm of possibility that these ships be tied solely to something like 'Marauder Test Skill' for the first couple weeks before the mirror, and be fully bonused at level 1? Just dump the book in the redeeming system on SiSi and let people test.