Topic

There's No Such Thing As A Dumb Question...Until Now.

My teachers always tell me theres no such thing as a dumb question.  I always want to reply that they have not had a long enough conversation with me yet, but I don't want to parade around my dumb-ness so I just keep my mouth shut.

What determines when/how long a test is open?  I know that the test opens when new content has been added for players to test.  But what determines how long a test is open for?  And is it typically on the weekends because most people are off work at that time?  Why are some only like 2 days, and some like 4 days? 

I only ask because weekends suck for me, I have work and class during the week, but weeknights I could play Glitch til my fingers fall off.  But come on, the weekends are for laying out, swimming, going to the club, going for jogs or hikes, etc.  My vote goes to more tests during the week too!

Posted 18 months ago by Laurali Subscriber! | Permalink

Replies

  • I also have more time for playing during the week. 
    But I do manage to squeeze in playtime on the weekends, too, just not as easily.
    Posted 18 months ago by Zany Serendipity Subscriber! | Permalink
  • It's murphy's law-

    The more time you have to play, the less it will be open. and if you are away from your comp for some time, a long test will have ended when you come back.

    but seriously, only GOD knows.
    Posted 18 months ago by bored no more Subscriber! | Permalink
  • There is no magic formula: we just testing as frequently and as long as we need to, but no longer :)
    Posted 18 months ago by stoot barfield Subscriber! | Permalink
  • The timing and length of a test  is determined by what the devs need to test, whether it is content in the game itself or behind-the-scenes technical aspects. Sometimes they need lots of testers trying to break things over long periods, other times just a handful over a few hours. The best I can tell, devs put in a minimum of 14-16 hour work days----long, long hours, often seven days a week when a test runs over a weekend. (Thank you familes of awesomers, btw) When the game is launched, the game will be available 24/7 and we'll be able to play whenever we want. I can hardly wait!
    Posted 18 months ago by GreyGoose Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I was just wondering why always over the weekend.  I guess theres no strategy, maybe it just always takes a week to get the new features added.
    Posted 18 months ago by Laurali Subscriber! | Permalink
  • We have had the occasional test during the week (recently, one opened up on a Tuesday I think for a few hours).  So, it's just when the devs are ready for us to test, it seems. ;-)
    Posted 18 months ago by zeeberk Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Not too long ago we had complaints over the fact that "we never test over the weekends" so it goes both ways. We aim for variety :)

    And this won't be an issue for *that* much longer.
    Posted 18 months ago by stoot barfield Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Yea, I wasn't complaining, I know weekends is best for most people.  I was just wondering if there was a reason and why you guys choose a certain amount of time
    Posted 18 months ago by Laurali Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I think this is a very good question, to be honest. And as for weekday vs. weekend, a lot of people seemed content with some combination of the two in my "rumor about regular testing times" thread.
    Posted 18 months ago by Cerulean Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I work in retail, so there's no such thing as a "weekend" for me :D
    Posted 18 months ago by Essie Kitten Subscriber! | Permalink
  • The only dumb question is the unasked one.
    Posted 18 months ago by MeherMan Subscriber! | Permalink
  • And sometimes they give us just... a little... longer.... oddly it feels like that happens when we're about to do something cool (like unlock the tower base), so I secretly suspect the TS team is having as much fun as we are but *also* want to see if the something cool works right.
    Posted 18 months ago by Travinara Subscriber! | Permalink
  • @ trav- which is exactly why I didn't want the tower to be finished ;)
    Posted 18 months ago by bored no more Subscriber! | Permalink
  • The tower isn't finished: that was just the *base* of the Tower (hence the name) ;)
    Posted 18 months ago by stoot barfield Subscriber! | Permalink
  • And, back to the original question: there are many, many reasons which go into figuring out when to test and for how long: when particular features or bits of content are done, who's available to monitor, health of the game servers, when we've got enough feedback/stats to decide on next steps, "it's a been a while and we should really test so people don't get mad!", etc.)
    Posted 18 months ago by stoot barfield Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Will you ever have a test on neither weekday or a weekend?*

    *Now THAT is a dumb question.
    Posted 18 months ago by Lord Bacon-o Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I thought I read recently in an article that you were going to be open 50% of the time now until launch. I'd like to know the calculation of your 50%.  ;-)
    Posted 18 months ago by Sunny Subscriber! | Permalink