Test shard

[Mirage]

Actually..

Back in the day on Test Center(before skill gates or set skills) the skills would fly up due to the fresh server and the fact that there were only around 100 peak users on at any time. I'm talking GM magery and resist in less than a week. This test center was only down for a week at a time, and when it came back everything was deleted and it stayed running for 1-6 months at a time.

When the skill gates were up (that eventually turned into full customization of skills), Test Center was running more like a full time shard. This was probably due to the success of servers like Abyss.

When full customization hit, there were TC Followers that exclusively played on Test Center.



In my opinion, leaving Test Center up as it is would be the best decision. This game already has such a high learning curve for people just getting into the game, so why take the only useful tool we have to train these people how to PvP somewhat?

Poeple for the removal of Test Center as a PvP learning tool only want to pwn newbs at teh gy.

JFC. At no point during the T2A nor Pre-T2A was Test Center running like a full-time shard. Unfortunately for a previously posted who quoted me (idgaf name) the purpose here is to replicate the feeling of the T2A era. One of the feelings, mechanics, whatever you may call it of T2A was the risk. The risk of buying houses THINKING that a tower/keep etc etc would fit in that spot. This test center pvp has been a problem from from when it first was introduced here. Between test center and jhelom pits (when they were no loot no free rez no statloss......the free pvp lessons or dueling really killed the pvp IMO. Back on OSI you needed to duel either inside someones house or outside their house and use your resources. There wasn't Test Center to log on and duel until your fingers hurt 365 days of the year. Take it down, get on the real shard.....use your resources like the way it should be and help the shard become more active. Stop being such scared to lose loot....waste my loot, scared to die babies. Sometimes I seriously question peoples credibility when it comes to playing OSI.

[Mikel123]

the free pvp lessons or dueling really killed the pvp

How does introducing new people to pvp "kill the pvp"? Do you prefer pvp against people who have no clue what they're doing? There's plenty of miners available.

I'll also add, I also use the TC to test out some of the statistics in our wiki and our guides. I.E. what damage e-bolts do in practice, what the average is and what the variance is. This kind of testing could have caught the "5d5" versus 5*1d5 issue we had.

Anyways... I don't really see the reason for all the outrage here.

[Mirage]

the free pvp lessons or dueling really killed the pvp

How does introducing new people to pvp "kill the pvp"? Do you prefer pvp against people who have no clue what they're doing? There's plenty of miners available.

I'll also add, I also use the TC to test out some of the statistics in our wiki and our guides. I.E. what damage e-bolts do in practice, what the average is and what the variance is. This kind of testing could have caught the "5d5" versus 5*1d5 issue we had.

Anyways... I don't really see the reason for all the outrage here.

You can test all of this on the live shard.

[Eulogy]

1. There was a Test Center that was functioning much like a live server back in T2A, with no skill sets. There were people(around 100) that would gain skills, make money, and place houses all to see it erased in three months. If you had read my post, you would have known this!

2. There aren't that many people that hop on TC. Due to the fact that two of the larger guilds go to TC and fight, doesn't mean that they are the only people that go to TC. Sure, it may SEEM that way, but you'd have to go to TC to actually see what's going on.

It's really hit and miss when you are going to TC to fight, especially if you're new and get tired of being beaten by the veterans over and over.

I really don't care either way, but disabling PvP on a TEST SERVER sounds really freakin' stupid.

[Mirage]

I read your post Eulogy and what I'm telling you, is that there was never a 3 month long test center shard. Test center was ran the same way it was ran here with skill sets.The reason it wasn't available for longer periods of time is the same reason it shouldn't be here. People log onto testshard for hours to duel or test things out when they should be doing it on the live shard. OSI knew if they left that up then people wouldn't even bother to play the live shard.

[platy]

Mirage is right Eulogy.. There was no long standing TC on OSI until the release and testing of the factions system. (Which went down to remove "green status" from same faction members) Once it came back up other faction members were blue and it remained up for months. That was UOR.

[JoshuaLee]

Test shard takes away from uosa. People like felix/r-/son/ed will get on here to do all their pvping. Someone like felix does not take any real risks in the game so all his duels and pvping are on test shard where nothing is at risk.

If anything the pvp element of test shard should be removed completely unless there are upcoming patch changes that need to be tested. I think it's only fair to the rest of the people who take the real risk of losing their stuff or dying in stat loss.

[archaicsubrosa77]

With hundreds of IPs connected to the main shard at any given time, this is really just a long nail on chalkboard, cringing whine type of a thread.

There is not one person who goes on test that doesn't spend the majority of their time in game.

Don't be a wanker.

[JoshuaLee]

With hundreds of IPs connected to the main shard at any given time, this is really just a long nail on chalkboard, cringing whine type of a thread.

There is not one person who goes on test that doesn't spend the majority of their time in game.

Don't be a wanker.

I bet you 95% of the people who get on test don't use it as it's intended to be used. They use it to practice pvp and not run any risk of losing anything. The test shard is all about the trammel.

Hell some duels are even on test shard because people don't wanna lose their stuff, which is sad.

[Hemperor]

With hundreds of IPs connected to the main shard at any given time, this is really just a long nail on chalkboard, cringing whine type of a thread.

There is not one person who goes on test that doesn't spend the majority of their time in game.

Don't be a wanker.

I hate to use this line, but are you even a pvper?
You were the same guy reccomending EXPLO+MindBlast to people who were frustrated with the pvp here.

Fact is, you can find MULTIPLE times the pvp action on test shard at any given time than you can on Live shard.

Inaccurate.

[Paroxysmus]

Plus, OSI had the population to allow people to "live" on TC. Our server doesn't at the moment. And yeah I would most definitely say we have people who spend the majority of their time on Test. Felix, no offence, but you are one that comes to mind.

[Mikel123]

Fact is, you can find MULTIPLE times the pvp action on test shard at any given time than you can on Live shard.

Inaccurate.

We don't legislate behavior here; haven't yet, and I don't think now is the time to start. The question isn't "Did lots of people PvP on test shard back then?". It's "Was it possible to PvP on test shard back then?".

Of course, this is all kind of opinion-based anyways, as the way we utilize the Test Center is sort of an anachronism anyways, since we're not just testing new proposed changes but instead some people are frequently testing things that aren't necessarily being changed on UOSA at the moment, but may need looking into because it might be incorrect and we just don't know it yet. Such is the nature of an emulator shard.

[archaicsubrosa77]

With hundreds of IPs connected to the main shard at any given time, this is really just a long nail on chalkboard, cringing whine type of a thread.

There is not one person who goes on test that doesn't spend the majority of their time in game.

Don't be a wanker.

I hate to use this line, but are you even a pvper?
You were the same guy reccomending EXPLO+MindBlast to people who were frustrated with the pvp here.

Fact is, you can find MULTIPLE times the pvp action on test shard at any given time than you can on Live shard.

Inaccurate.

mana drain/ vampire not mind blast...and as my PK is a stealth mage...I don't use weapons. Does that make me a PVPer?

Depleting mana of my opponent is sometimes the only way to get an advantage outside of the preemptive stealth attack.

I have drained at least 60 mana from my targets on several occasions. When I am Pking I don't act alone but that doesn't mean I haven't fought equal odds and have to stand my own ground.

What's this have to do with test anyway? That people can practice risk/reward free? Whatever man. I know for a fact you been on test probably more then anyone Hemp and when you were practicing you didnt say a word so shove off.

[JoshuaLee]

Just because you disagree with pvp use on the test shard doesn't mean if you do it that it makes your opinion on the matter any less. Playing on test or not playing on test is not going to affect change. It's what goes on in here mostly that would affect change if anything. The test shard is uosa's trammel.

[Silverfoot]

Test center should just be a clean shard, requiring you to make a new character when you log in after every new patch (that is if it doesn't already, haven't been on there in a very long time). Just turn off being able to set skills until a patch is being tested that actually requires you have skills. That way, anyone who wants to go there to pvp while there are not any changes to be tested would have to make a new character and work up his skills every new patch and any GMs or what-have-you who need to go on there to work on things will still be able to at any time.