Server down at 10:41pm central

[Florinda]

8:30 am eastern, no Test.

Since the devs often don't put in an appearance until early afternoon my time, I'm wondering if server won't be back up until 2 or 3pm.

Now what am I gonna to to ignore my headache? *whinge* *whine* *kvetch*

[Ysharros]

Originally Posted by Naiya

give em until 9 AM to get in and get some coffee

No!! Because I can function just fine at wtf-o'clock with no caffeine!! (That tinkling sound would be the glass house I live in....)

I posted that mainly for info, either for us players or for the official folkses checking in.

[Florinda]

Still down.

*bumpity bump*

[Astenniall]

Still deaded. So the test server is in a completely different place than the live servers?

[Astenniall]

I have to say that the server being down for this long with no word on what's going on does not bode well given the horror stories folks tell about it being down for 3 days.

I'm not sure how they expect to build a playerbase on this server if it gets zero support in situations like this. They can say all they want that this is a test server but you know what? They still take my money to be able to play on it so I should get the same respect and support as any other player. I'm doing them a favor by playing on it and not vice versa.

[kalston]

is it just me or does anyone else think the test server is down

[Naiya]

Originally Posted by Astenniall

I have to say that the server being down for this long with no word on what's going on does not bode well given the horror stories folks tell about it being down for 3 days.

I'm not sure how they expect to build a playerbase on this server if it gets zero support in situations like this. They can say all they want that this is a test server but you know what? They still take my money to be able to play on it so I should get the same respect and support as any other player. I'm doing them a favor by playing on it and not vice versa.

As someone who works in QA, this sentiment always troubles me. See, follow me for a sec...

There are a few things going on right now.

1.) this is test server. it is truly up by the whim and the grace of Sigil. There is nothing stating it HAS to be in operation at ANY time. In short, on test, we are quite literally, guests of the company. For the privilege of playing in their "sandbox"* we get to interact with them, see new stuff before it comes out and make a better game for everyone else. In short, we get to hang out with "the cool kids inside".

2.) As I have just recently learned (with quite literally weeks of nightmares pounding it into my conscious) that QA testers are only human. They can only be in one place at a time and I (completely personal *I* by the way) would prefer that they choose the place that would get the server up and running rather than posting on the boards. Now, I know the common retort is "But how long does it take to post on a single board that you are looking into it?"

Let me give you an example. I QA for Wizards of the Coast. We're a tiny little company that makes games like Dungeons and Dragons or Magic the Gathering (on and offline versions). If every time our MTGO server dropped for unplanned reasons I had to get on and "Take a few minutes to post a message saying we were working on it" I have ONE website to worry about and it would take me about three minutes (all said and done)

We're a little company with a targeted demographic. Now, Sigil has a LARGE player base with MANY fansites and each would complain if another got the message but they didn't ("What? favoritism now? - it does happen)


I mean, I don't mean to sound snippy, I'm just trying to give you a back end view. If my beta server goes down at 11 PM PDT (and it has) I'm not going to drive into the office to restart it (it's an hour drive and I've told my beta kids I'm not doing it) As such, I do not expect Sigil to either (I don't expect them to do anything I would not willingly do myself.

In reference to "doing them a favor to play on test" well yea, in a way we are. Some of us PREFER small server populations and some of us are Masochists.... I mean testers at heart. Either way we made a *conscious choice* to be on test. we can always make that choice to play on the live servers. WE are in no way, shape or form commanded to stay here on test.

I'm gonna finish my coffee and monitor the thread. I expect it will be back up before I leave for home - I hope it is cause my little Blood Mage is TOO CUTE!

*sandbox is sometimes used as the descriptor for a dev's server. I just like the feel of the word

[Einadin]

Yes the Test Server's status is Locked...You can check this by trying to create a new character.

[retiki]

Originally Posted by kalston

is it just me or does anyone else think the test server is down

Uhm, looks to me like it's still down 9:45 a.m. Central time

[Astenniall]

Originally Posted by Naiya

As someone who works in QA, this sentiment always troubles me. See, follow me for a sec...

1.) this is test server. it is truly up by the whim and the grace of Sigil. There is nothing stating it HAS to be in operation at ANY time.

I agree with this BUT notice that I said... this is no way to build a playerbase. The entire point of my post is if they want a playerbase they need to offer at least some level of customer service on par with the live servers.

Originally Posted by Naiya

2.) As I have just recently learned (with quite literally weeks of nightmares pounding it into my conscious) that QA testers are only human.

Servers are servers. Is the test server housed at SOE or Sigil? I was under the impression that SOE houses the Test Server too since it was such an ordeal to get one in the first place. Maybe all that was just how to get SOE to check account status and forward to Sigils server. No idea there.

Originally Posted by Naiya

In reference to "doing them a favor to play on test" well yea, in a way we are. Some of us PREFER small server populations and some of us are Masochists.... I mean testers at heart. Either way we made a *conscious choice* to be on test. we can always make that choice to play on the live servers. WE are in no way, shape or form commanded to stay here on test.

My frustration is this sort of stuff does discourages folks from playing on a test server. To fully test anything you need a decent population. My comments were intended to be constructive. If they want to build a decent population of folks on test so that things actually get tested they need to give it the same treatment and respect they do every other server and not just tell players, "you're playing on test, deal with it."