114436-ptr-updates-release-management-overhaul

== Content ==
			
Hi All,A few weeks ago I had posted to let everyone know we were actively working as a studio to overhaul our release pipeline in order to support quality and bug free releases.  
 
In accordance with these new internal release policies and procedures, we are working to break down some of the barriers between weekly patches and our players.  The goal for this initiative will be to collect both subjective and objective feedback on the PTR prior to any weekly release.    
 
As a studio we have added additional internal checks and balances alongside the external PTR gate.  As weekly patch release candidates are cut, tested, and deployed, we have implemented further subjective and objective quality gates that are enforced by our studio as a whole.
 
Lastly, we will be updating our PTR environment today with our next weekly patch in order to allow players time to test and provide feedback.  Players who have acquired any new PTR equipment directly related to "The Defile" drop will notice that these items have gone missing.  "The Defile" drop is a future content update and as such, items related to it do not exist in our soon to be published weekly patch.  These items will reappear on players accounts as we transition the PTR back to "The Defile" drop for testing in the coming weeks. 
 
Cheers
			
				
	Edited September 23, 2014 by Virtue	
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Some of those items should vanish, never to be seen again, preferably.
 
If the heal-slinger gear from the reputation vendors comes back still poisoned with Brutality, I will be very cross.
 
Moderator edit: Content 
			
				
	Edited September 24, 2014 by Chillia	
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			Is the megaserver tech also being patched off the PTR?  Your 3-6 week window is running out, and taking weeks to test and deploy this weekly patch independent of megaservers and drop 3 (assuming those are coming together) is almost guaranteeing you will miss it.	
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			So - are you saying all Defile content/items are going to come off, and they only stuff on the PTR will be the upcoming week patches? What about the raid and dungeon? Are they also coming off? What about the rune/itemization changes? Are those staying or going?	
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.... These items will reappear on players accounts as we transition the PTR back to "The Defile" drop for testing in the coming weeks. 
 
Cheers
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Thanks Geoff.  I hope that this will make things like the medic issues from last week a distant memory.
 
 
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So - are you saying all Defile content/items are going to come off, and they only stuff on the PTR will be the upcoming week patches? What about the raid and dungeon? Are they also coming off? What about the rune/itemization changes? Are those staying or going?
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So you're telling us that drop 3 is still weeks away from hitting PTR "for real"?
I'm not convinced you're gonna keep people to stick around with this pace of patching. Very bad news indeed.	
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			Will we be able to see the patch notes for the patches to be tested? Guessing at what changed isn't going to help with feedback in any way.	
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Will we be able to see the patch notes for the patches to be tested? Guessing at what changed isn't going to help with feedback in any way.
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Is the megaserver tech also being patched off the PTR?  Your 3-6 week window is running out, and taking weeks to test and deploy this weekly patch independent of megaservers and drop 3 (assuming those are coming together) is almost guaranteeing you will miss it.
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This patch will not include Megaserver tech. However, it is coming very soon and will be on the PTR to test in advance when it is ready, as well.
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Hello,
 
What timeframe can we expect between weekly patches pushing into PTR and pushing into live servers ? I mean if we only have like 2 WEEK days to help you test out, you won't get much feedbacks.	
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Tbh... This announcement has taken a toll in my confidence on the future of this game. Going from monthly updates plan, to a slower cycle "to provide better polishment", I can swallow...
 
...But after witnessing the chaos of this past 2 weeks, now pulling the plug on Drop 3 (To a later date... Weeks = 1 month minimum in my experience), swaping the test environment while "mixing" partial fixes tested already in such environment with completely new "last minute" additions making their first appearance... Doesn't sound too much as "better polishment"...
 
...Sounds more like an intentional delay for bloating that typical final Content Patch that's added right when the game is announced to go the F2P route, after the owner pulls the plug when retention figures aren't good.
 
Am I just been spoiled by seeing this so many times already on past MMOs? Or is really Drop 3 lacking so many features/fixes/changes that what has been tested already wasn't going to apply in its final form requiring a new full testing cycle?	
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			I for one laud this decision. and hope when you return the PTR to the defile update that it has all the current live updates merged in because there have been a few instances of what seemed suspiciously like bug regressions due to what I personally would consider odd merging order. Hopefully from now on we never see anything outside of exploit fixes hit live without some time on ptr.	
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Too many players do not understand basic development processes.
 
Carbine are currently operating one public test server for two very different types of patches. One is a major type patch (Defile-related content, Drops etc.) and the other is a "minor" type patch (ongoing maintenance updates of the Live game).
 
In other MMOs, they sometimes have two separate servers for testing these types of patches. So one would be for major patch or beta testing, often closed or not available to all players all the time. The other would be for minor or maintenance testing where any player can test the maintenance updates.
 
Carbine seem to have decided to use one server for both types of patch, at least for now. Hence, they need to "rollback" (more like roll sideways) the current major patch on it in order to apply the minor one for player testing and feedback before the minor one hits Live shortly. This type of rollback is likely to have absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with the overall scheduling of new content.	
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Your overall PTR character progress will stay, but any Defile-specific items will vanish since they don't exist on the current Sabotage drop (which is now back on the PTR). Here are the patch notes on what should be different compared to the Live game: https://forums.wildstar-online.com/forums/index.php?/topic/114372-ptr-update-notes-1012-9232014/
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Too many players do not understand basic development processes.
[...]
Carbine seem to have decided to use one server for both types of patch, at least for now. Hence, they need to "rollback" (more like roll sideways) the current major patch on it in order to apply the minor one for player testing and feedback before the minor one hits Live shortly. This type of rollback is likely to have absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with the overall scheduling of new content.
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So, best case scenario, weekly patch on PTR this week.  Weekly patch goes live next week, and drop 3/megaserver tech is put back on PTR.  One week minimum of testing new PTR build (which is, at a minimum, yesterday's PTR plus today's PTR) before we can hope it goes live.  I guess that fits into the 3-6 week timeframe, but just barely.
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Jesus...another delay of Drop 3 :(.
 
Sigh...that is extremely disheartening.	
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Don't even want to play right now.  Hard to invest time in something that has MAJOR changes needed/coming (WHEN? WHO KNOWS).  Need to rune everything, but not gonna waste my time, when runes are changing.  What I don't get, is why is expert crafting is still being cupcaked?  Until they release Refined Hybrid Power Cores, which should have been in the game since it was released, I can't even set up a good base armor/weapon set to go into dungeons.  Adventure drops are crap for the most part, so need expert researched gear to be feasible already!
 
Grrrrrr! *Throws a Chua*	
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			Meh, I'm in no hurry for Drop 3. It's just more level 50 only content.  Because if, like me, you're not level 50, then you suxxorz. 	
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Don't even want to play right now.  Hard to invest time in something that has MAJOR changes needed/coming (WHEN? WHO KNOWS).  Need to rune everything, but not gonna waste my time, when runes are changing.  What I don't get, is why is expert crafting is still being cupcaked?  Until they release Refined Hybrid Power Cores, which should have been in the game since it was released, I can't even set up a good base armor/weapon set to go into dungeons.  Adventure drops are crap for the most part, so need expert researched gear to be feasible already!
 
Grrrrrr! *Throws a Chua*
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Hi All,
 
A few weeks ago I had posted to let everyone know we were actively working as a studio to overhaul our release pipeline in order to support quality and bug free releases.  
 
In accordance with these new internal release policies and procedures, we are working to break down some of the barriers between weekly patches and our players.  The goal for this initiative will be to collect both subjective and objective feedback on the PTR prior to any weekly release.    
 
As a studio we have added additional internal checks and balances alongside the external PTR gate.  As weekly patch release candidates are cut, tested, and deployed, we have implemented further subjective and objective quality gates that are enforced by our studio as a whole.
 
Lastly, we will be updating our PTR environment today with our next weekly patch in order to allow players time to test and provide feedback.  Players who have acquired any new PTR equipment directly related to "The Defile" drop will notice that these items have gone missing.  "The Defile" drop is a future content update and as such, items related to it do not exist in our soon to be published weekly patch.  These items will reappear on players accounts as we transition the PTR back to "The Defile" drop for testing in the coming weeks. 
 
Cheers
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Grrrrrr! *Throws a Chua*
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