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ACTIVELY USE A TEST SERVER LONG BEFORE PATCHES

StargethStargeth
Reactions: 2,690
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Member
edited December 2016 in Suggestions, Feedback, and Requests
So I think this patch has come to show just how terribly prepared Nexon America's GMS staff are when it comes to updates. It's now 26 hours into the maintenance and it still has an ETA for finishing. AN ETA. What have you guys been doing for the past 6 months? Sure, it is fine if a few bugs slip through here and there because coding naturally tends to do that especially with a game as large as Maplestory, but I still think it is self-evident for what happened for this patch is unacceptable. It's hard to have sympathy for something that could've been worked on harder for 6 months in preparation for this patch instead of fixing it the LAST DAY POSSIBLE. How can you miss that people have ~13k % crit damage in the stats bar. Like how does one miss that in testing? Did anyone attack mobs at all...?

I might have sounded a bit like some salty ranter so far but let me clarify; I've been playing this game on and off for around the past 10 years so I kinda know what's up. I've never said anything before this patch because I never expected anything better from Nexon. But over time the quality of Nexon has improved from a 2.5/10 to a 6/10 (in my opinion) in recent years. Tickets are actually responded to, Nexon is actively working towards "A Better Maple" including Legacy Bugs being fixed, etc. The reason I am saying something now, however, is because the quality of the company is starting to drop again with the past year due to these superficial apologies and compensations to hide the fact that Nexon is not on the path to improving further at a critical time. Let me quote on Nexon's response to the issues of the Heroes of Maple patch v.174,
"We’d like to start off with an apology. There was an unexpected number of bugs, issues with sales, and other game-related issues that have come to light with this Heroes of Maple: Reborn update. The release of this update has not been up to the quality standards that we aim to deliver to all of you, and we are not taking this lightly. Our goal is, and has always been, to provide you with an enjoyable experience with the release of every update, and not be burdened with technical issues. We were able to address some of the issues immediately with the maintenance and minor patch last week, and have plans to address more in the upcoming weekly maintenance. More details will be available later this week," from the Maple Team (posted by Aletai) on June 28th, 2016. This apology suggests Nexon's approach to fix bugs as soon as they are noticed, which honestly I think is fine, but when you look at this in addition to the facts that these maintenances take so long, when there was 6 months to play-test it, along with the live-stream showing GM's not knowing how to use the 5th job luminous skill/equilibrium + using a mana pot trying to charge the kinesis bar (trust me, we Maplers have never tried that before) kinda leads us to believe that the GM's working on the maintenances are simply coders along with a bunch of play-testers that don't know how to physically PLAY the game. I would love to believe otherwise, but the truth can't hide over the years.

This is the Vth job update!!! People from new and old alike are coming to join the game, and how much will they be deterred when they see this and even see players on the forums supporting it? It will instantly turn them away! First impressions or first time "new" impressions (for returning vets) matter a lot. Who cares how grand the update is; we will lose player-base which makes the game less enjoyable for all and even less profits for the company who seems to not want to fix the issue.

So my question to you, Nexon, is do you really want to keep on this roller-coaster ride of maintenances and lose customer faith and support or do you want to fix these undeniable flaws in the company that have permeated throughout almost a decade? Do you want to just say sorry and hand us compensation to keep us quiet? Release a test server to a large sample of players and actively ask for their support. This patch was solely for the UI and events, anyway, so there is no reason why that couldn't have been play-tested even if it is desired to keep the 5th job and continent secret. If a test server is not released, at the very least the content could be tested more before (particularly by experienced players, as the livestream GM's were a HUGE embarrassment) it is released to the public.
XychoGMSDillonNymostwantd7

Comments

  • AggraphineAggraphine
    Reactions: 19,415
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    Member
    edited December 2016
    You think they don't use a test server? Just what exactly do you think Saygo and whoever the other guy was were on yesterday? Because it certainly wasn't the live/production servers.
  • StargethStargeth
    Reactions: 2,690
    Posts: 85
    Member
    edited December 2016
    I was referring to the public. Add a test server available to the public through invitation.
  • AaronHuskyAaronHusky
    Reactions: 2,485
    Posts: 174
    Member, Private Tester
    edited December 2016
    I think we had one, but nobody reported anything while it was up.
  • PetalmagicPetalmagic
    Reactions: 7,660
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    edited December 2016
    AaronHusky

    I think we had one, but nobody reported anything while it was up.
    Or they would find exploits and use them in the actual game...thats why we no longer have a Test server.
    gamechangerNeospectorNymostwantd7
  • gamechangergamechanger
    Reactions: 3,460
    Posts: 506
    Member
    edited December 2016
    Stargeth
    Stargeth said:

    I was referring to the public. Add a test server available to the public through invitation.
    We had one, but our ever so lovely community used it to look for exploits. Instead of reporting bugs, they would spend all of their time figuring out how to exploit them, keep mum, and then abuse them to hell and back when the patch went live.

    We no longer have a test server because people in this community are so awful human beings
    Lilyflower
  • XychoXycho
    Reactions: 520
    Posts: 8
    Member
    edited December 2016
    gamechanger

    Stargeth
    Stargeth said:

    I was referring to the public. Add a test server available to the public through invitation.
    We had one, but our ever so lovely community used it to look for exploits. Instead of reporting bugs, they would spend all of their time figuring out how to exploit them, keep mum, and then abuse them to hell and back when the patch went live.

    We no longer have a test server because people in this community are so awful human beings
    Test servers don't have to be completely public, like other test servers they can be played on an "invite-only" basis. Either way I strongly agree with what the OP had to say, I myself have a handful of friends that are interested in coming back to Maple upon seeing all the V update advertisements, but without even playing the game some were dissuaded from playing after all these deficiencies became evident, resorting to remarks like "MaintenanceStory" or "Nexon hasn't changed" etc. I can only imagine how many other potential players, or rather customers that were turned away because of problems, that I believe, could have been completely preventable.
  • CybunnyCybunny
    Reactions: 1,275
    Posts: 33
    Member, Private Tester
    edited December 2016
    Aggraphine

    You think they don't use a test server? Just what exactly do you think Saygo and whoever the other guy was were on yesterday? Because it certainly wasn't the live/production servers.
    The same testers who didn't know how Kinesis' psychic points worked and struggled to figure out how to use Equilibrium?

    I'd really like to have testers that know how the game functions. Even if there were more play testers other than them, it's still unacceptable.

  • AggraphineAggraphine
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    edited December 2016
    Cybunny
    Cybunny said:

    Aggraphine

    You think they don't use a test server? Just what exactly do you think Saygo and whoever the other guy was were on yesterday? Because it certainly wasn't the live/production servers.
    The same testers who didn't know how Kinesis' psychic points worked and struggled to figure out how to use Equilibrium?

    I'd really like to have testers that know how the game functions. Even if there were more play testers other than them, it's still unacceptable.

    One of them is the Vindictus CM, I wouldn't expect him to know squat about how the game works. The other guy is a maple QA guy who, frankly, has no excuse for being that ill-informed in the game.
  • ExtrasenseBeraExtrasenseBera
    Reactions: 430
    Posts: 17
    Member
    edited December 2016
    I used to participate in the test servers, and we did had invitations from a selected amount of random people at least when Door of the Future came out along with Cygnus boss. I never knew the reasons they took it out until now. I really liked to preview the servers before it went live, I'm sure I did some reports. The other thing being that they never read my reports.
  • Sweetheart123Sweetheart123
    Reactions: 1,885
    Posts: 204
    Member
    edited December 2016
    i really resent all these comments being a beta tester
    if nexon wanted they should ask some of the legit old beta testers
    some that still play to come in and test the servers for them
    we did it beta im sure we can do it now
    there was no hackers in beta at all
    im sure you can add some new people who meet the requirements
    like streamers or maple vloggers who understand the game mechanics
    this would not only help you it would help the community
    just ask/ have them sign a nondisclosure and have them not to release the content before the update not like that matters kms version on youtube
    and offer more exclusives/ rewards for these testers to keep everything on the hush n hush

    i would be more than happy and up to voulenteer for such a task =D

    Nymostwantd7
  • ExtrasenseBeraExtrasenseBera
    Reactions: 430
    Posts: 17
    Member
    edited December 2016
    Well, I would like to apply again for a tester as well.
  • SatouPendragonSatouPendragon
    Reactions: 200
    Post: 1
    Member
    edited December 2016
    IIRC they had a Tespia server. I haven't played in 5-6 years, so I'm not quite sure if that's still around.