Was fooling around test server this morning since normal servers were not up. noticed something kinda interesting. When you zone into a zone instead of losing your UI etc.. you see a big white text in the middle of screen saying You have Entered Plane of knowledge and on your window it says red text Loading please wait... I thought that was kinda neat. hoping is going to come live.

Not meaning to hijack your thread, but...

When did they start leaving the Test server up during a patch? I remember a couple years ago I'd always try to play on Test during a patch and never could get in.

I had a character there for a while, until the Big Wipe (tm), but I pretty much stuck to the live servers since then.

Anyway, dragging the thread back on topic... nice info. I always found it irritating that the UI went away like it did. Now if they'd just show us actual mana numbers... I'd be happy :)

Another nice change on Test is that if the zone you're in crashes, when you try to get back in, it instantly sends you to your bindpoint (or North Qeynos if your bind zone is down).

Although, there are also some fun bugs on Test right now... 100% WR bags are instead 100% weight-increasing bags... monks are happy. :p

I have two chars on the Test Server, one is pre Velious and the other pre Luclin, they are both still on the server.

" Another nice change on Test is that if the zone you're in crashes, when you try to get back in, it instantly sends you to your bindpoint (or North Qeynos if your bind zone is down)."

Holy crap! What an atrociously bad idea!

If you wonder why, just think what happens when some people--say, your druid/wizard--log in right away and are whisked to their bind point, while some people--say your warriors--wait a few mintues and log in to a fully functional zone, full of monsters.... Even if they don't die, I hope they brought a gate potion....

Of if you just get sent to your bind point when a zone crashes, I hope the rollback wasn't to the point where you were just about to res that person with 5 minutes left on their res timer, or something equally annoying caused by scattering your group/raid all over the world.

I propose, instead, that they fix the things that cause zones to crash.

later,
Chroam

Test Server up and downs vs. Live patches have never seemed to have any relationship to me.

Generally test server is up while they are patching the live servers since that patch was already on test. If it's a server issue then test will be down along with the rest. Test has more overall downtimes for patching though since they patch and repatch while testing.

If you start a new char on test and want to bypass newbie leveling, type /TestBuff. You instantly become level25, with 3 bags of equipment/armor and if caster level 24 spells

Yep, testbuff has been around for a couple months now. Beware, though, that due to the <em>large</em> influx of people using testbuff and generally acting poorly, Test server players are very wary and sometimes hostile to "testbuffies."

If you're in a zone when it crashes, everyone gets sent to their bind point, right? Not just the people that tried to log in again while the zone was down?

Maybe a better idea would be:
When a zone crashes, mark all the characters that were in the zone. Until the first time they log in again successfully, present 4 options at the character select screen:
(1) Log in at the location where the character was
(2) Log in at the safe point of the zone
(3) Log in at your bind point
(4) Log in at zone X (some zone in the original Everquest that should be safe for everyone; I suppose North Qeynos would work)

Only the people who attempt to log in while it's down get sent to their bindpont, AFAIK. I did use /feedback and suggest that they add a confirmation box for it.

Yeah, there should be an option for it. I'd hate to be a melee player off in some deep dungeon and have to run back from my bind point just because the zone crashed :)

They should give you the option to move to the zone-in safe spot if nothing else.

<blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>They should give you the option to move to the zone-in safe spot if nothing else.
[/quote]
The reason they can't do that is becuase the zone is down. For the person to be able to log in they need to be moved to a new zone (one that is not down)

I believe a confirmation box with 2 options -
1. Translocate to Bind Point
2. Wait for zone to come back up.

The login spot for a player is stored somewhere (and is kept even when entire servers are restarted); it must be possible to change it while the zone is down.

lucy.fnord.net/spell.html...ource=Test (http://lucy.fnord.net/spell.html?id=4131&source=Test)

Someone begins to dance. Badly.

rofl,

Cursed Hobbits.