Kunark and Spring Break

[Cyrano]

Many of the players here are students or work in the school system. That being said a large % of the population will have an increase in free time from March 14-18 that would make releasing Kunark on the 12th more ideal.

I understand there is also a ton of people who this wouldn't affect and some would view it as a hindrance, however if the content is close enough to ready at that point I think the server would benefit from letting those players get the jump at the expansion full time.

This effectively institutes a "live testing" group which in turn would help make the content more tuned, due to the amount of people submitting content petitions, by the current proposed released date.

What this means ultimately is that we'd have a more "classic" version of the expansion as more casual people are getting into the higher end zones which will have less amount of testing hours from beta. This SHOULD create a smoother experience towards the back end.

I'm sure it will get shot down but just food for thought.

BTW I'm not getting that week off but I'm sure people will flame me anyways for suggesting it.

[Dr4z3r]

A smooth expansion release, conveniently-timed so that a large section of the playerbase has extra time to get at it?

That doesn't sound classic at all.

[Ele]

I seem to remember expansions hitting right before finals time.

[nilbog]

That being said a large % of the population will have an increase in free time from March 14-18 that would make releasing Kunark on the 12th more ideal.


Depends on where you live.

http://www.tripsmarter.com/panamacity/springbreak/sbcalendar.htm

[Cyrano]

Depends on where you live.

http://www.tripsmarter.com/panamacity/springbreak/sbcalendar.htm

The largest % of students from that list comes from the week I suggest with the second largest coming the week before. By far the majority of students are off during the month of March compared to February/April and would prove the most beneficial in terms of logging the most hours on this server at the release which in turn means more bugs are being discovered early on.

[nilbog]

The largest % of students from that list comes from the week I suggest with the second largest coming the week before. By far the majority of students are off during the month of March compared to February/April and would prove the most beneficial in terms of logging the most hours on this server at the release which in turn means more bugs are being discovered early on.

It would be most beneficial for the bugs to be discovered prior to release.. It is EXTREMELY easier to fix bugs while in beta, as opposed to after a release.

It's sad to say, but I had more beta testers for prekunark, when the actual playerbase was zero.

[Cyrano]

Then why not shut down p1999 for the week of March 14-18th. I'm pretty sure the playerbase for EZ spiked when we were down for the DDoS issues last year.

[nilbog]

Then why not shut down p1999 for the week of March 14-18th. I'm pretty sure the playerbase for EZ spiked when we were down for the DDoS issues last year.

If it takes shutting down the server for thousands of p99 players to beta test, then you guys can live with the bugs.

[Rogean]

Thanks for the idea.. March 14-18... one of those days will be our final beta stress test.. live server shuts down, everyone to beta!

[eqholmes]

Nilbog that is due to that fact that people can play their characters now and everyone is getting all there shit and maxing xp or leveling their alt real fast now that they know kunark is 6 weeks away.

One thing that could help the beta would be /random 7 and then /random 24 pick that hour as the starting point and close p99 for, idk lets say 8 hours. Honestly most people will just say screw it and do RL stuff, but the 20% that are addictive to no end will pop over to the BETA. Do this once a week till kunark. I know some people will slap down the idea, but screw those ungrateful bastards, they aren’t the ones that want kunark out with less bugs.

Holmes 50 Nerco
Gretzky 50 Ranger

[eqholmes]

SOB that 4min that it took me to think and write what I said and you guys post 3 comments about the idea! Quick lil buggers

Holmes 50 Nerco
Gretzky 50 Ranger

[guineapig]

I love the tentative release date even more now. :)

Enjoy your spring break dudes, go outside!

[DevGrousis]

Well my thought goes the other way with this. we are all going to be super excited and stoked about Kunark coming out, but that'll fade quickly if its SUPER SUPER buggy and not fun to play. That being said, i think that extensive testing should be done during that peak player time (spring break), like prio mentioned by some of the devs.

but a good idea would def be to shut down live server. i think that if you made a nice post explaining what you were doing, alot of people would want to pop over, and help out. and even if you just got 200 players running around kunark. at the rate of 8 people on the continent that theres been consistently testing it so far, i think 200 people at once would flush out some little buggers :D

[Mcbard]

Take your time, the less bugs the better!

On a related note, can I get a more recent character copy for the beta server? <3

[Extunarian]

I'm sure you'll be able to find SOME time to play eq while managing a course load that forces you to be in class a whopping 12-18 hours a week.

[Popt]

I would be willing to test more on the beta server if there was a character copy option. My enchanter on the beta server is in the teens, as opposed to 50 on the actual server. I'd like to do some Howling Stones and other higher level stuff but don't want to level up to 50 again. <3

[guineapig]

More recent character copies would be nice.

[Kassel]

More recent character copies would be nice

I would love to have my planes gear on beta but i have actually been testing and would hate to lose my levels, thus my ability to test higher level zones !

[Cyrano]

I'm sure you'll be able to find SOME time to play eq while managing a course load that forces you to be in class a whopping 12-18 hours a week.

I really don't, my playtime currently speaks for itself. I'm in class or labs 28 hours per week physically. I spend a large portion of my free time doing work for those classes. I currently teach MCAT classes twice a week for 2 hours on monday/thursday evenings and proctor exams Saturday mornings which is dedicated homework time.

I'm considered an inactive member of my guild although I try to make raids if I'm available. When I do make raids, it typically turns into me fighting for 15 minutes then doing homework the rest of the time we're in the zone.

During Christmas/Spring break I work full time in another city and stay with family while doing that. I leave for work at 7:30 and get home usually after 8 pm at which I'm never able to play EQ because I spend time with my brother's family who I'm staying with.

So this honestly does not benefit me in any way, I play less during my "breaks" than I do during school.

I am currently typing this while in a TA session I run for first year bio students.

It should be very obvious I will be on the back end of players who level to 60 on this expansion. The ability for me to find a 3-4 hour block where I can level consistently is virtually non-existent and it will most likely take me 6-8 weeks to hit 60 once Kunark is released.

However, if there is a way for the bugs to be tested quicker I am all for it. The one thing I would like to see are exploits discovered and fixed immediately to slow the impact of progression and I'm simply making a suggestion for how I think that is possible.

A less buggy experience is better all-around regardless of how much you play. People are going to beat me to 60 by leaps and bounds anyways so why not let them get as much time discovering those bugs, inconsistencies, exploits, and issues early on? We have a two week period coming up where half the students will be getting a one week break from school. That seems like a perfect time to get them access to Kunark.

[DevGrousis]

I really don't, my playtime currently speaks for itself. I'm in class or labs 28 hours per week physically. I spend a large portion of my free time doing work for those classes. I currently teach MCAT classes twice a week for 2 hours on monday/thursday evenings and proctor exams Saturday mornings which is dedicated homework time.

I'm considered an inactive member of my guild although I try to make raids if I'm available. When I do make raids, it typically turns into me fighting for 15 minutes then doing homework the rest of the time we're in the zone.

During Christmas/Spring break I work full time in another city and stay with family while doing that. I leave for work at 7:30 and get home usually after 8 pm at which I'm never able to play EQ because I spend time with my brother's family who I'm staying with.

So this honestly does not benefit me in any way, I play less during my "breaks" than I do during school.

I am currently typing this while in a TA session I run for first year bio students.

It should be very obvious I will be on the back end of players who level to 60 on this expansion. The ability for me to find a 3-4 hour block where I can level consistently is virtually non-existent and it will most likely take me 6-8 weeks to hit 60 once Kunark is released.

However, if there is a way for the bugs to be tested quicker I am all for it. The one thing I would like to see are exploits discovered and fixed immediately to slow the impact of progression and I'm simply making a suggestion for how I think that is possible.

A less buggy experience is better all-around regardless of how much you play. People are going to beat me to 60 by leaps and bounds anyways so why not let them get as much time discovering those bugs, inconsistencies, exploits, and issues early on? We have a two week period coming up where half the students will be getting a one week break from school. That seems like a perfect time to get them access to Kunark.

i commend your commitment to school. i fucking hated every second of school, went to the least amount of classes possible (besides my major courses which i loved dearly) and aside from LEARNING the material which i did in my own way, did the least amount of out of school work possible. did 4 years of school pretty much JUST so i could play soccer. *sigh*

[Tovin]

Down the road, you will regret playing EQ instead of enjoying your Spring Break. Honestly, this Kunark release schedule is a blessing in disguise.

[Messianic]

For most undergrads, particularly during the first two years (for most students), the time you actually have to spend - even to guarantee straight A's - is a joke. I work in Higher ed after earning my own undergrad, and supervised students for a few years afterward.

I learned how to work ahead of time, and my last semester of undergrad, I was literally done with school three or four weeks in advance (studied in advance for my exams, etc). I showed up to classes and played games on my laptop while half-listening. It wasn't hard to get that far ahead - I actually spent 30 hours a week (including class time) actually devoted to my studies, 15 hours a week working, and etc for the rest.

This isn't the case for Engineering/Hard science/Math/Stat/Nursing (i'm surprised how rigorous a serious BSN program is)/Pre-Med and quite a few other degree paths. I chose a pithy history/political science major.

I'm currently taking calc 2 while working full-time and realizing why some of my friends in more technical majors spent so much time studying.

[Mcbard]

This isn't the case for Engineering/Hard science/Math/Stat/Nursing (i'm surprised how rigorous a serious BSN program is)/Pre-Med and quite a few other degree paths. I chose a pithy history/political science major.

Pretty much sums it up for people getting "real degrees". All you humanities undergrads never have to do actual work to earn your piece of paper. :)

This has to be the easiest semester in my life thanks to random gen ed. courses. Courses that don't have 4 hour labs on top of insane studying are just a breeze. Show up to class once a week, take some notes, get an A. People pay 20k a year to get a piece of paper that says they can do that? WTF!

Props to all my engineering brothers. :)

[azeth]

if the tentative date is march 25th, id rather see Kunark drop on the 30th or after just to ensure it works properly

[AneurysmJones]

Yeah I'll never be able to raid <-- Aeronautical/Astronautical Engineer...what free time?

Edit: that's for undergrad

[Heebee]

A shitload of players on here are adults with jobs and families, or don't even live in the USA. We are completely unaffected by your school break.

Kunark launch date looks good as it stands!

[Cyrano]

If you are completely unaffected by Spring Break, why do you care if it's moved up two weeks or not? You're going to play the same amount of time anyways.

[Matador]

I really don't, my playtime currently speaks for itself. I'm in class or labs 28 hours per week physically. I spend a large portion of my free time doing work for those classes. I currently teach MCAT classes twice a week for 2 hours on monday/thursday evenings and proctor exams Saturday mornings which is dedicated homework time.

I'm considered an inactive member of my guild although I try to make raids if I'm available. When I do make raids, it typically turns into me fighting for 15 minutes then doing homework the rest of the time we're in the zone.

During Christmas/Spring break I work full time in another city and stay with family while doing that. I leave for work at 7:30 and get home usually after 8 pm at which I'm never able to play EQ because I spend time with my brother's family who I'm staying with.

So this honestly does not benefit me in any way, I play less during my "breaks" than I do during school.

I am currently typing this while in a TA session I run for first year bio students.

It should be very obvious I will be on the back end of players who level to 60 on this expansion. The ability for me to find a 3-4 hour block where I can level consistently is virtually non-existent and it will most likely take me 6-8 weeks to hit 60 once Kunark is released.

However, if there is a way for the bugs to be tested quicker I am all for it. The one thing I would like to see are exploits discovered and fixed immediately to slow the impact of progression and I'm simply making a suggestion for how I think that is possible.

A less buggy experience is better all-around regardless of how much you play. People are going to beat me to 60 by leaps and bounds anyways so why not let them get as much time discovering those bugs, inconsistencies, exploits, and issues early on? We have a two week period coming up where half the students will be getting a one week break from school. That seems like a perfect time to get them access to Kunark.

Cyrano is a young doctor?

[bizzum]

If you are completely unaffected by Spring Break, why do you care if it's moved up two weeks or not? You're going to play the same amount of time anyways.

Yes, please release Kunark at 3:45AM EST so coincide with me getting off work in my time zone!

[mimixownzall]

I think one or two day shutdown for kunark stress test is not too much to ask. when the server went down for that last reboot, the kunark server pop went up to 60 or so when i logged in.

[DevGrousis]

Down the road, you will regret playing EQ instead of enjoying your Spring Break. Honestly, this Kunark release schedule is a blessing in disguise.

different strokes for different folks

my buddy threw a huge party on saturday brought in DJ's from europe and everything, and i just felt like i wanted to stay in and play EQ. perfectly happy and i'm sure i wont regret it haha

[Heebee]

If you are completely unaffected by Spring Break, why do you care if it's moved up two weeks or not? You're going to play the same amount of time anyways.

I would rather see a polished and complete bug-free and issue-free product released, rather than something rushed out weeks in advance to coincide with school holidays in some part of the world. I expect the date that has been chosen has been chosen because the developers believe it will be ready at that time. I'm sure if the developers feel it is ready for release earlier than that date, then they may indeed release it before the 25th of March. By the same token, if it's not ready by the 25th of March then it may be postponed further to ensure that we all receive a quality gaming experience.

[bizzum]

I would rather see a polished and complete bug-free and issue-free product released, rather than something rushed out weeks in advance to coincide with school holidays in some part of the world. I expect the date that has been chosen has been chosen because the developers believe it will be ready at that time. I'm sure if the developers feel it is ready for release earlier than that date, then they may indeed release it before the 25th of March. By the same token, if it's not ready by the 25th of March then it may be postponed further to ensure that we all receive a quality gaming experience.

Well put

[quellren]

I'd be happy to test Kunark.

All you have to do is copy my characters over again. I'm not interested in testing anything when I have to revert back from 49 to low 20's.

[audacity]

I'd be happy to test Kunark.

All you have to do is copy my characters over again. I'm not interested in testing anything when I have to revert back from 49 to low 20's.

Ran into the same problem. I'm a lvl 42 naked chanter :\. I don't mind the levels tbh, but being naked wasn't much fun @ level 1.

[astuce999]

To all the people wanting a new server copy:

perhaps you don't realize there's a 500 percent xp bonus in beta?

I've leveled an iksar monk to lvl 55 now... and I only play a few hours on the weekends.

The devs on the beta are extremely helpful in giving out buffs and gear when they see that you're actually putting in an effort to help test stuff.

(i.e. my GF's lvl 55 druid is in full elder spiritist gear and has a mind buff that lasts 7000 mins that gives infinite mana, my sister's lvl 55 chanter (that I currently box on there) has a mana robe, and my monk has a fungi tunic).

Don't expect to log in there and get tons of freebies handed out for fun, but if you show that you're putting in the effort, you will be rewarded!

cheers!

[Cyrano]

I would assume it also has something to do with gear upgrades since the last one.

[Krimsin]

I chose a pithy history/political science major.

Sorry but I studied English and a button of mine is people misusing the word "pithy" in an attempt to degrade something. The term means quite the opposite...