.::Suggestion::. Public Plugin Testing

I have no doubt in my mind this will be declined, but I think it would be really useful to allow the community to test EMC's plugins before they are officially implemented. I'll just use the dragon tombs as an example.

Let's skip forward to when they are released.

There's a bug that deletes your whole, non dragon tomb inventory, and the mods don't notice it as it is hard to recreate. A player has full diamond tools, and armor (very unlikely xP), and exits the tomb. Non of his items are there, and then he rage quits.

If we had Aikar releasing public test builds like Mojang does with snapshots, players could find these bugs and report them before release. We would have to have a private server to test them on though, because they're plugins.
It could be abused. Players could install them and bring them onto their server. So maybe he'd just pick a few people to test them out, and add them into a PM? Just playing with the idea, and I welcome your input. I think it would be a good benefit, so there are less bugs to report on release and less pissed off players.

Bump.

I'm kinda "ish" on this... I can see that it would be really beneficial and all, but then there's always that bad side...

IMO, it would be great to make sure there's no bugs in anything before it's released (*cough* EyeCar likes permission errors *cough*), and to have a taste of what's to come. It would also be great to be able to just connect to a server which would be dedicated as a test server, and would be treated as one (item spawning to test stuff, frequent resets, rupees/vault disabled etc.), just so we know that there's stuff there. A EMC test server sound like the best way to me - not distributing the plugins.

Then again, the surprise would kinda go (although, let's be honest, there isn't really that many surprise updates), and it would cost for a new server if it was to be done in a way without distributing plugins. It would also give players a chance to find out exploits ahead of time, not report them so they're not patched, then abuse them when they get into actual EMC - although a warning of a permaban with no appeal for all involved with that could possibly help avoid it.

This could work as a new supporter feature in a way though... updates released early on a test server/Utopia (yes, I know Utopia's used for testing anyway), so that there's another reason to support. But, all in all, the plugin files themselves should never be released.

I like the idea! Could really help EMC be Bug free while only giving to the people that know wont release the Plugin data

+1

What I was thinking of is a few more trusted members of the community (example: you, battmeghs, maybe nfell, and a few others) would have access to a server or a plugin download, and we would test it and find out the glitches in a private message or something.

The downside is that how do you decide which players should be allowed to test the plugins? I can't see anyway where people won't get upset. But if EMC opened a pure testing server where anyone could join that may solve the problem.

Dont the mods test this stuff out on stage though?

I think so, but thats not a HUGE crowd.

Im very trustworthy thank you very much, that and I don't have any contacts to share the plugins with...

Yeah, mods test them but say 20 people tested them then thats what, 50+ people testing them. 50 People shall we say checking them with different ways of thinking for glitchs, I could say with the res plugin away to build by doing way X while soul thinks of way Z and so on, more people, more ideas, more ways to find bugs

Yeah you have a point....However i doubt it will happen. It would be awsome though!

Dislike,Let the mods try it instead for some random players you like.
Mods are both trustworthy and active,Problem solved
So Good idea,But let the testing part to the mods

Note that the mods won't find all the bugs, and some could result in very angry players if not found.

I'm going to list all the problems with stuff being tested on Stage, mainly because I have nothing better to do:

1. On Stage, everyone that has a staff rank. *cough* permission errors *cough*
2. You can't actually test if something works with lots of people
3. I may be wrong with this, but when lots of mods are connected to Stage at once, /reports seem to take longer to be dealt with
4. Mod's opinions =/= player opinions sometimes. If something the mods think is amazing is hated by every single member of EMC, it kinda should be dealt with before it reaches the point where the hated thing becomes implemented
5. Stage is a bad name... 'nuf said.

Well, stage would have to be adapted, but you could have a lottery: "Win tickets to view EMC's pre-release!". And give out 100 tickets.

It's called stage because in programming, testing it usually called stage.

Justinland > Stage.
EMC doesn't need sense.

Or how about:
nfell2009IsAwesomeAndShouldBeModBecauseHeIsAwesomeInEverySingleWay.empire.us

You are now void from ever becoming a mod. Gratz.

Thanks I was joking anyways, I'm 14 Now so in about 3-4 years I will apply