stress-test
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Dragonica's closed beta test isn't closed anymore
Europe's cute side-scrolling MMO isn't hiding behind a closed beta test anymore! Now the entire Dragonica fanbase can jump into the game with no beta key required as the game moves into stress testing until May 22nd, the original scheduled end of the beta test.To go along with the influx of community members, the game's GMs have announced that they will be hosting PvP rooms on the 19th and the 20th so they can "meet" more members of the community. Why shake hands when a lightning bolt would do instead, right?All that's now required for the Dragonica beta test is simply an account with gPotato, the overseeing game portal that is hosting Dragonica. Once you've acquired one of those, you can hop in to download the game without any difficult barriers blocking your way.Dragonica's official release is still planned for June 2009, and it looks like they're certainly going to meet their deadline with this quick shift into the next phase of beta.
Face the developers on the PTR tonight
Tonight from 4:00 p.m. PDT / 7:00 p.m. EDT until 6:30 p.m. PDT / 9:30 p.m. EDT the Blizzard developers will be on the PTR facing off against players in Battlegrounds and in Arenas. The developer's home will be Alliance on Broxigar (PvE), however the Patch 3.1.2 PTR servers are all linked together for PvP Arenas and Battlegrounds, so you'll be able to face them no matter where you are.We've previously covered some of these events, and you can see results in our gallery below. There is no word if the infamous Ghostcrawler will be making an appearance. But I suggest all you disgruntled <insert your class here> show up and hope for the best. After all, he promised you a pony and you didn't get it.%Gallery-18020%
How to be useful on the PTR
Yep, another PTR post. For all we know, the recent frenzy surrounding the PTR has been manufactured by Blizzard as a practical joke while their programmers are out playing skee-ball. We don't have the foggiest idea of when it's going to hit, but back-channel discussion here at WoW Insider HQ currently has the smart money on "whenever Elizabeth Wachowski is away from her computer." My real reason for writing this is that a lot of people in the beta seemed to treat the server as an extended vacation from the live realms, and this upset a lot of old PTR hands who assumed people knew they were supposed to submit feedback, and not just play with all the cool new toys. Yes, you should have fun, and you can contemplate the trippy philosophical notion of your character's existence in an alternate universe (duuuuuuuuuuuuuuude!), but you can do a lot of things to help patch 3.1 launch without issues. The point of the test realms' existence is for Blizzard to test everything new with as large a population of players as possible. If you're uninterested in submitting polite, honest, and frequent feedback, you're making it harder for them to get an accurate sense of the patch's impact on live realms.
Highlights from the 2008 Arena Tournament and TTR
Last year's arena tournament was a lot of fun. Prior to the 2008 tournament Blizzard has a Tournament Test Realm open for everyone to log on and play with. The test realm let them get the mechanics for the real tournament realm ready before hand, allowing Blizzard to work all the kinks out.We had a lot of coverage of the event, and some of it is pretty interesting to go back and read.There were two main tests, called stress tests. These were where as many people as possible logged on and attempted to play. You can check out our coverage of Stress Test I and Stress Test II.And of course, the highlights of the stress test were the GMs that came and spawned all sorts of terrible creations. %Gallery-18020%
Darkfall's release date announced (for real this time)
After an initial release date announced last month as January 22nd, the Darkfall Online team has clarified their plans a bit and re-assigned a new launch date of February 25th, 2009. Of course the date of January 22nd won't be completely trashed, as they plan to begin a trial on that date, allowing thousands of people to stress test the servers and test the game's features before launch.A pre-order will be made available in mid February which will give those players priority for early access to the game, including the possibility of a staged launch, due to the overwhelming interest in the game so far. They plan to release more information on this pre-order, North American player access and system specs very soon. Stay tuned![Thanks Jacob!]
End War pre-order lets you enlist in stress test
In case your appetite for voice-controlled strategizing hasn't been whetted enough by the bountiful beta leaks, an Ubisoft Forum Manager has announced that you can get "access to the exclusive Stress Test" (i.e. early playtime) for Tom Clancy's End War by pre-ordering the game at participating retailers. More details are said to be forthcoming; a stress test registration page has been unearthed on the End War website that lists July 8 as the opening day.[Via Damngamer]
Vastpark to publically release its tools on April 10th
For those of you who have been hankering after more toys to play with, Vastpark has announced the date for release of its tools as April 10th. What's included in the release? From the press notice: Browser: Similar to what we used during the stress test, but with a little more polish. Asset Publisher: Publish your content online to use in the creator. VastServer: Add real-time multiuser interaction, includes the source code. Creator: Improved function and shiny new interface In addition, the 22nd of April will see the next stress test: 'In the StressTest #1 we gave you Dark Park and Shed42. This time we're reworking Shed42 into multiple chat-zones and we've got plans on adding a bit of interactivity and individuality. This will be the first test of our new MetaWSS index. What does the MetaWSS index do? Find out more at the test. Also, during the test we will be making a public announcement concerning some exciting ways you will be able to interact with the index.' Sounds technical and sexy! We can't wait to see what the world will do with Vastpark!
Broken Review's PSP toughness test is hard to watch
The above video is definitely not for the squeamish. Broken Review's toughness tests are incredibly thorough and painful to watch. This video is the last in their series as the PSP managed to make it through the other three durability and stress tests while still working. They manage to finally break the machine beyond repair and then, just to make sure, throw it against a wall and tear it to pieces with their bare hands. Harsh.The Slim & Lite model scored a modest 65% in the Broken Review test, with the unprotected screen and flimsy UMD drive letting it down, somewhat. The moral of the story being that if you have a PSP Slim & Lite then make sure you buy some screen protectors or a keep it in a case. That, or don't throw it from a moving vehicle. If you're ready for some more PSP based masochism then step this way and watch the rest of the Broken Review videos.
Requiem: Bloodymare closed beta period extended
It looks like the closed beta for Requiem: Bloodymare did not in fact end on the 26th of March as was originally planned -- it's still been going on. A post on the official forums informs us that the closed beta period has been extended until the 17th of April, so that the game can be tidied up before the unwashed masses join the fray in stress testing. Those keen to get in on the gory action will need to wait just a bit longer for this next phase to begin.[Via MMORPG.com]
Through Alex's eyes: Wednesday's TTR stress test
Wednesday's TTR stress test was far, far more calm than Sunday's test. Lower Blizzard activity and the population levels seemed vastly lower than before. The lag was minimal, maybe nonexistent. Definite improvement from Sunday, but that probably has something to do with the much lower population.I have no fantastic tales of speaking to Nethaera or private photoshoots with GMs, but I actually got quite a few arena games in. The WoW Insider gang didn't have a 5th for 5v5s, so I decided to let Adam, Zach and Amanda M. have the Hordeside fun in the 3v3 bracket, and I'd make waves on the Alliance-side. Many lamented my departure when I logged off of my Tauren Warrior, but the Alliance needed love, too! Sorry guys!
Wednesday Night Live!
Blizzard is at it again and so are we! We'll be live blogging the stress test event part deux tonight, on the scene with both Alliance and Horde characters. Be sure to give a /wave to any "Insider" you see walking around. We'll be trying to stay where the action is – be it in arena's attempting to best our own 8-1 record, or watching the GMs hand out more 'phat lewts'.Right now the server is up and running, quite smoothly actually. Keep an eye out here and we'll keep you updated with the latest!Check out after the break for all the action.
WoW Insider at the Stress Test, Part Deux
What? Stress Test, Part DeuxWho? Blizzard CMs, GMs, Devs, and the WoW Insider Arena TeamWhere? Tournament Test ServerWhen? Tonight at 5:00 p.m to 8:00 p.m, PST Got all that? Good. Drysc announced last night Blizzard will be holding another round of stress testing on the tournament test realm. Why? Because they want more attention. I for one, am going to give it to them. In fact, WoW Insider will again have a crew on the server covering all the action. We'll all be hopping around on toons named like "Insideradam", "Insideralex", and "Insiderzach". So be sure to drop by and say hello again!If you missed the last stress test, it was a ton of fun. We have a huge gallery of screen shots of just about everything you could want to see. Blizzard devs were there handing out mounts, chicken and gnome costumes, and even teleporting the WoW Insider staff away for some quite alone time with a Brutallus disguised Englewood.If you're lucky enough to see us, just give us a /wave or a /hug and we'll try to snap a screen shot with you for our upcoming Stress Test Part Deux gallery. We'll also be live blogging all the activity on the TTR during the event, so even if you can't make it - you can still see what's happening. Our live blog is also a really good place to check and see if the server is up or down.See you on all over there!
Blizzard says bring it on! (aka TTR mayhem take 2)
Drysc has issued a challenge to the World of Warcraft community to meet Blizzard teams out on the Tournament Test Realm and compete in the 2v2, 3v3, and 5v5 Arena brackets. This follows a relatively successful worldwide brawl over the TTR last Sunday, where WoW Insider fielded a team of its own, although most of the time was spent waiting for the realm to get back online. Blizzard reached record numbers for the TTR tournament, prompting hardware upgrades which will be put to the test on Wednesday, between 5:00pm and 8:00pm PDT. Blizzard employees will make special appearances on the TTR near the vendors and Arena promoters, easily spotted as they will be the only characters with Guild tags -- <Blizzard Entertainment> for their Horde team and <Blizzard> for their Alliance team. If you can't spot the Guild tag, you still probably won't have trouble finding them and their gigantic mounts. Drysc says he expects problems to crop up -- it is a stress test, after all -- but that Blizzard is ready to resolve any issues that might arise.If you haven't gotten onto the TTR, now's a good time to download the PTR client and make your own pimped out Level 70 characters. The more players log on to the TTR during the tournament, the better Blizzard will be able to test their new build and hardware. Plus, it's always good to see what crazy antics Blizzard employees will be up to.
Chat highlights from the TTR stress test
As horrible as Barrens chat and the trade channel can be by times, one of my favorite parts of Sunday's tournament test realm stress test was reading through the chats. Although I'm sure the guys had some pretty great tells, considering their names were more obvious than mine (Insideradam, Insideralex, and Vehn), I did catch some gems of my own. One thing that was rampant on Sunday was names that were clearly against the terms of service, and of course nasty language. So if any of the photos have blurred-out names, you'll know why! Before you jump through, keep in mind there are a few photos, so the load might be slow. Don't forget to check out my full coverage of the stress test! %Gallery-18020%
Manda's tales from the TTR: Stress edition
Sunday's Tournament Test Realm stress test was, in my opinion, a huge success. Despite the lag, the occasional crash or kick, and a one-hour maintenance downtime, the server held up quite well considering just how many people were bombing around on it. After maintenance, the lag improved quite a bit, and I'm guessing that Blizzard learned a fair amount that will help them to design the arena tournament realm.Of course, interaction with the GMs, fighting spawned bosses dropping orange epics, being polymorphed into all sorts of things, receiving rare mounts, and reading through /general, /say, and /yell, not to mention tells, were the real highlights from yesterday. While Alex has already given a fairly detailed account of our adventures, I have some stories of my own to tell. %Gallery-18020%
Englewood poses, and the live coverage wraps up
Englewood, a GM on the Tournament Test Realm, poised for some pictures today with the WoW Insider Arena Team covering the event. We were all pretty psyched to find us all teleported right outside Dalaran, with Englewood, to pose for some pics. He was in his Brutallus getup, and was lookin' pretty sweet.Thanks Englewood! It looks like the Blizzard staff is dwindling down on the TTR, and I've got a raid to run off to in 30 minutes. So while our live coverage is wrapping up, expect to see lots more commentary and analysis over the next few days.And of course, the best part of the day for all of us was all you fans - I was getting so many tells at points I couldn't keep up! Thanks for saying hello!
Stress test live blog
We've been preparing for the stress test, are mostly gemmed and enchanted up, and are looking to fight! I'll be updating this post as things happen, hopefully with riveting tales of victory and triumph over Alliance Care Bears. (Kidding of course, my main is an Human warrior.)Read on after the break for the updates! We'll keep this front page only for things that are affecting everyone.Updated 5:23 p.m. PST: Live blogging wrapped up for the day. Many many thanks to all the fans and GMs out there! It was a great day with lots of cool stuff happening. More analysis over the next couple days!%Gallery-18020%
WoW Insider TTR team is ready for battle!
WoW Insider's Arena Team is getting ready for battle right now! Come on over to the Tournament Test Realm (TTR) and join us and thousands of other players as we prepare for battle against each other and even Blizzard's CMs and Devs!If you're looking for us, we're playing under the banner "WoW Insider". My name is "insideradam", Alex Ziebart's name is "insideralex", and Amanda Miller's name is "Vehn". We'll be joined by other writers throughout the stress test. I'll also be live blogging the event in about 30 minutes from now.If you haven't gotten on the TTR yet, I'd hurry up and do so soon. The server is stable right now, and that's a good sign. There is still delay when clicking through to buy everything from the vendors, but that's been a problem all week.Any experiences on the TTR to report on already? Leave a comment and let us know!
Join WoW Insider on the TTR tomorrow
The Tournament Test Realm outside of the Orc starting area. We've been covering the Tournament Test Realm (TTR) lately, especially the stress test tomorrow between 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. PST. It's going to be a lot of fun I'm sure – assuming the server can stay up. And the best part about it all?WoW Insider will be there in force! The TTR team from WoW Insider will include folks like myself, Amanda Dean, Amanda Miller, Alex Ziebart, and other writers. We'll be there trying to be king of the hill during the arena tests. Our team name is "WoW Insider" (creative, huh?) and we'll be fighting FOR the Horde.So grab your sword and fight us Horde! Come on over and join the fun - and if you happen to hit us in battle, don't forget to take a screen shot of us standing victoriously over your dead bodies! ;-)
Metaplace's new stress test: Uberspace
Raph Koster's baby, Metaplace, will be undergoing another stress test this Saturday, March 8th, at 12 PM PST. Uberspace, a space-shooter, is the game they'll be using to test 'scalability, bandwidth, and instancing within a multiplayer space.' Some have thought that we may have been a bit too hard on poor ol' Raph with our coverage of his GDC presentation, but bear in mind that we're tough on things because we only want the best to succeed. If you would like to be part of the stress test, get on over to Metaplace on Saturday and blast your friends. It's free and clear for everybody to try!
