Why is the MA Booster Pack such poor quality?

I suppose it would seem backwards, if I considered a recurring monthly subscription to be free compared to a one time payment of $9.99

Super Booster Pack content does go through a more involved testing from our internal QA department specifically because that content doesn't go through the same training room pipeline. We do what we can to catch what we can, and then react as quickly as we can to fix what we missed. I can tell you that Ninja Run was a real nightmare to get integrated into the game. It has to layer on top of pretty much everything and work in conjunction with every combat mode and every power. It required a ton of animations (115+), an insane amount of sequencer moves 1,800+), and a lot of restructuring to many of the other existing player moves.

Which basically means that, yes, they do go through slightly less QC, but it's a necessity due to the nature of the packs. That said, it's impressive how quickly the Devs have been fixing booster pack errors once the players find and report them.

If errors in the packs at initial release annoy The Pope so much i'd simply suggest waiting a few months after one comes out to get it, or skip it entirely. Since i'm confident that the Devs will address problems as soon as they're aware of them i'll continue getting them at release and use buggy pieces after they get fixed if they cause problems for me. 9.99 isn't even two diner lunches where i live, so it's not a big investment.

The core parts of the game that subscribers pay for with monthly subscriptions go through more quality control than the optional stuff only some players will pay a small nominal fee for.

OOH! OOH! I thought I was the only one that wanted this! Add my name to this request!

I guess it's a question of how you define quality control. I work as a software regression tester\deployment analyst for a financial services company. In my job quality control is something that can be defined and measured. Processes are set up to insure that every new software release is developed, tested and released in a predictable manner with a minimum of mistakes. Following these processes results in the release of a quality product.

In my mind the Training Room test server is not something that fits into that model. The game developers have no way of controlling the testing that goes on in the Training Room even during closed beta. They can put out release notes, specify areas of priority, ask for feedback and data mine but they can't make the players follow a testing regimen or report bugs. While I appreciate the fact that more testing is always better than less testing the Training Room server represents an uncontrolled environment that in some cases provides second hand, possibly incomplete data. As such the testing done on the Training Room server can not be considered part of the quality control process.


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I'm happy overall with the NR animations. The new changes for Claws and Pistols cemented the sets as usable with NR, and already looking forward to making a gunslinger come GR who uses NR. There is one small thing I think might fall under quality though, which I outlined in the patch notes here:

http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showt...24#post2431124

In summary: Claws/Pistols looked better when the jump animation was a cross-armed pose rather than the basic arms-up pose that normal jump uses.

In general, other posters agreed. I can't speak for all players, but from that thread:

In favor of changing Claws/Pistols back to cross-armed:
Dispari
gigas
Darkfaith
Street Wolf
Ninja Trail

In favor of changing Pistols but keeping Claws the same:
Bright Shadow

In favor of keeping both the same:
British Battler

Please consider it?

Originally Posted by PRAF68_EU Dispari has more than enough credability, and certainly doesn't need to borrow any from you.

It's this kind of attitude that leads to poor quality service being acceptable all across
the consumerscape(not speaking on the booster pack, just this opinion.)

If something is, to your mind, not worth the $value attached to it, it's not being "cheap"
to think so, and not want to pay for it. That's called having an appreciation that money

A) does not grow on trees.
B) has value.
And C) will not be handed to you by mommy and daddy all of your life.

"It's only $10, don't be so cheap even though you clearly don't find it worthwhile!" is
an incredibly frivolous and wasteful outlook, that really only leads to being taken
advantage of.

Its technically part of early or late-stage field testing (in MMOs and especially this one, closed beta is more mid-term field testing and open beta is more late-stage field testing). Any time field testing is used as part of the implementation testing process, there is a way to provide feedback to quality control. Its not technically a component of the quality control process, but its an input to it.

Fair enough, the Training Room represents a powerful tool for data mining based solely on the sheer number of "testers". I suppose it's just a question of the consequences of missed bugs. In my line of work we can't really field test anything because field testing would require a production release and at that point we are literally messing with other people's money. In the case of CoX no one is going to file suit or revoke PCI compliance because the latest software revision caused some costume clipping issues.


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This is exactly why the training room and beta testing is invaluable to development. The "controlled" environment is just that; the devs know what they expect, how they expect things to be done, and how the systems are supposed to work. Everything can run perfectly in the controlled environment. Then you put it out in the wild and somebody finds an unexpected way to break it.

The fact that it is a less controlled environment and that the game is being pounded on by players who don't know what to expect or how things are supposed to work provides much needed feedback and data to the development team.

You better believe it was worth every single second you and the team had to spend thinking about and working on it. Ninja Run is the single greatest addition the game has seen since the new Katana animations and it may even be better than those (the STF is close, but I can Ninja Run and enjoy all the content, I can only enjoy the STF content when doing a STF).

Any word if Assault Rifle and Ninja Run will eventually get a modification? That's the only weapon set I currently see as goofy with this animation. If there was a means to keep the rifle in both hands during the run, jump and roll animations, I think it'd look the most natural... right now it just looks rather mutated.

Since you mentioned it again here, I'll respond here instead of in the other thread.

Personally, I'd prefer animations/poses that lessen the chances for clipping issues. Crossing arms in front looks cool, but not for every character model, nor for every costume. A compromise would be a random pose for every jump, but that might require more work, I suppose.

I admit I haven't tested with every costume part, but I didn't notice any real clipping on any of my toons. At least no more clipping than the regular crossarm emote would already do, if there even is any clipping.

My bolero girl there will clip in certain situations, but those sleeves clip with a lot of emotes, which is something I accept for cool sleeves.

Originally Posted by PRAF68_EU Dispari has more than enough credability, and certainly doesn't need to borrow any from you.

They've improved it a lot, it no longer points backwards at least.

It actually looks pretty good to me now. Not really how a real world AR user would carry one at a run, but considering the setting...

In fairness, it's not the same people. Everyone wants different things, done different ways, and has different thresholds for what's acceptable and not acceptable.

That's something we've already changed (both back to the cross armed jump), it just hasn't made it into a build yet.

Wait, so the jump while dual wielding (Claws and DP) is back to the crossed arms?

You're awesome, BABs. <>

Originally Posted by PRAF68_EU Dispari has more than enough credability, and certainly doesn't need to borrow any from you.

I have been sitting here for a bit trying to formulate how I want to respond to this. It is often hard for me to put exactly what I am thinking into the proper words and get my thoughts across. I agree with you given the context to the statement you were replying to. But, in my opinion, the right answer isn't as cut and dry for each individual.

For me I can accept being out the $10 in this case. Any place that I frequent regularly, this game for one, I do so for the overall quality and service of the products I am there for. If, out of all the times I visit, I get poor quality or service once or twice from something new I want to try at that place then I can accept that. I am not going to like everything they have.

Will I express my dissatisfaction? You bet I will. But I have enough respect for those places that I go to all the time to pull the manager aside and not air my dirty laundry in front of the entire establishment. If the issue were severe enough, I would then take my money elsewhere should the management not be able to resolve the problem.

For me, three years of fun beats one booster pack that I don't like and I wouldn't blink at not seeing that $10 again. Again, my opinion. I don't expect others to see things as I do.

FWIW, I am enjoying the heck out of this booster.

For fun;

A) True, it grows out of the ground. Well, about 75% of it does.
B) True, if it didn't then people wouldn't take it as payment for things.
C) Maybe, depends on the size of your inheritance.

I'm sensing a comment probably intended for me and I'll pretend I didn't read C and give you the chance not to make an idiot of yourself.

Its still only 10$. Are you really going to go through all that trouble just to get 10$ back for a purchase you made in a video game? 10$ for most people is a hour or more of work or 1/3 the price of cutting some old ladies yard. Or as babs posted, less fast food for you. (which is a good thing in the end)