The Atlantica Online development team has drastically loaded the next content patch with new features and game enhancing updates and has created a test server to help the new transition move along more smoothly. This test server was designed to help enhance the QA process in order to deliver patches with fewer bugs and faster than ever before. As careful as we are, we cannot catch every bug during our QA sessions, so opening up patches early will help find bugs that can slip through the QA process. Already launched, we have started letting a select number of players from the North American servers start helping us on July 22nd.

Just to start out, we wanted the program to be relatively small to avoid hitches and any problems that can be encountered when launching a public test server. As it stands now, we will be allowing 150-200 players to access the newest updated content in Atlantica Online to test and provide feedback on. This select group of players will be chosen via the online application as described in our forum. The application is short and to the point, requiring basic information such as you gaming experience. If the process goes well this time around, we hope to eventually open up the test servers to a larger group of players.

Because the test server gives players a great opportunity to access features and content not yet available in the live version of the game, players are definitely eager to take this opportunity to not only help us test for problems, but to also get informed about what to expect when the next content patch goes live. However, there are some very strict rules these selected testers must abide by in order to be able to participate.

Those selected to help us test the new game content will not be able to transfer their characters, but will find that leveling will be a lot easier and faster. One such way we plan to help this happen is by permanently providing double the experience points and free items. We want the players to test as much of the new content as they can to help us ensure a smoother, bug-free update for everyone else. In addition to experiencing new content, those testing the new server will have access to new mercenaries. There will be frequent character wipes, as well as occasional downtime, as the test server is meant to be used mainly to test the new content and get rid of bugs. We'll have a private forum set up just for those participating in the test server where they can engage in discussion with fellow testers, report bugs, and provide feedback to the Atlantica team.

This is a new process that we are confident will help reduce bugs and reduce the time it takes to release content updates in the future. This upcoming content patch is so big that we felt that now is an appropriate time to launch the test server. We want our players to continue having an incredible game experience. The test server will definitely help us incorporate player opinions and feedback before it goes live.