For a long time the EQ Test Server has hosted its own vibrant community, and in many respects been much like a normal server with a few minor differences. This community has put in untold numbers of hours previewing upcoming content and giving invaluable feedback that has greatly aided the Development Team in numerous bug fixes and tweaks. Unfortunately, this system also has its limitations, specifically in how content was added to the server. There are a number of constraints we face in pushing content to Test in order to maintain a relatively normal play experience for people who choose to reside there.

All things change in time, and the Test Server is no exception. Moving forward, we recognize the need for a somewhat different style of test environment, one that allows more flexibility in the types of changes we can implement on the Test Server. It is also important that we eliminate some of the barriers that prevent players from copying to test, specifically the restrictions in place that protect the current server economy. We need a test server that is strongly focused on specific testing, rather than maintaining a dedicated community of testers.

This means that the following changes are coming to test:

  • We will be removing the restrictions on Test Copy. Players will copy with full gear and platinum.
  • We will also be enabling some rewards for testing. More information will be available in the near future.

We are aware that implementing these changes will cause some disruption to the community on Test, and we have come up with a plan to minimize these disruptions as much as possible. This plan is as follows:

  • Starting around June 9, 2011, and continuing for at least 30 days, the /servertransfer command will be available on the Test Server. Simply type /servertransfer and you will be given the option to transfer your character to any live server aside from the Time Locked Progression servers or the Al'Kabor server.
  • Your characters, gear and all, will be transferred to the server of your choice. The only exception to this will be items marked as "Copied" which will not be transferred. Copied items include any items that were originally earned on any server other than the Test Server and later copied there, and items which were created using tradeskills with materials copied from other servers. Please make sure before using the /servertransfer command that you are fully aware of what will and will not transfer.
  • We highly recommend discussing this matter with your guild mates and friends before committing to a specific change, as this is a one-time-only opportunity. One of the most important things in EQ is maintaining your social connections, and we want you to be as happy as possible in your new environment.

Once this period has ended, we will re-enable the test copy command (/testcopy) and allow people to copy their characters to the Test Server. At this time, players may again copy to Test and resume playing there under the new changes. This change will make it much easier for players who desire to help with testing to check out upcoming changes before they happen without having to do any re-gearing or otherwise re-adjusting their characters. It will also make targeted changes aimed at specific sub-communities (for example, changes to the PvP rules-set or high-end raids) much easier to test.

Once again we'd like to thank the Test Server community for all the time they have invested in helping to make EQ as amazing as it is, and we look forward to seeing you on the Live Servers.