PTR

Yes, all PTR stands for is Public Talk, Really…

I can’t count the blogs that go into PTRs, post about all the changes, complain about changes, and then when the real patch comes out?  They post about the changes, which are different from what they were on the PTR, and then complain about them.  Now, we all know that people in general don’t like change.  That one is obvious.  But when you know it’s going to change again?  Why bother wasting space on the interwebz about it?

All that aside, I think the PTR is great in concept.  You want to make changes to the game, so setup a test realm.  Fill it to near max capacity to put the extra strain on it and truly test it, get feedback from the people on it (as well as behind the scenes data), and make adjustments there rather than on the real realms.  However, that also means that anything done on the PTR is already skewed before you begin.  Why?  Simple thing I learned from being a Psych major…  Random samples.  If you don’t have a true random sampling – your data will, without a doubt, be skewed and untrustworthy.  Since PTR is only played by people who have the specific desire to play the PTR – all changes and data from it are based on a specific group of people within WoW – aka?  Not a random sample.

Now, I’m not saying Bliz shouldn’t use the PTR – it does still have value.  I’m just saying that all data there is skewed, hence why even after it being on the PTR and then the patch goes live – there’s a follow-up patch or two to adjust for the skewed sample.  But Really, it just gives the Public something to Talk about.

Side thought – If they have a “Public” Test Realm, doesn’t that suggest/imply they have a “Private” Test Realm?  Now that could be fun to play on…  Especially if they think your class needs a buff!  Think about it – BM Hunter doing 20k DPS because they accidentally added a 0 in the wrong place?  That would totally be fun to take a screenshot of for the memories…