No help = no progress = no new features = no public release.

[Renegade]

It has been very noticeable over the past few weeks that our testers are not actually testing all that much. Safe for MRMIdAS and one or two others, we're getting no feedback at all.

As such, I thought I should point out the following, very simple fact:
Without feedback, we cannot determine what works and what needs fixing.
Without knowing what works and what needs fixing, we cannot continue working on issues.
Without being able to work on issues, we cannot fix or finish them.
Without finished features or fixed bugs, there won't be a public release.

I realize that the recently reported crash could potentially make testing individual features difficult - but even that crash could've long been fixed if all testers worked on figuring out what causes it, instead of idly standing by saying "nope, can't test because it crashes".

I'm not really sure what else to say - take Operator=, for example. The code for that feature has been in Ares for over a month - and yet, the request remains marked unresolved. Why? Because there are complications with certain vehicle configurations, and nobody tested what works and what doesn't so far. So we can't actually patch it up to a fully working state.

And that's all not mentioning the 18 resolved, but unconfirmed issues in the tracker.

The fact of the matter is: Testers who don't test are of no use to us. There is no reason for you to have the test builds if you're not testing for us. So unless there is a significant change in the amount of feedback we're getting, we'll have no other choice but to change our testing team.
That's not a threat. That's just reality.
We need feedback to finish Ares. The current team doesn't provide feedback. What else are we supposed to do? Not finish Ares?

It's your choice, really. If you don't care, alright. If other things prevent you from testing, at least come forward and state "I won't be testing for another X weeks" so we can find a replacement in the meantime. But the way it is now is not acceptable, and will be corrected one way or another.

Choose whether you want to continue testing or not.
But if you choose to be a tester, test and report.
And not just that. Get more involved in general. Be on the tracker. Comment on issues. If there's a bug reported, get into the game and try to confirm it. Find the narrowest possible test case to make it easier to pinpoint and fix it. Post the results on the tracker. Even if the result is "I tested this the following way and can't confirm this issue" that's important to know. Knowledge is power. The more we know, the better we can work.

Contribute to development. Don't just sit on the sidelines and leech the test release every few weeks.

Also, consider joining chat for easier and quicker communication. No point in drawing out a series of tests that takes 30 minutes to conduct over 3 days just because each side is waiting for instructions or results.



And for all non-testers reading this: While I don't have the authority to add new testers to the team, I'm sure D is curious to hear who else would volunteer to do testing if the current team isn't interested anymore.

So if you want to be a tester, perk up. You'll be taken into consideration if personnel-changes are required.


P.S.: The same applies to the RockPatch→Ares converter, by the way. If you honestly think I'll magically finish that thing within an hour after Ares's public release, based purely on divine intuition, you are sorely mistaken.
I don't need that tool. I'll be fine without it. I have no reason to invest countless hours to wade through different versions of documentation, comparing features, reading through archived forum posts to figure out what actually worked, and so on. And even once I have all that data, it'll still take a while to implement everything and make sure it works, and then find someone to compile it under Windows for release.
Add to that that Christmas is coming up and very soon I'll be busy with other stuff than coding converters I don't need, and your chance of having a converter when the public release arrives grows slimmer and slimmer.

It's your choice. But as long as I don't see anyone actually cares, there is no reason for me to waste my time coding that thing.