Florian, the Head of Quality Assurance at Playa Games, explains why the world of F9 receives updates faster and why its time has been shifted one day into the future.
Developers and testers at Shakes & Fidget review all new features, fixed bugs, and important core functions before release. Testing and stabilizing hotfixes can take hours to days. Untested versions are only released in emergencies, such as critical cases. To still be able to deliver hotfixes quickly and securely, there is a tight timeframe.
Regarding F9: There are technical differences between internal test and live worlds. The internal test worlds are more unstable and change frequently. Beta participants know that things don't always go smoothly there. These pre-versions are not meant to be deployed on live worlds. Therefore, a new version is installed on the F9 one day before all other worlds to ensure it functions stably.
One reason for the time shift is the identical representation of events and tasks as if it were already the next day. After installation, routine checks are carried out, but simulating the actual gameplay behavior of players is difficult. Real feedback is therefore crucial. The F9 serves as a buffer to detect configuration errors before the broad rollout.
Why the F9? Previously, the S31DE was used for this system, which merged with the F9 due to low activity. The F9 was small, active, and met all requirements. In hindsight, earlier communication to the players would have been sensible. However, the version usually does not stay on the F9 for long.
Player feedback is crucial to improving Playa Games' games. It should always be considered that employees can also make mistakes.