Why create experimental card

General Discussion
1

When there is PTR for experimenting?

2

Because not enough people use the PTR, and it’s PC only. The Experimental card is part of the live game, so everyone has access to it, and you’re leveling up your main account while playing it.

Jeff explained all this in the dev update in January:

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3

Testing things on the live server, makes it easier for everyone to have access to it. Not everyone knows about ptr or feels like downloading it.

4

Because I can’t go on the ptr as a console player

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5

Also, PTR doesn’t give you anything for playing. People want incentives to play.

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6

This gives players a chance to try the internal stuff they’re looking at, the stuff they don’t put on ptr as they’re less likely to make it into the game, but they feel worth testing. It’s more fun letting us try it. This card is on all systems too, as other users have said.

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PTR:

  1. Lack of Console access
  2. Less people use it, than the main game
  3. You have to download a separate version of the game
  4. Anything on the PTR (boxes, skins, etc, doesn’t carry over to your main game/account)

So, the experimental card is superior in almost every way. assuming it’s implemented correctly, of course. And, doesn’t cause any sort of game breaking bugs or anything

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8

Its better that installing the same game twice only for testing purposes

9

PTR vs Experimental card

PTR

Testing balance changes and bug fixes before potentially pushing them to live. These changes have a much higher chance of reaching live play.

Experimental card

Testing radical changes to gameplay outside of arcade and custom game. These changes have a much lower chance of hitting live than PTR.

Not used for bug fixing.

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10

Because no one plays PTR. Consoles players literally can’t and on PC people don’t care.

11

unless it’s a new hero.

12

Not enough people played the PTR, and Blizzaed in turn ignored feedback provided from the PTR.

13

Actually, not even then.

In a BlizzCon interview Jeff said the PTR peak numbers were around role queue patch, not any new hero.

14

That was also the release day of Sigma though, so it’s tough to say it was solely due to role q.

There is very little that is experimental on PTR. For the most part, on PTR the decision has been made and we are just playing to provide data for bug fixes.

15

Nope, different patches. We had a whole stage of OWL with 2-2-2 lock before Sigma.

16

I dont play PC, but im sure only 5% of PC actually play PTR. With this theyll get feedback across ALL consoles. Im sure Switch is in this too.

17

Yes, the OWL didn’t begin to use Sigma until the playoffs, but on the PTR the role queue beta and Sigma were released the same day.

18

Pretty sure they weren’t.

19

It was. For personal reasons I remember the day quite vividly and specifically. My first role queue beta game on ptr had people play testing sigma in it.

20

I also remember it lively because Steadfast was introduced and went to test it, as well as the Brig rework.

Dev update announcing role queue came on the 18th of july, along side the PTR, Sigma wasn’t even teased before the 22nd of the same month.