OpenUru.org test shard is now alive

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rarified
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OpenUru.org test shard is now alive

Post by rarified »

I'm pleased to announce that we've started up the OpenUru.org Uru test shard!

This shard (named "Minkata" for it's use as a big sandbox) will be used to allow volunteers to try out proposed fixes and feature additions before they are submitted to Cyan for inclusion in the official Myst Online Uru Live (Again) game servers.

What is going to happen before general players can use the shard?
  • Right now, there are a handful of invited "beta testers" who are helping us shake out any issues with the shard itself. We limited participation this round to make it easier to respond quickly when problems arise, and to be able to monitor the behavior of the shard during testing.
  • In a few days, we will load a new version of the game client to the shard, which will include a few fixes that have been pending for a while in the OpenUru repositories (coming from the H-uru team at the Guild of Writers). At that point we will solicit more volunteers to go through a test period for those fixes.
  • We'll ask the volunteers to submit trouble reports when they encounter problems. We are looking at some simpler reporting tools than the OpenUru JIRA, and don't yet know what the report process will be. We'll announce the process at the same time we ask for the next set of volunteers.
  • Depending on how the test shard performs under load, we hopefully will open the shard to the general community. We are working on an automated sign-up system for registration.
  • We will set a time interval for each test period before moving to another set of changes, but that will depend upon participation on the shard. We need players to use the features and fixes in the test shard to gain confidence in those changes.
It has been asked on the forums whether this shard will be able to run new ages. At this time there is no agreed upon method for integrating user content (ages) with existing Cyan content, so for the time being the answer is no. But should a process be agreed to, we'll work as best we can to accommodate new content as well.

I look forward to getting as many players involved as we can handle, to finish constructing the pipeline of delivering fixes and features for MOULa back to Cyan.

Look to this thread for updates as we bring Minkata closer to a public opening.

_Rarified
One of the OpenUru toolsmiths... a bookbinder.
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Dot
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OpenUru Minkata test shard opens

Post by Dot »

Rarified announced on the OpenUru forums today the opening of the Minkata test shard.

Why is this important? As rarified explains:
The test shard will be the place where programming (and hopefully in the future, content) contributions to open source Uru projects can be experienced by players, and provide an opportunity for players to submit problem reports about those contributions. Exposing changes, fixes, and new features through public use of the shard is an essential step in identifying problems before those contributions are passed back to Cyan for incorporation into the public Myst Online Uru Live: Again game servers.
If you would like to help test things out, rarified outlines how to access the shard.

In another OpenUru post, Mac_Fife describes how to report bugs found on the shard. Two systems are available: JIRA (ultimately the preferred way, but some might find it dauntingly technical) and a far-friendlier support ticket system called Hesk.

I’ve tried out the latter — it is very straightforward to use.

Finally, and in connection with the above, JWPlatt is asking for volunteers:
We need volunteers to review bug reports and feature requests from this basic ticket system, then consolidate support requests into unique issues and enter them into our JIRA tracking system on Foundry. We expect all issue reports to eventually end up submitted as a JIRA issue, even if they do not start there. (For those who are familiar with JIRA, please use it directly to save time and effort.)

Experience with JIRA is a plus. No experience is necessary if you are an independent thinker and eager to learn.
So: some exciting developments and opportunities along the road to open-source MOULa.
Reprinted with permission from Dot, The D'ni Voice.
Leonardo
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Minkata - the new shard of OpenUru is open!

Post by Leonardo »

Minkata - the new shard of OpenUru is open!

OpenUru is finally ready to open their shard for testing and, like a big sandbox, they called it Minkata!

The shard ready to be visited by the public, rarified has been able to fix all the initial bugs it had and now it should work like the MOULa Server. For now it doesn't contain any new features, since Christmas is approaching and everyone is organizing for that; probably the Unicode Support feature will come after Christmas.

For now you can signup, download, and run around in Uru [by visiting the OpenUru.org Foundry and following the Create Account link in the OpenUru.org Minkata Testing Shard section]. There you will find a form to fill for creating an account on Minkata. Once you have verified your email address you will be given a link and all the instructions to download and make the Minkata Shard installation working.

If you find any problem or bug in Minkata that you want to report (remember, this is a testing shard it's there for testing and reporting bugs!) you can use the usual bugtracker system of OpenUru's Foundry JIRA or, if JIRA is too complicated for you, they have set up an easier HelpDesk tool. Before you try to submit any bug report, make sure you have read this quick How To.

The OpenUru Team also needs help from some volunteers willing to do some manual work of putting bug reports in categories and put the bug submitted on the Help Desk into JIRA. This is very important for keeping everything synchronized on the big system that is the OpenUru Foundry. If you are interested in this, please read this thread: viewtopic.php?f=108&t=668

Probably Uru on Minkata will be a bit slower on your computers because the Minkata Client has a lot of debugging options enabled, and they take time while the game is running.

We hope you can help OpenUru making Uru better and better with the new features!
Reprinted with permission from Leonardo, Guild of Messengers
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