New Team: Heroes Balance & Testing Team (HBTT)

[Faunherer]

When were you whitelisted on Herocraft?
June 24th, 2011

Age at the time of this application.
13

Whats your favorite Path/Spec?
Rogue/Ranger since that is all I have ever been xD. I haven't gotten to try out Ranger this map though..

How often can you test on the test server?
During weekends between 1-4 hours a day, during the weekdays I can test for about an hour or two a day.

What would set you apart from other members applying for the Balance team?
I am fairly decent at formulating ideas. I am also a very unbiased person who has an eye for balance and equality. Last map when I was a Ranger, I was not afraid to point out when my own class was becoming a bit too overpowered. I understand that many classes are more fit for different situations, and I include that into the equation when I evaluate the power of a class. Whenever I PvP (which is quite rare, sadly) I always evaluate the power of a class to see if it is grossly under or over powered. After PvP, no matter what the reasons for the battle were or how it ended, I don't hold grudges; I also have no vendettas that would push me to undermine a class.

Additional Info:
I have been wanting to give back to this community, that has provided many good times to me, for a while now. I have thought about becoming a proctor, but I feel as if I would not have enough time to fulfill my proctor duties. Joining the Heroes Balance and Testing Team would be a way for me to fulfill my wish of giving back to the whole community, by making the Heroes Multiverse a much more balanced and equal place.

 

[Kainzo]

Thanks for all the apps, I'll be reading through them soon and choosing a select few to balance

 

[OrangeAngel]

When were you whitelisted on Herocraft?: November 25th 2010​

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Age at the time of this application: 15​

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Whats your favorite Path/Spec?: Healer/Druid​

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How often can you test on the test server?: Almost every day, though such is not guaranteed, I will try to test when I can.​

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What would set you apart from other members applying for the Balance team?:​

I have been here awhile and seen Herocraft progress to its newest state, from stealing to be illegal into stealing being allowed... an official ToS, some amazing and not so amazing people showing up and giving to the community. Some great and some not so great even leaving, some from personal matters some from not enjoying the server.​

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When I started playing Herocraft I wanted to play minecraft and have fun. I, for over a year have kept having fun, however, it has been for a completely different reason, I want to help others enjoy Herocraft. I take their advice and consider everything, not shoving any idea away until I have found a valid reason to do so.​

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As a Tester I would listen to the community, give my feedback and consider what other people have to say. If someone says something is overpowered I would test it to my greatest capability, and giving any feedback to Kainzo and converse with other testers asking them what they think of it. A great Testing team communicates with each other, not just test one thing give their ideas and test another. A great Testing team works together testing the same thing multiple times. Seeing if something needs change, and if believed to do so. They would ask for thus.​

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Not everyone on a Beta Testing team is great, however not everyone is terrible either. We all have our own strengths and weaknesses. My strength is understanding and listening, something not many people would be beneficial to such a team. But truthfully it is the core. Some may agree and some wont, I am one of those people who look at all sides of the story and ask the questions. Though we all know that no one is perfect, my weakness is PvP, I am not the "B3stest PvPar ev3rz!11!!!1" it may be semi-difficult for me to, in some aspects test skills designed for Player versus Player combat, not to say impossible for me to do so. People learn and try to solve their weaknesses, learning and knowledge and teamwork is the key to a great community. Balance is the key for a great RPG which is what Herocraft strives for, and as OrangeAngel, a guide and a veteran I am here to see everyone enjoy themselves and see balance is kept.​

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Additional Info:​

I thank you for considering my application. Some may think I am immature, Kainzo you may think I am immature. But I assure you when a task is given to me I follow through with it, looking at every possible way something is flawed, searching for bugs or possible exploits to report. I see balance testing as not only testing to see if something is "over(or under)powered I see it as a bug testing team, and I would report a bug whenever I should have the chance to see one.​

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Once again I thank you for considering my application​

Sincerely,​

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[look_out]

When were you whitelisted on Herocraft?
March 27 2011
Age at the time of this application?
16
Whats your favorite Path/Spec?
Caster/Geomancer
How often can you test on the test server?
almost every day at around 4pm EST
What would set you apart from other members applying for the Balance team?
I'm about to hit my one year mark for Minecraft and Herocraft. Which means I'm not new to Minecraft PVP. Heroes are special they change how PVP works and makes it harder or easier to PVP. I want to help make them better. I'd like to see those class that are never chosen become better and be able to stand up to the other classes that people seem to swarm to.
Additional Info:
I want Herocraft to be fun for everyone no matter what class they are.

 

[TheEthanEffect]

(Sorry, Greek. Ganking your format because I'm too lazy to make my own.)

When were you whitelisted on Herocraft?

Umm... July or August of 2011. May have been sooner, but that's when Sam says we started playing.


Age at the time of this application.

28. Was just going to put 21+, but since someone else my age posted, I figured I would as well.

Whats your favorite Path/Spec?

Dragoon, to the core.
How often can you test on the test server?

It all depends. I haven't been around lately, but if I'm appointed to the team, then Sammie and I will likely make Herocraft our nightly activity again, which would be four or more hours a night on most nights.

What would set you apart from other members applying for the Balance team?

The first and most obvious thing I should mention is my well established precedent for posting extremely long, intricate, and fully detailed guides and suggestions based strong, solid foundations. You can search my name on the forums and find multiple such posts, but this one is probably the best example of what I bring to the table: http://www.herocraftonline.com/forum/index.php?threads/the-new-dragoons-an-analysis-breakdown-and-suggestions.12631/ My insight into class interaction (and balance by extension) comes not from playing on the field for half an hour and screaming about how overpowered a class is because I'm unable to win against someone who plays it, who is 15 levels higher than me in maximum armor and weapon, while I have no armor, a stone sword, and haven't even spec'd yet. Instead, my perceptions and analysis of my findings are based entirely upon over a decade of MMO gaming experience, and almost 15 of class based games in general (long live old school PNP Mechwarrior and 2nd Edition AD&D. Fuck your feats and give me my THAC0 back.) My roots in interactive class gaming may be found in the ORIGINAL Everquest, pre-Kunark, in the hills outside of Qeynos. I'll try to spend as little time waving my cane around from my rocking chair as possible. Class interaction in Everquest was FAR more significant than in WoW. Where groups in WoW have a selection of different classes, talents, and equipment to chose from when selecting someone for a role, Everquest was much less forgiving. In WoW, if you need someone to pull, you have Hunters, Mages, Warlocks, and others to choose from. In old school Everquest, if you needed someone to pull, you got a motherfucking monk and prayed he knew how to feign death if something went wrong and he grabbed a train, otherwise three days of experience were gone and the non-casters had a half hour trip back. Ahh... those were good days. Project 1999 brings some of that back, but nothing quite compares to watching your necromancer friend grab a spectre from the island in Oasis, bring it back to the dock, and then log out.

I don't talk about Everquest to ramble. It is but one example among many, many others that I have under my belt. From high-end, hardcore raiding to powergaming to PvP, I have always looked into, researched, and analyzed the games that I play. I identify roles that must be filled, the strengths and weaknesses of available classes, and how best to exploit tem individually AND together to my benefit under various circumstances. This thought pattern alone fully qualifies me for a position on the team, as powergaming and class imbalance are much more detrimental to communities that have little to no barrier for entry. That's far from an insult to our player base, as we have some of the best people from player to owner that play Minecraft, so please don't take it as such. Instead, I reference a common phenomenon amongst all things, especially Free to Play games, where lower barriers to entry lead to less personal investment at the beginning. Think about it. Let's say you buy a game like... Battlefield 3, for instance. You spend $60 on it. The first match you load in, 30 seconds into the fight, you're killed by an MAV jockey (BF3 players know what I'm talking about). Or, you load into five consecutive rounds with a hacker. Or you're subject to that obnoxious bug with RealTek sound drivers that make your system lock up after a certain amount of time. That really sucks, and is obviously a terrible gaming experience. But, as you paid $60 for that game, you still hold out hope that those issues will be fixed and continue to play. With a game that has no cost, financial or otherwise, to gain entry into, and with ample perceived alternatives, issues like those above are much more likely to prompt a player to lose interest far earlier. It is for this reason that something as critical as class balance gets full attention by competent people who will take it seriously, people like me.

On top of this, when I examine a system, I do so from multiple viewpoints besides my own, and I am very good at filtering out the important, objective information. When offered input or feedback from a group of individuals with different opinions, stances, and even manners of expression, I can distill that communication down into arguments that can be positively metabolized into the balancing process. This is a valuable trait for any developer, especially when there's an ample amount of valuable material to be discerned from mountains of available flames and bickering.

I have stated my ability to identify issues and examine things in great detail, and I would like to think that previous posts of mine on this forum to give credit to that assertion, combined with what I hope is a respectable and trustworthy reputation amongst the Herocraft player base and admin team, is enough to earn me a position on this team. However, if it is not, there is one more, very significant asset that I have going for me, which is my ace up my sleeve: Familiarity with Java. I have extensive experience as a programmer, with a fair background in Java, and I am extremely well-versed in programming logic in general. While I haven't dabbled all that much into Minecraft modding specifically, it's not something that's completely alien to me. It is inevitable that at some point very early in the balancing discussion, one or more new features or skills will be suggested. If I am on the team, that team then has the advantage of having someone who can tell if an idea is impossible and should be discarded, if an idea is possible with potential merit, and IF that idea is possible with potential merit, if it is practical to consider as a feasible suggestion. This adds an undeniable extra element of flexibility when it comes to considering matters that will be discussed, as the team will be able to consider things on the spot that they would otherwise have to send to the dev team to see if it's even possible. I should place GREAT emphasis here on the condition that should I be called upon to perform this role, I will not be doing so in a "Oh, that's possible. Pass it on." mindset. This would result in an overflow of spam for the developers, and having been on the receiving end of that before, is not something I would inflict on others. Instead, IF features are considered during the balancing process for addition or removal that would require alterations to the mod, I will be very critical in my evaluations of what gets passed up to the dev team, through my mouth at least, so any recommendations made, if any, will be both well-organized in presentation and proposal, and limited in number.

In summary, I am a veteran gamer with over a decade of class based gaming under my belt. I am talented at identifying exploitable issues, and possess the eloquence and patience to adequately describe and present those issues for consideration. I fully recognize the importance of class identity and role fulfillment, and the crucial need for those classes to operate together in harmony, as anything else will lead to the departure of players, which hurts all members of our community. I am fantastic at working as part of a team and giving equal consideration to opinions other than my own. But most importantly, I am humble and open-minded enough to admit when I'm wrong, or when my suggestions aren't going to be taken, and still continue to function as an objective, contributing member of the team. This last part is especially important, and it, combined with my other skills, make me a perfect candidate for this team.


Additional Info:

Motivation and intent are always something to be considered whenever evaluating a person's actions or decisions. In this case, mine are rather simple. While there will probably be concern that I'm going to recommend Dragoons get flying dolphin death sphere that does eleventy billion damage to everyone on the server, as it is my favorite class, this could not be further from the truth. I'm stepping up here because I believe I can contribute to the server in a manner that benefits everyone. I have a good amount of friends here, but they're only part of the reason. The majority of the reason why I want to be a part of this project is because of LilSammie. I love her to death, and Minecraft is one of the few things we both really like. We spend our nights together, doing stuff we both like. It's the best part of our days. Her dad, phasedenergy, is also a fan of Herocraft (both of them are tier 6 or tier 7 donors). I want to be a part of this project because I want to make the server better for her, so we can be happy when we play here. She and I are getting pretty close to finishing Dead Island (We just started Act IV, we're at the prison canteen at the moment), so we'll be available more often in the near future, still spending our nights together doing whatever.

And when you think about it, there's another huge advantage for selecting me. Not only are you getting me and the skills I bring in, but LilSammie and her father will also be passing input to me, effectively adding more voice to concerns.

 

[Kainzo]

Forums area has been created. It is private at the moment with only those who have been selected able to read/see it.

 

[Kainzo]

The Balance Team has been announced and pm'd!

• @c12095 /
• @skittles32009 /
• @Reedme /
• @Plasma78 /
• @HollowSith /
• @LordSeven /
• @Aetosion /
• @Dielan9999 /
• @Victim130 /
• @Hydroking77 /
• @AlexDaParrot /
• @TheEthanEffect /
• @Danda /

If we need more, I'll keep reviewing applicants.

 

[Aetosion]

Question, you put my name in the post, but did not PM me. There were other applicants not listed your post, so I'm unsure if that list is of accepted persons, or applicants in general? Or is it like a waiting list kind of thing?

 

[Kainzo]

Check the forums​

 

[GreekCrackShot]

Should we just all start using right aligned text? Ya know, cuz kain did it...​

 

[victim130]

I'm a rebel​

 

[Aetosion]

Okay

 

[Staven88]

• When were you whitelisted on Herocraft? Seven months, proudly joined Sep. 15, 2011!
• Age at the time of this application. 15
• Whats your favorite Path/Spec? Honestly I've wanted to play all classes I just don't have the time to level all classes so I'm Rogue Specs now.
• How often can you test on the test server? I can and will dedicate as much time need to this project to make all classes all balanced.
• What would set you apart from other members applying for the Balance team? I know a lot about Rogues and Casters, but I've been learning the other classes. I also know programming so I know the limits of this mod. Plus, I love this server I've spent lots of time on this server and I want to spend more. And just overall I want to balance the class so that know class is too strong. That doesn't mean I want all the classes to be the same, but instead I want all of them to be fun, unique and a journey. I still want tactics and teamwork to be involved.
• Additional Info: I don't know a lot about warriors and healers, so if I get accepted I will most likely sit back on topics of them until I learn them. But I just want to help make Herocraft truly the best server out there!

 

[Multitallented]

When were you whitelisted on Herocraft?​

Summer of 2011​

Age at the time of this application 21​

Whats your favorite Path/Spec?​

Caster/Beastmaster​

How often can you test on the test server?​

whenever you need me, I'm an op on there​

What would set you apart from other members applying for the Balance team?​

Uh, I've doubled the amount of skills available for Heroes, plus I've done balance analysis for you before on Paladin/Dreadknight issues using google docs spreadsheets. I have lots of creativity to add to your team seeing as I use more skills, paths, specs and professions than you do. Also, I've tried to provide you with custom plugins that haven't been implemented on HC due to feature overlap and general lack of co-ordination/having bigger plans. I'll be able to provide you with ideas and suggestions as well as hard, factual analysis into class statistics (especially when I create HeroSkillLevel). I don't mind if you don't use my suggestions. I'm just here to help ​

Additional Info:​

I've graduated from college as of Tuesday!! ^_^​

 

[Mellowbeatz]

• When were you whitelisted on Herocraft?
  - I was whitelisted on December 25th.
• Age at the time of this application?
  - 18
• Whats your favorite Path/Spec?
  - Pure support and/or utility; Mostly druid or bloodmage.
• How often can you test on the test server?
  - I have a very loose schedule, I can be available throughout the week besides tuesdays and thursdays. (When I attend tutoring.)
• What would set you apart from other members applying for the Balance team?
  - Probably my logical thinking and diverse perspective, I can see things from different angles and appropriately report them; taking into account the general weaknesses and strengths.
• Additional Info:
  - I do enjoy giving constructive criticism and well-thought out suggestions to the community, coders and admins. I am very keen when spotting out bugs and have had a fair amount of experience fixing bugs on other games.
  - I will admit I'm not very experienced with minecraft server related bugs, but I am a very quick learner and I have a common knowledge of what is right and what is wrong.
  
  Thank you for taking the time to review this application.