StarCitizen:Evocati Test Flight
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Evocati Test Flight (ETF, also known as Star Citizen Evocati or Avocados) is a term for a group of players who are voluntarily playtesting Star Citizen's content for future [[StarCitizen::Category: Patch Notes|updates]] of the game before they are released to the StarCitizen:Public Test Universe (PTU). The group has since grown slightly over time, and waves of inactive players were also removed at some point. They are appointed and invited by StarCitizen:CIG, based on their contributions in the StarCitizen:Issue Council and activity in the PTU.<ref>Montly Studio Report October - Game Support from 2016-11-04.</ref><ref name=":0">Monthly Studio Report April from 2016-05-07.</ref>
Task
The Evocati Test Flight volunteer test program started in April 2016, initially of about 800 players.<ref name=":0" /> Evocati are volunteers under a non-disclosure agreement. According to CIG their task is "playtesting builds to make sure they are stable before the build goes out to a wider audience." <ref>Template:Cite RSI</ref> ETF players often participate in very specific and time-limited playtests of certain features, as a way for CIG to quickly receive player feedback. ETF players were said to have also tested the StarCitizen:Theatres of War game-mode several times in May 2020, which as of April 2022 has not been seen again.
CIG considers the Evocati an extension of the QA department and highly valuable contributors to the development effort.<ref>Open Development as Disruptive Game Design Practice, Clash of Realities 2015/16, page 580, Ortwin Freyermuth, degruyter.com, ISBN: 9783839440315, October 27, 2017</ref>
Non-Disclosure Agreement
Evocati members are required to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) upon joining.<ref name="ptufaq">Template:Cite RSI</ref> On 2024-02-14, CIG announced that future Evocati patch notes will be released publicly. The change allows open discussion (text/voice) for upcoming features and content listed specifically in the patch notes, but the NDA remains fully in effect when it comes to visuals, access, or other content.<ref>Template:Cite RSI</ref>
Name
The name comes from the Latin evocatio, which means summoning/recalled.<ref>logeion: A calling out, summoning of soldiers on an occasion of sudden danger, Auct. Her. 3, 2, 3: militiae, Jul. Val. Rer. Gest. Alex. 2, 7; cf. Don. Ter. Eun. 772; Serv. Verg. A. 7, 614.</ref> An evocatus, plural evocati, was a veteran soldier in the Ancient Roman army who had served out his time and obtained an honorable discharge (honesta missio) but had voluntarily enlisted again at the invitation of the consul or other commander.<ref>logeion: evocati, veterans (recalled to service as volunteers)</ref><ref>Lucuius Cassuis Dio, Roman History, 45.12: "From these men was constituted the corps of evocati, which one might translate the "recalled," because after having ended their military service they were recalled to it again."</ref>
The name was picked by StarCitizen:Will Leverett trying to conform to some of CIG Roman nomenclature that had been used, such as StarCitizen:Imperator and StarCitizen:Centurion, and on the volunteers being chosen based on previous contributions.<ref>Template:Cite Jump Point</ref>
External Links
Evocati twitter account used to announce information relevant to upcoming Evocati releases, playtests, and more.<ref>Evocati twitter account</ref>
References
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