PTS Unsuitable for Player Testing

Lionxoft

The test environment is hardly stable enough to test by players

Errors:

• Unknown Error has occurred
• Kicked back to login screen from inside of game without an error message.
• Requesting Character Load for a few minutes before an Unknown Error.
• Character templates are insufficient. I get vr14 gear but the template is vr12 or lower.
• API is poorly managed. How do you expect the players to test your product for you without the proper tools to do so?

You want us to test for free without any sort of compensation yet your environment isn't even ready for testing? You don't even have proper error handling for us to communicate to you what is going wrong.

Edit:
Formatting

zbtiqua

I didn't have any problems logging in. And, my characters from live realm were there.

As far as the API, I don't know much about how that works. But the rest seems stable enough...

Unknown_poster

Same for me, looks to be a problem with you. And as to the broken record API whinge...get over it..they're not going to open it back up so that you will be able to see what other people are doing. Copied my addons from live into test, enabled out of date, and they work just fine.

Lionxoft

zbtiqua wrote: »

I didn't have any problems logging in. And, my characters from live realm were there.

As far as the API, I don't know much about how that works. But the rest seems stable enough...

Getting kicked to a login screen from inside the game without an error code is not stable. Sitting at load screens for half an hour is not stable. In order to create a fresh template character you first have to receive an unknown error even sometimes crashing the game... Not stable. A test environment that does not provide the numbers as a core utility/option is not a desirable environment for legitimate testing. I understand why they would want to limit this functionality on live server but test server it could be utilized to benefit the game.

Outside of stability concerns, having characters from live server has only benefited me with crafting requirements and test cases otherwise I just use templates so the testing is more controlled.

Which brings another topic to the forefront If they want us to test new crafted set bonuses then why not provide a PTS vendor that sells specific sets in all qualities? Make it tabbable and sortable of course. I wonder how many bugs will appear from a set bonus that combines mundus functionality into a set bonus. They couldn't get a single mundus effect correct for months yet they add a new 9 trait set (Requires *Rarer* trait material and research item) bonus that incorporates two mundus effects as it's 5 piece bonus.

If they want to get more people on the test server then making it a stable environment with incentive to test is crucial. I went to every zone on AD Alliance (including vet zones). Only 4 people responded.

Lionxoft

Unknown_poster wrote: »

Same for me, looks to be a problem with you. And as to the broken record API whinge...get over it..they're not going to open it back up so that you will be able to see what other people are doing. Copied my addons from live into test, enabled out of date, and they work just fine.

You must skip over the threads where people can't create controlled test characters or are having errors. If there is an error and it is not being handled appropriately or providing an error code then that is a problem regardless of whether it happens to you or the next person.

I'm not stating that the API should be changed on Live however I think that the test server should have functions available that benefit the test process. Guesswork does not promote quality testing. Having better data can promote the creation of more test cases including the nitty gritty corner cases that we currently can't provide data for which ultimately would benefit the game by quite a bit.

Unknown_poster

Run with your guild, that is what I do. Always a crew on pts messing with something. As to responding to zone chat, I almost never do. I treat it the same way I do live. I don't know you, don't need to know you, don't want to know you, and have no interest in being an extra body for you to carry out your goals.

pppontus

Lionxoft wrote: »

Unknown_poster wrote: »

Same for me, looks to be a problem with you. And as to the broken record API whinge...get over it..they're not going to open it back up so that you will be able to see what other people are doing. Copied my addons from live into test, enabled out of date, and they work just fine.

You must skip over the threads where people can't create controlled test characters or are having errors. If there is an error and it is not being handled appropriately or providing an error code then that is a problem regardless of whether it happens to you or the next person.

I'm not stating that the API should be changed on Live however I think that the test server should have functions available that benefit the test process. Guesswork does not promote quality testing. Having better data can promote the creation of more test cases including the nitty gritty corner cases that we currently can't provide data for which ultimately would benefit the game by quite a bit.

Sure, there are some issues but I actually read the threads and it was as easy as ALT+F4 on hang and restart and then the template was working and I landed as a VR14.

The problem with changing the API for PTS is that Addon developers will most likely use the PTS to test the updates they will be pushing for their addons once it goes live. I would rather suggest that ZoS provided a couple of nice "testing" features to the PTS such as a proper combat log etc.

Lionxoft

pppontus wrote: »

Lionxoft wrote: »

Unknown_poster wrote: »

Same for me, looks to be a problem with you. And as to the broken record API whinge...get over it..they're not going to open it back up so that you will be able to see what other people are doing. Copied my addons from live into test, enabled out of date, and they work just fine.

You must skip over the threads where people can't create controlled test characters or are having errors. If there is an error and it is not being handled appropriately or providing an error code then that is a problem regardless of whether it happens to you or the next person.

I'm not stating that the API should be changed on Live however I think that the test server should have functions available that benefit the test process. Guesswork does not promote quality testing. Having better data can promote the creation of more test cases including the nitty gritty corner cases that we currently can't provide data for which ultimately would benefit the game by quite a bit.

I would rather suggest that ZoS provided a couple of nice "testing" features to the PTS such as a proper combat log etc.

100% agree.