PTS on EU or NA? Cycle schedule?

MoonPile · February 19

Is there a way to easily see which server PTS is currently on, without logging into it? A schedule of the cycles?

tomofhyrule · February 19

PTS has always done the first two weeks NA, and then EU from week 3 all the way until week 1 of the next cycle.

They also usually announce the switch in the patch notes, which would be X.X.0 for week 1 (NA) and X.X.2 for week 3 (EU)

MoonPile · February 19

tomofhyrule wrote: »

PTS has always done the first two weeks NA, and then EU from week 3 all the way until week 1 of the next cycle.

They also usually announce the switch in the patch notes, which would be X.X.0 for week 1 (NA) and X.X.2 for week 3 (EU)

Oh awesome, thank you!

MoonPile · March 19

Anyone have an idea of when the next patch cycle/ switch to NA might be?

Wish they would tell us.

LunaFlora · March 19

MoonPile wrote: »

Anyone have an idea of when the next patch cycle/ switch to NA might be?

Wish they would tell us.

chapter updates usually go to PTS in mid April.
so Gold Road and update 42 will likely go to PTS on April 15.

MoonPile · March 19

LunaFlora wrote: »

MoonPile wrote: »

Anyone have an idea of when the next patch cycle/ switch to NA might be?

Wish they would tell us.

chapter updates usually go to PTS in mid April.
so Gold Road and update 42 will likely go to PTS on April 15.

Oh WOW

that's a while away
Sucks as an NA houser. Thanks for lmk

Kelinmiriel · March 25

It really, reallly does. Some of my NA friends don't bother doing their build testing either, because they consider it too much work to completely re-create their characters from the ground up.

I don't think this is a good system, having the NA copy for only 8 weeks out of every 52. It hasn't ALWAYS been this way, but it has for enough years now that it's not likely to change. (Also, EU people never get their characters on at the beginning of a test cycle, so is it fair for them either?)

Maybe try alternating years - next year, give the first two weeks of each cycle to EU, and the rest of the time to NA. That would be great.

MoonPile · March 25

Kelinmiriel wrote: »

It really, reallly does. Some of my NA friends don't bother doing their build testing either, because they consider it too much work to completely re-create their characters from the ground up.

I don't think this is a good system, having the NA copy for only 8 weeks out of every 52. It hasn't ALWAYS been this way, but it has for enough years now that it's not likely to change. (Also, EU people never get their characters on at the beginning of a test cycle, so is it fair for them either?)

Maybe try alternating years - next year, give the first two weeks of each cycle to EU, and the rest of the time to NA. That would be great.

Now that I think about it, I always thought the PC EU housing community had a ton of great builders, seemingly more than NA. (Looking at contest rosters that are open to both, more of the entries and winners are usually EU.) I assumed it might be related to our different work cultures, like maybe EU people just have more time for their hobby. But if they get to test their own houses with all their own items (incl multiples of achivement & luxury items you can't get on a tester toon) for so much more of the time, that's another point. (Of course this is all subjective, just thoughts.)

MoonPile · April 28

Just confirming, PTS will be back to EU server tomorrow?

( assuming yes

we had so little time, with the lockouts and event too. bummer.)

ZOS_GinaBruno · April 29

MoonPile wrote: »

Just confirming, PTS will be back to EU server tomorrow?

( assuming yes we had so little time, with the lockouts and event too. bummer.)

Correct, we are doing the PC EU character copy in today's patch.

Jojo93 · April 29

ZOS_GinaBruno wrote: »

MoonPile wrote: »

Just confirming, PTS will be back to EU server tomorrow?

( assuming yes we had so little time, with the lockouts and event too. bummer.)

Correct, we are doing the PC EU character copy in today's patch.

Is it safe to use PTS again, or will accounts be blocked again?
It's a serious question because I don't want to be banned again.

ZOS_GinaBruno · April 29

Jojo93 wrote: »

ZOS_GinaBruno wrote: »

MoonPile wrote: »

Just confirming, PTS will be back to EU server tomorrow?

( assuming yes we had so little time, with the lockouts and event too. bummer.)

Correct, we are doing the PC EU character copy in today's patch.

Is it safe to use PTS again, or will accounts be blocked again?
It's a serious question because I don't want to be banned again.

It's safe in that the issue encountered last week is resolved. We never plan on there being issues like this, but there have been lots of players on the PTS since accounts have been unblocked.

Reginald_leBlem · April 29

I'm planning to log into PTS like normal.....

.... possibly with an alt account first just to make sure

RaddlemanNumber7 · April 29

I'm planning to log into the PTS, but maybe on Tuesday after our brave human minesweepers have had a chance to log in first

Anachronian · April 29

Will the alt account be able to continue testing Gold Road within the PTS, given that it was given the Necrom Deluxe Collection, that does not include Gold Road, this week, or is it next week when the PTS shifts to requiring the chapter to test the chapter itself?

ZOS_GinaBruno · April 29

Anachronian wrote: »

Will the alt account be able to continue testing Gold Road within the PTS, given that it was given the Necrom Deluxe Collection, that does not include Gold Road, this week, or is it next week when the PTS shifts to requiring the chapter to test the chapter itself?

We won't be restricting Gold Road access to actual pre-purchases until the last week of PTS testing (the week of May 13) so you'll be good to go today.

Reginald_leBlem · April 29

RaddlemanNumber7 wrote: »

I'm planning to log into the PTS, but maybe on Tuesday after our brave human minesweepers have had a chance to log in first

Glad to be of service sir

code65536 · April 29

ZOS_GinaBruno wrote: »

Anachronian wrote: »

Will the alt account be able to continue testing Gold Road within the PTS, given that it was given the Necrom Deluxe Collection, that does not include Gold Road, this week, or is it next week when the PTS shifts to requiring the chapter to test the chapter itself?

We won't be restricting Gold Road access to actual pre-purchases until the last week of PTS testing (the week of May 13) so you'll be good to go today.

In previous years, even when access to the chapter was restricted in the last weeks of PTS, creating a template will re-grant that access.

Jojo93 · April 29

@ZOS_GinaBruno
Is there any time how long the PTS maintenance takes?
When will the patch details be available?

MoonPile · April 29

ZOS_GinaBruno wrote: »

MoonPile wrote: »

Just confirming, PTS will be back to EU server tomorrow?

( assuming yes we had so little time, with the lockouts and event too. bummer.)

Correct, we are doing the PC EU character copy in today's patch.

Sad we won't have longer for NA but thank you so much for replying!

MinuitPro · April 29

I thought PCNA was loaded for four weeks then PCEU copy stayed on until the next minor update revision got posted.

code65536 · April 29

MinuitPro wrote: »

I thought PCNA was loaded for four weeks then PCEU copy stayed on until the next minor update revision got posted.

It's always been NA 2 weeks, EU remainder.

Back in the days when PTS was a 5-week cycle, this was pretty balanced, but now we have 6- and 7-week cycles.

LunaFlora · April 29

code65536 wrote: »

MinuitPro wrote: »

I thought PCNA was loaded for four weeks then PCEU copy stayed on until the next minor update revision got posted.

It's always been NA 2 weeks, EU remainder.

Back in the days when PTS was a 5-week cycle, this was pretty balanced, but now we have 6- and 7-week cycles.

pts cycles are still 5 weeks. there are only 5 pts patches before the launch on live servers

MoonPile · May 21

Another problem I didn't even realize before:

I was going to check something in Willowpond, but realized I don't have access to it *at all* on PTS, since it's EU server's copy. The house is not in the crown store nor the tester bag.

Again I know this isn't the main point of PTS anyway so it probably won't be addressed at all, but it does suck for NA housers. Lacking furnishings is one thing and can be frustrating, but missing the whole house is even worse!

Perniciouss · May 21

What really sucks for N/A this time around is losing pretty much the 1st week of testing our characters on PTS due to the exploit before they flipped it to EU. I feel like the majority of us are being punished because of the few players that took advantage of the exploit. They should have extended N/A characters on the PTS by one week before they switched over to loading EU characters. I hope that those that took advantage of the exploit and ruined it for the rest of us were PERMA-BANNED!!!

Kelinmiriel · May 29

MoonPile wrote: »

Another problem I didn't even realize before:

I was going to check something in Willowpond, but realized I don't have access to it *at all* on PTS, since it's EU server's copy. The house is not in the crown store nor the tester bag.

Again I know this isn't the main point of PTS anyway so it probably won't be addressed at all, but it does suck for NA housers. Lacking furnishings is one thing and can be frustrating, but missing the whole house is even worse!

I suffered from this for a long time also, since I have a Guild Island on NA and wanted to get the new sets arranged before everything came out on live. (Not a problem anymore now, since Grand Master stations.) Someone pointed out to me that you can make a max template character, and there's a box in inventory called "The Homeowner's Crate". Inside that, is another box called "All Home Deeds Envelope".

You can buy all of the currently available homes in the Crown Store with crowns, including a few that would normally be limited time but are always on PTS (Hunter's Glade and Colossal Aldmeri Grotto), either furnished or unfurnished.

The only problem with the others, is you can only get them in unfurnished, and you may not be able to just pick certain ones - you can do all of them though, if you want.

MoonPile · October 27

Kelinmiriel wrote: »

MoonPile wrote: »

Another problem I didn't even realize before:

I was going to check something in Willowpond, but realized I don't have access to it *at all* on PTS, since it's EU server's copy. The house is not in the crown store nor the tester bag.

Again I know this isn't the main point of PTS anyway so it probably won't be addressed at all, but it does suck for NA housers. Lacking furnishings is one thing and can be frustrating, but missing the whole house is even worse!

I suffered from this for a long time also, since I have a Guild Island on NA and wanted to get the new sets arranged before everything came out on live. (Not a problem anymore now, since Grand Master stations.) Someone pointed out to me that you can make a max template character, and there's a box in inventory called "The Homeowner's Crate". Inside that, is another box called "All Home Deeds Envelope".

You can buy all of the currently available homes in the Crown Store with crowns, including a few that would normally be limited time but are always on PTS (Hunter's Glade and Colossal Aldmeri Grotto), either furnished or unfurnished.

The only problem with the others, is you can only get them in unfurnished, and you may not be able to just pick certain ones - you can do all of them though, if you want.

Hey, this is old but I'll reply anyway, there seems to have been a misunderstanding because this is what I meant by "The house is not in the crown store nor the tester bag."

I'm familiar with the tester crates and crown store on PTS and have gone through all of them thoroughly multiple times. Sometimes stuff is totally missing – houses or furnishings. At the time I wrote that, Willowpond was not attainable at all on PTS.