Do you help test new content on the PTS?

TehMagnus · October 2014

I regularly test new content on the PTS.

ZOS_GinaBruno wrote: »

For those that feel like there isn't enough incentive to hop on the PTS and test some of the future content, what are some things that would motivate you to do so?

@ZOS_GinaBruno‌ for EU people, since we don' have characters port:

- The ability to craft armor sets and mats to do so (including tempers) this means having all traits researched for all armor pieces, especially when you'll want us to test 9 traits armors.
- The ability to buy some of the FOTM set pieces (mostly jewelry) from a special PTS merchants (soulshine, warlock etc).
- Max number of skill points to really do what we want.

The worst part of PTS testing is that we don't have the same conditions as in main server. Character port is not imperative as long as we have the means to duplicate our live server settings.

SantieClaws · October 2014

I occasionally test new content, or I have in the past.

I test new content when it is actually something I can test. Recent content has been very large group based and so that just isn't something I do. I tried to test the crafting quests when they were on for a short time and I tried to test the dye system but that was impossible as all my characters were either new or template characters that had no achivements and thus no dyes.

When you change the provisioning system and also when we can cook fishies expect me to be right on in there complaning that there don't seem to be enough cheese dishes.

Curragraigue · October 2014

I've tested content on the PTS before, but only once or twice.

magnusnet wrote: »

ZOS_GinaBruno wrote: »

For those that feel like there isn't enough incentive to hop on the PTS and test some of the future content, what are some things that would motivate you to do so?

@ZOS_GinaBruno‌ for EU people, since we don' have characters port:

- The ability to craft armor sets and mats to do so (including tempers) this means having all traits researched for all armor pieces, especially when you'll want us to test 9 traits armors.
- The ability to buy some of the FOTM set pieces (mostly jewelry) from a special PTS merchants (soulshine, warlock etc).
- Max number of skill points to really do what we want.

The worst part of PTS testing is that we don't have the same conditions as in main server. Character port is not imperative as long as we have the means to duplicate our live server settings.

They are planning on porting over the EU characters as well. Sounds like a rotational basis of updating characters on the PTS is the plan i.e. NA then EU then NA etc

http://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/discussion/134350/character-copy-on-the-pts#latest

Frenkthevile · October 2014

Other (just in case I left out an option - comment!)

Garbrac wrote: »

A form of Enlightment XP buff would be a interesting idea. For every hour logged on the PTS you'd receive a 5% XP buff for an hour on your main or something along those lines. I like that idea. Wouldn't be too hard to implement, but it would take a bunch of resources for tracking.

This. Or something like this.
And btw, when will the 1.5 be released? I downloaded PTS 2 weeks ago but still nothing...

Frenkthevile · October 2014

Other (just in case I left out an option - comment!)

GuyB88 wrote: »

ZOS_GinaBruno wrote: »

For those that feel like there isn't enough incentive to hop on the PTS and test some of the future content, what are some things that would motivate you to do so?

@ZOS_GinaBruno now that our live character are up on the pts there isnt much to ask for except more content on the pts to test out but i dont think thats possible.

***Not in EU.

TehMagnus · October 2014

I regularly test new content on the PTS.

Curragraigue wrote: »

magnusnet wrote: »

ZOS_GinaBruno wrote: »

For those that feel like there isn't enough incentive to hop on the PTS and test some of the future content, what are some things that would motivate you to do so?

@ZOS_GinaBruno‌ for EU people, since we don' have characters port:

- The ability to craft armor sets and mats to do so (including tempers) this means having all traits researched for all armor pieces, especially when you'll want us to test 9 traits armors.
- The ability to buy some of the FOTM set pieces (mostly jewelry) from a special PTS merchants (soulshine, warlock etc).
- Max number of skill points to really do what we want.

The worst part of PTS testing is that we don't have the same conditions as in main server. Character port is not imperative as long as we have the means to duplicate our live server settings.

They are planning on porting over the EU characters as well. Sounds like a rotational basis of updating characters on the PTS is the plan i.e. NA then EU then NA etc

http://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/discussion/134350/character-copy-on-the-pts#latest

Yeah "planning", the databases are in two separate datacenters and you have to look at the possibility that 2 chars might have the same name in EU and NA and make a workaround for it (isn't hard to think about the workaround, implementing it though...). Don't think we'll be seing that anytime soon and in any case, we still need the traits if they want us to test their new armor sets.

Vegaroth · October 2014

I've never used the PTS.

the reason for me to dont test on PTS is simple, until now i havent see anything than can encourage me to try it, im solo player and mostly of the updates have been for group content, some quality of life updates than dosnt interest me (dyes, etc), probably when they announce a patch for solo content or something than calls my atention i will jump and see in on the PTS, but for now im not even temptated to go and look on a test server something than im not going to do/use on live server.

Audigy · October 2014

I occasionally test new content, or I have in the past.

Razzak wrote: »

ZOS_GinaBruno wrote: »

For those that feel like there isn't enough incentive to hop on the PTS and test some of the future content, what are some things that would motivate you to do so?

I apologize for being off topic and I truly am not trying to troll or anything similar, but do you see how much constructive feedback a simple question has generated?
Would it be possible to do something similar on other topics, in other threads?

Not sure if there really is that much constructive feedback here. Most people only post that they want gold, xp or a special snowflake award for logging on to the PTS.

I don't see this as constructive but greedy and this is the whole issue here.

If ZO decides to reward people on PTS then they will go there based on their greed but not because they want to help with the game.

Something constructive that I saw in this thread was the concern about having to run two clients, about not being able to give feedback in an easy way and to not know if the feedback has reached the Devs. Sadly the amount of people posting these type of things was quite low, the most only want to be rewarded and this is the wrong way if you ask me.

LonePirate · October 2014

I regularly test new content on the PTS.

Audigy wrote: »

Razzak wrote: »

ZOS_GinaBruno wrote: »

For those that feel like there isn't enough incentive to hop on the PTS and test some of the future content, what are some things that would motivate you to do so?

I apologize for being off topic and I truly am not trying to troll or anything similar, but do you see how much constructive feedback a simple question has generated?
Would it be possible to do something similar on other topics, in other threads?

Not sure if there really is that much constructive feedback here. Most people only post that they want gold, xp or a special snowflake award for logging on to the PTS.

I don't see this as constructive but greedy and this is the whole issue here.

If ZO decides to reward people on PTS then they will go there based on their greed but not because they want to help with the game.

Something constructive that I saw in this thread was the concern about having to run two clients, about not being able to give feedback in an easy way and to not know if the feedback has reached the Devs. Sadly the amount of people posting these type of things was quite low, the most only want to be rewarded and this is the wrong way if you ask me.

If by constructive feedback, you mean players railing against ZOS' inability to fix PTS bugs or other instances where a lack of feedback exists, then I could link several topics and posts from the past several weeks where things like that happened. I and others have been very vocal about how ZOS royally screwed up the response to the PTS testing for 1.4. Consequently ZOS, namely Jessica, reached out to several players (myself included) a couple of weeks ago to save face and offer (empty?) promises that things will be different in the future.

Update 1.5 will be posted to the PTS very soon - today or next week or the week after at the latest. I will give ZOS the benefit of a doubt that they are going to do better this time even though I am still highly skeptical of that. I will be logging as many bugs as I possibly can and if ZOS ignores them all like they did with every single one of the numerous 1.4 PTS bugs I reported, then I will raise a ruckus on these forums and shine an even brighter light on their failures.

Pendrillion · October 2014

faernaa wrote: »

ZOS_GinaBruno wrote: »

For those that feel like there isn't enough incentive to hop on the PTS and test some of the future content, what are some things that would motivate you to do so?

not having to download another ~20GB

For me its a mix of this and the former stated ideas, that bugs seem to not be adressed. Also I don't want to spoil my game with a preview of the future content. Other than that I would love to help out on PTS.

kevlarto_ESO · October 2014

I regularly test new content on the PTS.

Since the copied my toon over I will test more I like to test and try to do them often

hammer_fella · October 2014

I've never used the PTS.

There are already too many bugs in game presently for me to be troubled constantly interrupting my (admittedly, often frustrating) experience in order to document them all. Numerous others that have been reported by myself and others remain unresolved. So I ask, what possible incentive is there for me to play on the PTS given the ongoing state of the current content (especially in consideration of the apparent failure to actually act upon many of the problems reported by those who do)? I'm excited for whatever new content is on the horizon, but with little faith that any issues I might come across would actually be addressed, and thereby improve my experience, it should come as no surprise that I'd rather spend my time doing something else.

LunaRae · October 2014

I've tested content on the PTS before, but only once or twice.

ZOS_JessicaFolsom wrote: »

We really do read, review, and test every single one of your bug reports. We understand it may not seem that way when the thing you reported doesn't appear on the patch notes. So, let us ask: What would you like to see? Would it help if we provide a list of outstanding reported issues that didn't make it into build?

Like most others have said, actually acknowledging somewhere, in writing (or video recording) a list of outstanding issues whether small or large would be appreciated.

Here's an example of what I envision - http://dev.dota2.com/showthread.php?p=990711#post990711 - I play this game extensively and very much appreciate knowing every little detail and bug in dota2. I want to know every little detail and bug in ESO as well, but don't feel that's currently possible. I think it should be very possible for you guys to create a mega thread like that and provide nearly the same level of detail on class abilities, gameplay, combat, zones, crafting, etc...

Imryll · October 2014

Other (just in case I left out an option - comment!)

I played on the PTS prior to release, but I'm too slow a leveler to test now. Perhaps someday my characters will reach closer to max level, and I'll be able to offer useful input, but that day has yet to arrive.

theroyalestpythonnub18_ESO · October 2014

I occasionally test new content, or I have in the past.

Imryll wrote: »

I played on the PTS prior to release, but I'm too slow a leveler to test now. Perhaps someday my characters will reach closer to max level, and I'll be able to offer useful input, but that day has yet to arrive.

You can create a character at max level using the Craglorn template. Even after the character transfer.

Trema · October 2014

@ZOS_GinaBruno‌

Time equivalency.

Time spent on PTS = boosted rate of earning gold/experience on live server.

Romo · October 2014

Other (just in case I left out an option - comment!)

leeux wrote: »

I'd love to help in testing, but I cannot stand the idea of another 22hs download

Maybe at some point I'll just bit the bullet and do it!

This, sadly this.

Phantax · October 2014

I regularly test new content on the PTS.

I use the PTS a lot, and by that I mean use it for what it's meant to be used for, bug and glitch finding !

ers101284b14_ESO · October 2014

I occasionally test new content, or I have in the past.

@ZOS_JessicaFolsom‌

So I was at work and had a few other ideas about how to get me to PTS more.

1. Put it up the entire time whether its ready or not. I mean a week of testing just isn't enough. We need the next update on there all 6 weeks.

2. Have the devs who will be working/fixing it also be on the PTS even if it's just an hour or two a day. You have City of Ash coming out why not have a dev hop on teamspeak and do a few runs with fellow players? Then we can communicate with them as we come across bugs and ask questions as we go.

3. I mentioned it earlier about better communication on the bugs that are known and ETA's. But put up a post about all bugs that are reported whether your team has reproduced it or not. If your team can't reproduce it maybe us your players can.

4. Don't be afraid to push back content that is bugged. I know your management said 4-6 weeks and risk looking bad if it takes longer but I think most people would rather have a working patch and wait 8 weeks than a buggered patch at 6 weeks.

5. Don't be afraid to say that you have to push it to live servers to find bugs that didn't pop up on the PTS but lets be honest most of them where already seen.

6. Still want the Paul Sage pet

7. Don't be afraid to hire me as a tester. I have my resume submitted and am more than willing to relocate or work remotely.

8. Your awesome keep it up.

LonePirate · October 2014

I regularly test new content on the PTS.

ers101284b14_ESO wrote: »

7. Don't be afraid to hire me as a tester. I have my resume submitted and am more than willing to relocate or work remotely.

8. Your awesome keep it up.

Please don't take this personally; but for your sake, I hope the ZOS QA hiring manager doesn't read that eighth point you wrote.

ers101284b14_ESO · October 2014

I occasionally test new content, or I have in the past.

LonePirate wrote: »

ers101284b14_ESO wrote: »

7. Don't be afraid to hire me as a tester. I have my resume submitted and am more than willing to relocate or work remotely.

8. Your awesome keep it up.

Please don't take this personally; but for your sake, I hope the ZOS QA hiring manager doesn't read that eighth point you wrote.

Why is that? The 8th point was for Jessica Folsom.

ThePonzzz · October 2014

It's a QC joke. Your/You're.

Lionxoft · October 2014

I occasionally test new content, or I have in the past.

ZOS_JessicaFolsom wrote: »

A Paul Sage pet would be pretty amazing. What would he do?

No comment.

Lionxoft · October 2014

I occasionally test new content, or I have in the past.

ZOS_GinaBruno wrote: »

For those that feel like there isn't enough incentive to hop on the PTS and test some of the future content, what are some things that would motivate you to do so?

A paycheck from Zenimax Online Studios. I'm on a roll today.

Edit:
Just to keep it constructive. The players aren't going to provide you with proper regression testing each update since it's tedious and boring since automating our game is frowned upon (Rightfully so). Zenimax needs to handle that in-house with the QA team. If you want free labor to help improve ESO then a group of unpaid interns would be a better option. Not sure about the MD labor codes/wage orders (in regards to interns) but the main point is that expecting the customer to do the job of your QA team is a really bad business strategy. Not only does it hurt your product but it also hurts your reputation. Just because other studios do it does not mean that it will work for you and it is obviously not working.

It's a bad habit that the gaming industry has adopted expecting the players/customers to find the bugs that aren't gameplay centric. Also, a lot of these bugs/defects are due to load. I have a feeling that new versions aren't being stress tested enough prior to their live release. Kind of like the postern bug that still isn't fixed even after addressing it and chalking it up as fixed.

Lionxoft · October 2014

I occasionally test new content, or I have in the past.

Audigy wrote: »

Razzak wrote: »

ZOS_GinaBruno wrote: »

For those that feel like there isn't enough incentive to hop on the PTS and test some of the future content, what are some things that would motivate you to do so?

I apologize for being off topic and I truly am not trying to troll or anything similar, but do you see how much constructive feedback a simple question has generated?
Would it be possible to do something similar on other topics, in other threads?

I don't see this as constructive but greedy and this is the whole issue here.

Only greed I see is the company that charges a box fee + subscription only to expect us to test for nothing at all. Giving suggestions in regards to incentives is very constructive.

CirithValaria · October 2014

I personally immerse in all my characters in a way that playing some stranger on PTS just feels bad and wrong. It's great news that US players got they characters copied, but we in EU would love it too (some day).
I still test, but its limited, because I don't want to feel bad

One recent guild summit review had a great idea of letting non-subscribers test the game on PTS (for certain period of time)
Not sure how much they would actually report things, but at least even the smaller bugs would be found by listening their ranting

Giraffon · October 2014

ZOS_GinaBruno wrote: »

For those that feel like there isn't enough incentive to hop on the PTS and test some of the future content, what are some things that would motivate you to do so?

I think you need to make sure that you are getting the feedback you need as well. How about this process:

At the completion of each quest or after every hour, have a mandatory questionnaire appear asking for feedback. After the feedback is submitted, then you receive a gold reward mailed to your live account.

Sasky · October 2014

I occasionally test new content, or I have in the past.

ZOS_JessicaFolsom wrote: »

ers101284b14_ESO wrote: »

Yeah put a list of ALL known issues wether fixed or not a long with updates and ETAs on when they would be fixed. Also put priority level next to each one.

Also I still want a Paul Sage pet so make that happen and I will make testing a near full time job.

ETAs are not always possible, especially if it's a tricky bug to reproduce, but we'll see what we can do.

A Paul Sage pet would be pretty amazing. What would he do?

Rather than an ETA, a category status like you'd see on bug/issue trackers would work fine, something like: Unconfirmed, Researching, Confirmed, Assigned, Testing, Fixed in Patch 1.x.y. Only put a sort of ETA on the 'fixed' status when you're pretty much done. Something like that would help players too, because if something's Unconfirmed or Researching, they know to send additional bug reports to help the devs track down occurrences.

Like mentioned by someone else, it'd be preferable to have some sort of public limited view to whatever issue tracker is used internally. Obviously it'd have to hide security issues, exploits, and new features that you don't want publicized until they're pushed out. But that would provide a system that automatically keeps the status up-to-date.

As well, there are additional benefits to tie-in directly to players if you have it as some sort of a system instead of a manually maintained post:
- Status updates are automatic. When a feature switches to testing stage, it's immediately updated.
- You could allow each player to vote on 1-3 issues important to them. That way you can easily see popular pain points and bump up the priority on those.
- You could tie into the tracker in-game. When creating a new issue, it'll list existing reports that match keyword/category. So if the issue's already been reported, the player can immediately see the status and provide additional details directly on the existing issue if need be.

AngryNord · October 2014

Well, they broke the PTS, and it won't be available for days, so I guess this thread has ran its course...

onlinegamer1 · October 2014

I've never used the PTS.

ZOS_GinaBruno wrote: »

For those that feel like there isn't enough incentive to hop on the PTS and test some of the future content, what are some things that would motivate you to do so?

Cash, or equivalent (i.e. X time on PTS = Y free time on live)