PSA: everyone can give feedback on PTS forum page - read notes and give yours!

SkaiFaith · July 9

https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/categories/pts

In the Public Test Server forum page you can read patch notes of upcoming changes to the game.

Everyone can give feedback.

This is important because of the recent "outrage" around the issues caused by the sustainability features. People were upset and asked "why testers didn't give feedback on this?!"

You can make your voice listened, no matter if you are on the PTS server, so if you are concerned that the game on live servers could have bad surprises in store for you, just read the PTS patch notes and speak up.

Devs want and need feedback - they really need players' opinions.
Please feel free to give feedback on those threads in the PTS forum page, instead of waiting for the General channel to highlight possible issues.
Thanks!

The_Boggart · July 9

U35 feedback totally ignored, why should anyone take part in this charade

Necrotech_Master · July 9

i remember there was actually fairly little feedback on the sustainability features, though i did express disappointment there was no options to toggle them on or off

i also think there was additional/different things applied to consoles that were not applied to PC, such as the 30 FPS while in menus (PC only had the game dimming and the FPS cap while the game was unfocused (you were alt-tabbed for example)), so its kind of hard for testers to test things that werent even present on the PTS lol

LaintalAy · July 9

I'm not a qualified Acceptance Tester.
Maybe that's what needed for this?

Dax_Draconis · July 9

People shouldn't be commenting about changes on the PTS if they aren't helping to test those changes. Uninformed feedback isn't very helpful.

DenverRalphy · July 9

Two things...

A) Unless a player actually plays the game on PTS and experiences the changes first hand, they have zero business providing feedback on something they haven't even seen in action.

2nd) PTS has never really been much of a testing ground for feedback. It's primary purpose is to introduce the changes made by the development team, and subsequently monitor the world metrics to make sure the game doesn't break when put into practice. PTS is basically, "This is what we will be introducing, see if you can break it".

tsaescishoeshiner · July 9

Dax_Draconis wrote: »

People shouldn't be commenting about changes on the PTS if they aren't helping to test those changes. Uninformed feedback isn't very helpful.

Agreed. With some exceptions, like if they make something easier or harder to farm, for example, or changes with very obvious direct impacts.

I also haven't heard of any outrage over screen dimming.

CameraBeardThePirate · July 9

Feedback does nothing.

You want proof? Look at the mountain of feedback on Grave Lord's Sacrifice, or the mountain of feedback on the Templar Jabs change, or the mountain of feedback on the Hardened Ward buff. People heavily objected to each of those changes during PTS, almost universally hating them. None of that did anything to convince ZOS that those were bad changes. They were all pushed through, and remain in the game, despite the further mountains of feedback they received on each change since they hit live.

Let's not even talk about the botch job of U35.

tomofhyrule · July 9

And yet, there are some things that PTS has accomplished.

How do I know? I did it.

Update 41 included a change to a story-related zone in Orsinium. It really only included dungeons (I'm assuming the change in Orsinium was a prep for U42 since there is a Scribing quest that goes through that area), but it also accidentally introduced invisible walls and blocked progress in the entire Orsinium main quest.

I found it. I reported it. It took some time to get traction, but if that bug had made it live, that would have been a major issue... considering that that was the month that ZOS said "hey, have Orsinium for free, and if you do the main quest, then you can get free costumes!"

Yes, it's much easier to assume ZOS never listens, but many of the combat changes they've made this cycle (nerfing Undeath, a lot of Necro tweaks including giving them loads of named buffs/debuffs, etc.) are coming from things people have been saying for a while. It may take a while, but they do actually read it there.

That's not to say they take every suggestion. I'm still annoyed that the Class Outfit Styles are locked, and the complaints about Templars using a shovel and Nightblades being part firefly are still there and never have been changed. But it's disingenuous to say that ZOS doesn't take any PTS information into account.

wolfie1.0. · July 9

tomofhyrule wrote: »

And yet, there are some things that PTS has accomplished.

How do I know? I did it.

Update 41 included a change to a story-related zone in Orsinium. It really only included dungeons (I'm assuming the change in Orsinium was a prep for U42 since there is a Scribing quest that goes through that area), but it also accidentally introduced invisible walls and blocked progress in the entire Orsinium main quest.

I found it. I reported it. It took some time to get traction, but if that bug had made it live, that would have been a major issue... considering that that was the month that ZOS said "hey, have Orsinium for free, and if you do the main quest, then you can get free costumes!"

Yes, it's much easier to assume ZOS never listens, but many of the combat changes they've made this cycle (nerfing Undeath, a lot of Necro tweaks including giving them loads of named buffs/debuffs, etc.) are coming from things people have been saying for a while. It may take a while, but they do actually read it there.

That's not to say they take every suggestion. I'm still annoyed that the Class Outfit Styles are locked, and the complaints about Templars using a shovel and Nightblades being part firefly are still there and never have been changed. But it's disingenuous to say that ZOS doesn't take any PTS information into account.

The best way to put it then is that they sometimes listen to minor changes. But very, very few major asks get adjusted.

I also would point out that given what happened last pts cycle it's kind of hard to work up an incentive to install and load up the PTS.

Sarannah · July 9

tomofhyrule wrote: »

Yes, it's much easier to assume ZOS never listens, but many of the combat changes they've made this cycle (nerfing Undeath, a lot of Necro tweaks including giving them loads of named buffs/debuffs, etc.) are coming from things people have been saying for a while. It may take a while, but they do actually read it there.

About U43(and all updates before that). Personally I really really dislike that ZOS keeps spending time on destroying/nerfing/tweaking abilities, because of.... PvP. When will ZOS learn that balance is impossible to achieve, and that PvPers will always complain/claim "overpowered" if someone else defeats them. That is just the nature of competition.

Yet ZOS keeps spending time on nerfing/changing abilities for a balance that can never be found. I'd rather have them spend that time on new expansions/zones/dlc's, than waste it on PvP "balance".

Right now it feels like ZOS is more lost in changing existing abilities(details), rather than focussed on creating new content(bigger picture).

Alinhbo_Tyaka · July 9

tomofhyrule wrote: »

And yet, there are some things that PTS has accomplished.

How do I know? I did it.

Update 41 included a change to a story-related zone in Orsinium. It really only included dungeons (I'm assuming the change in Orsinium was a prep for U42 since there is a Scribing quest that goes through that area), but it also accidentally introduced invisible walls and blocked progress in the entire Orsinium main quest.

I found it. I reported it. It took some time to get traction, but if that bug had made it live, that would have been a major issue... considering that that was the month that ZOS said "hey, have Orsinium for free, and if you do the main quest, then you can get free costumes!"

Yes, it's much easier to assume ZOS never listens, but many of the combat changes they've made this cycle (nerfing Undeath, a lot of Necro tweaks including giving them loads of named buffs/debuffs, etc.) are coming from things people have been saying for a while. It may take a while, but they do actually read it there.

That's not to say they take every suggestion. I'm still annoyed that the Class Outfit Styles are locked, and the complaints about Templars using a shovel and Nightblades being part firefly are still there and never have been changed. But it's disingenuous to say that ZOS doesn't take any PTS information into account.

There is a difference. What you experienced was a bug. What people are talking about in this thread and others is having issues with the basic function of the new features and requesting that they not be implemented. @DenverRalphy describes the intent of the PTS well in his 2nd point. The purpose of the PTS is to find bugs not to affect the implementation of the features being tested.

Necrotech_Master · July 9

Alinhbo_Tyaka wrote: »

tomofhyrule wrote: »

And yet, there are some things that PTS has accomplished.

How do I know? I did it.

Update 41 included a change to a story-related zone in Orsinium. It really only included dungeons (I'm assuming the change in Orsinium was a prep for U42 since there is a Scribing quest that goes through that area), but it also accidentally introduced invisible walls and blocked progress in the entire Orsinium main quest.

I found it. I reported it. It took some time to get traction, but if that bug had made it live, that would have been a major issue... considering that that was the month that ZOS said "hey, have Orsinium for free, and if you do the main quest, then you can get free costumes!"

Yes, it's much easier to assume ZOS never listens, but many of the combat changes they've made this cycle (nerfing Undeath, a lot of Necro tweaks including giving them loads of named buffs/debuffs, etc.) are coming from things people have been saying for a while. It may take a while, but they do actually read it there.

That's not to say they take every suggestion. I'm still annoyed that the Class Outfit Styles are locked, and the complaints about Templars using a shovel and Nightblades being part firefly are still there and never have been changed. But it's disingenuous to say that ZOS doesn't take any PTS information into account.

There is a difference. What you experienced was a bug. What people are talking about in this thread and others is having issues with the basic function of the new features and requesting that they not be implemented. DenverRalphy describes the intent of the PTS well in his 2nd point. The purpose of the PTS is to find bugs not to affect the implementation of the features being tested.

to be fair, i actually do see a large amount of bugs reported on the PTS forum with many of them still end up getting to live and arent fixed until the first incremental (2 weeks after release)

Lykeion · July 9

Think about skeleton, jab, U35, or any of those earlier updates and you'll find that the feedback changes nothing. When ZOS decides to do something they will see it done.

wolfie1.0. · July 9

Dax_Draconis wrote: »

People shouldn't be commenting about changes on the PTS if they aren't helping to test those changes. Uninformed feedback isn't very helpful.

In some cases yes, in others just reading the patch notes is fine, and in other cases even the PTS won't be enough until it reaches live.

For example, commenting on what ISN'T included in PTS changes is something that everyone should be reasonably able to comment on.

For combat and UI changes and bug reporting ya that should be something you test out.

I would also argue that some changes need to be brought to the attention and have feedback from everyone and doesn't require testing. Guild listing changes, mail changes, account wide achievements, jabs redesign, Nightblades permaglow... these are all things that the community as a whole should be able to comment on regardless of If they play the pts or not.

anadandy · July 9

Jaraal · July 9

The_Boggart wrote: »

U35 feedback totally ignored, why should anyone take part in this charade

Fool me once, shame on you.

Fool me 43 times....

DenverRalphy · July 9

If all you've done is read the patch notes, and never played on PTS to give it a test drive... All you're doing in providing an Uninformed Opinion. That's not feedback.

Anybody recall the not so distant past how such feedback screamed "Arcanist Class is detroyed!" when all they read were the patch notes? How well informed was that "feedback"?