One Month, followed by closure.

[islander]

Because the PTS is not a "normal" server, it will experience downtime that our other live servers do not experience. The main goal for the PTS is to provide players the ability to assist us in testing upcoming Game Update content, but it is not guaranteed to have the same server uptime or updates as the other servers. Though you can play on PTS (and we encourage you to help test whenever new content is deployed), you will experience more interruptions if you choose to make it a permanent home - its real purpose is for testing, not for permanent play. We apologize for the inconvenience and hope this gives you some more information about the PTS.

 

Respectfully, hasn't it occurred to you guys that MAYBE by leaving it open, people could actually level their PTS characters.

 

You know, because you guys are failing at character transfers and advancing characters to actually test all your new end content as it is?

[Temad]

I blame Bioware for a lot of things but having a non-functioning patch server isn't one of them.

 

I mean, they do have to keep it as close to production as possible no?

 

/Rimshot

[ChaosKirin]

The problem with the test server being down (at this present time) is that when a new patch goes to the PTS, the new content that should be tested covers the whole spectrum of leveling. That is, players have to have characters on there in all level ranges, from 1-50. Before they started offering free character copy, this was only possible by PLAYING ON THE TEST SERVER BETWEEN PATCHES.

 

I've capitalized that because it's important.

 

Bioware, by not allowing character copy to the test server, made it mandatory to dedicate your time to the test server if you wanted to test the game. Surprisingly, some people ENJOY testing the game. These two things combined make it understandable that some people would make the test server their primary server.

 

This is how Bioware set it up.

 

This is how Bioware set it up.

 

This is how Bioware SET IT UP.

 

To attack the op for wanting to have uptime on a server that Bioware set up to be peoples' main server is confusing.

 

While the PTS isn't my main server, I am annoyed that I've been unable to log in and play on it.

[Rafaman]

“[this horse] is not pining, he's passed on. This [horse] is no more. He has ceased to be. He's expired and gone to meet his maker. He's a stiff, bereft of life, he rests in peace. If you [wouldn't stop replying to this thread] he'd be pushing up the daisies. He's rung down the curtain and joined the choir invisible. This is an ex-[horse]!”

[Ryat]

Bioware, by not allowing character copy to the test server, made it mandatory to dedicate your time to the test server if you wanted to test the game.

 

But I thought they did allow character copying? Or did I sign up to have my character copied somewhere else?

http://www.swtor.com/info/news/%5Bnews-category%5D/20120525

[Holden_Dissent]

Have to agree with this. Your trolling or just a bit simply to play on a public test server as your main?

 

I always wondered why they called it a "public" test server.

 

What's so public about it? You still have to have a subscription. So....more like private test server.

 

I remember the first time WoW had a pts. I cancelled my sub thinking I didn't need a sub to play on the "public" test server. The ol' bait n switch.

[Balrizangor]

She was most definitely not trolling.

 

There are dedicated players who primarily play on test servers in games. I am fully aware of the impact those players can have on the game the rest of us play. Hopefully Bioware comes to realize that as well.

 

As for Ivi? This isn't the first game she's played primarily on its test center for the purpose of both playing and enjoying the game. So no. She was not trolling.

 

 

If that is the case, then the OP should be fully aware of how a Test Server for a game is run meaning, they can roll back at anytime, do character purges, take it down for extended time periods (sometimes months at a time), etc ...

 

I don't know why any of this would come as a surprise to someone who " primarily play on test servers in games". But to ask for comp time for a test server being down? That is just laughable ....

[ChaosKirin]

But I thought they did allow character copying? Or did I sign up to have my character copied somewhere else?

http://www.swtor.com/info/news/%5Bnews-category%5D/20120525

 

Despite the fact that this is self-explanatory and I shouldn't have to spell it out for you...

 

There were no character copies up to this point. There was no guarantee there ever would be. So for people to, say, test level 50 content up to this point, they would have had to level a character.

[Anti_Bodies]

Because the PTS is not a "normal" server, it will experience downtime that our other live servers do not experience. The main goal for the PTS is to provide players the ability to assist us in testing upcoming Game Update content, but it is not guaranteed to have the same server uptime or updates as the other servers. Though you can play on PTS (and we encourage you to help test whenever new content is deployed), you will experience more interruptions if you choose to make it a permanent home - its real purpose is for testing, not for permanent play. We apologize for the inconvenience and hope this gives you some more information about the PTS.

 

Just wanted to say thank you for posting at least 2 non-thread-closing comments. We need more Allisons!

[irishfino]

From what I understand, the PTS should be open soon (last I heard was a vague "couple of months") with the 1.3 patch up and ready along with character copies (possibly maybe, they didn't seem confident they could do it).

 

This is probably the precursor to character transfers, testing if character copying can be done with critical success (you get an augment slot!).

 

In the meantime, you could roll a new character on a different server with a different story so it's still fresh and new. I know it doesn't fix your problem, but you can still play on other servers while they're busy unbreaking the PTS.

 

May I suggest Canderous Ordo? It's a lovely server.

[islander]

But I thought they did allow character copying? Or did I sign up to have my character copied somewhere else?

http://www.swtor.com/info/news/%5Bnews-category%5D/20120525

 

You sign up to maybe have your character manually copied over.

That doesn't exactly count.

Edited June 4, 2012 by islander

[sakshale]

Well case closed then, you chose the server knowing the risk and you are willing to wear it, your friend (the OP) should just do the same, nothing more to discuss here really.

 

Go back and read what was said about PTS in the beginning. Everything they posted implied that they desired a permanent community on that server. They welcomed us and patted us on the back... until the first forum scrub. That is when I began to realize that they knew as little about running a living test server as they did about keeping End Game players happy.

 

That said, I still have hope. LoTRO failed the End Game thing also. Many of us dropped after the first six months, but they learned and many of us returned to play for a couple more years. It took SWTOR to pull me out of LoTRO. It took LoRTO to pull me out of EQ2. I am hoping that I won't have to leave SWTOR, but I have left PTS.

 

PTS was a failed implementation. I will not return to it, but I am currently enjoying the Mask of Nihilus. (Population equivalent to PTS in it prime.)

[sakshale]

One question: Since PTS has been down all this time, where is there an opportunity for the players to test all the bug fixes that are in the weekly updates? If they were smart, all the weekly updates would be posted on PTS one week in advance of hitting the live servers. Maybe then they wouldn't be adding as many bugs are they have lately.

[Mistress_Ivi]

One question: Since PTS has been down all this time, where is there an opportunity for the players to test all the bug fixes that are in the weekly updates? If they were smart, all the weekly updates would be posted on PTS one week in advance of hitting the live servers. Maybe then they wouldn't be adding as many bugs are they have lately.

 

The 100% amazing staff behind this game decide that the PTS doesn't need patches before live, unless it's major. Thus allowing any and all bugs 10 minutes of QA time doesn't catch to fall into the hands of those who play on live server.

 

Great tactic, right? *yawn*

 

I'm hoping the patch, that hits in a little over... 3 hours? or the downtime... is the patch, which unlocks the PTS.

 

I'll say this, EA, wake the hell up... once 1.3 hits, continue patching the PTS 2-3 days before live, minimal. You need players to test every patch before live.

[Blackwing]

As a dedicated PTS player, I'm well aware of what it means to play there and have played structurally for years on test servers of other MMORPGS. I know the drawbacks of a Test Server (more and unexpected downtimes, instability, more than your share of bugs to run into) and I'm not looking for any compensation for that. Frankly I think the biggest thing that the PTS Titles did was get a host of people onto the PTS that were just there to play through chapter one for the titles and left again after that.

 

Most people that play with any kind of regularity on the test server (this one or those of other games) have their reasons. I like helping making this game better, some like the relative quiet on there, other have different reasons still.

 

As was explained earlier in this thread, Test Servers can be set up in different ways which are mostly variations of two base setups: Focus testing, where the server is often only brought up when there is new content or features to test and people have either copied over characters or instant chars with a certain amount of gear that is deemed appropriate (either given or more easily acquirable than on live server). Example of this setup is Eve Online's test-cluster Singularity where every so often a mirror of the live-cluster is made. The other type is one that is continuous testing encouraging an actual community to form which mimics live-server play as closely as possible. A server of this type normally is kept up most of the time. An example of this type of Test Server is Everquest 2's test server.

 

There can be valid reasons for either type of setup. Eve's choice is largely due to their live cluster being the only live-server they have that everyone plays on together. Eve's nature means that the the test-cluster play will never even be close (as a whole) to live-cluster. Therefor the only thing they can do is focus-testing of new content/features. To make it as easy as possible for players to quickly hop on Singularity the regular mirrors are made so as many people as possible can focus test new things. SOE chose for the setup they did because they believe a Test Server with an actual thriving community will catch most of the bugs that are not caught by the focus-testing that their QA-department did. And in practice (their words) 95% of those bugs were caught by the test-server community (note that this unfortunately doesn't mean 95% was fixed before it went live). This setup is great for catching bugs that occur somewhere as a side effect of something changed somewhere else. Bugs like that are easily missed by QA because they test the things that are actually changed. It seemed that the PTS also falls in this latter category although lately things seem to indicate a shift towards the first model.

 

If the PTS is still meant as a continous test-server then I do believe that this PTS can be managed better. Not for the benefit of the players on it, but for the benefit of the game. Possibly the most important factor is communication. I understand that the PTS can be down unexpectedly and sometimes for extended periods, but when that happens, it doesn't hurt to communicate it other than through people discovering they cannot log in. If the server is down for days because of preparations for 1.3, it doesn't hurt to put a post up on the PTS forum stating the reason for the downtime. And if the PTS is still meant for continous testing, make sure that, although the PTS might not receive small patches early to test them, at least the PTS receives those patches at the same time (as happened up to 1.2).

 

If however the purpose of the PTS is now focus-testing, then make sure you have a working character copy in place or a way for people to easily get their character leveled/equipped to the appropriate point to actually do the focus-testing.

 

I might be wrong, but sadly I have this feeling that an exec looked at the numbers and thought that the cost of the way the PTS was run up to 1.2 could be cut a bit which resulted in the situation the PTS is at now. To some extent understandable when there are also jobs being cut but still a shame as a Test Server can be a very valuable asset to make the game better. If you stimulate the building of a community on the PTS, you have a continous testing-force of players most of which are willing to report bugs in detail, and who are also available for ad-hoc feedback and tests. On the Everquest 2 Test servers it was not uncommon for developers or QA staff to show up looking for feedback or a group of people to test something in specific.

 

Hopefully Bioware understands the value of a well-managed test server.

[sakshale]

@blackwing: excellent summary - thank you.

[joeypesci]

Frankly then, you should have had a copy tool at launch then. You encouraged people to roll characters on the PTS to help test the content. I rolled a character with the full intention of helping test. Now we hear that it isn't intended for permanent play. So what did this mean?

 

Are you nuts? Why complain about a test server. The clue is in the title. It's a test server. Test servers go up and down all the time, randomly with no warning, because THEY ARE TEST SERVERS. At work, if we bring down a test server that someone was on entering data, not our problem as it's TEST SERVER.

 

It meant create a character on test to TEST. Not to make it your main server because it won't be up all the time, could randomly be offline, could randomly be wiped (like in SWG). Accept it as it's a test server.

 

It's good that people go on test and TEST, but then moaning that you can't play on Test and that it's your main server is nuts.

[Baizak]

She was most definitely not trolling.

 

There are dedicated players who primarily play on test servers in games. I am fully aware of the impact those players can have on the game the rest of us play. Hopefully Bioware comes to realize that as well.

 

As for Ivi? This isn't the first game she's played primarily on its test center for the purpose of both playing and enjoying the game. So no. She was not trolling.

 

Testing is testing, not playing for enjoyment. If somebody gets off on testing all the time that is their hang up. There is no reason to kowtow to some glorified bug finder. These downtrodden testers need stop acting like a martyr that needs to be praised for participating in a testing faze. Don't they give you a title for these tests? If so, then you have been aptly compensated for your deep sacrifice.

 

At the end of the day the test server is just practice. Just ask AI: