Upcoming changes to PBE access
RiotSeb has announced that some big changes are coming to the PBE and how user access works:"Hey Summoners,
We'll shortly be changing the PBE in a few big ways in order to better accomplish its goal - to get better feedback from more League of Legends players earlier in the development cycle.
The existing PBE signup process is hampering this in a couple big ways. The current process is first come, first serve - and because the PBE has a limited size, most players can never get access. We haven't been able to invite new players to the PBE for over 10 months now, and that's not acceptable - we actually need a steady stream of fresh perspectives to get the best feedback to help improve the game.
Also, PBE accounts aren't currently linked to live accounts, so we have no way of selecting great candidates based on in-game behavior and other criteria. It's effectively random.
So we're changing a few things:
- PBE access will now be granted for a limited period of time (usually about a month or so, depending on testing needs), instead of permanently.
- You'll apply to be a PBE tester by signing into your NA, EUW or EUNE account and submitting your application.
- Most existing PBE testers will need to re-apply. We'll be pre-selecting and reaching out to a small list of folks who regularly provide excellent feedback.
- Once a round of testing is complete, we'll deactivate most PBE accounts so we can welcome in a new wave of testers.
- Some testers may receive access for more than one round of testing, based on their quality contributions.
This is a big shift, and it might be disappointing if you're used to having permanent access to the PBE. But it's in the interest of making League of Legends better, and ultimately getting more players involved in that process.
Besides changing how players get PBE access, we're also moving in a different direction in terms of what kinds of content, features and experiments will show up on PBE. Stuff that's much farther out from being ready for the live game (and occasionally even stuff that might get canceled) is gonna hit the PBE for your testing and feedback.
We're currently putting the finishing touches on the new PBE format, but we've already opened sign-ups so we can get testers involved immediately as soon as everything's finalized. As always, thanks for testing with us!"
When you click on the link to go to the new opt in page, you'll run into this text along with a link to the PBE coumminty, PBE FAQ, and a way to check your PBE status:
"The Public Beta Environment (PBE) is a limited-access public League of Legends realm where players help us test "declassified" features, content and experiments that aren't yet (and may never be) ready for prime time.
Why do we have the PBE?
Riot's mission is to be the most player-focused game company we can be, and part of that is making sure that we're taking cues from you. Your feedback is what fuels us as we strive to make the League experience better. When it comes to rooting out problems, testing ideas, and building the game, the more feedback from you we can get earlier in the process, the better off we're gonna be. The PBE lets us call up a bunch of passionate League of Legends players to get their eyes, brains and QWER keys in front of cool new stuff while it’s still being worked out.
How does it work?
Periodically, we’ll invite a small group of tester applicants (selected based on a variety of criteria) to test out upcoming features and content for a specific PBE cycle. Invited testers then get to create a PBE account, download the PBE client and play. For the time that testers have PBE access, they’ll be able to test and provide feedback on upcoming champions, features and other content in order to help make sure it’s ready for release.
After each PBE cycle ends, testers will be returned to the pool of applicants, from which we'll draw a fresh group of testers for the following cycle. We do this to ensure we're choosing the right testers for the right features as well as to increase the number of voices that influence the direction of League of Legends."
After that you are just a click away from applying to be a PBE candidate with the new system.
"PBE testers are invited to play on the test realm and help root out problems, test ideas, and provide feedback on upcoming League of Legends content and features. We have a few guidelines to help you decide if you'd be a good fit for the PBE:
As you can see, the exemplary tester is an avid League of Legends player, a positive influence in the community and someone who gives excellent feedback. New testers are recruited every few weeks. On top of checking for a few basic criteria, our selection process is catered to what we’re testing in a given cycle: for instance, if we're designing a new tanky support champion, we might invite a batch of experienced Leona and Taric players to help out.
- Your live account is level 30.
- You have a pretty clean history of bans and reports.
- You enjoy talking through your experiences - sometimes with people who don't share your opinion.
If you think you'd be a great PBE tester, click the button below and add your name to the list of candidates. If you're approved for a cycle of testing, we'll contact you by email and have you set up a PBE account at that time. Sit tight in the meantime - there are tons of candidates but only a few spots, so we can't guarantee that everyone will be accepted as a tester."Once you sign up, you'll see the message:
"You've successfully added your name to the pool of candidates. Sit tight - there are tons of candidates but only a few spots, so we can't guarantee that everyone will be accepted as a tester. If you're approved for a cycle of testing, we'll contact you by email and have you set up a PBE account at that time.
New testers are recruited every few weeks. On top of checking for a few basic criteria, our selection process is catered to what we’re testing in a given cycle: for instance, if we're designing a tanky support champion, we might invite a batch of experienced Leona and Taric players to help out."
When asked if your PBE accounts progress ( unlocks, runes, etc ) will be wiped whenever your account is inactive, RiotSeb noted:
"No, your account will just be reactivated, and you'll have your account from where you left off. It is important that we continue to get coverage on the store features etc, but if you're a tester in multiple different iterations, you won't have to start from zero every time."
"The old process had no verification on who was signing up for accounts. Toxic players had multiple accounts, which made banning them ineffective. Even if we banned all of the toxic players, as soon as we reopened signups they could create more accounts."
He also noted that the change is to improve quality of testeing, not capacity:
"The point of this change isn't particularly to deal with capacity, so much as it is to deal with quality. We're hoping to create an environment were players can closely interact with Riot to deliver valuable feedback, instead of struggling through a game where half the players are AFK."
As for players who are constantly submitting useful feedback, he commented:
"We're working hard to identify players who have submitted valuable feedback in the past to help get them through the process."
When asked if sites like Surrender at 20 - news sites covering PBE updates - will only have temp accounts, RiotNinjaTabby replied:
"Don't worry, we will make sure that these kinds of community sites can still function."
RiotNinjaTabby commented on the simple application process, saying:
"Our goal was to make the application process as simple as possible, since we can gather a lot of data about your play from your live account. Additionally, user submitted data in application forms doesn't have much guarantee of being factual."As for non NA/EU summoners wanting to participate in the PBE, he commented:
"We hope to expand the list of regions that are able to apply for PBE accounts. Don't give up hope yet!"
Morgana PBE Discussion
Now that the rest of latest batch of Morgana's tentative changes are up on the PBE for testing, ricklessabandon had a few comments:"quick update:changes went to the pbe strong. i'll probably have to chip at them to make sure she's not broken, but i don't think it'll be too much. i was on the fence when i had the amp at 0-50% so i just added a flat 10% and figured the pbe could handle it if it were a tad much. :3He continued:
anyway, playtests have had promising results with this kind of mechanic, so i think it's worth tuning to the point of being a release candidate. thoughts?"
"i kind of want to keep the scope on these changes down as low as possible, because every time i try to make the change slightly more complicated, the whole thing just turns into a kit rework. if i had more time and wanted to dig deep, i'd probably play around with something like your suggestion (at least in a whiteboard session). for the time being, trying to see if i can get these soil changes to make ts feel better at more (if not all) phases of the game."
As a refresher, here is ricklessabandon's latest Morgana PBE changelist:
"Morgana
General
- Attack Range increased to 450 from 425
- Base Attack Speed increased to 0.625 from 0.579
- Made her basic attack more responsive
Tormented Soil
- Tormented Soil's damage now increases by 10% to 60% based on the enemy's missing Health
- Damage application cadence increased to every 0.5 seconds from every 1 second
- No longer applies a Magic Resist reduction debuff"
Skarner Rework Discussion
Now that his rework is out on the PBE, Riot Scruffy had a few notes on the tentative Skarner rework."PBE is updated and Skarner is out there for everyone to test. gogo play games!"
When asked about some of the numbers not quite matching up with the changelist he published last Friday, RiotScruffy noted a few of the numbers will be adjusted in an upcoming PBE update and offered a reminder that PBE content is tentative:
"Yes, good catch. The next PBE update will have the Exoskeleton cooldown at 14 seconds like I said. Also, fracture mana costs will be reduced to match the patch notes. The attack speed buff will remain at 5 seconds and I will update the patch notes.
Edit: these numbers are still not final so they may change again."
Sadly, he also commented that the Skarner update will actually be pulled off the PBE in tomorrow's update in order to better flesh out some of the other changes:
"Hey all, I have another quick update. We will be pulling Skarner off PBE tomorrow for just a few days so that we can totally lock down Xerath and Heimer testing. Play him today and collect whatever info you can and he should be back on PBE very soon.
Keep up the discussion, this is all very useful. Thanks!"
For more info on the Skarner rework and to see exactly what hit the PBE earlier today, check this post.
Hitboxes and Size of Champions
Responding to a thread about if Cho'Gath actually blocks skill shots better as he grows larger, Meddler commented:"Cho'gath's hitbox does increase in size as he grows larger with his ult, so yes, he'll block more skillshots. This also occurs with other abilities that increase a champion's size (Nasus/Renekton ults, Lulu ult, Stormshield on Dominion). It does not however occur with anything that's a purely cosmetic effect (e.g. some skins may appear slightly smaller or larger than the base champion, their hitbox however is unchanged)."He also noted that Zac's hitbox changes too:
"The size of Zac's hitbox does change as his model size changes."He continued:
"We use a range of different sizes based off the champion in question e.g. most Yordles are the same, small, size, while big champs like Hec or Urgot are a much larger size. Things like Lulu's ult then scale up from that starting hitbox size."
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