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The '''Training Room''' (aka Test Server) is a test server where developers deploy beta versions of [[City of Heroes]] before moving the version to the live servers. It is a sandbox where players may test changes to their characters or play new content before it is pushed out to the general public.
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== Overview ==
The '''Beta Testing Shards''' (once known as the '''Training Room''') are test servers where developers deploy beta versions of [[City of Heroes]] before moving the version to the live servers. It is a sandbox where players may test changes to their characters or help beta-test new content before it is pushed out to the general public. Any player can access them.


== Reasons to Play in the Training Room ==
== Reasons to Play ==
There are two main reasons players may want to play on these shards instead of a live server:


There are four main reasons players may want to play in the Training Room instead of a live server:
* To test permanent changes to their characters before those changes are actually made. For example, if a player earns a power [[respecification]], they can copy that character to the beta shards, respecify their powers, and try them out. It is also straightforward to increase XP, to grant influence, and to create whatever enhancements are needed for a build being tested.


* To test permanent changes to their characters before those changes are actually made. For example, if a player earns a powers [[respecification]], he or she can copy that character to the Training Room, respecify his or her powers, and try them out. If the player is dissatisfied, the changes are not reflected on the live servers. If a player wishes to test a different respecification, he or she may delete the character on the Training Room, recopy the character from the live server, and test further changes. You also however, can buy an infinite number of respecs for a single character, reducing the amount of times you'd need to copy a single character.
* To test new content in order to find bugs in it or provide feedback.


* To play new content. The Training Room receives new content before it is pushed to the live server. If a player wants to play the latest and greatest publicly available content with the knowledge that his or her characters in the Training Room cannot be copied to the live server, the program may be a bit buggy, and the Training Room sometimes gets wiped clean, he or she may play there.
== How to Play  ==
To gain access to the beta shards, follow the instructions at [https://forums.homecomingservers.com/beta/ the Beta Account Centre]. This also provides tools to copy your characters across, and a guide to how to grant XP, inf, etc. when testing a build. Ordinarily the beta shards are divided into "beta" and "staging"; the "staging" build is close to release and undergoing final testing, whereas the "beta" build contains more experimental features.  


* To participate in an event. Many community events, including some official events, take place in the Training Room since players can bring characters from any server to it.
== Notes ==
 
* Supergroups are server specific, and therefore not copied.
== How to Play in the Training Room ==
* A player's global chat name may be different from their global chat name on the live servers.
 
'''IMPORTANT NOTE:''' If a copy is to be made, then you will need to have sufficient free space before copying.
 
To play City of Heroes in the Training Room, a different build or copy of the [[Game Client]] program will need to be created on your hard drive.
 
Running this Training Room copy of the program after installation will bring up a similar updater and login screen to the Live client. However, once a player logs in, he or she will see only one entry in the server list: Training Room. Select this server and play as normal.
 
=== PC and Windows computers ===
 
For PC computers, using the NCsoft Launcher the method is as follow:
# Copy the shortcut (or make a new one) for the NCsoft Launcher.
# In the copy, edit the properties so that the target contains the correct parameter for your account at the end. The command line should appear as:
#* If you have a North American Account:
#: '''(path)\NCLauncher.exe /LaunchGame=CohTest'''
#* If you have a European Account:
#: '''(path)\NCLauncher.exe /LaunchGame=euCohTest'''
# Run the new shortcut
#* The NCsoft Launcher will prompt you for a path to install the Training Room client.
#: By default, the installation path of the normal City of Heroes game client is C:\Program Files\NCsoft\City of Heroes, the default installation path for the testing client is C:\Program Files\NCsoft\CoHTest.
 
=== Mac OS X computers ===
 
For Mac OS X computers, there is a separate .app available for the Training Room
# For North American Accounts: visit [ftp://client.coh.com/Test/US/ ftp://client.coh.com/Test/US/] and download '''MAC_CoH_Test_Server_US.dmg'''
# For European Accounts: visit [ftp://client.coh.com/Test/EU/ ftp://client.coh.com/Test/US/] and download '''MAC_CoH_Test_Server_EU.dmg'''
# Mount the .dmg and copy '''City of Heroes Test.app''' to your preferred Applications folder
# Run City of Heroes Test.app
 
 
=== Speed up Installation ===
 
Both of the previous methods will start a new installation and download 2.8GB+ worth of files and executables
 
The test client's installation may be significantly sped up by using the following process:
 
===== Fast Install with NCsoft Launcher (PC Only) =====
# Before starting the process above copy the entire contents of the City of Heroes directory to a new directory.
# Start the NCsoft Launcher using the CoHTest parameter as specified above.
# When the install confirmation comes up click "Customize" and select the previous directory as the installation directory.
# The launcher should then see this as an existing install and simply update instead of doing a full download
 
===== Fast Install with NCsoft Launcher (PC or Mac) =====
# Follow the previous steps and let the updater start downloading
#* The status will start with "Connecting Attempt #1..."
#* Once connected, it will change to "Checksumming...", "downloading" or "fixing"
# Cancel the updater (click Quit in the lower right hand corner)
# Copy the contents of the piggs subdirectory of the normal client's installation folder to the test client's piggs subdirectory
#: '''NOTE:''' The piggs directory is specified to avoid issues with .checksum files in the root coh directory.
#* PC
#*: normal default: C:\Program Files\City of Heroes\piggs\
#*: test default: C:\Program Files\CoHTest\piggs\.
#* Mac
#*: normal default: /Applications/City\ of\ Heroes.app/Contents/Resources/transgaming/c_drive/coh/piggs
#*: test default: /Applications/City\ of\ Heroes\ Test.app/Contents/Resources/transgaming/c_drive/coh/piggs
# Run the Training Room application (Cohupdater.exe -test or City of Heroes Test.app).
# The updater then 'fixes' the files in the \piggs\ folder with any modifications currently being tested, which is significantly faster than downloading a new version of every file.
 
== Copying a Character to the Training Room ==
 
In addition to simply creating new characters in the Training Room, a player may opt to copy an existing character to the Training Room. This process is a one-way copy only; characters cannot be copied from the Training Room to any live server.
 
To copy a character, log in to the [http://boards.cityofheroes.com/charactercopy.php CoH Character Transfer] page and follow the instructions. After a few minutes, your character will show up in the Training Room.
 
One may copy a character to the Training Room server multiple times, and a unique copy will be created each time. If the character name already exists on the Training Room server, a sequential number will be appended to the characters name. Note that even if a character is copied only once, his or her name may still have a number because characters with duplicate names may be copied from other servers to the Training Room.
 
== Beta Server ==
 
During the Beta for Going Rogue Paragon City also introduced a Going Rogue Beta Server (accessible only to players with an American account). This server is generally not publicly accessible but it is still used for some closed/open betas to allow for testing without tying up the normal test server.
 
To install the beta server on a PC follow the instructions for installing the test server using the NCsoft launcher but use "CohBeta" instead of "CohTest".
 
To install the beta server on a Mac do the following:
# Right click or Contorl+Left Click on your City of Heroes shortcut
# Select Show Package Contents
# Double-click on Contents
# Double-click on info.plist
# Under the key column, look for CiderGameOptions
# To the right of CiderGameOptions, double click on the entry (i.e. "-- cohupdater.exe")
# Add "-beta" to the end. It should look something like this: -- cohupdater.exe -beta
# Close and run City of Heroes
 
== Notes and History ==
 
* Store purchases, such as character rename and extra slots, follow the same process on Training Room as on Live servers. However, they are free of charge.
* At some points during testing of related technologies, a secondary test server is connected to the Training Room.
*: Example: During initial testing of Wentworths/Black Market/Consignment House and paid Server Transfers
*: It is not currently connected (2009-09-04)
* As of February 2, 2006, characters will retain their influence/infamy when copied from a live server to the Training Room.
* Supergroups and Prestige are server specific, and therefore not copied to the Training Room.
* A player's global chat name in the Training Room may be different from his or her global chat name on the live servers. By default, it will be the same as the first character that a player uses in the Training Room. If that character's name has a number appended to it because of the above note, so will the player's global chat handle. Just as on the live servers, a player's global chat handle may be changed one time only in the Training Room. No chat may take place between live servers and the Training Room.
* It is possible for an existing character to immediately obtain new badges due to the copying process because of lowered requirements on existing badges or because of requirements for new badges already being met.
* It is possible for an existing character to immediately obtain new badges due to the copying process because of lowered requirements on existing badges or because of requirements for new badges already being met.
* Archived link https://secure.cityofheroes.com/cgi-bin/coh_transfer.pl
== External Links ==
* [http://boards.cityofheroes.com/charactercopy.php CoH Character Transfer] page
* [http://support.cityofheroes.com/cgi-bin/cityofheroes.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=971 FAQ article] about copying characters to the Training Room


[[Category:Game Client]]
[[Category:Game Client]]

Latest revision as of 01:53, 16 May 2020

Overview

The Beta Testing Shards (once known as the Training Room) are test servers where developers deploy beta versions of City of Heroes before moving the version to the live servers. It is a sandbox where players may test changes to their characters or help beta-test new content before it is pushed out to the general public. Any player can access them.

Reasons to Play

There are two main reasons players may want to play on these shards instead of a live server:

  • To test permanent changes to their characters before those changes are actually made. For example, if a player earns a power respecification, they can copy that character to the beta shards, respecify their powers, and try them out. It is also straightforward to increase XP, to grant influence, and to create whatever enhancements are needed for a build being tested.
  • To test new content in order to find bugs in it or provide feedback.

How to Play

To gain access to the beta shards, follow the instructions at the Beta Account Centre. This also provides tools to copy your characters across, and a guide to how to grant XP, inf, etc. when testing a build. Ordinarily the beta shards are divided into "beta" and "staging"; the "staging" build is close to release and undergoing final testing, whereas the "beta" build contains more experimental features.

Notes

  • Supergroups are server specific, and therefore not copied.
  • A player's global chat name may be different from their global chat name on the live servers.
  • It is possible for an existing character to immediately obtain new badges due to the copying process because of lowered requirements on existing badges or because of requirements for new badges already being met.
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