I wanted to make something a little more positive and straight forward than the majority of the posts on this board. I think a lot of people see the potential in this game and want nothing more than to see it improved. The game has a good foundation and it's not like it needs to be "fixed" in a game play sense, but it does need to be fixed in a "way too buggy" sense.

 

I understand you want to show the player base you're dedicated to the game by releasing a content patch. Most games take way too long to release content patches. Some taking 7-8 months between theirs. But this game is still less than a month old. Content isn't what we need right now. I don't think I've ever seen anyone say "You know what, this game needs more stuff to do." The majority of the people are just scratching the surface on the stuff currently in the game and wouldn't mind waiting a couple months before you release new and exciting content.

 

What I do see a lot of, especially with friends I play with, are complaints about bugs currently in the game that are frustrating people beyond belief. I'm sure you're hard at work fixing bugs. But you should have every single developer at your disposal tweaking and refining this game. You've spent the last 5+ years, at least, creating this game. Now that it's out, you should be refining the gameplay experience and fixing the issues that made it to live. There will be plenty of time for you to release new content. Right now just isn't that time.

 

The community has bad ways of voicing their opinions on things. But keep in mind, people wouldn't take the time to post if they didn't want to see changes in the game. If they didn't care, they would just move on.

 

All we want from you is to stop the development of the game for a month, or however long it takes, to fix the current build of the game. Then once those issues have been resolved, move on and start adding new content for us to enjoy. That's all we ask.

I don't think I've ever seen anyone say "You know what, this game needs more stuff to do."

 

No need to lie to them

It would be easier for Barwars to build a time machine go back in time, and build their own engine-

You realize that bioware has a patch plan in place, and a content plan, and the people making new content aren't the people debugging.

 

They have released small bug patches every week? Every other week?

 

The content that was released was on the books for this date so it came out with the bug fixes.

You gotta remember that not all of the complaints are about bugs, there are a handful of those who demand content. If they put all of their resources into fixing them then it would only inflame the part of the community sitting at 50 demanding more content. So either way they lose, and someone is going to be mad about it. Edited January 18, 2012 by Tek_Coronado

I wanted to make something a little more positive and straight forward than the majority of the posts on this board. I think a lot of people see the potential in this game and want nothing more than to see it improved. The game has a good foundation and it's not like it needs to be "fixed" in a game play sense, but it does need to be fixed in a "way too buggy" sense.

 

I understand you want to show the player base you're dedicated to the game by releasing a content patch. Most games take way too long to release content patches. Some taking 7-8 months between theirs. But this game is still less than a month old. Content isn't what we need right now. I don't think I've ever seen anyone say "You know what, this game needs more stuff to do." The majority of the people are just scratching the surface on the stuff currently in the game and wouldn't mind waiting a couple months before you release new and exciting content.

 

What I do see a lot of, especially with friends I play with, are complaints about bugs currently in the game that are frustrating people beyond belief. I'm sure you're hard at work fixing bugs. But you should have every single developer at your disposal tweaking and refining this game. You've spent the last 5+ years, at least, creating this game. Now that it's out, you should be refining the gameplay experience and fixing the issues that made it to live. There will be plenty of time for you to release new content. Right now just isn't that time.

 

The community has bad ways of voicing their opinions on things. But keep in mind, people wouldn't take the time to post if they didn't want to see changes in the game. If they didn't care, they would just move on.

 

All we want from you is to stop the development of the game for a month, or however long it takes, to fix the current build of the game. Then once those issues have been resolved, move on and start adding new content for us to enjoy. That's all we ask.

 

/signed.

 

I play on an old laptop until I can afford a new one. After this last patch I can't even do warzones without it crashing.

Not a bad post. I agree that bug fixing takes precedence, but to say people have too much to do already may not be entirely accurate. The leveling process is long and actually quite fun, but I'm not seeing a lot to do end game so far so it's reasonable for people who blitz through content to be wanting more. Truthfully, that's where achievements and time sinks come in, and as far as I can tell this game was little to none of those.

 

As an achievement wh*re myself, this is a feature I would not just want, but demand eventually. Rift had a full functioning achievement system at launch, and it's strangely missing here. A lot is strangely missing but that's another topic entirely. MMOs just don't have enough stuff to spend your time on without things to grind when you're done raiding for the week (at least in my opinon). I agree with your post overall, but just had to tweak it a little bit.

So you think the game is too buggy? Fine, post your top 10 bugs you want fixed. Generalities don't help anyone, especially given that games have different staffs for fixing bugs and creating art assets.

 

I think you meant to be constructive, but the criticism is too vague to provide any value whatsoever.

I agree to the initial/original post completely. And to those who are yapping about bug plan and content plan, please shut your traps and re-read the original post. He said throw all the resources at fixing bugs, that pretty much implies scrap the content plan and dedicate it to fixing bugs. Pretty straight forward if you bother reading the entire post.

The problem is, people will always want new content. That will never change. But at the moment, this game has way more issues than the need for new content. Most nightmare modes haven't been cleared yet. And I think the term "hard mode" in raiding is over exaggerated and people see that as end game.

 

They can keep releasing new content, but every bit of new content they release just takes on the bugs currently in the game. And until those are fixed, it will be hard for this game to progress itself.

Not a bad post. I agree that bug fixing takes precedence, but to say people have too much to do already may not be entirely accurate. The leveling process is long and actually quite fun, but I'm not seeing a lot to do end game so far so it's reasonable for people who blitz through content to be wanting more. Truthfully, that's where achievements and time sinks come in, and as far as I can tell this game was little to none of those.

 

As an achievement wh*re myself, this is a feature I would not just want, but demand eventually. Rift had a full functioning achievement system at launch, and it's strangely missing here. A lot is strangely missing but that's another topic entirely. MMOs just don't have enough stuff to spend your time on without things to grind when you're done raiding for the week (at least in my opinon). I agree with your post overall, but just had to tweak it a little bit.

 

It's called the Codex. Just because it doesn't have points assigned to it doesn't mean it's not there.

 

High score what matters to you? I would recommend Pong or Pac-man to get started and go from there.

So you think the game is too buggy? Fine, post your top 10 bugs you want fixed. Generalities don't help anyone, especially given that games have different staffs for fixing bugs and creating art assets.

 

I think you meant to be constructive, but the criticism is too vague to provide any value whatsoever.

 

You only need one major bug to make you stop playing. I, for one, consider the storyline 90% of the value of the game. The duplicate mission bug forced me to abandon my Jedi Guardian because I am simply unable to progress through the storyline. Did they fix that? No. Are they planning to? Who knows, they brush everything aside. So I now I don't really have anything to do with my JG. We always lose in PvP, he is not high enough for high-end FPs and OPs.... so really... Pointless. AKA, focus on fixing bugs instead of releasing new content we can't even play.

Where is the vote button so that I can vote up intelligent comments and block buffoons who don't bother reading and processing the entire post before scrambling to type some characters on their keyboards before submitting?

You realize that bioware has a patch plan in place, and a content plan, and the people making new content aren't the people debugging.

 

They have released small bug patches every week? Every other week?

 

The content that was released was on the books for this date so it came out with the bug fixes.

 

You do realize that this doesn't count for "Baby credits added" or "Fixed this ability to now correctly show that it does 50% dmg increase". That's fine and dandy, but there are a few more pressing bugs out there.

You gotta remember that not all of the complaints are about bugs, there are a handful of those who demand content. If they put all of their resources into fixing them then it would only inflame the part of the community sitting at 50 demanding more content. So either way they lose, and someone is going to be mad about it.

 

I have no sympathy for those who rushed to 50 and are now bored,they should do other things besides game all day.BW are not going to move content release's forward because a minority demand it,and I think they should stick to the plan they have.

Edited January 18, 2012 by Mynamethisis

It would be easier for Barwars to build a time machine go back in time, and build their own engine-

 

amen to that

So you think the game is too buggy? Fine, post your top 10 bugs you want fixed. Generalities don't help anyone, especially given that games have different staffs for fixing bugs and creating art assets.

 

I think you meant to be constructive, but the criticism is too vague to provide any value whatsoever.

 

Okay, starting with most important:

 

1) The end of the Jedi Knight class quest. To prevent spoilers, go read the 100+ reply threads about it in class forums if you want details

 

2) Ability stuttering, most noticeable in warfronts

 

3) My social points meter has been bugged, not increasing, and hundreds of other players have this issue too

 

4) Flashpoint HMs locking you out the instant the final boss spawns, quite possibly screwing you from being able to loot the boss

 

5) The green screen artifacts from the white and green lamp items in camps

 

6) Eternity Vault boss bugs (1st one either not spawning, or causing the whole raid to crash/lockup on turrets phase, being unable to re-enter instance if you wipe on 2nd boss)

 

7) ... that's all I got, rest are minor imo.

I agree to the initial/original post completely. And to those who are yapping about bug plan and content plan, please shut your traps and re-read the original post. He said throw all the resources at fixing bugs, that pretty much implies scrap the content plan and dedicate it to fixing bugs. Pretty straight forward if you bother reading the entire post.

It may be a straightforward concept but that doesn't mean it makes any sense. Read up on the mythical man-month, or how software projects fail, or how they run late.

 

'Throwing all resources at X' is the same nonsense accountants tried to apply to early software development. It doesn't work.

 

Here's an example. Bioware has hired a variety of voice actors and artists. You don't ask them to fix networking bugs. You ask them to make new voice content and draw new models. Very little of the existing content is broken with regard to sound or art, though I'd enjoy seeing the art team get on with higher resolution versions of their work, but even that is new content of a form.

 

Even in software development itself this concept falls down. If three coders have spent a year intimate with the graphics engine and three coders have done the same with the network code, you don't ask all six to drop everything and work on the UI unless you really are desperate and expect to fail to hit targets, because they will be learning that area of the codebase from scratch in some cases.

 

Not all employees are experts in all things.

Edited January 18, 2012 by Grammarye

It may be a straightforward concept but that doesn't mean it makes any sense. Read up on the mythical man-month, or how software projects fail, or how they run late.

 

'Throwing all resources at X' is the same nonsense accountants tried to apply to early software development. It doesn't work.

 

Here's an example. Bioware has hired a variety of voice actors and artists. You don't ask them to fix networking bugs. You ask them to make new voice content and draw new models. Very little of the existing content is broken with regard to sound or art, though I'd enjoy seeing the art team get on with higher resolution versions of their work, but even that is new content of a form.

 

Even in software development itself this concept falls down. If three coders have spent a year intimate with the graphics engine and three coders have done the same with the network code, you don't ask all six to drop everything and work on the UI unless you really are desperate and expect to fail to hit targets, because they will be learning that area of the codebase from scratch in some cases.

 

Not all employees are experts in all things.

 

That's also not what I said. Reread my post. The people developing the new content are most likely the same people who developed the current content in the game.

 

By the way, this concept is not foreign. The majority of games squash bugs immediately after release. They don't release content patches less than a month after the game came out. There will be time for that.

That's also not what I said. Reread my post. The people developing the new content are most likely the same people who developed the current content in the game.

 

By the way, this concept is not foreign. The majority of games squash bugs immediately after release. They don't release content patches less than a month after the game came out. There will be time for that.

You still don't appear to be listening. Clearly you have never fixed any bugs yourself. You don't start out by saying 'hey you, we employ you right? go fix this bug, it's important'.

 

You need people who are intimate with the area, understand the big picture of what they are trying to fix and why, and who won't introduce more bugs because in fixing one they broke another. That is a finite limited resource. It does not expand because there are lots of bugs or any urgency attached to them.

 

I'm not saying 'don't fix bugs'. What I'm saying is that asking Bioware to stop content production is like asking the sports team to stop playing because the cheerleaders are tired. They just aren't linked up in the way you seem to think they are.

Edited January 18, 2012 by Grammarye
Edited for better analogy

So you're trying to tell me the people programming the current content is different than the people programming the new content? Obviously I'm not saying move people who have no idea what they are doing to fix things they don't work on. But the new content is being programmed by someone and I'm guessing it's the same people who programmed the current, broken content. So don't try to tell me they wouldn't know how to fix it.

So you're trying to tell me the people programming the current content is different than the people programming the new content? Obviously I'm not saying move people who have no idea what they are doing to fix things they don't work on. But the new content is being programmed by someone and I'm guessing it's the same people who programmed the current, broken content. So don't try to tell me they wouldn't know how to fix it.

Content isn't programmed. It's built by level designers, artists, sound editors, producers. Not software developers. Bugs in software are quite different beasts.

 

Edit: Let me give this a little more context. This separation is exactly why things like the Hero Engine were created. You have tools built by developers that content creators use to make content quickly.

 

Lets' say you have an FPS issue in a given area. That might be down to two entirely different problems. Option one might be a given use of an effect which has terrible performance. That's a software bug, you want a better performing effect, you ask a developer to speed the shader up etc. Option two is that the level has way too much of a given type of map style in it, and you know this is a problem. That is something you do hand back to a content creator and say 'please rework this level'.

 

So, not every bug is about content creation or fixing that content. A lot of the actual bugs I am seeing reported are software bugs, and a lot of the content creators aren't even involved. They need to be usefully employed still though; Bioware is still paying them. That means making new content.

Edited January 18, 2012 by Grammarye