Q. Is the (update) coming out this summer? Can you be any more specific than this summer?

 

A. I could but then I would get in trouble. So basically, we are testing it. We want to have it be as bug free release as possible. We are all about quality. We’re doing a lot of extensive testing in the studio and it should hit the test servers soon but I won’t go into more detail than that.

Talking about big points, you (the pr guys) even refuse to confirm "this summer" as a release date for your next non-content patch. Seriously, I feel lost. Im affected to various things that you're promising to enhance in this patch and currently I have nearly zero-to-do in this game <placeholder for flames about no bgs to open, no rnd guys for raids, h4's, etc.>. I got 30 days remaining on my sub, and it feels like you totally waste them.

Please, cards on the table! If you're going to mess it up and need another month, just tell. I wont resub for a single cent anyway as long as there is no possibility to play my mainchar on a living, healthy server. It absolutely makes no advantage if you guys just extend info-delays week by week. You spam videolinks into my mailbox at least twice a month, James Ohlsen telling me that everythings gonna be awesome. And then, every patchday its like:

This is gonna be legen...wait for it....da.... aw screw it just some random bugfixes -.-

They cant be specific because if they miss their target date they will get crucified.

Also, lol at the "We are all about quality"

Talking about big points, you (the pr guys) even refuse to confirm "this summer" as a release date for your next non-content patch. Seriously, I feel lost. Im affected to various things that you're promising to enhance in this patch and currently I have nearly zero-to-do in this game <placeholder for flames about no bgs to open, no rnd guys for raids, h4's, etc.>. I got 30 days remaining on my sub, and it feels like you totally waste them.

 

Please, cards on the table! If you're going to mess it up and need another month, just tell. I wont resub for a single cent anyway as long as there is no possibility to play my mainchar on a living, healthy server. It absolutely makes no advantage if you guys just extend info-delays week by week. You spam videolinks into my mailbox at least twice a month, James Ohlsen telling me that everythings gonna be awesome. And then, every patchday its like:

This is gonna be legen...wait for it....da.... aw screw it just some random bugfixes -.-

He's not a PR guy.

If you claim there is no content now and they declare the patch will be released next month....How does that change anything right now? I don't understand why there is such a need on specifics when it has no effect on the game at this time.

Also, it is been known that the update will come early summer after PTR tests (which haven't even began...), just do some simple math.

Honestly, if they cant get their content patch out by this summer, the game is hosed.

1.3 is a features patch, 1.4 is the content one. 1.4 will be at least a few months after that. This is assuming you get 1.3 in late June/early July (early summer by the technical term) Best case scenario, 1.4 comes out in September.

If you claim there is no content now and they declare the patch will be released next month....How does that change anything right now? I don't understand why there is such a need on specifics when it has no effect on the game at this time.

 

Also, it is been known that the update will come early summer after PTR tests (which haven't even began...), just do some simple math.

I think its more of their inability to talk about anything at all.

Like the super secret space updates. WHY? Your game already came out, drop the fricken NDA BS and give us the info.

Oh you didnt get all the features in and now some people are throwing fits? Oh well, welcome to business 101. You cant please everyone.

1.3 is a features patch, 1.4 is the content one. 1.4 will be at least a few months after that. This is assuming you get 1.3 in late June/early July (early summer by the technical term) Best case scenario, 1.4 comes out in September.

Heh, jeez... this game is.. *sigh*

If they cant get 1.4 out before September, including the fact that we are suppose to get STORY line content THIS year, and new playable races THIS YEAR, and something with space combat THIS year, oh lord.

You know I totally called this. Waaay back in beta, I said;

"You know I dont know if BioWare can handle this MMO, they are notoriously slow to release patches for their games, and take longer then other developers to make them."

And people were telling me... "Oh no they will be fine"

I think its more of their inability to talk about anything at all.

 

Like the super secret space updates. WHY? Your game already came out, drop the fricken NDA BS and give us the info.

 

Oh you didnt get all the features in and now some people are throwing fits? Oh well, welcome to business 101. You cant please everyone.

Yes, welcome to business 101, talk or not talk you piss of someone, what's the point ?

If they cant get 1.4 out before September, including the fact that we are suppose to get STORY line content THIS year, and new playable races THIS YEAR, and something with space combat THIS year, oh lord.

lol Wait.... where did any of this come from? I don't recall any promises for any of this stuff.

Yes, welcome to business 101, talk or not talk you piss of someone, what's the point ?

The point is ONLY in the video game/mmo industry do you see this kind of crap.

In most other parts of the industry, if say my car is broke, and i take it back to the shop for a repair, i get a DATE on when it will be done.

In my job, I have to give my customers a DATE on when X project will be done.

There is a point at which not giving out/refusing a specific timeline or date becomes unacceptable.

lol Wait.... where did any of this come from? I don't recall any promises for any of this stuff.

Directly from the Devs/CMs mouths in interviews with press. (At Guild summit or otherwise)

New races THIS year.

New Story expansions THIS year.

The space thing was indirectly, but hinted at in an interview.

And on top of that, they lost 150 people from the layoffs. /facepalm

lol Wait.... where did any of this come from? I don't recall any promises for any of this stuff.

It happened.

Like another suggested, do not expect it until around september. The patching cycle is probably even longer now since they laid off 150 people. I imagine that has a significant impact on speed of patch completion, testing and deployment.

Directly from the Devs/CMs mouths in interviews with press. (At Guild summit or otherwise)

 

New races THIS year.

 

New Story expansions THIS year.

 

The space thing was indirectly, but hinted at in an interview.

 

And on top of that, they lost 150 people from the layoffs. /facepalm

Ya, figured as much. The guild summit is the best example of why BW is avoiding the release of any more information about this game. All they get from that at this point is there words smashed into there face while they work to resolve more current issues.

With all the redirected force of working for server transfers and game functionality, the priority on content was jumbled around. So I would not hold them accountable to anything they have said months ago in relation to what is coming months from now.

Ya, figured as much. The guild summit is the best example of why BW is avoiding the release of any more information about this game. All they get from that at this point is there words smashed into there face while they work to resolve more current issues.

 

With all the redirected force of working for server transfers and game functionality, the priority on content was jumbled around. So I would not hold them accountable to anything they have said months ago in relation to what is coming months from now.

I understand WHY they might slip from their "promises" however, that doesnt mean they arent "accountable".

As a customer, frankly I wouldnt care. If you make a promise of X feature or content by the end of the year and fail to delivery, thats not my problem.

My customers/boss wouldnt give ME any slack if I failed to delivery a project on time or within the slated time frame.

The point is ONLY in the video game/mmo industry do you see this kind of crap.

 

In most other parts of the industry, if say my car is broke, and i take it back to the shop for a repair, i get a DATE on when it will be done.

 

In my job, I have to give my customers a DATE on when X project will be done.

 

There is a point at which not giving out/refusing a specific timeline or date becomes unacceptable.

Well first, go ask Microsoft or another big IT companiy when they will fix some of their bugs and see if you get even an answer...

2nd, games aren't just the sum of a few features. Even if everything is coded and bug tested, it doesn't mean it's ok to release. Sometimes, you can have all the features working as specced and yet, throwing the code to the bin because it wasn't as fun as they wanted.

Honestly, if they cant get their content patch out by this summer, the game is hosed.

I am a very patient man. I've been very optimistic with TOR to my friends playing the other game on the block. After watching my guild and ops team fall apart this week, if 1.3 isn't live by the end of June, I will probably leave. I've already felt the tug from older games because content is just becoming inaccessible. Many players are just not interested in the old EQ1 style of play where you stand around town or the zone line and bark "LFG" for hours on end - I left that type of gameplay back in TBC WoW.

I still have a few class stories to experience. If I don't happen to find another guild that matches my hours by the time I finish my new agent's story, I'll probably be leaving. I'm a 6 month subscriber - I no longer have the confidence in Bioware that they are worth a 6 month subscription risk. Later today, I'll probably drop it down to the single month plan.

The VO stuff is really a long term coffin nail. Keeping enough story content to keep the game's design philosophy intact over the long haul should have been brought up at meetings. I just don't see how they can keep pace with what players can consume.

Casual players may be what keeps game companies pockets lined with gold, but the hard core crowd is what ultimately shapes the public opinion of a game, even the opinions of the casual players. If you can't keep the veteran gamer satisfied, you have lost the battle for the community.

Also, lol at the "We are all about quality"

Yeah, I thought that was entertaining.

Anyone remember 1.2?

-How about how they released the patch 8 hours before the server dropped, causing those people who downloaded it to not be able to play?

-Lets not forget Ranked WZ's being removed from the patch, and announced roughly 6-7 hours before the servers were to drop.

-Or, lets not forget the MASSIVE amounts of bugs that 1.2 brought with it, including completely obliterating the GTN for like 3 weeks, messing up sound and the list went on and on.

Yeah, that was one polished release! haha, wow.

Well first, go ask Microsoft or another big IT companiy when they will fix some of their bugs and see if you get even an answer...

 

2nd, games aren't just the sum of a few features. Even if everything is coded and bug tested, it doesn't mean it's ok to release. Sometimes, you can have all the features working as specced and yet, throwing the code to the bin because it wasn't as fun as they wanted.

Server transfers are a mechanical operation. A server transfer is essentially copying a set of player account / character records from one database cluster to another. It can be easily scripted with the only oddball considerations being things that are unique between players like character names and in the case of TOR, legacy names.

Now, I'm not trying to play down the level of responsibility required to keep the data intact; however, this is not a thing that should take 6 months to implement. Character data are numbers and strings in a set of database tables. Anyone with a modicum of skill in writing database scripts can have that data moved to another database in minutes. The hard work would be creating something in the game client to handle renaming a character, but for developers that just wrote the client - that should be easysauce. NOT a job that requires 6 months of development.

I've tried to give Bioware a mountain of room for doubt, but enough is enough. There is no valid reason as to why server transfers are not live yet in a game that is 6 months old.

I understand WHY they might slip from their "promises" however, that doesnt mean they arent "accountable".

The only way of holding them accountable is to cancel your subscription and move on.

In answer to your other (valid) point about how the industry is in the toilet and how few other industries can get away with what the MMO (if not entire video game) industry can... it's simple. Very few people hold the industry accountable. People will still run right out and buy the next, best thing even when they know in their heart it will turn out the exact same every time. Bash the industry all you want (and I've been doing it for years) but as long as the Lemmings will line up, cash in hand, at whatever carrot is waved in our faces, those in the industry will continue to do whatever they want.

It's common sense. If you don't like something and do not get a change you desire (and it is important enough for you), take your business elsewhere. The only accountability is in the marketplace and as long as we do not make our voices here there (in the market place) it will never change.

It's as simple as that.

Server transfers are a mechanical operation. A server transfer is essentially copying a set of player account / character records from one database cluster to another. It can be easily scripted with the only oddball considerations being things that are unique between players like character names and in the case of TOR, legacy names.

 

Now, I'm not trying to play down the level of responsibility required to keep the data intact; however, this is not a thing that should take 6 months to implement. Character data are numbers and strings in a set of database tables. Anyone with a modicum of skill in writing database scripts can have that data moved to another database in minutes. The hard work would be creating something in the game client to handle renaming a character, but for developers that just wrote the client - that should be easysauce. NOT a job that requires 6 months of development.

 

I've tried to give Bioware a mountain of room for doubt, but enough is enough. There is no valid reason as to why server transfers are not live yet in a game that is 6 months old.

First, minutes really ? you have no idea about the amount of data they have to transfer, how many tables there is, ... and yet you think you can write the SQL script in a few minutes ? Don't try too hard to make it more simple than it is.

2nd, I don't know where you get that they used 6 months to develop transfers, it's coming after 6 months, doesn't mean they programmed that since launch.

3rd, You seem to know some things in the IT field, unless you think BW's devs are less smart than an ant, you should understand the problem doesn't come from the developers but from management.

The only way of holding them accountable is to cancel your subscription and move on.

 

In answer to your other (valid) point about how the industry is in the toilet and how few other industries can get away with what the MMO (if not entire video game) industry can... it's simple. Very few people hold the industry accountable. People will still run right out and buy the next, best thing even when they know in their heart it will turn out the exact same every time. Bash the industry all you want (and I've been doing it for years) but as long as the Lemmings will line up, cash in hand, at whatever carrot is waved in our faces, those in the industry will continue to do whatever they want.

 

It's common sense. If you don't like something and do not get a chance you desire (and it is important enough for you), take your business elsewhere. The only accountability is in the marketplace and as long as we do not make our voices here there (in the market place) it will never change.

 

It's as simple as that.

I wish i could cancel. Haha. I'm stuck because I got my wife to play and she still wants to get on and play. (She is only lvl 25 6 months in)