Aye, it's true. Here's the link to the original: http://www.swtor.com/blog/update-ranked-warzones-game-update-1.2

My understanding, according the Allison Berryman's stickied thread, is we don't need to re-install the game if we were in the process of downloading the patch. You won't be able to play until tomorrow. That's the route I am taking. If, however, you want to play today, then you need re-install everything, including patching the game to it's current patch. And then, patch it to 1.2 tomorrow. I hope things go smoothly tomorrow.

Customize my UI so my side toolbars don't get covered up by the map in war zones!

I don't feel affected players are strictly angry at the financial aspect of missing out on a day's subscription. Personally, I think people are upset at losing time set aside for enjoyment or opportunities to wrap things up before 1.2. I don't think people are that ignorant as to be fighting over several cents, but rather compensation is being asked as a matter of principle--a way for BioWare to make up for its mistakes in a real, concrete action. And I think it's a good idea. It's a sign of goodwill. Fairly or unfairly, SWTOR and BioWare have been getting a lot more flak than I think they've deserved as of late. Nonetheless, it is a good BUSINESS decision to give people a free day because of this mess (which, no matter what, is BW's fault). It assures the customer that BioWare/EA is paying attention and care about good relations with the player base. These people will help spread the word that the company takes care of its customers and live up to mistakes. Like I said earlier and somewhere in this thread, a lot of angst towards this problem can be lessened by giving the right IMPRESSION. I think BioWare really got off on the wrong foot in this issue when one of their earliest responses was saying only a "small number" was affected. That may be true, but no one likes being dismissed and marginalized. People in this position can become very vocal, and that's one of the problems we see in this thread. It was poorly worded, and I'm a bit surprised as I assume community managers are trained in PR. So, some sort of compensation can be useful. It's good for BioWare from a business perspective, and it's also good for affected players. And frankly, it's not really going to adversely affect someone such as yourself.

Me too. I didn't realize the problem until I stumbled on this thread looking for patch notes.

So, this patch screw up somehow doesn't affect me, and I somehow don't have legitimate concerns because I can't play the game on my day off due to BioWare's mistake? You can defend BioWare; that's fine. But please refrain from ad hominem statements and assumptions. I pay for a good connection, but it will still take a good chunk of my day to download and re-patch, and then patch it again tomorrow. This is a problem, at its very root, caused by BioWare.

Yeah.

Actually, people have every right to blame the developers. People expect, as customers, that their products are being delivered properly. This patch was not supposed to be delivered until tomorrow, and the only way to fix it for some players today is to re-download the entire game. This is beyond the norm--i.e. people should not have to expect to download so many GBs of info for this game in such a time span (i.e. today and tomorrow). BioWare dropped the ball. They may try to dismiss the problem as just a "small number" but should these players, as a matter of principle, not have the right to direct blame at BioWare?

I realized Allison Berryman probably can't make the call without consulting with her colleagues/higher ups, but it would be nice for her to tell us something along the lines of: "We're looking into fixing this problem for people who inadvertently downloaded the content." Instead, players are left with the IMPRESSION that they are only a "small number" so they don't really matter. I honestly feel giving a free day will go a long ways to improving BioWare's customer relations, and frankly, won't really hurt them that much. You want word of mouth advertising? Treat your customer base well, especially when it's BioWare's screw-up. It's all about impressions with public relations, and I hope but doubt BioWare will get it right.

Since my post is getting buried, I just want to confirm... redownloading the client as suggested = redownloading the game?

I agree. I was a bit unrattled by the "small number" comment as well. It feels as if the problem is being marginalized.

Can anyone explain to me how to re-download the client? Does that mean redownloading the game? Sorry, but I'm not exactly the most technically inclined person. Thanks.

Too late for that, as I thought it was a minor pre 1.2 patch (seeing as it was less than 1 GB before the massive 11 GB downloand) - it may be a good idea to make a sticky post on the forum so people can see what is going on. Or post it on the launcher. To be honest, I bet the vast majority of players--who don't visit the forums to discover this post--would be downloading and not able to play the game. Meanwhile, I hope something is being done to remedy the problem so people who did downloaded the patch due to BioWare's fault can play today.

It will be nice to have presence on my companion boost MY stats instead. I mean, because of presence, my DPS companion has more health than me, and I'm a tank.

Frankly, I'm glad BioWare did not put an emphasis on AoE tanking. For me (I played a Protection Warrior), WoW went downhill when Burning Crusade began introducing AoE tanking. Once that happened, there was no longer any strategic thought required in doing instances like in vanilla WoW where CC actually mattered. It became a matter of the tank gathering up as many mobs as possible for the group to AoE down as quickly as possible so people can finish an instance as fast as possible. AoE tanking became a means to rapid gear grinds and a gradual deterioration of general player skills, IMHO, in WoW. Maybe I am being overdramatic but I don't like what AoE tanking led to in WoW.

You make a good point about "hardcore" and "casual" gamers. I suppose to many of my friends could see me as a hardcore gamer for spending time on a game forums, doing research on game mechanics, etc even though someone who enjoys raiding and doing difficult content would regard me as a casual player, since I have essentially no more interest in raiding after years of WoW. I think it's important to remember that many "casuals" spend just as much time as a "hardcore" player in game. Instead of raiding, these players may be playing for the social aspect of MMOs, questing, or PvP. I think the problem with current MMO culture is that raiding has become the definition of a hardcore MMO gamer, but in reality, it really encompasses much more than that. It's good to keep that in mind.

I'm a new guardian as well, and I've just hit 28. While my experiences are limited for higher level stuff, I can say so far that I have no problems tanking either with other players or for my DPS companion (Kira). Even though I am leveling as a Vigil spec Guardian, I don't have major problems with survivability and definitely no problems with holding aggro. I can only imagine how much better Defense spec Guardians would shine. Another note to consider is PvP tanking. A Guardian can use an ability call Guard to absorb damage being done on friendly players. A Guardian can also use Taunt on enemy players reducing their damage on friendly players by 30%. It's really fun and helps the team. I actually switch from a Sentinel to a Guardian, and I highly recommend it sticking with your Guardian. I'm not saying a Sentinel can't be great--it's just not my play style.

Even a lot of gear while leveling looks as if the designers didn't put a lot of effort into it. I don't have a problem with simple looking Jedi clothing--that's what we know them for anyway. But simple =/= not putting effort into it. I recently crafted (syntheweaver) some stuff with critical success. I was pretty excited until I put them on and they were...orange colour (i.e. colour of robes, not gear level). It looked so weird to me.

I recently started playing a Guardian who hit level 25 yesterday, so I can't say what higher level levelling will be like. However, I am having lots of fun so far levelling as a Vigilance Guardian. You can start putting points in the first tier of Vigilance that boost our main AOE ability, and it does some serious damage when questing/grinding (especially for those bonus quests) a bunch of mobs at once. With Kira, who also has an AOE attack, I can take down groups pretty quickly. I haven't tried Defense spec levelling, but so far Vigilance is great. I am using my melee DPS companion, and I don't really have a problem with solo'ing champions and elites so long as it's one on one. As always, you can always send the companion in first. I don't know if you plan on PvPing while levelling, but I am having a fun time with it too. The utility of the Guardian really shines, especially if you go into Soresu form and use Guard on other players to absorb damage. Even though a low level Guardian's DPS in PvP isn't LOLWTFPWN, the ability to absorb damage on friendly players will rack up some serious points. I find myself frequently scoring highest points simply through protection.

I am a bit confused regarding orange gear. I understand that it is moddable, so I can customize it stats. I am wondering, does that mean I can keep an orange gear all the way to level 50 for leveling and just updating it with the best mods I can find? I am just wondering if I should bother purchasing a new orange lightsaber from the PvP vendor, since I already have an orange one from my commendation rewards off Coruscant. I am assuming it might be cheaper to upgrade it, or does higher tier orange gear provide some upgrades? Thanks in advance.

I understand that an AC is really the "class" so people are reluctant to agree to a class changing option. However, I think BW should allow players to change their AC at lower levels, such as (randomly chosen) before level 15. This really makes picking an AC a lot more forgiving to new players who don't know what they are getting into. By allowing a player to test run an AC to get a feel of the play is useful. If a player ends up not liking the AC before a set level as "point of no return," then the player could change the AC instead of rerolling and playing through levels 1-10 again.

No doubt it's just a coincidence, but even Kira jokes about how "every fashion designer went over to the Empire" or something along that line.

Thanks for the reply everyone. I've decided to roll with a Jedi Sentinel, and I am having lots of fun. Got to level 14 now.

I know there's another recent thread asking for advice on which advanced classes to choose, but my requirements are a little different so I thought I'll start a new thread. - Primarily solo questing, exploring. - No intention to raid. - Expect to do PvP. Based on my research, people seem to agree both guardian and sentinel are viable for PvP. I'll keep an eye out for the other on-going thread on this. - Not too keen on tank spec, but am wondering if guardian tank spec is necessary for solo survivability (again, I plan on questing mainly). Frankly, I prefer to DPS. Thanks in advance! I just started SWTOR last night, and I am having a blast. I just got to level 10 and thought I should ask for some input.

SWTOR is almost done patching, and I am excited to start a fresh adventure in the MMO scene. While the game patches the last 300 MB, I am wondering if anyone may have a suggestion for a West Coast PvE (RP-PVE is fine too) server for a player who plans on playing on the Republic side. Since I'm new and don't know what the servers are like, I hope I found the right forum to ask. Thanks in advance!