Community Blog Post Discussion: A Word on Bugs from James Ohlen

[Blackfriar]

I wouldn't really blame Bioware, I found out a couple days ago they had been bought by EA. If I would have known that I would not have gone near this game. So put it where it belongs on EA's record of total crap...Thanks for ruining a great company (Bioware) EA..

 

Sorry, but BioWare was running down this path on their own volition and it started a long time ago. Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate II were masterful and their customer service, back in those days, was equally great.

 

By the time NWN and bugs and issues and it's over-all failure to deliever on their own hype... And they denials and lies and BS around the very statements they made to capablities of the DM client...

 

Then the lies about the "Exclusive XBox Release" of Jade Empire when they released it to PC... What part of "Exclusive" to a platform do they not understand? And when they lied about it not being exclusive... And we posted proof? So they deleted it and they suspended some people over re-posting the proof? And they told us we were wrong, so shut up...

 

So, don't blame the EA merger. EA will make it worse, of that I have no doubts. But BioWare long lost it's shine with me. And the rot has been there for any who would put down their rose-colored glasses to see...

[dazzlingss]

i ran into 2 bugs number 1 i cant open the character sheet without the mini map going crazy on me and error code 9000 deleting my characters

[Ruthy-A-Ro]

Howdy, I'm an really old school gamer having grown up on games via Kesmai (IOK, LOK), EQ and WOW.

 

I just wanted to post a bit of praise for you guys. This game is extremely high quality. The performances in the stories, which I expected to be absolute drek, are fine. The NPC avatars actually perform, with facial features that match the emotion of the scene. The stories are astonishingly well thought-through in most cases. Great attention to detail. I thought I was going to be hitting the spacebar throughout the stories (on the machine, not in the spaceports ;P) but am actually listening to them. Be interesting to know metrics on levels of people who spacebar and game behavior and those who listen to the stories. But of course that'd be proprietary!

 

So far, and I'm only level 22, the interesting aspect of the stories on the dark side are the choices you have to make. Will you lie? Will you lie to gain light side points (or just because it's "the right thing to do?") How does your ego play in - and wanting to impress your companion to gain those points? I hope these threads in the storyline go somewhere longer term and isn't just abandoned or left at a very superficial level. Very interesting storyline inquiry.

 

In any case, well done. Looking forward to seeing what this team does down the road!

[C-Aparatus]

Please use this thread to discuss James Ohlen's Community Blog Post: A Word on Bugs.

 

Can you please advise on an issue that i have encountered. i started as Jedi Knight on Tython and my Character was developing until i advanced to level eight and i purchased the skill (advanced master strike). after this i discovered that my basic attack or strike did not work. the only things i could do was use master strike and parry but i could not accumilate focus points and my character is basically defenseless for the 30 seconds until Master Strike becomes available again. can you see if this something others are encountering or is this something unique to me. thanksjstewart770@comcast.net

[Dracsoul]

Howdy, I'm an really old school gamer having grown up on games via Kesmai (IOK, LOK), EQ and WOW.

 

I just wanted to post a bit of praise for you guys. This game is extremely high quality. The performances in the stories, which I expected to be absolute drek, are fine. The NPC avatars actually perform, with facial features that match the emotion of the scene. The stories are astonishingly well thought-through in most cases. Great attention to detail. I thought I was going to be hitting the spacebar throughout the stories (on the machine, not in the spaceports ;P) but am actually listening to them. Be interesting to know metrics on levels of people who spacebar and game behavior and those who listen to the stories. But of course that'd be proprietary!

 

So far, and I'm only level 22, the interesting aspect of the stories on the dark side are the choices you have to make. Will you lie? Will you lie to gain light side points (or just because it's "the right thing to do?") How does your ego play in - and wanting to impress your companion to gain those points? I hope these threads in the storyline go somewhere longer term and isn't just abandoned or left at a very superficial level. Very interesting storyline inquiry.

 

In any case, well done. Looking forward to seeing what this team does down the road!

 

I'd agree with you wholeheartedly, its why I spent $70.00 on this game because I really wanted to enjoy all that you have mentioned, Oh, I believe all you mentioned is probably in the game, and PvP, PvE and grouping and all hat nice fun stuff we want in a game and its what motivates us to spend our hard earned money on these products.. now, if I like many, many, many others could enjoy all these things we have paid for, It would be a wonderful thing.

 

So, if Bioware or whoever is behind this , could so kindly fix the major broken parts that prevent myself and many, many , many other customers from enjoying this game , we would be so grateful..

 

I believe this issue should be a prioriety and I also believe it should be stated as a prioriety, we only see vague hints of their acceptance that this issue even exists, and for some the game runs alright which is fine for them, we won't rain on their parade, we would just like to have it fix'd.. and less BS..

[jtobscure]

I posted a fix for the FPS issue, sadly though they keep removing my post lol. Evidently they don't want the community to help each other. At any rate, their fix for the FPS lag issue only fixed some of the affected systems. (mine is fine, but my wife's laptop is still not working without my fix). Figure that one out... At any rate, I am done sending in my dxdiag, or trying to share what I know. Best of luck, and hope you all figure it out on your own.

 

We will attempt to survive without you.

[jtobscure]

Now if only their game worked. Most people are still getting FPS issues.

 

Righttt... the game doesn't work... Except somehow hundreds of thousands of people are playing it. And where do you get "most"? Spent $25,000 to do a poll? I don't think so. No FPS issues here.

[jtobscure]

Sorry, but BioWare was running down this path on their own volition and it started a long time ago. Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate II were masterful and their customer service, back in those days, was equally great..

 

rofl... Nostalgia for the golden age that, as usual, never existed. Baldur's Gate II was indeed a great game. It was also a pixel-character, isometric view game outdated in its own time. Fanboys could and did whine about it. If anything is new, it is the expectation that a game orders of magnitude more complex be perfect from the get-go, with a definition of "perfect" that equates with "exactly conforming to my personal tastes, fantasies and hardware."

[Ommm]

Good luck and im wishing you all well.

 

Btw why is it you do not maintain an updated known issues thread here at bioware?

 

There are so many threads about the same things popping up each day, it hurts.

Edited January 7, 2012 by Ommm

[crayzeeboy]

People are so caught up in the idea that everything must be given to them 'immediately' on a silver platter. Really -- stop speaking for us.. I don't have FPS issues, I don't have these 'game breaking' bugs that you all 'claim' to have, I'm enjoying the game along with the 'rest' of my guild (all 61 members).

 

Point is, BioWare is working on it. The more you 'demand' that they give it to you now, the more you'll be disappointed. Because they're not going to rush something and give it to you right away because you utterly lack patience.

 

/rantoff

 

I can understand where you are coming from. I will concede that some of us are being a bit touchy...myself included. But I will maintain my opinion that BioWare has indeed made more than their fair share on the release of the game and as a matter of justice to it's players should not charge a subscription until all major game functionality issues are fixed. I recently did some research and better understand what goes into making a game like this so I both appreciate and tolerate their effort and the issues. But do not charge your customers for an incomplete product. I don't advocate that the game be perfect as it is a mechanical entity but at least have baseline functionality across the board in concordance with advertised spec requirements. I cant vouch for those who's computers don't meet the minimum requirements but if your rig meets the recommended requirements and your have at least DSL internet as prescribed for this games connectivity then the game should work as advertised. MY gripe is really with PvP as I have a cutting edge gaming rig and a very fast internet connection there should really be no problem. I paid for the product it should work as advertised. That is all I ask. I advocate the BoWare give a customer satisfaction replay for all pre-order and first month purchasers.

[crayzeeboy]

I mean BioWare not "BoWare"...freakin typos.

[Belogard]

I guess this'll teach them to keep us informed.

[BaronStorm]

Unfortunately I hear a lot about how bugs are being worked on or fixed, and receive generic responses regarding "how concerned" SWTOR is, etc. etc. However, the results are None of the three problems (that have stopped me from playing the game) I have experienced have been corrected, nor have I received one e-mail that showed the the writer had read or reviewed my communication regarding the problem.

 

Sometimes, not often, I get an e-mail that actually has some feedback but unfortunately

I get questions that have already been answered

I get suggestions to steps that I have already tried and provided feedback on.

And now weeks later I still am unable to play the game with either of my two characters nor get of the origin world.

[Kaarina]

Can we get the Added 1 out of the AH pricing?

 

If you put an item in AH and do not want to price it what is suggest it adds a 1 to your price

 

 

Can we get Ah that recalls the prices you just made an item? so I can post each one and the price I set will stay?

[Hampuz]

I just wonder when the Main_Asset 17 and 27 fixes will come so that i can actually start playing again. I wouldn't complain if it was that i could play the game. The game is amazing but the fact that the game haven't worked for 5 days now is infuryating.

[Nikeeta]

I appreciate that this is a big game, that it will not be perfect on release etc, etc and so on and so forth..... but subjectively it really feels like EVERYTHING in this game is bugged. This is why:

 

Every flashpoint has bugs, every boss with a chest bugs, every operation bugs, entering a flashpoint bugs, trying to complete FP on HC if you havent done it on normal bugs, warzone bugs, half the quests bug, attacking ('cannot see target' crap) bugs, 'follow' is bugged, stealth is bugged ......

 

I understand that there is a desire to push out new content, but personally I would much prefer for the existing content to be fixed first.

Edited January 8, 2012 by Nikeeta

[Nikeeta]

Unfortunately I hear a lot about how bugs are being worked on or fixed, and receive generic responses regarding "how concerned" SWTOR is, etc. etc. However, the results are None of the three problems (that have stopped me from playing the game) I have experienced have been corrected, nor have I received one e-mail that showed the the writer had read or reviewed my communication regarding the problem.

 

Sometimes, not often, I get an e-mail that actually has some feedback but unfortunately

I get questions that have already been answered

I get suggestions to steps that I have already tried and provided feedback on.

And now weeks later I still am unable to play the game with either of my two characters nor get of the origin world.

 

My standard response is 'your query has been passed on to someone else'. When, 6 weeks later, I ask what has happened to my query, I get a reply 'thank you for your patience.... your query has been passed on'....... *bangs head against the wall*

 

Although I do bear in mind that they must get hundreds to thousands of 'queries' each day which bears the need for automated response, but 6 weeks is surely long enough to have passed on my query?

Edited January 8, 2012 by Nikeeta

[jyork]

So if this is the case then why is it you have done nothing about the launcher that 1000s of people have issues with?

 

SOME OF THESE PEOPLE HAVE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO DOWNLOAD THE GAME SINCE THE WEEK BEFORE PRE LAUCH. Yet you have said little and Done NOTHING about this issue.

 

 

I could care less about fixing slicing, or nerfing a spell or any other issue. THIS should be your #1 issue and should be fixed before ANYTHING else is added, fixed, nerfed, or even looked at.

 

It is not the customers responsibility to remove their ram, run 30 different diagnostic tests on their system when the issue clearly is your problem not theirs. You will not allow the IT professions who are playing the game to help the players by providing them with fixable solutions .. you delete their posts immediately .... YET you have given no viable solution for any of these people.

 

WE DEMAND AN EXPLANATION, specifically tailored to this issue. NOT some generic response, not a link to your 5 mile long thread on how to be a IT tech person but what you intend to do to fix this issue .. and WHEN?

 

NO "we are aware of the problem" ... a specific time frame as to a fix. Do these people get free time since their free 30 days is UP before they can even download with your subpar launcher? Do they get bonus time since they have zero support from Bioware?

 

Just curious .... or are you going to refund the cost of their game since you have completely ignored this issue now since Beta ???? Just curious ... straight from Mr Ohlen would be great for a response

 

 

THANKS!!!!!!!

[Sitherella]

I want to bring this case study to your attention, I am the girlfriend mentioned in the following quote:

 

My girlfriend and I have two identical Dell computers, with nVidia cards, and the latest drivers. I'm getting the Black Screen of Death, she isn't. The only difference is that I played the last BETA and she didn't.

 

To clarify: during the beta test I played this game for 3 days straight with the same specs, same drivers, without incident. Now I have to risk burning out my graphics card. Before my twelfth BSOD I was reduced to playing with all of the graphics turned to low, shadows off, bloom off, grass and trees at zero, in windowed mode resized to half my screen. Minimizing every few minutes whenever my computer sounded like it was gearing up.

 

My brother is a programming architect, so his professional assessment after diagnosing my computer thoroughly is that the fault lies in sloppy programming, with EA forcing my graphics card to work unnecessarily hard. We uninstalled SWTOR that I had from the Beta and reinstalled from the purchased discs to try to fix the issue.

 

Keep in mind absolutely nothing has changed on my computer between the Beta test long weekend until now except programming from EA. While my girlfriend is able to play even though she has all of the graphics on Low, grass and trees at 50% to cut back on lag.

 

My ticket from 3 days ago remains unanswered. Currently I cannot risk my equipment, so I have discontinued playing while my "free" 30 days ticks down waiting to see if a patch is created to fix this issue.

 

What's important about this is our unique situation, we have the same computers in the same room with the same software/hardware etc. This is a perfect chance to better understand the black screen of death problem. Because my boyfriend participated in the Beta weekend you would have all his computer specs on record, so he met all the requirements to play. Why am I able to run with no problems (..well I had to turn all the graphics down because of frame rate issues) and his game is unplayable?

 

My main point is its not a problem at our end, the player, as I am able to play the game currently. It's disappointing that so many dedicated players are being given the impression that the problem lies with their machines and not your programming. Your company is solely responsible for this problem, and needs to communicate to your customers what course of action you are taking, if any.

 

I can't tell you how disappointing it is to be unable to play together in the game that we have waited patiently for two years. If he can't play by the next patch, he will have to quit the game and I may follow as it makes me too sad to continue without him.

[Belogard]

About posting supposed work arounds to supposed issues...it doesn't seem realistic or reasonable for a company to appear to endorse a solution that, though it may work on "someone's" machine, hasn't been demonstrated to either a.) address a real problem that's universal, or b.) been created by someone with significant technical expertise.

 

I know in this world of experts people swear up and down the problem is real, their solution is sound, and "there's nothing wrong with my machine." (People trying to play an MMO on a laptop has always made me laugh, for instance, and it's hard to imagine trying to engineer a game with that in mind. Though, it's an optomitrist's dream.)

 

Also, the thought that out of the admitted thousands of alleged complaints, the complainers not only admit there's thousands of players, but they seem to think they should get some sort of special treatment because they've complained. Obviously, to have a staff large enough to treat each complainer like a gold-plated VIP and open up an on-going, personal e-mail correspondence with them (to make them feel as important as they seem to think they are) would raise the subscription price to ten times what it is just to pay all the salaries that would involve.

 

A sad fact (for some) is if you're crying about spending sixty or a hundred-sixty bucks, thinking that's a lot of money in this world, you have no clue what money is. The amount spent on this game is a small pittance. A friday night out with a date costs more than you'll spend in a year on this game, unless of course you're six-pack Joe or a cheapskate. In fact, if this is a lot of money to you, maybe you really don't have the money for this sort of passtime. It might be that instead of playing you should be working on increasing your earning power.

 

Above all, I truly don't trust the judgement, veracity, or technical expertise of the unwashed minions. That's why I'm not paying them (you) a dime for anything. I'm paying Bioware and EA for their services. I'm also expecting them to use their own judgement, expertise and staff to develop this game. In fact, just as there is a EULA, there is also a contract I have with them where they've assured us all that's how it is. Were it any other way, I'd be shopping somewhere else.

 

Now, I know this is (thus far) way too much text for the attention span of the average complainer. Furthermore, they're not really interested in discourse, as they say they are to suit their flimsy accusations. And, I don't think this post will stem the tide of self-aggrandizing "experts" making claims, accusations and assertions that are more figments of their imaginations, than they are fact. I just want some text on this forum that disputes their holier-than-thou MMO Godlike assertions. This disputation I deign to wager will not be addressed by any of them, and by that you see their worth to this community.

 

Thanks if you read all of this.

[duplis]

When Cataclysm was released, it took 2 months before Blizz released their major bug fix patch 4.0.6.

 

Cataclysm had months of beta testing yet numerous bugs still made it through.

 

That was really helpful

[TimboeSlice]

just wondering if there will be a fix for this black screen on startup problem soon. I would kind of like to play the game i just bought sometime soon. I have searched just about every forum on the internet on this problem and have tried all of them. Still nothing has helped... Edited January 10, 2012 by TimboeSlice
having problems

[GirlStarWarsFan]

First of all I would like to say I love playing this game being a huge star wars fan and avid MMO gamer, thank you. However, I understand how there needs to be occasional emergency bug fixes and patches, but, I personally feel there is WAY TOO much maintenance. I am paying a monthly service fee for a service which is not always being provided for me.

 

As a consumer, my point is: There should be a reduction in our monthly service fee- (giving us a discount) every time the game is shut down because of this constant maintenance.

[Palorizek]

I don’t know, but from these comments I must be playing different game. Yes, there are some bugs I found out, which is normal as it is new game, but I do not experience so much troubles as the other players.

 

Generally said I was much more worried when I purchased the game and was afraid that it would have bigger issues, but the game is pretty stable.

 

The only think that I hate is, that the time of the maintains, which is not good for me as a player in EU, but if this is only once a week, then I think I can get over it. Maybe you can stop the countdown of the purchased time (days), when the maintains is in due, but thats all I can complain.

 

Guys no matter what the other players say, you are doing a good job and you bring a new fantastic star wars game, Good work and keep doing it. I hope that in time you bring some expansion too.

[darthveda]

WoW has bugs after every major patch release. WoW expansions typically have even more despite months of testing. So I see no reason why people are up in arms over the bugs in SWTOR when it was just released. MMOs are huge and complex games...bugs will happen.

 

haha a typical hater xD love it..

yes wow and other mmo's have had lots of bugs..but not as many and wow doesnt hurt the eyes...