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

[auayan]

Figured it out! I was looking at all the settings.. all my hardware.. and all their patch notes and found nothing! These bugs just keep coming and coming and for the longest time I couldn't figure it out. I'm going to share with everyone why there are so many bugs:

 

1. Star Wars: The Old Republic happened longer than a long time ago in a galaxy far away.

 

2. The time it takes to transfer data from one galaxy to the next is unknown by me, but! i'm going to safely assume it takes a long time.

 

3. Too many people are getting angry on these forums which is causing a disturbance in the force.

 

4. There are a lot of younger people playing this game and therefore i'm going to assume that they are eating candy by the computers which is attracting bugs to get inside. (seriously, go eat in the kitchen)

 

5.See number 4 then add the fact that this just might be a newer game than the older MMOs and i'm assuming that it is very so quite possible that a newer game just might require newer hardware.. I mean the computer I used to play Oregons Trail on probably wont run WoW.. so why expect the computer that ran WoW to run SWTOR.

Edited January 10, 2012 by auayan

[Palorizek]

Figured it out! I was looking at all the settings.. all my hardware.. and all their patch notes and found nothing! These bugs just keep coming and coming and for the longest time I couldn't figure it out. I'm going to share with everyone why there are so many bugs:

 

1. Star Wars: The Old Republic happened longer than a long time ago in a galaxy far away.

 

2. The time it takes to transfer data from one galaxy to the next is unknown by me, but! i'm going to safely assume it takes a long time.

 

3. Too many people are getting angry on these forums which is causing a disturbance in the force.

 

4. There are a lot of younger people playing this game and therefore i'm going to assume that they are eating candy by the computers which is attracting bugs to get inside. (seriously, go eat in the kitchen)

 

5.See number 4 then add the fact that this just might be a newer game than the older MMOs and i'm assuming that it is very so quite possible that a newer game just might require newer hardware.. I mean the computer I used to play Oregons Trail on probably wont run WoW.. so why expect the computer that ran WoW to run SWTOR.

 

 

I wouldnt say it better by myself

[darthveda]

5.See number 4 then add the fact that this just might be a newer game than the older MMOs and i'm assuming that it is very so quite possible that a newer game just might require newer hardware.. I mean the computer I used to play Oregons Trail on probably wont run WoW.. so why expect the computer that ran WoW to run SWTOR.

you do realise that this game has graphics predating wow? the release of Star wars knight of the old republic 2 had better graphics? maybe ur one of those g33ks with the wrong glasses on? i think so.. and fyi swkotr II was released in 2005...

also load of ppl have comps that surpass thie very low grade spec of graphics this game requires... take mine for example...

3.4GHz processor intel i7k 8 cpu's

Radeon 6950 Graphics card 2048 dedicated memory

Sabertooth P67 mother board

1 TB HDD

 

as you see more than enough to run this game on MAX and yet the graphics still predate dinosaurs.. they need updating bad..

[auayan]

you do realise that this game has graphics predating wow? the release of Star wars knight of the old republic 2 had better graphics? maybe ur one of those g33ks with the wrong glasses on? i think so.. and fyi swkotr II was released in 2005...

also load of ppl have comps that surpass thie very low grade spec of graphics this game requires... take mine for example...

3.4GHz processor intel i7k 8 cpu's

Radeon 6950 Graphics card 2048 dedicated memory

Sabertooth P67 mother board

1 TB HDD

 

as you see more than enough to run this game on MAX and yet the graphics still predate dinosaurs.. they need updating bad..

 

 

i do realize that this game is using the hero engine. i don't think they are using old graphics though. i'm going to put my money on the fact that they actually hired a team of designers to make new graphics for this game. i may be one of those geeks but who's to say right? or what would it matter.. thanks for the swkoty ii info i didnt know that it was released in 2005. for your information wow was released in 2004 which was based of the warcraft 3 engine from 2002. now i believe the heroengine that swtor uses was originally designed for a game called heros journey. im not sure on the dates but i know it was more recent than warcraft 3 and im almost positive that the graphic team and/or the engine for swtor does not predate dinosaurs because fyi dinosaurs have not roamed this earth for merely 65 million years. i think. but i like the name of your mother board.. sounds so 2.5 million to 500,000 years ago-ish

[darthveda]

i do realize that this game is using the hero engine. i don't think they are using old graphics though. i'm going to put my money on the fact that they actually hired a team of designers to make new graphics for this game. i may be one of those geeks but who's to say right? or what would it matter.. thanks for the swkoty ii info i didnt know that it was released in 2005. for your information wow was released in 2004 which was based of the warcraft 3 engine from 2002. now i believe the heroengine that swtor uses was originally designed for a game called heros journey. im not sure on the dates but i know it was more recent than warcraft 3 and im almost positive that the graphic team and/or the engine for swtor does not predate dinosaurs because fyi dinosaurs have not roamed this earth for merely 65 million years. i think. but i like the name of your mother board.. sounds so 2.5 million to 500,000 years ago-ish

 

all the wrighting and yet wow still looks way better and so does swkotr II ranting about graphic engines arnt gonna solve the issue of the piss poor graphics now is it?

and when did they hire these so called now devs? yesterday? maybe today?

and sure my motherboards is called sabertooth but its more than a match for any game out to date... my system has an index rating of 7.8 really pal come back when u actually have something constructive to say or a link to "Announcement Up to date graphics patch coming soon" until then theres nothing you can say that prooves the graphics are 2011 standard. witch they are not...

[auayan]

i know, im just playing with you veda. bro hugs.

[darthveda]

i know, im just playing with you veda. bro hugs.

Thumbs up.

and they should add that button too

[QuadsOfSteel]

So i'm a healing mercenary. Everyonce in a while my heals will only affect me regardless of who my target is. It's happening a lot in PVP and every once in a while my companion will get killed while i sit there and heal myself. I dont understand why this bug has existed for more than a day. I've sent in serveral reports and lost more than a few warzones for no other reason than no one could heal the team. This turns a teams most vital asset into nothing more than a distraction. James, Commander sheppard, Robot devil, IDC, someone fix this completely roll ruining glitch. I WILL NOT* give you my 3 month 41.99 subscription if this bug is not fixed Mr Ohlsen.

[Wargamez]

Man i just wish the you can pin point exactly what your fixing ... be exact and tell us what it is and stop being so vague. I completely understand any new game is and will have its issues to work out. personally all of what everyone is saying is all legitimate concerns but in my own opinion your biggest issue that has to be addressed and fixed ASAP is the ability delays with both your own character and your companion. besides that ... your UI is or has to be the absolute worst UI i have ever seen.

 

I love this game but if these things isn't going to be fixed right away I'm very afraid that the end of SW:TOR is just around the corner ... a ticking time bomb!

 

Sure i know people will troll what I'm saying ... go back to WOW if your not happy, don't let the door hit ya on the way out ext ext ...

 

Thing is i am willing to stick it out just to see how long it will take you all to admit this problem and FIX IT !

but id be willing to bet by time march gets here if it isn't fixed ... you will see at least half of your subscribers gone to other games or back to WOW ....

 

Mark my words

[Shadow__]

The game seems to have way too many bugs at the moment. Sure, they are not as fatal as closing servers 2 weeks after the launch and having everyone on them start over, but the amount of bugs seems to be way over the top especially after such a long beta.

 

From AH sorting, to abilities/talents not working, to class quest problems(having to stand right on top of a boss to do damage as a sniper seems kinda lol), invisible quest text, mining nodes that are not clickable, various graphic glitches, dismount lag, ability lag(I have a good rig and for me this seems to happen only in rare occasions) and many many more.

 

It would be also nice to know which bugs are you guys working on or which can we expect to be fixed soon. I mean, certain other popular MMO has bugs that weren't fixed for years, but many of the above cases should be fixable fairly easily. The game also does not seem to be optimized too well, the graphic is not that great to require such hardware and still run at like 40 fps or so while certain latest shooters are doing 60-80+ with much better graphics.

 

At the moment, fixing bugs should be your number one priority, way ahead of any new content, as I believe that's the major issue this game has at the moment and there are just way too many of them. Honestly, I haven't played a game with so many bugs since some of the older tes series games. Especially from bioware, I did not expect this at all.

[jyork]

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.

 

by your post you seem to ingore the fact that there are 1000s of individuals with similar issues ... so I suggest you read the issues at hand rather than ASSuming you know *** you are talking about.

 

Then after you do that here is your **** pill please take it.

[Belogard]

by your post you seem to ingore the fact that there are 1000s of individuals with similar issues ... so I suggest you read the issues at hand rather than ASSuming you know *** you are talking about.

 

Then after you do that here is your **** pill please take it.

 

Thanks for the unsolicited advice. I'll put it where all such things belong.

[Palorizek]

Oh wow, so many complainers. Almost everybody seems to know, where the problem is and how to fix it and that it is "easy to fix it". I am wondering how many of you already made some game containing more then 20 GB? How many of you know exactly how difficult is to make and maintains MMO game? Because according the comments it seems that almost everyone is a pro game programmer.

 

Some of you speak about hundreds of bugs about issues in the game, but I may have some enchanted pc and game version as I experienced so far about max. 15-20 bugs and none of them was major.

[Nikeeta]

Oh wow, so many complainers. Almost everybody seems to know, where the problem is and how to fix it and that it is "easy to fix it". I am wondering how many of you already made some game containing more then 20 GB? How many of you know exactly how difficult is to make and maintains MMO game? Because according the comments it seems that almost everyone is a pro game programmer.

 

Some of you speak about hundreds of bugs about issues in the game, but I may have some enchanted pc and game version as I experienced so far about max. 15-20 bugs and none of them was major.

 

 

I take it you do not use stealth, you do not use follow, you do not attack from behind when stealthed, you do not raid or do HCs - once you do, you can add an extra zero onto your original number. Believe you me, once you are unable to kill a boss in raid for an hour because he bugs out EVERY time, this bug seems pretty major. Or when you've missed out on loot AGAIN because you wiped once on the last boss and flipping chest has bugged out again. Or when you spend an hour trying to ENTER the flipping HC because it bugs out and wont let you. The list goes on.

Edited January 11, 2012 by Nikeeta

[auayan]

Yeah there are issues.. fixable but they are there for some people! Glad mine's fixed im cruising at about a good average of 90FPS. anyway forum trolls.. goodnight and dont let the swtor bugs bite. :

[Palorizek]

I take it you do not use stealth, you do not use follow, you do not attack from behind when stealthed, you do not raid or do HCs - once you do, you can add an extra zero onto your original number. Believe you me, once you are unable to kill a boss in raid for an hour because he bugs out EVERY time, this bug seems pretty major. Or when you've missed out on loot AGAIN because you wiped once on the last boss and flipping chest has bugged out again. Or when you spend an hour trying to ENTER the flipping HC because it bugs out and wont let you. The list goes on.

 

I do flashpoints, heroic quests and any other quests I can and no I do not have such problems as you describe. I had a onetime issue with the boss on flashpoint but in the end I figure out how to "go around" and I defeat him. Yes, it was a bug and I hope they will fix it in time, but hey this doesn’t mean that this game is not great, that it does not have good future. Honestly when I purchase the game I expected much less from it.

 

Almost every game you could purchase has in time some patches... some of them in days, some of them in months and the fact that BioWare is trying to do the patches every week and find a way how to improve is a good sign that they care and I believe that after 2-3 months since now there would be a majority of bugs solved.

 

My only point is "give them a break". Let them do their job and come back after few months and then let’s talk about bugs. Complaining all the time about it again and again does not make it better.

[msfletcher]

This is my suggestion box,

1) I just found out that once a name is used on your account and you delete that character, you will NEVER be able to use that name again. I hope this will change soon.

2) The usability of the GTN could be a little easier if a person could put a link in the “Name Filter” search area.

3) The companion returning from a mission should not have priority, example, when you have completed the entire search criteria to find an item, only to have your companion return from a mission, which closes all windows including the GTN window, forcing you to start from the beginning again.

4) The ability to shut up certain companions would be nice, the ship droid is annoying.

5) When splitting stacks a link is placed in the chat area for every spit, so for a stack division of ten to singles, ten links are created.

6) When putting items in the cargo hold, like items do not stack, but should.

7) Companion gifts could be stack-able; clicking on the stack would still only offer one gift.

8) The ability to use my Steel Series gaming mouse in game would be nice, for some reason the game will not recognize my extra buttons. I understand the G(series) and the Naga type work just fine.

9) The ability to adjust and move the user interface to more convenient areas.

10) The option to have the GTN to remember the price you wish to list items.

11) The ability to enter our ships without it going into space every time.

12) Having a mailbox or a vender on board would be nice.

13) Dual spec, time and costs could add up

thank-you reading this

Agent Fletcher

[Tobias_Westh]

Hi there:) is there going to be an option for toggling on / off the movement of going through characters and droids?

The game would feel more full if you know that people can be solid objects which will be in the way. A little like strategy games where that is a part of the tactical consideration under combat.

Then one could turn off the "solid" option if one gets stuck somewhere. Just for the feeling of real world interaction.

 

and one more thing, I heard from people that this is a problem, I noticed it too..

"Please fix ability delays"

 

All the best:) !

[Jabatheruss]

Ambiguous statements mean nothing. I, like many others, will not accept this general statement. The bugs that have hundreds of pages of dxdiags need to be addressed! You can't just sweep a large chunk under the rug and justify that move by saying it is all their crappy PCs.

 

You are talking about exploits and balancing when a ton of your players can't even function in warzones. Fix that before moving on to balancing and exploits!

Edited January 13, 2012 by Jabatheruss

[LeoniusRotak]

Can something be done about the Smuggler beginning Storyline Quest? It is the very first quest after creating a Smuggler toon. Below are some forum links about it. I'm not sure how many tickets/reports have been sent in from other players but I have sent in 8 tickets not counting the ones I've sent in when I was in BETA.

 

 

http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=84935

http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=38552&page=3

 

* Characters Name: Lorccan

Level: 13

Class: Smuggler

Advanced Class: Gunslinger

 

* Server: Kaas City

 

*Quest name & Description :Landing Party- Speak to Skavak

Created a Smuggler, watched initial scene where you land and talk to Skevak and pick each time what I want to say out of the 3 options you get when talking to Skevak then after the whole conversation ends...My character just stands there doing nothing. The Storyline mission/quest DOES NOT UPDATE meaning the story doesn't lead anywhere. Since I'm not able to advance in the Storyline one of the many things I'm not able to do is get a Companion to fight with and do Crew Skills.

 

Besides Lorccan I also have another Smuggler on the same server name Amalric that has the same problem. It's going on 30 days that it has gone on with out being fixed. I have done everything possible like hitting the Spacebar, CTRL+U. I've even tried making a Smuggler on different servers. PLEASE FIX THIS RIGHT AWAY. Also is there a 800 number that I can call?

[Sytholis]

And you don't think the FPS and Performance issues that are all over the Customer Service forum constitute as a top priority? This is stopping players from playing and is causing people to cancel their subscriptions.

 

How many DXDIAG files will it take for someone to provide real details on what is being done to correct this to the community? Such as "Hey, we are finding this is caused by XYZ and are doing ABC to fix it."

 

None of this, "We are aware and looking into it" crap.

 

 

Haven't even gotten a customer service response to my wife's dxdiag on this topic.... Ohlen straight out lied to the gaming community about fps issues. If you think only 5% that have sub par equipment is the issue then you need to go read the customer service forums and look at some of the dxdiags posted. My system is above recommended standards and I run sub 20 fps consistently in wz's 8-15 today in civil war is downright pathetic. And yes I have current drivers, and plenty of room and fans in my case. Oh ya my comp is a fresh load as of last week meaning I bought it to play the game and upgraded the gpu power supply and added 2g more of ram to bring total to 8g to run this dumb game that is obviously busted. So I agree with above poster come to terms with your problems and give us something that lets us know how you are addressing the issue. I have already canceled my subscription, would love to continue playing the game past this month but refuse to give you another red cent until this problem is acknowledged by devs, and something is said to let us know how you plan on attacking the issue. Quit blaming peoples hardware start looking in the mirror.

Edited January 14, 2012 by Sytholis

[Straumane]

why is my screen all black when i start the game ? there is sound , and i can click my mouse anywhere on the screen and it make's noice.. so can any1 help me ?

[Elothan]

This is my suggestion box,

1) I just found out that once a name is used on your account and you delete that character, you will NEVER be able to use that name again. I hope this will change soon.

r

 

Sure it can I did it a few days ago with as smuggler on Bloodworthy.

[Distronium]

This is my suggestion box,

 

2) The usability of the GTN could be a little easier if a person could put a link in the “Name Filter” search area.

3) The companion returning from a mission should not have priority, example, when you have completed the entire search criteria to find an item, only to have your companion return from a mission, which closes all windows including the GTN window, forcing you to start from the beginning again.

6) When putting items in the cargo hold, like items do not stack, but should.

Agent Fletcher

 

especially number 3. That is so irritating. Was typing out a ticket and had to retype everything.

[MandalorianMarc]

I had high hopes for this MMO. For now, I have unsubbed until many of these major issues are corrected. Maybe in a few months I'll try again.

 

Good luck guys.