BioWare: "most" people aren't having SWTOR performance issues

[overfloater]

After 98 pages I've come to one conclusion:

 

That game forums need to have a prerequisite questionnaire that:

 

(a) tests your understanding of the concepts of latency vs. fps

 

(b) quantifies what you mean when you say "it runs just fine on my rig" ("Just fine" = "60fps always, no slowdowns ever"? Or "just fine" = "it gets by on at least a playable 30-40 fps in most areas, frequently higher, sometimes lower"?)

 

... and then automatically segregates the community based on the responses.

 

Pretty sure that would solve the majority of dissent, misunderstanding, ignorance, and flat-out antagonism from these threads.

[Tokkii]

I've been having severe FPS issues in any area with more than a few people. Sometimes it feels like latency issues too however I am at a constant 40ms. Warzones are nearly unplayable. Many times after playing the game in extended sittings the game seems to take a toll on my computer until I restart. Also after quitting out a lot of times my screen blacks out and freezes then resets. Load times sometimes take up to four minutes.

 

Almost everyone I know who plays this game has similar issues and they have varrying PCs of both high and low specs.

 

My Specs:

 

 

OS Name Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium

Version 6.1.7601 Service Pack 1 Build 7601

Other OS Description Not Available

OS Manufacturer Microsoft Corporation

System Manufacturer alienware

System Model alienware

System Type x64-based PC

Processor AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 5200+, 2700 Mhz, 2 Core(s), 2

Video Card: nVidia 260 GTX

Logical Processor(s)

BIOS Version/Date American Megatrends Inc. 1002, 3/20/2008

SMBIOS Version 2.5

Windows Directory C:\Windows

System Directory C:\Windows\system32

Boot Device \Device\HarddiskVolume1

Locale United States

Hardware Abstraction Layer Version = "6.1.7601.17514"

Time Zone Eastern Standard Time

Installed Physical Memory (RAM) 4.00 GB

Total Physical Memory 4.00 GB

Available Physical Memory 228 MB

Total Virtual Memory 8.00 GB

Available Virtual Memory 4.16 GB

Page File Space 4.00 GB

Page File C:\pagefile.sys

 

 

Edited January 11, 2012 by Tokkii

[Nat_Itov]

Hi Raggnarok,

 

As is the case with any PC game of this scale, we will always have players who experience performance issues. It is impossible to have the game run optimally on 100% of machines due to various factors (lower end machines, ISPs, not meeting minimum specs, and more).

 

The reality is that, based on the amount of forum posts and CS ticket volume in relation to the total player base population, most people aren’t experiencing performance issues. With that being said, we’ve been keeping a very close eye on forum posts from the players experiencing these issues and we are actively working to address these concerns.

 

We thank you for your concerns, and please be aware that we are indeed constantly working to improve the game for everyone.

 

Or it could be that everytime they try to report issues a stupid crew member comes back and closes the bug report window and they give up on reporting it.

[greenmartin]

Because odds are the majority of people with performance issues are self caused, and not a problem with the game itself.

 

When you have 10 players with nearly the same system specs and 8 of them have no problems at all and 2 of them do, how is that now a game software problem?

 

 

 

You are not thinking.

That is not what that situation would mean at all.

 

 

If that were true this would happen with every PC game ever released.

But it doesn't. If it did people would have given up on PC gaming a long time ago.

 

What are you even proposing? These people with issues just refuse to update their drivers?

Of course it is a software problem.

 

 

And when it gets fixed via patches that will be clear to everyone here who either can't understand or refuses to believe otherwise.

 

Do people really think this game won't ever be optimized and it will forever just not run for 5% of people who meet or exceed the requirements?

That would be insane.

 

 

It will be fixed..and then everyone saying its not the engines fault will look like clowns.

[Ravenshire]

The game plays fine for most people, so everyone else must be trying to play on toasters or microwaves.

 

Every time I read this, I die a little bit more inside. For the sake of discussion, let me try and break this down in a way people who insist on posting this over and over again can understand: People with better systems than yours are having this problem.

 

While we're on the subject, no, your performance in Call of Halos 3 isn't something that can definitively state whether or not you should be having problems in this game, but chances are pretty high that if your system is capable of playing everything on the market at HD resolutions without breaking a sweat, SWTOR should not be bringing it to its knees.

[RedMix]

Using a PC built in 2005

 

No issues.

[Ratbear]

One thing that kills me is that people say that only a small percentage of people that post on the forums are having the performance issues, so its their machines or their fault in some way with how the machines are set up and running. So its only a fraction of the player base that has problems. Theres no real way to know how many people really have issues just based on the forums.

 

Only a fraction of the player base as a whole frequent the forums.

 

Your average game player does not come here, nor post here, nor read them. They dont fill out tickets or submit bug reports. If they suffer performance issues, they dont come and complain, they just quit playing the game.

 

That announcement made in the OPs link? Yeah that is purely 100% Public Relations trying to patch the wounds caused by the people who are vocal about the performance issues that they suffer.

[Daeborn]

One thing that kills me is that people say that only a small percentage of people that post on the forums are having the performance issues, so its their machines or their fault in some way with how the machines are set up and running.

 

That's because in most cases it's true.

[Vishos]

at this point i have about given up reading these. I dont know how many types of threads like this there are out there but it seems to me we have about 3000 pages with different names on the same issue in these forums. i play great till i hit a warzone then poof 10-40 fps. dunno whats wrong. at this point could care less. either bioware fixes it or some driver nvidia drops for nvidia users to help out a bit. So many theories as to why people are having issues.

 

 

1090t 6 core always running at 3200 Mhz

8 gig G-skill ripjaw 1600 Mhz

2 460 gtx 1 gb SLI 50-115 fps everywhere (1.2-40 Warzone) 1 card 50-110 fps everywhere

(1.2-40 fps warzone.)

 

some people have an issue some dont.

 

When will it be fixed??? Not holding my breath.

[Ratbear]

That's because in most cases it's true.

 

**woosh**

[JackalDark]

I've got an i7, 16 gigs of ram and a GTX 570 or 580 and it runs the game PERFECTLY!

[Rumplemintz]

The problem lies in the Hero Engine (the POS Bioware chose to run this crap game) so the performance issues aren't user side. Game is broken and cannot be fixed. If you really think the game runs fine then I don't believe you have ever played a good game. Edited January 11, 2012 by Notannos
trolling players

[Valsdad]

The problem lies in the Hero Engine (the POS Bioware chose to run this crap game) so the performance issues aren't user side. Game is broken and cannot be fixed. If you really think the game runs fine then I don't believe you have ever played a good game.

 

So you know exactly how the game is running on everyone's machine? I suggest you start building your case to convince me that the game I play every night is not running great.

Edited January 11, 2012 by Notannos
trolling replies

[TMar]

Again. 2,000,000 people purchased the game. If even 500,000 of that 2,000,000 experienced and complained about poor performance, that is still not most, that is still a minority.

 

When you think about the bigger picture they are honestly right about the fact that most people do not experience performance problems. I do not have performance problems, my girlfriend does not have performance problems, my brother does not have performance problems, and about ten other friends of mine do not have performance problems. We all run the game pretty much spot-on.

 

Also, if you are hve performance issues you have already clearly said that your PC is below spec. So really, get a computer that meets specs before you even complain, geez. You should never have a line of "Even below spec surely I...". No. No you obviously cannot. Minimum hardware requirements, they exist for a reason.

 

 

2/3 is "most" but one third of 2,000,000 is still a big number, let not try to pretend we can put on number on it. My point was for any problem in a game like this for every person that complains about something on the forums a much larger number that never post about it.

 

 

CPU is below spec, pentium d vs core 2, one generation off. Like I said I get good enough performance for what I want to do and when did I complain about my performance, geez? I said if I can get 7-8FPS on the fleet why are people well above the bar not performing much better then I. Saying that CPU usage alone in a static ship seems high is something that people with the processing power to spare wouldn't notice.

[Ravenshire]

I don't doubt that the game is running fine for a majority of players, and I couldn't be happier for them. I've just gotten to the point where I can't filter out which "my game works, it's you" posts are trolling and which just fail basic logic and reading comprehension forever.

 

Some people's performance issues are 'self-inflicted' through low end hardware, poor installation, drivers, viruses, thermal issues, trying to make waffles in their DVD slot, etc. Some people have legitimate problems, and most people run the game without any major show stopping issues. We don't have the numbers for how many people fit into each of these groups, and it's painfully obvious to me from Bioware's press comment that either they don't either or they're not being entirely straightforward.

 

The statement from the linked article basically throws people in the second category with legitimate problems under a bus and marginalizes them.

Edited January 11, 2012 by Ravenshire

[Leggomy]

trying to make waffles in their DVD slot.

 

 

Winning

[lollie]

Winning

 

Now now, don't let someone put ideas into your head...I'll say this slowly - waffles do not go in DVD slots.

[NuanceNW]

Game runs smooth as silk after removing a number of software utilities that were causing the problem.

[Jabatheruss]

So they direct people that are having issues to a thread that says the opposite!?

 

Bravo! Kudos on the failed attempt to detour your customer complaints.

 

So this is the thread where all of the people that run the game fine bash all those with FPS issues and call them inept and their rig a pos?

Edited January 11, 2012 by Jabatheruss

[Magdala]

That supposed 5% actually have high-end machines like me. We tend to be the end-game raiders that would subscribe for the long haul. In the long run, that's going to cost Bioware a lot more then just 5%.

 

I guess me and my crappy computer will just have to go back to playing Battlefield 3 on ultra.

[Seattlite]

 

So this is the thread where all of the people that run the game fine bash all those with FPS issues and call them inept and their rig a pos?

 

This is indeed that thread.

[venjinze]

So they direct people that are having issues to a thread that says the opposite!?

 

Bravo! Kudos on the failed attempt to detour your customer complaints.

 

So this is the thread where all of the people that run the game fine bash all those with FPS issues and call them inept and their rig a pos?

 

I'm gonna respond to your asinine post on the closed thread.

 

Your signature says you stopped your subscription, therefore you have no reason to be on these forums, I don't play from work and I'm not a hypocrite like yourself.

 

I didn't say your computer is a "pos", I simply stated that there are many variables factored into performance. I don't see you asking for help, I see you forum bashing others.

 

100+FPS all day.

[Caramel_Ham]

I have no performance issues.

 

Only lag in PvP due to crappy system.

 

I7

32gigs on ram

570gtx

[lentWolf]

There's no problem as long as you have at least a 4 core and good enough parts to go with it. Perfect example being my recent upgrade from 2 to 4 cores, as well as some other much needed upgrades.

 

You need the proper computer to play this without very noticable slowdowns and FPS loss, even on lowest possible settings for this game.

 

Then they shouldn't list a dual-core or lower quality GPU on the minimum or recommended requirements then. If you can't play the game at a reasonable level of quality, then the company shouldn't have advertised to you and your system that you COULD.

 

There are other titles out there that would PREFER users have a quad-core, such as BF3, for example. But most developers are smart enough to realize that not all of us have parents to buy us stuff, or are swimming in cash. I haven't had the time or money to be able to upgrade to a quad core yet, but have a high end dual-core, 10GB DDR3 RAM, an SSD, and Nvidia 400 series card.

 

Yet I have numerous issues in this game, where I've had few in BF3. Not my fault the devs can't optimize the game a bit better ...

[KinCharBamin]

So quit playing it.

There, problem solved.

You don't like the performance, don't play.

 

Wow, that was hard!

 

Seems to work just fine for me and a couple of thousand other people around the planet.

I have a dual core Dell Latitude with 4 gig of ram and a crummy onboard Intel video card.

Perhaps my 20mb UP/DOWN internet connection gives me an advantage.