Early Access 'Waves' - Updating Here

Narwan · December 13, 2011

Hey everyone.

We absolutely understand you want to get in and play the game early. It's one of the reasons we expanded our Early Game Access from a maximum of five days to a maximum of seven days. However, there are a couple of important points to realize about today's opening salvo of invites, and the procedure in general for Early Game Access and launch.

First, Early Game Access and launch is not supposed to be a stress test. In our previous Beta Testing Weekends we got up to very large concurrent number of players and brought invites into the game at a very high rate. That was done to stress test every aspect of our systems and servers, and essentially to see if they broke. In some cases, they did, but that helped us improve for launch.

For us, launch isn't just about stuffing our servers with as many people as possible. As anyone who's been through a large MMO launch can tell you, that experience can be painful. Our aim with this launch was to ramp things up gradually, to spread our player population out amongst a variety of servers, to maintain all server types, and to keep queuing to a minimum (although we expect that to happen as we head towards December 20th). So far, all that has been successful for us on Day One.

The second thing to realize is scale. We invited more people to play Star Wars: The Old Republic today than many other MMO launches manage in their entire head-start process. As I mentioned earlier today, when we opened pre-orders we had a huge spike in numbers - far more than most MMOs capture at launch. That was the initial rush. After that, our pre-orders settled down.

What this means is that tomorrow, you'll effectively start to see the pre-order timeline expand. You'll see people who have pre-ordered later than July getting invites. The day after that, more people will be invited. We're actually planning to invite more tomorrow than today, and invite the same number again on Thursday - at which point we'll be into the original 'five days of Early Game Access'.

Last thing. Why aren't we continuing to send waves over time? Two main reasons - one, because we need to see that the servers are maintaining stability over time; adding a lot of players in a short period (in other words, stress testing) can cause stability issues.

Two, our plan is to continue to add servers - but carefully, and in response to demand. We need to monitor that demand and role out servers accordingly. A long-term recipe for MMO failure is to add a lot of servers early on, and then when population decreases, have to close those servers and merge them together.

Our aim is for Star Wars: The Old Republic to be around for a long time to come. Today's just the first step in that - an early step, too - and we'll be running smoothly, with a stable population, before too long.

MrBonez · December 13, 2011

1. They said from relasing a launch date on it would be the 20th I think.

2. They said by preordering, you MIGHT get UP TO 5 days earlier in.

3. They extended the early access time, till back to the 13th

No one with a clear mind and just the new WoW "FAST FAST FAST QUICK OMG NOOB" guys

would've assumed anyone but the hard core of fans would be allowed into Swtor in the extended 2 days...

4. If you dont like it, cancel your pre-order or dont subscribe.

All this crying/doomsaying nowadays is pretty anoying, grow up...

thadutchy · December 13, 2011

love it!!

ppl stop *****in!!.. you preordered. so what. Wait till you get access.. i saw someone posting he payed for pre-order. NEWSFLASH you dont pay for the pre-order, just for the game. You just make a reservation on it. So no the early release. This is a gentle gesture towards the ppl who pre-ordered.. Oh and the queue isnt who pre-ordered the first. Its who redeemed his code the first.

so there is a list of ppl who redeemed the pre-order code. if you redeemed you are somewhere on there. So you will be getting access somewhere in the upcomming days.

Bioware didnt fail on this release but is handling very well. If you give everyone access at the same time there is a big change loggin in will fail.. and ppl complain about it.. If you put to many requests at the same time. it just wont work. simple as that

be patient.

Oh and an other thing.. someone saying the servers are empty.. most of the game is pve and can be done alone.

still hope for some kinda RvR in this game. (not only the instance fights)

fire_munky · December 13, 2011

Originally Posted by fire_munky

We Wish you a MERRY Christmas!!

The key word being MERRY !!!!

come on, sing along you bunch o raging nerds!!

And A Happy New Year!

Good tidings we bring to you and your kin;

Good tidings for Christmas and a Happy New Year

Keep spreading the christmas cheer nerdlings!

Bramblerose · December 13, 2011

"O, beware, my lord, of jealousy;

It is the green-ey'd monster, which doth mock

The meat it feeds on. That cuckold lives in bliss,

Who, certain of his fate, loves not his wronger:

But O, what damnèd minutes tells he o'er

Who dotes, yet doubts, suspects, yet strongly loves!"

William Shakespeare, Othello

Vanlan · December 13, 2011

Originally Posted by Kinegos
This isn't a troll, and isn't exactly QQ although there is some of that involved.

<snip>

To summarize: Waaaaaah! Waaah! I want to play right now!!! Bioware, gimme, gimme, gimme! Waaaah!

I didn't get my invite yet either and i redeemed the 1st of August. I want to play too. But come on all of you. GET A LIFE. This is a gift. If you get to play before the 20th, it's a gift.

This thread has become so amazingly pathetic. This is precisely the reason why MMO players (alongside COD and Xbox live players) hold the dubious title of most annoying, ungrateful, entitled, "instant gratification" gamers in the industry. Nay, in the entire society of the internet.

I wonder if the fanboys are the patient ones who love the game but can wait and understand why this process is necessary (therefore called fanboy and Biowares lapdog) or if the fanboys are the people who qq about this game. this company, this world being unfair, then threaten to cancel (possibly the most feeble gesture ever) and still play the game 12-14 hours a day as soon as they can.

Seriously people, don't post this again. It's just sad. We have known about this (you know, the structure of EGA) since the very start. Get over yourselves.

/amen

Iszzyp · December 13, 2011

please read http://bit.ly/uJtIhE from Stephen Reid@Rockjaw

psysention · December 13, 2011

Hey everyone.

We absolutely understand you want to get in and play the game early. It's one of the reasons we expanded our Early Game Access from a maximum of five days to a maximum of seven days. However, there are a couple of important points to realize about today's opening salvo of invites, and the procedure in general for Early Game Access and launch.

First, Early Game Access and launch is not supposed to be a stress test. In our previous Beta Testing Weekends we got up to very large concurrent number of players and brought invites into the game at a very high rate. That was done to stress test every aspect of our systems and servers, and essentially to see if they broke. In some cases, they did, but that helped us improve for launch.

For us, launch isn't just about stuffing our servers with as many people as possible. As anyone who's been through a large MMO launch can tell you, that experience can be painful. Our aim with this launch was to ramp things up gradually, to spread our player population out amongst a variety of servers, to maintain all server types, and to keep queuing to a minimum (although we expect that to happen as we head towards December 20th). So far, all that has been successful for us on Day One.

The second thing to realize is scale. We invited more people to play Star Wars: The Old Republic today than many other MMO launches manage in their entire head-start process. As I mentioned earlier today, when we opened pre-orders we had a huge spike in numbers - far more than most MMOs capture at launch. That was the initial rush. After that, our pre-orders settled down.

What this means is that tomorrow, you'll effectively start to see the pre-order timeline expand. You'll see people who have pre-ordered later than July getting invites. The day after that, more people will be invited. We're actually planning to invite more tomorrow than today, and invite the same number again on Thursday - at which point we'll be into the original 'five days of Early Game Access'.

Last thing. Why aren't we continuing to send waves over time? Two main reasons - one, because we need to see that the servers are maintaining stability over time; adding a lot of players in a short period (in other words, stress testing) can cause stability issues.

Two, our plan is to continue to add servers - but carefully, and in response to demand. We need to monitor that demand and role out servers accordingly. A long-term recipe for MMO failure is to add a lot of servers early on, and then when population decreases, have to close those servers and merge them together.

Our aim is for Star Wars: The Old Republic to be around for a long time to come. Today's just the first step in that - an early step, too - and we'll be running smoothly, with a stable population, before too long.

THIS SAYS IT ALL!! COPY AND PASTE SO THEY GET THE MESSAGE!

Originally Posted by Kinegos

This isn't a troll, and isn't exactly QQ although there is some of that involved.

I just want to put it down for the record that the way this early access program has been implemented is truly one of the most poorly conceived ideas that I've ever personally encountered in over 25 years of playing video games. I've personally participated in launches of 6 other MMO games, and there is nothing in those experiences that compares to how ridiculous this process is.

When you are dealing with a pre-launch even that is only for pre-order customers, after an extensive and massive beta testing period that was a huge success according to nearly all sources involved - it begs the huge question as to what is the limiting factor in the way you have chosen to roll out this game. I personally participated in the beta in a very limited way (not by choice, mind you, I just wasn't lucky enough to get a key) and was only online during the big Thanksgiving weekend test. That test was wonderful - there were a huge number of servers, and a huge population of testers. The game performance was amazing.

So, EA/BW - what exactly are you afraid of?

The ONLY way this should have been done is to have given ALL pre-orders (perhaps separated only by level of game purchased - i.e. CE customers get 7 days, SE get 5, e.g.) access at exactly the same time. Of course it will overload the servers and queues would ensue and all that - but that's what we all expect. Making your customers wait unknowingly with no idea how long it will be or when to expect an email is just adding insult to injury. A poor alternative would have been to send out emails with a set time and day that your access would be available.

I read in the top post how you are monitoring the server performance and are rolling waves based on server performance. Are you seriously saying you have to wonder at this point if your servers can perform up to the task - when you probably still have 90% of the launch day players yet to even be able to play? That is not at all a good message to be sending at the beginning of an MMO franchise.

At any rate, I love this game. I love BW. But I truly despise and am sickened by the way you chose to put your customers through so much stress for absolutely no good or justifiable reason.

I truly hope you improve, because this is a very very poor way to start out.

Fantazm · December 13, 2011

Over 100 pages since I last checked........and that was only about half an hour ago.

Amazing.

pattongb · December 13, 2011