It's Time

[Kthx]

Point is, I book a flight, that flight is delayed, they contact me in advance when possible to let me know it will be delayed, what my rights as a consumer are, and what my options are.

 

Your experience is not supported by the data that is available. For example, RyanAir is the airline that most frequently ignores compensation to passengers afforded by the EU Air Passenger Rights. It has some of the worst customer reviews in the industry (see, for example, http://www.airlinequality.com/Forum/ryan.htm). The reason they still do reasonably well is that passengers are willing to forego customer service in return for a low price.

Edited May 11, 2012 by Kthx

[Kubernetic]

Once again someone places unrealistic expectations on the developers of the game and then acts surprised when those unrealistic expectations are not met.

 

They have already released more information on character transfers and how those will work. They have already said they are focusing on getting the LFG tool into the 1.3 update.

 

They have no obligation to grab the talking stick and pour their hearts out to the forum community. They have an obligation to keep doing what they're doing and improving the game.

[Lord_Ravenhurst]

Haven't they communicated quite a bit about the server transfers?

 

True. But simple server transfers only appear to be a (not so) quick fix, instead of a real improvement on how the servers actually work, i.e. opening up cross server interaction.

 

How in the world should something like Ilum ever work if it´s not a huge cross server planet with hundreds of players, without deserting the other areas of the game?

 

-> there is a need for cross-server planets, cross-server Ranked warzones etc.

 

On the other hand, is the engine even capable of displaying that numbers of players without framerates going down to 1 FPS? I doubt it. So the "real" core improvements will take some time. Honestly I wouldn´t expect anything to happen this year.

Edited May 11, 2012 by Lord_Ravenhurst

[Benfynyn]

This is not a rant or a "let's all pile on and bash Bioware" thread.

 

As you can see by my join date I have been a follower/supporter of this effort from years ago. I still consider myself a loyal subscriber and I still enjoy the product. I suspect I will for quite some time. Having said that, I haven't been completely blind and have questioned several decisions they have made, particularly recently.

 

I, like many others, have concerns about their current position on the group finder and server transfers and how these two ideas/features actually interact with each other and I have chosen to remain quiet and patient while waiting for some solid information but I find myself growing more and more concerned with the lack of information/interaction with the community.

 

I've never been fond of people who make demands on an already overwhelmed group of developers. I've often winced over the extreme and hyperbolic demands some of the "fair-weather fans" have made, considering them unreasonable and somewhat extreme. Recently, I find myself more accommodating of these views and it is primarily and singularly due to the lack of information from the devs.

 

I was convinced, when we were given the free 30 days that within 2 weeks, we would have some solid communication from the developers about the future direction and future plans. There are, after all, many many questions that are hanging in the air unanswered.

 

Meanwhile, the game I love, continues to lose subscribers. There's no point in arguing this, it is happening and it is obvious. I believe the silence from the developers is exacerbating this much more than they may realize. I feel this way because I consider myself a canary in a gold mine. When players such as myself (the most patient of the patient) become concerned, this is a serious problem.

 

Bioware, it's time. The community is horrible here, I get that. I understand that anything they say to this community will be twisted and contorted and lambasted by many while at the same time adored by others. Thus is the nature of the forums and this community. I understand that timelines are dangerous and how perilous it is to reveal features before they are ready in such a volatile community environment. I get all of that, believe me I do.

 

I strongly and honestly feel that we are at the point where the silence is more detrimental to the health of the game than would be the risk of disappointment over any possible features/additions that are altered before implementation. There are just too many big questions hanging in the air and I believe the time to answer some of those is long since passed. Ask any developer of any MMO that has come before, both successes and failures. You just can't leave a community in the dark for this long without there being repercussions.

 

I am not demanding anything. I'm not whining and I'm not trolling. I genuinely feel like the health and future of this game depends on the developers being more forthcoming and doing so...immediately.

 

We need to know the plans for transfers/lfg/ranked pvp. We need to know more and a tentative timeline would be sincerely appreciated. My largest concern is how these three things interact with each other.

 

For example, A single server lfg tool is basically worthless if it occurs before transfers. On the same train of thought, ranked pvp will be worthless without server clusters. Following this thought through, would it be easier just to cluster servers and make the LFG x-server as well as the pvp ques. I'm not saying any of these ideas are better than others. I would just really like to know what the plans are. What are they thinking?

 

It's time Bioware. Turn the lights on. You cannot sit silently by and expect the community to wait forever. I feel like, and I fully submit I could be wrong, the community has been more than patient while we wait for some news.

 

Please, let us in on the plans. I thank you sincerely for the 30 days free and I'll be completely honest here, there's probably no risk of my sub going anywhere for at least the next few months. There are many, however, that are viewing this 30 days as a watermark for Bioware. The silence, to me at least, is extremely disconcerting.

 

We need some information about the direction of our beloved game. We need it now. I plead with you to communicate the future plans (not a year from now but days/weeks from now) to your players. I ask this of you not while wielding the threat of my subscription over my head like an axe but while holding it in my palms like a beggar.

 

It's time to open those lines of communication. The silence is becoming deafening.

 

It's time.

 

Well said.

[Drakonnen]

It's time to open those lines of communication. The silence is becoming deafening.

 

This is essentially why I just unsubscribed.

[MaverickXIV]

This is essentially why I just unsubscribed.

Then you unsubscribed based on something that isn't true. Congrats.

[Enochx]

You people who make these threads are either blind or just dumb. They have been open and clear if you just read their (the devs) posts. As far as low pop servers go, what is so wrong with doing what I did? I have been here since the second day of early access. I was originally on a server that started out pretty high, but then went to medium to low. so what did I do? I left that server for a high populated server. I left a lvl 40 warrior and a lvl 35 inquisitor. I now have a lvl 47 warrior and a lvl 15 inquisitor on my new server. guess what. BEST THING I HAVE EVER DONE. I never have to wait for groups or pvp or anything. Chat is always virbrant and active.

 

Just re-roll for the love of god. Instead of complaining and waiting and complaining just re-roll. You had fun rolling the first time right? So do it again. whats the problem here? I used to play WoW since the Vanilla days. I remember having to re-roll off of a lower populated server there. and guess what....BEST THING I EVER DID.

 

Just re-roll. it isn't the end of the world. I have a three year daughter, a full time job, and plenty of responsibilities around the house....i.e. I have a real life and don't get to play this game 15 hours a day, everyday. So don't give me "a lot of us don't have the time to re-roll." If you notice I don't even have a single lvl 50 ANYWHERE. so reroll. and guess what will happen if you re-roll....when you DO get to 50 there will be MORE end-game stuff to do so then you don't have to complain about that either. reroll people. reroll.

[Holden_Dissent]

You people who make these threads are either blind or just dumb. They have been open and clear if you just read their (the devs) posts. As far as low pop servers go, what is so wrong with doing what I did? I have been here since the second day of early access. I was originally on a server that started out pretty high, but then went to medium to low. so what did I do? I left that server for a high populated server. I left a lvl 40 warrior and a lvl 35 inquisitor. I now have a lvl 47 warrior and a lvl 15 inquisitor on my new server. guess what. BEST THING I HAVE EVER DONE. I never have to wait for groups or pvp or anything. Chat is always virbrant and active.

 

Just re-roll for the love of god. Instead of complaining and waiting and complaining just re-roll. You had fun rolling the first time right? So do it again. whats the problem here? I used to play WoW since the Vanilla days. I remember having to re-roll off of a lower populated server there. and guess what....BEST THING I EVER DID.

 

Just re-roll. it isn't the end of the world. I have a three year daughter, a full time job, and plenty of responsibilities around the house....i.e. I have a real life and don't get to play this game 15 hours a day, everyday. So don't give me "a lot of us don't have the time to re-roll." If you notice I don't even have a single lvl 50 ANYWHERE. so reroll. and guess what will happen if you re-roll....when you DO get to 50 there will be MORE end-game stuff to do so then you don't have to complain about that either. reroll people. reroll.

 

I've been telling people this since January. People weren't interested. They just want to complain and ignore the people who try to help them.

[Enochx]

I've been telling people this since January. People weren't interested. They just want to complain and ignore the people who try to help them.

 

My god dude. I seriously thought I might be the only one with some sense here. I am so pleased to know that there are others. I guess those of us who are happy in our high populated servers with our low lvl chars spend our time playing the game and not on these forums crying. I tip my hat to you sir.

[ZionHalcyon]

I swear - the people who write posts like this do it from a script because I see these complaints in EVERY MMO FORUM.

 

Seen it in WoW, Seen it in SWG, seen it in DDO, seen it in STO, seen it in you name it, and someone there has put up a post just like this.

 

The point is, do these people even really play the game? Or are they just permanently stuck in a mode of the only mmo worth playing is the one not out yet, because once it comes out, they can't wait to trot out their same old script again?

[sambeta]

It's all very well telling people to re-roll, but after doing it for the second or third time the levelling process becomes tedious. Stop assuming that some people haven't re-rolled. Those who've levelled a toon to 50 multiple times and like the way their advanced class plays that re-roll and do it all over again burn out.

[Niypi]

I am sorry if you feel I have wasted your time.

 

The threads intent was not necessarily to goad the devs into more communication. However, there has to be room for a legitimate and mature discussion about the current state of communication and rate of information delivery.

 

This can be done without slamming the developers or even addressing them directly. So far it seems to have been a lively and relatively productive conversation, at the very least providing an outlet for people to vent some legitimate concerns.

 

Again, sorry if you feel your time has been wasted. That certainly is not my intent.

 

I for one don't believe you have wasted anyones time. It is up to us whether we read or not, and truly your post is well written and in my opinion very good. Everyone had their likes/dislikes. People express joy and anger! Why can't we not express our frustrations about what we felt would be an extrordinary game. Others might think it is the best MMO ever made, and then others too might not. That is how our unique and individual brains work!! I applaud you for speaking so eloquently on a topic that most will consider taboo.

 

I don't want to wait for fixes after 2 years and realize that I wasted 2 years waiting for things to go my way. Maybe that is a bit selfish of me, but I too have outside interests besides the game. I enjoy many aspects of this game, I also had such high hopes for it becoming the MMO of my new dreams. I am a hard core gamer and have been extremely loyal to other games lasting years and not growing tired or weary of them. But not going to lie, so much little fixes would probably keep many people around. *not sure how little they are in terms or code and such* But little in my eyes. I hope that in two years I look back and go WOW.. they did it, they have made it this far and they are still pay to play. I hope!!!! Maybe then I may return!

[Closetalker]

You people who make these threads are either blind or just dumb. They have been open and clear if you just read their (the devs) posts. As far as low pop servers go, what is so wrong with doing what I did? I have been here since the second day of early access. I was originally on a server that started out pretty high, but then went to medium to low. so what did I do? I left that server for a high populated server. I left a lvl 40 warrior and a lvl 35 inquisitor. I now have a lvl 47 warrior and a lvl 15 inquisitor on my new server. guess what. BEST THING I HAVE EVER DONE. I never have to wait for groups or pvp or anything. Chat is always virbrant and active.

 

Just re-roll for the love of god. Instead of complaining and waiting and complaining just re-roll. You had fun rolling the first time right? So do it again. whats the problem here? I used to play WoW since the Vanilla days. I remember having to re-roll off of a lower populated server there. and guess what....BEST THING I EVER DID.

 

Just re-roll. it isn't the end of the world. I have a three year daughter, a full time job, and plenty of responsibilities around the house....i.e. I have a real life and don't get to play this game 15 hours a day, everyday. So don't give me "a lot of us don't have the time to re-roll." If you notice I don't even have a single lvl 50 ANYWHERE. so reroll. and guess what will happen if you re-roll....when you DO get to 50 there will be MORE end-game stuff to do so then you don't have to complain about that either. reroll people. reroll.

 

If people felt like leveling up another character on a different realm they would have already. Not everyone enjoys leveling up several different characters, especially in a game like this where the leveling process is extremely linear.

Edited May 11, 2012 by Closetalker

[rbkrbk]

I see you've heard of EA before then?

 

It's not just EA that does thing this way. Most businesses with segregated hierarchies are often out of touch with the sucke...customers.

 

SoE and John Smedley comes to mind right away.

[Niypi]

You people who make these threads are either blind or just dumb. They have been open and clear if you just read their (the devs) posts. As far as low pop servers go, what is so wrong with doing what I did? I have been here since the second day of early access. I was originally on a server that started out pretty high, but then went to medium to low. so what did I do? I left that server for a high populated server. I left a lvl 40 warrior and a lvl 35 inquisitor. I now have a lvl 47 warrior and a lvl 15 inquisitor on my new server. guess what. BEST THING I HAVE EVER DONE. I never have to wait for groups or pvp or anything. Chat is always virbrant and active.

 

Just re-roll for the love of god. Instead of complaining and waiting and complaining just re-roll. You had fun rolling the first time right? So do it again. whats the problem here? I used to play WoW since the Vanilla days. I remember having to re-roll off of a lower populated server there. and guess what....BEST THING I EVER DID.

 

Just re-roll. it isn't the end of the world. I have a three year daughter, a full time job, and plenty of responsibilities around the house....i.e. I have a real life and don't get to play this game 15 hours a day, everyday. So don't give me "a lot of us don't have the time to re-roll." If you notice I don't even have a single lvl 50 ANYWHERE. so reroll. and guess what will happen if you re-roll....when you DO get to 50 there will be MORE end-game stuff to do so then you don't have to complain about that either. reroll people. reroll.

 

Neither blind nor dumb.... Was one of those optimistic individuals that went omg, I have that many slots and lvled them all on one server. Yep!! Optimistic, and hopeful. I don't have the patience to purchase another sub to re-roll on another server in hopes that that server doesn't drop subs like mine did. I rather spend my time with my husband, my job, cooking food and reading books/forums and learning. My toons, even with limited play time all are upwards of 40 with one 50. And the story line once done is to me and in my opinion monotonous and tediously boring. That is just me though!!! I rather not start deleting in the hopes that one day, soon.... things will change as much as I would like. Till then I will just HOPE as much as I can and continue to talk to people still playing the game and cross my fingers for saving grace

[Zolexus]

To the OP:

 

I can feel with your sentiment there, however, there are two things I'd like to tell you that you may know or need to know:

 

1. The devs know of their own state of the game, they know of the lack of communication. Still they actively decide to not speak a word and let it all dwindle. There can only be one valid reason for that: they're messing up behind the curtain. Perhaps some problems within their ranks that was probably caused by a lot of failed ideas. If there would be any other acceptable reason, they'd have communicated with us already. I would not expect any fixes of this soon. Perhaps it's a coding issue as well, that they simply dunno how to fix some things.

 

2. The people that design this game and work on it are... sorry to put it this way but ... very lacking in intelligence. It shows in their failed warzone plan (that changed constantly with warzone comms and valor that ppl farmed and now means squat), failed crafts (biochem that was far overpowered for a long time), failed Ilum and many more fails on Ilum after that when they tried to fix it, failed space sim, failed theme park design (yeh you might like it, but it doesn't appeal to the masses), etc.. This and this ALONE tells me this game will never become anything truly awesome.

 

For those two reasons alone I wouldn't waste my time writing that stuff and trying to get them to listen m8. Put your heart into something that deserves it.

[ZionHalcyon]

I hate this lack of communication nonsense.

 

This dev team communicates just fine. The problem is some players who either don't listen or expect a dev to be on their batphone picking up to answer every single player critique.

 

All self-entitled nonsense.

[Zannis]

I don't understand what people want Bioware to say at this point after being pretty clear on what their major priorities are at the moment...a working group finder and character transfer by early summer.

 

We know they're working on a content patch (1.3) that has had it's priorities shifted towards above mentioned group finder. That would probably be why we haven't heard anything on it. Changing your game plan to accommodate a shift in priorities is bound to delay the next major content release by a bit. We know that the character transfers in early summer are the first step towards population control.

 

In a nutshell, they've already said what they're working on in numerous fansite interviews and Q&A sessions. They'd only be repeating themselves at this point, unless their plans have changed. So, instead of asking 'Are we there yet?", try searching this site and various fansites for information on what's to come, and be patient.

 

When they have something new to share, they'll share.

 

If your patience has worn thin OP, as has my own, then cancel your sub and come back to this game at a later date, as I plan on doing. TOR isn't going anywhere, and this game might be more enjoyable in the future when we're all on robust servers with working group finders.

Edited May 11, 2012 by Zannis

[darth-waffle]

Totally agree with this I wouldn't mind about the problems this game has if only there was more communication after those Friday updates stopped we now get even less communication from Bioware and especially seen as though they are dropping subscribers you'd think they might want to try and keep there current fanbase informed to avoid losing them

[Muertepk]

Hire this man to be your PR REP Bioware plz

 

really? you obviously missed all of the stuff on the news page hunh? dev tracker? pod casts? twitter?

 

but ok deafening silence from bioware right? they dont communicate? what do you want a personal breakdown from the ceo in your in box? please.

 

im totally up on whats coming and whats going on and when things are going to happen, i find out , i look it up, i actually read or listen to it, and then i come to the forums and see all these topics full of false info and assumptions.

 

its too bad all the kool kats went off and created off site forums and discuss there, but to be expected, as these forums are overrun with the "*cry* bioware fails, bioware didnt add this like I wanted, bioware nerfed my OP toon so nao game is broke i dont wanna play balanced i wanna OP....

 

 

heres a enlightening thought folks....... this is how a mmorpg works, everyone. and this is the face of todays game forums, full of qq and rage, while the real players, make off site places to have talks about the game we play.

 

come to these forums for fun and lulz. goto the main site for current data and links to everything relevant.

[psi_overtake]

It would be nice if there was some weekly information about the progress of some things. e.g. ranked warzones and server transfers. People would appreciate this.

 

I used to play a game called Darkthrone (I believe) where they broke the game apart into several sections, and had progress percentages every so often. I think that this would be a great feedback tool that shows us how far along they are without giving an exact release date.

 

I know people will misuse that and extrapolate, saying "if they did 16% in 1 week, then the release date is likely..." But it's still better than what we have now.

[BoneEater]

They're not saying anything because it would destroy their artistic integrity

 

But anyway, I agree.

[UnmarkedFaith]

This is not a rant or a "let's all pile on and bash Bioware" thread.

 

As you can see by my join date I have been a follower/supporter of this effort from years ago. I still consider myself a loyal subscriber and I still enjoy the product. I suspect I will for quite some time. Having said that, I haven't been completely blind and have questioned several decisions they have made, particularly recently.

 

I, like many others, have concerns about their current position on the group finder and server transfers and how these two ideas/features actually interact with each other and I have chosen to remain quiet and patient while waiting for some solid information but I find myself growing more and more concerned with the lack of information/interaction with the community.

 

I've never been fond of people who make demands on an already overwhelmed group of developers. I've often winced over the extreme and hyperbolic demands some of the "fair-weather fans" have made, considering them unreasonable and somewhat extreme. Recently, I find myself more accommodating of these views and it is primarily and singularly due to the lack of information from the devs.

 

I was convinced, when we were given the free 30 days that within 2 weeks, we would have some solid communication from the developers about the future direction and future plans. There are, after all, many many questions that are hanging in the air unanswered.

 

Meanwhile, the game I love, continues to lose subscribers. There's no point in arguing this, it is happening and it is obvious. I believe the silence from the developers is exacerbating this much more than they may realize. I feel this way because I consider myself a canary in a gold mine. When players such as myself (the most patient of the patient) become concerned, this is a serious problem.

 

Bioware, it's time. The community is horrible here, I get that. I understand that anything they say to this community will be twisted and contorted and lambasted by many while at the same time adored by others. Thus is the nature of the forums and this community. I understand that timelines are dangerous and how perilous it is to reveal features before they are ready in such a volatile community environment. I get all of that, believe me I do.

 

I strongly and honestly feel that we are at the point where the silence is more detrimental to the health of the game than would be the risk of disappointment over any possible features/additions that are altered before implementation. There are just too many big questions hanging in the air and I believe the time to answer some of those is long since passed. Ask any developer of any MMO that has come before, both successes and failures. You just can't leave a community in the dark for this long without there being repercussions.

 

I am not demanding anything. I'm not whining and I'm not trolling. I genuinely feel like the health and future of this game depends on the developers being more forthcoming and doing so...immediately.

 

We need to know the plans for transfers/lfg/ranked pvp. We need to know more and a tentative timeline would be sincerely appreciated. My largest concern is how these three things interact with each other.

 

For example, A single server lfg tool is basically worthless if it occurs before transfers. On the same train of thought, ranked pvp will be worthless without server clusters. Following this thought through, would it be easier just to cluster servers and make the LFG x-server as well as the pvp ques. I'm not saying any of these ideas are better than others. I would just really like to know what the plans are. What are they thinking?

 

It's time Bioware. Turn the lights on. You cannot sit silently by and expect the community to wait forever. I feel like, and I fully submit I could be wrong, the community has been more than patient while we wait for some news.

 

Please, let us in on the plans. I thank you sincerely for the 30 days free and I'll be completely honest here, there's probably no risk of my sub going anywhere for at least the next few months. There are many, however, that are viewing this 30 days as a watermark for Bioware. The silence, to me at least, is extremely disconcerting.

 

We need some information about the direction of our beloved game. We need it now. I plead with you to communicate the future plans (not a year from now but days/weeks from now) to your players. I ask this of you not while wielding the threat of my subscription over my head like an axe but while holding it in my palms like a beggar.

 

It's time to open those lines of communication. The silence is becoming deafening.

 

It's time.

 

Whats funny, is the majority of us started out loving this game. Their the ones who screwed up the game then screwed so many of us over, why do you think there's so much hate? Imagine getting screwed over , I'm sure its happened to you in real life with other things...they screw ya over too many times ya make people upset and then people speak their mind...

Edited May 15, 2012 by Parali
inappropriate content - politics

[Zannis]

Whats funny, is the majority of us started out loving this game. Their the ones who screwed up the game then screwed so many of us over, why do you think there's so much hate? Imagine getting screwed over , I'm sure its happened to you in real life with other things...they screw ya over too many times ya make people upset and then people speak their mind...

 

 

You misunderstand the term 'screwed over'. It's when a person is mistreated against their will. Absolutely no one at Bioware is forcing anyone to play their games.

 

In fact, they even let me cancel my subscription recently without any problems!

Edited May 15, 2012 by Parali
bad quote - politics

[johnduane]

Food for thought from another gaming board.

 

Remember Dallas Dickinson? In 2005, he was Senior Producer for SWG at SOE.

 

He pushed through the disastrous NGE and was eventually canned for its catastrophic failure and had to leave SOE. Two weeks after the launch he was giving interviews like this on Stratics.com ( http://swg.stratics.com/content/?Cat=264&uid=633 ). His forum name is 'Slothrop'.

 

Brekkee - *Zeto-Starsider* Why continue with the NGE even though the overwhelmingly negative response? I personally know of ALOT of people quitting over this.

SWG-TSlothrop - Actually, we have had a pretty positive response to the enhancements.

SWG-TSlothrop - Certainly, many veteran players have had issues with it, but this is really just the nature of change.

SWG-TSlothrop - Most everyone else sees that we are finally delivering on the fantasy of Star Wars

 

I certainly hope a dishonest, arrogant man like this never has anything to do with a Star Wars game again...

 

 

 

Oh wait...

 

Fast forward four years to June 2009:

 

http://www.videogamesblogger.com/2009/06/09/star-wars-the-old-republic-will-be-the-first-fully-voiced-mmo.htm

 

"Running on live servers back in Austin, The Old Republic already seems like a realized world. In the first segment, BioWare producer Dallas Dickinson ran us through the world of Hutta..."

 

Oh dear.

 

 

 

yeah not touching that game with a ten foot pole. on the upside i cant wait to see the fanbots break down on the forums when the

 

"working as intended" crap starts flying. you have the same incompetent people working on this game as the last plus:

 

1.bioware a company that has never ran a mmo before...and more importantly never dealt with a playerbase before.

 

2.EA...the borg of gaming. your money WILL be assimilated.

 

3. lucas arts: the minds of birds trapped in the bodies of developers.