Ability delay and the wearing thin of patience

[Tolunart]

someone mentioned netflix. my netflix IS occasionally slow. if I can't watch it.... I go do something else until it gets better

 

Kids today... I remember going online and getting kicked off if someone called me on the phone - the one plugged into the wall.

[Tolunart]

I am not upset, even though I have problems in Makeb but I am willing to be patient. Though a lot of people say people don't have two weeks or longer off for the holidays that is not entirely true. I know a lot of people that have the holidays off and they have it off every year.

.

 

I guess no one here is a high school teacher, goes to college, works on a road crew or construction site in the northern US...

 

If management has a single working brain between them, they won't work their staff to death - after the schedule crunch to launch the expansion, spending all night tracking down bugs and so on, that they aren't even paid overtime for... they need to let up a little, before the entire dev team burns out and quits. Plus there are little things that civilized companies offer like paid vacation time.

[Aries_cz]

someone mentioned netflix. my netflix IS occasionally slow. if I can't watch it.... I go do something else until it gets better

 

Well, your Netflix can be slow because US ISPs are bunch of money grubbing old guys in suits who own their own competitive service, so they are throttling Netflix down (this is not a tinfoil hat theory, it was proven)

[ThorgrimLutgen]

Kids today... I remember going online and getting kicked off if someone called me on the phone - the one plugged into the wall.

 

So true! I remembering unplugging the phone so it did not happen and getting so much ear ache off she who must be obeyed.

[ivanhedgehog]

Check page 3 on the dev tracker

 

http://www.swtor.com/community/devtracker.php?page=3

 

they are looking into the speeder clipping issues. if they couldnt figure out any way to do the gree event when they were supposed to do it, and then the rak event...I dont have much hope that they will be able to fix anything more complex. they are 'looking into it", and the check is in the mail..

[ivanhedgehog]

THEIR BEING ON HOLIDAYS FOR CHRISTMAS DOESN'T EXCUSE THEIR LACK OF COMMUNICATION!

 

 

actually it does. not everyone trolls MMO fourms when they're on holidays. some people like to spend time with their family.

 

they get paid to at least attempt a 5 min post once in 3 weeks. "been hitting the eggnog hard but no solution has appeared, will try again next week" doesnt take all that long to type.

[SWentz]

So almost a month and a half that Friday will be, if this company was in the UK they would be shut down over unfair trading! I cant wait till the numbers drop and Eric freaks because there jobs will be on the line, then maybe they will take there "Subbers" Serious. I expect the class mission boost free of charge or something that will make this hellish month worth the wait! Number one rule is NEVER Release a patch until it has no bugs at all!!! Hope you enjoyed your christmas coz you ruined it for the fans who pay your wages!

First off, Happy New Years everyone! I apologize if you feel a lack of communication around this issue. Unfortunately, I haven't provided much since I do not have a status update as of yet.

 

Here is what I can tell you. We definitely have not forgotten about this and the team is still assessing what the cause is, and how we can begin to address it. What I am going to do is to work with the team to get a status update with as much detail as I can, by next Friday (although hopefully before then!).

 

Thank you again for your continued patience. We know that dealing with these issues isn't the best experience and we will get them addressed as soon as we can!

 

-eric

[Grayseven]

I guess no one here is a high school teacher, goes to college, works on a road crew or construction site in the northern US...

 

If management has a single working brain between them, they won't work their staff to death - after the schedule crunch to launch the expansion, spending all night tracking down bugs and so on, that they aren't even paid overtime for... they need to let up a little, before the entire dev team burns out and quits. Plus there are little things that civilized companies offer like paid vacation time.

 

This isn't an excuse. I'm not being cruel and heartless here, either, but am instead debunking the idea that the staff is "worked to death". If the staff were overworked, it is upper managements fault for poor time management and has nothing to do with the holidays.

 

When a business implements a NPI (new product introduction) they have a schedule already in place for the entire implementation. Smart businesses take everything into account, including holidays, to ensure the NPI goes as smoothly as possible. They also have plans in place to deal with any issues with the NPI after the introduction. The amount of money and effort put into an NPI to produce a product that people will pay for demands that the NPI is followed up aggressively after introduction to fix any issues that only crop up once the product is "in the field".

 

As for vacation...did you know most companies limit when vacations can be taken and that they specifically target times of heavy business as "non-vacation times"? This is done so they can be assured they have the staff necessary during heavy business times to provide the needed services. Like the launch of an expansion. And did you know that businesses which can schedule peak staff needs do their best to ensure those needs don't interfere with events like Christmas holidays?

 

In short, if keeping staff around during the holiday season is such an ordeal then the launch of a new expansion needs to happen at a time that it doesn't overlap the holiday season to ensure that issues like ability delay and lag (oh, Belsavis was bad last night) can be dealt with in a timely manner instead of lingering to frustrate the community and chase away new or returning players who may have grown the games player base...and therefor its revenue stream.

[BrianDavion]

they get paid to at least attempt a 5 min post once in 3 weeks. "been hitting the eggnog hard but no solution has appeared, will try again next week" doesnt take all that long to type.

 

I'm gonna generously assume you're a kid whose never had to work a job and thus might not understand what holidays mean. For your enlightenment, when you're on holidays you're NOT being paid to work.

 

If you're collecting pay at all, it's eaither from overtime hours banked for such a purpose (and you can bet before 3.0 hit they where all putting in lots and lots of overtime) or it's a special deal you're company has offered you. The Devs aren't going to be working if they're on holiday.

[TUXs]

I'm gonna generously assume you're a kid whose never had to work a job and thus might not understand what holidays mean. For your enlightenment, when you're on holidays you're NOT being paid to work.

"Holidays" don't last 2-1/2 weeks...that's called "vacation". Know who gets 2-1/2 weeks off for Christmas? Kids/students. So unless you assume they're all students, and not professionals working on this project, you surely must see how 2-1/2 weeks is excessive.

[Emperor_Troll]

"Holidays" don't last 2-1/2 weeks...that's called "vacation". Know who gets 2-1/2 weeks off for Christmas? Kids/students. So unless you assume they're all students, and not professionals working on this project, you surely must see how 2-1/2 weeks is excessive.

 

it's been over 2 years and nothing short of an engine upgrade will do the trick. sure, they can make some performance tweeks (such as opening inventory without stuttering), but this game will always run poorly.

[TUXs]

it's been over 2 years and nothing short of an engine upgrade will do the trick. sure, they can make some performance tweeks (such as opening inventory without stuttering), but this game will always run poorly.

I'm just talking about the 3.0 list of issues...not the core issues that limit this games ability to grow.

[Joesixxpack]

I'm gonna generously assume you're a kid whose never had to work a job and thus might not understand what holidays mean. For your enlightenment, when you're on holidays you're NOT being paid to work.

 

If you're collecting pay at all, it's eaither from overtime hours banked for such a purpose (and you can bet before 3.0 hit they where all putting in lots and lots of overtime) or it's a special deal you're company has offered you. The Devs aren't going to be working if they're on holiday.

 

I'm gonna generously assume you've never had a typical salaried private sector job in the US.

 

But anyway, holidays and a lot of V time taking around holidays have zilch to do with careless planning.

Edited January 5, 2015 by Joesixxpack

[Pagy]

I'm gonna generously assume you're a kid whose never had to work a job and thus might not understand what holidays mean. For your enlightenment, when you're on holidays you're NOT being paid to work.

 

If you're collecting pay at all, it's eaither from overtime hours banked for such a purpose (and you can bet before 3.0 hit they where all putting in lots and lots of overtime) or it's a special deal you're company has offered you. The Devs aren't going to be working if they're on holiday.

i'm sure that's how it works at mcdonalds, but the rest of us have paid vacation days. paid on 25/jan 1 and any other vacation time planned over the holidays.

 

having said that, funny that my software development project didnt come to a complete halt and its not even revenue generating.

[LordArtemis]

I think you guys are going overboard a bit about the vacation angle. Frankly what they do with respect to vacations, how long they take and why is likely none of your business.

 

You want to complain about the problem, absolutely. Complain that there hasn't been any work on the problem for six weeks...go right ahead. Point out it was probably foolish to release this patch and then go on vacation...sure, I can see that.

 

But chastising them for going on vacation for too long, or demanding to know why? Yea, good luck with both of those. If you asked me either question I would have some very choice words for you in response.

 

Keep your nose out of business that does not concern you. Worry about your own vacations.

 

Instead, why not just get back to discussing the matter at hand instead of pooping in your hands and smearing it on the wall.

[Max_Killjoy]

"Holidays" don't last 2-1/2 weeks...that's called "vacation". Know who gets 2-1/2 weeks off for Christmas? Kids/students. So unless you assume they're all students, and not professionals working on this project, you surely must see how 2-1/2 weeks is excessive.

 

Almost everyone who works for the company in the other half of our building gets at least a week off between Christmas Eve and New Years Day. Many of them work 10-12 hour days, weekends, etc, for the entire summer, so I think they earn those days off.

[DawnAskham]

I think you guys are going overboard a bit about the vacation angle. Frankly what they do with respect to vacations, how long they take and why is likely none of your business.

 

You want to complain about the problem, absolutely. Complain that there hasn't been any work on the problem for six weeks...go right ahead. Point out it was probably foolish to release this patch and then go on vacation...sure, I can see that.

 

But chastising them for going on vacation for too long, or demanding to know why? Yea, good luck with both of those. If you asked me either question I would have some very choice words for you in response.

 

Keep your nose out of business that does not concern you. Worry about your own vacations.

 

Instead, why not just get back to discussing the matter at hand instead of pooping in your hands and smearing it on the wall.

 

The issue is poor management and poor communication, not who went on vacation when for how long.

 

I've worked in numerous companies providing technology based services over the years, and every one has found a way to allow their employees to take off for the holidays while providing sufficient staff to handle customer service and major issues.

 

They have also used planning and processes to keep major changes from impacting services during the holidays, such as not allowing any major system changes or additions to go live in December.

 

For whatever reason, Bioware seems to display inept management when talking about their performance when measured against customer / player expectations.

 

However, none of us knows how the management is viewed internally at EA from an overall / financial performance perspective.

 

My personal belief is that the management of this game is heavily incentivized to drive a certain level of return on investment, meaning pull in as much revenue as possible with as little expense as required, with little to no incentive to worry about customer satisfaction.

Edited January 5, 2015 by DawnAskham

[Mubrak]

Keep your nose out of business that does not concern you. Worry about your own vacations.[/i]

That's exactly what we do. We tried to play during our vacation, it is only possible in the early morning when server population is low, or the evening when planets have more than one instance and those aren't already "overpopulated"

 

The rest of the day we have nothing to do, so we can either visit the forum and discuss the problems we have with the game (and the customer service) or we can go and seek greener pastures.

Edited January 5, 2015 by Mubrak

[Icebergy]

That's exactly what we do. We tried to play during our vacation, it is only possible in the early morning when server population is low, or the evening when planets have more than one instance and those aren't already "overpopulated"

 

Stop it.

 

Yes, the lag is bad.

 

yes, the lag is annoying.

 

Yes, it would have been nice if they had fixed it faster.

 

But stop it.

 

The game is no where near unplayable.

Edited January 5, 2015 by Icebergy

[Mornyr]

Computer programming is a very complex task. Identifying the causes of bugs is probably the trickiest part of that. Furthermore, bugs pertaining to performance in a real-time system with a large number of servers and clients are some of the trickiest bugs to identify and solve.

 

I really wish more people realized this. The programmers at BioWare are probably more frustrated with these problems than any of us are.

[Joesixxpack]

The issue is poor management and poor communication, not who went on vacation when for how long.

 

^ This.

 

My personal belief is that the management of this game is heavily incentivized to drive a certain level of return on investment' date=' meaning pull in as much revenue as possible with as little expense as required, with little to no incentive to worry about customer satisfaction.[/quote']

 

Certainly looks that way.

Edited January 5, 2015 by Joesixxpack

[ScarletBlaze]

It is really one thing to discuss the problem and quite another when some of you complain they had vacations or time off during the holidays. Those are two separate issues.

 

Saying only college students and kids have two weeks off during Christmas, because some of you don't, sounds like sour grapes to me.

 

Yes there are problems with lag but discussing the time off they had is a little above the issue. Discuss the issue and leave their holidays or vacation time out of the issue.

[Grayseven]

The game isn't unplayable. However, it is unenjoyable.

 

People aren't doing content because of the ability delay. The only communication we've seen is "we're working on it but don't know anything, get back to you later".

 

Meanwhile, potential new players have come and gone.

 

Everyone's vacation benefits are different, but I've never worked for a company that didn't place the business and the customer ahead of extended vacations if the business needed the employee. You'll still get your 3 or 4 days off for Christmas and New Years, but to appear to shut down to nothing more than a skeleton staff for weeks while a product languishes and customers reach ever higher levels of frustration...never seen it before.

 

Maybe my work ethic is different than the majority. If there is a problem, it's my job to fix it and to keep going until it is fixed. I can take time off after the problem is gone. But that's just me I guess.

[Bugattiboy]

My personal belief is that the management of this game is heavily incentivized to drive a certain level of return on investment, meaning pull in as much revenue as possible with as little expense as required, with little to no incentive to worry about customer satisfaction.

 

When was the game not like that, if ever?

[Kahldor]

The game isn't unplayable. However, it is unenjoyable.

 

People aren't doing content because of the ability delay. The only communication we've seen is "we're working on it but don't know anything, get back to you later".

 

Meanwhile, potential new players have come and gone.

 

Everyone's vacation benefits are different, but I've never worked for a company that didn't place the business and the customer ahead of extended vacations if the business needed the employee. You'll still get your 3 or 4 days off for Christmas and New Years, but to appear to shut down to nothing more than a skeleton staff for weeks while a product languishes and customers reach ever higher levels of frustration...never seen it before.

 

Maybe my work ethic is different than the majority. If there is a problem, it's my job to fix it and to keep going until it is fixed. I can take time off after the problem is gone. But that's just me I guess.

 

I agree with the work ethic thing. I work in the surgical equipment field. If something isn't working, it is my job to fix it or find someone that can immediately. I understand not all businesses are ran this way, but I could be on vacation in Hawaii and am never allowed to turn my phone off no matter what time of day it is.

 

Last night on Shadowlands I was trying to finish up a class quest on Correlia. I was so frustrated. I was level 54 and almost died several times because the ability delay and lag was absolutely the worst I have seen for over an hour. Mobs were teleporting backwards and forwards 15-30m because of the delay. Sometimes my skills would take 3-5 seconds to fire. I was so frustrated I logged out 3 hours before I typically do and logged into my TESO account to screw around for a little bit before bed. Is it just Shadowlands having this issue? All of my 50+ toons are there or I would have tried Ebon Hawk.

Edited January 5, 2015 by Kahldor