Upcoming Update of the Game Launcher

[Drayka]

I may have missed it, but how about having a way to export both the friends list with comments and preference settings so they do not have to be reinstalled manually?

[LokiD]

Guinea Pig Test Subject - Selection For New Update Launcher - Utterly Disgusted!

No opt out option of this intrusive new addition to game?

 

Hadn't subbed since the abomination of 7.0 and sort of had a change of heart at beginning of the month as I believed that game was on the rise up again..... silly of me, I guess.

 

At no point since just after launch, have I signed up or subscribed to do the work of your company or its incompetence but believe that I was paying sub for your teams and colleague's talents, advancements and efforts. Perhaps your HR should have approached or head hunted me, with an offer of gainfully paid employment, which I may have considered or accepted.

 

But as it goes, I'm now stuck with this new launcher slowing game and progression. With simple in game tasks such as moving items from inventory to cargo, walking / travelling around fleet much slower and tiresome.

 

 At least it makes the PTS look like paradise. Already looking forward to compensation / rewards / achievements for this.......

 

After running a horrifically buggy, dragged and lagged down DF / DP run with new launcher guinea pig selection, the only compensation I'd willingly welcome and accept would be a complete set of 330 Rakata gear and R-4 Anomaly 340's for all my level 80 characters, along with any contributions for any computer repairs that may have affected and nearly killed my computer during this testing phase.

 

Experience so far has made me weary of ever continuing subscription in the future.

Very disappointed and displeased.

 

Many thanks for response. 

Best wishes.

[Achnaattwo]

you do know them trickling in , the new launcher makes it easier for them to fix, then have a kazillon reports it's not working at once.

It would had happened anyways, if they launched the new launcher to everyone the same time. at least now they can  fix any problems before the massive downloads that will happen when it is fully released

I do hope they do compensate those that had problems, The sacrifice the few had to endure not able to login, so later  others can is a hugh sacrifice for SwTor Addicts

Edited September 30, 2022 by Achnaattwo

[codydmaan]

So I got the new launcher. Nothings different with it just its bigger. 

 

Honestly everything worked before I dont see why we need a launcher that's Bigger. 

[YaddleTwo]

My feedback! The new Launcher first popped for me last week and it kept restarting itself about 4 times i think, maybe more, subsequent logins it's been slower then the old one, and it doesn't like me toggling between other programs at the same time, it seems jealous if anything else takes my attention lol . Win 10, nvidia gtx 1080 tb of storage on that drive so it's not my system making it lag up.  After i got to server log in it runs like normal so far

[hochbaden]

I got the new launcher earlier in the week. The launcher restarted itself 3-4 times then came back up and worked seamlessly. Hardware: Microsoft Surface Book 2 with i7-8650U / 16GB RAM and GTX 1050 running Windows 11 Pro 22H2. All seems well so far. No complaints.

[LordBritain]

i5-2500k, GTX 1060 on win 7, installed quickly and smoothly.  The initial download flew.  Game seems to launch & load quicker.

[JackieKo]

Hi everyone, 

We have wrapped testing for the new launcher and are ready to go live! The new launcher will be rolling out beginning October 4th. We will be releasing the new launcher in phases throughout the week to also verify all the supporting systems are working properly. We should have it fully released by the end of the week. 

The error rate during testing was less than half a percent; however, the team has worked on implementing fixes throughout testing to ensure that players do not run into the same issues. Please understand with a larger number of players now able to download the new launcher, it is possible some players may get into a bad state. If you are someone who encounters an error, please do the following so we can troubleshoot and assist you:  

• Send an email to support@swtor.com and in the subject line include "New Game Launcher Issue".
• Send us the host.developer.log file so we can see what issue you are facing. C:\Users\YourUserName\AppData\Local\BioWare\Star Wars - The Old Republic Launcher\ on Windows
• Include the error message/code you see on the launcher itself
• Include the launcher version you are using (can be found under settings)
• Include your account name 

We will also be keeping an eye on this thread and the one that was posted on AHQ to communicate updates with players and also read any reports and feedback. 
 
Players who already have the new launcher will not notice any changes. 

Thank you for your continued patience with this project!
 

[codydmaan]

53 minutes ago, JackieKo said:

Hi everyone, 

We have wrapped testing for the new launcher and are ready to go live! The new launcher will be rolling out beginning October 4th. We will be releasing the new launcher in phases throughout the week to also verify all the supporting systems are working properly. We should have it fully released by the end of the week. 

The error rate during testing was less than half a percent; however, the team has worked on implementing fixes throughout testing to ensure that players do not run into the same issues. Please understand with a larger number of players now able to download the new launcher, it is possible some players may get into a bad state. If you are someone who encounters an error, please do the following so we can troubleshoot and assist you:  

• Send an email to support@swtor.com and in the subject line include "New Game Launcher Issue".
• Send us the host.developer.log file so we can see what issue you are facing. C:\Users\YourUserName\AppData\Local\BioWare\Star Wars - The Old Republic Launcher\ on Windows
• Include the error message/code you see on the launcher itself
• Include the launcher version you are using (can be found under settings)
• Include your account name 

We will also be keeping an eye on this thread and the one that was posted on AHQ to communicate updates with players and also read any reports and feedback. 
 
Players who already have the new launcher will not notice any changes. 

Thank you for your continued patience with this project!
 

Being serious here, Is there a direct reason why we needed a new launcher? 

I've never had a issue with the previous launcher. 

I have tested the "new launcher" but other then a scale up in fonts nothings different. 

 

I'm just curious why man hours were spent on a launcher, when the previous one works just fine for 11 years, rather then use the time to fix game bugs?

[JackieKo]

1 hour ago, codydmaan said:

Being serious here, Is there a direct reason why we needed a new launcher? 

I've never had a issue with the previous launcher. 

I have tested the "new launcher" but other then a scale up in fonts nothings different. 

 

I'm just curious why man hours were spent on a launcher, when the previous one works just fine for 11 years, rather then use the time to fix game bugs?

As I posted in the OP, the ultimate goal is for players who use the game launcher to have a similar experience to those who use Steam. Essentially, quicker and faster download times for players.

It is also worth noting that there are many moving parts in game development, and there are a variety of teams who have different responsibilities, and we all work synchronously together. This team in particular focuses on the services used by both players and the game itself which is a different than handling bug fixes.   

[ronin_chi_lao]

1 hour ago, codydmaan said:

Being serious here, Is there a direct reason why we needed a new launcher? 

I've never had a issue with the previous launcher. 

I have tested the "new launcher" but other then a scale up in fonts nothings different. 

 

I'm just curious why man hours were spent on a launcher, when the previous one works just fine for 11 years, rather then use the time to fix game bugs?

I've had this version (see pic below) of the launcher for a good long time and it only takes like 2 seconds from the time I put in the password, key and hit enter to be able to click play. Oh and the pc IS 10 years old now so I'm guessing there are some with even older specs the team is trying to reach? I mean maybe the patcher is slower for some too. @codydmaan If they can make what this one is doing any faster at either that's awesome. 

https://i.imgur.com/TaqjQfG.png

[supertimtaf]

21 minutes ago, JackieKo said:

It is also worth noting that there are many moving parts in game development, and there are a variety of teams who have different responsibilities, and we all work synchronously together. This team in particular focuses on the services used by both players and the game itself which is a different than handling bug fixes.   

So I take it that there's a team dedicated to bugfixing ? Great  Are you hiring by any chances ?

More on topic, does this mean that we should expect to see more improvements to the user experience in general ? QoL features are something that should really be looked at when trying to get a game to last, even when it comes to diverse things like new forums, newer launcher...

And furthermore, is there any chance that we'd get a list of what was exactly improved with the new launcher ? Like a patch note ? I think that having some "substance" to read could help ease a lot of concerns regarding the necessity of this update. 

Edited October 3, 2022 by supertimtaf

[EricMusco]

17 hours ago, supertimtaf said:

So I take it that there's a team dedicated to bugfixing ? Great  Are you hiring by any chances ?

More on topic, does this mean that we should expect to see more improvements to the user experience in general ? QoL features are something that should really be looked at when trying to get a game to last, even when it comes to diverse things like new forums, newer launcher...

And furthermore, is there any chance that we'd get a list of what was exactly improved with the new launcher ? Like a patch note ? I think that having some "substance" to read could help ease a lot of concerns regarding the necessity of this update. 

Hey there,

Typically the same teams who build the content are the ones who fix it, since they are experts in those tools and systems. Like all things, it is a balance of bug fixing vs active development. To your second question, always keep an eye on https://www.bioware.com/careers/#current-openings for roles across BioWare, including the SWTOR team!

Yup, you should continue to see UX and QoL improvements. This has been a pillar of our development since 7.0 and continues to be one going forward.

A lot of what changed about the launcher is technical stuff that isn't super forward facing but as a single patch note there is one major player benefit, download speeds. Download/install speeds on the updated launcher will be substantially faster than was possible on the old one.

I don't want to derail this thread too much further as the team is rolling out the new launcher starting today and we need this thread clear so we can keep an eye on feedback and reports of any issues players may run into as Jackie outlined in her earlier post.

Thanks!!

-eric

[codydmaan]

1 hour ago, EricMusco said:

Hey there,

Typically the same teams who build the content are the ones who fix it, since they are experts in those tools and systems. Like all things, it is a balance of bug fixing vs active development. To your second question, always keep an eye on https://www.bioware.com/careers/#current-openings for roles across BioWare, including the SWTOR team!

Yup, you should continue to see UX and QoL improvements. This has been a pillar of our development since 7.0 and continues to be one going forward.

A lot of what changed about the launcher is technical stuff that isn't super forward facing but as a single patch note there is one major player benefit, download speeds. Download/install speeds on the updated launcher will be substantially faster than was possible on the old one.

I don't want to derail this thread too much further as the team is rolling out the new launcher starting today and we need this thread clear so we can keep an eye on feedback and reports of any issues players may run into as Jackie outlined in her earlier post.

Thanks!!

-eric

I suppose this is good. Download speeds. Tho I personally don't have a problem with the speed of the download. But I guess any performance gain is good. 

 

However to quote you "Typically the same teams that create the content are the ones that fix it" 

 

I can see a issue here. If the team let's say for example the team that created R4 anomaly is now working on a different project wouldn't that delay any bug fixes? 

I could see now how this already took place for example the delay in the weapon designer.

 

Is this why we have hundreds of known issues because the team that created that content is not available? 

What would be nice is, if everyone on the swtor team designing some type of content/ changing the games code in some way or another was knowledgeable on the base code of the game. This way we as the players won't have to wait for old developers to make their way back to swtor to update something they designed a year or 2 years ago.

Edited October 4, 2022 by codydmaan
Spelling

[-Fabien-]

23 hours ago, JackieKo said:

Hi everyone, 

We have wrapped testing for the new launcher and are ready to go live! The new launcher will be rolling out beginning October 4th. We will be releasing the new launcher in phases throughout the week to also verify all the supporting systems are working properly. We should have it fully released by the end of the week. 

The error rate during testing was less than half a percent; however, the team has worked on implementing fixes throughout testing to ensure that players do not run into the same issues. Please understand with a larger number of players now able to download the new launcher, it is possible some players may get into a bad state. If you are someone who encounters an error, please do the following so we can troubleshoot and assist you:  

• Send an email to support@swtor.com and in the subject line include "New Game Launcher Issue".
• Send us the host.developer.log file so we can see what issue you are facing. C:\Users\YourUserName\AppData\Local\BioWare\Star Wars - The Old Republic Launcher\ on Windows
• Include the error message/code you see on the launcher itself
• Include the launcher version you are using (can be found under settings)
• Include your account name 

We will also be keeping an eye on this thread and the one that was posted on AHQ to communicate updates with players and also read any reports and feedback. 
 
Players who already have the new launcher will not notice any changes. 

Thank you for your continued patience with this project!
 

I haven't feedback for my use case on a "non official os", so i expect after playing from 10 years with linux, this is the end ?

[TheOneWhoLives]

How do I access the new launcher? Do I need to download something?

[Nee-Elder]

52 minutes ago, TheOneWhoLives said:

How do I access the new launcher? Do I need to download something?

It's all explained in detail on  page 1 the OP: https://forums.swtor.com/topic/924959-upcoming-update-of-the-game-launcher/#comments

[SteveTheCynic]

On 10/4/2022 at 8:05 PM, codydmaan said:

I suppose this is good. Download speeds. Tho I personally don't have a problem with the speed of the download. But I guess any performance gain is good. 

I have gigabit fibre.  Steam downloads patches at speeds up to, or even *beyond* 80 megabytes per second.  I could download WoW at speeds north of 110 megabytes per second.

I have never seen SWTOR patch downloads exceed 10 megabytes per second, so yes, they can improve matters.

On 10/4/2022 at 8:05 PM, codydmaan said:

However to quote you "Typically the same teams that create the content are the ones that fix it" 

I can see a issue here. If the team let's say for example the team that created R4 anomaly is now working on a different project wouldn't that delay any bug fixes? 

I could see now how this already took place for example the delay in the weapon designer.

Hello.  I'm a programmer / developer (for more than thirty years now), although not for BioWare either directly or indirectly.  This is more or less normal, and mostly related to the fact that even the best programmers only have one brain and one set of eyes and fingers, so it's really hard to work on more than one thing at a time.

On 10/4/2022 at 8:05 PM, codydmaan said:

Is this why we have hundreds of known issues because the team that created that content is not available? 

What would be nice is, if everyone on the swtor team designing some type of content/ changing the games code in some way or another was knowledgeable on the base code of the game. This way we as the players won't have to wait for old developers to make their way back to swtor to update something they designed a year or 2 years ago.

That's somewhat unrealistic.  People creating the artwork (an important part of designing content) or writing the stories shouldn't have to also be capable of changing the game's base code.  On the other hand, any programmer experienced in the same programming language and having some familiarity with the project should be able to pick up at least basics and fix "ordinary" bugs in a part of the system that they don't know well, but:

• They will do it more slowly than people who are experienced in the quirks of that particular part of the system.
• Because of their unfamiliarity with the component, they are more likely to introduce new bugs in the component.
• They will not be able to fix "weird" bugs even vaguely quickly.
• More experience as a programmer will improve all those things.

 

[ballorik]

Looks like I get to be in the half a percent that experienced an issue... AGAIN! I got the new patcher on 9/28 and was unable to enter the game , so I submitted my host.developer.log to the support email. After a day with no response I uninstalled the game and reinstalled so that my subscription days wouldn't go to waste.

Today my launcher gets patched and, once again, I'm locked out of the game. I'd submit the log again, but I'm still waiting for a response to the first one I sent.

[poli_skliros]

@-Fabien-, go to your WINEPREFIX swtor folder and change permissions so that u can read write and click to include to all subfolders. that should fix it 

Edited October 7, 2022 by poli_skliros

[ballorik]

@poli_skliros Thanks for the suggestion, but changing the permissions doesn't seem to have fixed the problem for me. I see a couple of errors in the host.developer.log file that I sent to the Support team. Hopefully they'll be able to figure it out.

I was able to get around it the first time the launcher updated by uninstalling/reinstalling, but when it patched again yesterday I ran into the same issue. That leads me to believe that it might be specific to my computer and also something that will never be completely fixed with an uninstall/reinstall.

[poli_skliros]

@ballorik yes sorry, due to ... internal issues....

i quoted the wrong person, i edited to include the correct person

sorry for that 

[Gibboknight]

Hi Devteam, 

 

I have a similar issue. The Launcher started to load however it crashed. Now Iam getting the error Host_WindowLoadTimeout appearing. 

Iam playing on an M1 Mac using PortingKit. It was working perfectly before this. 

Thanks, 

Liam.

[ballorik]

@poli_skliros Ha ha ha ha ha! No worries. At this point I'll try anything.

 

[-Ashton-]

just been prompted to download this garbage when innocently trying to log in, performed an update and then after start nothing happens.

 

now i cant play. On my ONLY evening off in the next 2 weeks. As someone who works for the emergency services, i can't tell you how blatantly unfair it is putting this on people who may only have a single log in opportunity every week or so, what an absolute disgrace

Edited October 7, 2022 by -Ashton-