To all the doubters, welcome to the game industry. EA in particular is notorious for these sneaky little marketting attempts. Use the 'its just a game' excuse all you want, but you don't realize just how much money the companies make off the games.
You can't deny what they are doing, but at the same time, you can't expect much less. All game companies will work on some sort of marketing ploy. EA just tends to be very big on this. God... EA... how I hope they vanish off the face of the earth those...
Err woops went off topic...
But yeah, its a marketing trick but many game companies do it, maybe not as much, but they all do it.
Still fail to see how this is a marketing trick, we are not paying for the time in game yet, yes we paid for the box.....
But all of these 7 days are not part of the free month that comes with the game, its extra extra time ......In theory they could of just said, ya fuck you all, see you on the 20th we are taking a week off to be with our fmailies.
Do they make insane amounts of money, yes they do, but theres way bigger problems in corporate america then these gaming companies.
"A lot of us, myself included, are at work right now. Calm down, things will get busy once NA start getting off work
Remember, these are TWO extra extra days so everyone's a winner in the end!"
This poor sap actually believes that they decided to out of the goodness of their hearts to give us two "extra" days. Do you? If you're that gullible then I have beach-front property to sell you in Arizona.
This was all planned from the get-go. Under-promise and over-deliver. All (good) design firms (architectural, engineering, graphics, games, etc.) operate under this model.
Make no mistake, folks. This is launch day disguised under the marketing ploy of being "early access." That's the only way they could get around the inevitable backlash that would result from them doing this without the marketing speak cover.
"This is a big day for us; we are launching Star Wars™: The Old Republic™, BioWare’s largest and most ambitious project to date, and we’re very proud that you’ve been able to join us. It’s an honor to be able to share this game with you.
A huge team of talented, passionate people at BioWare, Electronic Arts, Lucas Arts as well as many other partners all over the world poured their hearts and souls into this game. We want to thank every single one of them for being part of the team that developed this game; it’s a monumental accomplishment.
Another group of people that we depended upon was you, the players. We had hundreds of thousands of players spend millions upon millions of hours beta testing this game. Without you we never would have been able to build it; thank you for your contribution. This game is yours just as much as it is ours.
And finally we want to emphasize that this is just the beginning of a very long journey together. The game is launched, but it’s not done; it will probably never be done as we’re committed to working on Star Wars: The Old Republic in order to keep improving it and delivering exemplary service to you, the customer. It’s going to be a great ride.
Finally, we can only think of one appropriate way to sign off on this auspicious occasion:
May the Force be With You!
Ray Muzyka & Greg Zeschuk
Co-Founders, BioWare"
Imagine if any other game launched but didn't allow everyone who purchased the game to log in on day one. People would be raging and gaming media would be all over it. That's exactly what is happening here, except many gamers and media outlets are buying it hook, line, and sinker because they've used marketing lingo to cover up what they're really doing.
Think critically. We're being played.
Utterly ridiculous. The game releases on the 20th. You guys really need a life.
I'm not trained. I ordered it last week. When I felt the game was worth buying. It took me a long time to come to a decision. Early entry isn't going to force me to buy the game sooner. I don't give a rat's arse if people are higher level than I am. Its the journey for me, not the ending.
I think you putted things nicely into perspective.
I preordered much longer ago then that , didnt get my invite yet and yes.. sure I feel some disapointment not getting in today but I really cant think of anything making it worth complaining about..
I have plenty of other things AND games to keep me entertained for a couple more days.
well, only the most rabid, and ultra over protective fanboys are ok and happy with this. then again, you can tell them to put up with anything, even to bend over and take it side ways and upside down without vaseline, and they will do so before being asked to.
I think you missunderstand me here, no Im not happy with this. Im not unhappy about it either. It reallys is beneath me to get all worked up about this delay to get in.
Imagine if any other game launched but didn't allow everyone who purchased the game to log in on day one. People would be raging and gaming media would be all over it. That's exactly what is happening here, except many gamers and media outlets are buying it hook, line, and sinker because they've used marketing lingo to cover up what they're really doing.
Think critically. We're being played.
Rift had pre-order early access too, they just didn't stagger it. And they had unbelievably long queue times and a lot of pissed off people.
I'm fine with the way they are doing it, as long as people aren't being let in the day before actual launch.
i assure you most people would have prefer 4 hours queues over the unknown of not knowing when they will get to play. many people will get iether one lame day or a few hours before launch. that is enough of a reason for not playing this game. if they treat their costumers this way, you can expect even worse things down the line.
Someone somewhere is always going to be unhappy no matter what. For those who are in game and enjoying the game their viewpoint is complete opposite to yours. However, the moment you log in and start playing you wouldn't even care.
I have seen this kind of madness on every MMO launch but seriously this needs to stop and people need to act their age.
do you actually think people will forget about this just because they got a bone thrown at them? aww the good ole hearted EA is giving us 1 day of headstart or maybe 2 hours before launch day! after paying for their freaking game.
you have to be or very naive or a major ass kisser fanboy to actually think that.
Yup, not acting like a spoiled child because you cant get into early access they didnt have to give you, 2 days before the original possible start date, makes you a fanboy, and lets not forget, the game doesnt release for 7 MORE DAYS.
Yup, that makes total sense, and doesnt make you look like a senseless fool AT ALL.
These types of people whing about this crap today are whats wrong with mmos today, and the funniest thing about them is, they dont even realise it, because of course its everyone elses fault.
Let me guess, im just a fanboy taking it up the butt on a product i didnt even buy?
Apparently stating the truth in my sig is "trolling" Sig typo fixed thanks to an observant stragen001.
My favorite person here is the guy that thinks he's gonna get in 2 hours before the 20th. So funny.
Freaking calm the crap down dude. It's going to be ok.
Are you sure it'll be ok , I mean I've been sitting at my PC for over 24 hours and I've been peeing into my empty drink bottles but you know that pizza I ate's gotta come out sometime and I don't want to miss the email when it comes in. Oh no I'm praire dogging "WHAAAA YOU SAID IT"LL BE ALRIGHT"
LIES LIES
Oh noes I've laid a nugget and it' seems I'm going to be playing Sith because no Jedi would ly claim to that evil.
Wow....not that serious fellas, you preordered a game, you didnt sign a contract that stated your head start was to start at an exact date...you read that youd be given an amount of days the game would be open to you pre launch.
If your that unhappy about not being selected on the first day cancel your preorder...you may not be selected on the second day either...even worse someone who preordered much later than yourself may be invited before you are...
i say stand up for yourself and show your discontent with bioware and cancel your preorder, teach them a lesson...teach em you wont be treated like a second rate citizen and hit em where it hurts...there pockets.
Il see the rest of you guys ingame say uhhh thursdayish, later
This thread is absurd. People knew long in advance that there was a head start period, and we also knew it was based on when you pre ordered.
Additionally, what affect does someone getting in the server 2 days before you have on you AT ALL? Absolutly nothing. Should I start complaining that I cant get in the server as early as you guys because I'm not really in the mood to spend 60 bucks on the game and that they should discount it now or let me in? Nope.
Stop complaining, the stated date is Dec 20, be happy you can even get in before that.
"A lot of us, myself included, are at work right now. Calm down, things will get busy once NA start getting off work
Remember, these are TWO extra extra days so everyone's a winner in the end!"
This poor sap actually believes that they decided to out of the goodness of their hearts to give us two "extra" days. Do you? If you're that gullible then I have beach-front property to sell you in Arizona.
This was all planned from the get-go. Under-promise and over-deliver. All (good) design firms (architectural, engineering, graphics, games, etc.) operate under this model.
Make no mistake, folks. This is launch day disguised under the marketing ploy of being "early access." That's the only way they could get around the inevitable backlash that would result from them doing this without the marketing speak cover.
"This is a big day for us; we are launching Star Wars™: The Old Republic™, BioWare’s largest and most ambitious project to date, and we’re very proud that you’ve been able to join us. It’s an honor to be able to share this game with you.
A huge team of talented, passionate people at BioWare, Electronic Arts, Lucas Arts as well as many other partners all over the world poured their hearts and souls into this game. We want to thank every single one of them for being part of the team that developed this game; it’s a monumental accomplishment.
Another group of people that we depended upon was you, the players. We had hundreds of thousands of players spend millions upon millions of hours beta testing this game. Without you we never would have been able to build it; thank you for your contribution. This game is yours just as much as it is ours.
And finally we want to emphasize that this is just the beginning of a very long journey together. The game is launched, but it’s not done; it will probably never be done as we’re committed to working on Star Wars: The Old Republic in order to keep improving it and delivering exemplary service to you, the customer. It’s going to be a great ride.
Finally, we can only think of one appropriate way to sign off on this auspicious occasion:
May the Force be With You!
Ray Muzyka & Greg Zeschuk
Co-Founders, BioWare"
Imagine if any other game launched but didn't allow everyone who purchased the game to log in on day one. People would be raging and gaming media would be all over it. That's exactly what is happening here, except many gamers and media outlets are buying it hook, line, and sinker because they've used marketing lingo to cover up what they're really doing.
Think critically. We're being played.
Welcome to MMO's ... obviously you're new because this has become a pretty standard practice. No need to imagine if other MMO's did this lol. Research before you rage next time.
First off if you look at the preorder FAQ you will see that the 80 dollar charge was a hold that was released. You won't be charged until Friday. Go study your bank account before making false claims.
At least people who used Solo payment method were charged full purchase price when they pre-ordered from Origin. Even if those ordering with credit card haven't been charged yet, it doesn't mean there aren't people who've already paid full price to EA.
I'm not claiming it should entitle anyone to anything. The price is the same whatever payment method you use, it's just charged at different time.
Stop complaining, the stated date is Dec 20, be happy you can even get in before that.
EU consumer proctection laws entitle those EU customers who have pre-ordered and promised head-start access to head start access. It was part of the contract, and it must be delivered.
However as Bioware made no promises about the length of the head start access. If they give 2 full days then they have clearly filled the contract. If they give only one full day, then they'd better make sure they don't have any major server problems at EU prime-time.
Originally posted by Vrika Originally posted by marinrider Stop complaining, the stated date is Dec 20, be happy you can even get in before that.
EU consumer proctection laws entitle those EU customers who have pre-ordered and promised head-start access to head start access. It was part of the contract, and it must be delivered. However as Bioware made no promises about the length of the head start access. If they give 2 full days then they have clearly filled the contract. If they give only one full day, then they'd better make sure they don't have any major server problems at EU prime-time.
Yeh you're right, stuff like this forms a kind of contract with the consumer. Me personally, i can't physically play until Thursday night anyway as i'm moving house, but they have to deliver to within a reasonable level of their promises when a purchase is involved. I got in big trouble yesterday for misquoting a job by several thousand pounds, but tough, that is what i promised the customer and the error wasn't outside of my control.
As many pre-orders were motivated by the Early Access, they really need to deliver it in some form. As long as pre-orders get in by the weekend, i don't see a problem, but a whole shitstorm will erupt if it's not until monday, can you imagine lol.
In parts of the EU retailers where clearlying offering access to the headstart. Not bits of the headstart depending on when you ordered, the whole shebang.
This thread is absurd. People knew long in advance that there was a head start period, and we also knew it was based on when you pre ordered.
Additionally, what affect does someone getting in the server 2 days before you have on you AT ALL? Absolutly nothing. Should I start complaining that I cant get in the server as early as you guys because I'm not really in the mood to spend 60 bucks on the game and that they should discount it now or let me in? Nope.
Stop complaining, the stated date is Dec 20, be happy you can even get in before that.
Whether they have known a long time or for 5 minutes is academic. I'd quite like what I was offered at point of sale.
They should have really clarified it, by simply having a little disclaimer, everything has a disclaimer, my emails have a disclaimer, it's ass covering.
I mean, something as simple as *Subject to availability* would suffice, im sure most people wouldn't expect anything then. But then, that wouldn't shift pre-orders and provide figures to give to investors .
No issues for me personally at moment and i was expecting to play on 16th (with the 5 days, minus a day due to assuming there would be access issues). But i can see how this could become a problem as they have left themselves wide open here for attack. As for the retailers, they have been unruly and should've been kept in check.
How we getting played ?? Are free month does not start till the 20th and dont have to start paying sub 1 month after the 20th ........
So this is all free time as a thank you for pre ordering, yes some people get in a day before us..... like who gives a flying f*&^
Its a game, I think ill make it if i Cant play til lthe 15th.
You would not tolerate this in any other business why do we cut mmo developers so much slack. This is EA we are talking about. They could make a sameday launch work. This is all about getting those preorder sales not and keeping any bad press on launch day to stop people from buying game nothing more. How many people would preorder if they got nothing for doing it? This is about money nothing else. I do not have a problem with that, mmos are made to make money but the op is correct in my opinion.
So they're in the wrong because they want to have the smoothest launch possible, for whatever reason (probably many reasons went into this decision)? Strange way of looking at things. It's not just about money (and it's not wrong for a business to want to make money, as you keep pointing out they had an $80 mill budget), it's about reputation, and you only get one chance for that first impression. So smooth launch (with free days included) + polished game = good beginning. Doing it the way you and OP recommend would be idiotic. Trying to get millions of people in game at same time would be a disaster (no matter what you say about a big company could do it-which you are wrong).
They should have really clarified it, by simply having a little disclaimer, everything has a disclaimer, my emails have a disclaimer, it's ass covering.
Quite and to comply with EU/UK law it should have been at the point of sale.
The way i see it, i'll consider it if i was dealing with one of my contracts.
If i offered them, say some work to be done with 'upto' 5 days free labour - with no actual clarification on what technicailities affected this - it would be safe to say that the client would expect something "within reason". So they would probably expect minimum 2 days, 3 days being reasonable.
Basically, not take the piss. Going back to my quoting example, i actually undervalued several, and the client went ahead and gave the order for one based on my offer. I told them 'We have made a mistake, these costs aren't true, we will have to revise them, but we will honour the one you have ordered'. So, taking a loss to honour what is essentially a contractual offer.
In other words, errors, mistakes, misinterpretation of demand...pull your pants down and take the consequences
There's always ways to say things that aren't so mean. Offer up why you disagree with the OP, or quote someone that shares your view. Or don't post.
I disagree with how they did their Game Launch process. There hasn't been a perfect way to do these and there probably never will be. I would, however, rather sit in a queue than wait for a ticket in.
"A lot of us, myself included, are at work right now. Calm down, things will get busy once NA start getting off work
Remember, these are TWO extra extra days so everyone's a winner in the end!"
This poor sap actually believes that they decided to out of the goodness of their hearts to give us two "extra" days. Do you? If you're that gullible then I have beach-front property to sell you in Arizona.
This was all planned from the get-go. Under-promise and over-deliver. All (good) design firms (architectural, engineering, graphics, games, etc.) operate under this model.
Make no mistake, folks. This is launch day disguised under the marketing ploy of being "early access." That's the only way they could get around the inevitable backlash that would result from them doing this without the marketing speak cover.
"This is a big day for us; we are launching Star Wars™: The Old Republic™, BioWare’s largest and most ambitious project to date, and we’re very proud that you’ve been able to join us. It’s an honor to be able to share this game with you.
A huge team of talented, passionate people at BioWare, Electronic Arts, Lucas Arts as well as many other partners all over the world poured their hearts and souls into this game. We want to thank every single one of them for being part of the team that developed this game; it’s a monumental accomplishment.
Another group of people that we depended upon was you, the players. We had hundreds of thousands of players spend millions upon millions of hours beta testing this game. Without you we never would have been able to build it; thank you for your contribution. This game is yours just as much as it is ours.
And finally we want to emphasize that this is just the beginning of a very long journey together. The game is launched, but it’s not done; it will probably never be done as we’re committed to working on Star Wars: The Old Republic in order to keep improving it and delivering exemplary service to you, the customer. It’s going to be a great ride.
Finally, we can only think of one appropriate way to sign off on this auspicious occasion:
May the Force be With You!
Ray Muzyka & Greg Zeschuk
Co-Founders, BioWare"
Imagine if any other game launched but didn't allow everyone who purchased the game to log in on day one. People would be raging and gaming media would be all over it. That's exactly what is happening here, except many gamers and media outlets are buying it hook, line, and sinker because they've used marketing lingo to cover up what they're really doing.
Think critically. We're being played.
i'm not mad. i'm happy to wait for all the eager beavers to iron out the hiccups for me so when i do jump in, i won't be screwed with a queue so long i might as well log and wait for swtor2.
I've had early access since yesterday but guess what ? I haven't even logged in a made a character yet. I've been messaging friends that I used to play WoW with and no one will take a break from the game long enough to alt tab out and check their damned steam messages to tell me what server they are playing on. BW / EA Not releasing the servers prior to launch was a stupid idea.
I guess that's what I get for working until 7:00PM yesterday.
Comments
To all the doubters, welcome to the game industry. EA in particular is notorious for these sneaky little marketting attempts. Use the 'its just a game' excuse all you want, but you don't realize just how much money the companies make off the games.
You can't deny what they are doing, but at the same time, you can't expect much less. All game companies will work on some sort of marketing ploy. EA just tends to be very big on this. God... EA... how I hope they vanish off the face of the earth those...
Err woops went off topic...
But yeah, its a marketing trick but many game companies do it, maybe not as much, but they all do it.
Still fail to see how this is a marketing trick, we are not paying for the time in game yet, yes we paid for the box.....
But all of these 7 days are not part of the free month that comes with the game, its extra extra time ......In theory they could of just said, ya fuck you all, see you on the 20th we are taking a week off to be with our fmailies.
Do they make insane amounts of money, yes they do, but theres way bigger problems in corporate america then these gaming companies.
This.
Utterly ridiculous. The game releases on the 20th. You guys really need a life.
I think you missunderstand me here, no Im not happy with this. Im not unhappy about it either. It reallys is beneath me to get all worked up about this delay to get in.
Freaking calm the crap down dude. It's going to be ok.
Shadow's Hand Guild
Open recruitment for
The Secret World - Dragons
Planetside 2 - Terran Republic
Tera - Dragonfall Server
http://www.shadowshand.com
Yup, not acting like a spoiled child because you cant get into early access they didnt have to give you, 2 days before the original possible start date, makes you a fanboy, and lets not forget, the game doesnt release for 7 MORE DAYS.
Yup, that makes total sense, and doesnt make you look like a senseless fool AT ALL.
These types of people whing about this crap today are whats wrong with mmos today, and the funniest thing about them is, they dont even realise it, because of course its everyone elses fault.
Let me guess, im just a fanboy taking it up the butt on a product i didnt even buy?
Apparently stating the truth in my sig is "trolling"
Sig typo fixed thanks to an observant stragen001.
Are you sure it'll be ok , I mean I've been sitting at my PC for over 24 hours and I've been peeing into my empty drink bottles but you know that pizza I ate's gotta come out sometime and I don't want to miss the email when it comes in. Oh no I'm praire dogging "WHAAAA YOU SAID IT"LL BE ALRIGHT"
LIES LIES
Oh noes I've laid a nugget and it' seems I'm going to be playing Sith because no Jedi would ly claim to that evil.
Wow....not that serious fellas, you preordered a game, you didnt sign a contract that stated your head start was to start at an exact date...you read that youd be given an amount of days the game would be open to you pre launch.
If your that unhappy about not being selected on the first day cancel your preorder...you may not be selected on the second day either...even worse someone who preordered much later than yourself may be invited before you are...
i say stand up for yourself and show your discontent with bioware and cancel your preorder, teach them a lesson...teach em you wont be treated like a second rate citizen and hit em where it hurts...there pockets.
Il see the rest of you guys ingame say uhhh thursdayish, later
This thread is absurd. People knew long in advance that there was a head start period, and we also knew it was based on when you pre ordered.
Additionally, what affect does someone getting in the server 2 days before you have on you AT ALL? Absolutly nothing. Should I start complaining that I cant get in the server as early as you guys because I'm not really in the mood to spend 60 bucks on the game and that they should discount it now or let me in? Nope.
Stop complaining, the stated date is Dec 20, be happy you can even get in before that.
Welcome to MMO's ... obviously you're new because this has become a pretty standard practice. No need to imagine if other MMO's did this lol. Research before you rage next time.
I have been in early release,early access, whatever term they wish to use...in almost every major MMO since 2000.
People will bitch no matter what..nature of the beast.
Sitting in a queue sucks (been there done that) but I have to say its much better then sitting and waiting for a magical golden ticket....
At least people who used Solo payment method were charged full purchase price when they pre-ordered from Origin. Even if those ordering with credit card haven't been charged yet, it doesn't mean there aren't people who've already paid full price to EA.
I'm not claiming it should entitle anyone to anything. The price is the same whatever payment method you use, it's just charged at different time.
EU consumer proctection laws entitle those EU customers who have pre-ordered and promised head-start access to head start access. It was part of the contract, and it must be delivered.
However as Bioware made no promises about the length of the head start access. If they give 2 full days then they have clearly filled the contract. If they give only one full day, then they'd better make sure they don't have any major server problems at EU prime-time.
However as Bioware made no promises about the length of the head start access. If they give 2 full days then they have clearly filled the contract. If they give only one full day, then they'd better make sure they don't have any major server problems at EU prime-time.
Yeh you're right, stuff like this forms a kind of contract with the consumer. Me personally, i can't physically play until Thursday night anyway as i'm moving house, but they have to deliver to within a reasonable level of their promises when a purchase is involved. I got in big trouble yesterday for misquoting a job by several thousand pounds, but tough, that is what i promised the customer and the error wasn't outside of my control.
As many pre-orders were motivated by the Early Access, they really need to deliver it in some form. As long as pre-orders get in by the weekend, i don't see a problem, but a whole shitstorm will erupt if it's not until monday, can you imagine lol.
In parts of the EU retailers where clearlying offering access to the headstart. Not bits of the headstart depending on when you ordered, the whole shebang.
Whether they have known a long time or for 5 minutes is academic. I'd quite like what I was offered at point of sale.
They should have really clarified it, by simply having a little disclaimer, everything has a disclaimer, my emails have a disclaimer, it's ass covering.
I mean, something as simple as *Subject to availability* would suffice, im sure most people wouldn't expect anything then. But then, that wouldn't shift pre-orders and provide figures to give to investors
.
No issues for me personally at moment and i was expecting to play on 16th (with the 5 days, minus a day due to assuming there would be access issues). But i can see how this could become a problem as they have left themselves wide open here for attack. As for the retailers, they have been unruly and should've been kept in check.
So they're in the wrong because they want to have the smoothest launch possible, for whatever reason (probably many reasons went into this decision)? Strange way of looking at things. It's not just about money (and it's not wrong for a business to want to make money, as you keep pointing out they had an $80 mill budget), it's about reputation, and you only get one chance for that first impression. So smooth launch (with free days included) + polished game = good beginning. Doing it the way you and OP recommend would be idiotic. Trying to get millions of people in game at same time would be a disaster (no matter what you say about a big company could do it-which you are wrong).
Quite and to comply with EU/UK law it should have been at the point of sale.
The way i see it, i'll consider it if i was dealing with one of my contracts.
If i offered them, say some work to be done with 'upto' 5 days free labour - with no actual clarification on what technicailities affected this - it would be safe to say that the client would expect something "within reason". So they would probably expect minimum 2 days, 3 days being reasonable.
Basically, not take the piss. Going back to my quoting example, i actually undervalued several, and the client went ahead and gave the order for one based on my offer. I told them 'We have made a mistake, these costs aren't true, we will have to revise them, but we will honour the one you have ordered'. So, taking a loss to honour what is essentially a contractual offer.
In other words, errors, mistakes, misinterpretation of demand...pull your pants down and take the consequences
WHOOP GAME DISKS JUST ARRIVED
There's always ways to say things that aren't so mean. Offer up why you disagree with the OP, or quote someone that shares your view. Or don't post.
I disagree with how they did their Game Launch process. There hasn't been a perfect way to do these and there probably never will be. I would, however, rather sit in a queue than wait for a ticket in.
He who keeps his cool best wins.
I got it! Bioware faked the moon landing!
Shadow's Hand Guild
Open recruitment for
The Secret World - Dragons
Planetside 2 - Terran Republic
Tera - Dragonfall Server
http://www.shadowshand.com
i'm not mad. i'm happy to wait for all the eager beavers to iron out the hiccups for me so when i do jump in, i won't be screwed with a queue so long i might as well log and wait for swtor2.
I've had early access since yesterday but guess what ? I haven't even logged in a made a character yet. I've been messaging friends that I used to play WoW with and no one will take a break from the game long enough to alt tab out and check their damned steam messages to tell me what server they are playing on. BW / EA Not releasing the servers prior to launch was a stupid idea.
I guess that's what I get for working until 7:00PM yesterday.