Uh. I never understood why anyone would want to beta. I dont do things like that - testing a program - for free.
And no I dont want to play on the same servers as the US americans. Thats simply because I want a good ping to the server I'm playing on, thank you very much. Thats something I need to actually enjoy an online game, and it has priority over issues like meeting US americans. If they want to play on the server I'm playing on, which hopefully is very close to my physical existence, sure, go ahead. But I wont play on a server stationed in the USA.
I can agree with you on both sentiments. I want to play beta to play the game, but know that it will not be the game I will play at release,so I don't want to touch it. Plus there is the whole, what are you giving me feeling. Maybe if they gave free months per xx hours tested I could go for it, but my time, especially my free time is valuable to me. As for the server issue, the chances of getting a server here in Hawaii is pretty slime, so I am pretty much stuck with West Coast USA and my inherent latency sucks. Even with broadband internet via a cable modem.
"If half of what you tell me is a lie, how can I believe any of it?"
As promised, we have an update on the batch of Game Testing invites being sent to players in the EU.
After a lengthy discussion here at the BioWare offices, the decision has been made to postpone the proposed Game Testing invites for EU players for a number of reasons.
Firstly, there’s a new build of the game on the horizon. This is a major build, meaning there will be character wipes and a new client to download. As you may be aware, the current client download is around 27GB in size. If we were to invite players en masse today, those players would have to download the entirety of the client to access the game. There’s every chance that later this week, the service will go offline and this new version will be rolled out, meaning everyone currently in Testing will have to not only download the entire client again (another 27GB download), but will also have their characters erased and have to start afresh. This is a relatively large amount to download in such a short space of time and not an experience we want new testers to be exposed to.
Secondly, this new build will bring about the first localised versions of Star Wars: The Old Republic, which means those of you that speak French and German will have the chance to play the game in those languages, for the first time ever. We’re extremely excited to be able to offer this to our players and as such, we’re keen to get a lot of feedback from European testers in particular.
For those of you that may have missed the messages we put out on the subject already, last week saw a number of issues arise with key systems that prevented us from sending out invites to EU players. Had everything gone to plan, we would have been able to offer two weeks of testing time to new users. However, given the issues that arose, this was physically not possible.
So while we understand that this news may not be what a lot of you wanted to hear today, we hope that you’ll understand our position. Given the news of this new build, it’s now more important than ever that we invite European players into the Game Testing environments, so you have my word that this batch of invites will happen, it may just mean you just have to wait a little longer.
It’s also important to remember this is just the beginning. In the future, we’ll be inviting more and more testers to the EU Game Testing environments as well as future Game Testing weekends. So even if you’re not invited to this next round of testing, there will still be plenty of chances to get involved.
As ever, as soon as I get any firm news around the matter, I’ll make sure to update everyone.
Well, this clears things up and provides answers. There is really no reason for this thread to grow any further but it seems that a number of fellow EU residents have problems in comprehending written English.
Bioware has stated they cant do anything about when stores put out new content . so getting a game 2 days later then us isnt a bad thing. If u pre order u get in early with early acess and u wont even realize u are behind us by 2 days.
That said beta has been gone over and over by stephen reid and others. eu players are getting into main beta now and will get into eu testing on eu servers when they have them up and runningl
they have stated they will release in us and eu as close as they can but sinced us releases games on tuesdays and most european countries do it on thurdsay and friday u will be behind by 2 days if u dont pre order.
if u pre order game it wont matter when u actually get released it matters when u input your code on when u get early acess.
ill admit i didnt go back and read this entier thread but im betting one of those is the eu getting screwed.
if anything people in south america and australia and new zealand and asia are getting screwed more unless they get copy from eu or us they cant play at all . They can of course buy from us or eu and play on those servers with lag but at least eu players have servers in there region and will be released when us is.
Funny how other companies (such as Blizzard) manage to do simultaenous midnight launches in both the EU and the US and they do it for both the digital download and the boxed version. Of course a company such as Blizzard has a lot more experience in rolling out this kind of software and they didn't do it like that from the beginning.
Trust me when I say that Bioware is going to learn the hard way what it means to run an MMO. I predict enormously slow updates, little to no communication between the community and Bioware and mass exodus from the game after a couple of months.
As for being in the beta.. Be careful what you wish for, it will ruin the 20-30 hours of fun you'll get out of the game.
Bioware has stated they cant do anything about when stores put out new content . so getting a game 2 days later then us isnt a bad thing. If u pre order u get in early with early acess and u wont even realize u are behind us by 2 days.
Funny how other companies (such as Blizzard) manage to do simultaenous midnight launches in both the EU and the US and they do it for both the digital download and the boxed version. Of course a company such as Blizzard has a lot more experience in rolling out this kind of software and they didn't do it like that from the beginning.
Trust me when I say that Bioware is going to learn the hard way what it means to run an MMO. I predict enormously slow updates, little to no communication between the community and Bioware and mass exodus from the game after a couple of months.
As for being in the beta.. Be careful what you wish for, it will ruin the 20-30 hours of fun you'll get out of the game.
This has nothing to do with EA or Bioware but rather trade conventions, laws etc. Yes they are outdated in this digital age but the cogs of the world turn slowly. Blizzard do not release their games in stores on a Tuesday here in Europe, they release them on a Friday just like everyone else.
Not that it matters to me, i'll be ingame on the same day as the yanks because of the pre-order head start but i hate reading such nonsense blaming developers and publishers for the Tuesday and Friday release dates for US and Europe.
Bioware has stated they cant do anything about when stores put out new content . so getting a game 2 days later then us isnt a bad thing. If u pre order u get in early with early acess and u wont even realize u are behind us by 2 days.
Funny how other companies (such as Blizzard) manage to do simultaenous midnight launches in both the EU and the US and they do it for both the digital download and the boxed version. Of course a company such as Blizzard has a lot more experience in rolling out this kind of software and they didn't do it like that from the beginning.
Trust me when I say that Bioware is going to learn the hard way what it means to run an MMO. I predict enormously slow updates, little to no communication between the community and Bioware and mass exodus from the game after a couple of months.
As for being in the beta.. Be careful what you wish for, it will ruin the 20-30 hours of fun you'll get out of the game.
This has nothing to do with EA or Bioware but rather trade conventions, laws etc. Yes they are outdated in this digital age but the cogs of the world turn slowly. Blizzard do not release their games in stores on a Tuesday here in Europe, they release them on a Friday just like everyone else.
Not that it matters to me, i'll be ingame on the same day as the yanks because of the pre-order head start but i hate reading such nonsense blaming developers and publishers for the Tuesday and Friday release dates for US and Europe.
First of all, this has nothing to do with laws or trade conventions.
Secondly regarding blizzard releases, some examples:
WoW: Cataclysm release date EU + NA: 7th December 2010: Tuesday
WoW: Wrath of the Lich King EU + NA: 13th November 2008: Thursday (Australia the day after)
Starcraft 2 EU + NA (and others): 27th July, 2010: Tuesday
These releases were not just digital but you could also buy the game in stores at midnight openings on the same day.
Anyhow the whole issue doesn't bother me that much as I cancelled my pre-order, just showing that it is apparently possible to release on the same day.
The us is not the only ones with a gaming industry but since you had to make fun of Europe, here are some facts about the Video game industry for you:
United States $18.58B
Europe $17.9B
Asia $14B
Surprisingly, Canada is #3 and the UK is #4 worldwide. Quite impressive if i may say so. You can find these number easily with a simple search.
@OP, I understand your frustration but you should maybe work on your presentation of the issue
It's funny that you say that surprisingly Canada is #3 when Bioware is a Canadian company, at least that's where they started and they still have 2/5 studios in Canada.
Well it seems we EU players are once again treated like third rate customers. I guess our money stinks, but its necesarry to make game avalible in EU as well because - thats what cool kids do ! YOu let neighbours kid that smells funny and talks funny play with you every now and then. Its not his fault, poor bastard ... Im naturaly talking about o beta weekend for EU. So we got vocal. Complained on forums ( go figure ) and demanded at least SOME info. Well monday was labour day in US. So devs were on prolonged weekend, during beta testing weekend no less. Makes sence I guess ... Tuesday comes and so do devs / admins. They simply delete all EU complaining threads. Ban people that ask, what gives with Gadafi treatment EA / BW ? Now we are forbiden to ask ANYTHING regarding beta or EU, Because we will get insta ban. Im use to being treated like second class citizen as EU customer to US companies. Like a dog that got beaten too man times and now hes simply induring it. But this is way too much. Its like fliping the bird to whole EU.
I live in London and have to say I am embarrassed at this rant. There is no need for it and makes us lumped into the 'EU' bracket all look bad. I am no fan of EA, havent been since they destroyed Bullfrog, but crying like this because they won't let you play for free for a bit is sad.
What he said. What always brings a smile to my fat face is the lack of prowess at spelling, grammar and syntax in these rants. It's so much more fun than reading the newspapers, I come to MMORPG.com every day for my pick-me-up.
Bioware has stated they cant do anything about when stores put out new content . so getting a game 2 days later then us isnt a bad thing. If u pre order u get in early with early acess and u wont even realize u are behind us by 2 days.
Funny how other companies (such as Blizzard) manage to do simultaenous midnight launches in both the EU and the US and they do it for both the digital download and the boxed version. Of course a company such as Blizzard has a lot more experience in rolling out this kind of software and they didn't do it like that from the beginning.
Trust me when I say that Bioware is going to learn the hard way what it means to run an MMO. I predict enormously slow updates, little to no communication between the community and Bioware and mass exodus from the game after a couple of months.
As for being in the beta.. Be careful what you wish for, it will ruin the 20-30 hours of fun you'll get out of the game.
This has nothing to do with EA or Bioware but rather trade conventions, laws etc. Yes they are outdated in this digital age but the cogs of the world turn slowly. Blizzard do not release their games in stores on a Tuesday here in Europe, they release them on a Friday just like everyone else.
Not that it matters to me, i'll be ingame on the same day as the yanks because of the pre-order head start but i hate reading such nonsense blaming developers and publishers for the Tuesday and Friday release dates for US and Europe.
I beg to differ, some examples:
WoW: Cataclysm release date EU + NA: 7th December 2010: Tuesday
WoW: Wrath of the Lich King EU + NA: 13th November 2008: Thursday (Australia the day after)
Starcraft 2 EU + NA (and others): 27th July, 2010: Tuesday
These releases were not just digital but you could also buy the game in stores at midnight openings on the same day.
Anyhow the whole issue doesn't bother me that much as I cancelled my pre-order, just showing that it is apparently possible to release on the same day.
Digitally they did but they never launched simultaneously accross Europe with the US in the physical stores. In almost all EU countries we have to wait until a Friday for Blizzard games too unless getting it digitally.
The various conventions have been in place for a long time now for all media be it video games, music, movies and is a throwback from the times when considerations such as shipping had to be factored in. So many other systems shaped themselves around the dates that it makes it far from easy to simply change them just like that and if publishers decided to try and force the stores to carry their product early I imagine there would be repercussions. Digitally I don't get it though as the only thing i can think of that affecting is VGA charts and it's about time they shaked things up.
We can understand the frustration here, but unfortunately we got stuck between a rock and a hard place with no realistic scenarios where we'd please everyone.
Going to try and clarify a few things here based on some questions and assumptions:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jestahr
Hmmm, I'm sure I've heard of French/German versions being tested in the past. Quite certain infact.
Regardless, can't say I'm suprised that the invites are yet again delayed. Would of been nice if you could of told us when you roughly expect them to actually be sent though, all seems a bit vague yet again.
Either way, I appreciate the communication, even if it's not what I wanted to hear.
We have conducted previous testing with EU-based testers as part of market research, and some of those testers were French or German speakers. You may be thinking of that.
In addition, we had an earlier version of the client in which - by error - German and French language options were available, and some footage from that client leaked. That client was not final, and the localization was not complete.
To be clear here: we have never officially invited French or German testers to test a French or German client which was final and ready for public testing. We are not 'holding back' the French or German version of the client.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wild
doh.. worst part is, they are testing french and german as well so only 1/3 will be english testing
No, that's an assumption. We're adding French and German localized voiceover to the client for testing, but English language will still be available.
We won't be commenting on the proportions invited into testing based on languages, but we aren't going to 'bias' EU testing towards French and German residents (or speakers).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Austentacious
Edit: I would HOPE, that if they are using localised builds, they would also have language specific servers. Therefore if they originally intended for 1500 EU testers, instead of 500 per language, it'll be 3 servers, with something closer to 800ish each. Either that or have the proposed Beta test size divided based upon representation, instead of equal numbers per language. I.e; if 80% are English speakers, 10% are French, and 10% are German, then the test invites should be sent down a 80/10/10 split to ensure each group has the same % of their community within the Beta.
That's pretty much how we're working it. Also, this is a good opportunity to talk about language servers - they're labels to inform people of what language is expected to be spoken by players on the server, not settings that enforce how your client works.
What that means is, the client works in whatever language you want it to, regardless of which server you're connecting to. Effectively this can mean that three players could player together in English, French and German at the same time, while connecting to a server that is labelled as US-English, for example.
The point is, you won't be forced into playing in a certain language, but you will be informed what the expected/suggested language of the server is when you connect to it.
Before you ask - no decision yet on whether servers will be labelled with languages other than our three officially supported ones (English/French/German). I'm sure the community will unofficially label servers themselves, though.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Simmons_j
...This is no the kind of discussion you have over the weekend or quickly in the morning.
Why would you not have told us this last week?
Seriously guys, no scottish love for you right now.
Shame, as my family are Scottish.
We were still discussing this last week, and pushing to make it happen right up until this morning when we made a final decision. We were hoping to invite last week, but issues with the invite system made that impossible, as Chris mentioned. We don't sit on announcements for no reason, folks.
I'll dig through the thread further and see if there are other questions I can answer. In the meantime, try not to extrapolate too much based on what you think might be happening - read the post please. Thanks.
While I'm not quite up to speed on every post in the thread, there's one recurring point which I want to address - the client size.
Being an ex-European resident myself I do understand that internet speeds vary across the continent, and in some cases are staggeringly fast. While for some of you downloading 27Gb is 'no big deal' for others it very definitely is. Please bear that in mind when talking about download speeds.
I'd also like to re-iterate that we attempted to communicate as best we could about what was happening in this process while it was going on. Game Testing is a live, unpredictable process that can hit roadblocks. Last week we hit several roadblocks at once, including issues with the invite system, that caused problems with the Game Testing Weekend as well. That had a knock-on effect which caused us to make this decision today.
This delay is going to ultimately lead to a better experience for anyone who is invited to test the game (regardless of where they are based) and to better, more actionable feedback for the development team. That will lead to a better quality product at launch. Ultimately, that's always what we want to strive for.
The EU client contains English/French and German Language files that must be downloaded. But the US one has just English?
No. This is not the case. For testing, the client will install a single language pack, then the user has the option of downloading additional packs. There is no separate EU or NA client, everyone uses the same.
If you feel entitled to a beta invite then sure they are treating you like trash.... if however you look up what a beta is, you will see that it is a sensible decision, an unpopular one but a sensible one. As a UK resident who still has not got an invite I was annoyed but their logic is sound.
If they made you download 50 gbs, well a lot of people would experience extra charges or capping for a month due to this.
Bioware has stated they cant do anything about when stores put out new content . so getting a game 2 days later then us isnt a bad thing. If u pre order u get in early with early acess and u wont even realize u are behind us by 2 days.
Funny how other companies (such as Blizzard) manage to do simultaenous midnight launches in both the EU and the US and they do it for both the digital download and the boxed version. Of course a company such as Blizzard has a lot more experience in rolling out this kind of software and they didn't do it like that from the beginning.
Trust me when I say that Bioware is going to learn the hard way what it means to run an MMO. I predict enormously slow updates, little to no communication between the community and Bioware and mass exodus from the game after a couple of months.
As for being in the beta.. Be careful what you wish for, it will ruin the 20-30 hours of fun you'll get out of the game.
This has nothing to do with EA or Bioware but rather trade conventions, laws etc. Yes they are outdated in this digital age but the cogs of the world turn slowly. Blizzard do not release their games in stores on a Tuesday here in Europe, they release them on a Friday just like everyone else.
Not that it matters to me, i'll be ingame on the same day as the yanks because of the pre-order head start but i hate reading such nonsense blaming developers and publishers for the Tuesday and Friday release dates for US and Europe.
First of all, this has nothing to do with laws or trade conventions.
Secondly regarding blizzard releases, some examples:
WoW: Cataclysm release date EU + NA: 7th December 2010: Tuesday
WoW: Wrath of the Lich King EU + NA: 13th November 2008: Thursday (Australia the day after)
Starcraft 2 EU + NA (and others): 27th July, 2010: Tuesday
These releases were not just digital but you could also buy the game in stores at midnight openings on the same day.
Anyhow the whole issue doesn't bother me that much as I cancelled my pre-order, just showing that it is apparently possible to release on the same day.
Remind me how smooth WoWs launch was again?
Blizzard were able to release their "expansions" on the same day due to the size of the product but look back at the Vanilla wow launch.
Its not about mistreating customers its about how retail stores still bully even major developers, dont believe me, look at what game stop did to Deus Ex on the pc....
I live in America. Guess what? Im not in Beta. Never have been. Guess Im a second rate citizen too. Seriously....the game will be available to EU customers so you can buy it and play it. Until then, you might get into Beta at some point or you may not. Saying that you are second rate customers when the game is certainly going to be available too you is rediculous.
This reminds me of the time that the EU customers on the Star Trek Online forums got into a fuss over the fact that server maintanence and downtime was in the middle of their day. So they insisted that the downtime should be in the middle of the American afternoon so their downtime would be in the middle of the night. Because that makes so much more sense.
A response to this was already given and its a good one. They're coming out with a new client, all the existing characters will be wiped so just be patient. You EU people will probably get into Beta long before I do if ever, so I dont know why there's a problem here.
Here, let me spell it another way. No one is entitled to Beta access. Its whoever they pick and choose. Their reasons are their own. When the game is released you can buy it and play it to your hearts content.
I live in America. Guess what? Im not in Beta. Never have been. Guess Im a second rate citizen too. Seriously....the game will be available to EU customers so you can buy it and play it. Until then, you might get into Beta at some point or you may not. Saying that you are second rate customers when the game is certainly going to be available too you is rediculous.
This reminds me of the time that the EU customers on the Star Trek Online forums got into a fuss over the fact that server maintanence and downtime was in the middle of their day. So they insisted that the downtime should be in the middle of the American afternoon so their downtime would be in the middle of the night. Because that makes so much more sense.
A response to this was already given and its a good one. They're coming out with a new client, all the existing characters will be wiped so just be patient. You EU people will probably get into Beta long before I do if ever, so I dont know why there's a problem here.
Here, let me spell it another way. No one is entitled to Beta access. Its whoever they pick and choose. Their reasons are their own. When the game is released you can buy it and play it to your hearts content.
Very well said I thought to post the same thing but got cold feet because I didn't want to seem to harsh but what you say is 100% true, I have a collectors pre order and no beta access so maybe I should be complaining too?
Honestly though STO has made me skeptical of ever beta testing a game I'm anticipating.
EA who cares soon we can't even play games anymore unless through origin as with steam.
As a pc gamer im fed up with all these companys i boycot them all you all should do same hehe.
You need to calm down and take off the tinfoil hat. EA is not out to get you. They have never stated you need to run origin on your system. They have never stated you need to keep origin running once you have downloaded a game. They have also never stated you will be required to have origin even on your pc if you buy a physical copy of their game.
Well it seems we EU players are once again treated like third rate customers. I guess our money stinks, but its necesarry to make game avalible in EU as well because - thats what cool kids do ! YOu let neighbours kid that smells funny and talks funny play with you every now and then. Its not his fault, poor bastard ... Im naturaly talking about o beta weekend for EU. So we got vocal. Complained on forums ( go figure ) and demanded at least SOME info. Well monday was labour day in US. So devs were on prolonged weekend, during beta testing weekend no less. Makes sence I guess ... Tuesday comes and so do devs / admins. They simply delete all EU complaining threads. Ban people that ask, what gives with Gadafi treatment EA / BW ? Now we are forbiden to ask ANYTHING regarding beta or EU, Because we will get insta ban. Im use to being treated like second class citizen as EU customer to US companies. Like a dog that got beaten too man times and now hes simply induring it. But this is way too much. Its like fliping the bird to whole EU.
Are you kidding ?
If you get up in arms about this why not get up in arms about the fact that select EU countries have been left out of launch, Mexico has been left out of launch and the entire southern hemisphere of the planet Earth has been left out of launch amongst others. Many of the countries left out are ENGLISH speaking !
Did I mention customers in these zones only found this out the day pre-orders began when they tried to pre-order as invited by email from EA/Bioware only to be rewarded with a page that says "this game is not available in your region ?" and were then only told they would not be getting the game at launch as an afterthough by the supposed "community manager" ?
Did I mention that customers in these zones have been left in the dark as to when they might actually be able to buy the game ? Currently the rumour circulating in the press is Late March- Mid April 2012.....
Technically Bioware/EA are treating half the planet as trash.
This game has failed so many loyal star wars/bioware fans on so many levels before it has even launched..... just pathetic really.
I suppose its not as bad as places like Phillipines and other countries who get screwed worse than Europe.
But still. This is nothing new. In reality I always thought Europe was a much easier market to focus on since our internet infrastructure is far superior to America/other countries apart from Asia. But oh well. Localisation problems. Sure. Call it what you want.
I'm from the Philippines (representin')
Gamers from SEA don't even always have servers made for them, and when they do they're usually later in the MMO's life, unless it's an Asian MMO, of course. For WoW, and most other non-asian MMO I play i had no choice but to join either the EU or US server, where I get huge lag at times. I'm still lucky to be able to play though.
Then we have this OP who's sooo frustrated for not yet receiving beta invites?
@OP: Dude, look around you. Most often than not you'll find other people in a much worse situation that makes you think twice about pitying yourself.
Wow.. A good thing Bioware isn't in charge of providing water, food and healthcare...
Seriously folks, this is a video game... Just a video game... Now take the positive side : the more you wait before playing, the better the experience will be.. Less bugs, smoother gameplay... You'll probably have a couple of reviews to actually make your mind on the game, if people like it or not...
I suppose its not as bad as places like Phillipines and other countries who get screwed worse than Europe.
But still. This is nothing new. In reality I always thought Europe was a much easier market to focus on since our internet infrastructure is far superior to America/other countries apart from Asia. But oh well. Localisation problems. Sure. Call it what you want.
I live in Europe but recall the old days of playing Everquest where you could be anywhere in the world I was in Singapore then and play on any server. All this localization has ruined games as far as I am concerned. They just segregate you and now everytime I want to play in US servers I have to find someone to get the game for me before I can and even then they may prevent you from playing by IP restrictions. I want to go back to the good old days where I could be in a group with someone from Japan or Finland and we all had fun.
I live in Europe but recall the old days of playing Everquest where you could be anywhere in the world I was in Singapore then and play on any server. All this localization has ruined games as far as I am concerned. They just segregate you and now everytime I want to play in US servers I have to find someone to get the game for me before I can and even then they may prevent you from playing by IP restrictions. I want to go back to the good old days where I could be in a group with someone from Japan or Finland and we all had fun.
That doesn't really have anything to do with TOR. TOR only has one client and one server list at launch, the servers will be flagged as UK, NA, French and German for example but it's the players choice which one he connects to.
Comments
Darkness is coming.
I can agree with you on both sentiments. I want to play beta to play the game, but know that it will not be the game I will play at release,so I don't want to touch it. Plus there is the whole, what are you giving me feeling. Maybe if they gave free months per xx hours tested I could go for it, but my time, especially my free time is valuable to me. As for the server issue, the chances of getting a server here in Hawaii is pretty slime, so I am pretty much stuck with West Coast USA and my inherent latency sucks. Even with broadband internet via a cable modem.
"If half of what you tell me is a lie, how can I believe any of it?"
Well, this clears things up and provides answers. There is really no reason for this thread to grow any further but it seems that a number of fellow EU residents have problems in comprehending written English.
Funny how other companies (such as Blizzard) manage to do simultaenous midnight launches in both the EU and the US and they do it for both the digital download and the boxed version. Of course a company such as Blizzard has a lot more experience in rolling out this kind of software and they didn't do it like that from the beginning.
Trust me when I say that Bioware is going to learn the hard way what it means to run an MMO. I predict enormously slow updates, little to no communication between the community and Bioware and mass exodus from the game after a couple of months.
As for being in the beta.. Be careful what you wish for, it will ruin the 20-30 hours of fun you'll get out of the game.
Reward creativity and innovation in games.
This has nothing to do with EA or Bioware but rather trade conventions, laws etc. Yes they are outdated in this digital age but the cogs of the world turn slowly. Blizzard do not release their games in stores on a Tuesday here in Europe, they release them on a Friday just like everyone else.
Not that it matters to me, i'll be ingame on the same day as the yanks because of the pre-order head start but i hate reading such nonsense blaming developers and publishers for the Tuesday and Friday release dates for US and Europe.
First of all, this has nothing to do with laws or trade conventions.
Secondly regarding blizzard releases, some examples:
WoW: Cataclysm release date EU + NA: 7th December 2010: Tuesday
WoW: Wrath of the Lich King EU + NA: 13th November 2008: Thursday (Australia the day after)
Starcraft 2 EU + NA (and others): 27th July, 2010: Tuesday
These releases were not just digital but you could also buy the game in stores at midnight openings on the same day.
Anyhow the whole issue doesn't bother me that much as I cancelled my pre-order, just showing that it is apparently possible to release on the same day.
Reward creativity and innovation in games.
good to know, thanks for info, or I wanted pre order game already...
now no thank you.
try before buy, even if it's a game to avoid bad surprises.
Worst surprises for me: Aion, GW2
It's funny that you say that surprisingly Canada is #3 when Bioware is a Canadian company, at least that's where they started and they still have 2/5 studios in Canada.
What he said. What always brings a smile to my fat face is the lack of prowess at spelling, grammar and syntax in these rants. It's so much more fun than reading the newspapers, I come to MMORPG.com every day for my pick-me-up.
Digitally they did but they never launched simultaneously accross Europe with the US in the physical stores. In almost all EU countries we have to wait until a Friday for Blizzard games too unless getting it digitally.
The various conventions have been in place for a long time now for all media be it video games, music, movies and is a throwback from the times when considerations such as shipping had to be factored in. So many other systems shaped themselves around the dates that it makes it far from easy to simply change them just like that and if publishers decided to try and force the stores to carry their product early I imagine there would be repercussions. Digitally I don't get it though as the only thing i can think of that affecting is VGA charts and it's about time they shaked things up.
few more posts from the dev tracker:
StephenReid General Discussion -> EU Testing - we need info! *UPDATED*
Evening (for those of you in Europe).
We can understand the frustration here, but unfortunately we got stuck between a rock and a hard place with no realistic scenarios where we'd please everyone.
Going to try and clarify a few things here based on some questions and assumptions:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jestahr
Hmmm, I'm sure I've heard of French/German versions being tested in the past. Quite certain infact.
Regardless, can't say I'm suprised that the invites are yet again delayed. Would of been nice if you could of told us when you roughly expect them to actually be sent though, all seems a bit vague yet again.
Either way, I appreciate the communication, even if it's not what I wanted to hear.
We have conducted previous testing with EU-based testers as part of market research, and some of those testers were French or German speakers. You may be thinking of that.
In addition, we had an earlier version of the client in which - by error - German and French language options were available, and some footage from that client leaked. That client was not final, and the localization was not complete.
To be clear here: we have never officially invited French or German testers to test a French or German client which was final and ready for public testing. We are not 'holding back' the French or German version of the client.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wild
doh.. worst part is, they are testing french and german as well so only 1/3 will be english testing
No, that's an assumption. We're adding French and German localized voiceover to the client for testing, but English language will still be available.
We won't be commenting on the proportions invited into testing based on languages, but we aren't going to 'bias' EU testing towards French and German residents (or speakers).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Austentacious
Edit: I would HOPE, that if they are using localised builds, they would also have language specific servers. Therefore if they originally intended for 1500 EU testers, instead of 500 per language, it'll be 3 servers, with something closer to 800ish each. Either that or have the proposed Beta test size divided based upon representation, instead of equal numbers per language. I.e; if 80% are English speakers, 10% are French, and 10% are German, then the test invites should be sent down a 80/10/10 split to ensure each group has the same % of their community within the Beta.
That's pretty much how we're working it. Also, this is a good opportunity to talk about language servers - they're labels to inform people of what language is expected to be spoken by players on the server, not settings that enforce how your client works.
What that means is, the client works in whatever language you want it to, regardless of which server you're connecting to. Effectively this can mean that three players could player together in English, French and German at the same time, while connecting to a server that is labelled as US-English, for example.
The point is, you won't be forced into playing in a certain language, but you will be informed what the expected/suggested language of the server is when you connect to it.
Before you ask - no decision yet on whether servers will be labelled with languages other than our three officially supported ones (English/French/German). I'm sure the community will unofficially label servers themselves, though.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Simmons_j
...This is no the kind of discussion you have over the weekend or quickly in the morning.
Why would you not have told us this last week?
Seriously guys, no scottish love for you right now.
Shame, as my family are Scottish.
We were still discussing this last week, and pushing to make it happen right up until this morning when we made a final decision. We were hoping to invite last week, but issues with the invite system made that impossible, as Chris mentioned. We don't sit on announcements for no reason, folks.
I'll dig through the thread further and see if there are other questions I can answer. In the meantime, try not to extrapolate too much based on what you think might be happening - read the post please. Thanks.
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StephenReid General Discussion -> EU Testing - we need info! *UPDATED*
Hello again...
While I'm not quite up to speed on every post in the thread, there's one recurring point which I want to address - the client size.
Being an ex-European resident myself I do understand that internet speeds vary across the continent, and in some cases are staggeringly fast. While for some of you downloading 27Gb is 'no big deal' for others it very definitely is. Please bear that in mind when talking about download speeds.
I'd also like to re-iterate that we attempted to communicate as best we could about what was happening in this process while it was going on. Game Testing is a live, unpredictable process that can hit roadblocks. Last week we hit several roadblocks at once, including issues with the invite system, that caused problems with the Game Testing Weekend as well. That had a knock-on effect which caused us to make this decision today.
This delay is going to ultimately lead to a better experience for anyone who is invited to test the game (regardless of where they are based) and to better, more actionable feedback for the development team. That will lead to a better quality product at launch. Ultimately, that's always what we want to strive for.
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ChrisCollins General Discussion -> EU Testing - we need info! *UPDATED*
Quote:
Originally Posted by Shrivenx
So wait,
The EU client contains English/French and German Language files that must be downloaded. But the US one has just English?
No. This is not the case. For testing, the client will install a single language pack, then the user has the option of downloading additional packs. There is no separate EU or NA client, everyone uses the same.
BW / EA treating Austrailia / India / Uganda / South Africa / Cameroon / Kenya / and all other countries with english as primary language like trash??
If you feel entitled to a beta invite then sure they are treating you like trash.... if however you look up what a beta is, you will see that it is a sensible decision, an unpopular one but a sensible one. As a UK resident who still has not got an invite I was annoyed but their logic is sound.
If they made you download 50 gbs, well a lot of people would experience extra charges or capping for a month due to this.
Remind me how smooth WoWs launch was again?
Blizzard were able to release their "expansions" on the same day due to the size of the product but look back at the Vanilla wow launch.
Its not about mistreating customers its about how retail stores still bully even major developers, dont believe me, look at what game stop did to Deus Ex on the pc....
I live in America. Guess what? Im not in Beta. Never have been. Guess Im a second rate citizen too. Seriously....the game will be available to EU customers so you can buy it and play it. Until then, you might get into Beta at some point or you may not. Saying that you are second rate customers when the game is certainly going to be available too you is rediculous.
This reminds me of the time that the EU customers on the Star Trek Online forums got into a fuss over the fact that server maintanence and downtime was in the middle of their day. So they insisted that the downtime should be in the middle of the American afternoon so their downtime would be in the middle of the night. Because that makes so much more sense.
A response to this was already given and its a good one. They're coming out with a new client, all the existing characters will be wiped so just be patient. You EU people will probably get into Beta long before I do if ever, so I dont know why there's a problem here.
Here, let me spell it another way. No one is entitled to Beta access. Its whoever they pick and choose. Their reasons are their own. When the game is released you can buy it and play it to your hearts content.
Very well said I thought to post the same thing but got cold feet because I didn't want to seem to harsh but what you say is 100% true, I have a collectors pre order and no beta access so maybe I should be complaining too?
Honestly though STO has made me skeptical of ever beta testing a game I'm anticipating.
You need to calm down and take off the tinfoil hat. EA is not out to get you. They have never stated you need to run origin on your system. They have never stated you need to keep origin running once you have downloaded a game. They have also never stated you will be required to have origin even on your pc if you buy a physical copy of their game.
Are you kidding ?
If you get up in arms about this why not get up in arms about the fact that select EU countries have been left out of launch, Mexico has been left out of launch and the entire southern hemisphere of the planet Earth has been left out of launch amongst others. Many of the countries left out are ENGLISH speaking !
Did I mention customers in these zones only found this out the day pre-orders began when they tried to pre-order as invited by email from EA/Bioware only to be rewarded with a page that says "this game is not available in your region ?" and were then only told they would not be getting the game at launch as an afterthough by the supposed "community manager" ?
Did I mention that customers in these zones have been left in the dark as to when they might actually be able to buy the game ? Currently the rumour circulating in the press is Late March- Mid April 2012.....
Technically Bioware/EA are treating half the planet as trash.
This game has failed so many loyal star wars/bioware fans on so many levels before it has even launched..... just pathetic really.
I'm from the Philippines (representin')
Gamers from SEA don't even always have servers made for them, and when they do they're usually later in the MMO's life, unless it's an Asian MMO, of course. For WoW, and most other non-asian MMO I play i had no choice but to join either the EU or US server, where I get huge lag at times. I'm still lucky to be able to play though.
Then we have this OP who's sooo frustrated for not yet receiving beta invites?
@OP: Dude, look around you. Most often than not you'll find other people in a much worse situation that makes you think twice about pitying yourself.
Wow.. A good thing Bioware isn't in charge of providing water, food and healthcare...
Seriously folks, this is a video game... Just a video game... Now take the positive side : the more you wait before playing, the better the experience will be.. Less bugs, smoother gameplay... You'll probably have a couple of reviews to actually make your mind on the game, if people like it or not...
Oh.. and by the way.. It's just a video game..
Just cancel your pre-orders, vote with your wallets.
And we still have to pay more.
I live in Europe but recall the old days of playing Everquest where you could be anywhere in the world I was in Singapore then and play on any server. All this localization has ruined games as far as I am concerned. They just segregate you and now everytime I want to play in US servers I have to find someone to get the game for me before I can and even then they may prevent you from playing by IP restrictions. I want to go back to the good old days where I could be in a group with someone from Japan or Finland and we all had fun.
That doesn't really have anything to do with TOR. TOR only has one client and one server list at launch, the servers will be flagged as UK, NA, French and German for example but it's the players choice which one he connects to.
EA treats all customers as crap, crap that poops money.
But I would expect more from Bioware though.