With Game Update 1.5 live, BioWare held another of their Livestream Q&A sessions earlier today starting at 3pm CST.
For those unable to watch the stream live, full notes can be found after the jump. Video of the stream is available above.
Update: Livestream over, notes from the Q&A are available after the jump. Video embed is available above.
Since the launch of the Free to Play option, a few minor things were changed due to the response of the community. Today, Community Manager Joveth Gonzalez revealed that due to feedback, Preferred Status Players will receive two new Quickbars to use in their journey of Star Wars: The Old Republic.
As you know, we take player feedback very seriously and we wanted to take this opportunity to thank you all for being a part of our Free-to-Play transition.
When Game Update 1.5 was on PTS, we heard your feedback and increased Quickbars for Free-to-Play Players, increased Warzones from three to five per week, and reduced the Cartel Coin temporary bind.
We want to let you know that we are constantly listening to you folks, and we’ve heard your feedback regarding limited Quickbars for Preferred Status Players.
This is why, after an upcoming patch that is scheduled for next week, Preferred Status Players will be given two additional Quickbars (for a total of four) that will immediately improve their gameplay experience.
We’ll have more details for you – including information for Preferred Status Players that have already purchased extra Quickbars - once the change goes live.
For the post in full, head over to the official forum.
After yesterday’s update to the Public Test Server, BioWare responded to a few questions regarding the Free-to-Play Cartel Market. Since most of these will not fit in our columns, we decided to make the responses available here in this singular post. In the first, BioWare answers queries on the mysterious timer on the bottom of Cartel Market items.
I can clarify that the item will not disappear after the timer is over - after that time period, the item is no longer bound to you and can be traded!
The items do not disappear after 5 days; after the timer expires, they are no longer bound to the player and can be traded. Please also remember that we are currently testing the new features, so report any issues you encounter and please provide your feedback in the PTS forum. Thanks!
Howdy everyone!
Thanks for pointing this out; the current temporary bind durations for Cartel Market items are indeed incorrect for Subscribers. Subscribers will find a much shorter duration on the binding from Market items.
I've seen some discussions on the test server wondering why we even have the binding rules in place. To be blunt, it's to limit fraud. Allowing players to trade items they buy from the Market, to give gifts, and to sell them on the Galactic Trade Network is core to our plans for the Cartel Market and an experience we only want to improve!
We will be reducing the bind duration time by the launch of 1.5, and will be following feedback closely to ensure we're making everyone's experience as positive as possible!
Some subscribers are viewed as F2P even though they subscribe.
Thanks for the reports - this is not currently working as intended and we are working on a fix!
There are some status-related access issues that aren't functioning as intended on the PTS right now; we'll definitely be addressing these. Thanks for the reports!
Misunderstandings regarding subscriber access to Section X and HK-51.
Just to make sure this is clear, players who are subscribed will not have to pay to unlock Section X and HK-51. There has been some confusion about this due to an issue on PTS that does not make it appear unlocked to players there.
If you have any other questions for BioWare that you would like to see answered, head on over to the official thread created yesterday specifically for that.
Servers are back up after this morning's scheduled maintenance period. Today's patch includes fixes for several of the issues introduced when the 1.4 update went live. Among those changes are a fix for the companion hide helmet option, crew skill missions returning the expected amounts of materials, weekly missions again being obtainable, fixes to the GTN, and once again being able to right-click on players' names in the chat window.
Joveth Gonzalez made a post last night talking about the known issues in 1.4 and their efforts to fix them:
Hey folks,
Just wanted to let you know that tomorrow's maintenance should bring in a lot of fixes to some of the top issues seen with 1.4. We're aiming to fix the top-reported issues found here, but keep in mind that with any update, a variety of factors could influence successful implementation. This also doesn't represent a comprehensive list for tomorrow's patch, as we have more fixes going in, but this will give you an idea of the status for top-reported issues.
Thank you for your patience!
Full patch notes can be found after the jump.
With new patch releases, sometimes things go awry. Game Update 1.4 was no exception. While there are bugs, BioWare has been upfront about issues caused by the new update. In this, a recent thread commenting on bugs that the developers had yet to speak on, received attention from the staff.
We wanted to take some time to update the community on the status of the top reported Game Update 1.4 issues. Many of you follow our official responses via the Dev Tracker and our Known Issues thread, but we wanted to make sure that there was one central place to have the latest updates on these issues. Below, you will find the most frequently reported issues since Game Update 1.4 and their current statuses. This is not a comprehensive list, but is meant to encompass the most reported issues since the last Game Update.
We are aware of and are investigating the following issues:
• General performance issues.
• Weekly missions are not consistently available.
• Warzone matches sometimes grant the win to the incorrect team.
• Some Crew Skill Missions are currently returning less materials than intended.
• The Bounty Hunter ship cannot be destroyed during the Jindo Krey encounter in the False Emperor.
• Galactic Trade Network searches are not functioning as intended, and Strength is missing from the Stats filter.
• The Hide Helmet option does not function from the Social Tab.
• Hide Helmet for Companions does not currently function correctly.
• Right-clicking player names in chat does not open the context menu.
• Players are able to consume schematics for items that they can already create.
• Same-faction PvP matches sometimes use incorrect voiceovers.
Again, this isn’t a comprehensive list, but know that we are working to make sure that we enhance the player experience by resolving these and other reported issues. Thank you very much for your patience!
For the thread discussing these issues, hit the official forum.
Over the last couple of weeks, there has been a sizable uptick in total posts from the developers on Star Wars: The Old Republic. Community Manager Joveth Gonzalez talks about the communication on the tracker and hints at new blogs incoming tomorrow.
While we appreciate all kinds of constructive feedback, as Allison pointed out, the forums are only one small measure of communication. Do keep in mind that while some days it seems that there isn't any forum activity from us, we're busy hopping around, taking a look at the SWTOR subreddit, Twitter, Facebook, and responding to PMs.
Consider that our fanbase is large and spread across various social media sites, and you can see that we strive to make sure that they are covered, no matter where our fans are.
We're also working on some new community blogs that we'll be posting in the upcoming week or so, in addition to our standard weekly blogs that we already put up.
Finally, while this team is highly visible, a lot of what we do is internal: responding to developer requests for feedback, moderating the forums, writing patch notes, working with localization, sending various documents & ideas for approvals, working with marketing, maintaining relationships with fan sites & guilds, attending game development meetings, escalating issues, following up on bugs, and much, much more.
In short, measuring the number of gold posts every day is not the best indicator of our overall activity. You're welcome to continue to do so, but know that every day we are working with our developers to respond to your questions here on the forums, which results in about 5-10 developer responses even during a light news week.
If anything, measure against what we had before we started our increase in communication on August 8th. I guarantee that you will see a difference.
Stay tuned for the new blogs, which we'll be debuting starting tomorrow.
As always, thanks for taking an interest in this. Constructive feedback is always welcome and we'll definitely adjust our strategies when there is a need .
For the thread in full, hit the official forum.
Update: Corrected the intro with the correct version.
Game update 1.3 hit the live servers this week, and, although it’s small, we’re getting our first taste of things to come in 1.4 in this week’s DevTracker highlights. Systems Designer David Hunt discusses 1.4 and the re-itemization of loot in flashpoints. Online Community Manager Joveth Gonzalez shares some of the philosophy behind the European server transfers from RP-PvP to PvP. Writer Joanna Berry discloses backstory on Tython and the Columi. Gameplay Programmer Matt Boudreaux points out upcoming customization options for companions. UI Programmer Erin Wentworth grants a request for a custom keybind in an upcoming patch. Hit the jump to see all the highlights.
With the 1.3 game update now available on the PTS and the long awaited Group Finder in full testing mode, the next big question was about server transfers. BioWare has made a post on the official site with some details on how the transfers will work and when to expect to see them. The transfers will be limited to specific source and destination servers and will be carried out in a staged approach starting on next Tuesday, June 12, 2012.
In a previous Community Q&A we talked about character transfers, and announced that they were coming in early summer. Character transfers are a complex process, but we're almost ready to go. Starting next week on June 12th, 2012, we’re allowing character transfers to occur between selected servers in order to provide a better gameplay experience for our players by ensuring population balance across the service.
The full post can be found after the jump.
UPDATE: Joveth Gonzalez and Allison Berryman have posted some clarifications on the official forums regarding how transfers will work. Among the details of note, they explain that source servers will only have one single destination server available. Full quotes after the jump.
Online Community Manager Joveth Gonzalez posted a new update today on the Community Team and their transition into a new restructuring. The update outlines how each member of the Community Team will pair up with an appropriate developer in their area of focus, such as PvP, Operations and Crew Skills, to help relay better and more accurate information to players.
Many of the team members might be familiar names if you’ve seen their posts in the DevTracker, but check out the entire post past the jump to see them all and which class they’re currently playing.
Joveth Gonzalez decrees no scheduled maintenance period this time around; game servers will remain up during what is normally the weekly downtime on Tuesday, May 22nd:
We’d like to inform players that we will not be requiring any downtime during our usual scheduled maintenance window on Tuesday, May 22nd, 2012.
Both the website and the game servers will be available for play.
Enjoy the game!
For those of you looking forward to an excuse to peel away from your keyboard, better luck next week.
Things start ramping up to Game Update 1.3 in this week’s DevTracker highlights. Designer Austin Peckenpaugh shows how percentages work in player damage formulas. Senior Community Coordinator David Bass requests feedback on the Bounty Hunter’s buff mechanics. Systems Designer David Hunt talks about the role of crafters for augment slots and quick-fire answers questions on just how augment slots will become available to players in Game Update 1.3. Associate Online Community Manager Joveth Gonzalez says more information is coming on Game Update 1.3 in some upcoming developer blogs. Hit the jump to see all the highlights.
This time around on DevTracker, Joveth Gonzalez talks improvements to the GTN, Amber Green seeks input on the UI changes ushered in with Update 1.2, Courtney Woods details the return of Fan Friday, David Bass gives his take on the changes to the Warzone Daily mission, Daniel Erickson mentions tweaks to instance portal restrictions, Eric Musco ushers in the first ever Star Wars: The Old Republic podcast and Allison Berryman sets her keyboard afire talking Reverse Engineering, forum hostilities, the "Allies expansion pack" and much, much more. Hit the jump to catch up on a week's worth of highlights.
Scheduled maintenance for Star Wars: The Old Republic will per usual occur tomorrow morning, Tuesday the 15th of May, from approximately 2AM CDT until 6AM CDT. Once again all game servers and Matrix Cubes will be brought offline for nap time and the possibility of a patch application on restart is ever-present.
Hello everyone, we wanted to let you know that we will be performing scheduled maintenance for four hours on Tuesday, May 15th , 2012 from 2AM CDT (12AM PDT/3AM EDT/8 AM BST/9AM CEST/5PM AEST) until 6AM CDT (4AM PDT/7AM EDT/12PM BST/1PM CEST/9PM AEST). All game servers will be offline during this period. This maintenance is expected to take no more than four hours, but could be extended.
If and when a patch comes up with the servers, we'll have the patch notes available here for your pleasure and amusement. For the original server maintenance announcement in its glorious entirety, visit the official announcement page.
You’ll learn about expertise, armoring, and what the heck a techblade is in this week’s DevTracker highlights. Principle Lead Combat Designer Georg Zoeller illustrates the importance of expertise and why Recruit gear is so valuable for starting players. Associate Online Community Manager Joveth Gonzalez informs how Novare Coast is affecting the phasing out of Ilum daily and weekly quests. Systems Designer David Hunt explains why there are no level 50 techblades and techstaffs, and how armoring, barrels, and hilts work in relation to the item ratings. Senior Online Community Manager Stephen Reid wants to hear your thoughts on the Rakghoul Pandemic event. Hit the jump to see all the highlights.
A short time ago, Associate Online Community Manager Joveth Gonzalez posted a statement on the official Star Wars: The Old Republic forums regarding an account summary e-mail that some players have, or will shortly receive. The emails are a delayed send out that were supposed to coincide with a previous transaction. Instead, the emails sent caused a bit of confusion for players who previously canceled their accounts. Thankfully, no accounts were reactivated or double-billed as a result of this issue.
Hi everyone,
Many of you have received an email earlier today that has caused a bit of confusion that we would like to clear up. The summary and confirmation email that players have received (or will receive) is a delayed email that should have been sent on the original date of the transaction. The date for the actual transaction can be found in the first sentence of the email that was sent out.
In other words, this is not a new charge. Rest assured that if you have cancelled your subscription since the date featured in the email, you are NOT being re-subscribed.
Apologies for any confusion, and in the future you can look forward to receiving summary and confirmation emails in a more timely manner.
Thank you
For the official forum thread regarding the mix-up, visit Joveth's post.
UPDATE: EA's Origin store is also experiencing problems with delayed email.
If you are trying to purchase Star Wars The Old Republic, The Sims or any other product that needs to be activated by a code, you will not be able to activate and play your game until you have received your confirmation email. We apologize for the inconvenience. Please do not attempt to place another order because you have yet to receive your confirmation email; rest assured your order has been placed, and your confirmation email will be sent as soon as possible.
Next Wednesday, the Star Wars: The Old Republic servers will be down for approximately seven hours. Be advised that BioWare could extend the maintenance window.
Hello everyone, we wanted to let you know that we will be performing scheduled maintenance for seven hours on Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012 from 2AM CST (12AM PST/3AM EST/8AM GMT/9AM CET) until 9AM CST (7AM PST/10AM EST/3PM GMT/4PM CET). All game servers and SWTOR.com will be offline during this period. This maintenance is expected to take no more than seven hours, but could be extended.
For our new players, this weekly maintenance is done in order to make general improvements and to check performance of the game so that we can continue to provide a consistent, quality experience. Quite often (but not always) after a maintenance period there will be a patch to download. After the maintenance, please login via the launcher to download the latest patch. If your launcher was open during the maintenance, you must close and reopen it for a fresh login.
Scheduled Maintenance
Date: Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012
Time: 2AM CST (12AM PST/3AM EST/8AM GMT/9AM CET) until 9AM CST (7AM PST/10AM EST/3PM GMT/4PM CET)
All game servers and SWTOR.com will be offline during this period. This maintenance is expected to take no more than seven hours.
Thank you for your patience as we maintain service for Star Wars™: The Old Republic™.
Adjust your furious gameplay accordingly.
Ilum issues persist after patch 1.1.2. Players are flooding the Official Forums with accounts that kills in Ilum are not registering towards Daily and Weekly Quests. Associate Online Community Manager Joveth Gonzalez acknowledged the issue, saying the following:
Hi everyone,
I wanted to give you all a quick update. The dev team has been investigating the cause of this issue and they're closer to figuring out a solution. As mentioned before, we'll keep you updated with any new developments. Thanks again for your patience on this.
As always, Darth Hater will provide updates on this issue as more information becomes available.
UPDATE - 02/08/2011 4:45pm ET: Joveth Gonzalez has posted on the official forums that the issue will be addressed in a patch tomorrow:
Hi everyone,
I wanted to let you know that we will be deploying a patch tomorrow (details coming very soon) with the following resolutions:
Killing players on Ilum will now consistently grant Valor and mission credit as intended.
Once again, thank you for your patience.
Grab your lightsaber as this week’s DevTracker Highlights is all about PvP. Associate Online Community Manager Joveth Gonzalez hints at future updates to game’s launcher. Senior Online Community Manager Stephen Reid addresses concerns about stifling the community’s voice during server maintenance and patching. Senior Community Coordinator David Bass assures players that discussions at the Guild Summit will be in-depth, unlike those at conventions. Principal Lead Combat Designer Georg Zoeller talks PvP bags and the rate at which players acquire PvP gear. Lead PvP, Operations & Flashpoints Designer Gabe Amatangelo follows up and attests that players will see a less sporadic rate at which gear is acquired. Hit the jump to dig in and see all the highlights.
Associate Online Community ManagerJoveth Gonzales took to the forums today to post a guide for improving framterate and performance of Star Wars: The Old Republic. With the help of Associate Project Manager Avi Mintz, the guide helps explain what each of the graphic settings actually means, provides solutions for performance issues, and gives troubleshooting tips for bugs and client crashes. You can read the post in full past the jump.
BioWare is hard at work addressing issues and gathering feedback in this week’s DevTracker Highlights. Principal Lead Combat Designer Georg Zoeller covers tactics for higher-level combat, character responsiveness issues, character level progress, how moddable items work, vehicle damage ceilings, and the illusive magenta crystal. Assistant Designer Chris Schmidt asks for feedback concerning the final class mission for the Jedi Knight. Senior Online Community Manager Stephen Reid breaks down the procedure for addressing bug fixes and game issues. Associate Online Community Manager Joveth Gonzalez clarifies the rumor entailing players being banned for not taking advantage of special dance zones. Hit the jump to dig in and see all the highlights.
