Growing Pains

“Star Warsâ„¢: The Old Republicâ„¢ has had a very successful launch, but we know our work has only begun.”  It’s an interesting statement when you think about it, especially when considering how many gamers are comparing SWTOR’s launch to every single MMO launch predating it.  But how successful has their launch really been?  And what determines that success?

SWTOR is a ground breaking MMO.  From the fully voice acted dialogue all the way to Huttball, the level and breadth of innovations that they have brought to the MMO space is staggering.  However with these innovations comes a plethora of inconsistencies and bugs to make any gamer raise an eyebrow in confusion.  Which brings me to the second half of BioWare’s quote, “…but we know our work has only begun.”

New dog, same old tricks…

Rift was the new kid on the block not too long ago and it came out with a bang!  Trion released content patches for Rift faster than any MMO to date while innovating modern day concepts into a new package that brought in over 1 million subscriptions taking everyone by surprise.  But with that success and pace also came a great deal of bugs and issues which frustrated a significant portion of their player base.

Now we have BioWare releasing content patch 1.1 less than a month after the official release date of the game with plans to release 1.2 this March, just 2 months after their 1st content patch.  In and of itself this news isn’t alarming, but when coupled with the current level of bugs in game and the previous history of other MMO’s for comparison, a degree of concern becomes very reasonable.  So what are we, the consumer, supposed to think?

Too much, too fast?

Something that cannot be overlooked is how much fun SWTOR is to play.  No matter how many complaints may arise, the majority of gamers playing SWTOR will still say how much fun it is.  Whether it’s the engrossing class story lines, the inspired Warzones for PvP, or the Operations that bring a much needed breath of fresh air to raiding there’s something here for everyone.  And that is exactly the point that many gamers wish BioWare would grasp.  There is already more than enough content for right now.  We’re happy.

So the popular wish is that BioWare would devote more resources to fixing bugs than releasing new content.  But as many gamers don’t always understand (or acknowledge) you can’t just put people who are working on other projects on “bug fixing”.  Whether that’s due to training, skill sets of individuals, budget allowances by department, or any number of reasons that may not be disclosed to the common public.  So with that in mind where do you draw the line as far as what is acceptable and what isn’t?

Accepting Reality

Even with all of the existing bugs in game, the fact is that SWTOR’s release is arguably the strongest and smoothest MMO release to date.  And while many may want to say WoW did it best, that opinion is voiced with rose colored glasses.  Because while WoW is a smooth and polished machine today, it’s release was not a strong one by any stretch of the word.  Rift is likely the only MMO up for possibly having a smoother release than SWTOR, and that speaks volumes.

There was no possible way for SWTOR to release at 110%, fully polished and able to blow your mind on every single level.  That’s not how MMO development works, and veteran MMO players already know this fact.  The important questions that should be asked is how long will it take for BioWare to fix the existing bugs.  And after that, will future content come out polished?  Or will it simply introduce a steady stream of bugs leaving players constantly frustrated?

As none of us receive Force inspired visions of the future in real life, you will have to decide whether you’re willing to put your trust in BioWare as a company and give them time to prove themselves.  I know that I will.

-Suffer Well Brothers and Sisters…