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EA/Bioware has no choice
hh33
Member Posts: 55
Like the thread title says, EA/Bioware has no choice but to refund any monies spent by customers who resubbed or extended within the last 1-10 (you pick) days.
It is obvious that EA/Bioware waited until the last possible minute to announce that they will not be including their ranked PvP warzone feature in the 1.2 update.
I'm not saying they did this with malicious intent since there is no evidence to support it. However, the only thing that matters in the long run is that it certainly looks like it and millions of gamers are going to see it that way as well.
If EA/Bioware does not come out with a plan to release the said feature with a concrete date in the very near future (under 5-7 days) or offer to refund subscription money then they are going to get eaten alive. Offering free playing time will not cut it since many people already paid up front expecting this feature to be released.
It does not matter if you think they made an innocent mistake, it will not appear this way to the overwhelming majority of existing & potential customers out there.
Consider the amount of negativity this game has already received during the past 4 months and then multiply it x1000 (or more) if they decide to sit on their hands regarding it. Call me a doomsayer, but this could wreck any reputation that EA/Bioware has as an honest company in short order.
Either way, this should be interesting to watch unfold, I don't recall this type of situtation happening with another MMO provider.
Comments
Actually it has happen before but in a much larger scale. NGE for SWG and yep they had to do some refunds for it.
I dont think they need to refund anything.. if a feature has not made it into a patch its because its not ready.. why would they shoot themselves in the foot and release somthing that does not work? that would just be stupid..
I am not a fan of SWTOR at all and think its a massive waste of the Star Wars IP but still I cant see why they would need to refund anything..
Really who cares about ranked pvp in this game? The pvp game mechanics are absolute garbage and not fit for competitive purpose. If you want ranked competitive pvp just go back to the game they copied it from where it's done far far far better. Now brb off to get stunlocked to death then watch as resolve pops as I respawn for the millionth time!
Much of their PvP base from what I know are either irritated or are becoming irritated with the game. Failing to inform an already angry player in time about a change of plan, charging their subscription, and then not refunding them would be a C-C-C-COMBO BREAKER!
Okay, now I have to post something...
If you (or anybody else) resubbed for a feature that was in PTS patch notes, then it really, really is your own fault. PTS patch notes says they can be changed at any time, same as in any MMO, same as in any game. If you're excited about a TEST CENTER patch notes feature, you should have waited to resub when the patch is released, to ensure you get what you want from it.
I don't think they should refund anything, it is -Entirely- your own fault.
Unfortunately a subscription fee is only a payment for server access. A subscription fee does not guarantee you anything beyond that.
Website: http://www.thegameguru.me / YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/users/thetroublmaker
You're right. It's entirely their fault if they resubscribed to a game based on a feature that they were promising in their 1.2 patch. If a single feature is the difference, they probably should just stop playing anyway.
Hopefully they learned their lesson and cancel their sub for next month. Especially since now they can never trust the developers when they say a feature is going to be in game.
Maybe..
Personally I don't think EA cares that much about their public image. It's already in the toilet. After being crowned worst company in america, who gives a crap about a stupid lil pvp fix.
Maybe. But it really makes no difference. Its EA/Biowares own fault if the game starts to bleed subscribers faster than ever. Bioware need subscribers. A lot of subscribers will feel they dont need Bioware/Swtor anymore. I dont think the fine print in the PTS patch notes will make people want to continue playing.
There is an old saying that when you assume something, you make an a$$ out of you and me. Seems to fit well here. The simple fact is that NOTHING on the test server of ANY game is guaranteed to make it to the live servers. Anyone who resubbed to the game after making that kind of assumption deserves to loose some money for their stupidity.
Instead of immature idiots making wild claims like this, let's look at a well known FACT. A good developer, when confronted by something that is not working in an upcoming patch, will shelve it until they get it working right. Heck, even only mediocre developers do this. Now if BioWare was SOE, the feature though it is not working would be put in the game anyways. Thankfully BioWare chose NOT to take this route.
This is a true case of darned if you do and darned if you don't. If BioWare had put it in the game, all the flamers would have been griping about it not working. Since they have shelved it until they get it working properly, all the flamers are griping.
I'll tell you what though, next time you go to work, instead of getting a project done right that your boss gives you, turn it in to them completely wrong and tell them they should be happy with it. Then the next time you are given a project (if you still have a job that is) when the deadline is approaching and you know you can't get the project done right, ask for some more time and see how much better that goes over. It is only in a forum such as this where doing the right thing can be determined to be the wrong thing.
"If half of what you tell me is a lie, how can I believe any of it?"
They did not promise a feature. As with all MMO's it is said in the patch notes that it is not finalized and may change at any time.
Its just semantics at this point. It was advertised in videos. People have been talking about it for months. It wasn't just a small feature. It was a major feature. A feature that they failed to deliver on when they said they would.
Which is fine. If people resubbed based on it being in, they got screwed. Hopefully they cancel next time like the responsible adults they should be. Obviously they are unable to deliver on a lot of promises often. I mean... what happened to world PvP and Ilum for instance? They jsut have a pretty bad track record on this stuff and this only reinforces that idea.
Unfortunately it does not matter if they promised or didn't promise a certain feature. If someone resubscribed to the game assuming that feature (in this case rated battlegrounds) would be added during the not to distant future and then they learn at the last possible moment that the feature has been removed and will instead be added at some future time then that person is going to be peeved and feel like they have been ripped off and will cease subscribing to the game.
The Enlightened take things Lightly
I don't know if the announced right before patch was intentional or not but would you prefer a failed Ranked pvp system?
"you are like the world revenge on sarcasm, you know that?"
One of those great lines from The Secret World
That might happen anyway.
I think people are more angry that they didn't warn them a few weeks ago. Obviously if they thought there was even a chance they wouldn't get it in, they should have at least mentioned it at some point. IT's pretty hard to believe they were just blindsided about it one day before patch.
Like said before: Resubbing for a feature that is not yet live is the fault of those who did that, not EA/BW. They've done enough stupid things with this game, but blaming them for this is insane.
There are multiple warnings that the patch notes on PTS are not the final Live notes and that any feature might not make it in. Anyone so interested in that feature that he/she even considers resubbing just for it must have read those warnings.
The conclussion here is the same as with pre-orders and such: Buying something that is not yet built and then possibly not getting what you expected is your own risk.
There will be no refunds.
The PTS patch notes carry a clear disclaimer that warns of changing content, so nobody can use the PTS patch notes as "proof" of broken promises.
As far as not delivering "promised" content on launch day goes, I think every MMO ever released has cut some promised features before launch, so this is nothing new. Ranked warzones may be a "major feature" for a PVP'er, but for those of us who don't PVP in SWTOR, it is entirely irrelevant.
It would have been better if they delayed the patch until the major and most important features was ready. This will give them negative PR and dis appointed players.
When you hype a patch and try to convince people they should continue playing its in a way like releasing a new game.
Here's another take on it. They said it would be available in 1.2 Legacy. However, they didn't say it would be 1.2.0.
So yeah, it's completely within their rights to release it in a later 1.2 patch or probably within their right to not release it at all.
Yeah,EA/BioWare dont care about their public image.
Personally I don't care what the PTS patch notes says. I will continue to sub and play as long as the game is fun to me and there is something new for me to do or work towards. It is an easy choice. When I loose interest in a game or it fails to meet my expectations I don't go crying to the company expecting my money back and I don't go whining to the community via forums to drum up support. I do what most comsumers do. I go to a new product and find some enjoyment or I go back to one I liked before and spend my money there .
TBF to anyone who did resub this wasnt jsut a patch note on a PTS it was a media hyped feature straight from Biowares mouths dating back over 2 month with 100s of interviews and showpeices of it categorically stating it would be in 1.2.
Need I remind you of
at 1:33 into video
It is also completely within their rights to shut down the servers and kill the game. If you read the EULA/TOS this is very clear.
But I think they want subscribers and profits.
A few weeks ago they were trying to get the feature ready for the 1.2 patch. At first they said 1.2 was supposed to be the end of March and they had to push that back. Now it's mid-April and it sounds like one feature isn't at the quality they want, but there's no reason to delay the entire patch until that one part is finished.
So now it's come down to the wire and at the last minute they decided not to push out something they would be unhappy with (and make players unhappy) and give it more attention (and make it better). Because of that you have whiny kids and conspiracy theorists out in droves crying that they were lied to. You think they should have mentioned that the feature might not make it into the 1.2 patch? Look at all of this e-rage and imagine the reaction. Honestly, "we understand" would not be a common sentiment.
Some of you people need to grow up and join us in the real world. It's a game and they're doing what they can. You might not agree with them. Tough. Cancel and move on, but for the love of all things holy just STFU!
Someone famous once said, "Do, or do not, there is no try"
Sorry, I couldn't resist, if only we could all use the force in our day to day lives things would always work out better.
No, like the others said, all content in MMOs is subject to change without notice, heck, they could decide to scrap the feature altogether and other than cancelling your sub, there isn't much else you can do.
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Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
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