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The Daily Grind: What's the worst (and best) MMO launch you've experienced?
So I finally got to log onto the Balmung server in Final Fantasy XIV yesterday afternoon. I'd been trying off and on for a couple of days, only to be thwarted by the 1017 monster. I dusted off my 1.0 character, went through the brief tutorial, and set about exploring the city of Ul'dah and oohing and ahhing over the newest AAA MMO. Maybe it's because I'm getting old, but FFXIV's launch problems really didn't bother me. It's not the best I've ever witnessed, that's for sure, but I've seen far, far worse. What about you, Massively readers? What's the worst MMO launch you've experienced? How about the best? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
BioWare taking SWTOR queues 'seriously'
Stop us if you've heard this one before: Hugely anticipated MMO struggles to balance lengthy launch queues with long-term server and community stability. Yes, BioWare is slogging down the same slippery supply and demand slope that many AAA MMOs have trod before, and a report at Eurogamer suggests that the lines have only just begun. There were 140 servers open for business this past weekend (a pre-launch period in which BioWare staggered waves of invites to legions of early release customers), and more are being added due to queue times approaching two hours. With Star Wars: The Old Republic's actual launch day looming tomorrow, BioWare's Jeff Hickman did his best to deflect criticism and soothe the impatient rumblings of disgruntled players. "While we can't promise that there won't ever be queues, we can promise you that we are taking this matter seriously and constantly reviewing them to make sure that they are manageable and reasonable," he said.
RIFT's head-start is standing room only
To almost no one's surprise, Trion's RIFT head-start was an exercise in multitasking for many would-be players. MMO launch-day veterans are probably familiar with the one-eye-on-the-queue and one-eye-on-something-more-productive routine by now, but for everyone else, the fact that a good portion of the day was spent not playing RIFT was a bit frustrating. In some cases, estimated wait times approached 15 hours (though in fairness to the folks at Trion, the counters did fluctuate quite a bit). Demand was so great that a whopping 13 additional servers were added around noon, with 10 more going up as the day wore on. Tell us about your head-start horror stories in the comments (if you're not too busy playing, that is).
Get your Global Agenda limited edition helms while they last
If you've had your eyes on one of those spiffy Anubis helmets that Hi-Rez devs have been known to wear when rubbing elbows with the Global Agenda faithful, now's your chance to nab one. Queue up for mercenary PvP matches between November 13th and November 20th (and win 25 of them), and you'll be the proud owner of a rather exclusive piece of in-game flair. That's not enough for you, eh? Well in that case, sign up and play 10 /Challenge matches before November 22nd and get your hands on an even rarer piece of flair: the Horus helm. You can view both items and read up on all the promotional details on the official Global Agenda website.
