Bugs in MMOs

evil-monkey

Would bugs in a game turn you off playing it completely? Or is there a certain level which could be overcome??

Take for example, Star Wars Galaxies. Not a majorly bug ridden games imho, but you could walk through tables and most other in-game items. This sort of thing; just sloppy.

Basically, at what stage do you say, I've had enough - the s/w dev in this game was pants - goodluck!!

Or is a game's overall finish and playability worth a few bugs and glitches here and there??

humanji

To be honest, I'd be more forgiving of bugs in an MMO than I would in a standard game since MMO's are constantly patched where as standard games are sometimes patched and even then it's only while the game is popular.

As long as the bugs aren't game stopping then I won't mind too much. It is annoying when little things like walking through furniture pull you out of the gaming experience, but on the since it doesn't stop the game it's easy to just move on from it. If a game has a great story or well written missions, or well implemented features, then when someone finds a bug they'll probably just roll their eyes but still get on with the game.

But if the game lacks any punch whatsoever, then the slightest little bug is going to just get the player angrier and angrier with it.

So in summary it depends on the game.

Assmaster_Kronk

Whats worrying these days is the increasing amount of bugs in MMO's at launch, despite extensive beta testing the safety net of constant patching seems to give the developers no motivation to send out a polished product. Back in the good old console days bugs were few and far between because once the game was shipped, thats how it was played. It must suck having to choose deadlines over pride in your work:)

evil-monkey

So should Betas be extended, or some other form testing and quality assurance devised??

humanji

The Betas are only really good for seeing the effects of large quantities of players playing at one time. The majority of beta testers seem to only be doing it to get a free go of an MMO before it's released and they don't bother with the actual testing, or reporting of bugs.

It'd be great if developers would do more in-house testing, but I'd say it's the publishers who wear the pants in those relationships and decide when a game is to be released. That's the main reason games get released in such terrible conditions, so that they can compete against other games or hit certain sale periods. The developers are left with pretty much no choice but to release something that's passable that they can patch later.

Venom

humanji wrote: »

The Betas are only really good for seeing the effects of large quantities of players playing at one time. The majority of beta testers seem to only be doing it to get a free go of an MMO before it's released and they don't bother with the actual testing, or reporting of bugs.

It'd be great if developers would do more in-house testing, but I'd say it's the publishers who wear the pants in those relationships and decide when a game is to be released. That's the main reason games get released in such terrible conditions, so that they can compete against other games or hit certain sale periods. The developers are left with pretty much no choice but to release something that's passable that they can patch later.

QFT

Bugs in a game as big and complex as a MMO would not put me off playing the game but an MMO rushed out when not ready for release like Warhammer, AoC and CO would totaly put me off buying and playing far more.

humanji

And that's the really sad thing. All 3 of those games turned out pretty good after they were patched. But by then it's too late. There'll still be some fans who'll hang on, but most will have moved onto the next big thing.

evil-monkey

humanji wrote: »

The Betas are only really good for seeing the effects of large quantities of players playing at one time. The majority of beta testers seem to only be doing it to get a free go of an MMO before it's released and they don't bother with the actual testing, or reporting of bugs.

A very fair point. Should beta controls be more stringent?

humanji

I'd say theyhave to be, especially in the early stages. One thing developers should be doing is having some sort of quota system, where testers have to find a specific amount of bugs or some other incentive to get people to test the games instead of just playing them. Closed beta tests are meant ot be like this, but they're just seen as something exclusive to try and get access to.

I'm currently in the Star Trek Online closed beta and one thing they're doing, which I haven't seen done before, is having testing done in 2-3 hour bursts once or twice a week. It's a little annoying if you want to get something done, but it makes people more focused on what they are trying to do. The fact that people can't play whenever they like has caused a fair few people to leave the beta as they were only there to play the game.

Venom

humanji wrote: »

And that's the really sad thing. All 3 of those games turned out pretty good after they were patched. But by then it's too late. There'll still be some fans who'll hang on, but most will have moved onto the next big thing.

But its a huge mistake that will happen again and again with new MMO's even from companies that should know better.

I would disagree about CO tho as its gotten alot worse with badly planned patches but WAR and AoC did get better but to little to late as the saying goes. Blow the players 30 days free time and most wont stick around to subscribe to the game.

LOTRO had the best launch of any recent MMO and did an amazing job with the amount of free content they provided, tho saying that I loathe Turbine and wouldnt piss on them if they were on fire

evil-monkey

Thanks for all the replies so far.

So that I've got data to back up a lot of what was discussed here, I need as many people as possible to take the following survey. I’m looking for at least 100 respondents. The survey is relevant to anyone who plays online video games, or anyone who has even a vague interest or opinion in relation to the entertainment software industry. The survey only takes a few minutes (only 10 questions), and all responses will be greatly appreciated.
Also, please forward the link to anyone you know that might be a relevant respondent.

http://thewafflefactory.wordpress.co...n-mmo-success/

Thanks again