Apology from Yoshi

[Khalithar]

Isn't this what preorders are supposed to prevent?

This is why you need open betas with story instances available, let's them see these issues coming up ahead of time, spoilers or not doesn't matter. Dealing with technical issues like this is way more important.

[Welsper59]

Isn't this what preorders are supposed to prevent?

I don't find early-access to be anything more than just what's being said. You get to experience something before others, akin to special midnight showings of new popular movies. Damn right it's gonna be packed as hell, probably uncomfortably so, but that's part of the price you pay if you wanted it at that time. Hell, there's even the risk of it being completely ruined because there's so many people lol.

[Khalithar]

I don't find early-access to be anything more than just what's being said. You get to experience something before others, akin to special midnight showings of new popular movies. Damn right it's gonna be packed as hell, probably uncomfortably so, but that's part of the price you pay if you wanted it at that time. Hell, there's even the risk of it being completely ruined because there's so many people lol.

Thing is though, that even if it didn't happen at early access it's going to happen on the 20th when the gates open and everyone else starts coming in. This should have been set up ahead of time.

[Tsukino]

You get to experience something before others

on the 20th when the gates open and everyone else starts coming in

I keep seeing people say this, but there are no "others," there's no "everyone else."

To do anything with Stormblood you have to be caught up on hundreds of main story quests from the original game and Heavensward. The only people who are getting Stormblood at all are people who are looking to jump into that content, and thus they all pre-ordered it. All pre-orders come with "early access." There may be a small number of people who quit while close to finishing Heavensward, or who will pay an additional $50 to be ready, but again the vast majority of even that group will have pre-ordered. People simply do not go to stores on the day an expansion for an MMO comes out to buy it.

This is nothing like a new game, and even though they're calling it "early access," it's undoubtedly the largest group of people coming in today, not on the 20th.

[BroodingFicus]

I don't find early-access to be anything more than just what's being said. You get to experience something before others, akin to special midnight showings of new popular movies. Damn right it's gonna be packed as hell, probably uncomfortably so, but that's part of the price you pay if you wanted it at that time. Hell, there's even the risk of it being completely ruined because there's so many people lol.

True but if, lets say, during an early midnight showing of a new hit movie, the screen keeps going black for extended periods of time and then eventually freezes to the point that they tell everyone to go home, people would be out for blood and said location would be issuing a lot of refunds and free tickets. Only in games do people seem inclined to give companies a free pass. At this point, I'd say at the very least some free game time is in order. Maybe I'm not recalling correctly but I feel like they did that for HW early access people because that first weekend it was almost unplayable for hours at a time.

[Roda]

True but if, lets say, during an early midnight showing of a new hit movie, the screen keeps going black for extended periods of time and then eventually freezes to the point that they tell everyone to go home, people would be out for blood and said location would be issuing a lot of refunds and free tickets. Only in games do people seem inclined to give companies a free pass. At this point, I'd say at the very least some free game time is in order. Maybe I'm not recalling correctly but I feel like they did that for HW early access people because that first weekend it was almost unplayable for hours at a time.

They did it for ARR.

[Nezia]

True but if, lets say, during an early midnight showing of a new hit movie, the screen keeps going black for extended periods of time and then eventually freezes to the point that they tell everyone to go home, people would be out for blood and said location would be issuing a lot of refunds and free tickets. Only in games do people seem inclined to give companies a free pass. At this point, I'd say at the very least some free game time is in order. Maybe I'm not recalling correctly but I feel like they did that for HW early access people because that first weekend it was almost unplayable for hours at a time.

It's funny how gamers are willing to understand the games companys flaws. But I'm still to see a game company willing to understand the player problems if they delay any payment.

[Kaedan]

I don't find early-access to be anything more than just what's being said. You get to experience something before others, akin to special midnight showings of new popular movies. Damn right it's gonna be packed as hell, probably uncomfortably so, but that's part of the price you pay if you wanted it at that time. Hell, there's even the risk of it being completely ruined because there's so many people lol.

This.

It is no different than special screenings of a new movie. It will be crowded, it will take extra time, and there's a good chance that there will be disruptions and other interruptions during the movie.

For those claiming SE is incompetent because they should have anticipated/foreseen this... you couldn't be more wrong. Of course they knew this was coming... but it's one of those things they can't do anything about. They waited to see just how many people they could have at once without crashing the server and then limited it.

It's like any special event where there's going to be a lot of people. The city can plan for police to guide traffic all they want, but there's still going to be massive slowdowns and crowding.

Anyone who expected anything different of any release, early access or not, simply hasn't experienced it.

[Matrinka]

Hey, can we at least get an appology minion? I suggest a wind-up Raubahn holding a crossing guard stop sign.

[Thunderblaze]

Hey, can we at least get an appology minion? I suggest a wind-up Raubahn holding a crossing guard stop sign.

I'll take a day or two of free time.