I wanna start this by saying that I'm usually a bit of an apologist for the game, and I honestly do enjoy playing it. However, this is getting a tad ridiculous again. It's I guess that time, I feel like I gotta make a thread like this every few months because it just gets over the top. Wtf are you guys doing? We just get over an account bug (which tagged my account at the end of a pay period and left me flat broke for 3 days. Thanks, guys) and someone abuses a bug that's been around for years. It's cool, whatever, I get why emotes got disabled. However, there's still massive rubberbanding, I know a bunch of people with large load times and disconnects even as recently as last night. And now, I'm one of a slew of people who has been hit with a bug that completely destroys our patcher, making playing the game at all completely impossible. It starts minimized and stays there. I downloaded an old version of the patcher, it started normally outside of my game folder, and patched fine. But when I put it in my game folder, it patched, and started permanently minimized again. I'm not alone in this, judging by a few people I've asked, and reading the forums.
It's nearing a level of trainwreck that's comparable to the kitchen sink patches, only without the content. Please sort your code. The population seemed to be on an upswing for a bit, I really don't want the game to turn back into a ghost town again because someone honestly doesn't seem to care about QA or bug checks before releasing updates.
Unsubbing us, breaking the patcher so we can't get in game... It actually feels right now like you legitimately don't want us to play. I'm worried that a bunch of people might take you up on the offer. As it stands right now? If you can get your sub to work, if you can get your code sent to the right place so your computer is recognized, and if your launcher works properly and doesn't get broken by an update? You can log in to a game with no emotes, random crashes, and a fair chance of terrible rubber-banding. Seriously, guys. Come on.
In game, I am @EvilTaco. Happily killing purple gang members since May 2008.
None of what I'm about to say has any evidence attached to it, so take it as you will.
We've got a new team that has been getting their feet wet with the engine For about a half year now. We've seen their development pace. It's honestly not their fault. It seems they've been dumped in the middle of a bunch of code and were told "Hey, good luck!" There's seemingly no one, or not a lot of people, left around that know much about the code. Give them time, maybe they'll get the hang of it.
I know what it's like to be dropped in the middle of a mess and be expected to hit the ground running. It sucks. But you just gotta try at the best pace you can muster.
Bugs will pop up, obviously. New ones, old ones, but until the experience level gets there, don't expect quick fixes.
I don't expect the team to be fully versed with the game for another year, maybe. (This isn't one of them "I give them a year until..." posts.)
Before Neverwinter launched, I thought we'd get developers back after launch. Boy was I wrong. At least we got new developers, which is not as good, but it's something. I don't know who's to "blame" for that. Cryptic or PWE. But as long as the new guys are trying, and there's some people in the development team that give a poo, and at least we have a team on the game, then I'm fine. Wish it were much better, but them's the breaks. "At least it ain't shut down."
All i'm saying is, they have to have some access to people who've been working with co for a minute. It'd be a really bad idea to not have at least one vet around to help the others learn. And even new to the engine, it's a little thing called QA. Where you push the patch to a few test boxes to see if it breaks stuff?
Normally I overlook it, but it's like a recurring thing recently that's actively trying to lock people out of game. When it hits that point, I feel like it's time for an intervention lol. Cryptic, we love you. But please. Seek help.
In game, I am @EvilTaco. Happily killing purple gang members since May 2008.
Normally I overlook it, but it's like a recurring thing recently that's actively trying to lock people out of game. When it hits that point, I feel like it's time for an intervention lol. Cryptic, we love you. But please. Seek help.
... yeah, the bugs are kinda absurd and it really is a smart choice to have one veteran to CO around, but apparently that's not how Cryptic North's operating.
At least they're learning? Fatal Err0r's first episode is pretty good, and some costume material bugs have gotten fixed.
All i'm saying is, they have to have some access to people who've been working with co for a minute. It'd be a really bad idea to not have at least one vet around to help the others learn. And even new to the engine, it's a little thing called QA. Where you push the patch to a few test boxes to see if it breaks stuff?
Normally I overlook it, but it's like a recurring thing recently that's actively trying to lock people out of game. When it hits that point, I feel like it's time for an intervention lol. Cryptic, we love you. But please. Seek help.
No, you're right, they should have someone there to teach the guys the ropes (if they indeed haven't been taught them ropes), but what they should and what they do isn't always the same, unfortunately.
FWIW, I jumped into the game a few minutes ago, ran Iron Wing through Red Winter and a few missions so I could level. There was some minor rubberbanding in MC, which is incredibly annoying there because half the people in town want to kill you for one reason or another (and Biselle wants me to vote for his re-election? As if!). Didn't encounter any disconnects, or even System Not Respondings, and obviously since I was able to play my launcher wasn't broken.
Are there any tests that can be run to ensure that your difficulties are on their end?
"Science teaches us to expect -- demand -- more than just eerie mysteries. What use is a puzzle that can't be solved? Patience is fine, but I'm not going to stop asking the universe to make sense!"
Yeah, a bunch of us just spontaneously developed launcher issues at the same time because of our own misdoings. That's obviously more likely than a patch causing intermittent issues for some players.
Jon, I did a few tests, and I even have 2 copies of champs installed via VM. It's hitting me on both of em, even when I install a new launcher and patch it. It's certainly not on my end, and I've been having the rubber banding/lagging issues too. I also did a full network diagnostic on myself and from me to them. Hell, I even used the various proxies, disabled on demand patching, etc... It's nothing stopping me down the pipe, and I'm clear as a bell on my end. So, I can say at the least? I'm one person who's ran every test possible and is still being hit by this stuff.
In game, I am @EvilTaco. Happily killing purple gang members since May 2008.
You know, bux, there have been occasions when people have developed problems with their Internet connections, or had packet losses en route, and blamed Cryptic for the entire issue. If the problem isn't reproducible for everyone, isn't it reasonable to consider all the possibilities? Or don't you remember a year or so back when there was an issue with 'Net traffic from northern Europe to the US, and many users in France and the UK wanted Cryptic to fix it right away?
Now, it may also be an issue on Cryptic's end, which is why I asked EvilTaco about tests. He ran them, and the problem isn't with his system; now we need to find out if the problem is at Cryptic, or in between the two. And if it is Cryptic, they need to fix it soonest. I just don't see the point in flying off the handle until one is in possession of as much information as possible.
"Science teaches us to expect -- demand -- more than just eerie mysteries. What use is a puzzle that can't be solved? Patience is fine, but I'm not going to stop asking the universe to make sense!"
And rightfully so. Outside of an obvious hardware problem with their servers that would affect everyone globally during which they'd have to openly acknowledge like the recent emote-exploit disconnects, how are they responsible for all sort of networking problems that are client-side?
If the fault truly lies with Cryptic having problematic servers, then rubber-banding would be affecting everyone, not just a select few players.
Rubberbanding that isn't due to server problems can be the result of packet losses that are due to routing problems somewhere between the client's ISP and Cryptic's servers.
Jon, I did a few tests, and I even have 2 copies of champs installed via VM. It's hitting me on both of em, even when I install a new launcher and patch it. It's certainly not on my end, and I've been having the rubber banding/lagging issues too. I also did a full network diagnostic on myself and from me to them. Hell, I even used the various proxies, disabled on demand patching, etc... It's nothing stopping me down the pipe, and I'm clear as a bell on my end. So, I can say at the least? I'm one person who's ran every test possible and is still being hit by this stuff.
Could you please clarify exactly what sort of network diagnostic tests you did?
Did you do a ping and traceroute to www.crypticstudios.com under command prompt? Did you get any "request timed out" messages or an unusually high ping reading?
Did you disconnect your router and connect your modem directly to your PC to see if the rubberbanding still occurs?
You can also download the following tool from Cryptic that tests whether the router ports that CO uses are blocked or not:
Any company or government that makes it easy for others to find them liable for ANYTHING is counter intuitive to them.
Would you devise a system that would make it easy for others to see all of your skeletons in your closet? You would if you actually cared about providing an honest service and establish a strong relationship with your customer base.
I SO agree with you chalupaoffury, I too personally, forgive easily or ignore bugs when it comes down to Champions but since 3 days, I just CANNOT ignore them no longer! My game was becoming so unstable and the disconnect so regular that I thought ''well, we never know ...my computer MIGHT be the problem?'' so I reformated it and guess WHAT, Account Guard bug... I can't even login anymore, I'm blocked and practically lost my character. As a paying gold Customer, what did I pay for during my last 3 days of VACATION? ...not being able to play the game because I tried to fix it :mad: I just want my account back, I don't care who does it or how but please do something Cryptic/PWE, answer my ticket I sent so I can play once more with Jenn Space
Yeah, I used to do IT stuff and computer repair for about 10 years. Yes, I did all of that. I also put my computer under dmz so I could be sure the router wasn't touching any of my bandwith. Only thing I couldn't do is connect my internet directly and bypass my modem, because I happen to be one of those almost everyone that has a combination router/modem the isp requires that I use. I live in Montana.
Do me a favor, go log into zone right now and ask if anyone else is rubberbanding. It's about all I'm seeing today, this is *not* an isolated issue. I mean, if you guys are not experiencing it? Kudos, I'm honestly happy for you. Today, I'm not lagging either. Yesterday, it was unbelievable, for about half of the day I had to hide in champs hq because ren cen made me d/c every time I entered.
And that last post is exactly what I'm talking about. The account guard bug is major and really needs to be addressed. I tried to get my manager at work to join, and he got hit by it. He plays other pwe games religiously, but champions legitimately said no, and he never looked back. It's legitimately killing the player base.
In game, I am @EvilTaco. Happily killing purple gang members since May 2008.
Yeah, I used to do IT stuff and computer repair for about 10 years. Yes, I did all of that. I also put my computer under dmz so I could be sure the router wasn't touching any of my bandwith. Only thing I couldn't do is connect my internet directly and bypass my modem, because I happen to be one of those almost everyone that has a combination router/modem the isp requires that I use. I live in Montana.
Do me a favor, go log into zone right now and ask if anyone else is rubberbanding. It's about all I'm seeing today, this is *not* an isolated issue. I mean, if you guys are not experiencing it? Kudos, I'm honestly happy for you. Today, I'm not lagging either. Yesterday, it was unbelievable, for about half of the day I had to hide in champs hq because ren cen made me d/c every time I entered.
And that last post is exactly what I'm talking about. The account guard bug is major and really needs to be addressed. I tried to get my manager at work to join, and he got hit by it. He plays other pwe games religiously, but champions legitimately said no, and he never looked back. It's legitimately killing the player base.
Absolutely, I mean... I was planning to become a Lifetime Subscriber relatively soon but that won't happen before Cryptic/PWE gives me back my Jenn Space :P I played City of Heroes for 8 years with only ONE character, I had only made ONE on Champions ...either they find a way to give her back to me, either I'll be next on their hit list. I honestly DON'T want it but next payment is in 5 days and the clock is ticking! I'm a paying Customer and if I don't get what I'm paying for, I'll just stop paying! I'm patient but after 3 days... :mad:
I SO agree with you chalupaoffury, I too personally, forgive easily or ignore bugs when it comes down to Champions but since 3 days, I just CANNOT ignore them no longer! My game was becoming so unstable and the disconnect so regular that I thought ''well, we never know ...my computer MIGHT be the problem?'' so I reformated it and guess WHAT, Account Guard bug... I can't even login anymore, I'm blocked and practically lost my character. As a paying gold Customer, what did I pay for during my last 3 days of VACATION? ...not being able to play the game because I tried to fix it :mad: I just want my account back, I don't care who does it or how but please do something Cryptic/PWE, answer my ticket I sent so I can play once more with Jenn Space
If you're getting frequent rubberbanding / disconnects then the problem might be network related, so reformatting your PC would be the least likely fix.
Not sure about the account guard bug...best to contact PWE support or try to get a hold of TT.
Yeah, I used to do IT stuff and computer repair for about 10 years. Yes, I did all of that. I also put my computer under dmz so I could be sure the router wasn't touching any of my bandwith. Only thing I couldn't do is connect my internet directly and bypass my modem, because I happen to be one of those almost everyone that has a combination router/modem the isp requires that I use. I live in Montana.
Do me a favor, go log into zone right now and ask if anyone else is rubberbanding. It's about all I'm seeing today, this is *not* an isolated issue. I mean, if you guys are not experiencing it? Kudos, I'm honestly happy for you. Today, I'm not lagging either. Yesterday, it was unbelievable, for about half of the day I had to hide in champs hq because ren cen made me d/c every time I entered.
Turning on DMZ on your router would eliminate any port-related issues. It doesn't help to diagnose whether or not there are routing issues between your ISP and Cryptic's servers however: ping and tracert does that. What are your results like? Any "request timed out" messages?
I could log into zone right now, ask if anyone's rubberbanding, and I would expect a mixture of "yes" and "no" answers, the "yes" answers most likely due to isolated connection problems. If it's not an isolated issue then it would be affecting practically everyone who's logged in. If that's the case then people would be constantly complaining and inquiring about it in zone without me having to ask anything.
Comments
We've got a new team that has been getting their feet wet with the engine For about a half year now. We've seen their development pace. It's honestly not their fault. It seems they've been dumped in the middle of a bunch of code and were told "Hey, good luck!" There's seemingly no one, or not a lot of people, left around that know much about the code. Give them time, maybe they'll get the hang of it.
I know what it's like to be dropped in the middle of a mess and be expected to hit the ground running. It sucks. But you just gotta try at the best pace you can muster.
Bugs will pop up, obviously. New ones, old ones, but until the experience level gets there, don't expect quick fixes.
I don't expect the team to be fully versed with the game for another year, maybe. (This isn't one of them "I give them a year until..." posts.)
Before Neverwinter launched, I thought we'd get developers back after launch. Boy was I wrong. At least we got new developers, which is not as good, but it's something. I don't know who's to "blame" for that. Cryptic or PWE. But as long as the new guys are trying, and there's some people in the development team that give a poo, and at least we have a team on the game, then I'm fine. Wish it were much better, but them's the breaks. "At least it ain't shut down."
Normally I overlook it, but it's like a recurring thing recently that's actively trying to lock people out of game. When it hits that point, I feel like it's time for an intervention lol. Cryptic, we love you. But please. Seek help.
RIP Caine
... yeah, the bugs are kinda absurd and it really is a smart choice to have one veteran to CO around, but apparently that's not how Cryptic North's operating.
At least they're learning? Fatal Err0r's first episode is pretty good, and some costume material bugs have gotten fixed.
At least it ain't shut down!
No, you're right, they should have someone there to teach the guys the ropes (if they indeed haven't been taught them ropes), but what they should and what they do isn't always the same, unfortunately.
Are there any tests that can be run to ensure that your difficulties are on their end?
- David Brin, "Those Eyes"
Get the Forums Enhancement Extension!
Of course not. That would make them liable.
Jon, I did a few tests, and I even have 2 copies of champs installed via VM. It's hitting me on both of em, even when I install a new launcher and patch it. It's certainly not on my end, and I've been having the rubber banding/lagging issues too. I also did a full network diagnostic on myself and from me to them. Hell, I even used the various proxies, disabled on demand patching, etc... It's nothing stopping me down the pipe, and I'm clear as a bell on my end. So, I can say at the least? I'm one person who's ran every test possible and is still being hit by this stuff.
RIP Caine
Now, it may also be an issue on Cryptic's end, which is why I asked EvilTaco about tests. He ran them, and the problem isn't with his system; now we need to find out if the problem is at Cryptic, or in between the two. And if it is Cryptic, they need to fix it soonest. I just don't see the point in flying off the handle until one is in possession of as much information as possible.
- David Brin, "Those Eyes"
Get the Forums Enhancement Extension!
And rightfully so. Outside of an obvious hardware problem with their servers that would affect everyone globally during which they'd have to openly acknowledge like the recent emote-exploit disconnects, how are they responsible for all sort of networking problems that are client-side?
If the fault truly lies with Cryptic having problematic servers, then rubber-banding would be affecting everyone, not just a select few players.
Rubberbanding that isn't due to server problems can be the result of packet losses that are due to routing problems somewhere between the client's ISP and Cryptic's servers.
Could you please clarify exactly what sort of network diagnostic tests you did?
Did you do a ping and traceroute to www.crypticstudios.com under command prompt? Did you get any "request timed out" messages or an unusually high ping reading?
Did you disconnect your router and connect your modem directly to your PC to see if the rubberbanding still occurs?
You can also download the following tool from Cryptic that tests whether the router ports that CO uses are blocked or not:
http://files.champions-online.com/nettest.exe
If you're getting any results that are over 300 KB/s then you need to open the port number ranges on your router as specified.
Champions Online: Be the hero you wish you could be in a better game.
Any company or government that makes it easy for others to find them liable for ANYTHING is counter intuitive to them.
Would you devise a system that would make it easy for others to see all of your skeletons in your closet? You would if you actually cared about providing an honest service and establish a strong relationship with your customer base.
Ergo, most companies would not.
Do me a favor, go log into zone right now and ask if anyone else is rubberbanding. It's about all I'm seeing today, this is *not* an isolated issue. I mean, if you guys are not experiencing it? Kudos, I'm honestly happy for you. Today, I'm not lagging either. Yesterday, it was unbelievable, for about half of the day I had to hide in champs hq because ren cen made me d/c every time I entered.
And that last post is exactly what I'm talking about. The account guard bug is major and really needs to be addressed. I tried to get my manager at work to join, and he got hit by it. He plays other pwe games religiously, but champions legitimately said no, and he never looked back. It's legitimately killing the player base.
RIP Caine
Absolutely, I mean... I was planning to become a Lifetime Subscriber relatively soon but that won't happen before Cryptic/PWE gives me back my Jenn Space :P I played City of Heroes for 8 years with only ONE character, I had only made ONE on Champions ...either they find a way to give her back to me, either I'll be next on their hit list. I honestly DON'T want it but next payment is in 5 days and the clock is ticking! I'm a paying Customer and if I don't get what I'm paying for, I'll just stop paying! I'm patient but after 3 days... :mad:
If you're getting frequent rubberbanding / disconnects then the problem might be network related, so reformatting your PC would be the least likely fix.
Not sure about the account guard bug...best to contact PWE support or try to get a hold of TT.
Turning on DMZ on your router would eliminate any port-related issues. It doesn't help to diagnose whether or not there are routing issues between your ISP and Cryptic's servers however: ping and tracert does that. What are your results like? Any "request timed out" messages?
I could log into zone right now, ask if anyone's rubberbanding, and I would expect a mixture of "yes" and "no" answers, the "yes" answers most likely due to isolated connection problems. If it's not an isolated issue then it would be affecting practically everyone who's logged in. If that's the case then people would be constantly complaining and inquiring about it in zone without me having to ask anything.