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How to: Be Prepared for the launch of Legacy of Romulus
commadorebob
Member Posts: 1,223 Arc User
Launcher is up for patching! Server remains down until 12PM PDT (US). Today's patch weighs in at 10GB but I only needed to download 1167KB after doing the items mentioned below. It only took my computer two minutes to patch (full disclosure, I have Windows and STO installed on an SSD. So your times may vary.). But keeping Tribble up to date and Pre-patching works.
The launch of Legacy of Romulus is fast approaching (May 21). Along with new UI, a new faction, and a (more) fleshed out KDF, the launch of the expansion also brings some things that players should be prepared for. Despite the testing on Tribble, nothing on Tribble can replicate the load Holodeck sees. So I offer these tips to make the process to Legacy of Romulus a less painful one.
Sign up for Tribble (Here)
This actually serves two purposes:
One, the more testers, the more data. This allows the devs to find bugs and squash them.
Two, this allows you to get the needed files to make Legacy of Romulus happen. Rather than downloading all of the files, the launcher will actually mirror those already on your computer. This makes the download time almost non-existent as the files are already on your computer. This saves a lot of time. Just be sure to log in and patch it before May 21. Even if you do not have access to the Legacy of Romulus beta, the files are still there.
Pre-Patch
Now that pre-patching is turned on, log all the way into STO and then log off. This will start the pre-patch process. What this does is download all of the files needed for Legacy of Romulus allowing the game to patch once it goes live without having to download many files on May 21. This isn't perfect as many files will not be completely up to date as compared to tribble. But this is still a huge time saver as the game does the download when, obviously, you are no longer wanting to play.
Otherwise, Be Patient
You and everybody else is trying to get on the game at the same time. If you haven't done the previous two items, your download time on May 21 will take a while. In terms of files needed, this is almost a brand new game being installed. Even with Tribble not being slammed it still took me about an hour to patch it the other night on a ~20Mbps download. Get your files before May 21 or you may still be downloading May 22.
Go Gold
A huge perk of being a Gold Subscriber is the ability to have our own queue (on Holodeck; there is no priority log in on Tribble). We get to go to the front of the line when the queue is activated. And with all the incoming new content, there will almost certainly be a queue. While Cryptic has added to their server capacity since launch, we had queues not that long ago. Expect them for this. (Also, being a Gold Member while leveling a new character has some great benefits -- check out the F2P matrix here.)
Prepare for Downtime
Right now, the game is on a weekly update schedule. That will return at some point after the expansion launches, but be prepared for almost daily updates for the first couple weeks. As mentioned, nothing beats just throwing the game on Holodeck. Some bugs can only be found when the system is being played live. While Cryptic is good about giving us a few hours warning, some bugs may need no notice.
I have been through every Season upgrade. I know how the process will work and these tips have made life easier for many of us. And while the game may seem unstable the first couple days and the patching feels excessive, everything will be back to normal before you even realize it.
Conclusion
May 21 will bring a new adventure for all of us. The idea that STO would still be around in 2013 was far-fetched for some people, much less that it would be adding a third faction. These are exciting times, just keep your expectations in check concerning the update schedule and you will be fine.
post above is commadorebob's---
/stamp_of_approval. Stickied! -Brandon
The launch of Legacy of Romulus is fast approaching (May 21). Along with new UI, a new faction, and a (more) fleshed out KDF, the launch of the expansion also brings some things that players should be prepared for. Despite the testing on Tribble, nothing on Tribble can replicate the load Holodeck sees. So I offer these tips to make the process to Legacy of Romulus a less painful one.
Sign up for Tribble (Here)
This actually serves two purposes:
One, the more testers, the more data. This allows the devs to find bugs and squash them.
Two, this allows you to get the needed files to make Legacy of Romulus happen. Rather than downloading all of the files, the launcher will actually mirror those already on your computer. This makes the download time almost non-existent as the files are already on your computer. This saves a lot of time. Just be sure to log in and patch it before May 21. Even if you do not have access to the Legacy of Romulus beta, the files are still there.
Pre-Patch
Now that pre-patching is turned on, log all the way into STO and then log off. This will start the pre-patch process. What this does is download all of the files needed for Legacy of Romulus allowing the game to patch once it goes live without having to download many files on May 21. This isn't perfect as many files will not be completely up to date as compared to tribble. But this is still a huge time saver as the game does the download when, obviously, you are no longer wanting to play.
Otherwise, Be Patient
You and everybody else is trying to get on the game at the same time. If you haven't done the previous two items, your download time on May 21 will take a while. In terms of files needed, this is almost a brand new game being installed. Even with Tribble not being slammed it still took me about an hour to patch it the other night on a ~20Mbps download. Get your files before May 21 or you may still be downloading May 22.
Go Gold
A huge perk of being a Gold Subscriber is the ability to have our own queue (on Holodeck; there is no priority log in on Tribble). We get to go to the front of the line when the queue is activated. And with all the incoming new content, there will almost certainly be a queue. While Cryptic has added to their server capacity since launch, we had queues not that long ago. Expect them for this. (Also, being a Gold Member while leveling a new character has some great benefits -- check out the F2P matrix here.)
Prepare for Downtime
Right now, the game is on a weekly update schedule. That will return at some point after the expansion launches, but be prepared for almost daily updates for the first couple weeks. As mentioned, nothing beats just throwing the game on Holodeck. Some bugs can only be found when the system is being played live. While Cryptic is good about giving us a few hours warning, some bugs may need no notice.
I have been through every Season upgrade. I know how the process will work and these tips have made life easier for many of us. And while the game may seem unstable the first couple days and the patching feels excessive, everything will be back to normal before you even realize it.
Conclusion
May 21 will bring a new adventure for all of us. The idea that STO would still be around in 2013 was far-fetched for some people, much less that it would be adding a third faction. These are exciting times, just keep your expectations in check concerning the update schedule and you will be fine.
post above is commadorebob's---
/stamp_of_approval. Stickied! -Brandon
"If you have never used Cello, I'm not interested in your browser opinion."
___________________________
In game: Commadore_Bob; Joined Jul 2009; That post count + 20,000
___________________________
In game: Commadore_Bob; Joined Jul 2009; That post count + 20,000
Post edited by commadorebob on
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Comments
Yeah, very helpful... but only to those who have LoR beta.
im sure the rest of us will stumble around without a clue until then regardless if we get tribble or not. there has only been 1 round of beta testing and from the looks of it and the rest has been abandoned to the vultures for now.
until there is an official line on when and how long LoR is open beta on tribble, it remains to be seen how many can get their feedback in to help with the preparation of the launch.
you are better off saving a lot of hassle, time and interestngly reliability by downloading the whole lot by disabling on demand patching in the options. so you loose a few hours, but knowing the enviable server instability anyway on launch, what difference would it make by doing it then or later on, in the end it still has to be downloaded anyway.
so your looking at 15gb of game files, for 670kb p/s at full speed for about 8 hours it can be done on my end. again like point two, it would be better off taking your time then rushing it.
i just wonder how many other free players will have to be kicked out for your fun, yeah a real big plus... not. but the system is the way it is so i will fail to continue that point since it wont change anything.
i doubt it will be that hectic having patches every 1 or 2 days, it would be counter productive barring a critical issue that needs an immediate patch, but i wont dispute that. cryptic has been willing to allow big bugs to float on past for years before they did anything about it. so maybe 2 or 3 times in the first week but that would probably be it.
perhaps, perhaps not as there are many variables to that ideal outlook. one can never be too sure on what to expect from anything.
i suspect the game will be around until 2016 thats for sure, i mean branflakes has basically given the game a face, the whole thing is a bit more tolerable in a strange way, its a bit more open then it was in 2011 for sure but i still sense a lot of holding back even so. its not like eaware on swtor, they are sucking that game dry and i cant see that making 2015 but it seems PWE hasnt given up on this game.
Been around since Dec 2010 on STO and bought LTS in Apr 2013 for STO.
Then wait... with Romulan Ale!
Could be worse, another space MMO deleted boot.ini with a patch (guess they did that to reduce the login queue/lag).
Ahh! Taco, where is your TOWEL?!
The circle of foruming continues. Someone copy pasts the generic statement of this will happen, this wont happen, the people who are going to complain will still complain, the people who want to point out how useless it is will still continue to point it out.
"Critics who say that the optimistic utopia Star Trek depicted is now outmoded forget the cultural context that gave birth to it: Star Trek was not a manifestation of optimism when optimism was easy. Star Trek declared a hope for a future that nobody stuck in the present could believe in. For all our struggles today, we haven’t outgrown the need for stories like Star Trek. We need tales of optimism, of heroes, of courage and goodness now as much as we’ve ever needed them."
-Thomas Marrone
I destroyed it using my Kill-O-Zap gun! :P
Oh, and I may have swapped out his Guide Mk I with a Mk II while writing this.
*glances at the small, alarming letters saying "Panic" on the Mk II Guide*
Infinite possibilities have implications that could not be completely understood if you turned this entire universe into a giant supercomputer.
Also, don't forget, there will be a whole new UI. While much of the feel will be the same, the looks are totally different, if that makes sense. Your brain will need time to adjust. Updating tribble and spending half an hour doing some basic missions is time well spent.
Mine Trap Supporter
I got that covered. Tuesdays are my DDO static group night.
But...but...that's the BEST part about a new major release!
This is getting damn annoying!
Sure feels like a "bait and switch" scheme.
Got a notice via e-mail for creating a new KDF... I don't want a NEW KDF Character as I already have 3 already.
How about a NEW Romulan Character selection instead on the Tribble Server?
Gee whiz... Then while looking at the New Character screen in Tribble Server the damn server crashes along with the http://www.startrekonline.com/ web site.
:mad:
You're welcome. Having been through seven if these you start to sense a pattern.
___________________________
In game: Commadore_Bob; Joined Jul 2009; That post count + 20,000
after than try to limit yourself to the quiet times for your location (morning for me) and then after a week, things should be back to normal.
"You sass that hoopy Tacofangs? There's a frood who really knows where his towel is."
I love this game, and even though my love for sci-fi started with Star Wars (which is still close to my heart), I found my true nerd home in Star Trek. Star Trek Online makes it possible to immerse myself in this world, and for this - I thank you!
As a lifetime supporter I decided to buy the Legacy Pack, because I once supported STO and it did not dissapoint. Now it was time to once again fulfill the obligation of supporting STO, and getting all these awesome things in exchange (title "Rihannsu" being the sexiest of them
My Romulan (or Reman?) will most certainly side with Klingon faction (many reasons lore-wise, but also because I never really played that side), and I hope to see many of you over the mug of bloodwine, and the rest on the battlefield.
Jolan tru, my friends.
Please explain. How exactly does someone prepatch? and What do you mean by "get your files before May 21" - how does one do this?
If I'm not mistaken it means that you should go to the Tribble and download the test files, as they will make your download on may 21st, when the actual RoR hits the Holodeck, much faster.
But I could be wrong on that
Prepatching will turn on probably the week before. The devs will make an announcement when they turn it on. My suggestion is to log into the game on May 18. Log all the way into the character select screen. Then exit the game. The prepatch will start by itself.
How this and Tribble work is by mirroring the files off your hard drive. You are essentially downloading the install files before they game can use them. But that saves you by not having to download them when 620,618 other people are also trying to download them.
In any case, the prepatch is turned on by the devs. You need to do nothing other than log on the day they announce it.
___________________________
In game: Commadore_Bob; Joined Jul 2009; That post count + 20,000
I don't bother trying to be a tester. Just not me, I rather wait for the full release to play it.
What I will do soon as it releases? I have some other missions yet to finish. Like the Romulus Rep. To see how that story plays out. So I will finish that before heading on to new areas. So I won't ruin what I hadn't finished yet on the story lines.
USS Casinghead NCC 92047 launched 2350
Fleet Admiral Stowe - Dominion War Vet.