Today is patch day, boys and girls.

[schild]

Holy fuck this is the worst patcher EVAR

What'd you expect? Battle.net?

[Jamiko]

Holy fuck this is the worst patcher EVAR

Of all the suckiest patches in all of the suckiest games, this one does not rate anywhere near the top. What are you smoking?

Edit: ah yes, read it too fast. I'm going to go smoke something.

[SirBruce]

He said PATCHER, not patches.

Seriously, a lot of developers at AGC were scratching their heads over Blizzard's idea to use a BT-type system for patch distribution.  It just didn't seem like a very smart idea.  And they were right.

Bruce

[Signe]

If it helps, you are foremost in my mind of all f13 posters at this very second.

Are you coming on to me?

[Jayce]

He said PATCHER, not patches.

Seriously, a lot of developers at AGC were scratching their heads over Blizzard's idea to use a BT-type system for patch distribution.  It just didn't seem like a very smart idea.  And they were right.

Bruce

Good idea, bad execution.  Less bandwidth for Blizzard to pay for, faster (theoretically) downloading of patches (your pool of BT seeds is the 250k or whatever the subscription numbers are now).

Now it's time for them to realize that their BT client sucks and either release one that's worth a flip, or scrap the whole idea.

[naum]

I've yet to encounter a problem with D/L speed on patches… …zippety-zip, and I was in game playing in no time yesterday…

[Dren]

Once I disabled every ounce of firewall from my computer I was able to d/l within 10 minutes.  Not a big deal from my viewpoint.
/shrug

[Sky]

I'm not going to reduce my computer's security to download a game patch, when every other game patcher has no problems achieving great speeds over my connection.

Took almost two hours to download the 36ish MB patch. That's ridiculous. I guess WoW is safe for dial-up, because that's the same speed broadband users are getting...

Blizz's patcher blows.

[Sable Blaze]

Count my vote for stringing up whoever thought this miserable excuse for a patcher and flogging them with a cat-o'-nine tails.

Four hours later, I was able to log in and spend another hour attempting to fix my GUI. Four hours waiting on a 30-odd meg patch. And, NO, I"m not going to drop my hardware firewall for some patch. I don't have to in other games; it's not going to happen with this one.

VERY bad design on Blizzard's part.

[naum]

I'm not going to reduce my computer's security to download a game patch, when every other game patcher has no problems achieving great speeds over my connection.

I didn't have to compromise security at all or lower firewall settings...

[Paelos]

Considering I'm not even sure on where to begin dropping firewalls, messing with my router ports, or doing whatever else is seemingly necessary to download 40 megs, I don't think this was smart on Blizzard's part either. Hell, I'm considered somewhat saavy in the computer world, I know others don't know this stuff.

[Rasix]

It takes two minutes to set up the policies for port forwarding.  It takes 30 seconds to enable them. 5 minutes for the patch.  30 seconds to disable them.  8 MINUTES OF HACK TEH GIBSON.  

Anyone not doing this to "fight the system" is a fucking wanker.  

But yes, it takes some computer savvy, which is sick and wrong for Blizzard to assume people have (I'm actually being serious here).  You shouldn't require anyone to be able to set a static IP and understand the basics behind port forwarding or know a nerdy friend in order to deliver content updates to your game.  

But just a helpful hint for anyone out there having trouble: there's usually a mirror or two posted on patch day. In the General forums, so yes, bring steel wool for your eyes afterwards.

[Dren]

I'm not sure how not lowering your security for 10 minutes to download 40 megs actually hurts Blizzard or sends any message since you went ahead and sat there for 2-4 hours anyway.  I'm sure they are really hurting and care because you've done that to yourself.  The only thing they will care about is people quitting over this (which I'm guessing you aren't prepared to do.)

I guess some value 2-4 hours of their play time more than others.

[HaemishM]

Yep, I'm cancelling my subscription now. There's a number of reasons.

1) Blizzard allows custom UI creation, but has so far proved unwilling or unable to not break custom UI's with every patch, back into beta. I don't care how easy it is to fix (if you know what you are doing), if you aren't going to bother to try to keep your patches from breaking custom UI's, why bother supporting custom UI's? Fuck you, #1.
2) $14.95 a month, $50 a box, and you can't bother to provide a REAL PATCHER? Bittorrent is a great idea IN THEORY. If you want to steal music or download TV shows someone digitized from their Tivo. Downloading patches on a commercial game. NO. This was in no way, shape or form a good idea. It was a monumentally stupid fucking idea, actually. The fact that it probably saves them money on bandwidth makes it an even more galling idea. Fuck you, #2.
3) It does still have technical issues. I can't play it with an overclocked CPU without it crashing once an hour. I don't know why. CoH plays just fine, with a game that uses a much more technologically advanced graphics engine. Fuck you, #3.
4) My wife has been bored with the game and stopped playing for the last week. I bought it partly to play with her. This is probably the most important reason, the one that makes all the others mean something.

It's a good game; not robot jesus or anything, but I don't feel like paying $15 a month for what it offers. Buh-bye WoW, hello CoH.

Again, the things it does that may be easy to fix for a computer-savvy user are ridiculous. This isn't 1999, when it was ok to put up a 10-page web page detailing how to script a macro in EQ that taunted, made some pithy comment and sat your character down automatically. We've seen customizable interfaces from the likes of Shadowbane that were less fucked than Blizzard's. Even HORIZONS had a normal patcher.

[Dren]

It takes two minutes to set up the policies for port forwarding.  It takes 30 seconds to enable them. 5 minutes for the patch.  30 seconds to disable them.  8 MINUTES OF HACK TEH GIBSON.  

Or the backwater way:

Step 1: Unplug router - plug in cable modem directly.
Step 2: Power up
Step 3: Right click on software firewall programs icon in lower right corner and click on "Disable."
Step 4: Download and install patch
Step 5: Reconnect router and reboot

Done and Done.  Yes, this is a pain and shouldn't have to be done.  However, 2 minutes of my action versus 2-4 hours of inaction on my part is even more unacceptable IMO.

[naum]

Yep, I'm cancelling my subscription now. There's a number of reasons.

LLFM!!!!

[Nija]

I'm not going to reduce my computer's security to download a game patch, when every other game patcher has no problems achieving great speeds over my connection.

Ignorance really is bliss. You have no idea how bit torrent works.

Enjoy the wait.

Or, learn how it works, open the correct ports, and download the patch in 3 minutes, like I did. Using Blizzard's patcher.

Or, you can cry on a forum about how it's REDUCING YOUR COMPUTER'S SECURITY. Jesus, that's b.net quality stuff right there.

[AcidCat]

I only had problems with Blizzard's patcher when I was using a router - I took it out of the equation since I cancelled XBox Live and had no need for it, and haven't had any problems since. The patch last night took maybe 10 minutes to DL, if that.

[WayAbvPar]

It takes two minutes to set up the policies for port forwarding.  It takes 30 seconds to enable them. 5 minutes for the patch.  30 seconds to disable them.  8 MINUTES OF HACK TEH GIBSON.  

Anyone not doing this to "fight the system" is a fucking wanker.  

But yes, it takes some computer savvy, which is sick and wrong for Blizzard to assume people have (I'm actually being serious here).  You shouldn't require anyone to be able to set a static IP and understand the basics behind port forwarding or know a nerdy friend in order to deliver content updates to your game.  

But just a helpful hint for anyone out there having trouble: there's usually a mirror or two posted on patch day. In the General forums, so yes, bring steel wool for your eyes afterwards.

I followed their help pages and was able to set up port forwarding on my router and configure my software firewall in about 10 minutes. Went from getting 2kb/s to nearly 90kb/s at the end of the download.

[murdoc]

Holy fuck this is the worst patcher EVAR

Of all the suckiest patches in all of the suckiest games, this one does not rate anywhere near the top. What are you smoking?

Apparently, not the same stuff you are.

[MrHat]

Eh, I just waited the 20 mins or so it takes for some enterprising hacker to make me a stand-alone patch.

Then I downloaded it from a mirror.  Took about 6 minutes.  Another 2 to install.

My router will not work w/ bit torrent at all, and it's a huge cluster fuck to 'unplug from router and plug directly into modem'.  Xbox, Vonage, 2 computers.

[Fargull]

Snowballs are the shit.  Greif city, but love...

[Rasix]

Snowballs are the shit.  Greif city, but love...

Find someone that's crafting.. WHAMMO.   Good fun.

[Phred]

I should have been an engineer. Dyamite is fun.

/derail

Drop blacksmithing and start up engineering. Mining is big time needed for engineering. My Hunter has engineering around 200 on Earthen Ring right now. Explosive sheep are fun. Goblin jumper cables are fun. Making your own ammo when you're a hunter is luv as well.

I gave up engineering on my hunter the 5th time my jumper cables exploded rather than rezzing the victim. I had a 1 for 5 success ratio with them. On paper they look handy, especially with a class that can feign death, but in reality they suck ass. And having to go back into the hell that was gnomergan to get more fused wiring every time they blow up in your face wasn't fun. (The beta trick of killing a target dummy and looting fused wiring doesn't work anymore, and the drop rate off shredders is .000001 I think. Even in Gnomergan the drop rate is like one per trip.

I didn't get into throwing bombs or land mines much because I can already drop traps and the time taken to throw stuff that goes boom takes away from my firing the bow. But mostly, it was the success rate on the jumper cables that pissed me off. That, and the need to keep every ancient material around in the bank. When smiths move on they dont get recipies calling for copper bars, leather crafters don't have to keep a stash of light leather unless they want to make newbie armor for someone, but even 225+ engineering items want copper bolts.

Plus anything useful in engineering requires engineering skill, making it the least useful trade as far as selling stuff to others.

Just my 2cp on engineering.

[Sky]

..the fuck? I wasn't even really bitching, just reporting how long it took. The "ridiculous" part was about the length of time vs file size, not the fact that I was so put out not getting my junky fix or whatever. So slow without altering my settings is a crappy patcher, imo. No other patcher has that problem.

And no, I won't change my security settings just for a game patch, no matter how easy or quick it is. I shouldn't have to. It's not a 'statement' against blizz or anything moronic like that. It's just my security policy.

If it wouldn't patch at all, I'd just cancel the game, there are plenty of games. As it was, I just sat back and learned a few new tunes, no big deal.

I guess some value 2-4 hours of their play time more than others.

Yep. Doesn't mean shit to me. You guys like to blow things out of proportion, imo.

[Rasix]

Yep. Doesn't mean shit to me. You guys like to blow things out of proportion, imo.

[naum]

I gave up engineering on my hunter the 5th time my jumper cables exploded rather than rezzing the victim. I had a 1 for 5 success ratio with them. On paper they look handy, especially with a class that can feign death, but in reality they suck ass. And having to go back into the hell that was gnomergan to get more fused wiring every time they blow up in your face wasn't fun. (The beta trick of killing a target dummy and looting fused wiring doesn't work anymore, and the drop rate off shredders is .000001 I think. Even in Gnomergan the drop rate is like one per trip.

I didn't get into throwing bombs or land mines much because I can already drop traps and the time taken to throw stuff that goes boom takes away from my firing the bow. But mostly, it was the success rate on the jumper cables that pissed me off. That, and the need to keep every ancient material around in the bank. When smiths move on they dont get recipies calling for copper bars, leather crafters don't have to keep a stash of light leather unless they want to make newbie armor for someone, but even 225+ engineering items want copper bolts.

Plus anything useful in engineering requires engineering skill, making it the least useful trade as far as selling stuff to others.

Just my 2cp on engineering.

Engineering  & hunter just seems useful only in the guns/ammo aspect unless there's a craftable goggles that gives boost to agility and  ups your ranged attack/damage.... ....and even guns & ammo are only used by what, 2 potential classes - hunters & warriors (can any other class use a gun?)... ....alchemy & herbalism might be a better deal, potions can be used in combat (until that is nerfed ;( ), and Tauren get herbalism bonus (though it doesn't seem that significant or even as good as gnomish engineering bonus) and higher end alchemy stuff seems to be in demand for both consumption and crafting of other products....

....my main (hunter) has the skinning/leatherworking, leatherworking up near 150, and will have to take that wind rider deal to TB to see if I can find a trainer there...

[sidereal]

(can any other class use a gun?)

Yes, I'm having fun with an Engineer Rogue that uses a blunderbuss for pulling.  Fuck that throwing knife crap.  He's a sniper.  Have to spend 10s at the Weapon Master, but that's no shakes.

[naum]

(can any other class use a gun?)

Yes, I'm having fun with an Engineer Rogue that uses a blunderbuss for pulling.  Fuck that throwing knife crap.  He's a sniper.  Have to spend 10s at the Weapon Master, but that's no shakes.

Went to train polearms @ Undercity and then discovered to my dismay that it cost 1 gold...

[Ganon]

THEY NERFED POLY!! HATE WORLD DIEl;hka;oieguoi;a_((WE!@!@#@$

Ah, I suppose it was too good to last.  Although I wish Blizzard would've thought of the fact that we are the weakest class in the game when it comes to taking damage and we NEED our CC more than a Rogue needs his 30 sec Sap for basic survival.  But whenever a Rogue whines about finding a mage he couldn't one-shot, we get nerfed...true in Beta and true now.  I predict in the next patch we get Frost Nova taken away because a rogue only wins 10,000/10,001 gank attacks against mages and in the other one someone used Nova to beat him.

[Sky]

Good call, Ras. Guess I was channeling Cecil, as the kids say these days.

My undead warlock is an engineer. Mostly just for fun, screw effectiveness. Oh, and that net-o-matic sounds pretty nice, since warlocks don't get a snare spell.

[Fabricated]

Hmm. Can't log in.

Also, people are idiots. I've been slaughtering fleshrippers for small eggs and buying stacks of holiday spices to make gingerbread cookies...and then selling 5 of the things at the AH for 20 Silver apiece base.

5 of a fucking cooking item that takes ONE cooking skill and an easily found item to make, selling for 20+ Silver.

My present sucked, I got 10 light leather.

[Viin]

My present sucked too: linen bolts. Especially since I need non-bolted linen for first aid. Dick.

[Phred]

....my main (hunter) has the skinning/leatherworking, leatherworking up near 150, and will have to take that wind rider deal to TB to see if I can find a trainer there...

I switched to leatherworking too. I went with dragonscale specialization but havent found any patterns worth a damn yet and don't plan on paying 20 gold in the auction house for one, especially with my experiences trying to sell tough scorpid armor. Tough scorpid is made for hunters. Mail with lots of agility, but do you think it will sell in the auction house? Had to put a pair of legs up for 3 days to get rid of them. And the return compared to the time it takes to farm up 15-20 scorpid scales to make them is minimal. I think the real money is in farming the patterns. People go nuts bidding up patterns to rediculous levels.

I saw a pattern for a tribal leather piece that's a set, ie extra bonuses with more pieces. The one I saw only had 2 pieces to finish.

[toma levine]

Hmm. Can't log in.

Also, people are idiots. I've been slaughtering fleshrippers for small eggs and buying stacks of holiday spices to make gingerbread cookies...and then selling 5 of the things at the AH for 20 Silver apiece base.

5 of a fucking cooking item that takes ONE cooking skill and an easily found item to make, selling for 20+ Silver.

My present sucked, I got 10 light leather.

You're only selling them for 20s? On my server all auctions for 5 small eggs are set at 50s starting bid, 1g buyout.

And people are buying them.