SOE PUT ON NOTICE – HERE IS HOW TO DO AN EXPANSION
First night follies, the problems that plague a new MMO or MMO expansion are generally accepted as the price of playing a massively online game.
However, after last night’s smooth introduction of The Burning Crusade, SOE and other MMO publishers have been put on notice: Release night pain is no longer excusable.
How did things go?
- Copies of The Burning Crusade were readily available.
- Servers were up
- Queues were moderate
- The install ran smoothly
- People were able to play
The major downside of the expansion was Blizzard’s much maligned patcher having to run, and even that seemed to be less painful than usual. Other than that, things went smoothly here.
Compare this to my first night write-up of the EverQuest II Echoes of Faydwer expansion, shown here.
Again, other publishers take note: You will be savaged, justifiably, if you have another launch night where people cannot play. Blizzard has shown that such pain is not a requirement.