B&S: How To Be Prepared For Launch Day

Launch day. It’s approaching. The many beta weekends, reading up articles, and ensuring you’re on the right server. You’ve cancelled plans, ordered dinner in—you’re not cooking tonight. No, it’s launch day.

The hype train can defeat the best of us, especially those who are patient and kind. Every MMO has their hiccups: the chaotic human element has not been unleashed on them yet and you are their final test. Lets not let any disruptions destroy or sour a game you’ve been anticipating.

The Naysayers

These are the friends you've been playing the game with the last few months. Perhaps you know them well or not either way. They have a loud opinion on the game you’re hyped about and just can’t help but tell you how awful it is. It could be any game in history, perhaps the best designed, but they will hate it. My advice? Ignore them. The value of gaming is you get to choose what you adore and what you want to play.

The “Loaded” Bait and Switch

You’ve been loading for, what is it? Five minutes? You’ve been waiting on this loading screen after the precious connect button came up, and still you aren’t in. It counts down (don’t lie you’ve been watching the bar fill up and finally it struggles to reach 100%).

“You’ve been disconnected!”

Don’t give in to the dark side Luke. This is going to happen, this will always happen and if it doesn’t, count your lucky stars and grin. Take a breath, get a drink, and try again. At least you won’t be penalized like in one particular game where it was a land grab…

The Crowds And CAPS

There are over 100 created characters in the starting area. They all want what you want: to play. They will crowd every quest NPC, they will hog every mob you need. These ungrateful players didn’t play in the beta, they won’t play next week, how dare they push you out (a true believer). On top of it, the chat is brimming with CAPS, questions, things that have to be flashed, linked, held hands with to lead them to their objective. “HOW DO I MINE FISH?” If you see this, I’m sorry. Truly. If you know your way around the game, know how to go from quest A to B, and you can grasp the simple concept of reading then turn off chat. Ignore the characters who are touching your character. Overcome your inner need for isolation. You’ll leave these scrappers after a few levels. Grin and bear it.

Not Working As Intended

“I clicked on the thing.. why isn’t it working?!” Let me give you the true answer. No one knows right now. People may think they know, they may offer a thousand answers, but truly no one knows. The server could be clogged, things might not be interacting properly and right now the game isn’t at its best. Don’t let this sour your mood. Simply find something else to do and approach it later once the rush of launch has sizzled. What if you need an item to progress? Go eat that pizza you got, at a table. It’s okay, there will be a fix soon.

You Aren’t Alone

You aren’t a victim in the gaming world, you are not the only one if you wish to be one. It isn’t only happening to you, you aren’t solely singled out, and the producer of the game hasn’t personally decided to attack your internet provider. This is happening to others. There might even be forum threads about it. Don’t sour other people’s experiences with your own woes. From a personal note, unless they ripped five dollars from your pocket, no one really wants to know.

Do you have launch day rituals, or other gripes that you wish to share? Feel free to leave comments below! Above all remember, games are made to have fun and if launch has happened and everything isn’t what you expected, go play something that leaves you feeling like you had, fun.