Your guide to this weekend’s beta.

Peter Andersen Beta, Guide

The purpose behind this final weekend beta, is to gauge performance of the game’s current server architecture. Previous betas have had some minor problems with performance, and this test will be the final chance for some meaningful feedback for launch scenarios.

So, what can you do to help the most?
  • Attempt to log in AS SOON AS YOU CAN. We want to hammer these servers to hell and back, don’t let up if you have the time to spare.
  • Keep trying to connect if you have problems. Be ruthless. The more performance issues we catch during this beta mean that BioWare will know what to tackle before launch.
  • Don’t start a post on reddit, or the official forums saying “the servers aren’t letting me log in””. Just keep attempting to connect, the server logs they’ll gather will tell them you can’t log in.
  • Severe lag? Log out and use the survey that will pop up, there’s a section about lag, and respond accordingly. Then hammer the server trying to log in again.

So, by now you’ve probably realized your purpose in this test. While having fun with the game is going to be a very welcome side-effect, the main purpose is for this game to be ready for launch. The feedback we give them this weekend could mean the difference between a good or bad launch. So if you stop trying to connect after the 1st or 2nd try, you may not be giving them as much feedback as you are capable of. Alongside that purpose, BioWare are interested in gathering metrics from people playing the game as you would at launch. That said, this may not be the best beta test for bughunting. I’m sure it’s appreciated, but the main purpose is to simulate a launch scenario.

As far as bugs go: Use /bug for every one you see. Don’t sensationalize bugs if they aren’t gamebreaking, and realize that just because something doesn’t work the way you think it should doesn’t mean it’s a bug.
For those of you trying the game this weekend to see if you’ll purchase/pre-order: Please be patient with the servers. I really suggest that you don’t take how the servers perform this weekend as an indication of how they will perform at release.
And one more thing regarding /bug: The text you use in this area will be used to determine the cause of bugs. If you are raising an issue with the game, please give as much information as possible relevant to the issue.
And Have fun! Enjoy the game if you get to play.