I Think We Need A Better Process To Patch

[MikeygJr]

I want to start by saying that I have had some experience with your customer service when I had a technical issue and I was very impressed with the assistance I got and the speed in which you all responded. I am also impressed by and like your product. I think it is priced just about right , so I have no issue with my subscription value.

I only have one issue and that is we are experiencing way too much downtime due to mismatch because EQ2 patches. Using the very icon that ogre had me set up, I see no way to get EQ2 up without patching and then I get stuck in a mismatch till ISXEQ2 is patched. When I first bought Innerspace, ISBoxer and Ogre, the patches came quick. Earlier this year we were down for almost 3 days because they did a patch on Thursday and someone was out of town or something. I don't really understand not having someone available at all times to make the necessary adjustments no matter when they patch but I accepted it because I don't know all the ins and outs of ISX Games and it was an unscheduled patch on EQ2's part.

Everquest 2 patches on Tuesday, period. I can't remember the last Tuesday that we didn't have at least an hour of downtime and some form of patch. This is the third Tuesday in a row that it was 11:00pm EST or later and still ISXEQ2 is down, thus everything else is down. Having been pleased with your responses in the past, I ask you to put some type of process in place to speed up the patch on Tuesday. You know this is coming so be ready. You should also be better prepared for unscheduled patches, it is not an issue of if we are going to have unscheduled patches, just a matter of when so ISX Games should be a little better prepared.

I have been a supporter of you all with many friends that were interested in multi-boxing and now they are also subscribers. To be honest, after the last month or two I have gone from a 5 star rating to a 4 due to the extended downtimes on regular Tuesday patch days.

Please don't write me off as just some dude bitching, I am really just trying to encourage you to improve your product and fix something that will greatly increase your customers appreciation for your service.

Thanks

 

[Amadeus]

There is no way to speed up the process for patching ISXEQ2. I have to do it manually each time that EverQuest 2 is updated, and I cannot do it until I have time to do it (typically when I get home after my 'real' job.) Some weeks it's earlier in the day, sometimes it's late in the evening. I'm on the West coast and I do not wake up early to do this before I go to my real job -- so, it normally happens as soon as I get home in the evening ..which, obviously, will seem very late if you don't live in the Pacific time zone.

I could go into the technical details as to why every EverQuest 2 patch (even if it seems very small) requires an update to ISXEQ2 and why those updates where *ME* to do them, and why they require 1-4 hours (once I start on it) until it's completed; however, most of what I would say wouldn't make a lot of sense to the majority of ISXEQ2 users -- so, I'm not going to waste my time. Suffice it to say that if ISXEQ2 didn't refuse to load when EQ2 is updated it would instantly crash you every time you tried to use it. ISXEQ2 has to be exactly "mapped" to a specific EQ2 binary -- so, when they patch, everything has to be updated or else it just won't work. And, ISXEQ2 is very complex. (You would be surprised just how many lines of code are required for ISXEQ2 ....it's a much bigger project than most people realize.)

Things didn't used to be this way. Until a couple years ago, EQ2 rarely had patches that "required" an update for ISXEQ2. During those years we could go a month or two without any downtime at all -- so, blame the game developers if you want to blame someone.

Anyway, there is no way to make it faster. There is also no way to prepare or do anything in advance: I can't do anything until the updated files are on the EQ2 game launcher. So, you will either have to live with the system as it is or cancel your subscription and request a refund. There are no other options.

Finally, while I don't mind you writing what you feel ...at the same time I don't care whether people are happy or not, if you want the truth. This is and always will be a hobby, and the money I make isn't even remotely enough for me to worry myself over "customer satisfaction". I don't intentionally try to make people unhappy -- but, at the same time, frustrations like you described are unavoidable with this type of software. Some patches may take a few hours, sometimes a day, sometimes a week -- I make no promises, just as I stated during the initial ISXEQ2 acquisition process on this page and this page.



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I'm locking this thread because the OP's concern was expressed and answered. Discussion is not warranted and would most likely result in more confusion. I think it's best to see the issue raised, and then my response ..and be done with it. It's a black and white issue, with no options or alternatives available. Patch days are part of using ISXEQ2 -- folks must either learn to accept it, or find an alternative software solution.