Assumed Schedule for EGA

[Moonsorow]

A lot of people are posting on how BioWare is doing EGA. As a former game developer the way it seems like they are doing in the same kind of waves Google uses when they release new products or new interfaces.

This seems to be the schedule they are following:

December 13: July Pre-Orders
December 14: August Pre-Orders
December 15: September Pre-Orders
December 16: October Pre-Orders
December 17: November Pre-Orders
December 18: December

It also seems like they are cutting off EGA invites when the servers get to near 30,000 people. While this is smart, at the same time they should be able to have the hardware to spend seeing how much money they put into the game itself.

I don't agree with allowing the people who pre-ordered recently to be punished for it. I am ok with a staggered launch, but think about this for the future. When an expansion comes out are they going to do the same thing? That would be mean to guilds who are seeking world firsts.

[Valeron]

I think I read that they sending more invites tomorrow than they had today (so if they had 300k people today then tomorrow they invite 450k or something like that). Plus I imagine there were more preorders at the very beginning than at any other time. So perhaps they will condense those dates.

[Junapo]

There was very few pre-orders September. You might see some pre-orders from October on the 15th

[Spritely]

There was very few pre-orders September. You might see some pre-orders from October on the 15th

pretty much this, though i wouldn't even be so specific. All I know to do is wait and see and be happy with what I get. We all know pre-order numbers spiked on the first day and probably some small spikes on different beta weekends.

[sicknessx]

i ordered on november im hoping for the 15th

[yomatta]

9/29 hero here, i'm expecting a thursday invite and saying silent prayers that I make it on the last wave tomorrow.

[Moonsorow]

There was very few pre-orders September. You might see some pre-orders from October on the 15th

Some months might be less and some months might be more. This is pretty much the schedule they are following though. Maybe Sep will be merged with October or with August. That is something we don't know much of as BioWare hasn't been talking very much.

[Deleted]

I read somewhere that the plan is to get everyone done on the 15th, but that might have been someone else's opinion.

[Valeron]

I read somewhere that the plan is to get everyone done on the 15th, but that might have been someone else's opinion.

Probably someone's hope that they do this.

[Moonsorow]

I read somewhere that the plan is to get everyone done on the 15th, but that might have been someone else's opinion.

I don't think that will happen. Too many overall pre-orders. I read some place that they had over 2 million pre-orders for CDs / DVDs. Who knows how many digital copies they had. Some people are guessing that the number is close to 6 million players bought SWTOR for pre-ordering this includes DVD and Digital Download.

[Wildo]

It wouldn't surprise me to see them plow through August/September and maybe even October by tomorrow. The numbers of preorders probably spiked when they opened up the preorders, then flattened until the beta weekends started where they spiked up again. I would think that most of the preorders will be in EGA by this weekend (17-18). Unless they run into stability issues.

Also, I would venture to guess that Guild Leaders will be brought in ASAP before others. Our guild, for example, had our GL invited today, but no one else. It only makes sense, since they have to do a few maintenance things to prep the guild for others.

[Moonsorow]

It wouldn't surprise me to see them plow through August/September and maybe even October by tomorrow. The numbers of preorders probably spiked when they opened up the preorders, then flattened until the beta weekends started where they spiked up again. I would think that most of the preorders will be in EGA by this weekend (17-18). Unless they run into stability issues.

Also, I would venture to guess that Guild Leaders will be brought in ASAP before others. Our guild, for example, had our GL invited today, but no one else. It only makes sense, since they have to do a few maintenance things to prep the guild for others.

I run Ameliorate on Dragonblight and I am currently deployed on Lord Praven for Chaotic Semblance. I'm the guild leader for both guilds yet I haven't recieved my EGA yet and neither has anybody in my guild. One person who is not on the offical roster for my guild but on our website roster got an invite today and he pre-ordered after the beta weekend. I haven't talked to him as I'm at work. But it seems like in most cases they are following the timeline above with some other members coming in soon after.

I wonder if doing 4-5 waves was really the good idea. I think they should of allowed more people in. The hardware is there, and all their servers are VM'ed so I don't see the issue of popping up a new server from a template already stored. If something like a spike happens just pop open another VM to help load balance if you need to. This is why we have tools like VMWare, Hyper-V and VirtualBox to do this for us.

[pyropete]

Stupid me.. Paid for the full price of the copy on 7/7/11 and then forgot to put my pre-order code in on the first day.. Eventually remembered on 8/1/11,, So I am guessing I get in tomorrow.. Ahh well.

[AlamarAtMMOC]

December 13: July Pre-Orders
December 14: August Pre-Orders
December 15: September Pre-Orders
December 16: October Pre-Orders
December 17: November Pre-Orders
December 18: December

It also seems like they are cutting off EGA invites when the servers get to near 30,000 people. While this is smart, at the same time they should be able to have the hardware to spend seeing how much money they put into the game itself.

Seems a little contradicting... You're suggesting they have a day to month schedule, but also cut off at some point?

-Alamar

[Bumblebeetuna]

I don't think they will go like that. There were two huge spikes. One when pre orders were announced and another after the big beta test weekends. I'm willing to bet anyone who ordered in August and September will get in tomorrow.

[Morrin]

Stupid me.. Paid for the full price of the copy on 7/7/11 and then forgot to put my pre-order code in on the first day.. Eventually remembered on 8/1/11,, So I am guessing I get in tomorrow.. Ahh well.

I did this too, but worse. Ordered Aug 7, forgot to put code in until Oct 11.

[NatePsy]

Hoping I get in on the 15th, one can hope I guess.

[Moonsorow]

Seems a little contradicting... You're suggesting they have a day to month schedule, but also cut off at some point?

-Alamar

Yes and here's why. Many people have pre-ordered SWTOR at my work including students, and professors. The people who pre-ordered in July are in. Even one student in another class missed their final for this. All the professors who I know ordered in July all got it. Another student who I know pre-ordered August 1st and he was not sent in for the waves today, but his best friend who pre-ordered the day before did get an invite today.

So overall yes they are doing this on a month to month basis.

[NatePsy]

So overall yes they are doing this on a month to month basis.

And yet August won't have as much pre-orders as July did, and Stephen Reid stated they would be inviting even more people than the first day. This "month to month" basis thing isn't what they're doing lol it's obvious, my prediction is the majority of people get in by the 15th.

[mirodin]

Yes and here's why. Many people have pre-ordered SWTOR at my work including students, and professors. The people who pre-ordered in July are in. Even one student in another class missed their final for this. All the professors who I know ordered in July all got it. Another student who I know pre-ordered August 1st and he was not sent in for the waves today, but his best friend who pre-ordered the day before did get an invite today.

So overall yes they are doing this on a month to month basis.

.
July had the the biggest spike in pre-orders so i wouldn't count on just that. They might push to October today.