Issues, Workarounds & Localization

On May 21st we deployed a new and updated EVE Launcher. The deployment wasn't perfect however, and there were a few issues with the deployment that I will address below.

The new EVE Launcher moves the login process into the EVE Launcher itself and away from the EVE Client. What this means for the user is that you both log in sooner and you dive straight into the character selection screen.

For those still experiencing issues with the actual running of the EVE Launcher, here is a list of known issues and workarounds:

• Loading the EVE Launcher results in an offline-mode landing page
- Users experienced this as a result of a webserver service outage that we experienced on May 21st. The issue with the webservers was resolved at 2040 GMT on May 21st. Anyone still encountering this page should check their connectivity to our webservers by visiting https://client.eveonline.com/launcherv3 in their browser of choice. If the issue still persists then filing a bug report will allow us to attempt to determine what the problem is and what's causing it.


• Starting the EVE Client doesn't load any user settings
- After the initial update was deployed to bring the EVE Launcher up to its new version, many users reported that their settings had been deleted. Several workarounds were posted for this which entailed navigating to hidden system folders and copying files, but the easiest solution was to close any instances of the EVE Client and EVE Launcher.
- The problem was that EVE Client was inheriting a working directory in what's known as a short style path. This is a Windows feature that allows legacy applications to be able to reference modern file paths that contain white space characters. The EVE Client would inherit a path that was like this C:\PROGRA~2\CCP\EVE rather than C:\Program Files (x86)\CCP\EVE. This meant that the EVE Client expected the user settings at a path like c_progra~2_ccp_eve_tranquility rather than c_program_files_(x86)_ccp_eve_tranquility. Copying the settings between these two folders worked, since the EVE Client would find them in the new location, but rebooting fixed the path issue by allowing the EVE Launcher to correctly start with a fully qualified path name. I urge anyone who is still experiencing lost settings to file a bug report, and attach the EVE Launcher logs from the launcher\cache folder within their EVE installation.


• Starting EVE from Steam returned an error
- For people starting from Steam, the EVE Launcher would not be able to connect properly and would return a very confusing error message. This issue should now be resolved. Anyone still experiencing this should file a bug report and attach the logs.


• Banned, expired and trial users getting strange error messages after starting the EVE Client
- These users get an error message from the EVE servers when they try to connect, since they're not allowed onto the game server itself. The message they receive from the server references a user called EVE-SSO-CONNECTION. This is still an issue, and is related to the error message returned. This will be fixed in a later update to the EVE Client.


• Log off button removed
- Historically the log off button hasn't functioned as a log off feature; the button used to simply close the current Client, and start a new one on the login screen. Since it is our goal to remove this login screen, the log off button doesn't make sense. There is some design that needs to be done here, since the intent of most people clicking the button is to take them back to either a) the character selection screen so that they can switch characters or to the login screen to change users.
- With user login moved into the EVE Launcher, we need to follow up on the release of the new EVE Launcher by adding in either the ability to switch characters or to relaunch the EVE Launcher and switch users, or supply a way to improve this flow. We're aware of this and are planning accordingly.

Anyone else who is still encountering errors should file a bug report. I've no doubt that there are other errors out that have been lost in the feedback we've received, and I don't want to miss out on those issues that people are experiencing.

Looking forward from the issues surrounding the deployment, I want to talk about our motivations for the change:

For a long time we've had two methods for logging into the EVE Universe: the EVE Client method, which communicates with the EVE backend servers for authentication using our proprietary networking library and the more modern method used by our web presence and DUST 514. This left us in a position where any future improvements to authentication security or flow would have to either extend the custom code or adapt to the new SSO method that was being developed. We opted for the later choice, and by doing so made the decision to move the login out of the EVE Client.

It's long been our goal that with a non-EVE Client application on the user's computer, we could start offering a whole range of EVE related services that are only available currently from within the EVE Client. This could be anything but as examples of things that we toyed with, consider out of game access to chat channels or always connected EVE Voice. With the login moved out of the game, and you having an authenticated session in the EVE Launcher, we can start exploring these options further.

The deployment on May 21st was just the first in what we hope are a number of improvements we can make to the flow of users connecting to the game, and in how they experience the EVE Universe. In the coming days and weeks we're going to be pushing out fixes for the issues that are listed above, but also changes to the login flow, and improvements that we can gather from the community. One of the...

I'm not sure if this is a technical limitation, but the only way in which the new launcher would actually make it faster for me to launch multiple clients than it was before would be if it were possible to launch another client that you've signed in while a client is launching. This is pretty terrible to explain, so I'll do a FORUMDIAGRAM(tm)

Previous

>open launcher
>spam return key
>speed log in while alt-tabbing


New Launcher

>open launcher
>log in
>click play
>switch user
>log in
>wait for the client to launch fully

^^^^ This is where it gets slow - I can log in faster than the launcher will let me launch clients. I really don't want to sit through this if I need to log in a cyno chain quickly and from what I can tell, you want to remove the login screen, so going through ExeFile.exe won't work around this for long.

(To be honest, I can understand how it can be pretty demoralising for something you've worked on to get bypassed by a bunch of people [practically everyone I know in-game is launching from \bin\], but this really does represent a step back in terms of functionality.)

What is the response of CCP to the concept of the login screen being iconic art?
https://forums.eveonline.com/default.aspx?g=posts&m=3070688#post3070688

Iconic art, and an excellent new player experience, which is now gone.

Since this has been an appreciated suggestion on the other thread, I am going to repost it here.

It deals with an idea about how to greatly streamline the users experience including multi-accounters and comes with screenshots of mock up screens.

---

Super extra constructive usability suggestion with screenshots!

With reference to this anticipation:


Considering the passwords will be stored in the cloud, the following IS possible to do and will provide easy transition from the current log in scheme to the future "master account" implementation.



Phase 1: current mechanic.

One easy to use check box list with the account names. The choices are only done once, then they are saved so the users will always presented with the saved checkboxes selection already made.

One button to start all the selected accounts (and thus clients).


Screenshot

Phase 2: master account / single sign on.

It's an extension of the above.

Now when you check an account name, it automatically expands and shows the 3 characters in that account. The user chooses which character to play with a simple checkbox.

One button to start all the selected characters, no hassle, no need to select characters in game any more => usability.

This hierarchical selection is more difficult to code, but you can implement it well past Odyssey.


Screenshot.

That's something we're very aware of, we know a lot of people loved the old log-in screen for it's artistic value even if it doesn't serve a technical need any longer. And it's a question we will address. I'm not the right person to go deeper into that at this point though :)

But it's one of those things that are noted.

it makes sense to me, as currently I have no fast way to swap toons over 8 accounts as the log off function was removed. the launcher isn't fit for purpose in its current state

https://forums.eveonline.com/default.aspx?g=posts&m=3072465#post3072465

Better one found by some one else is
Here ya go (this one looks awesome, if you guys could get the render time fast on the avatars:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8070/8191191887_8975bc2833_o.png

From this post: https://forums.eveonline.com/default.aspx?g=posts&m=3056173#post3056173

There's no way to apply the sp to the pilot that's actually training at the time the sp is applied? I have several manufacturing characters that don't need anymore training but the account character training at the time could certainly use them!

^^ This!!!


We need a way to log in multiple accounts easily, and the loss of the traditional game logon screen (via the \bin\EXE file) defeats the purpose of multi-boxing. If the customer base can't log more than one account, or at least have the ease of use to do this, I expect many of those with multiple accounts won't renew subscriptions/buy PLEX in game.


If we can't use our alts when we need them, and do so with ease, why should I spent my money on them?