Origin the worst platform of the top 10

[Qwelldrin]

The ORIGIN platform is so bad it dose not even rate anymore on the 10 best gaming platforms, its backed by a company that no longer cares about your usage over sales, your area or what you want as a gamer. It has discrimination on the servers it allows and many time cant supply any functional servers. Its time to kick back TELL EA how bad THEY perform around the world and its not just the US the company and servers have been so bad for years the worst there is out there.

[EA_Darko]

@Qwelldrin We always welcome constructive feedback, if you have some constructive feedback or suggestions that you would like to share then please do as we pass all feedback on to the Origin team.

Darko

[Qwelldrin]

Hi DARKO,

A couple of recommendations then for the Origin Platform.

1. If due to the inadequate hosting of your servers you should still allow offline game play even if you cannot connect to Origin online.

2. DVD/CD purchases generally means the user is happy with a offline version of the games and des not want to be tied to the online platform.

3. Only a few years ago servers for online game play were not limited to only your local area, for me who works during the day and only has evenings to enjoy the online gaming community at times past midnight due to this limitation now imposed on us from EA I find very few users online at the same time as me but using a VPN to the USA I can find thousands of users still playing.

4.GAME Updates, Battlefield 1 a prime example, updates and patches to existing games. The intent by Origin to have you update to the latest version by downloading 40-50GB for a patch is absolutely ridiculous and should not be encouraged on any platform and why other platforms don't need to do this is beyond shows poor thought and development being that by the developer and deployment by EA..

5. Ridiculously slow update servers, before you say its a local problem, 3 different routers 4 different countries and 3 different PC's, sometimes spiking at 700Kbs but in the main part anywhere between 100-200kbs, downloading BF1 updates taking around 18 hours. Simply not good enough.

6. The incompetence of the Tech support staff is obvious when their only solutions are to uninstall Origin or run a UOtrace, I have there flow chart now written down for easier reference, taking 2-3 days to download and install my games again using the inadequate and poor online service.

7. Support staff no longer help online and instead send you an email after conversations Quoting "I have sent you an email containing the solution to your issue" that will resolve your problem with the same usual rubbish that never resolves issues.

8. The issues happen at peak times of course when you want to enjoy your free time and games so of course saying try again tomorrow may fix the issue but it all comes down to the shoddy and poor infrastructure that EA are using for online distribution and game play.

9. I personally have 3 other online gaming platforms that very rarely exibit the same atroucious performance and connection issues that Origin encounters on a weekly cycle.

Steam, GOG and Beamdog all of which d

10. DUMP Origin its poorly developed badly distributed and has little to no support from the company itself.

Recommendations.

Provide adequate servers and backup servers to your online gaming community as you are now charging them a premium to use online, Oh yeah forgot to mention you cant not use it online.

[EA_Darko]

@Qwelldrin Sorry in advance but this is a long post, I wanted to address all your points at once. 

1. You can launch Origin in offline mode and play all offline aspects of a title without an internet connection if you choose.

Firstly you must be online with an active internet connection when you first play the game but to play offline all you have to do is in your settings set Origin to offline mode.

If after doing so you find that a Game won't start in Origin's offline mode then please try the following:

• Exit out of origin.
• Turn off your internet connection.
• Start Origin  and login

2. Sorry to say but all games need to be redeemed to an Origin account, in fact, many psychical purchases no longer included either install DVDs or CDs. This is the same for all services and not just Origin. 

3. I have not seen this issue myself, if I play late at night I will be matched with active users even those who are not in the same region as me. The game will always try to match you with users close to you but if there are not many online then it will search further afield. If you are seeing an issue with this then please follow the connection troubleshooting steps which you can find here:  https://help.ea.com/en-us/help/faq/connection-troubleshooting-basic/

 4. An update of that size would be unheard of, what you are most likely seeing is that you installed the game well after launch and as such you have to get all the updates that have been released so far. It is not common to see an update that size and once installed from there on out all subsequent updates will be much, much smaller. This is the same for any platform, the first time you install and update a game it will take much longer than the next time an update is released.

It may, however, be a case that your system is not recognising the already installed updates and as such you may need to clear your cache.

You can clear the Origin Cache by following the steps below:

1. Completely log out and close down Origin
2. Hold down the Windows key and R
3. Type in "%ProgramData%" (without quotes) and click OK
4. Now open the Origin folder.
5. Delete all the files and folders in the Origin folder, except for LocalContent (do not delete this one)
6. Hold down the Windows key and R
7. Type in "%AppData%" (without quotes) and click OK
8. This will take you to a Roaming folder, which is located inside of AppData. Delete the Origin folder
9. Click on the word "AppData" at the top of your window
10. Open the Local folder here
11. Delete the Origin folder listed here
12. Restart your PC and log back into Origin

5. If you are seeing slow downloads then this is most likely an issue with your connection, I tested BF1 just there and was hitting speeds far in excess of what you are seeing. Please ensure that you follow the connection troubleshooting steps I linked above and also try the following whenever you see such slow download speeds:

• Disable all background programs on your system (including Steam). You can also do this with a clean boot
• Temporarily disconnect all other devices that you don't need from your network
• Use a wired connection
• Make sure Origin is accepted in your anti-virus and firewall
• You can also try using Safe Mode Downloading via Origin which is under Application Settings, Advanced

 6. Please see my post above, if you are seeing slow downloads then our tech team will need you to go through the basics, you cannot do a deep dive into an issue unless you first do the basics. From your posts, it would appear that you have issues with your connection.

7. Our live support staff still help online, you can set up a chat or a callback and they will talk you through the troubleshooting steps they believe will help solve your issues, that said from time to time if an issue will require some time for you to troubleshoot and test they may send you on all the information in an email and ask that you work through it in your own time and contact us back. 

8. Again, this further hints at you having connection issues. Please do run through the steps I linked you above and do share your UO Trace so that we can take a look at how your information is being routed. 

9. It's great to hear that you do not have issues with others but if your system and network are not set up correctly for Origin then you can still have issues. Just because one thing works does not mean that another will and you may need to do some troubleshooting. For example, it may be a case that you have not opened the ports that Origin uses.

10. Origin is freely available and distributed on origin.com, you can find the download link here: https://www.origin.com/irl/en-us/store/download

As for support the Origin team work tirelessly to address any bugs and issues that arise and as you will see from reading the forums most issues are solved with some basic troubleshooting steps. 

[EA_Darko]

If after doing so you find that a Game won't start in Origin's offline mode then please try the following:

• Exit out of origin.
• Turn off your internet connection.
• Start Origin  and login

2. Sorry to say but all games need to be redeemed to an Origin account, in fact, many psychical purchases no longer included either install DVDs or CDs. This is the same for all services and not just Origin. 

3. I have not seen this issue myself, if I play late at night I will be matched with active users even those who are not in the same region as me. The game will always try to match you with users close to you but if there are not many online then it will search further afield. If you are seeing an issue with this then please follow the connection troubleshooting steps which you can find here:  https://help.ea.com/en-us/help/faq/connection-troubleshooting-basic/

 4. An update of that size would be unheard of, what you are most likely seeing is that you installed the game well after launch and as such you have to get all the updates that have been released so far. It is not common to see an update that size and once installed from there on out all subsequent updates will be much, much smaller. This is the same for any platform, the first time you install and update a game it will take much longer than the next time an update is released.

It may, however, be a case that your system is not recognising the already installed updates and as such you may need to clear your cache.

You can clear the Origin Cache by following the steps below:

1. Completely log out and close down Origin
2. Hold down the Windows key and R
3. Type in "%ProgramData%" (without quotes) and click OK
4. Now open the Origin folder.
5. Delete all the files and folders in the Origin folder, except for LocalContent (do not delete this one)
6. Hold down the Windows key and R
7. Type in "%AppData%" (without quotes) and click OK
8. This will take you to a Roaming folder, which is located inside of AppData. Delete the Origin folder
9. Click on the word "AppData" at the top of your window
10. Open the Local folder here
11. Delete the Origin folder listed here
12. Restart your PC and log back into Origin

5. If you are seeing slow downloads then this is most likely an issue with your connection, I tested BF1 just there and was hitting speeds far in excess of what you are seeing. Please ensure that you follow the connection troubleshooting steps I linked above and also try the following whenever you see such slow download speeds:

• Disable all background programs on your system (including Steam). You can also do this with a clean boot
• Temporarily disconnect all other devices that you don't need from your network
• Use a wired connection
• Make sure Origin is accepted in your anti-virus and firewall
• You can also try using Safe Mode Downloading via Origin which is under Application Settings, Advanced

 6. Please see my post above, if you are seeing slow downloads then our tech team will need you to go through the basics, you cannot do a deep dive into an issue unless you first do the basics. From your posts, it would appear that you have issues with your connection.

7. Our live support staff still help online, you can set up a chat or a callback and they will talk you through the troubleshooting steps they believe will help solve your issues, that said from time to time if an issue will require some time for you to troubleshoot and test they may send you on all the information in an email and ask that you work through it in your own time and contact us back. 

8. Again, this further hints at you having connection issues. Please do run through the steps I linked you above and do share your UO Trace so that we can take a look at how your information is being routed. 

9. It's great to hear that you do not have issues with others but if your system and network are not set up correctly for Origin then you can still have issues. Just because one thing works does not mean that another will and you may need to do some troubleshooting. For example, it may be a case that you have not opened the ports that Origin uses.

10. Origin is freely available and distributed on origin.com, you can find the download link here: https://www.origin.com/irl/en-us/store/download

As for support the Origin team work tirelessly to address any bugs and issues that arise and as you will see from reading the forums most issues are solved with some basic troubleshooting steps. 

[Qwelldrin]

Hi EA_Darko,

A couple of comments on your posts.

1. Having to be ONLINE to connect to Origin in order to use offline play is by definition "HAVING TO BE ONLINE"

2. I can see that is the way it is going but again only offering an online service.

3. This is a constant problem with minimal users in your areas and not being able to play globally.

4. I Got BF1 on pre release so had all the updates installed, It has been a constant pain in the never regions espicially on Fridays having to do the updates taking all weekend. Now I would just rather go with out any updates it does not improve performance anymore anyway. Removing the cache was only ever a temporary fix as was reinstalling the game again.

5. Speeds please see attachment.

6. Staff take you through the same steps every time with no issues showing.

7. see 5.

8. Shared many times no action ever. Just an email to get you off the chat and get you to go through the same stuff every time.

9. If all other gaming platforms work fine is it not possibly a problem with ORIGIN and the way it sets up or routes. (You never know it could be a problem with ORIGIN)

10. There are lots of people out there that have no issues on Origin platform and yet there are still loads out there that do the forum is full of people having issues and some are solved yet many others remain open with no conclusion.

Thanks for taking the time to answer and to read my post

[EA_Darko]

@Qwelldrin A speed test tells us very little, they are by their very nature set up to show an optimal speed but you are never going to get near to that when in real-world use. Have you followed the steps I linked you to, you need to do both the connection troubleshooting and the steps for issues with slow downloads.

To test your belief that there are issues with Origin speeds that affect all users I went ahead and downloaded Battlefield 4, it took me under 15 minutes to complete the download of 26.41GB.

Darko

[Qwelldrin]

Hi EA_Darko,

Speedtests are not theoretical speeds and are based on the transfer download and upload of data on a pc to server base, these are as close as you get to real speeds all be it they may have some variation of a longer period.

No I didn't follow your contact support and download the UOTrace I am fed up doing it with never any follow up its a complete waste of my time.

 What I will do though as its not the weekend is uninstall BF1 and let it download for the next couple of days. Will post here an image of how slow downloading is....

So BF1 on Origin download speed 980kb, Download speed of CS-GO on stteam 6Mbs, Same PC, same router, same ISP vastly different service.

[EA_Darko]

@Qwelldrin I am aware of how a speed test works but it is not an accurate representation of your speeds, it's an ideal world situation which you can clearly see when you look at your download speeds in your speed test in comparison to the download speed you are getting in Steam. If you compare your Steam download to your speed test then you are not even getting 1% of what you should get, in fact, your Steam download speed is only 0.76% of what it should be based on your speed test. 

You seem to think that the issue is Origin but I have demonstrated that it is not, my Origin download speeds are vastly higher then your Steam downloads and while you are free to continue blaming Origin and suffer slow speeds, if you do want to get the issue sorted then you will need to follow the steps I linked you to.

Darko

[Qwelldrin]

Hi,  EA_Darko.

Thanks for your reply. Even if Steam download is 0.76% of top ORIGIN is still 6x worse than that. I am not the only user experiencing problems with the downloads issue. You can visit a number of posts on this forum. https://answers.ea.com/t5/EA-General-Questions/why-are-the-download-speeds-extremely-slow-on-origin/....

The 4 Different ISP's I used.

The 4 Different Routers used (2 Different manufacturers, 4 models)

The 3 PC's I used all exhibit the same issues.

But as I have paid for numerous games and forced to use the Origin platform I will have to attempt again to find out the reason why this is still happening years after it was first reported.

I will give support there pound of flesh again and see if anybody does contact me back after we have tried all the usual suspects.

[Qwelldrin]

Hi EA_Darko.

Interesting conversation with support below a transcript of the conversation.

Support
Thank you for contacting EA HELP, my name is *****, may I start with your first name please?
you
Hi Its #####
Support
Hi there ####! Nice to meet you, hope you are doing well and we understand that you've created this case for Origin, can you tell us more about it?
you
Sure, I have been advised by the EA Answers community to contact you due to the slow speed of my connection for downloading updates from the Origin platform
you
Average speed is around 900kbs
Support
I understand how this is unpleasant for you and, as this may had been caused by a system requirement issue or game file issue. Here’s what I am going to do, I will pull up your records and to ensure that I am working on the right account, I will ask some account related information. We’ll also perform some troubleshooting steps to isolate the reason why the game is not working and from there we can provide a proper fix. How’s that sound, ?
you
Ok sounds good
Support
System requirements includes connection and game file includes ports more
Support
Will it be okay to put this chat on hold for 3-4 minutes to check, will that be okay?
you
Ok
Support
I am back thanks for holding just need to know more info:
Were you on Wi-Fi:
Last disconnection happened on:
Modes it happened to:
Troubleshooting steps you've done so far to fix it:
you
Hi, On Ethernet cable.
Yesterday very slow, On downloading BF1 using Origin after a reinstall,
Checked router for open ports and run a UOTrace.
Checked download speeds and pings using Speed test.
Support
I see have you already controlled the download speed on Origin
you
Controlled?
Support
Click on Origin → Application Settings → Download Restrictions.
Choose between various download speeds inside or outside of gameplay, or completely turn off downloads while in-game.
you
Yes, because the download speed is so slow I limit when the downloads can take place.
However the Max download rate when out of game and max download rate during game are set to no limit
Support
I see, I did check and some players are having the same issue and still not updates yet with our Studio I would suggest having this feed posted on : https://answers.ea.com/t5/General-Discussion/Origin-Suggestions-amp-Requests/td-p/4741092
you
Ok, not sure how this is related though asking for additional features.

Further to the discussion EA_Darko. If you would be so kind as to look through the OUTrace and please give me any feedback. Thanks.