Once past the launcher, the login queue seems extremely erratic. At one point, I had an estimated login of 10 minutes or so and got into the queue immediately. This afternoon, I saw the screen pictured. Yes, indefinite approximate wait. Granted, I think this was a bug, but it’s one of many, and that doesn’t even get at one of the queue’s biggest problems.

The LoL client can be pretty buggy for certain people. I rarely have problems beyond random chat disconnects, but I’ve seen the occasional Bug Splat crash. When that happens during the queue period, there’s no reconnecting. You’re stuck waiting in line until you can get back in and hopefully recover from the disconnect. In most cases, though, I’d bet you just get a leave mark, and that’s not so cool.

There are definitely some things I think Riot needs to address with the system. It’s a good idea, and the times that the crash-to-queue situation should be relatively rare, but when it happens on an individual level, it’s a pretty terrible experience.

I don’t hesitate to say that I’m a little worried for Riot. The company is having huge scaling issues. Between the server crashes, the large number of bugs/exploits that come with each patch, and the string of nerfs and buffs that seem out of line due to a lack of testing, I can’t help wondering when they’ll catch up. The list of open positions is enormous and shows some gaping holes in current company structure. Here’s a short list of what Riot’s missing: Technical Director, Database Administrator, Director of Operations, System Administrator, Senior Game Designer. That’s a short list, obviously not including junior level positions. All of those gaps are presumably being filled along with other regular duties by the current staff.

As excited as I was for this patch, I can’t help feeling more than a little miffed by all the problems. Oh, did I mention the Jax buff? Yuck.