At the 2008 SOE Fan Faire we saw a very cool Station Voice demonstration.  Two players were chatting via the Station Launcher while a third called in from a cell phone. There's no sign of the cell phone feature yet, but spotted in the June 11 EQII Test Update Notes were these tidbits:

• Station Launcher will soon have a new release with voice capability.
• Station Launcher will allow you to start voice chatting as any of your EQII characters before running the client or while patching.
• Going into game while voice chatting in Station Launcher will be seamless. If you're already chatting, the client will detect this. If you're voice chatting as a different character than you're playing, a new button will appear on the voice bar allowing you to switch (or you may switch in Station Launcher).
• Station Launcher will keep voice chat active after the client closes.

Dan Kinney, on the Station Launcher forums, confirms the good news:

"Yes, the Station Launcher is joining the voice party.  We are working out the final details between each of the games - they each are just a tad bit different.  

You will have this before we get to Fan Faire."

Since you only need a Station Account to use the Launcher, not a subscription, this could make for a very powerful chat tool.

Tuesday's Station Launcher update apparently didn't fix the updating issue many people were having, forcing players to revert to the old launchpad for their SOE games.  Dan Kinney posted  Thursday evening:

Here is our current plan.

We are backing out the changes that we made to the updating code in 1.0.7 and will be deploying an update tomorrow.  We have not been able to isolate and reproduce the problem that many of you are seeing, so we have no choice.

I will provide more details on the timing of the new release first thing in the morning, but it will happen before noon California time.

Hopefully the Station Launcher team can work the bugs out of this most recent build!

Update:   Dan Kinney is asking for volunteers to help reproduce and isolate this issue.  Please see:  URGENT: Testing needed.

Source:  Station Launcher forums

People experiencing issues with the SOE Station Launcher will be pleased to hear the fix is in as of about 9:30 pacific time Tuesday.  In the "About" dialog, it will appear as version 1.0.7.1 release-728753.  Dan Kinney posted on the Station Launcher forums:

We have found and fixed a bug in the code that deals with the update check, which causes it to fail improperly...causing a FULL UPDATE.  Even after that update, the check is still incorrect which leads to the vicious circle....

I am extremely grateful for all that provided feedback and help to track down this bug.  This is extremely embarrassing and we humbly ask for your forgiveness.

He added:

If you have previously been caught in the dreaded "update loop", you will have to go through a FULL SCAN after this update.  This is significantly shorter than the FULL UPDATE.  After which, your state should be up to date and will only do updates as needed.

Dan Kinney posted on the Station Community forums:

As you may have already seen in other forums, there will be a maintenance that will interrupt your usage of Station Launcher (and the games) early tomorrow morning.

There will also likely be an update to the Station Launcher itself tomorrow as well.  We are evaluating how best to resolve the "update problem" and I expect that we will deploy an improvement tomorrow.

For information on Tuesday's downtime, see Session Maintenance and SOE Services Maintenance.

source:  Station Community Forums

Today Dan Kinney announced the next Beta Build of the Station Launcher, v 1.0.5, to be released December 19.

Release 1.0.5 (Beta) Highlights:

• Games marked Keep Up To Date will now update in the background.  When you leave your machine idle (the current timeout is 10 minutes), Station Launcher will check for patches that need to be applied.  There will be a pop-up window near the system tray to allow you to cancel the update if it’s inappropriate.
• Updating is no longer interrupted when leaving the Game Update screen (e.g. clicking on "Show All Games").  When on another Game Update screen, you can see update status messages from the other game.

 

Are you using the Beta Station Launcher to start your SOE games?  The Station Launcher team is seeking your honest input on the Launcher.  Please click the "Station Launcher Feedback" button on the Launcher or click this link to give your feedback.  Dan Kinney and Colleen of the Station Launcher team have been highly responsive and want your feedback!

The Station Launcher will undergo minor maintenance this evening at 5pm PST to support the new EQ expansion. This is separate from any EQ expansion-rated downtime. According to Dan Kinney on the Station Launcher forums :

If we had proper version dialog, this would be represent Version 1.0.1 (Beta).

The only changes in this deployment are:

• Support for EverQuest: Seeds of Destruction expansion
• Updated EULA for Russian version of Pirates of the Burning Sea

There will be no functionality changed in this deployment.

After this deployment has been completed, you may see a discrepancy in the calculation of the Add-ons value. It will not register your pre-ordered purchase of the expansion until the game is fully activated.

If you're having any issues with the beta Station Launcher or just want to give feedback, we highly recommend the Station Launcher forum. Dan and the other platform staff have been highly responsive to feedback and bugs of all kinds.

At long last, the Station Launcher Beta has been updated!  Those frequenting the Station Launcher forums have been pleased to see several new "red names" posting and responding to issues.  Ashlanne posted today :

The latest release update for Station Launcher Beta went live today!! This update included improvements to network resiliency, and auto launcher behavior! The Game update screen now includes "Show All Games," Vanguard players now have the ability to enter a game with a selected character and so much more!

You can read about these changes and more in the update notes posted on the Station Launcher forums. We want to know more about your experience with Station Launcher! Now when you click the "Station Launcher Feedback" button you are re-directed to an online survey so you can share your experiences. All of your input enables us to improve, refine, and deliver the best Station Launcher experience for everyone.

Be sure to patch and leave the Station Launcher team your feedback!

Station Launcher is doing a stress test this weekend!

There is going to be a stress test of the new Station Launcher this weekend, August 8th through August 10th and YOU are invited! Tell your friends... tell your loved ones... tell your guild mates... they are all invited too! Station Launcher will include:

• Launching Station Games - One place for all your games - launch games from one location, no separate logins, and delete shortcuts on desktop.
  
• Easy, Behind-the-Scenes Updating - Ready to Go Anytime - Automatic Updating, updating can take place while computer is in use, and manage download settings for each game through preferences.
  
• Connect with Friends using Station Friends - All SOE friends list on one application, stay connected to friends in-game, game characters names private, see what SOE games your friends are playing when you are online, send and receive tells, and connect with legacy friends.
  
• Purchase Station Games, Updates and Items- purchase & download a variety of content, able to pre-load games, stay current on Station news, and subscribe.
  
• Localization - Station Launcher will be available in several different languages, choose the one you wish to use.

Not a whole lot of other info was given , but the Launcher certainly has the capacity to make life much easier for those of us that play SOE games, so be sure to log in and check it out this weekend!