WoW Open Beta

Ok so the torrent link in the 1st post is working and legitimate?

Don't want to have wasted 10 hours d/l'ing this only to find out I should have used the Blizzard installer.
 
Sal Paradise Jr said:
Ok so the torrent link in the 1st post is working and legitimate?

Don't want to have wasted 10 hours d/l'ing this only to find out I should have used the Blizzard installer.
Click to expand...

Yes, it's the same client as it's actually downloading from the same source as the Blizzard client. Here is a link to the Blizzard client if you are uneasy about using a 3rd party torrent (even though it's the same exact thing, but faster - I promise.)

http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/down..._downloader.exe
 
Cerebral Palsy said:
The Blizzard bt client is horrible. They are insane if they try to use this thing for retail patches.
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mwuahahahahahahah!

Welcome to the world of trying to save money on a MMO :D
 
Wonder if people who were in the stress test will have their accounts reactivated. If they do that I wouldn't have to bother refreshing the main page to signup.
 
If the open beta is like 2-3 weeks I'll have to jump on this for a bit. I guess I'll start downloading it later.
 
Blizzard's downloader really does suck. It's unprofessional to use your customer's bandwidth to distribute your product, not to mention it's slow as hell. I'm getting 80kb/s up and 40kb/s down. They are going to feel some heat from customers come retail. Especially when the game requires a monthly fee to play.
 
Man, the download rate went from 50+ to 4, this sucks!



Isn't the power of Bittorrent that the more people downloading this stuff, the better speed you get?!
 
akascream said:
Blizzard's downloader really does suck. It's unprofessional to use your customer's bandwidth to distribute your product, not to mention it's slow as hell. I'm getting 80kb/s up and 40kb/s down. They are going to feel some heat from customers come retail. Especially when the game requires a monthly fee to play.
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It's not that using BT is such a bad idea, it's their client which doesn't allow you to set your bandwidth rate, so it ends up raping your connection.
 
I've finished downloading the client - just waiting on Bliz to throw up the signups now. Look forward to playing with you guys tonight *hopefully.*
 
It's not that using BT is such a bad idea, it's their client which doesn't allow you to set your bandwidth rate, so it ends up raping your connection.
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It's two fold. They are using customer bandwidth to distribute thier product. Not only is this unprofessional from the perspective that customers probably won't realize this fact, but its unprofessional for a company asking for a monthly fee.

You need more money from me so I can play your game? I have no problem with that, raise your monthly charges. But don't force me to donate my bandwidth to you because you want to save some money on distribution.
 
akascream said:
It's two fold. They are using customer bandwidth to distribute thier product. Not only is this unprofessional from the perspective that customers probably won't realize this fact, but its unprofessional for a company asking for a monthly fee.

You need more money from me so I can play your game? I have no problem with that, raise your monthly charges. But don't force me to donate my bandwidth to you because you want to save some money on distribution.
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So would you be willing to pay $50-$100 a month to cover the costs of bandwidth + employees to maintain the game?
 
Bristow said:
I've finished downloading the client - just waiting on Bliz to throw up the signups now. Look forward to playing with you guys tonight *hopefully.*
Click to expand...


We're in the same boat, Bristow. C'mon signups!
 
I'm getting about 40-60KB/s on the torrent file. 15 hours to go. Was getting under 20KB/s with the Blizzard downloader. I don't even know why I'm bothering. Not going to waste more time on characters that are going to get wiped soon. I was so close to getting a mount too. Only 5 more levels, and almost had enough cash saved.
 
Does that first torrent work anymore? I get a bad data error each time i run it

n/m , its downloading something
 
So would you be willing to pay $50-$100 a month to cover the costs of bandwidth + employees to maintain the game?
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Honestly, I would pay $50 a month, but that is irrelevant to the cost of bandwidth. Are you telling me it costs blizzard $50 for a single patch download? Lets assume there is a patch every month, will they even be as big as the 700+mb beta patches?
 
akascream said:
Are you telling me it costs blizzard $50 for a single patch download?
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Bandwidth costs a lot more than that especially when you have 500,000 people downloading a 300-700MB file.
 
Bandwidth costs a lot more than that especially when you have 500,000 people downloading a 300-700MB file
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How much for a single user downloading a 300mb file? You asked me how much I would personally be willing to pay.
 
ManaByte said:
So would you be willing to pay $50-$100 a month to cover the costs of bandwidth + employees to maintain the game?
Click to expand...

Every MMO I've played has offered a patching server, and has cost less than the projected $15 a month WoW will probably cost. Ontop of that, I'm sure Blizzard will have a much larger customer base. I agree that BT was a excellent way to cheaply distribute the beta and beta patches, but there is really no excuse to use it for retail. It's not the fact that I think it's dirty that Blizzard is using my upload bandwidth, because I really don't care... IT'S THAT THEIR BT CLIENT SUCKS FUCKING BALLS. I'd pay $5 more a month to not have to use their horrible BT solution, or rely on other people to post decent torrent links. I've kept my mouth shut during the beta because I'm not paying for it, but I won't be a happy customer if I have to continue to put up with this. Yeah, I'll still buy WoW... But that doesn't mean I can't bitch like mad.
 
Cerebral Palsy said:
Every MMO I've played has offered a patching server, and has cost less than the projected $15 a month WoW will probably cost. Ontop of that, I'm sure Blizzard will have a much larger customer base. I agree that BT was a excellent way to cheaply distribute the beta and beta patches, but there is really no excuse to use it for retail. It's not the fact that I think it's dirty that Blizzard is using my upload bandwidth, because I really don't care... IT'S THAT THEIR BT CLIENT SUCKS FUCKING BALLS. I'd pay $5 more a month to not have to use their horrible BT solution. or rely on other people to post decent torrent links.
Click to expand...

Yes, and every MMO (with the exception of DAoC) has LOST money every month. SOE has only had one profitable month in the five years that EQ was out, and that was due to the money from character transfers and renaming.
 
ManaByte said:
Yes, and every MMO (with the exception of DAoC) has LOST money every month. SOE has only had one profitable month in the five years that EQ was out, and that was due to the money from character transfers and renaming.
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There's a lot more to it than bandwidth costs. If they can afford to charge 15 a month and still make money, then theres no excuse for a bt client as far as I'm concerned. I'll pay for the pittance that I download.
 
What races fit each class best? Who makes the best tanks, mages, melee etc? Trying to decide my race/class combo and I really have no idea what to pick..
 
There's now a faq up about the open beta/stress test (not the same!). It's on forums. Too lazy to link.
 
akascream said:
There's a lot more to it than bandwidth costs. If they can afford to charge 15 a month and still make money, then theres no excuse for a bt client as far as I'm concerned. I'll pay for the pittance that I download.
Click to expand...

But the point is, you can't make money off a MMO at $15 a month. That's why SOE charges $50-$75 for character names and transfers and has a server with dedicated support for $40 a month. Mythic also charges for transfers etc.

commish said:
There's now a faq up about the open beta/stress test (not the same!). It's on forums. Too lazy to link.
Click to expand...

Link please, the forum link on the site is dead.
 
ManaByte said:
But the point is, you can't make money off a MMO at $15 a month. That's why SOE charges $50-$75 for character names and transfers and has a server with dedicated support for $40 a month. Mythic also charges for transfers etc.
Click to expand...

Well thats what Blizzard has hinted at. But you've missed my point. Whether thier fee needs to be 15 or 20 or whatever, bandwidth isn't a big part of that.
 
I was just reading the Stress Test FAQ but closed it and can not get back in.

It also said Open Beta will start IMMEDIATELY when the ST ends, and the ST is projected to last 5-7 days.

Edit: Thought anyone would be able to get in the ST but it looks like Fileplanet subscribers only now >_<
 
akascream said:
Well thats what Blizzard has hinted at. But you've missed my point. Whether thier fee needs to be 15 or 20 or whatever, bandwidth isn't a big part of that.
Click to expand...

Yes it is. Bandwidth is actually more costly to a MMO company than payroll.

MrCheez said:
I was just reading the Stress Test FAQ but closed it and can not get back in.

It seemed to indicate that ANYONE can play the ST (until all the account slots are full). :O

It also said Open Beta will start IMMEDIATLY when the ST ends, and the ST is projected to last 5-7 days.
Click to expand...

That must be why the didn't do a PWipe yet.
 
Open Beta FAQ:

http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.aspx?fn=wow-general&t=496203&p=1&tmp=1#post496203

It's not working right now, i'll copy/paste.

1. World of Warcraft® Open Beta FAQ | 11/1/2004 8:27:32 PM GMTST


What is the open beta?
As World of Warcraft gets closer to completion, we need to conduct another phase of beta testing for final balancing and bug fixing. This phase of testing is the open beta. Many final aspects of the game are being implemented in their most complete form in the open beta, and we will need this time to test these elements as rigorously as possible to ensure that they are completed for the game’s launch.

Will you charge people to play the open beta?
No, the World of Warcraft open beta is absolutely free. Blizzard is not charging a fee for you to play the open beta.

Will I have full access to the World of Warcraft game?
Since our goal is to have as much of the game balanced and tested as possible, you will be able to play the most current version of World of Warcraft. However, because the game is still being optimized, you may experience some lag and performance issues. Please bear with us and remember that although you will be playing a version that seems very polished and complete, it is in fact a beta and will not always play optimally.

Do I have to play in the final stress test if I want to play the open beta?
No, you do not have to play in the final stress test to participate in the open beta. However, if you wish to play in the open beta, you will have to wait until its start is announced, and then visit www.worldofwarcraft.com to begin downloading the open beta client and creating an open beta account.

I don’t want to sign up for the final stress test. Can I sign up for the open beta now instead?
Once the open beta starts, Blizzard will make an announcement on www.worldofwarcraft.com. At that time, you will you be able to download the World of Warcraft client and begin the account creation process. Once that is completed, you can start playing the open beta.

How is the open beta different from the final stress test?
The open beta will begin after the conclusion of the final stress test and will be the most complete version of the game available to date. It will include the content from the closed beta and final stress test, as well as additional features that are slated to appear in the final version of World of Warcraft.

Do I need to go through FilePlanet to get into the open beta?
FilePlanet does indeed have a role in hosting the open beta, and it has a number of open beta accounts to award. However, the majority of open beta accounts will be distributed by Blizzard directly. Once FilePlanet’s accounts are given away, all further accounts will be awarded only through Blizzard. So, if you visit FilePlanet and are told that no more open beta accounts are available there, please go to www.worldofwarcraft.com to secure your open beta slot.

Do I have to be a FilePlanet subscriber to sign up for the open beta at FilePlanet?
No. Anyone with an Internet connection in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States can visit FilePlanet or Blizzard on the day the open beta begins to try to acquire an open beta account. Please note that FilePlanet has a number of open beta accounts to award, but if it exhausts its allotment of keys, you will still be able to visit www.worldofwarcraft.com for a chance to join the open beta.

If I was in the stress test beta, will I get to reuse my old account and characters?
Because we are testing a new version of the game and account-creation process, we will need you to create a new account and new characters to play in the final stress test. Additionally, because the final stress test is a new version of the game, all accounts and characters from the first stress test beta would have been incompatible with the final stress test and were thus deleted.

If I am in the final stress test, will I get to transfer my account and characters from there to the open beta?
Yes, you will be able to use your account and characters in the open beta. You do not need to take any action. Instead, when the final stress test ends, you will be able to continue playing by logging in to the open beta servers.

Will I get to keep my characters from the open beta?
We are still formulating our plans for the characters from the open beta and will provide more information in the near future.

When does the open beta start?
The open beta will begin immediately after the final stress test ends. An exact date is undetermined at this time; however, we expect the open beta to begin approximately five to seven days after the start of the final stress test.

What do I do exactly to get started in the open beta?
Once the open beta starts, visit www.worldofwarcraft.com for further instructions and information on the open beta.

How do I get the open beta if I signed up through FilePlanet?
If you go to FilePlanet to sign up for the open beta when it begins, you will be given an authtentication key and instructions to download the World of Warcraft client from FilePlanet. Please note that FilePlanet has a limited number of keys to award.

What do I do after I download the World of Warcraft client?
After you install World of Warcraft onto your computer, launch the program to be taken to the account-creation site. During the account-creation process, you will be prompted to enter the authentication key that will have been provided to you. After you successfully create your account, you can re-launch World of Warcraft and begin playing in the open beta.

How long will you leave the World of Warcraft client up for download?
Once we have achieved the maximum number of players for the open beta, we will remove World of Warcraft from download. So, if you wish to play in the open beta, we recommend that you download the client and create an account as soon as the open beta begins. After we have reached the maximum server population we need, we will no longer be accepting people into the World of Warcraft open beta.

Will there be a limit to the number of people who can play the World of Warcraft open beta?
Yes, we will have to limit the number of players. However, a maximum number of players has not yet been determined. At this time, we simply recommend that if you wish to play in the open beta that you download the game and create an account as soon as the open beta is ready. Once we fill our servers to capacity, we will remove the World of Warcraft downloader and account-creation pages.

How will I know if I get into the open beta?
If you can download the client and create an account, then you are in the World of Warcraft open beta. After creating an account, you must enter the account name and password you had chosen during the account creation process at the World of Warcraft login screen to play the game.

How long will the open beta last?
There is no predetermined duration for the World of Warcraft open beta. As long as we need to conduct further testing, we will maintain the open beta.

Will I be able to start playing right away?
Yes. When we announce the beginning of the open beta, you will be able to download the game immediately. After creating an account, you will be able to play World of Warcraft.

Will I need to connect to the Internet to play?
Yes, you need to connect to the Internet to take part in the World of Warcraft open beta.

Will there be a Mac version of the open beta available?
Yes. The final stress test and open beta test are for both Mac and PC users.

Who can participate in the final stress test and open beta test?
The final stress test and open beta are available for players in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States.

Why can’t players in other countries participate in the final stress test and open beta test?
The final stress test and open beta test are being conducted for the North American launch servers. We will eventually be conducting open beta tests in Europe and other regions in which we have announced the game’s upcoming availability.

I’m having issues with the Blizzard downloader. Whom do I contact?
If you have issues with the Blizzard downloader, please visit the tech support page at http:// www.worldofwarcraft.com/support .

I’m having issues with the game. Whom do I contact?

Please use the support options located at http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/support .

What are the system requirements?

Windows® System 98/ME/2000/XP OS:



800 MHz or higher CPU.

256 MB or more of RAM.

32 MB 3D graphics card with hardware Transform and Lighting, such as GeForce 2 or better.

4 GB or more of available hard drive space.

DirectX® 9.0c or above.

A 56k or higher modem with an Internet connection.



Mac® System OS X 10.3.5 OS:



933 MHz or higher G4 or G5 processor.

512 MB RAM or higher. DDR RAM recommended.

ATI or NVIDIA video hardware with 32 MB VRAM or more.

4 GB or more of available hard drive space.

MacOS X 10.3.5 or newer.
Click to expand...
 
ManaByte said:
Yes, and every MMO (with the exception of DAoC) has LOST money every month. SOE has only had one profitable month in the five years that EQ was out, and that was due to the money from character transfers and renaming.
Click to expand...


And I would say that has more to do with low quality titles, and market saturation than anything else. Once EQ was succesful everyone ran to release thier own MMORPGs in a market that had no room for them. And IMO, they all lacked quality (besides DAoC). AC and AC2 I couldn't even force myself to play for free during the beta. Same with Anarchy Online and Horizons. Shadowbane was just one giant bug, and had the worst launch I've ever seen in an MMO. PlanetSide tanking, which I enjoyed for a few months, was SOE's own doing. Same goes with SWG, though I find it hard to believe it isn't making SOE a profit.

Anyway, Blizzard is lucky. Despite how crowded the MMO market is they will always have a customer base if their product is quality. They have a huge fan base, and the b.net crowd they can draw from. I think you're insane if you don't think WoW will make a profit just because they offer a patching server. :rolleyes
 
This just in, only Fileplanet subscribers will be able to enter Final Stress Test. Which is estimated to last no more than a week.

Final Stress Test begins Nov. 1
 
Cerebral Palsy said:
And I would say that has more to do with low quality titles, and market saturation than anything else. Once EQ was succesful everyone ran to release thier own MMORPGs in a market that had no room for them. And IMO, they all lacked quality (besides DAoC). AC and AC2 I couldn't even force myself to play for free during the beta. Same with Anarchy Online and Horizons. Shadowbane was just one giant bug, and had the worst launch I've ever seen in an MMO. PlanetSide tanking, which I enjoyed for a few months, was SOE's own doing. Same goes with SWG, though I find it hard to believe it isn't making SOE a profit.

Anyway, Blizzard is lucky. Despite how crowded the MMO market is they will always have a customer base if their product is quality. They have a huge fan base, and the b.net crowd they can draw from. I think you're insane if you don't think WoW will make a profit just because they offer a patching server. :rolleyes
Click to expand...

The more people playing a MMO, the more it costs a company to run it as you have 500,000 players connecting to your servers 24/7 transferring data continuously. Thus the bigger a MMO gets, the more money it takes to run it. As I said, not even SOE (who has the largest userbase in the US for MMOs across the board) is making a profit. They only had ONE profitable month. It's such a drain on Sony Pictures that they recently considered selling the company off to someone else.

SWG is one of the biggest drains on SOE and is so far from making a profit it isn't even funny. They got ass raped on the SWG deal. Of the $14.95/month subscription fee, SOE sees $2 of that. SOE runs the servers, provides the support, and develops the game, but they only get $2 off every account while Lucasarts gets the rest.
 
Just an FYI for those of you that hate BT...

FilePlanet already has their banners up for DL'ing the client. So it should be available there very soon.
 
So... final stress test HASN'T started yet?

If it were to start today we're looking at a week or so until we can play the open beta?
 
ManaByte said:
The more people playing a MMO, the more it costs a company to run it as you have 500,000 players connecting to your servers 24/7 transferring data continuously. Thus the bigger a MMO gets, the more money it takes to run it. As I said, not even SOE (who has the largest userbase in the US for MMOs across the board) is making a profit. They only had ONE profitable month. It's such a drain on Sony Pictures that they recently considered selling the company off to someone else.

SWG is one of the biggest drains on SOE and is so far from making a profit it isn't even funny. They got ass raped on the SWG deal. Of the $14.95/month subscription fee, SOE sees $2 of that. SOE runs the servers, provides the support, and develops the game, but they only get $2 off every account while Lucasarts gets the rest.
Click to expand...

How about this. Blizzards codes a bt client that doesn't suck complete ass and this arguement can die. People aren't bitching because they're using BT. It's their implementation. I don't even care that I have to download it at a friends house, to get around the firewall, when I'm on campus. I would just like a torrent, which thousands of people are connected to, to download at speeds on par with my standalone client.
 
Cerebral Palsy said:
How about this. Blizzards codes a bt client that doesn't suck complete ass and this arguement can die.
Click to expand...

Uh, the bt client has absolutely nothing to do with the money it costs to run an online game that is up 24/7 with people playing it 24/7. It's just a small part of it. Having a good BT client won't save you the bandwidth costs of players connecting to the servers themselves to play the game.
 
Yep, I posted above after reading the Open Beta FAQ.

There is now a Stress Test FAQ which says:

Are you charging people to play the final stress test?
Blizzard is not charging a fee to play the final stress test or the open beta. However, to help defray the costs associated with distributing a large number of files and to keep our focus on finalizing World of Warcraft, we have partnered with FilePlanet for the distribution of the final stress test client, which is only available to FilePlanet subscribers. Subscription to FilePlanet carries with it a nominal fee.
Click to expand...

Arrrgghhhh
 
Do I have to be a FilePlanet subscriber to sign up for the open beta at FilePlanet?
No. Anyone with an Internet connection in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States can visit FilePlanet or Blizzard on the day the open beta begins to try to acquire an open beta account.
Click to expand...
Why must people start rumors ;P Clearly says NO you don't have to subscribe.

Although they DO seem to be saying both...hehe

Guess we'll see.
 
That's the Open Beta FAQ :(

The ST FAQ says you need a Fileplanet subscription for ST. (You won't need one for OB).

:(

(Stress Test DOES start today, btw)
 
You can DL the client right now from Blizz, and then just subscribe to the ST & OB through them, ignore FP.

I for one will use FP because I hate the BT client WoW uses.

Holy acronyms!
 
Mr Pockets said:
You can DL the client right now from Blizz, and then just subscribe to the ST & OB through them, ignore FP.

I for one will use FP because I hate the BT client WoW uses.

Holy acronyms!
Click to expand...

You can't get a stress test account key without going through FilePlanet.
 
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