Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Domains

Domain: blizzard.co.uk

Stories and comments across the archive that link to blizzard.co.uk.

Comments · 5

  1. Re:Bittorrent is not a p2p file sharing program. by psychicsword · · Score: 1 · on Judge — "Making Available" Is Stealing Music

    copyright infringers get sued != BitTorrent is an illegal technology
    Another reason that BitTorrent could not be illegal is that World of Warcraft use the BitTorrent protocol to download updates, the only thing that IS illegal is using BitTorrent to download files.

    Here is the text from the Blizzard Website
    From the UK site:

    Blizzard Entertainment is currently testing a Blizzard Downloader that is based upon BitTorrent, an open source technology which is freely distributable pursuant to the MIT License. From the US Site:

    The Blizzard Downloader allows users to download large files using a peer-to-peer protocol.
  2. Re:Uh, maybe it's because Doom III sucked? by ChaosDiscord · · Score: 3, Insightful · on Piracy Forced id's Hand To Multiplatform Gaming

    The game was pirated far more than any other game before its time, there were torrents *everywhere*, and *everyone* had a copy. Anticipation was high, and when a warez group let slip the ISO *days* before the retail date, sales were instantly decimated.

    I'm curious where your information comes from. Doom 3 lost 10% of its sales because of the early illegal release? How can you know what the number would have been without that release? It was pirated more than any other game previously? I wasn't aware that NPD was tracking those numbers. "Everyone" had a copy? Hyperbole just makes you look like you lack real evidence.

    Ultimately you're guessing. You have no more evidence that piracy caused fewer sales than expected than the grandparent post claiming that the game just sucked.

    Here are some actual numbers. You've suggested that "Piracy ruined Doom 3...." Doom 3 sold 3.5 million copies. Most publishers would love to sell 3.5 million copies of a game. Games generally considered to be highly successful, like Warcraft III , Baldur's Gate , and Unreal Tournament didn't sell 3.5 million copies. There are only perhaps a dozen or two PC games that can claim to have topped that. id claimed Doom 3 was "...id's most successful game to date." If that's ruination, I'm afraid of success. Assuming you claim of decimation is correct, we're talking about id losing about 350,000 sales. That is a huge number of sales; many PC games never sell that many. But really is the different between 3.5 and 3.85 million copies really ruination?

  3. Re:Blizzard is using BT to distribute patches to W by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0 · on BitTorrent May Prove Too Good to Quash

    Gee, you think?

  4. Re:My WoW experience by oldManSquad · · Score: 1 · on World of Warcraft Launches
    According to the information at the end of the european press release:,
    "For those European gamers still wishing to play with their American friends on the North American servers, and vice versa, Blizzard will provide a means to make this possible after the European launch."

    So that part of your criticism is moot.

    btw, I'm one of the many disappointed Europeans (UK) hoping to import, but now must wait for "early next year release" due to this regional lockout, bah! Though it doesn't matter too much, I still got HL2/CStrike:Source and GTA Andreas to waste my time on till then. :)

  5. Re:They will sell them... by Talrias · · Score: 0 · on Warner Bros Buys Monolith Productions

    World of Warcraft does not have much in the way of player-vs.-player (only limited opt-in between the two different sides), while the Matrix Online promises a lot more. To quote from the respective FAQs:

    (WoW) What type of PvP will you offer?

    We know that the player vs. player (PvP) option is very important to many gamers. Therefore, we plan to incorporate a form of player conflict into the World of Warcraft. However, players who do not wish to be participate in PvP combat will not be required to do so. The PvP system will be incorporated in a consensual way that will be fun for those who wish to take part in this form of combat. Announcements regarding PvP options in the World of Warcraft will be announced in the months ahead.

    (MXO) Is the game only for players to play against other players (PvP)?

    The Matrix Online includes PvP, for players who choose to play against other players, but there are plenty of computer-controlled characters in the missions to fight against as well. Player-vs.-player is a particularly intense style of gameplay. However, unlike some games, you needn't play PVP exclusively. You can choose to alternate between fighting other players or taking missions against non-player characters.