Slashdot Mirror

Since we're on the topic of games

ArenaNet (Guild wars): http://www.arena.net/contact.php

Ironclad Games (Sins of a Solar Empire) http://www.ironcladgames.com/contact.html

Blizzard Entertainment (World of Warcraft) http://us.blizzard.com/support/webform-us.xml?gameId=0

Firzxis (Civilization IV) http://www.firaxis.com/support/

Electronic Arts (lots of games) http://www.info.ea.com/company/company_prlist.php

Valve (Steam: Counterstrike, other games) http://www.valvesoftware.com/contact.html

Activision (Gun) http://www.activision.com/index.html#contact|en_US

And code for WINE.

ArenaNet (Guild wars): http://www.arena.net/contact.php

Ironclad Games (Sins of a Solar Empire) http://www.ironcladgames.com/contact.html

Blizzard Entertainment (World of Warcraft) http://us.blizzard.com/support/webform-us.xml?gameId=0

Firzxis (Civilization IV) http://www.firaxis.com/support/

Electronic Arts (lots of games) http://www.info.ea.com/company/company_prlist.php

Valve (Steam: Counterstrike, other games) http://www.valvesoftware.com/contact.html

Ask for either native Linux port or Wine-compatible Windows binaries.

While I'm all for open source and regarding hardware drivers I wouldn't want it any other way, let's not forget that open source does not have to be pushed around at the application level at the expense of usability. Professional-level applications are critical for the use and expansion of Linux, and proprietary software vendors should be encouraged to develop their software for Linux, not alienated by being badgered to give away their source code. Currently, there is a heated discussion on the Debian list regarding PCB and CAD software availability. One camp (me) is encouraging users to write to software houses and to request that they port their software to Linux, with the other camp rejecting all contact with proprietary software vendors unless it is a demand for the source code. Currently, myself and other engineers cannot use Linux at work because we must run proprietary engineering software, such as Solidworks in my case. For those who want to help, please write to these companies and let them know that we are interested in their software on Linux:

Intuit (Quicken, Quickbooks) http://www.intuit.com/contact/ (requires registration)

Adobe (Photoshop, Flash CS3 Professional, Captivate, Dreamweaver, Studio) http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/mmform/index.cfm?name=wishform

Sony (Vegas Studio) http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/corporate/contacts.asp

Autodesk (Autocad) http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?siteID=123112&id=1073074

SolidWorks http://www.solidworks.com/pages/company/SolidWorksOfficeWorldwide.html (requires registration)

Sage (Act!) http://www.act.com/company/contactus/

Nuance (Dragon Naturally Speaking) http://www.nuance.com/help/contact/

hardin-soft (BM-Win Plus (mailing address correction software)) http://www.hardin-soft.com//forms/feedback.html

Daz (Bryce (3D modeling and animation)) http://www.daz3d.com/i.x/support/rnlogin/-/?p_sid=vOwOJN6j&p_accessibility=&p_redirect=&p_lva=&p_sp=&p_li=&p_next_page=std_alp.php (requires registration)

ArenaNet (Guild wars): http://www.arena.net/contact.php

Ironclad Games (Sins of a Solar Empire) http://www.ironcladgames.com/contact.html

Blizzard Entertainment (World of Warcraft) http://us.blizzard.com/support/webform-us.xml?gameId=0

Firzxis (Civilization IV) http://www.firaxis.com/support/

Electronic Arts (lots of games) http://www.info.ea.com/company/company_prlist.php

My personal problem is that I need Solidworks, so for emphasis I'll repeat their address here:
http://www.solidworks.com/pages/company/SolidWorksOfficeWorldwide.html

Please write to these companies and let them know that we need their products on Linux. Copy the list and write to one company a week. Thanks.

I have quite a few.

Apple Trailers - New movie trailers.
BlizzCast - Blizzard podcast, not that great.
GameTrailers - Latest game trailers.
The Perry Bible Fellowship - Amusing comics though seem dead lately.
Penny Arcade - Enough said.
TED Talks - Insightful talks about many subjects.
Three Panel Soul - Mac Hall is dead, long live Three Panel Soul.
Video Copilot - Nice video compositing tutorials.
xkcs - Master of all geek webcomics.
Zero Punctuation - Game reviews amusing enough you don't need to care about the game.

EZTV - Scene TV torrent releases.
Releaselog - General scene torrent releases.

And there's of course Slashdot which currently has 126 unread stories, I'm sure I'll get to them sometime.

Do you write to the game developers and let them know that you need support for Linux? Here are a few addresses to get you started:
ArenaNet: http://www.arena.net/contact.php
Ironclad Games: http://www.ironcladgames.com/contact.html
Blizzard Entertainment: http://us.blizzard.com/support/webform-us.xml?gameId=0
Firzxis: http://www.firaxis.com/support/
Electronic Arts: http://www.info.ea.com/company/company_prlist.php

In fact, Blizzards entire new digital distribution store is based around torrents - I downloaded my (entirely legal!) WC3 and Frozen Throne RTS games there, quite quickly. As an aside, I did so on a service provider other than comcast, who I dropped a few months ago due to the incredible ineptitude of their employees to fix common problems. Line disconnects every 10 minutes? Sorry sir, that was in your contract....

MMORPGs have been selling online services via prepaid cards from brick & mortar stores for a long time, e.g. World of Warcraft, Ragnarok and Priston Tale, to name a few. Another numbskull patent (examiner).
Well technically, it isn't exactly media or merchandise that the MMORPGs were selling (as claimed by the patent), but in terms of prior art, uniqueness and obviousness, the patent shouldn't be valid. Heck, USPTO should employ teens as patent examiners.

A FAQ has been posted on Blizzard's web site detailing the effects of this merger on Blizzard's development efforts. Pasted below: http://www.blizzard.com/press/activision-faq.shtml Q: What are the details of the deal? A: Under the terms of an agreement with Vivendi, Blizzard and the other companies that make up Vivendi Games will combine with Activision to form a new public company called Activision Blizzard. We do not anticipate any difference in Blizzard's operations as a result of the combination. Joining forces with Activision will create a stronger and more diversified company that we anticipate will benefit and strengthen both brands. Q: What will happen to the Blizzard brand name? A: The Blizzard brand name will stay the same as it's always been: Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. Q: What will change with regard to the day-to-day operations at Blizzard? A: There will be no changes in the way Blizzard operates. All of the people, processes, and philosophies that have made Blizzard so successful will be preserved. Blizzard will benefit from all-star sales and distribution teams to service our products. In addition, the combined company will be stronger financially, managerially, and operationally. Q: How will this impact Blizzard's games? A: This will not impact Blizzard's games. We remain committed to providing the same high-quality game content and support that we always have. Development on Wrath of the Lich King and StarCraft II, as well as on our unannounced games, is continuing as normal. Q: Will there be any visible differences in Blizzard's logo or packaging/marketing materials as a result of this deal? A: No, there won't be any changes to our company name, logo, packaging/marketing materials, or anything else along those lines. Q: Will there be any management changes at Blizzard as a result of this deal? A: No, there won't be any management changes at Blizzard as a result of the combination. Q: Will Activision and Blizzard now share development teams? A: No, both of our companies will continue to operate as they have previously with regard to game development. Q: Will the release schedules for any Blizzard games be impacted? A: No, the transaction will not have any impact on our games, our day-to-day operations, or our release timelines. Q: Will any of Blizzard's offices close as a result of the deal? Or, will any new offices open? A: No, all of our offices will continue to function as they have, and we don't foresee the need to open any new offices for the time being. Q: Will any employees move to different offices as a result of the deal? A: We don't anticipate making any such moves as a result of the deal. Q: Does this deal include Activision's and Blizzard's international offices? A: Yes, every part of our companies in the U.S. and abroad is involved in this deal. Q: If Activision Blizzard is a public company, does that mean I'll now be able to buy stock in Blizzard? A: Activision will be renamed Activision Blizzard, Inc and will continue to be a publicly listed company traded on NASDAQ. You will be able to buy stock in the combined company. Q: When will the transaction be complete? A: The transaction is subject to approval of Activision shareholders, customary closing conditions, and regulatory approvals. Pending approval, the companies expect the transaction to be completed by mid 2008.

I have been keeping an eye on the hiring page for Blizzard for awhile and they have been hiring for a "top secret" project(their words)for quite some time. http://www.blizzard.com/jobopp/
(Look on the upper right side of page)

I have been making potshot guesses regarding what they are up to.

This changes those guesses. It may boil down to simple licensing issues. Activison has something Blizzard needs and is willing to pay for it? A merger here would put a lot of those licensing issues out of the purview of most people, allowing them to do so without blowing their cover. Thats a wild guess though.

The thing that puzzles me the most is that ACTIVISIONS current CEO will be running the ship. Granted, that may have been a concession on the part of Vivendi, but it sure looks to me like Blizzard/Vivendi has the majority of the chips on the table. Which, again, leads me to believe that Vivendi wants something from Activision and that was the only way to get it.

Blizzard to Join Forces With Activision
We're pleased to announce that along with the other companies that make up Vivendi Games, we are merging with Activision to form a new global entertainment organization called Activision Blizzard (pending shareholder and regulatory approval). Similar to our previous arrangement, Blizzard Entertainment will now operate as a division of this new organization.

There will be no changes to our games, our websites, our personnel, or our day-to-day operations as a result of the deal. However, this combining of resources will benefit all of the companies involved and will further strengthen Blizzard's ability to continue delivering high-quality content for our players around the world for many years to come.

Blizzard has had open postings for people to work on "next-generation" MMO development for some time now. Since they certainly can't think of World of Warcraft as "next-generation," I think you're right. Personally I'm hoping for a Diablo game.

http://www.blizzard.com/starcraft/sis/

Outside of slashdot?

Go look at a game developers site. Look at the job listings, I'm willing to bet about half the time they will use the terms AA,AAA,or AAAA.

In fact here is one from blizzard: http://www.blizzard.com/jobopp/art-lead-3d-environ ment.shtml

why troll? check out a Blizzard press release stating it, and according to this site they are paying ~5c/hour.

Just FYI, it's not the number of accounts they're counting. From this article on Blizzard's own website:

World of Warcraft's Subscriber Definition
World of Warcraft subscribers include individuals who have paid a subscription fee or have an active prepaid card to play World of Warcraft, as well as those who have purchased the game and are within their free month of access. Internet Game Room players who have accessed the game over the last thirty days are also counted as subscribers. The above definition excludes all players under free promotional subscriptions, expired or cancelled subscriptions, and expired prepaid cards. Subscribers in licensees' territories are defined along the same rules.

It's probably a lot less if you exclude gold farmers and power-levelers :)

Since the article doesn't seem to have it (from the actual blizzard press release, http://www.blizzard.com/press/070724.shtml [blizzard.com]):

World of Warcraft's Subscriber Definition:
World of Warcraft subscribers include individuals who have paid a subscription fee or have an active prepaid card to play World of Warcraft, as well as those who have purchased the game and are within their free month of access. Internet Game Room players who have accessed the game over the last thirty days are also counted as subscribers. The above definition excludes all players under free promotional subscriptions, expired or cancelled subscriptions, and expired prepaid cards. Subscribers in licensees' territories are defined along the same rules.

World of Warcraft's Subscriber Definition
World of Warcraft subscribers include individuals who have paid a subscription fee or have an active prepaid card to play World of Warcraft, as well as those who have purchased the game and are within their free month of access. Internet Game Room players who have accessed the game over the last thirty days are also counted as subscribers. The above definition excludes all players under free promotional subscriptions, expired or cancelled subscriptions, and expired prepaid cards. Subscribers in licensees' territories are defined along the same rules.

Every time there's a topic like this, people say that, and it's just wrong. Blizzard explicitly state in all of their press releases that anyone whose subscription has ended or been canceled is not counted.

Perhaps you could quote the part of the article which defines that for me.

Since the article doesn't seem to have it (from the actual blizzard press release, http://www.blizzard.com/press/070724.shtml):

World of Warcraft's Subscriber Definition:
World of Warcraft subscribers include individuals who have paid a subscription fee or have an active prepaid card to play World of Warcraft, as well as those who have purchased the game and are within their free month of access. Internet Game Room players who have accessed the game over the last thirty days are also counted as subscribers. The above definition excludes all players under free promotional subscriptions, expired or cancelled subscriptions, and expired prepaid cards. Subscribers in licensees' territories are defined along the same rules.

World of Warcraft's Subscriber Definition
World of Warcraft subscribers include individuals who have paid a subscription fee or have an active prepaid card to play World of Warcraft, as well as those who have purchased the game and are within their free month of access. Internet Game Room players who have accessed the game over the last thirty days are also counted as subscribers. The above definition excludes all players under free promotional subscriptions, expired or cancelled subscriptions, and expired prepaid cards. Subscribers in licensees' territories are defined along the same rules.

http://www.blizzard.com/wow/screenshot.aspx?ImageI ndex=159&Set=64

WoW has realms specifically tagged as either role play or "normal". The normal realms vastly outnumber the RP realms, but people actually do fully role-play on the RP servers. And the role-play focused guilds on the RP servers really get into it. Blizzard strongly encourages it too.

"I AM THE DESTROYER OF WORLDS!" really doesn't work with a beginning-to-crack-prepubescent-boy voice, does it?

No, it sure doesn't.

Blizzard.com is both funny and informative, best source I've found. Check it out.

http://www.blizzard.com/misc/e3/2004/ghost/index.s html

It may really be dead, but Blizzard hasn't made that pronounced it dead as far as I can tell.

Starcraft 2 Units part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJDFw4TGWmo

Blizzard Press Release http://blizzard.com/press/070519.shtml?blah

Other folks have covered the ALT+TAB thing, so I'll tackle a couple of other things in your post.

You do understand that all the excuses Square-Enix have given are complete bullshit, right? It's important that people realize that - preventing people from alt-tabbing does nothing to improve security. It's like those websites that prevent right-clicking to "protect their copyright", it's just plain stupid.

First, that it looks like crap: I have to disagree.

Let's compare:

FFXI Screenshot versus World of Warcraft screenshot

Keep in mind that WoW is known for having simple graphics that work on old machines. Square-Enix is nice enough to provide a benchmark program so that non-FFXI players can witness for themselves how poorly it runs on modern computers at 640x480.

What is your definition of Multiplatform, that FFXI doesn't fit into it?

Multiplatform is an application which has versions that run on multiple platforms, where each version is specifically designed to run on the platform instead of just attempting to emulate another platform. FFXI is a PS2 game, which is simply emulated on the PC and Xbox 360 as opposed to being rewritten to fully support those platforms.

http://www.blizzard.com/jobopp/

They posted a new lead engine developer job opening today for a "next gen mmo" which WoW most definitely is not. Count on a new MMO.

Probably Starcraft but lets hope for Diablo. What I'd REALLY like is something entirely new. Rehashing old stuff gets wel..... old.

http://blizzard.com/jobopp/

Opportunities for a "next-gen MMO" makes me think if it's Starcraft 2... it's not going to be an RTS... :/

Let's pray they don't ruin the good name Starcraft has, eh?

-- newbyx86

http://blizzard.com/jobopp/

Job Update 4/26/07
New Position - Lead Engine Programmer Next-Gen MMO

That depends entirely on the genre of the game. You probably play FPS games, and there you're right. It's a simulation of a human setting with humans trying to spot other humans, reacting at human speeds with human accuracy, and bots who never miss aren't much fun. For strategy games, the goal should really be the "best AI possible".

So far, most strategic AI plays like a distracted teenager with a serious case of ADD and no real sense of what it's doing. I don't doubt those people exist, but they're not my favourite opponents for a game.

I though it already supported opengl.

support page

Let me start this post of with one basic statement.

Blizzard is out to make money. Their support has sucked since day one, and with the increased "relationship" with WoW glider, they have turned plenty of profit.

Let me try my best to outline how I conclude this.

I and my best friend have been banned by Blizzard Entertainment. As well as unbanned.

Months ago, so many I forget exactly when, but this was very momentous and can be easily looked up, Blizzard updated their Warden detection method. This method is a program ran on the client's end specifically to scan for programs that could violate their TOS/EULA/etc. There are many details on this program, but it is still not 100% known as to what exactly it does, or scans, etc. There are those who argue it has the full ability to even read your full MSN messages, but that is not my point. When they proceeded to update their Warden detection method, in a period of 48 hours, over 100,000 accounts were banned; me and my best friend were one of these many. Let me emphasise the importance of this activity.

Blizzard has a graduated mechanism in place to punish clients in the hope they learn that what they did was inappropriate. Good, people should know what they did wrong if they did something wrong, and how to correct it. The account penalties section is located: http://www.blizzard.com/support/wowgm/?id=agm01714 p . These accounts were not provided any warning, suspension, or any instruction that what they had done was wrong. There was no gray area, no possibility of error, no forgivance. All 100,000+ of these accounts were immediately banned, and were classified as no longer available for any use.

When me and my best friend contacted Blizzard we got the standard, ctrl+c ctrl+v (copy + paste FYI) email they send out to every person they really dont care about. Stating that they had found third party software running on our system which violated the EULA/TOS/etc. We proceeded to further inquire as to what was going on. I do not know exactly what my friend recieved, but I recall it being similar, if not identical to my results. Blizzard responded stating that they had "further reviewed" the "evidence" which they had acquired regarding our banning, and maintained the argument that what we had done was wrong. Note that they do not offer us a suspension instead of our banning, or anything of similar nature. They further proceeded to outline that this was not up for further discussion. I must also note, that at no time in any of the emails, whatsoever, did they actually tell us any details as to the evidence they procured, what it was, and how they procured it.

During this whole issue, I discovered that Transgaming (the makers of Cedega, the emulation software we were using to play WoW in linux) had concluded that Blizzard had inappropriately banned a large ammount of accounts at the exact same time of the Warden update. They said that if anyone had been banned in such a circumstance, that they should contact Transgaming ASAP in an attempt to get your account unbanned. We proceeded to contact them, and they asked us standard questions, such as accout name, first name, last name, email address; acceptable information for recovering an account of such. After doing such, everything went quiet for about a week or so. We then recieved an email (each of us) from Blizzard Entertainment themselves, stating that they had "misbanned" us. They proceeded to appologize, and even gave us 2 weeks free in addition to free time equal to the time our accounts were unavailable.

Okay, cool, Blizzard actually tried to bring us back as customers. But lets review this.

-Blizzard banned me and my best friend during a Warden update, while we were using Cedega.
-Blizzard did not offer any warning, suspension, or other punishment less than banning
-Blizzard failed to seriously investigate the circumstances of our banning
-We had to contact Transgaming in ord

Well, they did reach the 8 million subscriber mark http://www.blizzard.com/press/070111.shtml and have their first expansion coming out next week, which a good percent of those 8 mil will buy. I imagine Blizzard is fairly comfortable with their financial situation right now.

As with any system that is processing large volumes of data, the World of Warcraft realms require regular maintenance to ensure they are operating correctly.

This maintenance consists of hardware and software updates.

Here is the support information for billing, including a phone number:

  Contact Information
        Email Support
                Website E-mail Form
                Billing@Blizzard.com
        Phone Support - 1 (800) 592 5499 (1-800-59-BLIZZARD)
                Automated 24 hours
                Live Representative Mon-Fri, 9AM-6PM (PDT)

http://www.blizzard.com/support/wowbilling/?id=abl 01663p

Here is the email: My last just before their last: I'm sorry we seem to not be communicating well. I would like a Refund and to cancel my account. If you can not help me can you please refer me to someone who can? Thank you, XXXXX Blizzard's last email: Dear XXXX, We apologize if you are unsatisfied with our product. If you are in North America and wish to be refunded for your purchase, please contact Vivendi Games' support at 1-800-757-7707 (Dial option 1). Other areas: Please use this link - http://www.blizzard.com/inblizz/icontact.shtml to find the game distributor nearest you. Refunds are only available for World of Warcraft if purchased within the last 30 days. If you have already set up an actual game account for World of Warcraft, and would like assistance with account cancellation, please call our Billing & Account Services team Monday through Friday between 9:00 am and 6:00 pm Pacific Time at 800-59-BLIZZARD (800-592-5499) or by emailing Billing@Blizzard.com. Customers in Australia should call 1-800-041-378. Please make sure that you properly cancel any subscription on the Account, if you wish to no longer use it as outlined in the previous emails. Sincerely, XXXX X Billing and Account Service Representative Blizzard Entertainment http://www.blizzard.com/

Here is the email: My last just before their last: I'm sorry we seem to not be communicating well. I would like a Refund and to cancel my account. If you can not help me can you please refer me to someone who can? Thank you, XXXXX Blizzard's last email: Dear XXXX, We apologize if you are unsatisfied with our product. If you are in North America and wish to be refunded for your purchase, please contact Vivendi Games' support at 1-800-757-7707 (Dial option 1). Other areas: Please use this link - http://www.blizzard.com/inblizz/icontact.shtml to find the game distributor nearest you. Refunds are only available for World of Warcraft if purchased within the last 30 days. If you have already set up an actual game account for World of Warcraft, and would like assistance with account cancellation, please call our Billing & Account Services team Monday through Friday between 9:00 am and 6:00 pm Pacific Time at 800-59-BLIZZARD (800-592-5499) or by emailing Billing@Blizzard.com. Customers in Australia should call 1-800-041-378. Please make sure that you properly cancel any subscription on the Account, if you wish to no longer use it as outlined in the previous emails. Sincerely, XXXX X Billing and Account Service Representative Blizzard Entertainment http://www.blizzard.com/

As for the whole affair... It's Blizzard. They've apparently got a singular attitude about Linux users that
started with the period around Starcraft forward. I wouldn't buy any title from them right now and for some
while to come- you just don't treat customers or potential customers the way they seem wont to do.

Act your age!

Blizzard Entertainment, a division of Vivendi Games, was founded in 1991 under the name Silicon & Synapse by Allen Adham...

Love your ethnocentric viewpoint.

In the pure form, the only legitimate points you have is "get you in shape" and "get you laid." Video games, many, will teach teamwork, leadership, commitment. Teamwork, leadership and commitment can be found in everything from America's Army to True Combat Elite, to Warcraft 3/TFT/WOW among countless other games.

If teamwork was to mean, "play with others", leadership was to mean "lead by example" and commitment to mean "dedication" then even some of the oldest titles such as Atari's Warlords would qualify for that.

Ah, I see. You must work for NCsoft. Bashing WoW only seems popular when other companies need attention!

In all seriousness, parent is trolling :/ I am sorry. I would believe he wasn't if it wasn't for the last 2 sentences. I mean you almost make good points before those last two, but you just seem like a shill and want to be cool by bashing Blizzard. So which of those two companies do you work for? NCsoft or Arenanet? Seeing as how both are doing horrible with their games compared to WoW, and WoW seems to be gaining more people then losing I call troll (you). Actually your trolling starts when you flat out lie about WoW support.

I've never had Blizzard take more then 24 hours to contact me (ingame), and you are full of crap about the customer service problem. You say you can't find a customer support link, yet looking at the MAIN PAGE and scrolling down on the left I see plenty of support links, and http://www.blizzard.com/support/wow/ there it is. Blizzard is far from perfect, but don't spread FUD and lies about their support :p

By the way, that support page seems to work JUST FINE without being a subscriber, and um yes, you are not allowed to post on their forums unless you pay to play the game, they aren't the only company that does it. I am done looking at your Blizzard hate. Have a nice day at work making up more Blizzard FUD Sir. Whoever modded this trash up must work with you at NCsoft.

PS GuildWars is barely a MMOG and again, read up on subscriber base, Blizzard keeps people because they in fact do not suck at support.

They're making a WoW movie, live action, and it might not suck.

http://www.blizzard.com/press/060509.shtml

Perhaps you could have just looked at the Company Profile section of their site, where it clearly states "...Blizzard Entertainment, a division of Vivendi Games..."

The problem for blizzard is that the original Starcraft is so popular (I expect that there are people out there who have machines that can play Starcraft but not Warcraft III) that if they released a new Starcraft, all the Starcraft players wouldnt want to buy it (cant run it, not enough players yet etc)