Warcraft III Gone Gold

0x00 writes "Shacknews seems to be the first to report that Warcraft III has gone gold. The press release is here. Blizzard have announced that the game will be available July 3rd around the world - just in time for my mid-year University break (great timing!)." Update: 06/13 15:16 GMT by M : Please consider the fact that Blizzard is suing people who write software to interoperate with theirs when deciding whether you want to purchase this game.

Comments

Please consider the fact...

[ObviousGuy]

that no matter what it is that we're protesting at the moment, that it doesn't really matter because we're not serious about the boycotts.

Say what you like about Blizzard, they make some pretty damn good games.

Re:Please consider the fact...

[tempest303]

First, Michael didn't disparage the game - I don't think anyone would refute that Blizzard makes good games.

Second, and more importantly, maybe YOU don't take boycotts seriously, but many others do.

Thridly, who's the "we" in slashdot? As if you could EVER get 100% of readers (hell, even 85%) to agree on anything?

Re:Please consider the fact...

[Anonymous Coward]

As if you could EVER get 100% of readers (hell, even 85%) to agree on anything?

Sadly, you're right. One could say, for example, "the sun is yellow", and:
54% would agree with you.
27% will say the sun may be yellow in America, but the rest of the world things it's more orangish
10% will flame the above 27% by saying "America != USA"
35% will ask about whether the sun shines on Linux
88% will complain that these numbers don't add up to 100%.

Re:Please consider the fact...

[SirSlud]

> Maybe bnetd was invented so people with pirated copies of the game could play it

Or maybe not. Maybe it was invented casue BattleNet sucks ass. Maybe it was invented because we live in whats called 'a market' where people are encouraged to supply a demand. Sure, it doesn't check keys. Is ID software going out of business? Nope. Hell, gamespy.com owes their entire business to ID (and arguably to the pirated game market.) and nobody's firing off intimidating letters to them.

So can you explain to me why Blizzard wouldn't just do a key check in the game client against a blizzard-owned key database, independant of server-finding mechanism? Can you tell me why they insist that it takes a full blown player-community environment to do a simple key check? Sounds to me like, if anything, Blizzard made a crucial architectural mistake, and now they're being forced to toss out all babies with their bathwater. Thats their own deserts, and I dont have a modicum of sympathy for them. They arnt in any danger of living on the streets, and to use the argument always used against those who have to endure tough situations, if they like what they do, why grub for every last penny?

Re:Please consider the fact...

[YanceyAI]

You forgot to mention that at least 7% will say that CowboyNeal is yellow.

Re:Please consider the fact...

[Sinistar2k]

Oh, but, wait! BattleNet checks keys! Maybe bnetd was invented so people with pirated copies of the game could play it without being hassled by the BattleNet servers?!

Have you spent any time at the bnetd.org site? Read about the conversations bnetd tried to have with Blizzard about incorporating a method by which to authenticate CDs? Read about how Blizzard said, "Nuh uh" and then sued bnetd?

Apparently not.

But lets look at all the games that have suffered by not having centralized key authentication systems that require the key for play (and I'm just going to list the ones I've owned and played in multiplayer):

Tribes 1-2, Mechwarrior 2-4, Quake 1-3, Doom 1-2, Duke Nukem 3D, Midtown Madness 1-2, Serious Sam 1-2, Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, Half-Life, Jedi Knight 2.

Well, there are more, but that's 18 games right there that didn't bankrupt their creators by allowing people to run servers at a LAN party. Admittedly, you can't set up public servers with Midtown Madness, but you can with the rest.

So what's keeping Blizzard from allowing people to set up their own servers? It must be assumed that people with pirated copies of the above games connect to public servers and play. Why hasn't there been a collapse of the game industry as a result?

... Maybe because enough legitimate copies are sold regardless to support those companies and that the extra sales due to widespread adoption of the multiplayer aspect makes up for the small losses to piracy. This is similar to Microsoft's approach - they hate piracy, but they know that without it, they'd be on a LOT fewer desktops. That's why the XP SP1 will merely disable future updates and won't shut down the OS itself - they can't afford to lose the numbers of users who have pirated XP.

Is Blizzard/Vivendi the first company to sue over server emulators? Naw, Ultima Online did the same thing. But I had already quit by the time that happened, so I didn't have much weight behind my protests.

Re:Please consider the fact...

[kerith]

Blizzard's most likely simply bothered by the fact that the existence of bnetd decreases the intrinsic value of Battle.Net. Perhaps they have/had some plans in the wings to move Battle.Net over to a for-pay service; if they only allow their games to talk to *their* community (Battle.Net), then they've got a clear, guaranteed way to at least make some money.

Bnetd sort of short-circuits this plan, as whoops, all of a sudden anyone can create a Battle.Net type server. As a result, any revenue-generating potential Battle.Net had is significantly decreased.

The DMCA/piracy argument is merely being used as the most politically expedient way for them to eliminate what they see as a threat to their earnings potential. If they'd come out with a 'hey, this *totally* wrecks the Big Plans we had for Battle.Net!' argument, they'd have been laughed right out of court. Much easier to transform it into a piracy-based argument, especially since that seems to be a hot political topic at the moment.

This is all speculation, of course.

Re:Please consider the fact...

[T.E.D.]

Maybe bnetd was invented so people with pirated copies of the game could play it without being hassled by the BattleNet servers?!

You mean people who posses unauthorised copies of the game. "Piracy" has to do with armed theft of tangable goods (often involving murder, rape, and other nasty business). It has nothing whatsoever to do with sharing fun or useful software with your friends.

There is nothing morally wrong with this activity in and of itself, only the economic argument that some unpaid copies might have been paid copies otherwise. The moral argument is on the other side, where I'm forced to refuse to help to a friend or neighbor when asked, just so someone else can make economic gain off of them. I don't say this as a hypocritical lawbreaker, but as someone who actually tries to comply with the law, and is sick of constantly annoying friends and family members to do so.

The reality of the situation doesn't look so cut-and-dried to most people. How many people do you know who've never in their life copied or lent a game, CD, album, book, or video or audio tape to a friend? None for me. So the media companies try to brainwash us into thinking its some horrible criminal act to share media by using words like "theft", "property" and "piracy". Please don't support the media companies attempts to braiwash the public with inappropriate terminology. They have enough money to do it all by themselves without our help.

why not give the money to the EFF instead

[Karl J. Smith]

It's $64.95 list and $79.99 for the collector's edition.

Head to http://www.eff.org and give them the money, then send a letter to Blizzard telling them about it, and why.

Re:That much??!?!?!

[ObviousGuy]

Better idea.

Don't send the money to the EFF, but mail Blizzard saying you did.

Then treat yourself to a dozen Krispy Kreme donuts for being crafty (War Crafty!)

You're not serious- others may be different...

[Svartalf]

...in that regard. Games are not so important to me to sacrifice my principles over them.

If it doesn't run on Linux, I'm not terribly interested in buying it. If a company's going to pull the stunts Blizzard has went at lengths to do, I'm definitely not going to buy it.

Re:You're not serious- others may be different...

[Svartalf]

I didn't say they committed an offense by way of not doing a Linux version- not once in that message.

(Next time read the message more carefully before commenting...)

I just really don't have a desire to buy software for anything other than Linux. Now, as far as Loki's demise, it had less to do with a lack of market and more to do with pure mis-management (I know a lot of the goings on there while they were still in business- I've got more than a couple of online acquaintances that worked there and they said all kinds of things that map back to what's been said, etc.). Now, what I am saying is offensive is that they're suing the bnetd people, claiming infringement, etc.

That's bogus, they know it, but since they've got money and lawyers, they're going to try and beat down the little guy anyway. THAT is what I definitely won't be doing- paying for a corporate bully. I don't buy/use Disney stuff for the same reason.

Re:And?

[Lemmy Caution]

1. Slashdot, despite the "News for Nerds" subtitle, isn't a news site. The standards for tradition journalistic objectivity don't apply. And anyway,

2. it's questionable just how much they apply to traditional news outlets. Most newspapers and TV news shows are quite free with the editorializing, and usually far less honestly than above. And besides,

3. No specific course of action is advised by the comment. It's just an objective piece of information: a reminder that Blizzard is currently suing the authors of bnetd. Insofar as any product announcement implies an imperative to go out and buy the product (what, you think it's world news?) they are simply providing more information about the product - that the company making it is engaged in a lawsuit against open source developers.

oh shit...

[GutBomb]

i just lost $50 to a guy. I told him Duke Nukem 4Eva would come out before this...

OWCH, $60+

[nweaver]

The price is getting STEEP for these highly hyped titles. No way.

And I haven't liked an RTS since Total Annihilation, mostly because it's the only one which got the interface right and had units which are reasonably intelligent in responding to the enemy without user intervention.

Don't buy, but don't copy either

[lingqi]

There are so many posts about how "i am going to get even by pirating the game"...

guys (or gals), please do not sink yourself to that level. While we agree on the fact that Blizzard sueing bnet.d is questionable (okay, dead wrong and full of malicious intent), we also all know that copyright infringement is wrong. not necessarily as wrong as MS and BSA make it appear to be, but still wrong non-the-less. copying their software will not make things any better. in the end they will just come back with the statistic and say -- look, of COURSE we need to take these legal actions.

the future rests in each of our hands (gosh that sounds lame), that may seem to be insignificant at first, but i really believe that it's an important responsibility.

think it through -- i mean, it IS just a game you know.

Operating Systems != Games

[shren]

Please consider the fact that Blizzard is suing people who write software to interoperate with theirs when deciding whether you want to purchase this game.

Somehow I don't think that a game publisher needs to be held to quite the same interoperatibility standards as an operating systems publisher ... because it's a game. Odds are, no matter how much they sue or how inoperable they are, they're not going to push all other games out of the market.

Am I going to buy it? I'll wait for the reviews on the single player campaign. I never liked warcraft I or II multiplayer - it seemed to be the simple art of running exploding suicide troops at the enemy.

Which borders on unpatriotic these days, now that I think about it.

Check out Apple's Preview

[toupsie]

Apple is running some dedicated pages to Warcraft III which will be Blizzard's first game simultaneously shipped for Mac OS X, Mac OS 9, and Windows on the same CD. Sorry Linux guys, you are going to have to boot into Windows or MacOS 9. I can't remember the last time a major gaming company released the Mac version of a game the same time they released the Windows version.

P.S. What another boycott? Jeez! If I followed all of these boycotts, I wouldn't be able to turn on my computer. Sorry guys, Blizzard supporting Mac at the same level of Windows is more important to me than open source game servers.

Re:Oh no!

[TheMonkeyDepartment]

Hear, hear!

It is not in the Open Source community's best interest to try to strongarm or coerce companies to open their source (or to allow interoperability, or any other changes to their business model).

Blizzard (through Vivendi) is accountable to its shareholders. This means, as a corporation, they are legally obligated to protect their property and assets, and also obligated to select a tested, proven business model which represents a minimal risk and maximal chance of profit.

If you think Open Source is ALWAYS better than Proprietary, then why the hell is Blizzard's software so fucking good? Now that they've proven you wrong, the only way you can rectify the situation is by boycotting the software.

Great software should thrive. Blizzard makes great software. And they have the right to keep their systems open or closed as they see fit. Would it be cool if there was an open version available? Yes. I know there are several open RTS systems under construction on Sourceforge. They don't attempt interoperability with BattleNet, so there is no legal issue. And guess what? THEY ALL SUCK! They all look like derivative, amateurish, sloppy game systems. They lack the Blizzard polish.

And if you're a RTS player who decides not to buy WCIII because of this issue, well then, it sucks to be you!

Zzzzzz

[TheViffer]

Lets see here ..

Warcraft, Warcraft II, Command and Conquer, Red Alert, Age of Empires, Age of Empires II, Start Craft, Galatic Battlegrounds, etc, etc, etc.

Its to the point that you have played so many of these that they all seem to be same game.

Build a base
build units
enhance units
smash enemy
Wash
rinse
repeat

I played a friend of mines SWGB. After about 3 or 4 games, I removed it from my box, packaged it back up again, and gave it back to him.

Warcraft III is prob a great game .. and will appeal to many people out there. But the style of game has been so badly abused over the past 10 years that it turns out to be the Same #$^@ Different Day.

Just a ramble.

hmm

[nomadic]

M: Please consider the fact that Blizzard is suing people who write software to interoperate with theirs when deciding whether you want to purchase this game.

Ok, I thought about it.

I don't care.

Re:Ah man

[ender81b]

You think your productivity is ruined? Just wait till the world ends here in a few days! Laugh at me are you? Consider:

Warcraft III released

Mozilla 1.0 released!

Microsoft denounces the CBPDTA (really they did. Yes i submitted the story, yes slashdot rejected it =))

To quothe from another slashdot reader:
"The FAA has spotted an unusual number of pigs at high altitude, the devil called me up asking to send him a jacket and gloves, a cow was seen in the night sky above the moon......."

Madness! I'm going to go make myself a tinfoil suit - the END IS COMING THE END IS COMING!!! SAVE YOURSELF!!! OMG,IT CANT BE.. DUKE NUKEM FOREVER!!

END WORLD

Re:That much??!?!?!

[Elbereth]

Better idea.

Don't send the money to the EFF, but mail Blizzard saying you did.

Then treat yourself to a dozen Krispy Kreme donuts for being crafty (War Crafty!)

Great idea! But If Blizzard gives you a counter-offer of Warcraft III Collector's Edition for just $49.99, should you accept it?

-1, Pedantic

[LMCBoy]

Of course, the Sun is actually white, almost by definition. People think it's yellow because they usually see it when it's low in the sky near the horizon, which causes its color to be significantly reddened
by its long path length through the gas and dust of our atmosphere.

Here's an idea....

[Danse]

Just go out and buy Neverwinter Nights (in a week or two when it hits stores) and forget all about WC3. If Blizzard's tactics don't appeal to you, support the competition instead! You get a great game, and that should make it a lot easier to let go of your pain and get on with your life.

Actually, it did bankrupt them...

[sprayNwipe]

Well, there are more, but that's 18 games right there that didn't bankrupt their creators by allowing people to run servers at a LAN party.

Well, actually, Dynamix *did* go bankrupt, partly due to the fact that virtually no-one actually bought Tribes 1. Why? Because people didn't need CD checks to play online, so they just warez'd it and played.

I remember talking to one of the ex-Dynamix staff, and they were saying that the figures for pirated people playing through their master server vs legal copies was something like 15-to-1.

Also, quite a few titles in that list *do* have centralised key auth'ing systems. Half-Life has WONID's based off serials, Tribes 2 did, Quake 3 did, and MoH:AA did. I don't think you can seriously count Doom and Duke Nukem 3D, since they were pre-internet gaming.

So before you go "Hey, it's not going to bankrupt them", it does.

(and as a side note: I'm going against the flow and supporting Blizzard here. It doesn't matter if bnetd heals a dying swan and fixes every bug in the game, it still gets around CD protection.

While that might be fine for the "Any use of the DMCA is evil, even if it means shooting off our feet" /. crowd, I don't think Blizzard is too happy about losing 90% of their sales (assuming WC3 gets pirated at 2/3'rds the rate of the Dynamix figures) so that Joe Slashdot can meet up with his friends in an empty room rather than in Battle.Net.)

Re:Two definitions of white

[zerocool^]

If the Sun was yellow then clouds and snow would look yellow, because they are very close to being perfect neutral light scatterers.

I don't know how, but somehow you've managed to fit a "yellow snow" joke into this conversation.

Do not eat.

~Will