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Warcraft 3 Expansion Beta Signups Announced

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the bring-out-yer-undead dept.

Clomer writes "Blizzard Entertainment has announced the signups for the beta testing of the upcoming expansion set to Warcraft 3 called The Frozen Throne. The beta will be online-only over battle.net, requires the full version of Warcraft 3, and is only open to US residents. Signups will be at battle.net starting on Friday, 14 February and will last a week."

31 of 199 comments (clear)

  1. new goodies that i never get to see by TheSam · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I've signed up for betas for the last 4 products Blizzard has put out. I actually want to know how many people get into beta tests. So, /.'ers have you beta tested for Blizzard?

    1. Re:new goodies that i never get to see by argmanah · · Score: 5, Informative

      I was in the Warcraft 3 beta. Unfortunately they have to keep the number of people in beta down so they can keep the test server loads down.

      Of course, waiting til the end to test server load can be a Bad Thing(tm). Anarchy Online's last minute load test, and WW2 Online's post-release load "test" proved that 1) stuff WILL break when more users sign on at once and 2) if your stuff doesn't work at launch, there goes three quarters of your subscriber base.

      --
      Overrated Moderation: This posts sucks... because.
    2. Re:new goodies that i never get to see by Versix · · Score: 2, Informative

      Of course, in this case waiting to the end to test server load, or even not bothering to test server load at all with this beta will have no effect at all because this is an expansion that requires an original copy of Warcraft III to play. They already know what the maximum server load will be.

      The beta tests that Blizzard run are mainly for balancing issues anyway - with the exception of the Diablo II stress test (the only test I have been officially involved in, because it was worldwide). But the stress test didn't help much anyway because playing on battle.net at launch was about as much fun as trying to load up a beta test application form...

    3. Re:new goodies that i never get to see by incripshin · · Score: 2, Interesting
      I played in the War3 beta as well. I loved the game, but for some reason, I never bought it. Cheap bastard! ...wait, that's me. (My favorite part was when my ally, with only a single Tree of Life, ate his way through a large grove of trees to the middle, where he set up camp ... took a long time for them to find him.)

      I also signed up for the Diablo 2 beta both times and was accepted for the second one. I never did it cause I would've had to download 100MB over dial-up. Not for me.

      incripshin

  2. I got a name for it! by OwlofCreamCheese · · Score: 2, Funny

    I think they should call the beta: Warcraft III: untested orcs

    --
    -You're wasting your time. Alfador only likes me.
    1. Re:I got a name for it! by Jaysyn · · Score: 3, Informative

      The bad guy Necromancer s trapped in a block of ice, but is still causing problems for the humans. Hence the name. Features include: 1 new hero, 2 new units per race, A buildable shop. Neutral type Heroes that you can recruit. A whole lot of multiplayer maps. No new races. WarCrat III is Ok, but Infoceptors version of Warcraft III (on the StarCraft engine) was just more fun to me.

      Jaysyn

      --
      There is a war going on for your mind.
  3. US citizens only....because..... by milktoastman · · Score: 5, Funny
    every beta tester from Europe would want to change the name to UN InspectorCraft.....

    and before I get -5, Flamebait or troll, just remember...it's a joke!

    1. Re:US citizens only....because..... by sixdotoh · · Score: 4, Funny
      very good, lol . . . i heard this on the radio last night and i just can't resist ;)

      why doesn't EuroDisney have fireworks? because every time they launch them the French try to surrender! (rim-shot)

      alright, now *I'll* probably be getting the flaimbait!

      --

      This post was brought to you by the number 584811 and the characters / and .

    2. Re:US citizens only....because..... by milktoastman · · Score: 2

      I don't know...but that French UN guy (how's that for uninformed?) has a dashing (hair)do. That's not a gay statement by any means...I just think it's funny and so typically French.

  4. Jeff Goldblum Is My Cousin by Acidic_Diarrhea · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Can Part of what makes these games enjoyable is that there is a rich multiplayer aspect to the application. When a development team takes on such an application, good software engineering will tell you that testing that this requirement has been fulfilled should be just another step in the process, like testing any other requirement. Furthermore, load testing should commence as soon as there is a prototype because if it's not and the testing is put off until the end, then you could end up with a system that has to be completely redesigned after a few thousand users brings down your alpha software.

    --
    I hate liberals. If you are a liberal, do not reply.
  5. Can I just submit a bug? by person-0.9a · · Score: 4, Funny

    Can I just submit the bug "Doesn't play nicely with bnetd" without having to sign up for the beta.

  6. Full inclusion, by MrLint · · Score: 5, Informative

    Unlike with the beta for the inital release they are acually allowing the macintosh uses to test this time.

    1. Re:Full inclusion, by Anonvmous+Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      "Unlike with the beta for the inital release they are acually allowing the macintosh uses to test this time."

      Ooo that's good news for a handful of people!

  7. Remember BNetD by Groo+Wanderer · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Before you go out and praise blizzard, sign up for the betas and give them your money, remember thier stance on open source and the use of DMCA to supress it.

    Before warcraft 3, I purchased every piece of software they ever made. I did not buy WC3, and will not buy a blizzard title again until they 1) apologize for thier abjectly evil behavior 2) demonstrate, not say, that they have changed that behavior 3) promise to stay changed, and demonstrate that behavior. I would recommend that anyone reading this, if they like thier freedom, put thier morals where there mouth is.

    Boycott blizzard, they deserve it. It would be easier if they didn't make such damn good games though. I will miss them.

    -Charlie

    1. Re:Remember BNetD by kmac06 · · Score: 3, Informative

      Yeah, what are those jerks doing trying to protect their own software before it is even officially released to the public??

      Just remember that until War3 beta, Blizzard didn't touch BNetd. It was only because it was being used so so very widely for the beta that they fought it. I agree they shouldn't have brought out the DMCA thing, but I'm guessing it was Vivendi's lawyers that did that (but hey, maybe Microsoft will buy em out, then they'll be all good again, right?)

    2. Re:Remember BNetD by Anonvmous+Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

      "... remember thier stance on open source and the use of DMCA to supress it."

      Also remember that they weren't against Open Source, they were specifically against it being used to allow pirated copies of their games to be played. While we're remembering stuff, let's also remember that it was Vivendi (Blizzard's parent company) that filed the complaint. Finally, let's also remember that it was not a DMCA case, it was plain old copyright.

      "Boycott blizzard, they deserve it. It would be easier if they didn't make such damn good games though. I will miss them."

      Boycotting Blizzard is probably the least effective way of getting your disapproval across to them. Exactly how are they supposed to know why you didn't buy the game? A drop off in sales will likely be explained by sagging economy and other factors affecting every single game company on the planet. Besides, it's Vivendi you're after. Send THEM a letter. Don't be a tard and give Blizzard reason to stop making those good games you like.

    3. Re:Remember BNetD by cicatrix1 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Bdnet asked to use Blizzard's key authentication system and Blizzard said no.

      People always rip on them for this, but seriously think about what the repurcussions would be. If they let one group have access, would they not have to let others? Also, the code for accessing these cd-key query servers would be open source. What would stop someone from easily writing a program to generate and check CD-Keys? Why don't you hand someone the keys to your private SQL database?

      --

      I know more than you drink.
  8. Damn it... by 403Forbidden · · Score: 4, Funny

    Well, I WAS gonna sign up, but if it's posted on slashdot then 10,000 slots seems slim to none...

  9. Why? by dnoyeb · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Do they really need beta testers for an expansion??? Or is this simply traditional and an inseperapable part of their marketing?

    1. Re:Why? by zaffir · · Score: 4, Insightful

      A game with a huge following like Warcraft can suffer greatly from gameplay balance issues. When you have 30,000+ people playing at any given time, the most powerful strategies will be found and exploited like you wouldn't believe. And with many, many additions to the game in this expansion pack, Blizzard will need alot of manpower to iron out all of the problems (of course, classic WC3 is still horribly balanced, but the word is they'll be fixing that with the expansion).

      The beta tests are not only for working out bugs, but also making sure the different races and units are as balanced as can be.

      --
      "Upon attaching the waterblock to my penis, I began to notice that I know nothing about computers." -- JRockway
  10. I disagree by Matt+Ownby · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I truly believe that Blizzard went after bnetd solely to stop software piracy. The online CD key system used by Blizzard, Valve, Id, etc is the best way to combat piracy and the only feasible way for pirates to get around this method is to offer their own "cracked" servers which don't authenticate the CD keys.

    Furthermore, I also suspect (sorry guys) that the majority of the bnetd/warforge users (who are still using today, well after war3 has been released) did NOT buy the game and are using bnetd primarily to circumvent the CD key copy protection.

    It just doesn't make sense that the majority of bnetd users would be legitimate war3 CD owners. Why would you play on a small server instead of battle.net? The argument about lousy battle.net performance simply doesn't hold water these days. I play on battle.net ALL THE TIME and the performance is a lot better than warforge EVER was (yes, I was part of the warforge 'unofficial' beta test, and yes I bought the game the day it was released).

    There are some cases (DeCSS) where a free alternative is desperately needed and the people protecting encrypted DVD's really are Evil. (hehe) But in this case, I truly don't think Blizzard is trying to stomp on the open source coder. Blizzard is only concerned with software piracy and their concern is very warranted, I daresay.

    1. Re:I disagree by Yorrike · · Score: 2, Interesting
      "It just doesn't make sense that the majority of bnetd users would be legitimate war3 CD owners. Why would you play on a small server instead of battle.net? The argument about lousy battle.net performance simply doesn't hold water these days."

      We run a bnetd server after hours here at work. You get to have a localised Starcraft ladder league, not use company internet bandwidth and boast to your fellow collegues about just how far behind they. It's great fun, and just so you know, we ALL own Starcraft & Broodwar.

      There will be some people out there who pirate games, and they always will. But bnetd did not hurt Blizzard in our case, in fact, it encouraged people here to buy SC/BW.

      --

      Looks can be deceiving. Or CAN they?

    2. Re:I disagree by mattite · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Perhaps their intention is not to harm the OSS project, but an association has been drawn between 'free as in (root)beer' and 'free' as in pirated. This isn't the first time they've gone after legitimate software, either; if you have image mounting software like daemon tools installed, the latest update of War3 won't even allow you to play the game. Blizzard ass_umes that anyone using that software is a pirate. What Blizzard did sucks. How else should it be said? So they didn't intend to cause trouble. How does that fix the situation? Let me use myself as an example of someone that legally owns War3 and can't use Battle.net: I use linux, and so I have to emulate the game with wine. It works fine for LAN games, but not for Battle.net. Good intentions can and have caused some serious problems, so Blizzard doesn't get any brownie points there. They want to go after piracy; good for them. What they are missing is the fact that anything they engineer can be reverse engineered. People that write software hacks do so with binaries decompiled into assembly. Blizzard can mess around with all the petty irritations they like, but the fact is that they aren't seriously preventing a pirate from doing what a pirate does. What they are really doing is making things harder for the legitimate user. I do respect your stance, however. Many friends of mine that rely on software for their livelyhood feel the same way.

  11. US only? by giminy · · Score: 3, Informative

    Where'd you read that? From the bulletin board:

    This is open to the whole world, not just USA/Canada. But there will probably not be a beta test server in Europe which means you might lag if you don't have a high quality connection.
    --
    The Right Reverend K. Reid Wightman,
  12. Single or Multi? by thinmac · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The important question here, at least for me, is: is the beta test single- or multi-player? Personally, I hold my own against the bots, but any attempt to even try out battlenet play, and I get completely stomped. The dregs of battlenet are far too good for me (and most other people I've talked to who've tried this).

    Are they using battlenet mearly as a way of letting people play the beta for a temporary period (keeping all of the maps and scenarios on the server), or are they letting people play battlenet games using the new units?

    --
    Narrative
  13. I've seen this before by sevensharpnine · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I wouldn't get too excited people. I was a beta tester for Warcraft III. Yes, you'll get to play the game before most other people. You'll also get to see the bugs, be subjected to the glaring imbalances, and have a less fun time overall than with a polished commercial product. I'm not trying to dissuade anyone from signing up; I just want you to understand that the signups are for beta testers and not impatient people that don't want to wait until the final retail release. In short, if you don't plan on actually submitting bug reports, please don't waste a beta slot on yourself.

    That said, the last beta test was something of a joke. Ideas and opinions from the community were largely ignored. About halfway through it became apparent that the only reason they even had a public beta was to save money on real QA testing. If blizzard wants to do that, they absolutely have that right. But I hope they're more honest this time around. If they actually want ideas/input/suggestions, then give us feedback and let us know you're listening. If you just want our BSOD'ing boxes and the bandwidth we throw at the server, say so. Vague thank-you's and promises of "careful considerations" of the community's ideas are no way to further your fanbase. Be open with the fans. This doesn't have to turn out as bad as the last beta and subsequent official launch.

    --
    "God is a comedian playing to an audience too afraid to laugh." -Voltaire
  14. Blizzard didn't let bnetd use online CD key system by yerricde · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I truly believe that Blizzard went after bnetd solely to stop software piracy. The online CD key system

    The bnetd developers asked Blizzard if they could hook into the official online CD key verification system. Blizzard denied them that.

    There are some cases (DeCSS) where a free alternative is desperately needed

    And for those behind university firewalls that don't allow traffic on Battle.net ports across the connection from the university LAN to the Internet, how is a free alternative not desirable?

    --
    Will I retire or break 10K?
  15. I for one will most likely buy this. by AbRASiON · · Score: 3, Insightful

    After playing Warcraft 3 extensively through the beta last time (yes I did pirate it if you must know) I went out and purchased the final game.

    I was not disapointed.

    I will admit the majority of players on battle.net are nothing short of immensly skilled. However the single player campaign in this game is one of the best I've ever played - excellent storyline, great presentation, no bugs (serious single player ones) and generally fun fun fun.

    The game has excellent net code and although I don't completely recall the storyline of Warcraft 1 and II apparently this game somewhat ties in with the original 2 to an extent, which is quite an acheivement if you think just how long ago they were created (I'll bet my ass that Doom 3 has _very_ few similarities with the original 2 dooms)

    All in all Blizzard make spectacular games and I have no doubt this one won't disapoint either.
    (I wonder if they take international beta signups?)

  16. So where... by Warin · · Score: 2, Informative

    does it say US only?

    I read the damn page three times and didnt see it list US only anywhere. Frankly, that would just suck, because I am in Canada and want to apply. And previous beta applications have included Canada. I was lucky enough to do Diablo II and Diablo II Expansion betas. Lots of fun! Hopefully my eyesight isnt completely failing and I'll get to apply for this one.

  17. I made an oops by Clomer · · Score: 5, Informative

    I'm the original submitter (wow, I actually got on the Slashdot front page!) and I got a detail wrong: it is NOT limited to just US Residents, it is a worldwide beta test. Moderators, please make the appropriate change on the front page. Thanks.

    --
    Intelligent responses welcome, flames will be met with marshmallows.
  18. Speaking of Cheese-Eating Surrender Monkeys... by Nova+Express · · Score: 3, Funny

    > why doesn't EuroDisney have fireworks? because every time they launch them the French try to surrender! (rim-shot)

    One good bout of French-basing deserves another two (or three, or four...)

    Going to war without the French is like a hunter going into the woods without his accordian.

    Why did the French plant trees along the Champs Elysees? So Germans can march in the shade.

    Some more jabs at the froggies:

    http://www.brokennewz.com/worldnews/surrender.asp

    http://www.vodkapundit.com/archives/003373.php#003 373

    http://www.nationalreview.com/goldberg/goldberg041 699.html

    --
    Lawrence Person (lawrencepersonh@gmailh.com (remove all "h"s to mail)

    http://www.lawrenceperson.com/