Closed Beta ends Tomorrow!

[Taajstein]

http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/


:buddies:

[Anarion]

Bring on the open beta!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :drink:

[a_pax]

im like oh crap. this is like were not telling you open beta will start soon. were only saying colsed beta is ending....

[Rycan]

W00t!!!! OHH THE EXCITEMENT.....Uhh....I'll be right back....i need to change pants

[Dooplanger]

wow there is going to be lots of flaminng tonight on the official boards.

[Taajstein]

wow there is going to be lots of flaminng tonight on the official boards.
Indeed.

"Wahhhhh wahhhh I can't play my free game anymore! Waaahhhhhhhh"

I know enough Beta Testers to know that the game isn't in 1/100th of as bad as shape as people will try and make it.

Those "problems" were just scare tactics so people could continue to play a free game.

[Vanguard]

At least they said that this is in preporation "as we prepare to run another stress test". So open beta is coming, or at least another 100,000 people test. So... WOOP!!!

[Ifrit18]

WoW.... :drool:

[Pogo]

!1!1!!

Stress Test = Open Beta?

[EdrictheWild]

YAY!!! My mind went into relapse when I saw that. It's like I imagined it happening so often that I couldn't believe it :)

[borrokii]

Haha, thats the funniest thing I've read in a while eric...thanks for giving me something do laugh at while I sit here answering people phone calls about why they cannot access their bank account online. Only got 3 1/2 more hours till I can finally try out guild wars...

[Valgarus]

talk about butterflies in my stomach, i think i had fricken wyverns in their.... nope, nope, thats just a bean burrito... crap, literally... :creep:

[Dryne]

WWWWOOOOOOTTTTT!!!!

Omfg... So happy to see something on wow.net that says something about the beta... hasn't been anything in a while, besides like lame comics and stuff. So happy... happy happy happy.

So, any speculations on how soon the stress test will start? It can't need THAT much preparation... and any guesses on whether or not Stress test = Open beta? That'd be cool... also, are the chances of getting into Stress test fairly high?

[Arioch]

I'm actually kind of stunned... there's a massive patch with major changes coming that apparently won't get closed beta testing. It seems like a huge risk... but in this case I can't say I'm not glad to see things rushing toward a release.

And I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I am indeed enjoying the sweet, sweet music of those on the beta forums squealing like stuck pigs, demanding or begging for more free play time, threatening the end of the world.

Present company excepted. :D

[Hydro]

First off, sad as it may be, this does NOT mean open beta sign ups will start tommorow. They MAY start tommorow, but it is highly unlikely IMHO (I really hope I end up eating my own words). Secondly, a few of you are already posting about how much closed beta testers will whine because we don't get our free game anymore, and that this means the game is ready for release. I would like to point out that the next patch has not arrived, and without the next patch, some vital content can not be tested. This means probably another week at least of testing before OB arrives.

[Hydro]

I'm actually kind of stunned... there's a massive patch with major changes coming that apparently won't get closed beta testing. It seems like a huge risk... but in this case I can't say I'm not glad to see things rushing toward a release.

And I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I am indeed enjoying the sweet, sweet music of those on the beta forums squealing like stuck pigs, demanding or begging for more free play time, threatening the end of the world.

Present company excepted. :D

*grumble* good thing you put that bottom line...
I also am shocked that they didn't release the new patch before doing this.

[Iron-Head]

well for u beta testers this must suck but for us folks who arnt in the beta it is a gods bless becasue this means that open will start soon

[Shaggy]

i am guessing Open Beta = Stress Test. This is very cool news. i am excited. now if my computer would come so i dont have to go over to my friends and play the stress test on his Second computer for the stress test. :thumbsup:

[GreenArmadillo]

I'm actually kind of stunned... there's a massive patch with major changes coming that apparently won't get closed beta testing. It seems like a huge risk...

My theory is that this is a stress test for the support/bugfinding team. Whether that's a good marketing decision, given that open betas are usually more of a preview than an actual test, is a separate question.

[Taajstein]

I'm actually kind of stunned... there's a massive patch with major changes coming that apparently won't get closed beta testing. It seems like a huge risk... but in this case I can't say I'm not glad to see things rushing toward a release.

And I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I am indeed enjoying the sweet, sweet music of those on the beta forums squealing like stuck pigs, demanding or begging for more free play time, threatening the end of the world.

Present company excepted. :D
If they released it to the public, they'd probably get a thousand responses like "This suxors! WoW is no where near retail! Let us keep testing" no matter how it was.

The "unrelated" downtime could always be the patch as well... give the public 1 day with it, internally test it for a few days...

[J0xer]

well of course they have an openbeta to test the last stuff implemented, hunter talents ect. though most open betas arn't really a content test, but more of a server test and teaser for customers that havn't decided to get the game yet.

i'd figure talents/racial abilities, raids lvl 30+ spells ect. have all been tested internally...though things would have gone faster if they left the testing to the betatesters and stuck to codegrinding.

[Hydro]

If they released it to the public, they'd probably get a thousand responses like "This suxors! WoW is no where near retail! Let us keep testing" no matter how it was.

The "unrelated" downtime could always be the patch as well... give the public 1 day with it, internally test it for a few days...

4 days of testing for a patch? You have to be kidding me...
Im not appreciating most of your comments either.

[Pogo]

And I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I am indeed enjoying the sweet, sweet music of those on the beta forums squealing like stuck pigs, demanding or begging for more free play time, threatening the end of the world.

Ha yep its the same thing every time...

[Wryan]

Well, it says closed-beta testers are awaiting emails to find out how they can get BACK IN to the stress test. I just hope they allow the other Stressers (including, ahem, me) into Neo Stress Test.

I think this Stress Test will just feed right into the Open Beta.

[Donsta]

Woot! We move one step closer to retail.

[AAAdrummerboy]

yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:flip:
*dances around*

P.S. - to the closed beta testers: im very sorry for your lose:(

hahahahahahahaha, sorry, i cant help it, hahahhahah

[Taajstein]

well of course they have an openbeta to test the last stuff implemented, hunter talents ect. though most open betas arn't really a content test, but more of a server test and teaser for customers that havn't decided to get the game yet.

i'd figure talents/racial abilities, raids lvl 30+ spells ect. have all been tested internally...though things would have gone faster if they left the testing to the betatesters and stuck to codegrinding.
The stress test stuff is all bonus to me from this announcement. To me I'm excited because it means retail is near.

I may not even participate in the OB, I've never really liked them much. Overcrowded, tons of griefers who wont even play at retail...

[ivengo]

Closed Beta chars won't be wiped for Stress Test.
I just got an e-mail say that.

I'm looking forward to play with all of you guys.
And you all will be able to experience that great game :)

[Backdoor Bandit]

4 days of testing for a patch? You have to be kidding me...
Im not appreciating most of your comments either.

Agreed there Hydro. Did people not read that closed beta testers continue to take part in testing? Its so amusing how people start whipping out theory after theory, this will be fun to look back at once retail is out.

Anyway, lets just enjoy the good news for the moment and hypothesize whats next in line.

[Taajstein]

Im not appreciating most of your comments either.

Wow, I'm sorry did I EVER direct them at you? It's obvious I was talking about 65% of the people at WoW.com's forums who seem to hate Blizzard even after allowing them to Beta Test.

[Taajstein]

Its so amusing
What's amusing is people who think Blizzard haven't been testing these patches internally for god knows how long...

People are treating Blizzard like they're idiots who will **** everything up with each new patch.

It's not like they code 2 minutes worth of stuff, test it for 5 minutes and wing it.

[Hydro]

What's amusing is people who think Blizzard haven't been testing these patches internally for god knows how long...

People are treating Blizzard like they're idiots who will **** everything up with each new patch.

It's not like they code 2 minutes worth of stuff, test it for 5 minutes and wing it.

You apparently don't see the difference between 30 guys testing something for a few weeks, then 10,000 people testing something for a few weeks. With every test comes a MASS of bugs, with every mass of bugs comes two or three exploits. Even one exploit, come retail, has the potential to completely ruin a server, by crashing the economy through gold and item dupes, or by creating uber characters. Blizzard is not a bunch of idiots, they are very good code writers, but even the best will still make mistakes.

[Taajstein]

You apparently don't see the difference between 30 guys testing something for a few weeks, then 10,000 people testing something for a few weeks. With every test comes a MASS of bugs, with every mass of bugs comes two or three exploits. Even one exploit, come retail, has the potential to completely ruin a server, by crashing the economy through gold and item dupes, or by creating uber characters. Blizzard is not a bunch of idiots, they are very good code writers, but even the best will still make mistakes.
That's called an MMORPG.

[Hydro]

Wow, I'm sorry did I EVER direct them at you? It's obvious I was talking about 65% of the people at WoW.com's forums who seem to hate Blizzard even after allowing them to Beta Test.

I don't care who you are directing them at, my point was, they would be right in this specific instance. (If indeed Blizzard tested a patch for 1 day, in the open beta)

[Hydro]

That's called an MMORPG.

No. Its called Star Wars Galaxies.
You didn't even try to argue with the valid parts of my post...
Saying "That's a MMORPG" doesn't justify anything.

[ZookCloak]

hurray! the time is neigh people! The retail/open beta is among us!!

[Dooplanger]

No. Its called Star Wars Galaxies.
You didn't even try to argue with the valid parts of my post...
Saying "That's a MMORPG" doesn't justify anything.

dude, calm down lol. I myself dont want to see another SWG but I trust blizzard enough not to let that happen.

[Taajstein]

No. Its called Star Wars Galaxies.
You didn't even try to argue with the valid parts of my post...
Saying "That's a MMORPG" doesn't justify anything.
Any online game will have new bugs introduced with a patch, it's inevitable.

I can't think of one that hasn't.

Exploits have happened in any MMORPG, even Everquest which people will lead you to believe never happened.

The way to combat exploits is to pretty much patch it as soon as it's spotted. Exploits are very hard to prevent.

[Pogo]

Just tried opening b.net General Forum to watch the carnage and its down lol

[aartamen]

http://lepricon.org/images/smilies/bad.GIF

[Dooplanger]

Just tried opening b.net General Forum to watch the carnage and its down lol

shows how popular blizzard is, as soon as something big is announced the forums flood with people looking for info and wanting to post and then it crashes.

[AAAdrummerboy]

i just tried to look at the WoW forums and all it says is "ERROR"

wow, can it be that bad

[Pogo]

I was able to open the forum but a couple of the choicest wails of agony are cruising at the max viewings-per-second limit and I can't get in.

[Dooplanger]

i just tried to look at the WoW forums and all it says is "ERROR"

wow, can it be that bad

just keep trying to go to the page and you should get in sooner or later

[AAAdrummerboy]

great, then i will see the show

they should start charging

thanks

[Pogo]

Heh yep theres one new post with 17,000 veiwings thats practically a denial of service attack.

[garebear2571]

*Looks around at everyone rejoicing at the "good" news*

I guess I'm the only disgruntled cynical Bliz fan here ...

I should probably lighten up ...

~Gare

[Hydro]

*Looks around at everyone rejoicing at the "good" news*

I guess I'm the only disgruntled cynical Bliz fan here ...

I should probably lighten up ...

~Gare

*Sigh*
Im with you buddy.

I guess I have been here too long, and can see what will happen.
Im not arguing that Blizzard should take years with patches or anything, I am just saying, releasing a patch with only one day of testing and then patching up its problems afterwards is not the way to go.

[garebear2571]

*Sigh*
Im with you buddy.

I guess I have been here too long, and can see what will happen.
Im not arguing that Blizzard should take years with patches or anything, I am just saying, releasing a patch with only one day of testing and then patching up its problems afterwards is not the way to go.

Only one of the atleast 10 reasons that I'm being cynical at the moment. Fortunately (or unfortunately depending the view which you take upon looking at it), only 2-3 relate to Blizzard, 5-6 relate to the fans, and atleast 1 because I am just a cynical person ...

~Gare

[blindcside]

i thought you were lying rofl.

[Takura]

Holy crap this s like the kind of Deja-vu I wish i had everyday. My entire body is tingling. (and i mean my ENTIRE body) So my guess would be that since closed ends tomorrow maybe the gold patch will be saturday then OB sat or mon? THANK GOD!!! HALLELUAH!!!!


:thumbsup: :clap: :winner: :flip: <-THOSE ARE MY EMOTIONS PEOPLE!!!!!

[Hydro]

[QUOTE= atleast 1 because I am just a cynical person ...
[/QUOTE]

Heh, at least one of them won't come true. (Probably)

[birdeye]

'Yay' :surprise: stress test or open beat really sooon... 'yay' :surprise: ok time to check wow website ever 5 seconds... on btw in case everyone hasn't noticed blizz still hasn't upgraded the servers that the forum is on... I mean come on after st you would think they would have added at least one more server to the forum cluter :scratch: ... oh well who's worried about the forum when ob is literly down the road...:howdy:

[Wiecker]

This just scares me. Believe me, I want to see this game go retail just as bad as everyone else, but this game's testing stages should not be progressing this fast. In my opinion, the open beta should come when all the game content is set and all that is left are some minor bugs and aesthetic issues. It is clear that Vivendi Universal is laying down the law and putting the screws to Blizzard, trying to rush this game out as close to Everquest 2 as possible. Our only hope is that the internal builds are amazingly well put together or that the open beta will last through 2 or 3 patches (which would mean close to a month of testing). I guess only time will tell, so it really isn't worth arguing about anymore.

I'm glad that everyone here will finally be able to experience this game. Look for me on the inside so you can argue or agree with me!

Cheers,
Wiecker

(Finge 47 Night Elf Rogue)
(Motgusx 27 Undead Mage)

[Dooplanger]

This just scares me. Believe me, I want to see this game go retail just as bad as everyone else, but this game's testing stages should not be progressing this fast. In my opinion, the open beta should come when all the game content is set and all that is left is some minor bugs and aesthetic issues. It is clear that Vivendi Universal is laying down the law and putting the screws to Blizzard, trying to rush this game out as close to Everquest 2 as possible. Our only hope is that the internal builds are amazingly well put together or that the open beta will last through 2 or 3 patches (which would mean close to a month of testing). I guess only time will tell, so it really isn't worth arguing about anymore.

I'm glad that everyone here will finally be able to experience this game. Look for me on the inside so you can argue or agree with me!

Cheers,
Wiecker

(Finge 47 Night Elf Rogue)
(Motgusx 27 Undead Mage)

eh well every MMORPGs been like this, gotta learn to live with it and not stress yourself over it, be comforted in the fact there is no major bugs and unballances like their was in SWG. They will probably spend the first couple months of the game with big game changing tweaks to the system and then we will have stability (its been over a year with SWG and still no stability at all, in fact alot of people including me consider the ground game ruined and unfixable). I dont think I have every played a stable MMORPG and the fact that WoW is close to it is good enough for me.

[Squarebob Spongepants]

Personally, I'm hoping they'll start phase 2 of the Euro Beta and send out more invites, now that there'll be a new client to download.

_______________________________

The game is ready for lunch.

[Hydro]

Squarepants, are you perchance going to watch the new Spongebob movie?

[Dooplanger]

Squarepants, are you perchance going to watch the new Spongebob movie?

his name is spongepants :rant:

[AAAdrummerboy]

I predicted that OB would start today yesterday, but this is close enough

[Serenity]

IMO, I see this as a smart move for blizzard.

Blizzard needs to work out any issues related to patching, supporting and keeping 100's of thousands of users going 24/7. This is what the stress test is for and if the game is going to be out in 3 weeks, better to start working on this sooner than later. Plus it is not like beta testing can continue forever. At some point all new changes will be tested in house only, then released to the masses. Better to put that cycle to work now and see how well it works then to wait for retail to find out it needs major fixing.

[Hydro]

his name is spongepants :rant:

Dang it! I am such an IDIOT sometimes.
*smashes head against wall*

[Scorch_Hellfire]

!1!1!!

Stress Test = Open Beta?

nope sorry... its just a cb stress test... its not happening yet and anyone who thinks it is or thought it was are morons... :grrr:

[ixidore]

well if its a stress test like the one before.....maybe theres a chance that blizz will let some ppl sign up to play to get added testers. doing that imo would allow lots of bugs to be squished and problems to be solved.....course if they let ppl play thats what there gona do....not nessaraly test. so maybe just a CBTer test would be a good idea. unless there is gona be a seperate server for the not testing fan base. blizz is gona need the CBTers caus they are sorta numbed to the fun factor of the game caus they were picked to test it. but i dont know its just all my opinion.

[Taajstein]

nope sorry... its just a cb stress test... its not happening yet and anyone who thinks it is or thought it was are morons... :grrr:
It's not a CB Stress Test. If it was a CB Stress Test, CB wouldn't be ending tomorrow.

Stress Test and Open betas are practically the same thing. The only thing different was that with the Stress Test you only had like a 95% chance of getting in instead of a 100%.

[gankistkahn]

I'm not christian, but I'd kiss the pope right now. Hallelujah!

Concerns that content is not going to be properly tested in an open beta enviroment are pure paranoia.

Blizzard ended CB because it knows exactly what it wants to do with the game, all that's left is putting it to code. And with this many people to whine about bugs, how will they ever miss one again?

:thumbsup:

[Dooplanger]

Blizzard ended CB because it knows exactly what it wants to do with the game,

hmm you make blizzard sound like a single entity, now I thought it was a they not an it :scratch: .

Sorry just had to point that out.

[gankistkahn]

hmm you make blizzard sound like a single entity, now I thought it was a they not an it :scratch: .

Sorry just had to point that out.

I dropped out to play Diablo and DAoC, sorry.

[Pai Mai]

*grumble* good thing you put that bottom line...
I also am shocked that they didn't release the new patch before doing this.
Why would they? It's not like they are actually going to have the classes balanced before retail, or even close to it. No, they will save that until two months after everyone is 40-60. They want the game out now, and it doesn't matter if there are only three viable classes right now: Warrior, Rogue, Priest.

[Ifrit18]

Why would they? It's not like they are actually going to have the classes balanced before retail, or even close to it. No, they will save that until two months after everyone is 40-60. They want the game out now, and it doesn't matter if there are only three viable classes right now: Warrior, Rogue, Priest.

Forgot shamans ;).

Class balance/tweaks will not be done before retail.

[Pai Mai]

Forgot shamans ;).

Class balance/tweaks will not be done before retail.
You're right, I did forget...it's because I've been purposely blocking out the most fun class in the game. Why? Because most of my friends and soon to be guildmates want to play Alliance/Paladins. :grrr:

[The Wanderer]

I was just on the WoW B.net boards and I just have one thing to say, even though you all know. 98% of those closed beta testers are just whiny little *******. They just sit there and cry about how Blizzard is rushing the game out the door or its needs more patches when in reality they just want to keep playing their free game. I know you all know this but it just ticks me off so much. AHHH!


...Sorry, I shall control myself. But on another note, THIS MEANS WE'RE CLOSER TO OPEN BETA. WOOHOO!! DRINKS ALL AROUND! :drink: :buddies:

Oh and by the way to all you people saying how you think that all these different things are broken and not finished in WoW and yourthink that Blizzard is rushing things, I have this to say. What has basically EVERY preview said about WoW, they have said around the same thing "This game is fantastic and would be better then most MMO's already out on the market if it were released right now." Now if you guys aren't going to agree with people who GET PAID to PLAY AND LOOK AT HOW POLISHED A GAME IS, then you are way to da** picky to be playing an MMO. That's all I have to say.

[blindcside]

I'm not christian, but I'd kiss the pope right now. Hallelujah!

that'd be catholic.

and... not all the CBers are pains in the rear. there are a select few pompus people that think they are better than other ppl. and those few happen to be very vocal and can make one topic 30 pages long filled with thier idiotic nonsense.

the rest are nice, they are just enjoying the game and /bugging away instead of being a butt-head on the forums.

[wlr3]

Well, it's finally here...

I've been waiting to play this game for literally *years* now.

And regardless of the all the whiners, the game will be FUN no matter which class or race combo you play and that is ALL THAT MATTERS!!!

cya ingame!

[Riotbreaker]

Game is not fun at higher levels unless you're either a Priest or a Priest alliance-side. Hordeside druids + shaman can be viable for healing. Much harder for a Paladin, but I do it. btw, take it from a 60 paladin - right now Paladins are great for PvP, but have nowhere near the PvE abilities of other classes. Leveling is very, very slow for Paladins, since we are extremely gear dependent, so quest exp is your best friend. Unlike other classes, which can grind to new levels just by mobs, as a Paladin there's a lot of very very slow attacks and Holy Strikes that takes boredom to a new level: Autoattacking a mob and then switching out of WoW to read something. I kid you not. Also, playing a Paladin well means constantly sealing party members, since our seals last only 30 seconds max. Lazy people should not apply. If you want to level fast, play an arcane/flame specced mage.

Game is close to launch, but I'm extremely surprised/unhappy that Blizzard is ending CB w/o fully implementing Paladin and Hunter talents, as well as racial abilities, which I think DO deserve a week or two of testing among the CB population in PvP and PvE situations as well as discussion. But then again, perhaps a mass influx of new testers will fulfill this purpose. I just hope that Vivendi is not trying to force out the game before it is less than 99.9% complete.

As it stands, I would say the game is about 91% complete.

-Riot

[wlr3]

Game is not fun at higher levels <snip> As it stands, I would say the game is about 91% complete.
-Riot

Hey there, I appreciate that the end game is weak at the moment.. From what I've been able to glean from the ravings and rantings on the beta boards, the majority of the 40+ content isn't in the CB.

Most, if not all the 40+ spells are placeholders, no battlegrounds, no raid content, bugged quests, minimal high-level loot, low quest count, high-level areas unfinished without content and flightpaths. However, I'd guess most of these missing things are currently on the internal servers and are/have been tested for a while.

So, if your talking about the high level, I'd say it's more like 50% complete if not less. So yeah, it's not fun. The lower levels are a different story however (from what I hear) and just need some polish.

Don't forget folks - closed beta is not for testing content, they can test content internally. Closed beta is for testing game mechanics and finding bugs in the core gameplay. And from what I hear, that's been accomplished. Balance and polish will never be done, so no use crying about that now.

I do agree and am a little disappointed that some core features such as talents and racial abilities haven't spent some time on the CB server. These should have been in months ago in my opinion. But, who am I to judge?

So to conclude my little rant, I'll bet that the high-end game will be a totally different animal from what you guys have seen so far come retail.

Edit: P.S. Catholics ARE Christians :bonk:

[True Knight]

Game is close to launch, but I'm extremely surprised/unhappy that Blizzard is ending CB w/o fully implementing Paladin and Hunter talents, as well as racial abilities, which I think DO deserve a week or two of testing among the CB population in PvP and PvE situations as well as discussion. But then again, perhaps a mass influx of new testers will fulfill this purpose. I just hope that Vivendi is not trying to force out the game before it is less than 99.9% complete.

As it stands, I would say the game is about 91% complete.

-Riot
Maybe the new patch is ready, and when the servers come up for the new stress test, people will be downloading it too. Then hunter and paladin talents and racial abilities can be tested in the ST/OB. That's what I'm hoping, anyway.

[GruntReflex]

I just recall what the DAoC launch was like, which everyone considered to be very smooth. There were a number of things not implemented, and new features were launched within weeks of retail release. This may have inconvenienced some, but overall, things were just fine. People complain ALL THE TIME with their MMORPGs, "they nerfed this", "it doesn't have that", etc. Yet, I just recall having fun the entire time. Depends on what you enjoy most. Playing, or complaining about playing. It is as if people want the perfect game from day one, and if it has a few issues unresolved, then "Oh my God! The developers are a bunch of freaking idiots!!"

Even with stress tests, there is no way Blizzard can test what will be a massive increase in users on its servers. OB will get them closer to that test, and is a smart thing to do. But retail launches become a test in themselves, since the casual gamer may not even know about the OB, but will be buying the game when it hits the shelves. And there will be thousands of them logging in on Retail Day One who have only read about the game in a magazine. Blizzard will learn even more from that initial retail rush, the ultimate stress test, and will refine code and implement further changes as a result.

So, from everything I've seen, WoW is ready for retail, and all the talents will be there and other fundamentals to the game will be in place, and then tweaked, etc. as the game matures. I just know that the despite all the remaining issues, WoW will rock and be around for a long time to come. The game is in the best hands of any MMORPG to hit retail, and I am willing to live with the missing this and that for awhile knowing that overall, my monthly fee is being well spent.

[Azzi]

Based on this information, I'm guessing OB to start Monday...


If you are receiving this email, you are one of the valued testers currently in World of Warcraft’s closed beta test. This message is to inform you that the beta servers will be coming down at 3:00 PM PDT on Friday, October 29 and will remain offline for a few days in preparation for another stress test. Your account and characters will be active for this stress test, but a new client download will be required. After the game servers come down on Friday the 29th, you will be able to log in to the community site and download the new client.

[cmsciulli]

nope sorry... its just a cb stress test... its not happening yet and anyone who thinks it is or thought it was are morons... :grrr:
Scorch, you need to stop the name calling. If you don't agree with what people are saying fine, but you don't have to be immature about it. Just like everyone else who is posting here, you have no idea what is going on and you are speculating all the same.

Grrr!

[Mallow]

LOL...I have been in the Closed Beta for the last 5 months, and i enjoyed every frickin minute of it. Of course i'm kinda "bummed" to see it come to an end -feels sorta like that last day of highschool - but still, it's nothing new.

I laughed at people who didn't get in the Closed Beta, even insulted them - and I every statement I made just made me feel even better, even luckier.

So to all you doods who were too lazy to sign-up, or too poor to buy a decent computer so you could meet the requirements for Closed Beta, I say...the last 5 months have been a Warcraft Fan's dream come true. And you can have your laugh now: "hahaheeeheeeha Closed Beta is comming to an end and look at them whine." But the truth is, we have been laughing at you unfortunates for a whole lot longer, while having fun at the same time :).

[Hydro]

Scorch, you need to stop the name calling. If you don't agree with what people are saying fine, but you don't have to be immature about it. Just like everyone else who is posting here, you have no idea what is going on and you are speculating all the same.

Grrr!

So fierce!! ;)
I liked the Grrr! at the end. Reminded me of an angry kitten...

[Hellmount]

People are talking like the game is done being tested simply because CB has ended. Obviously there is at least one large patch before reatail to introduce the last talents, some raid content and possibly racial traits. And obviously this patch would need some real testing. But I don't see why this testing can't be done with an open beta or stress test. In theory more people in the beat should find more bugs faster.
You also have to consider that EQ2 is comming out very soon and will be a big competitor for WoW. In order to compete I think its important that WoW is in open beta before EQ2 goes retail so that Blizzard doesn't lose any customers. WoW doesn't have to be retail at the same time as EQ2, but I think it would be good for business if customers had a chance to play-test WoW before having to chose to pay for EQ2, because people who have already invested time and money into a game would be less likely to quit EQ2 to play WoW.

[Squarebob Spongepants]

Based on this information, I'm guessing OB to start Monday...
I'm inclined to agree. Besides, there's the Guild Wars event this weekend. I wouldn't be surprised if Blizzard thought this was a good time to pull the plug on CB and prepare for the Stress Test/OB, while people try out GW.

_______________________________

The game is ready for lunch.

[Arioch]

I laughed at people who didn't get in the Closed Beta, even insulted them - and I every statement I made just made me feel even better, even luckier.

So to all you doods who were too lazy to sign-up, or too poor to buy a decent computer so you could meet the requirements for Closed Beta, I say...the last 5 months have been a Warcraft Fan's dream come true. And you can have your laugh now: "hahaheeeheeeha Closed Beta is comming to an end and look at them whine." But the truth is, we have been laughing at you unfortunates for a whole lot longer, while having fun at the same time :). You are exactly the kind of ******* that gives the closed beta testers the bad name they have. I presume you're only posting here because your normal trolling grounds, the closed beta forums, aren't working properly.

[Dooplanger]

LOL...I have been in the Closed Beta for the last 5 months, and i enjoyed every frickin minute of it. Of course i'm kinda "bummed" to see it come to an end -feels sorta like that last day of highschool - but still, it's nothing new.

I laughed at people who didn't get in the Closed Beta, even insulted them - and I every statement I made just made me feel even better, even luckier.

So to all you doods who were too lazy to sign-up, or too poor to buy a decent computer so you could meet the requirements for Closed Beta, I say...the last 5 months have been a Warcraft Fan's dream come true. And you can have your laugh now: "hahaheeeheeeha Closed Beta is comming to an end and look at them whine." But the truth is, we have been laughing at you unfortunates for a whole lot longer, while having fun at the same time :).

lol, may I direct you to the battle.net forums, over there you can hang out with people who will act just like you.

[Taajstein]

LOL...I have been in the Closed Beta for the last 5 months, and i enjoyed every frickin minute of it. Of course i'm kinda "bummed" to see it come to an end -feels sorta like that last day of highschool - but still, it's nothing new.

I laughed at people who didn't get in the Closed Beta, even insulted them - and I every statement I made just made me feel even better, even luckier.

So to all you doods who were too lazy to sign-up, or too poor to buy a decent computer so you could meet the requirements for Closed Beta, I say...the last 5 months have been a Warcraft Fan's dream come true. And you can have your laugh now: "hahaheeeheeeha Closed Beta is comming to an end and look at them whine." But the truth is, we have been laughing at you unfortunates for a whole lot longer, while having fun at the same time :).

Wow, you're an idiot.

[Khal'jur]

LOL...I have been in the Closed Beta for the last 5 months, and i enjoyed every frickin minute of it. Of course i'm kinda "bummed" to see it come to an end -feels sorta like that last day of highschool - but still, it's nothing new.

I laughed at people who didn't get in the Closed Beta, even insulted them - and I every statement I made just made me feel even better, even luckier.

So to all you doods who were too lazy to sign-up, or too poor to buy a decent computer so you could meet the requirements for Closed Beta, I say...the last 5 months have been a Warcraft Fan's dream come true. And you can have your laugh now: "hahaheeeheeeha Closed Beta is comming to an end and look at them whine." But the truth is, we have been laughing at you unfortunates for a whole lot longer, while having fun at the same time :).


Grow up, seriously, and get off your high horse, you "almighty closed beta tester."

"I have something you don't have but you want! I'm going to rub it in your face! "Giggle""

[Dooplanger]

Grow up, seriously, and get off your high horse, you "almighty closed beta tester."

"I have something you don't have but you want! I'm going to rub it in your face! "Giggle""

Well I guess its my fault too, we should really just ignore him because obviously he posted that for attention and/or start a flame war. Dont let him belittle our wow.net community.

[Khal'jur]

Well I guess its my fault too, we should really just ignore him because obviously he posted that for attention and/or start a flame war. Dont let him belittle our wow.net community.

True, I just couldn't resist. The way people conduct themselves sometimes...

[Hydro]

LOL...I have been in the Closed Beta for the last 5 months, and i enjoyed every frickin minute of it. Of course i'm kinda "bummed" to see it come to an end -feels sorta like that last day of highschool - but still, it's nothing new.

I laughed at people who didn't get in the Closed Beta, even insulted them - and I every statement I made just made me feel even better, even luckier.

So to all you doods who were too lazy to sign-up, or too poor to buy a decent computer so you could meet the requirements for Closed Beta, I say...the last 5 months have been a Warcraft Fan's dream come true. And you can have your laugh now: "hahaheeeheeeha Closed Beta is comming to an end and look at them whine." But the truth is, we have been laughing at you unfortunates for a whole lot longer, while having fun at the same time :).


Dude, I was in the CB, am in the CB, and am sickened by you.
It's jackasses like you that keep the b.net forums alive, and give the rest of us a bad name.

I editted my original comments, but needless to say, they were not positive.

[cmsciulli]

So fierce!! ;)
I liked the Grrr! at the end. Reminded me of an angry kitten...
Lol, exactly.

"Grrr Baby, very Grrr. . . "

[cmsciulli]

LOL...I have been in the Closed Beta for the last 5 months, and i enjoyed every frickin minute of it. Of course i'm kinda "bummed" to see it come to an end -feels sorta like that last day of highschool - but still, it's nothing new.

I laughed at people who didn't get in the Closed Beta, even insulted them - and I every statement I made just made me feel even better, even luckier.

So to all you doods who were too lazy to sign-up, or too poor to buy a decent computer so you could meet the requirements for Closed Beta, I say...the last 5 months have been a Warcraft Fan's dream come true. And you can have your laugh now: "hahaheeeheeeha Closed Beta is comming to an end and look at them whine." But the truth is, we have been laughing at you unfortunates for a whole lot longer, while having fun at the same time :).
*Sigh* *Rolls Saving throw vs. Stupidity*

Made it. . . phew. Ok, back to our normal, mature conversations. . .

[Valgarus]

ahh, stop quoting mallow's statement, not only does it burn but i almost break my mouse every time i see it. all u are doing by quoting him is giving him what he wants, attention. i advise wveryone to start paying more attention to smarter posters :thumbsup:

[True Knight]

*Sigh* *Rolls Saving throw vs. Stupidity*

:lol:

Very nice. I have to remember that one.

[Squarebob Spongepants]

*Sigh* *Rolls Saving throw vs. Stupidity*

Made it. . . phew. Ok, back to our normal, mature conversations. . .
I think you had a few trinkets, maybe even some buffs to help you make that save :D

_______________________________

The game is ready for lunch.

[Hydro]

I need something to keep my temper down...

[Shug_Ninx]

Im banned from IGN forums (again) and I doubt 1% of you even know me, but I'll add my two cents.

some vital content can not be tested. This means probably another week at least of testing before OB arrives.

It may come as a surprise, but for a game to be considered finished, it doesnt have to have every single piece of code run through its beta testing. Thats what the internal testers are for. CB testers are basically this giant, massive blob that are supposed to find overlooked bugs and lend their opinion on certain game mechanics quickly so they can be ironed out. As a matter of fact, I would even argue the usefulness of CB testers outside of seeing how the server handles them because when I read the official forums, I just hear constant bickering on all sides on how this class isnt killing that, or why they arent killing equal blablablabla...

And really, how many in those legions of CB testers actually send in monthly page reports detailing their experiences, giving actual insightful opinions and so on, in the current state? Out of the thousands, I'd say not many at all.

You've served your purpose. If you read the official Blizzard statements in the forums, they said most of the content has been, and is being finished testing internally. You're all not really as important as you think you are to the process. You help find the obvious problems and gauge server stability, but outside of that not much else. The reason other MMORPGs have launched with bugs is that the internal testers have run out of deadline, or have not done their jobs adaquatly. The failure is internally, not on the CB testers.

WoW is almost ready to go. It will launch on the 22, and if not then most likely at the end of this month. All thats left now is the waiting game (and a free open beta for all! :winner: )

[Hydro]

Im banned from IGN forums (again) and I doubt 1% of you even know me, but I'll add my two cents.



It may come as a surprise, but for a game to be considered finished, it doesnt have to have every single piece of code run through its beta testing. Thats what the internal testers are for. CB testers are basically this giant, massive blob that are supposed to find overlooked bugs and lend their opinion on certain game mechanics quickly so they can be ironed out. As a matter of fact, I would even argue the usefulness of CB testers outside of seeing how the server handles them because when I read the official forums, I just hear constant bickering on all sides on how this class isnt killing that, or why they arent killing equal blablablabla...

And really, how many in those legions of CB testers actually send in monthly page reports detailing their experiences, giving actual insightful opinions and so on, in the current state? Out of the thousands, I'd say not many at all.

You've served your purpose. If you read the official Blizzard statements in the forums, they said most of the content has been, and is being finished testing internally. You're all not really as important as you think you are to the process. You help find the obvious problems and gauge server stability, but outside of that not much else. The reason other MMORPGs have launched with bugs is that the internal testers have run out of deadline, or have not done their jobs adaquatly. The failure is internally, not on the CB testers.

WoW is almost ready to go. It will launch on the 22, and if not then most likely at the end of this month. All thats left now is the waiting game (and a free open beta for all! :winner: )


Thanks for telling me my how unimportant I was, and how useless we all were. No seriously, thank you. here have a beer :drink: . Have another :drink: . Thank god we have people like you to properly gauge when games are finished and when they aren't, without any knowledge of the game besides what you get from... oh wait... Closed Beta testers and Blizzard.
Blizzard knows the game isn't finished, but Vivendi is making them release anyways. Thats it. End of Story.

[Dooplanger]

Im banned from IGN forums (again) and I doubt 1% of you even know me, but I'll add my two cents.



It may come as a surprise, but for a game to be considered finished, it doesnt have to have every single piece of code run through its beta testing. Thats what the internal testers are for. CB testers are basically this giant, massive blob that are supposed to find overlooked bugs and lend their opinion on certain game mechanics quickly so they can be ironed out. As a matter of fact, I would even argue the usefulness of CB testers outside of seeing how the server handles them because when I read the official forums, I just hear constant bickering on all sides on how this class isnt killing that, or why they arent killing equal blablablabla...

And really, how many in those legions of CB testers actually send in monthly page reports detailing their experiences, giving actual insightful opinions and so on, in the current state? Out of the thousands, I'd say not many at all.

You've served your purpose. If you read the official Blizzard statements in the forums, they said most of the content has been, and is being finished testing internally. You're all not really as important as you think you are to the process. You help find the obvious problems and gauge server stability, but outside of that not much else. The reason other MMORPGs have launched with bugs is that the internal testers have run out of deadline, or have not done their jobs adaquatly. The failure is internally, not on the CB testers.

WoW is almost ready to go. It will launch on the 22, and if not then most likely at the end of this month. All thats left now is the waiting game (and a free open beta for all! :winner: )

*claps* very nicely put but im wondering how you got banned from the IGN forums? (curiosity)

[Shug_Ninx]

Thanks for telling me my how unimportant I was, and how useless we all were. No seriously, thank you. here have a beer

You'd better stop pouring that beer on your wounds, because I only said you were not as important, not unimportant. That must sting. :buddies:

What is complete by the way? This is a MMORPG. Thought the whole point of a MMORPG is to add new content as time goes on. Do I care if some high-level content that I wont reach for months wont be available at launch?

Oh, and I got banned at IGN for swearing. I thought the swear filter was working but it wasnt. Forgot to edit and some trigger-happy mod banned me.

They come a dime-a-dozen there.

[Hydro]

You'd better stop pouring that beer on your wounds, because I only said you were not as important, not unimportant. That must sting. :buddies:

What is complete by the way? This is a MMORPG. Thought the whole point of a MMORPG is to add new content as time goes on. Do I care if some high-level content that I wont reach for months wont be available at launch?

Oh, and I got banned at IGN for swearing. I thought the swear filter was working but it wasnt. Forgot to edit and some trigger-happy mod banned me.

They come a dime-a-dozen there.

Sucks to be banned for no reason, and I did misunderstand your first post. But I won't back down from saying that more testing is needed before release. I don't care if its OB testing, but there are certain aspects of the game lacking.

[Arioch]

Well, if the new stress-test/open beta is used to test the new patch, then it's all good.

[Taajstein]

Well, if the new stress-test/open beta is used to test the new patch, then it's all good.
"Once the beta-server preparations are complete, we will announce the start of the stress test, and the servers will come back online. When that happens, you will be able to log back in, download a quick patch, and then continue playing."

That's why they would allow the CB testers to stay, they know the general public wont be submitting many bugs.