[WoW] WotLK - Beta Patch Notes - Page 421

Flaw · 11-04-2008, 11:11 AM

what about just buying digital download from wow site? is that an option or do i have to go get a copy when it comes out??

Zerai · 11-04-2008, 11:15 AM

Remember when EQ allowed digital downloads of expansions? That was win.

madmaan · 11-04-2008, 11:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zerai

Remember when EQ allowed digital downloads of expansions? That was win.

Blizzard has shown time and time again that they will not pay for the bandwidth it would take to power a digital download system at the launch of an xpac. They are still going to rely on the customers to upload it to other customers in a torrent like fashion.

Brilliant business move if I have ever seen it.

Clericnon2boxed · 11-04-2008, 11:55 AM

If many people just 'lose 10 gems' to get some arena points, cant they introduce a 'random arena' / pug arena ?

I wouldnt mind getting those 10 games in, on my own schedule in 5 PUG vs 5 PUG matches. Mini BG basically.

Gauss · 11-04-2008, 12:02 PM

Quote:

I wouldnt mind getting those 10 games in, on my own schedule in 5 PUG vs 5 PUG matches. Mini BG basically.

This was exploited to hell in WC3. How many times did you have some asshat mass peons or unsummon his necropolis and leave?

Zerai · 11-04-2008, 12:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zerai

Remember when EQ allowed digital downloads of expansions? That was win.

Sweet, I got my best negative for this.

Quote:

Nope, don't remember that. Be more cryptic please.

Oh young'uns. They are so cute.

Murr · 11-04-2008, 12:15 PM

That's stupid, when I saw those item prices I thought you could buy them with honor OR arena points.

Genjiro · 11-04-2008, 12:17 PM

I'm looking forward to being able to run heroics for the hateful gladiator set in Wotlk with a small tight knit group of guys along with doing 10 man raids a lot.

Eyashusa · 11-04-2008, 01:06 PM

I'm not really worried. Being in a large metro area I have about 10 Wal Marts, a dozen Best Buys, whatever Circuit City's are left open next week, a dozen or so Target's, and Gamestop's galore. Probably just grab it on my way into work or on my lunch break.

I have a feeling I will regret my decision to not pre-order though.

spronk · 11-04-2008, 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by madmaan

Blizzard has shown time and time again that they will not pay for the bandwidth it would take to power a digital download system at the launch of an xpac. They are still going to rely on the customers to upload it to other customers in a torrent like fashion.

Brilliant business move if I have ever seen it.

It has nothing to do with bandwidth, its because they don't want to piss off all the stores who view stuff like Halo3/GTA4/WOTLK as "premiere" events to draw in (new) customers and get them to perhaps buy other stuff.

For example Gamestop only carries 1-2 PC titles now I believe, they discontinued everything but WoW and the occasional huge hit (Fallout3 I believe is this months, although it might have been the xbox version when I last went to Gamestop).

It gets Blizzard massive shelf space at Best Buy/Gamestop/etc, they get great press from mags/newspapers/etc covering people making lines and all that crap, and they keep the retail distribution chain happy. They would actually make nearly double in profits (per copy) from digital downloads, but they don't enable that for 2-3 months after release.

There will be insane amounts of copies in the channel, it won't run out in any way. You can still buy TBC Collectors Editions today at Frys and other places, I'm pretty sure there will be tons of CEs at Walmart available for pickup.

madmaan · 11-04-2008, 01:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spronk

It has nothing to do with bandwidth, its because they don't want to piss off all the stores who view stuff like Halo3/GTA4/WOTLK as "premiere" events to draw in (new) customers and get them to perhaps buy other stuff.

For example Gamestop only carries 1-2 PC titles now I believe, they discontinued everything but WoW and the occasional huge hit (Fallout3 I believe is this months, although it might have been the xbox version when I last went to Gamestop).

It gets Blizzard massive shelf space at Best Buy/Gamestop/etc, they get great press from mags/newspapers/etc covering people making lines and all that crap, and they keep the retail distribution chain happy. They would actually make nearly double in profits (per copy) from digital downloads, but they don't enable that for 2-3 months after release.

There will be insane amounts of copies in the channel, it won't run out in any way. You can still buy TBC Collectors Editions today at Frys and other places, I'm pretty sure there will be tons of CEs at Walmart available for pickup.

What your saying sounds pretty right on... but the savings from not having to buy the bandwidth is huge. It plays a part.

Jabberwhacky · 11-04-2008, 01:37 PM

Was there any email-type delivery service for BC? Maybe Amazon or some site that sent you your upgrade key? I can't for the life of me remember going into a store to buy it, but I know I was playing at release...

Zerai · 11-04-2008, 01:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by madmaan

What your saying sounds pretty right on... but the savings from not having to buy the bandwidth is huge. It plays a part.

Still, I highly doubt the bandwidth costs are anywhere near the losses from brick and mortar style sales.

There are just other benefits to the deal as Spronk outlined.

Though, I'd be willing to believe a substantial part of WoW's customer base would be more willing to buy from brick and mortar than from online downloading. Unlike Everquest's. So it's more that they have to pay for all the bandwidth costs..in case they are used..but probably won't be.

Still. It's sad that a 8 year old game had better methods of content distribution than a current gen one.

Pyros · 11-04-2008, 02:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jabberwhacky

Was there any email-type delivery service for BC? Maybe Amazon or some site that sent you your upgrade key? I can't for the life of me remember going into a store to buy it, but I know I was playing at release...

There were various websites offering keys, but not mainstream stuff, more like gold selling big companies and websites that specialize in digital keys.

Not a terribly big issue, wow is so widely distributed it's hard to find a place not selling it. They could probably work a deal with another distributer for online stuff, but I guess they have their reasons not to, most of which are probably financiary. You can usually download the full client soon after the release off the blizzard downloader, which out of patch days is pretty fast, so whenever I need the client because I quit and want to reinstall or whatever, it never takes me more than 2hours to redownload.

Elerion · 11-04-2008, 02:11 PM

It has fuck all to do with bandwidth.

Start optional preloading through the Blizztorrent patcher 3 weeks before expansion launch. Have Fileplanet et al open up downloads at the same time. They'll probably love to do it for the added hits and added chance of drawing in subscribers.

There, 90% of your online sales will be finished with the download by the time 12:01 rolls around, and you didn't have to spend much at all beyond the existing patch servers.

It has everything to do with what spronk said.

11-04-2008, 11:11 AM	#6301 (permalink)
Flaw Registered User Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 138 -4 Internets	what about just buying digital download from wow site? is that an option or do i have to go get a copy when it comes out?? __________________ Quote Woe is me Unquote

11-04-2008, 12:17 PM	#6308 (permalink)
Genjiro We bawlin boi! Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 3,823	I'm looking forward to being able to run heroics for the hateful gladiator set in Wotlk with a small tight knit group of guys along with doing 10 man raids a lot. __________________ Genjiro--Legacy of Steel--EQ1 sexy monk (retired) Entreri--Guildleader of Ardent Legion--EQ2 (retired) "The men the American public admire most extravagantly are the most daring liars; the men they detest most violently are those who try to tell them the truth." -- H.L. Mencken

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11-04-2008, 11:15 AM	#6302 (permalink)
Zerai ~ Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: An Igloo Posts: 3,873 +6 Internets	Remember when EQ allowed digital downloads of expansions? That was win.

11-04-2008, 11:55 AM	#6304 (permalink)
Clericnon2boxed this way Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: El Dorado Posts: 1,790	If many people just 'lose 10 gems' to get some arena points, cant they introduce a 'random arena' / pug arena ? I wouldnt mind getting those 10 games in, on my own schedule in 5 PUG vs 5 PUG matches. Mini BG basically.

11-04-2008, 12:15 PM	#6307 (permalink)
Murr Token Gnome Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 2,089 +17 Internets	That's stupid, when I saw those item prices I thought you could buy them with honor OR arena points.

11-04-2008, 01:06 PM	#6309 (permalink)
Eyashusa Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Chicago Posts: 1,308	I'm not really worried. Being in a large metro area I have about 10 Wal Marts, a dozen Best Buys, whatever Circuit City's are left open next week, a dozen or so Target's, and Gamestop's galore. Probably just grab it on my way into work or on my lunch break. I have a feeling I will regret my decision to not pre-order though.

11-04-2008, 01:37 PM	#6312 (permalink)
Jabberwhacky Walker told me I have AIDS Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Busan Posts: 3,334	Was there any email-type delivery service for BC? Maybe Amazon or some site that sent you your upgrade key? I can't for the life of me remember going into a store to buy it, but I know I was playing at release...

11-04-2008, 02:11 PM	#6315 (permalink)
Elerion My milkshake Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 2,094 +6 Internets	It has fuck all to do with bandwidth. Start optional preloading through the Blizztorrent patcher 3 weeks before expansion launch. Have Fileplanet et al open up downloads at the same time. They'll probably love to do it for the added hits and added chance of drawing in subscribers. There, 90% of your online sales will be finished with the download by the time 12:01 rolls around, and you didn't have to spend much at all beyond the existing patch servers. It has everything to do with what spronk said.