Official: WoW to be released November 23.

[El Gallo]

http://www.blizzard.com/press/040411-street-date.shtml

Am I a font of information today or what?  I'm making a move on Darniaq for the coveted seventeenth spot on the post count list.

[Paelos]

Collector's edition v. Regular Box:

Usually this is a no brainer since most collector's editions are POS's. However, I'm looking at the features for the edition here and I'm seeing a few items of interest. The edition is $30 more than the regular, with a free month included that I'm assuming isn't in the other game. So that makes the remaining included items have to be worth more than $15 for me to buy it. All together the differences for the Collector's edition are:

1) The Game on DVD-ROM - This is nice
2) Behind the Scenes DVD - I could care less
3) Free One Month Sub
4) Exclusive in-game pet - probably just a trophy thing of no real use
5) Cloth Map of the Game World - nice feature for my wall
6) Soundtrack CD - haven't heard it, don't know if that would be cool
7) Art of WOW Coffee Table Book - I like this idea
8) Signed Manual - meh

So basically there are 4 or 5 things out of the eight there that are at least interesting. I'm thinking this may make the purchase of this edition worth it in my book. Thoughts?

[AlteredOne]

I've never heard of a "basic" box that did not include a free month.  Can anybody confirm this?

[schild]

Both come with a free month. Blizzard is not one to 'change a paradigm.'... Unless that paradigm is patching slower than anyone else, in history.

There was a chance I was buying the game. But it's absolutely gone if the regular edition doesn't come with a free month. $50+$15 = fuck no.

[schild]

World of Warcraft will be available for Windows® 98/ME/2000/XP and Macintosh® formats at a suggested retail price of $49.99 in the U.S., and will include a free one-month subscription to the game. The special collector's edition of World of Warcraft will also be available at release for a suggested retail price of $79.99 and will include the World of Warcraft game on both CD-ROM and DVD, a free one-month subscription, a World of Warcraft behind-the-scenes DVD, an exclusive in-game pet, a cloth map of the game world, a soundtrack CD, an Art of the World of Warcraft coffee table book, and a commemorative game manual signed by the development team.

[Rasix]

..

Paelos, you've played a MMORPG before, right?

[geldonyetich]

I'll buy.  Play.  Get bored of it.  Move on.

It's about as much as I can expect from a "good" title that falls short of "exceptional".

Granted, WoW is a very well built MMORPG, but it lacks a certain something for me.   It's enough game, but not enough MMORPG.

[jpark]

Both come with a free month. Blizzard is not one to 'change a paradigm.'... Unless that paradigm is patching slower than anyone else, in history.

Brutal :)

[Shannow]

So , why if people know this game is gonna suck or they will get bored of it and you bothering to lay 50 bucks + subs on it? All you are doing is contributing to the tradition of mediocrity this game is doing its damn best to uphold.

Or are you all just sheep?

[schild]

Fuck, I'm not buying it. I wouldn't have even replied to this thread if I hadn't noticed the lack of a free month in the regular box.

That's just too insane for words.

[Rasix]

All games get boring evenually.  It's a well done MMORPG, but sooner or later the luster will wear off and I'll meander off somewher else.

I consider getting 3 months out of a mmorpg before I up and quit a monumental achievement nowadays.  No game has done this for me since UO/EQ.  WoW has a chance at this and more if they play their cards right.

[AlteredOne]

Hmm, the music CD would end up somewhere next to Inglebert Humperdink's Christmas album, down at the cat-fur collecting end of the CD tower.  The coffee table book could help prevent me from having repeat visitors.  The in-game pet would ensure that I got tells saying "WTF dude you paid $80 for that useless pet ROFLMAO, wanna duel?"  

Finally, the cloth map might serve as a nice handkerchief to wipe off my fever sweat, when I develop toxoplasmosis from the catass.  

Well, seriously I wish you luck with it :)

[MrHat]

I still feel they should've waiting for Dec. 5-8 or so.  That way they could let the EQ2 people have their free month.

[Merusk]

Collector's edition v. Regular Box:
1) The Game on DVD-ROM - This is nice
2) Behind the Scenes DVD - I could care less
3) Free One Month Sub
4) Exclusive in-game pet - probably just a trophy thing of no real use
5) Cloth Map of the Game World - nice feature for my wall
6) Soundtrack CD - haven't heard it, don't know if that would be cool
7) Art of WOW Coffee Table Book - I like this idea
8) Signed Manual - meh

IMO it's definatly worth the extra cash.  I picked-up the Collector's Ed of WC3 because it was only somewhere around $20 more than the regular. It had an art book, CD soundtrack and DVD of all the cinematics.  The art book alone was worth at least that extra cash, and I expect it will be for WoW as well.  The Music in WoW is pretty damn good, so the CD adds to the value.

The In-game pet is better than EQ's because WoW has 'ambient' in-game pets. EQ2's baby dragon will only inhabit your house, where in WoW any race/ any class can pick-up things like Cockroaches, Owls, Cats, Parrots and have one of them active and wandering around with them.  The coll. ed. pet is rumored to be a choice between either a Starcraft Zergling or a Mini-Diablo model.  Better than a pair of sunglasses nobody wore past the first month in SWG, imo.

[Paelos]

Yes it appears I glossed the part about the free month in the regular. Woe is my reading skill. Anyway that makes it have to redeem the total extra $30 in pure extras, which it may not now. Who knows.

And yes Rasix I've played two MMOG's before, its just been so damn long since I tried a new one I forgot if the month was always included at launch.

[Liquidator]

World of Warcraft will be available for Windows® 98/ME/2000/XP and Macintosh® formats at a suggested retail price of $49.99 in the U.S., and will include a free one-month subscription to the game. The special collector's edition of World of Warcraft will also be available at release for a suggested retail price of $79.99 and will include the World of Warcraft game on both CD-ROM and DVD, a free one-month subscription, a World of Warcraft behind-the-scenes DVD, an exclusive in-game pet, a cloth map of the game world, a soundtrack CD, an Art of the World of Warcraft coffee table book, and a commemorative game manual signed by the development team.

Fuck, I'm not buying it. I wouldn't have even replied to this thread if I hadn't noticed the lack of a free month in the regular box.

That's just too insane for words.

I'm confused.  You just quoted what I assume is part of the press release which states that the regular edition and the CE come with a free month of play, and now you're saying there is a lack of a free month?  Maybe I missed something...

[schild]

Ignore it, they were responses to two different things.

[Riggswolfe]

I'll be buying it. Collector's Edition even. It's a fun, well made game and I'm a whore for collector's editions of games I like.

The main thing I want with the collector's edition is that art book. I love Blizzard art. The pet will be kinda cool. The cloth map is unneeded for the most part. The soundtrack is so-so in most parts. Though there is some good creepy ambient music in parts of the game. The new opening cutscene has cool music as well.

[AcidCat]

Yep, I have the collectors edition reserved. I plan on playing the game for several months at the very least, so the extra amount is a drop in the bucket compared to what I'd spend on other games if not for WoW. And besides, the extras sound cool.

[sidereal]

The coll. ed. pet is rumored to be a choice between either a Starcraft Zergling or a Mini-Diablo model.  Better than a pair of sunglasses nobody wore past the first month in SWG, imo.

Jesus Christ I'm going to #hate those people.

[AcidCat]

If those are the pets, I'll be disappointed. I'd rather just go purchase a cat from the Crazy Cat Lady.

[Riggswolfe]

Both of those pets sound cool for Horde players. Unless you're an Alliance Warlock though a mini-Diablo or zerg just seems out of place.

[Signe]

Ignore it, they were responses to two different things.

Both of you have multiple personalities.  Are we right?


Edit:  Oh... and we've bought the game and plan to play, although we're not sure about our husbands.

[MrHat]

Blue's News titled the news article as "Gold - World of Warcraft"

As I understand it, a gold master is the cd to end all cd's.

If it is 'gold', does that mean that the last patch will in fact be the first?

[schild]

It means they've burnt a random build and will patch the rest of the broken shit in on launch day. Gold in MMORPG land means NOTHING.

[ahoythematey]

Pre-ordered awhile back along with the Nintendo DS.  I need a new drug, one that won't make me ill.  Here's hoping Blizzard can provide.

[Paelos]

It means they've burnt a random build and will patch the rest of the broken shit in on launch day. Gold in MMORPG land means NOTHING.

Also in that land, pessimism is the status quo and people speak only in acronyms.

[Toast]

I'm still not convinced I'll buy after the stress test. The game seems to lack a "hook". Maybe that is related to the fact that it so darn easy so far.

[BlackSky]

I'll be buying it. Collector's Edition even. It's a fun, well made game and I'm a whore for collector's editions of games I like.

The main thing I want with the collector's edition is that art book. I love Blizzard art. The pet will be kinda cool. The cloth map is unneeded for the most part. The soundtrack is so-so in most parts. Though there is some good creepy ambient music in parts of the game. The new opening cutscene has cool music as well.

I'm in the same boat, pre-ordered it already.

For me, the most difficult desicion to make is to play a Mage or a Warlock, they are both so damn fun (the Warlocks do get the Fellsteed tho . . .).

[Masuri]

For me, the most difficult desicion to make is to play a Mage or a Warlock, they are both so damn fun (the Warlocks do get the Fellsteed tho . . .).

Mage!  It's the only way to fly.   I couldn't live without my handy food/water combo.  I tried to play a paladin but that whole regular mana regen thing really put a cramp in my style.

[Volm]

In case anyone missed it, pets are Panda, Zergling and Mini Diablo.

Pet Screenshot

[Phred]

I was originally sceptical but after playing a few days I have decided to get it. I like it's charm. Every newbie area has a totally different character, and the racial capitals are beautiful. I loved wandering around in UO, hunting, chopping wood, etc, and WoW recreates that with mining, skinning and herbalism. I like the quests so far, and after being a totally hard core uber guildie in EQ, I can do with the relaxing change of pace leveling is in this game. I've played a gnome rogue to 12 so far and love him, and have various alts spread around from other classes/races.

The only bad part I've found is their database server lags like a motherfucker when servers are busy; waiting 2 minutes to loot or finish a quest or load a vendor's inventory is definately fucked up. I hope they get this fixed by release or people are going to have a shit fit. The PST servers seem to be unplayable during prime time, not sure if it's because of a ton of Asians adding to the load or what, but I'm finding the mountain time servers much less loaded and lag virtually non-existant there compared to the PST.

As someone who basically liked EQ but hated SOE management this looks like a reasonably fun alternative. I don't feel like I'm ever grinding experience, the quests are mostly interesting enough and some of the rewards are cool too. I've spent a lot of time doing leathercraft and just started a human warrior who's doing smithing. Mining is a pita for him so far though, as he's only 6, so most of the goos spots are pretty dangerous.

If it keeps me amused as long as Morrowind did it'll be worth the price of the box and a couple of months subscription I think.