Pre-load 5.0.4 Live

[luckton]

6 GB of data for pre-loading 5.0.4 is now on the live launcher.  Go download stuff.   

[Rendakor]

Will the live launcher actually download it, or do we need to make the background downloaded do it? It's been a while and I forgot how WoW's preloading process works.

[cmlancas]

Will the live launcher actually download it, or do we need to make the background downloaded do it? It's been a while and I forgot how WoW's preloading process works.

Mine downloaded in the background, giving me that green "ready to play" status whie the rest of the downloader ran.

[luckton]

Going live 8/28.  Same day as GW2.

[cmlancas]

Going live 8/28.  Same day as GW2.

Wut?  Post backing this up?  My updater still says 09/25.

[luckton]

Going live 8/28.  Same day as GW2.

Wut?  Post backing this up?  My updater still says 09/25.

http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/6308782635

MoP itself, with all the new 85-90 content, raids, etc. goes live on 9/25.  There will be a pre-MoP patch that gives us all of the overhauled/upgraded systems and such on 8/28, with the one content exception being the Theramore scenario.

[Nevermore]

I'm sure it's totally a coincidence that this, the next TSW update and GW2 are all being released on the same day. 

[Paelos]

And the D3 update it seems as well.

[Zetor]

Blizz is pretty good at timing patch releases to 'accidentally' happen on the same day as potential rival MMO launches. Off the top of my head I seem to remember this happening with AOC, WAR, and -I think- RIFT?

They probably have one dude sitting in a secluded office - its walls decorated with various artistic depictions of the trollface - whose only responsibility is planning patch dates "properly".

[luckton]

Tomorrow's the day.  As a final effort to educate the public, Bliz CS went so far as to make their own YouTube video to educate the masses on the changes.  Enjoy.

http://youtu.be/_yyK-GGvnbQ

[Paelos]

That was both funny and helpful!

[Trippy]

Is there a video that shows all the changes from the original WoW through all the expansions?

[luckton]

Is there a video that shows all the changes from the original WoW through all the expansions?

Considering that every expansion either negated and/or innovated on things from the previous expansion, it'd be kinda silly, really.  What do you want to know in-particular?   

[Trippy]

I'm just being silly. I stopped playing WoW around March 2005 but am getting ready to play it again when Mists comes out.

[luckton]

Damned, fooled again 

[luckton]

Servers are going down for 8 hours at 3AM PST.  Between this and GW2 launching "for reelz", I think today may be good to put some time in some other games.  Although I still have hope that maybe they'll actual meet the deadline this time.

[luckton]

Launcher is now updated to patch up 5.0.4.  I would do this now, if you can, as the client will both patch and optimize your installation, which can take time.

[Ivanneth]

which can take time

Apparently a significant amount of time: I started the update before leaving for work this morning. After ~20 minutes the 'optimize' progress was sitting at 1% completion still. Expect the update to take a while.

[luckton]

The Battle of Theramore, the first of many Scenarios coming to World of Warcraft, is a story-changing event that will be available to level-85 characters for one week only -- the week leading up to the launch of Mists of Pandaria on September 25.

For the duration of the week of September 18-24, level-85 characters will be able to queue up for and participate in the Alliance and Horde versions of this new Scenario with two friends. (Please note: if friends are not available to you at the time, two will be provided. Batteries not included. Subject to change. Void where prohibited.)

After the lifting of the mists, the Battle of Theramore will join all other Scenarios as level-90-only content, and everyone -- including players who missed it at level 85 -- will be able to play through the event. Upon completing the Scenario for the first time, players will see the aftermath of the battle whenever visiting Theramore in Dustwallow Marsh. Theramore will eventually be changed permanently to its post-battle state in a future patch, sometime after the launch of Mists of Pandaria, whether or not players have completed the Scenario.

We’ll see you there!

Well, that's some straight up bullshit right there.  One week?  They added lvl 85 only loot for that scenario and we only get to have a crack at it for one week?  I think this'll be getting changed in the next day or so.

[Rokal]

So their patch to compete with GW2 came with approximately 0 new things to do? 

[luckton]

Well, re-re-relearning one's class once again could count as "new" 

[Drubear]

So their patch to compete with GW2 came with approximately 0 new things to do? 

You get to (re)learn how to play your character with the new talent trees!!

[Merusk]

So their patch to compete with GW2 came with approximately 0 new things to do? 

I agree. They really set the bar high with the WOTLK event and it's been pitiful for the last two. 

Even reusing some of the old BG events like the Spirit of Competition stuff from '08 to get the whole "Horde vs. Alliance" vibe amped-up a bit more would have been better.

[Ingmar]

The WOTLK event was just the old Naxx release event rehashed with the same loot problems as this one?

Oh wait, I forgot the zombie plague. That part was funny.

[luckton]

Well server start-up's been delayed to 2PM PST.  So much for hoping.   

[Zetor]

The WOTLK event was pretty awesome for these reasons (which my shaman still has!):
http://www.wowhead.com/item=39769
http://www.wowhead.com/item=38658
http://www.wowhead.com/item=40354

And yeah, the zombie event was amusing as heck too.

(OTOH, the old naxx release event with the undead hunter gear was shit at 60 and still shit at 70)

[luckton]

There may yet be some completely unannounced and un-mass-tested event yet to unfold for MoP.  Who knows.

[Paelos]

Well server start-up's been delayed to 2PM PST.  So much for hoping.   

Raise your hand if you think this thing will be remotely playable this evening.

...

Anyone?

...

[Merusk]

As I said in the other thread, 3-4 days minimum.   

I wouldn't even consider logging in until you knew for certain that at least the pets & mounts were working correctly.   When they first were migrating characters in to Beta, it wiped everything out on many players.  All mounts and companions were totally gone.   They fixed it, eventually, but several of my pets and mounts went missing and never popped-up again.   (Lost my Vampiric Batling, White Kitten and Black Drake just to name a few.)

I took screen shots of all my mounts and companions last night to have a record of what I actually had in case the same thing happens again.

[Rokal]

I wouldn't even consider logging in until you knew for certain that at least the pets & mounts were working correctly.   When they first were migrating characters in to Beta, it wiped everything out on many players.  All mounts and companions were totally gone.   They fixed it, eventually, but several of my pets and mounts went missing and never popped-up again.   (Lost my Vampiric Batling, White Kitten and Black Drake just to name a few.)

Well, thanks for the warning at least. I'll wait until the dust settles before trying to play.

[Hutch]

Well server start-up's been delayed to 2PM PST.  So much for hoping.   

Raise your hand if you think this thing will be remotely playable this evening.

...

Anyone?

...

Define "remotely playable".

I won't consider it playable until Bartender and my unit frame mods are working again. Those are critical; obviously I want them all to get fixed eventually.
I'm assuming, here, that they'll break, of which I have yet no proof. Seems like a safe bet though.

Then will be the fun part, i.e. re-talenting and re-glyphing.

[luckton]

Delayed another hour.

[Paelos]

Define "remotely playable".

Servers up, no/regular lag, no random crashes, no equipment issues, no rolling restarts.

[Merusk]

Well server start-up's been delayed to 2PM PST.  So much for hoping.   

Raise your hand if you think this thing will be remotely playable this evening.

...

Anyone?

...

Define "remotely playable".

I won't consider it playable until Bartender and my unit frame mods are working again. Those are critical; obviously I want them all to get fixed eventually.
I'm assuming, here, that they'll break, of which I have yet no proof. Seems like a safe bet though.

Then will be the fun part, i.e. re-talenting and re-glyphing.

Since they started allowing Addons to be used on the test server, Mods not being available on patch day is no longer an issue.  All the big mods on Curse, etc should already be updated and ready to go if the Developers are still playing.

I wouldn't even consider logging in until you knew for certain that at least the pets & mounts were working correctly.   When they first were migrating characters in to Beta, it wiped everything out on many players.  All mounts and companions were totally gone.   They fixed it, eventually, but several of my pets and mounts went missing and never popped-up again.   (Lost my Vampiric Batling, White Kitten and Black Drake just to name a few.)

Well, thanks for the warning at least. I'll wait until the dust settles before trying to play.

Yeah I probably should have said something about this earlier, but it didn't really need to be done until patch day. 

[luckton]

Servers up! Diving in!