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Turias · Nov 8, 2004, 04:00 PM

http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/
http://www.fileplanet.com/

Both sites are getting hammered, so good luck signing up. The accounts are being given out on a first come, first served basis, so hopefully the lot of you will be able to get in.

So, go! Signup! We need more Mac users playing the game.

And while I'm at it, I'll shamelessly promote The Reservoir Dogcows, a Mac guild that started right here on the MacNN forums. Check out our site and say hello on our forums!

The Free Open Beta Has Begun - Helcon on 11/08/04
Blizzard Entertainment is proud to announce that the free open beta has begun. In preparation for the launch of World of Warcraft, we are now introducing the most complete version of the game, including a new patch with extensive content, including racial traits, raids, Hunter and Paladin talents, new quests for high-end zones, and much more. We need your help for a final, massive test of our infrastructure, account creation, and the game itself. So we are now opening up the testing phase to the entire Internet-ready public of North America, Australia, and New Zealand. So if you aren't already playing World of Warcraft, sign up for the open beta now and begin your adventures in Azeroth!

An initial run of open beta accounts is now available from FilePlanet, so please visit www.fileplanet.com to grab your open beta key. Please note that there is no fee whatsoever for the open beta; the open beta is absolutely free. Unlike with the final stress test, you do not have to be a FilePlanet subscriber to participate in the open beta.

If you want to learn more about the open beta test, please read our Open Beta FAQ. The open beta slots are available on a first come, first served basis, so hurry to FilePlanet and grab your key as soon as you can. We hope to see you in Azeroth soon.

AKcrab · Nov 8, 2004, 04:09 PM

worldofwarcraft.com won't load for me.

Turias · Nov 8, 2004, 04:12 PM

Originally posted by AKcrab:
worldofwarcraft.com won't load for me.

Try http://www.fileplanet.com/betacenter/wow_open/signup/

AKcrab · Nov 8, 2004, 04:29 PM

Thanks for the link. I almost had success.

Server Error

ACK! There's been some sort of error with the contest or poll that you tried to submit.

An admin has been notified and someone will be looking into this shortly.

FlammableYurt · Nov 8, 2004, 04:30 PM

I got a key!

. And now I am downloading... 54 minutes to go! Time to see whether or not I like this kind of game...

gbafan · Nov 8, 2004, 05:29 PM

Fileplanet OB is now closed. Also the WorldofWarcraft.com site is down, AGAIN.

Rob -- What is up with the load balancing on these servers?

redJag · Nov 8, 2004, 05:55 PM

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...sPageName=WDVW

FlammableYurt · Nov 8, 2004, 06:12 PM

I'm so sad

. I installed the open beta but I still can't play because the account creation site is down, with the rest of the website! Now I'm sad, oh well, maybe i'll get some work done and be productive, instead :-D

redJag · Nov 8, 2004, 07:09 PM

Wow that auction has gotten over $200, these must be joke bids.. I am almost tempted to sell mine but I think I will give it to a friend instead.

RedStar · 03:28 PM

Originally posted by redJag:
Wow that auction has gotten over $200, these must be joke bids.. I am almost tempted to sell mine but I think I will give it to a friend instead.

edit:: well it's 2:30 AM and I was finally able to sign up..

except for the server being totally bogged down it runs amazing on my TiBook 800.

Cincojoe · Nov 8, 2004, 08:38 PM

downloading now...we'll see.

AKcrab · Nov 9, 2004, 05:07 AM

Seems to run OK on my G4 867, GeForce 2MX 32MB.

Horsepoo!!! · Nov 9, 2004, 06:54 AM

Downloaded...installed...and account ready to go...see ya in two weeks folks (unless I buy the game in two weeks...then it's farewell forever.)

Crusoe · 09:11 AM

Downloading now, Thanks I forgot to check yesterday and today.

If it's any better in performance and gameplay than EQ1 I'm switching.

How long did everyone's download take and did you do it from FP or Blizzard?

TheBadgerHunter · Nov 9, 2004, 12:27 PM

Hmm, I went to their site, signed up, now I'm downloading. Does this mean I'm in?

Right now I'm grabbing a torrent of it an the 1.1.0 update.

oni · Nov 9, 2004, 02:45 PM

Anyone want to do me a huge favor?

I was downloading the WOW client from fileplanet and someone has stopped my download at 2.36GB, so close.

Now the actual problem is that filepanet doesnt allow you to resume downloads, and here in New Zealand we mostly have capped internet and I dont have enough cap left to d/l again!

I was wondering if someone could host the .zip file download and pm me the link so i can try resuming the download this way -> link

Then I can grab the last bit of the d/l and start playing!

Cheers in advance

DaveNinja · 11:26 PM

edit-nevermind. i got it to work.

also looks like both sites have enough testers and are closed.

Bloodwarmer · Nov 10, 2004, 06:43 AM

I bought a key to participate the open beta US and now after downloading the game (3 hours), I enjoy it on my iBook G4 1,2 Ghz 768 RAM and Radeon 9200 Mobility 32 Mo.
The game is playable in 1024x768 but it is not amazing, so you can set the video settings to 800x600 and you can play for fun

But don't hope to make a raid because I think it would be difficult to play. So avoid raids

Horsepoo!!! · Nov 10, 2004, 06:49 AM

One cool thing about the Open Beta is that now I know my computer sucks.

My Dual 800 G4 with 8500 is choppy as hell outdoors *and* indoors. But that's ok. It's still playable. But if I wanted to play this game seriously, I'd definitely need to buy myself a new computer...and Apple decides when that happens.

Come on Apple, Dual 3GHz with 6800 for a decent price...that's all I want.

Cincojoe · Nov 10, 2004, 07:49 AM

Well then I guess that answers my question about my system....lol

You kow, this is getting sad that it will cost someone approx $3000 in a apple machine to be able to compete with a $1000 PC machine in gaming. Don't get me wrong, I love my apple but I think I'm going to build a PC gaming machine to play games and leave the other stuff to apple.

Arkham_c · Nov 10, 2004, 07:59 AM

Originally posted by Cincojoe:
You kow, this is getting sad that it will cost someone approx $3000 in a apple machine to be able to compete with a $1000 PC machine in gaming.

It's always been that way. I bought my $3000 Mac for programming, but I use it for playing games too. If you're looking solely to play games though, a PC is a more economical choice.

TheBadgerHunter · Nov 10, 2004, 12:16 PM

Originally posted by Cincojoe:
Well then I guess that answers my question about my system....lol

You kow, this is getting sad that it will cost someone approx $3000 in a apple machine to be able to compete with a $1000 PC machine in gaming. Don't get me wrong, I love my apple but I think I'm going to build a PC gaming machine to play games and leave the other stuff to apple.

Keep in mind the reqs are 1 GHz, 500mb ram, and a 32 mb card. Also keep in mind that its still being optimized and the performance should be much better.

gbafan · Nov 10, 2004, 12:25 PM

Originally posted by Cincojoe:
You kow, this is getting sad that it will cost someone approx $3000 in a apple machine to be able to compete with a $1000 PC machine in gaming. Don't get me wrong, I love my apple but I think I'm going to build a PC gaming machine to play games and leave the other stuff to apple.

Good choice. I made this choice about two weeks ago, playing WoW on my $850 PC is fantastic. PCI-Express, 1GB RAM, 160GB SATA HD, 3Ghz P4 HT. WoW

gbafan · Nov 10, 2004, 12:26 PM

Originally posted by TheBadgerHunter:
Keep in mind the reqs are 1 GHz, 500mb ram, and a 32 mb card. Also keep in mind that its still being optimized and the performance should be much better.

Even on these specs, WoW does not run that "great". It's surely playable for PvE, but trying to play in a PvP raid is out of the question.

FlammableYurt · Nov 10, 2004, 02:52 PM

All I have to say is that this game is awesome! I could hardly stop playing it - even when I was studying for my Biology exam I was still playing the game (reading, writing and memorizing while playing a computer game isn't so easy

)

iT4c0 · Nov 11, 2004, 02:12 AM

just want to post my spec for older computer people. I got 800mhz 17" imac with GF4 MX 768mb memory. It runs great outdoor (around 20 or 30fps?) but when it gets more people it lags. It is still playable. I would say buy the game cuz they will constantly upgrade to make it run better on the mac.

Crusoe · Nov 11, 2004, 04:54 AM

Heh my download was 16 hours.

Plays well on my Rev A 17" Powerbook with 768MB Ram. I'm running in 1440x900 with default settings. Note my graphics card doesn't have pixel shaders so I'm sure toggling that on would slow things down. We're gonna check it out with my neighbors 15" that has the ATI 9600 and pixel shaders this evening. Should be much better looking and perform better than my 440Go.

The game runs and looks much better than EQ1 and my fan comes on about 1/4th the time. Have to try a few character out and PvP a bit before I decide to switch.