Blizzard hands major private WOW servers DMCA.

[razor512]

monthly fee for games is annoying

they probably feel that it will cause more people to pay the monthly fee if they cant play the game otherwise

it will only end up hurting them

wow doesn't have enough content to be worth the $15 a month

 

[elbert]

Emulation would violate copyright protection. The only difference is now they are going after people for doing so. You might want get a refund on those "good business ethics" you got with your BBA if you think emulating a server to avoid paying subscription fees is a permissible thing to do.

Free client right here:
http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/dow [...] TryWoW.exe

You can also take a single copy of WoW and install it on as many PCs as you want. The restriction being that you must use a valid account to play the game and only one person can play on the same account at one time. Using a non-Blizzard server is circumventing this restriction and is a copyright infringement. It's no different then using a pirated copy of any other game. If you think piracy is OK then see my previous statement about getting a refund on the ethics you learned.

Emulation in and of itself doesnt violate copyright protection. Not one line of the code is writen by a blizzard employee. It only violate the EULA agreement you sign before playing WOTLK to connect to a emulation server. Private servers violate copyright by adding the emulation together with the database.

You can also buy the box set and already payed for code there in and thus not be obligated to blizzard.

Your talking about different products. Great that you enjoyed Diablo2, but WoW is a different game. I understand they are making a Diablo3, maybe that is a product you will find more desirable. Companies are well within there rights to price different products differently. The pricing scheme for WoW was well defined and known before it ever came, but now 4 years later your acting incredulous as if they snuck this in on you and you deserve access to this game because you bought past titles. Grow up.

Don't think I will be buying any more of blizzards games. This again is how being to greedy can come back to bit you in the rear. Growing up isn't needed as im not a troll. Going to a story and buying the game you will see on the box there was no mention of monthly charge 4 years ago. They only mentioned one free month. I was stating some of the history of blizzards game to show none greed to greed.

We were talk about customer loyalty when i mentioned past products and you seem to try and twist words as you choice. Rewording thing to meet your ideals.

Quote :

Point one tho is under their agreement from before wotlk they did not forbid emulation.


NO! Blizzard never allowed people to play for free on private servers.

Please stop twisting what i say. Not forbiding emulation and playing for free is one example of you twisting words. Two different things and if I paid for the box set Im not getting to play for free.

If seeing your name at the top of a forum is what makes you feel good about yourself, then sure your welcome.

It does and thanks.

Back to your pie chart Runescape is second largest and I forgot to mention that is only those who pay the $5 monthly. Those play Runscape for free are roughly the same amount as those paying.

 

[elbert]

monthly fee for games is annoying

they probably feel that it will cause more people to pay the monthly fee if they cant play the game otherwise

it will only end up hurting them

wow doesn't have enough content to be worth the $15 a month

Agreed.

 

[purplerat]

Agreed.

The 10 million or so paying Blizzard apparently think so.

 

[purplerat]

Emulation in and of itself doesnt violate copyright protection. Not one line of the code is writen by a blizzard employee. It only violate the EULA agreement you sign before playing WOTLK to connect to a emulation server. Private servers violate copyright by adding the emulation together with the database.

You can also buy the box set and already payed for code there in and thus not be obligated to blizzard.

You are not buying code when you purchase a game. If you were it would cost a lot more than a couple hundred bucks a year. What you are paying for is a license to use their code and you must follow their terms to do so legally. Even if you pay for a licensed copy you are still not entitled to do whatever you want with it. Whether you use emulation, private servers, hacks, gliders, bots, etc you are still circumventing the terms set for use of copyrighted material. You are violating somebody else's rights, so I'd really like to hear your ethical argument for how that is OK.

 

[dtq]

Emulation in and of itself doesnt violate copyright protection. Not one line of the code is writen by a blizzard employee. It only violate the EULA agreement you sign before playing WOTLK to connect to a emulation server. Private servers violate copyright by adding the emulation together with the database.

You can also buy the box set and already payed for code there in and thus not be obligated to blizzard.

You are not buying code when you purchase a game. If you were it would cost a lot more than a couple hundred bucks a year. What you are paying for is a license to use their code and you must follow their terms to do so legally. Even if you pay for a licensed copy you are still not entitled to do whatever you want with it. Whether you use emulation, private servers, hacks, gliders, bots, etc you are still circumventing the terms set for use of copyrighted material. You are violating somebody else's rights, so I'd really like to hear your ethical argument for how that is OK.

EULA's are not in the uk legally binding, here in the UK statutory rights over ride anything contained in a contract. Unnegotiated terms in a standard contract are a very weak basis for a suit in fact here in the uk such terms are more often used as a way to take the issuer to court...

Here in the uk we have very specific rights to use copyright material without the holders consent for non commercial use personal research and study. Certainly setting up a private server is a very interesting study in sql...

Anyone charging for use of these servers would certainly be in deepwater, as thats a clear commercial use. Anyone developing and DISTRIBUTING emulators \ databases etc could potentially be in trouble depending on how similar or based upon blizzards server code they are. Certainly wholesale copying of quest text etc would be a violation of blizzards server software copyright. The act of creating a database and software emulator software itself would very likely be completely legal as a non commercial research project until the point where you start distributing it for use other than by yourself, and then its only illegal if its substantially the same as blizzards work.

Big companies and well paid lawyers can "get it wrong" when it comes to software copyright just ask former SCO employees... SCO lost the case not because linux didnt look and feel and perform many functions the same as unix, but because they couldnt prove that a "substantial amount" of the code wa the same, despite the fact that no doubt many linux developers had used unix and had license agreements in place stopping them from reverse engineering unix etc.

Copyright varies from country to country hence thepiratebay carries on despite the USA's DMCA legislation.

Hence despite a successfull suit in the USA against shepperton studios (the people who originally produced the props for lucas) are still producing replica stormtrooper suits, they continue to be legally sold in the rest of the world. Lucas with his vast resources and army of lawyers tried to take shepperton to court in the uk and LOST, because the UK copyright laws are different.

Whilst certainly even here in the UK I could see that a "Blizzlike" like large realm either charging or accepting donations could potentially be in legal trouble, there are certainly legal cases where a server emulator could be completely legal.

 

[elbert]

Emulation in and of itself doesnt violate copyright protection. Not one line of the code is writen by a blizzard employee. It only violate the EULA agreement you sign before playing WOTLK to connect to a emulation server. Private servers violate copyright by adding the emulation together with the database.

You can also buy the box set and already payed for code there in and thus not be obligated to blizzard.

You are not buying code when you purchase a game. If you were it would cost a lot more than a couple hundred bucks a year. What you are paying for is a license to use their code and you must follow their terms to do so legally. Even if you pay for a licensed copy you are still not entitled to do whatever you want with it. Whether you use emulation, private servers, hacks, gliders, bots, etc you are still circumventing the terms set for use of copyrighted material. You are violating somebody else's rights, so I'd really like to hear your ethical argument for how that is OK.

There you go again as I said buy the box set. Ill twist my words to my exact meaning of you have paid for the right to use the code. It true you must follow their terms but when they leave things out its called loop holes. True when i payed for the box set that doesn't entitle me resell or make copy's for sale. True if you use hacks, gliders, bots, etc on retail they ban you for one month. Can you say slap on the wrist. Yes I was there on retail and reported my fair share of bot users until i seen them back in a month doing the same.

Now Blizzard due to greed has gotten the title of the next microsoft. So anything they make if not top notch will fail just like vista has. Only problem here is they're a lot more games than OS around.

 

[purplerat]

You can also buy the box set and already payed for code there in and thus not be obligated to blizzard.

I'm not twisting your words. The fact is you do NOT pay for code. You have NO legal right to use their code ANY way other than under the terms Blizzard sets. And just because people usually only get a minor slap on the wrist for violating those terms does not mean it's a loophole or ok. But once again I'll repeat the same question you've avoided the past two post; How is even using a "loophole" to avoid having to pay for something you otherwise would have to pay for considered ethical?

Now Blizzard due to greed has gotten the title of the next microsoft. So anything they make if not top notch will fail just like vista has. Only problem here is they're a lot more games than OS around.

So what is that, your justification for why you steal from them? You can join all of the other self proclaimed Digital Robin Hoods how think they are stealing from the rich to give to the poor. Except that in most cases if you're in a position to be pirating games/using private WoW servers you're really not all that poor, you're just a leach.

 

[elbert]

I'm not twisting your words. The fact is you do NOT pay for code. You have NO legal right to use their code ANY way other than under the terms Blizzard sets. And just because people usually only get a minor slap on the wrist for violating those terms does not mean it's a loophole or ok. But once again I'll repeat the same question you've avoided the past two post; How is even using a "loophole" to avoid having to pay for something you otherwise would have to pay for considered ethical?

You do pay for code else when buying the box from stores you would only have a nice box with a blank CD or DVD. Your twisting my words by implying I think I can do anything with the code on the CD's. You have rights which is set by your common laws so when the company doesn't restrict your use in some way common laws govern. Do you just not understand the laws or look for free lessons.

If I didn't agree to an EULA that restricts me from connecting to an emulation server then they can do nothing to me. They may attack the emulation server but as you can see its affects are in question. Ethical business practices are all determined by the date and times you apply the ethics. Ethics are society based and change over time. Blizzard has just tried to change the ethics which I have not agreed. I haven't installed and agreed to the WOTLK EULA. Ethics is one thing but letting some one walk all over you is another. The question your missing is blizzard being ethical? Im not the one running a business. Did anyone who purchased the first game expect to have to pay both a monthly fee and for added content in the expansions? I say they didn't for sure the added content. Did those first buying windows XP OEM know they can only install it on one PC? No. Business change terms to benefit themself and if they go overboard its their ethics in question not there customers. If there customers continue without call them on there change then customers are at fault.

Now if I purchased WOTLK with its new EULA I would be ethnically in the wrong. Thus Im not buying that either. Hence Ill be playing 2.4.3 BC.

So what is that, your justification for why you steal from them? You can join all of the other self proclaimed Digital Robin Hoods how think they are stealing from the rich to give to the poor. Except that in most cases if you're in a position to be pirating games/using private WoW servers you're really not all that poor, you're just a leach.

I steal nothing as i payed for the box set. If I don't play on their servers for a month I have no reason to pay them. That was a service charge up till WOTLK's EULA. The private server runners are the only one breaking any kind of laws which mostly was accepting money for running the servers.

Are you enjoying the servers that my purchase of the box set helps pay for? Do you leach a good game that loyal customer of blizzard help build the company up to make? Do you plan on buying there less than great titles or will this be the only blizzard title you ever buy? Are you a user no matter the cost?

Now stop dodging the questions I have posted. Is blizzard being unethical? Have they deceived customers? Is retail servers as rot with bots, power levelers, and gold farmers as private servers? And finally are you part of the problem for continuing to pay them for questionable service?

 

[purplerat]

You do pay for code else when buying the box from stores you would only have a nice box with a blank CD or DVD.

Get a clue, you are NOT buying code.

Did anyone who purchased the first game expect to have to pay both a monthly fee and for added content in the expansions?

I'm looking at it right here on the back of the original box "Monthly fee required". Expansions are separate and NOT REQUIRED. Purchase of any expansion is completely optional to continuing play of the original.

Did those first buying windows XP OEM know they can only install it on one PC?

No version of Windows was ever sold for multiple PCs unless it specifically said so (ie VLAs). The fact that XP took further steps to prevent duplication is no indication that it was OK on previous versions. Just like Blizzard never allowed people to emulate their software or use private servers. Once again get a clue.

Are you enjoying the servers that my purchase of the box set helps pay for? Do you leach a good game that loyal customer of blizzard help build the company up to make? Do you plan on buying there less than great titles or will this be the only blizzard title you ever buy? Are you a user no matter the cost?

Get over yourself dude. You're not the only person who's every bought Blizzards games and they never made any promise to YOU about any future products they may release.

Now stop dodging the questions I have posted. Is blizzard being unethical? Have they deceived customers? Is retail servers as rot with bots, power levelers, and gold farmers as private servers? And finally are you part of the problem for continuing to pay them for questionable service?

WTF are you even talking about? What's the questionable service? How have they deceived anybody? The fact that Diablo2 did not have a monthly fee has no bearing on WoWs pricing. If you think so you are an idiot.

After reading your post I seriously doubt you have any business experience. And if by some chance you really do have some sort of cereal box BBA I fear for any company which hires you for your business knowledge.

 

[purplerat]

This is the licensing agreement from an original copy of World of Warcraft CD. You can only use World of Warcraft under these terms. Simply saying you do not agree to them and playing the game anyways is NOT a valid argument. I've highlighted parts that basically destroy the OPs argument:

Last Updated June1, 2006

IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ CAREFULLY.

BY INSTALLING, COPYING, OR OTHERWISE USING THE GAME (DEFINED BELOW), YOU AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT, YOU ARE NOT PERMITTED TO INSTALL, COPY, OR USE THE GAME. IF YOU REJECT THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT WITHIN THIRTY (30) DAYS AFTER PURCHASING THE GAME, YOU MAY CONTACT BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT, INC. AT (800) 592-5499 TO REQUEST A FULL REFUND OF THE PURCHASE PRICE.

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[elbert]

So what is that, your justification for why you steal from them? You can join all of the other self proclaimed Digital Robin Hoods how think they are stealing from the rich to give to the poor. Except that in most cases if you're in a position to be pirating games/using private WoW servers you're really not all that poor, you're just a leach.

Get a clue code is what computer reads off that CD or DVD that comes in the game box.

I'm looking at it right here on the back of the original box "Monthly fee required". Expansions are separate and NOT REQUIRED. Purchase of any expansion is completely optional to continuing play of the original.

LOL you got one of the new box sets. There first one had nothing about an expansion. I have been trying my best to explain the bolded text above for you and that I dont have to agree to any EULA on expansions I don't buy or install.

No version of Windows was ever sold for multiple PCs unless it specifically said so (ie VLAs). The fact that XP took further steps to prevent duplication is no indication that it was OK on previous versions. Just like Blizzard never allowed people to emulate their software or use private servers. Once again get a clue.

I was wrong you just down understand much. Retail XP you can uninstall on one PC and install it on another. The OEM version you cant and the first purchasers of XP OEM didnt know this.

Get over yourself dude. You're not the only person who's every bought Blizzards games and they never made any promise to YOU about any future products they may release.

Very nice I answered your questions and you dodge mine. Noob troll go away.

WTF are you even talking about? What's the questionable service? How have they deceived anybody? The fact that Diablo2 did not have a monthly fee has no bearing on WoWs pricing. If you think so you are an idiot.

After reading your post I seriously doubt you have any business experience. And if by some chance you really do have some sort of cereal box BBA I fear for any company which hires you for your business knowledge.

Noob troll here trying to change the subject to Diablo2. Noob troll acting like the doesn't understand when he doesn't have a clue.

P.S. I didnt host or create the connection. The private servers are the host and connection creaters and I didn't create or change the connection.

 

[purplerat]

Noob troll here trying to change the subject to Diablo2. Noob troll acting like the doesn't understand when he doesn't have a clue.

No, this was your excuse for how Blizzard was ripping you off:

Blizzard run Diablo2 for 5 years which I payed $160 for 2 accounts for both me and my son to play. Now WOW would cost me more than that for 1 acccount for less than a year.

I was wrong you just down understand much. Retail XP you can uninstall on one PC and install it on another. The OEM version you cant and the first purchasers of XP OEM didnt know this.

Only if they were an idiot and didn't know what OEM stands for. Obviously you don't so let me spell if out Original Equipment Manufacturer. If software is OEM that means it can only be used on one machine, ie THE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT!!! Which is why they sell it for less. Really, you do use ignorance as an art form don't you.

Very nice I answered your questions and you dodge mine. Noob troll go away.

My answer is in the thread above yours. If you really have any sort of business education it should be pretty self explanatory.

 

[elbert]

No, this was your excuse for how Blizzard was ripping you off:

No, it was a question to see if you see how blizzard can be seen as ripping off there customers. You didn't answered the question and dodged it like a noob troll after he got his answer.

Only if they were an idiot and didn't know what OEM stands for. Obviously you don't so let me spell if out Original Equipment Manufacturer. If software is OEM that means it can only be used on one machine, ie THE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT!!! Which is why they sell it for less. Really, you do use ignorance as an art form don't you.

Let me spell it out to you up until when did it mean you could only install it on one PC? OEM back before you was born I guess was you had to have that company's hardware. IE a compaq OEM install disk only worked on a compaq PC. The new OEM XP means only that mobo. Your ignorance of change is really something to behold.

My answer is in the thread above yours. If you really have any sort of business education it should be pretty self explanatory.

It answered none of my questions to you so go away noob troll.

 

[purplerat]

No, this was your excuse for how Blizzard was ripping you off:

No, it was a question to see if you see how blizzard can be seen as ripping off there customers. You didn't answered the question and dodged it like a noob troll after he got his answer.

Do you really have that poor an understanding of the English language that you think the two highlighted statements, the first from me the second from you, contradict rather than agree with one and other? I'm sorry but you obviously have no understanding of the words or concept being put forth on this page. You struggle to even put together a grammatically correct sentence and I have very little reason to believe you even understand what they mean. Furthermore it's blatantly obvious that you have zero understanding of the licensing agreement I posted above and how it applies to use of this game.

Even your use of the term "noob troll" shows that you have no understanding of even that term. It doesn't offend me in the slightest but all you would have to do is look at my post total and my active engagement in threads I post on to see neither or true. There's many more sensible names you could call me if you really feel the need to, but "noob troll" doesn't even make sense. It's like trying to slander somebody of one racial group by calling them the slur for another. You just end up looking like an idiot.

 

[purplerat]

Let me spell it out to you up until when did it mean you could only install it on one PC? OEM back before you was born I guess was you had to have that company's hardware. IE a compaq OEM install disk only worked on a compaq PC. The new OEM XP means only that mobo.

Not that I think you'll understand this, but just for the sake of correctness in case anybody else stumbles upon this.
OEM as it pertains to OS software (specifically Windows) never meant you could install it on as many PCs of the same brand as you wanted. Technically it could be done, but it was still in violation of the copyright of said OS.
In fact today many manufacturer OEM OS CDs can be used on multiple units of the same manufacturer (particularly Dell, Gateway and Acer). Just because you can do something that does not make it legal. I can take perfectly legal materials and open a meth lab in my basement. The simple fact that it can be done does not make it right or legal to do so.

The difference between the two types of OEM is only in what type of protection they use. Some use a unit or serial specific protection which makes it harder to use on more than 1 machine. Other companies use a universal protection for their machines alone because it's cheaper. Just because you can take advantage of such a lapse in protection does not make it right.

 

[purplerat]

It seems that Blizzard does whatever it wants, they have money, they have lawyers, they're doing what they think is best for them, and here I have to agree with a previous poster about being timed with Christmas and them wanting to milk the max amount of sales out of people

Well that's what they're in business for. Last time I checked Blizzard wasn't a charity organization. As far as them doing whatever they want to do, they are doing nothing more than exercising their rights to protect their product. If people don't like that the answer is very simple; don't buy or use their products. I'm not aware of any case where Blizzard forced anybody to play a game of theirs or pay for a subscription against their own will. But maybe I'm wrong.

 

[elbert]

Do you really have that poor an understanding of the English language that you think the two highlighted statements, the first from me the second from you, contradict rather than agree with one and other? I'm sorry but you obviously have no understanding of the words or concept being put forth on this page. You struggle to even put together a grammatically correct sentence and I have very little reason to believe you even understand what they mean. Furthermore it's blatantly obvious that you have zero understanding of the licensing agreement I posted above and how it applies to use of this game.

Even your use of the term "noob troll" shows that you have no understanding of even that term. It doesn't offend me in the slightest but all you would have to do is look at my post total and my active engagement in threads I post on to see neither or true. There's many more sensible names you could call me if you really feel the need to, but "noob troll" doesn't even make sense. It's like trying to slander somebody of one racial group by calling them the slur for another. You just end up looking like an idiot.

Dodge dodge noob troll. That all your going to see as to a reply until you answer the for mentioned questions.

 

[purplerat]

That all your going to see as to a reply until you answer the for mentioned questions.

Fine by me. We can both just ignore your precious little thread and watch it drop all the way down unit it's not even on the first page anymore :lol:

 

[elbert]

It seems that Blizzard does whatever it wants, they have money, they have lawyers, they're doing what they think is best for them, and here I have to agree with a previous poster about being timed with Christmas and them wanting to milk the max amount of sales out of people http://seoagora.com/img/589/d08l1104oulu/smiley2.gifhttp://seoagora.com/img/308/s08e1024rvou/champagne.gifhttp://seoagora.com/img/317/s08b1024uzjw/content.gifhttp://seoagora.com/img/459/k08q1024glza/ecstatic.gifhttp://seoagora.com/img/460/c08n1024twxu/eeek.gifhttp://seoagora.com/img/1098/s08m1119gagq/wave.gifhttp://seoagora.com/img/1215/b08z1127keva/fine.gif

Agreed and I wonder which side those lawyers will be on when the stockholders sue blizzard? Angering customers does fall under not protecting stockholders interest.

 

[elbert]

Fine by me. We can both just ignore your precious little thread and watch it drop all the way down unit it's not even on the first page anymore :lol:

Your a toll thats not in your nature.

 

[baba264]

@elbert
Still, I have a major issue with all this. When some one or a group of people put in the hard work to invent and develop a product, they deserve to be paid reasonable compensation for their time, efforts and thought. This is called capitalism and is something that defines the economic base of "The Free World".

(...)

Here's one final thing to ponder: "TANSTAAFL !" "There 'aint no such thing as a free lunch.

Hard to believe that one would have to read such a thing here....
The economic base of "The free world", as opposed to what? "the enslaved world"?
And I guess that in your mind this so called "Free world" would be embodied by the US?
A country that engages in torture, arbitrary arrestations and crimes of war? A country that has repetedly engaged in the past in criminal actions (assassinations, social unrest ect...) to protect its commercial interests and those of american compagnies (panama and united fruits for instance, but that was just a start)?
Please, talk about capitalism and western countries all you want but refrain from using such biased terms or from pushing ideological arguments in the course of the discution, I believe this is not the place for that.



Back on the subject, I believe you missed one or two of the most importants to play on a private server rather than a public one :

- Network reasons :
When being on certain types of private network (university networks for instance, but also most company intranets), one may have limited connectivity to the outside that prevents you from playing the game on the official servers. In this situation a private server for the people on the private network might seem like a good solution.

- Community reasons :
People have been keen to point out that private servers loose on the community aspect of wow. However, setting up a private server is the *only* way to be able to screen the users that will be allowed to play. Anybody who has played wow knows that the proportion of people you don't want to have anything to do with is pretty high on public servers. Private servers reamain the only way to be able to set up a closed community with specific criterias (for instance, if you only want to play with mature gamers who know how to write and have a good knowledge of wow background)


That being said, it doesn't mean private server are justified, but there can certainly be reasons to play on them other than the monthly fee.

 

[gryph667]

Free world as in areas where trade and commerce are, for the most part, free ie non-arbitrary. It was not a statement made to reference the US specifically, although with Blizzard/Vivendi-Activision maintaining its articles of corporation, I can see where that assumption might have been made.

Meanwhile, using a discussion about a private entity ie Blizzard, to voice opinions about a governmental agency's actions and policies is something I find in poor taste.

Private servers from the early days of online gaming have always been about control. People or groups of people get together to rent a gameserver, such as Quake or Counter-Strike so as to assert control over the random asshattery that occurs on other servers. WoW on the other hand has never been meant for private server distribution, on public or private networks. They, as the creators of the models, textures, text and yes, code, determined at the games inception that they wanted to retain a large level of control over their intellectual property.

Quick aside, it IS their code. While they did not develop the language the code is written, they paid programmers, and continue to pay them, to string characters together to call up values and execute commands. Asserting that the code doesn't belong to them, from the argument as I understand it, is no author owns his written work because the letters and words he or she uses are open source, is ludicrous.

Now, the control they exert insures that the game experience is as similar as possible as far as available content. Whether an individual is able to get to all of that content is up to them and their ability to interface with other individuals. The graphics, the gameplay, spells etc, are all things that they wish to maintain to control and it's within their right to do so to protect their intellectual property.

Now, onto the monthly fee. Guess what, Elbert, the monthly fee has gone down. While the numerical value of that fee, 15 USD, has remained the same, the monthly fee has been deflated from the inflation of the currency. Factor into the scenario that with the performance of the market over the last four years, the cost of running a Blizz server has only gone up. It has cost more and more money to energize those servers, cool those servers, connect those servers, etc due to rising energy costs during the lifetime of the game. Ironically, the current cost of petrol NOW is at it lowest in the US in five years, due to several financial collapses. Yet the energy cost to heat and cool a home or a server farm hasn't gone down proportionally. While it's nice at the pump, the electricity bills aren't reflecting it. Probably because most of those are government run, and it goes against the grain for political managers to take less money than they were before.

Bottom line, it's Blizz's property, they have the right, and have always retained the right, to control how and when their intellectual property is used, and setting up a private server, facilitating through the provision of emulation software, and playing on them is not ethical.

I will concede that setting up a private server for the purpose of fiddling with commands in order to test changes, ie break the code to learn how to better make it unbreakable, to make oneself a better coder doesn't hurt anyone. That is not, however, what any of these entities getting cease and desists have been doing.

 

[Scynte]

Ok now everyone.... *breath*

I would just like to make a break so you guys can take a breather and say, Purplerat, I love reading your posts

But he is right Elbert. If you don't like it, go find a free MMO and stop claiming he's a troll when all your doing is going around in circles and dodging statements that prove it.

 

[elbert]

Now, onto the monthly fee. Guess what, Elbert, the monthly fee has gone down. While the numerical value of that fee, 15 USD, has remained the same, the monthly fee has been deflated from the inflation of the currency. Factor into the scenario that with the performance of the market over the last four years, the cost of running a Blizz server has only gone up. It has cost more and more money to energize those servers, cool those servers, connect those servers, etc due to rising energy costs during the lifetime of the game. Ironically, the current cost of petrol NOW is at it lowest in the US in five years, due to several financial collapses. Yet the energy cost to heat and cool a home or a server farm hasn't gone down proportionally. While it's nice at the pump, the electricity bills aren't reflecting it. Probably because most of those are government run, and it goes against the grain for political managers to take less money than they were before.

No its went up. Firstly you dont get the first month free as you once did from the original game. Second in this bad economy's its harder to make a buck. The cost of playing has increased.

Servers have gotten more powerful over the past 4 years cost of running the servers have lowered. Here is whats really eating at blizzard. Wowscape on one server can run 8k players. Retail servers averages only 6.3k. I dont understand why your even talking about cost as things are currently. Are you slow in the head. Blizzard is already set the price monthly to $15. All of what your going on about is already factored into the $15 at current population with the current number of realms. If they got 20million subscribers they can add realms, lower monthly price, and still make the same. Your confusing what it take to run a single realm as im talking about adding more realms and population.

Bottom line, it's Blizz's property, they have the right, and have always retained the right, to control how and when their intellectual property is used, and setting up a private server, facilitating through the provision of emulation software, and playing on them is not ethical.

Below that bottom lines its stockholders. It not ethical business practice to upset past customers. Its not ethical business practices to use near monopolistic type control over any market.