147 replies to this topic

[Malavon]

http://www.blizzard....ss/041105.shtml

they will also receive a pre-order box containing a special edition CD of selected soundtracks from the game and an authentication key for guaranteed access to the European Final Beta Test.

I guess i'll be pre ordering it on the 26th then

[Someone]

Now I need to find money to actually buy the game argh -.- I am already missing it.

[Charon]

http://www.blizzard....ss/041105.shtml

they will also receive a pre-order box containing a special edition CD of selected soundtracks from the game and an authentication key for guaranteed access to the European Final Beta Test.

I guess i'll be pre ordering it on the 26th then

But I want a cool art book too, like the Americans had with the CE ...

[Malavon]

I think you can still order the collector's edition, but if you pre-order it then you get the sound track as well, and a guaranteed place in the European Beta. That's just added on to the Collector's Edition stuff (or at least that's what I think. I expect they will tell us more on the 26th)

[PureMourning]

I just pre-ordered my copy yesterday (Nov. 20th) -- so i'll be heading back to the store either on the 23rd or 24th.

I'm not sure if I got collector's edition or not, how does that work?

[Exor]

well collectors edition is 80$ and normal is 50$

[Charon]

I heard that if you don't specify the CE you get normal ^^
Otherwise as Exor said, you'll know when your wallet gets hit.

I reckon the Europeans don't get a CE, because that soundtrack for preorder is probably the one which was included in the USA CE.
That said, I'll be down my local game store on Friday regardless ^^

Oh oh, screenies -

Edited by Charon, 21 November 2004 - 06:02 PM.

[PureMourning]

Hmm, not sure if I'll put down the extra 30, hnm...

Nice screens!

[Charon]

I think you can still order the collector's edition, but if you pre-order it then you get the sound track as well, and a guaranteed place in the European Beta. That's just added on to the Collector's Edition stuff (or at least that's what I think. I expect they will tell us more on the 26th)

I can admit when I'm wrong- I've been saying I doubted there'd be a CE, but today they told us more and it seems there will be ^^
Link to announcement

I also preordered my CE in GAME today (before I knew one existed ^^;; ), although I've been told I have to go back on Friday because they dont have any preorder packs at the moment

Oh, and re that link- if you can tell me what counts as a "coffee table book" I'll be a much wiser person, because that isn't a term I've ever heard used before ^^

Nice screens!

Ty

[Malavon]

I was under the impression that you had to pre order it from blizzard to get the special pre order pack.. does that mean I can get it from a uk shop/website (other than blizzard) and still get the free pack? Also, how did you pre order it now if it doesn't let you untill 26th? lol. or are you pre ordering it to pre order it... hehe

Oh, and re that link- if you can tell me what counts as a "coffee table book" I'll be a much wiser person, because that isn't a term I've ever heard used before ^^

I have absolutely no idea I'll ask Exor if I actually see him on today - WoW is released there today and I think he is getting the CE, so he should know

Edited by Malavon, 23 November 2004 - 10:41 AM.

[Charon]

Nay, to get the preorder pack you have to buy from retailers (I don't actually think the game is even listed on Blizzards site, though I know I went looking ^^)

At the moment many places have it on preorder (Amazon.co.uk, Gamestation, GAME, HMV) but none of them mention the preorder pack... not on their websites and not anywhere in store.

However GAME are under the impression that the preorder pack is exclusively theirs, based on an email from them a friend forwarded me.
I don't know if thats true but I sent them an email asking if they would have the pack, and they resoponded saying that if I preorder on Friday and pay them £3, I get the preorder pack with the code and the CD

As for how I preordered already...
The people didn't have a clue
They told me that as far as they knew it was possible to preorder at any time... then again I was asking them lots of questions they didnt know the answer to and he looked a bit awkward and his friend was laughing at him... so he might just have told me I could preorder to make me go away
But as said before, I do have to go back on Friday and get my pack (and presumably pay them too, seeing as how they never made me do that before :S)

I was told it was a proper preorder, not a preorder for the preorder... but *sigh* this is GAME we're dealing with (I don't like GAME overly much ^^;; )

Anyhow... yep, I'll be taking wads of paper to them and attempting to confirm this after Uni today or tomorrow... and tomorrow I might try and see if I can get my preorder done early and properly. It may not work... but I can try

Edited by Charon, 23 November 2004 - 12:21 PM.

[Malavon]

I don't think it's exclusive to GAME, otherwise Blizzard would have said so. I think they might be lying just to make people purchase it from their store rather than buying it from the competetors... either that or they have made a genuine mistake.

I'm just emailing www.play.com (company I usually order games from) inquiring as to whether they have any pre order boxes, and I also intend to email Blizzard to actually find out wtf is going on lol. When (or if) I get a response to either i'll post on here

[Charon]

Dear Sir/ Madam,

Thank you for your inquiry...

We're sorry, but we are not able to help you here. 
The WoW-administration is in France. The only contact site we know is :  http://www.wow-europe.com/en/
Any information should be able to be found there.

Sincerely yours,

Vivendi Universal Games / Support-Team


Ticket-No.: 615188

Your message from 15.11.2004 :

Hello, I was hoping you might be able to help me, as I have an enquiry about a game listed on your site: World of Warcraft.

I am aware that in America there were two versions of the game, the  'normal'
game and a 'collectors edition' which had many extras (an art  book, a cd, a
10day trial pass for a friend, an in game pet, a cloth map...) and  those who
preordered got a book

I was wondering if the UK (and europe) will have a CE boxset with extras  in,
because if there is I would certainly rather preorder that instead of the
normal game, but my local GAME store has told me that it doesn't know at the
present time

Any feedback would be appreciated
M.Clarkson

The above email is also the exact same one I get regarding any queries I send to vivendi

Hello,

Thank you for your interest in World of Warcraft.
We recently published our official press release about the European launch plans on our Blizzard website here:
http://www.blizzard....ss/041122.shtml

By pre-ordering the game on the 26th of November, you will get an authentication key for guaranteed access to the  European Final Beta Test. The opening of this European Final Beta Test will be announced soon on our website and  then you will be able to use the authentication key to get into the adventure.
Also, as we are preparing European localized versions of the game, US Beta accounts are not compatible. A complete  European client download will be required for the Final European Beta Test along with a European account to play.
More information will also be announced soon on our website http://en.wow-europe.com, and please don't hesitate to  browse our forums here: http://en.wow-europe...=wow-general-en

-----Original Message-----
From: ***
To: WoWtechEU@blizzard.com
Sent: 21/11/2004 14:29:07
Subject: European WoW Collectors Edition?

In response to a previous enquiry I recieved the following:

"You will be able to pre-order the European version of World of Warcraft
from 26 November, here is the link for the current press release:
_http://www.blizzard.co.uk/press/041105.shtml_
(http://www.blizzard....ss/041105.shtml) "

I am aware that in America there were two versions of the game, the  'normal'
game and a 'collectors edition' which had many extras (an art  book, a cd, a
10day trial pass for a friend, an in game pet, a cloth map...) and  those who
preordered got a book


I presume the CD in the US CE is the one being offered as a 'gift' for  those
who preorder in the UK...

I was wondering if the UK (and europe) will have a CE boxset with extras  in,
because if there is I would certainly rather preorder that instead of the
normal game, but my local GAME store has told me that it doesn't know at the
present time.

So I thought I'd ask you instead

M.Clarkson

Dear Sir,

Thank you for your email.

I can confirm we will be doing the Pre-Packs which will be pre-orderable as from the 26th November 2004.

We have been notified that we have pulled an exclusive pre-order campaign together for GAME customers for World of Warcraft for the PC.

The Pre Order Offer:

Place a £3.00 deposit in one of stores and you will receive a CD that contains the Following:

*      A CD Key which allows you to down load the final Beta Test, allowing you to access the Game.

*      Music Sound Track


When you return to purchase the full product at launch you will receive your deposit back by a £3.00 discount of the full game.

To find out more about the Game which is due for release in January 2005 please click on the following Link:

http://www.vugames.co.uk/home.aspx


If you have already placed a pre-order in store you should automatically receive this pack. You can double check with the store you placed the pre-order with if you wish.

Unfortunately we have no further information from the publisher on this game with regards to a Special Edition.

I hope this information helps but if you have any further queries then please do not hesitate to contact me.

Thank you for contacting Games Stores Group LTD.

Regards,

Marie Stacey

Customer Service Assistant

GAME Stores Group Ltd



-----Original Message-----
From: Game Customer Services
Sent: 22 November 2004 18:40
To: Game Customer Services
Subject: Preorder Enquiry



A website user has submitted the following preorder query:

Email Address: ***
Name: M.Clarkson
Phone: ***
Reward card number:
Preferred contact method: Email

User Query:
I have a few enquiries regarding the World of Warcraft preorder:
1) I have heard it said that GAME will be the sole distributors of the 'preorder packs' containing a beta test key code and a cd, even though this is not stated on Blizzards website. They recieved this information after emailing yourselves at GAME. Would it be possible for yourselves to confirm or deny this?
2) If you will not be the sole distributers of this pack, would it be possible for you to confirm that your stores at least have this pack?
3) (If GAME shall have preorder packs) If I have already placed a preorder in store, how will I go about obtaining this preorder pack? Should I take the information to the store?
4) I am aware that the Americans got a Collectors Edition ('CE') Do you know if the European Edition also has a CE and if so will you be offering it for preorder?
5) If you do offer it for preorder and I have already placed a preorder in store (presumably for the normal edition), can I switch it over to the CE if you SHALL be offering one? Sorry for taking up your time. It would be much appreicated if you could send me a response.
M.Clarkson

*sigh* Not sure what gave the nice woman the impression that I'm a "Sir" though

I'm interested in knowing what play.com says to you though, as I havent yet received feedback from any stores other than GAME ^^

Edited by Charon, 23 November 2004 - 06:10 PM.

[Exor]

k well mom just back with WoW Collectors Edition.Its installing for me atm. She suprised me and got me WoW Strategy Guide too XD.Lots of neat stuff in CE. The art of WoW is very cool.Im so excited =p. Install is halfway through on my pc woot.When its done I gotta install it on this one though ;p

[Charon]

*envy* *envy* and did I mention *envy*? ^^

[Exor]

hehe.cant play it though for like 4 hours.gotta wait until stepdad comes home with credit card ;(

[PureMourning]

I just picked up me copeee, yeeeeh.

Too bad I got work in 15-min! I'll just have to read the strategy guide there and try to survive.

I was goona get Collector's Edition, but they only had 38 of them, and they were all pre-oordered, when I went to pre-order mine it wasn't even on my mind. Phhoey.

Yah!

[Malavon]

Dear Customer

Thank you for contacting Amazon.co.uk with your enquiry.

The only information we can give you about a particular item is
displayed on the item's product information page.

We do appreciate that sometimes the amount of information we display
may make it difficult to make a purchasing decision unless you already
know something about the item. Our editorial staff are constantly
working on increasing the information we provide about each item as it
becomes available to us.

We would recommend searching for the information you require using one
of the online Web search engines. Alternately, we recommend that you
post your question to a USENET Newsgroup.

Thank you for shopping at Amazon.co.uk.

Warmest regards

Syed rizwan
Customer Service
Amazon.co.uk

How useful

[Charon]

PayPal and Pre-Paid Game-Card Payments - Block on 11/23/04
Due to some unforeseen systems issues, PayPal is not currently able to accept World of Warcraft payments. However, they are working diligently with us to bring this online as soon as possible.
We are also experiencing a brief supply delay with the retail pre-paid game cards. The game cards will be ready to ship this coming Monday, November 29 and should begin appearing in stores where World of Warcraft is sold shortly thereafter. We apologize for any inconvenience and will provide additional information as soon as it is available

... and that brings to a temporary halt the plans of all the Europeans I know who were hoping to get around Blizzards american billing system using those methods.
And they said they couldn't make things hard for them...

[Exor]

K im upset.I thought the pets could gain levels and attack with you.. :\

So far all they do is follow you and sit.Unless they get attacks later in game XD.

Atm im torn between Undead Mage or Undead Warlock. Love them both.Having trouble picking just one hehe.

[PureMourning]

The first month is free, but I didn't realize you still had to submit billing info. with account creation at the time!

I just installed it, but parents are sleeping.

*Goes to get credit card number*

j/k! Looks like it'll have to wait for like... tomorrow.

[Charon]

Hey, if anyone finds that they and their other friends have no use for the free 10day buddy passes I've heard mentioned...

*coughs to get attention*
*smiles sweetly*

[Malavon]

lol, you have to have the full version installed using the dvd/cd apparently (according to exor anyway ), so unless someone is willing to ship you the DVD, you can't do it :/

... and that brings to a temporary halt the plans of all the Europeans I know who were hoping to get around Blizzards american billing system using those methods.

Why would you want to? lol

For those European gamers still wishing to play with their American friends on the North American servers, and vice versa, Blizzard will provide a means to make this possible after the European launch.

Just wait to get the UK version, it's much easier than getting a dodgy american copy and trying to get that to work

K im upset.I thought the pets could gain levels and attack with you.. :\

aww, if they don't then I'll just get the normal version I think. If I pre-order it I get the soundtrack, which is basically the only other item I especially wanted from the CE.

[Malavon]

Ok, I just checked me emails... both blizzard and play were about as unhelpful as they could possibly be

Hello,

Thank you for emailing with your concerns. We have recently been contacted by people with questions about regional restrictions and access for accounts in World of Warcraft.

Quality and customer service are the highest priorities for Blizzard Entertainment.  Because we cannot guarantee a positive gaming experience for users connecting to servers outside their region, we are not initially permitting users from outside North America to play on the North American servers upon release.

In other words, players in one region of the world will not be able to play on alternate regions at the launch of the game.  We will be allowing customers to do this shortly after the Europe, China and Korea launches.

For the initial North American (USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand) launch; customers will need a North American Version of the game, North American Billing Address and North American Payment Method.  International Credit Cards outside of North America will not work.

We also do not have any information pertaining to whether or not certain regions will be "blocked" Customer can try but there is no guarantee it will work for them.  We also want to stress that customer support will be very limited for them.

Many have inquired about whether or not a US Version will work for the Europe launch or whether a US Account will transfer over to Europe when Europe Launches.  Unfortunately at this time we do not have any further information.  We strongly suggest customers purchase their local version when it is released in their region.

The Community Team has posted the current FAQ on this topic in a stickied thread on the Forums; which I strongly suggest you visit:
http://forums.worldo...eneral&t=385040

We also do not have any information for the upcoming European Open Beta or Release.  For all relevant information regarding that please visit http://en.wow-europe.com.  The China Open Beta will also be happening soon, Please continue to visit http://www.wowchina.com.

For all the other regions worldwide, once Europe, China and Korea launch, customers from all over the world will be able to play on any server they wish.  Further details such game prices, subscription prices and beta details have not yet been announced or determined for any other regions.  We recommend that you continue to visit www.WorldofWarcraft.com for the latest announcements and updates on this and other World of Warcraft features.

At this time you can visit the following link for the offical press release on the European Launch:
http://www.blizzard....ss/041122.shtml

Regards,

Nick S.
Billing & Account Representative
Blizzard Entertainment
http://www.blizzard.com/support

Dear Customer 

Thank you for your email.

The information regarding product specifications comes directly from the releasing supplier. Whilst we strive to keep our website as up to date as possible, we are unable to provide any further details than those specified.

We are not a participating retailer there fore we have no information regarding CD-Keys for the Open Beta.

We are very sorry that we could not be of further help on this occasion.

Kind regards,

Email Support Team

Play

oh well, looks like i'll have to go into town on Friday and pre order it from GAME :/

[PureMourning]

I just got done playing a good 2 hours-ish, decided yo go the Paladin way, and dwarf. Only level 4 atm, but every fun, sooo many quests.

[Charon]

It was discussed at the end of Beta that the CE pets were only eye candy... they look cool, but they cannot and never shall attack
They decided that if they could attack it would make Hunters somewhat useless, so Hunters have the only combat pets.

Heh, I have no plans to get a dodgy american copy-
However considering that last night, when the game had been out barely a day, there were already level 19-21's running around on at least one server (archimonde) when we get it in February we'll have a heck of a lot of catching up to do before we can play properly with our american friends ^^

Also...
While Blizzard say they will provide a means to make it possible after launch they dont give an idea how far after launch.
Add that in with the fact that so far their many statements have said that they "intend" to do something, "plan" to do something... but never actually saying anything specific... they've being very careful.

However in your email there is actually says that they "will" be doing that ^^ Thats the first decisive comment I've seen using a proper word. There is hope

But because I can't be bothered to mess around with import shops, game cards and paypal, I shall indeed be buying the Euro/UK edition
If New Age Consoles were still in brighton it might be a different story... but as it is, the whole 'tricking Blizz' thing is much too complicated for me to bother with ^^;

As for having to install the DVD... the client on the DVD is actually an earlier version than the (finished)beta client (as evidenced by the fact that when you first install it, you then have to download the patches that we already installed with beta)
I have it on good authority that the beta client still works... at the moment ^^
Thats also why I was wondering if I could 'borrow' a key, and see if the people who've told me that are annoying liers ^^

However... fridays close now. Friday I'll have a piece of paper in my hands saying "Euro open beta is soon, heres how you get in" ... so I'll be happier on Friday ^^

Edit: I've just been informed that archimonde has two level 28s too

Edited by Charon, 24 November 2004 - 07:45 PM.

[Malavon]

jesus, how can they be level 28 after just a day of playing? Even playing for the entire day I just don't see how there is enough time for them to actually reach that higher level, even if they did just train constantly.

They must know where all the decent quests are and just rush out in a group to do them straight away, because you don't share the quest xp with your group, so you'd still get full xp but you can do them at earlier levels because theres 2 of ya. If you get what I mean lol

[PureMourning]

Why fuss over a couple of no-life 28's? Hardly a point worth argueing about.

There's a reason for the 'Normal' servers, yes I know youcan still pvp, but it's mroe geared towards exploring a questing. It's not all about the competative edge. I play the game when I can, when I'm in the mood, and I take everything slow and I try to grasp all it haves to offer. Sometimes I'll go into 1st person, and just gaze at a tall, amazing snow capped tree.

Also, do you know about the rest feature? The normal being 100% and the max of 200% rested?

For instance, if you don't log onto the game for a week, you'll come back 200% rested, meaing you get 200% exp. from monsters. So if you can't play for a few days, it makes it easier to catch up to your friends who have been.

And finally, Hunters aren't the only ones with combatant pets, Warlock's pets play a nig role too.

I don't let the crazy fierce, no-life mad levler's get to me. It's a game. Have fun.

[Malavon]

Eh? Why are you lecturing me? lol, I wasn't arguing about it, I was just wondering how it could have happened. And yes, I know about the rest feature.

Edited by Malavon, 24 November 2004 - 10:49 PM.

[Malavon]

yay!

http://en.wow-europe.com/pre-order/

info on where you can pre order it, what you get and when you get it. also contains decent pictures of the CE and NE contents.