I dont understand why game companies do not offer this as an alternative... I'm with Blizzard taking action against people who try and profit from their IP's but I would think they would see the opportunity here.
My guess is because people would constantly badger them to update the separate version in ways they want. Another would be that it likely confuses new players.
I agree it -would- be nice though, if the demand is strong enough. Besides... didn't EQ recently do something like this? Or did that fall through? Maybe Blizzard is planning the same thing? Hence being willing to pay the legal costs to sue these guys now?
My SWTOR referral link for those wanting to give the game a try. (Newbies get a welcome package while returning players get a few account upgrades to help with their preferred status.)
Well that sucks. Despite being a private server I would choose it over 'retail' anyday. WoW's glory days are gone for sure if even actual blizz are shutting down gems like these. Instead of shutting down these servers that are so increasingly popular due to being vanilla-based why don't they just wisen up and make their own official one.
Why? People do realize this was a voluntary project right and no profits were being made of this?
Even so, are we honestly going to say blizz, a multi million dollar company was upset over a tiny private server?
Someone said would I care if I was blizz? Fuck no, why would I? The only time It would cross my mind is if I knew I was doing a utter shit job and someone was doing it better than me.
When people cheer and jump up an down to these kinds of things when it has no effect on them what so ever, it tends to be out of fear or desperation.
So I feel there is a lot more to this than meets the eye imho
Tiny minority of WOW players on private servers that are free. If the private servers started charging, that playerbase would drop a lot. Special snowflakes that miss the good old days and can't move on. I enjoyed vanilla wow, but I would not play it again.
I also enjoyed old style games like EQ, AC & UO. However, I would also not play games like that today because of the horrible UI and sluggish combat.
Well vanilla WoW was the only WoW i every played. I played back then open Beta and didnt like it. 10 y later i started in Nost and made it to 42 but damn- the game was still a pile of shet. ( i played it because i wanted to understand why people liked WoW, i couldnt find out. Must be something in their brain.)
I don't see anything wrong with the private servers, especially with the ones running on such old versions. People that are happy about this really disgust me. But it's not really surprising, most of WoW's playerbase is like that.
WoW has been literal garbage ever since cataclysm, and I'm quite surprised they didn't go F2P already. I suppose people invested so much time they just can't move on to far better alternatives. The game's quality is even worse than some F2P MMOs.
Either way I'm wondering how this will all play out. Having another 1mil of people getting pissed off with greedy Blizzard will definitively show. And I already thought there couldn't be more hate for WoW then it already is.
Why? People do realize this was a voluntary project right and no profits were being made of this?
Even so, are we honestly going to say blizz, a multi million dollar company was upset over a tiny private server?
Someone said would I care if I was blizz? Fuck no, why would I? The only time It would cross my mind is if I knew I was doing a utter shit job and someone was doing it better than me.
When people cheer and jump up an down to these kinds of things when it has no effect on them what so ever, it tends to be out of fear or desperation.
So I feel there is a lot more to this than meets the eye imho
It is both a legal issue and a matter of principle. These administrators neither own the intellectual property rights to World of Warcraft nor did they expend the effort to create the game, both of which require copious amounts of money to do and something Blizzard did. Legally, they have every right to shut down that server and any other for what amounts to theft.
Put another way: Let's say you wrote a best-selling novel that made millions and then made revisions that some people did not like. If those upset people took your book, a thing created with your blood, sweat and tears, and made copies to sell to all other disaffected people, would you not be upset? I would. My creation, my right to sell and profit from it.
While these folks may not "profit" from their activities, I'll bet there's a prominent "donate" button to keep the servers running. While not profit in their pockets, it amounts to the same thing since without the donations, they could not keep things going.
Lastly, the "offer" to give server information to "anyone who wants to make their own private server speaks to their high and mighty ideals, doesn't it?
Why? People do realize this was a voluntary project right and no profits were being made of this?
Even so, are we honestly going to say blizz, a multi million dollar company was upset over a tiny private server?
Someone said would I care if I was blizz? Fuck no, why would I? The only time It would cross my mind is if I knew I was doing a utter shit job and someone was doing it better than me.
When people cheer and jump up an down to these kinds of things when it has no effect on them what so ever, it tends to be out of fear or desperation.
So I feel there is a lot more to this than meets the eye imho
It is both a legal issue and a matter of principle. These administrators neither own the intellectual property rights to World of Warcraft nor did they expend the effort to create the game, both of which require copious amounts of money to do and something Blizzard did. Legally, they have every right to shut down that server and any other for what amounts to theft.
Put another way: Let's say you wrote a best-selling novel that made millions and then made revisions that some people did not like. If those upset people took your book, a thing created with your blood, sweat and tears, and made copies to sell to all other disaffected people, would you not be upset? I would. My creation, my right to sell and profit from it.
While these folks may not "profit" from their activities, I'll bet there's a prominent "donate" button to keep the servers running. While not profit in their pockets, it amounts to the same thing since without the donations, they could not keep things going.
Lastly, the "offer" to give server information to "anyone who wants to make their own private server speaks to their high and mighty ideals, doesn't it?
I understand all the legal stuff, but I don't see the book analogy in the same way.
They may have put blood and sweat into it, but they didn't hesitate when gutting and abandoning it all after every xpac in hopes of making more money. In all honesty? As someone who actually does write music, I couldn't be mad at someone for sharing the work I once did and also I would feel I don't have the right to complain (morally anyway) as I was the one who abandoned my work and threw it out the window. To hype up later because it's getting popular, just says a lot about a person. I would reevaluate myself as an artist at that point tbh.
They may have put blood and sweat into it, but they didn't hesitate when gutting and abandoning it all after every xpac in hopes of making more money. In all honesty? As someone who actually does write music, I couldn't be mad at someone for sharing the work I once did and also I would feel I don't have the right to complain (morally anyway) as I was the one who abandoned my work and threw it out the window. To hype up later because it's getting popular, just says a lot about a person. I would reevaluate myself as an artist at that point tbh.
Your argument is subjective. You believe it is "gutting and abandoning it all" while I may not. Blizzard is vested in moving the game forward to their specification as is their right to do as the owner and creator of the product in question.
With regard to your music, take, for instance, your latest tune from which a novice band cut a small but recognizable piece. They then use that piece to make a profit, gaining income from your work. If you choose to ignore that, it is your right to do so. Blizzard does not as is their legal right.
The bottom line is that Blizzard has been saying NO to legacy/vanilla servers for a decade now and they aren't going to change their minds. No amount of petitions or pleading will change their mind this year any more than the previous nine.
i heard blizzard claims that they cant make a legacy server since they dont have the data. then why not just throw some money at those nostalrius guys and get it done instead? the demand is obviously there since the topics been brought up for years and people keep asking for it.
I dunno guys... maybe Blizzard plans on adding time locked vanilla style servers so this is the start? None of us know what is going on behind the scenes.
Don't think so. They were just pissed that an ancient version of their own game was pulling 1 Million players (even though they told us there was not enough interest). They are still up their own arse though, they won't make a Vanilla Server even when the facts are telling them there is clearly a market for it.
They just prefer to swipe the truth under the carpet, they have an ego the size of a whale. Bottom line is, I would pay to play a n Official Vanilla Server, but I won't buy Legion. If they don't want my money, it's ok, I'll spend it somewhere else, but don't look surprise you are losing players with each expansion.
Why? People do realize this was a voluntary project right and no profits were being made of this?
Even so, are we honestly going to say blizz, a multi million dollar company was upset over a tiny private server?
Someone said would I care if I was blizz? Fuck no, why would I? The only time It would cross my mind is if I knew I was doing a utter shit job and someone was doing it better than me.
When people cheer and jump up an down to these kinds of things when it has no effect on them what so ever, it tends to be out of fear or desperation.
So I feel there is a lot more to this than meets the eye imho
It is both a legal issue and a matter of principle. These administrators neither own the intellectual property rights to World of Warcraft nor did they expend the effort to create the game, both of which require copious amounts of money to do and something Blizzard did. Legally, they have every right to shut down that server and any other for what amounts to theft.
Put another way: Let's say you wrote a best-selling novel that made millions and then made revisions that some people did not like. If those upset people took your book, a thing created with your blood, sweat and tears, and made copies to sell to all other disaffected people, would you not be upset? I would. My creation, my right to sell and profit from it.
While these folks may not "profit" from their activities, I'll bet there's a prominent "donate" button to keep the servers running. While not profit in their pockets, it amounts to the same thing since without the donations, they could not keep things going.
Lastly, the "offer" to give server information to "anyone who wants to make their own private server speaks to their high and mighty ideals, doesn't it?
The point is getting Blizzard to adopt a better acceptance of emulators like what was done with EQ. The people playing vanilla wow are Blizzard fans! Yet Blizzard continues to stomp on them.
They are only illegal because Blizzard is making it so not allowing an alternative solution that would actually be in their favor.
This problem entirely goes away if Blizzard took ownership of it.
I doubt a single of those vanilla players will go back to official servers. Net loss for Blizz/Activision to allow a few private vanilla servers? I'd estimate around zero. But of course it's a slippery slope. If they start allowing vanilla servers, next you'll have servers of all sorts popping up left and right making profit off copyrights they don't own. All in all Blizzard's behavior here makes perfect sense to me.
But more importantly I wonder if it's finally sinking in their thick skulls that people don't like where WoW has been headed these last years and that there's a lot of money to be made with official vanilla servers, much like NCsoft has done with Lineage 2.
The point is getting Blizzard to adopt a better acceptance of emulators like what was done with EQ. The people playing vanilla wow are Blizzard fans! Yet Blizzard continues to stomp of them.
They are only illegal because Blizzard is making it so not allowing an alternative solution that would actually be in their favor.
This problem entirely goes away if Blizzard took ownership of it.
As the owner of the IP, it is their right to do what they wish with it. They've strongly and repeatedly stated they do NOT want to run vanilla servers. I can guarantee you that if they thought they could make money on a LONG TERM basis out of vanilla servers, they'd do it. Further, I can guarantee that they have conducted the appropriate research into the matter and found it lacking in that respect.
Blizzard doesn't "owe" anybody, or any group, anything no matter how much people might wish they did.
I doubt a single of those vanilla players will go back to official servers. Net loss for Blizz/Activision to allow a few private vanilla servers? I'd estimate around zero. But of course it's a slippery slope. If they start allowing vanilla servers, next you'll have servers of all sorts popping up left and right making profit off copyrights they don't own. All in all Blizzard's behavior here makes perfect sense to me.
But more importantly I wonder if it's finally sinking in their thick skulls that people don't like where WoW has been headed these last years and that there's a lot of money to be made with official vanilla servers, much like NCsoft has done with Lineage 2.
This is correct. Most who play vanilla do not support current wow. This has been discussed on Nost over and over. It is a different player base for the most part and Blizzard would pick up customers if they supported it instead of stepping on the throats of the very fan base that made Blizzard who they are today.
I dunno guys... maybe Blizzard plans on adding time locked vanilla style servers so this is the start? None of us know what is going on behind the scenes.
Don't think so. They were just pissed that an ancient version of their own game was pulling 1 Million players (even though they told us there was not enough interest).
Not true. Even from the server's own letter, there were 800,000 REGISTERED accounts, not players. How many times have people ripped other games for promoting registered accounts over verified players? In a word: Tons.
They claim 800,000 registered accounts, yet only 100,000 active players....a mere 1/8th stick to it. I'd bet lots thought they'd love vanilla, registered, played 15 minutes and said, "LOL nope!"
The point is getting Blizzard to adopt a better acceptance of emulators like what was done with EQ. The people playing vanilla wow are Blizzard fans! Yet Blizzard continues to stomp of them.
They are only illegal because Blizzard is making it so not allowing an alternative solution that would actually be in their favor.
This problem entirely goes away if Blizzard took ownership of it.
As the owner of the IP, it is their right to do what they wish with it. They've strongly and repeatedly stated they do NOT want to run vanilla servers. I can guarantee you that if they thought they could make money on a LONG TERM basis out of vanilla servers, they'd do it. Further, I can guarantee that they have conducted the appropriate research into the matter and found it lacking in that respect.
Blizzard doesn't "owe" anybody, or any group, anything no matter how much people might wish they did.
I do not feel we are owed anything. I merely state that there is precedence of companies officially adopting emulators instead of hurting what amounts to their fans. Notice I said emulators and not the official code used because I know of their current stance and statements.
This isn't what they can do legally but what they could do that truly resolves this. They could flat out pay for an emulator and buy it outright because they were so lacking in forethought and lost their own code. The end result now however is they are pissing off fans. That is fact ... and it can be resolved better than this.
Stomping out vanilla servers is like the current war on drugs. Nothing is resolved.
Activision purchased and dissolved more indie studios than nearly all others and could simply throw an emulator officially under a child company that doesn't carry their name upfront but fans know they at least have official support.
I dont understand why game companies do not offer this as an alternative... I'm with Blizzard taking action against people who try and profit from their IP's but I would think they would see the opportunity here.
The server was 100% free, they didn't have a monetization system.
I can guarantee that they have conducted the appropriate research into the matter and found it lacking in that respect.
If it's the same team who's research has been guiding WoW's development these passed few years I wouldn't put too much stock in their findings.
Blizzard's bottom line, as it is with any for-profit company, is to make money. If hosting vanilla servers would bring in a lot of money over a long period of time, they'd do it, especially in light of falling subscription numbers in the live version. That they will not do so speaks volumes.
But more importantly I wonder if it's finally sinking in their thick skulls that people don't like where WoW has been headed these last years and that there's a lot of money to be made with official vanilla servers, much like NCsoft has done with Lineage 2.
Not sure, I bet the current WoW producers never played Vanilla WoW..........they think it's something for old farts.
As an excuse they always say that Azeroth is an evolving world and you can't get back in time. Fair enough. But what they don't understand is that people don't want to necessarily play the old Vanilla version of the game, the just want to play WoW with the Vanilla mechanics.
So it is fine to look forward, not backward, evolve the story-line as you see fit, bring new expansions, but at least they should reintroduce some of the old mechanics that made Vanilla WoW something special.
But what they don't understand is that people don't want to necessarily play the old Vanilla version of the game, the just want to play WoW with the Vanilla mechanics.
So cake and eat it too?
What you're suggesting sounds great, but imagine the resources it would take to bring, if they even had it, the old code up to today's standards and to implement the new file system, yet also add in the quality of life and gameplay improvements. Sounds like a lot of work equaling time and money they'd rather spend elsewhere.
I can guarantee that they have conducted the appropriate research into the matter and found it lacking in that respect.
If it's the same team who's research has been guiding WoW's development these passed few years I wouldn't put too much stock in their findings.
Blizzard's bottom line, as it is with any for-profit company, is to make money. If hosting vanilla servers would bring in a lot of money over a long period of time, they'd do it, especially in light of falling subscription numbers in the live version. That they will not do so speaks volumes.
I think we need to be clear on something here. Blizzard is out to make money and could easily profit by adopting emulator support much like Daybreak did with Project 99. It isn't even run by Blizzard and they could still profit off of this smaller genre.
The issue isn't about money though. It is because Blizzard only wants mainstream market share and won't do it. One company recognizes who their fans are and supports them without much cost overhead at all ... while another chooses to totally ignore a portion of their own fans. This is what is made apparent to fans of older Wow versions.
This CAN be resolved. There is precedence for it but Blizzards says stupid things like they lost their own code when it's emulators running these versions and NOT the old code other than the client. They clearly are not taking this seriously and are throwing BS feedback at us with little thought.
Comments
I agree it -would- be nice though, if the demand is strong enough. Besides... didn't EQ recently do something like this? Or did that fall through? Maybe Blizzard is planning the same thing? Hence being willing to pay the legal costs to sue these guys now?
My SWTOR referral link for those wanting to give the game a try. (Newbies get a welcome package while returning players get a few account upgrades to help with their preferred status.)
https://www.ashesofcreation.com/ref/Callaron/
They dont have the balls to make a new mmo
They dont wanne open pervieus versions for wow.. for their playerbase
but
they do sew the private servers for it..
FCK you blizzard!!?
Even so, are we honestly going to say blizz, a multi million dollar company was upset over a tiny private server?
Someone said would I care if I was blizz? Fuck no, why would I? The only time It would cross my mind is if I knew I was doing a utter shit job and someone was doing it better than me.
When people cheer and jump up an down to these kinds of things when it has no effect on them what so ever, it tends to be out of fear or desperation.
So I feel there is a lot more to this than meets the eye imho
I also enjoyed old style games like EQ, AC & UO. However, I would also not play games like that today because of the horrible UI and sluggish combat.
WoW has been literal garbage ever since cataclysm, and I'm quite surprised they didn't go F2P already. I suppose people invested so much time they just can't move on to far better alternatives. The game's quality is even worse than some F2P MMOs.
Either way I'm wondering how this will all play out. Having another 1mil of people getting pissed off with greedy Blizzard will definitively show. And I already thought there couldn't be more hate for WoW then it already is.
Put another way: Let's say you wrote a best-selling novel that made millions and then made revisions that some people did not like. If those upset people took your book, a thing created with your blood, sweat and tears, and made copies to sell to all other disaffected people, would you not be upset? I would. My creation, my right to sell and profit from it.
While these folks may not "profit" from their activities, I'll bet there's a prominent "donate" button to keep the servers running. While not profit in their pockets, it amounts to the same thing since without the donations, they could not keep things going.
Lastly, the "offer" to give server information to "anyone who wants to make their own private server speaks to their high and mighty ideals, doesn't it?
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
just imagine someone spend hundreds or hours making code for emulation; for every frikin thing - for free
activizzzard again doing only one thing it can do - ruin all fun
They may have put blood and sweat into it, but they didn't hesitate when gutting and abandoning it all after every xpac in hopes of making more money. In all honesty? As someone who actually does write music, I couldn't be mad at someone for sharing the work I once did and also I would feel I don't have the right to complain (morally anyway) as I was the one who abandoned my work and threw it out the window. To hype up later because it's getting popular, just says a lot about a person. I would reevaluate myself as an artist at that point tbh.
With regard to your music, take, for instance, your latest tune from which a novice band cut a small but recognizable piece. They then use that piece to make a profit, gaining income from your work. If you choose to ignore that, it is your right to do so. Blizzard does not as is their legal right.
The bottom line is that Blizzard has been saying NO to legacy/vanilla servers for a decade now and they aren't going to change their minds. No amount of petitions or pleading will change their mind this year any more than the previous nine.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I had fun once, it was terrible.
They were just pissed that an ancient version of their own game was pulling 1 Million players (even though they told us there was not enough interest).
They are still up their own arse though, they won't make a Vanilla Server even when the facts are telling them there is clearly a market for it.
They just prefer to swipe the truth under the carpet, they have an ego the size of a whale.
Bottom line is, I would pay to play a n Official Vanilla Server, but I won't buy Legion.
If they don't want my money, it's ok, I'll spend it somewhere else, but don't look surprise you are losing players with each expansion.
They are only illegal because Blizzard is making it so not allowing an alternative solution that would actually be in their favor.
This problem entirely goes away if Blizzard took ownership of it.
[mod edit]
You stay sassy!
But of course it's a slippery slope. If they start allowing vanilla servers, next you'll have servers of all sorts popping up left and right making profit off copyrights they don't own.
All in all Blizzard's behavior here makes perfect sense to me.
But more importantly I wonder if it's finally sinking in their thick skulls that people don't like where WoW has been headed these last years and that there's a lot of money to be made with official vanilla servers, much like NCsoft has done with Lineage 2.
Blizzard doesn't "owe" anybody, or any group, anything no matter how much people might wish they did.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
You stay sassy!
They claim 800,000 registered accounts, yet only 100,000 active players....a mere 1/8th stick to it. I'd bet lots thought they'd love vanilla, registered, played 15 minutes and said, "LOL nope!"
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
This isn't what they can do legally but what they could do that truly resolves this. They could flat out pay for an emulator and buy it outright because they were so lacking in forethought and lost their own code. The end result now however is they are pissing off fans. That is fact ... and it can be resolved better than this.
Stomping out vanilla servers is like the current war on drugs. Nothing is resolved.
Activision purchased and dissolved more indie studios than nearly all others and could simply throw an emulator officially under a child company that doesn't carry their name upfront but fans know they at least have official support.
You stay sassy!
The server was 100% free, they didn't have a monetization system.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
As an excuse they always say that Azeroth is an evolving world and you can't get back in time.
Fair enough.
But what they don't understand is that people don't want to necessarily play the old Vanilla version of the game, the just want to play WoW with the Vanilla mechanics.
So it is fine to look forward, not backward, evolve the story-line as you see fit, bring new expansions, but at least they should reintroduce some of the old mechanics that made Vanilla WoW something special.
So cake and eat it too?
What you're suggesting sounds great, but imagine the resources it would take to bring, if they even had it, the old code up to today's standards and to implement the new file system, yet also add in the quality of life and gameplay improvements. Sounds like a lot of work equaling time and money they'd rather spend elsewhere.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
The issue isn't about money though. It is because Blizzard only wants mainstream market share and won't do it. One company recognizes who their fans are and supports them without much cost overhead at all ... while another chooses to totally ignore a portion of their own fans. This is what is made apparent to fans of older Wow versions.
This CAN be resolved. There is precedence for it but Blizzards says stupid things like they lost their own code when it's emulators running these versions and NOT the old code other than the client. They clearly are not taking this seriously and are throwing BS feedback at us with little thought.
You stay sassy!