| Will you guys be beta testing World of Warcraft, and how do I sign up? |
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Our beta tests have included public participation for several years now, and World of Warcraft will be no exception. In fact, it will probably be our largest and most extensive beta test ever. *Update: The beta signups are expected to begin at the end of January, according to Katricia.*
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 When will the beta start? |
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The beta is expected to begin in early 2004, and it will be done in stages. That is all the information we have at this time; please watch the World of Warcraft site for any news regarding the beta.
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| Can you tell us more about the beta? Will there be different phases? Will there be an open beta? Will it require an NDA? |
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World of Warcraft is currently in the alpha-testing stage (internal testing open to the entire company). The beta test, which is scheduled to start sometime in early 2004, will initially be open to players in the U.S., Canada, and Korea. Participation will require an NDA. Similarly to how we've conducted beta tests in the past, we will gradually open up the beta to more and more testers in order to gauge server stability and connectivity. While we don't know what the total number of beta testers will be yet, this will by far be our largest beta test ever.
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| What will the NDA involve? |
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The NDA (nondisclosure agreement) is a standard contractual agreement used in the game industry to help prevent sensitive game information from being released to the public by those who have access to that information. Because beta testers will be playing an unfinished, classified version of World of Warcraft before the rest of the world, it?s important that there be an agreement in place that serves this purpose. The NDA for the World of Warcraft beta test has not yet been finalized. When the time comes, every potential beta tester will be able to fully read the NDA prior to accepting it, and we will encourage everyone to make sure that they fully understand and agree to the NDA first. An age limit for the World of Warcraft beta test has not yet been determined.
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| I'm in Europe. Will I be able to participate in the World of Warcraft Beta? |
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We have not yet finalized our beta plans, but we do know that at some point in the process we will need to test servers worldwide. This will certainly involve Europe, but to what extent and when has not been determined.
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| How long is the beta expected to last? |
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Blizzard is estimating around 6-8 months, but that is obviously subject to change.
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| What about Australia? Will there be a beta here? Can you keep your character from the beta if you buy the retail version? |
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Currently, Blizzard has only mentioned the US, Canada and Korea for initial Beta they have not released any information regarding the stages of Beta.
In a typical Beta, you will not be able to keep Beta characters. But Blizzard has not yet said what will happen.
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| What countries will be included in the beta? |
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The countries included in the beta test will be: Canada, Korea & the United States. Sorry to all the other countries out there, but Blizzard just doesn't have the server support up at this time.
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| Will people with dial-up modems be able to participate in the beta or just those with broadband? |
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Both broadband & dial-up modem users will be admitted into the test.
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| How are beta testers selected? |
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Blizzard has plans to give many beta tests away via contests (Kat has more info coming soon on this). All other beta testers will be selected randomly from the applicant database.
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| Will people in the "Blizzard Friends" program need to submit an application for the WoW beta? |
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People who are a part of this program will not need to submit an application for the WoW beta.
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| How will the beta be distributed - CD or Download? |
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The WoW Beta will be available both via CD and download.
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| After I sign up for the beta test, how long will it be until people are selected and testing begins? |
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I could tell you what we're shooting for, but considering our track record for keeping dates you know that we'd end up missing it and then you would all be screaming, "Katricia said!!!" The development team wants to ensure that things are ready for the beta test. While they are working hard to make this happen (and happen by a specific date), there are always unexpected things that might happen which delay this or that. Rest assured that we want you folks to start testing just the moment that things are ready and everyone here is striving to make that happen soon.
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