08-06-2004, 08:40 AM
Quote:Its a tad slow using a 56K for the actual game connection, but easily playable. ...
So, a 56K connection seems to be sufficient for playing the game, but ...
Quote:What will hurt you is that the distribution of the game and the patches are very large files being distributed by a bit-torrent system. With 56K connection you could be looking at a 200 to 300 hour download (7-10 days) to acutaully get the game. ...
... this worries me. Apart from the fact that a 200 to 300 hour download would disqualify me immediately from participating in the WOW Beta (because I use a 56K modem with a 60 hour/month "Surftime 60" rate), what does Blizzard plan for the distribution of WOW game patches and "content updates" once the game is released? An initial 200-300 hour download is obviously not necessary because the basic game is distributed on the CD's in the box you buy, but what impact will future updates have for 56K modem users that don't have a flat-rate (a cheap flat-rate for 56K modems wouldn't be possible anymore in Germany anyway since DSL has been introduced)? Since the game shall be playable via a 56K modem all the time, I'd assume that patches and content updates with all the required data are quite huge and must be downloaded before you can continue to play. Has Blizzard thought about this yet? The advertising for WOW says that "WOW will be playable via a 56K modem", but that is obviously just one part of the equation how usable WOW will generally be if you own just a 56K modem without a flat-rate. If content updates come monthly (as advertised) and game patches quite frequently (I'd assume), I see a significant disadvantage for 56K modem users (without a flat-raet) ..
"Man only plays when in the full meaning of the word he is a man, and he is only completely a man when he plays." -- Friedrich von Schiller