PTR Build 13162, WoW reaches 12M Players, Authenticator Changes

I don't think the number includes trials. And any of the rest would have been included with numbers (along with internet cafe numbers, etc.) for Vanilla, Burning Crusade, and Lich King's launch. Thus, the overall numbers since Lich King have still gone up, disproving the claims of some.

Originally Posted by Ukerric

Wait until it's the third time your guild bank gets emptied.

You'll be able to get stuff from the guild bank after this change. You will just have to ask someone. We (my guild's officer staff) consider this a worthwhile trade-off between convenience and security.

calaba, someone voicing their opinion which may or may not be controversial in respect to yours or the general opinion does NOT automatically make them a troll. You, along with most of the internet community, is forgetting what 'troll' means, and seem to toss it at anyone who you think is 'causing trouble' even if they're not, even if they're just expressing themselves defiantly.

Now, to clear things up for those who aren't paying attention:

No, you are NOT forced to get an authenticator - the guild rank is OPTIONAL. O-P-T-I-O-N-A-L.
Some people really don't care about getting an authenticator and may see this as a legitimate concern. Just because you don't think it is, this does NOT mean that they are 'trolling'.

Another thing: can you naive fools stop moaning about the 12min subscribers announcement as if it's a marketing ploy? People have explained many times that subscriptions does NOT equal active players.

Blizzard should package an authenticator in every box if the next expansion, so people would stop QQing about the shipping costs.

Originally Posted by Dayle

There are not 12 million people playing World of Warcraft. There are 12 million accounts, including Banned accounts, 1 million expired Trials, people with multiple accounts, and just plain abandoned ones.

Proof?

Didn't think so.

As for the "QQQQQQ limited authenticator availability waah waah wahh I can't get one waah shipping costs waah waah wahhhhhhhh!!" stuff going on:

If you want to have a guild rank that has expanded guild rights and that rank requires an authenticator and you live under a rock and can't get one or are too cheap to get one, it's time to stop whining like little bitches.

1) Google "EJ Android Authenticator Emulator".

2) Click the first result.

3) Follow the instructions.

4) Enjoy your entirely free authenticator, newly secured account, and guild rank.

The authenticator emulator method has been available for months. It's not nearly as quick as an actual authenticator, but if you really think you deserve a security-sensitive position like officer you should be willing to take the extra steps to be secure. Otherwise you're a bad officer.

This is a smart change. When a guild officer gets stupid and his account gets hacked and the gbank gets cleared, you'll be wishing your officers were required to have authenticators, too.

Originally Posted by Seronei

I've never understood the reasoning behind this. As long as you keep the password for yourself it doesn't matter for how long you have it. I had the same password for 4 years without issues. It's not like there is someone brute forcing my account for 3 years straight.

Reasonning is brute force hacking.. if you change it, it's most likely to be found because they'd have to start over again their sequence of "trying everything".

---------- Post added 2010-10-08 at 03:35 PM ----------

Originally Posted by Torethyr

As for the "QQQQQQ limited authenticator availability waah waah wahh I can't get one waah shipping costs waah waah wahhhhhhhh!!" stuff going on:

If you want to have a guild rank that has expanded guild rights and that rank requires an authenticator and you live under a rock and can't get one or are too cheap to get one, it's time to stop whining like little bitches.

1) Google "EJ Android Authenticator Emulator".

2) Click the first result.

3) Follow the instructions.

4) Enjoy your entirely free authenticator, newly secured account, and guild rank.

The authenticator emulator method has been available for months. It's not nearly as quick as an actual authenticator, but if you really think you deserve a security-sensitive position like officer you should be willing to take the extra steps to be secure. Otherwise you're a bad officer.

This is a smart change. When a guild officer gets stupid and his account gets hacked and the gbank gets cleared, you'll be wishing your officers were required to have authenticators, too.

Except that's stupid.. the point of the emulator is that it's not linked to your computer, so keyloggers and such can't intercept the code.

If you use an emulator on your PC, you just fail at understanding the concept of that device..

Originally Posted by Spotnick

Blizzard should package an authenticator in every box if the next expansion, so people would stop QQing about the shipping costs.

I don't think that would work. One of the posters above said it costs them $30 to get an authenticator in Canada because it is classified as an "encryption device" and has some kind of an import tax I assume? The same seems to go for other countries as well. If this is correct, it would raise the cost of the retail box by a lot.

Also, they wouldn't be able to get authenticators to people who downloaded the game, and many people who already have authenticators would be left holding an "extra" one for no purpose.

Perhaps instead Blizzard could include a coupon - redeemable for an authenticator - with perhaps a rebate for people out of country who have to pay for the added tariff? Dunno.

Originally Posted by Spotnick

Except that's stupid.. the point of the emulator is that it's not linked to your computer, so keyloggers and such can't intercept the code.

If you use an emulator on your PC, you just fail at understanding the concept of that device..

Actually, you're wrong. Keyloggers interpret keystrokes, not displayed images. The android authenticator displays the code as an image generated from an integer, not an integer or string that can be parsed. Even if there was something that could access the initial integer, the Android Developer Emulator functions in the same manner as a VM in that it operates free of your PC. A virus in a VM can't reach your PC unless you have networking enabled, and a vice versa. It would be the exact same thing as having an authenticator on your phone--any malware on your PC is completely oblivious to it's existence. It can't see inside the VM in the same way that your PC can't see inside your phone unless you allow it from the phone's side.

In many ways the emulator is more secure than the actual device. A Key Fob can be stolen, an emulator can't without access to your installation directory, and if a virus has access to your installed files you have more to worry about than your WoW account.

The key fob can run out of battery, the emulator can't so that's another plus.

So the authenticator itself is unhackable, even emulated on a PC. At least until someone makes something that can intercept all phone authenticators.

Thumbs Up for less "GM got hacked, guild is ninjah'd now". NOW it is no problem but with guildrep and guildachievements it will be a BIG problem.

Still no sign of the promised change to Rune Strike. Very sad.

Originally Posted by Spotnick

Blizzard should package an authenticator in every box if the next expansion, so people would stop QQing about the shipping costs.

Tired argument is tired.

Blizzard don't make them nor do they own the patent for the authenticators. A separate company Vasco do. And they have other customers and clients to fill orders for , Not just Blizzard.

The fact that the Blizzard store has run out of authenticators several times should be a direct concern for you - how do you expect them to fill the millions required for a Cata box in if they can't even produce the authenticators fast enough to keep the Blizzard store stocked ?

Also I feel I should point out that a in box authenticator would still be a physical encryption device. A bomb doesn't suddenly become not a bomb because you wrap cardboard around it. Nor does a pack of C4 suddenly become invisible when tapped to the inside of a suitcase Like wise an authenticator _remains_ an authenticator even when put inside a box. Blizzard have yet to discover teleportation so at some point the authenticator would have to be accounted for when shipping it.

12 million players! Congrats!

And I'm glad about the option for some guild ranks to require an authenticator. An officer in one of my old guilds was hacked but luckily he was demoted before anything was stolen. However, if he hadn't... well, you know the rest!

Originally Posted by Dayle

There are not 12 million people playing World of Warcraft. There are 12 million accounts, including Banned accounts, 1 million expired Trials, people with multiple accounts, and just plain abandoned ones.

Has the world really gotten so bad that people can't even take the time to know even a hint of what they are talking about anymore?

Say it with me people. Blizzard does not count canceled, inactive, or trail accounts. They only count accounts that either are paying for the service, or have been active in the last 30 days.

Yes, this means maybe someone signed up for six months and then quit after ten days, that does not matter to Blizzard, because his account is "active" as long as he is paying and didn't hit the cancel button on the website. Yes, this means some people are probably counted multiple times due to multiple accounts, this does not matter to Blizzard stockholders because they are still paying per account.

Why is this so hard to grasp? I just don't understand.

Right now there are 12 million active accounts (Aka either being paid without cancellation, or being played within 30 days) in the game, and that's all that matters to Blizzard stockholders.

"Rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated."

I heard it from the show Starate Universe, from a character name Nikolas Rush.

Originally Posted by Dayle

There are not 12 million people playing World of Warcraft. There are 12 million accounts, including Banned accounts, 1 million expired Trials, people with multiple accounts, and just plain abandoned ones.

No. Blizzard defines a subscriber when it has an active World of Warcraft account.


This means, no trials, no banned and no frozen accounts.

IT'S OVER TWELVE MILLIOOOOOOOOON!!!

Am I doing it right?

In other news, hurray for authenticator rank!

Originally Posted by Dayle

There are not 12 million people playing World of Warcraft. There are 12 million accounts, including Banned accounts, 1 million expired Trials, people with multiple accounts, and just plain abandoned ones.

I really wish people would read the entire article before they start posting nonsense.

Well done Blizzard 12 million players with more on the way come Cataclysm. 15 million subs inc in December, its gonna be a green coloured month for Blizzard.

Originally Posted by Dayle

There are not 12 million people playing World of Warcraft. There are 12 million accounts, including Banned accounts, 1 million expired Trials, people with multiple accounts, and just plain abandoned ones.

Gah, can't you read or something? It says right there in the press release which accounts are counted. They only include accounts with an active sub (or gametime). Not banned accounts or expired trials. Ofcourse they will count people with 5 accounts as 5 players, but that's inevitable. Still, there aren't that many multiboxers.

12 millions is quite a big number o.O

Id like to know how many of those are Europe and USA accounts.
Cataclysm will boost that number "a bit".



Its quite entertaining that this game has nothing to offer (for a non casual, no offense here), yet it has 12 millions! Not to mention free horse power testing betas for free >.>

Heck, i want blizzard success formula nao! that ??? part

(Collect old pants -> ??? -> Profit)

Mmmm, don't like that a guild can mandate it's members need Authenticators. Good for guild leaders and all sure, but beyond that, a little worrysome.

Also: Sorry Blizz, but China never counts, you know those are mostly gold sellers anyway.