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Thunndarr
Joined: 30 Sep 2003
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 Posted: Thu May 22, 2008 3:01 pm Post subject: |
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| stillnotking wrote: |
This is a timely topic, because I was just about to ask this question. Couple tips/questions from what I know of WoW:
1. Blizzard does ban people for playing from IP addresses outside their "designated" geographical location. However, this is very easily circumvented by using a proxy IP. I am not going into any technical details, but there are numerous free proxies out there, or you can pay for a secure VPN tunnel (usually fairly cheap).
2. The $64,000 question: what's the latency like from South Korea to US servers? Anyone who plays PvP knows that even a small amount of lag can be crippling. Can any veteran WoW players confirm the viability of playing high end or PvP WoW from SK? How about on a European server? (There is a European version of WoW, with its own servers, that is for all intents and purposes a separate game.)
3. There are nine Oceanic (Australia/NZ) servers that are English-language. How easy it would be to get an Australian version of the game, or if such is required, I'm not sure. I have emailed Blizzard support but have not received an answer yet (2 days now, which is odd because they are usually very quick to respond).
It'd be a bit annoying to have to start over from a European or Oceanic server, but I haven't been playing WoW all that long so I wouldn't mind terribly.
Edit: I just read the .wtf file hack described above, and I see no reason why that wouldn't work with the Oceanic servers as well, if anyone knows the proper prefix to use for them... |
My ping times are anywhere from 200-500 ms typically.
And you don't need a hack to play on the oceanic servers. Just select the Oceanic tab in the server selection screen from within WoW.
As for people getting accounts banned for playing from Asia, I will remain skeptical about that until it happens to me. At the moment, I find it far likelier that these people used illegal mods or hacks and were caught. I recall reading the terms of service and it explicitly states that you are allowed to play WoW in other countries if your permanent address is in the United States (or wherever your WoW enabled home country is.) |
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Mr. Pink
Joined: 21 Oct 2003
Location: China
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| Posted: Thu May 22, 2008 3:14 pm Post subject: |
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| stillnotking wrote: |
This is a timely topic, because I was just about to ask this question. Couple tips/questions from what I know of WoW:
1. Blizzard does ban people for playing from IP addresses outside their "designated" geographical location. However, this is very easily circumvented by using a proxy IP. I am not going into any technical details, but there are numerous free proxies out there, or you can pay for a secure VPN tunnel (usually fairly cheap).
They don't just randomly ban IP addresses from outside people's home country. They look to see what serial # you used to register and where you registered your address when you signed up. It is VERY important to use an American/Canadian/Australian/NZ address. Those are the 4 countries covered with the NA version of the game. Using proxies and VPN tunnels will most likely get you banned, as they scan for this due to Chinese gold farmers. If your IP is from China, you have a greater chance to get banned...blame the gold farmers.
2. The $64,000 question: what's the latency like from South Korea to US servers? Anyone who plays PvP knows that even a small amount of lag can be crippling. Can any veteran WoW players confirm the viability of playing high end or PvP WoW from SK? How about on a European server? (There is a European version of WoW, with its own servers, that is for all intents and purposes a separate game.)
I had typically 200-300MS connections. Worse on Oceanic servers, which were 400-500MS. It depends where your server cluster is located. I found West Coast USA server clusters to have the lowest pings. You cannot play the European version unless you have a European address, good luck with that...you ping will be through the roof, as Korean lines go through USA routers on their way to Europe. If you are serious about PVP, especially arenas, then forget about it. I pvp'd crapload against people with 4-10MS connections. Those people will always have the edge, so I didn't take it too seriously if they got the first attack on me...well unless it was a Warlock DOTing me and me losing 1k+ hps before I could respond
3. There are nine Oceanic (Australia/NZ) servers that are English-language. How easy it would be to get an Australian version of the game, or if such is required, I'm not sure. I have emailed Blizzard support but have not received an answer yet (2 days now, which is odd because they are usually very quick to respond).
It'd be a bit annoying to have to start over from a European or Oceanic server, but I haven't been playing WoW all that long so I wouldn't mind terribly.
Just play on your normal USA server. You can always transfer your chars to an Oceanic server, but like I said, the pings aren't really better, and in many times worse.
Edit: I just read the .wtf file hack described above, and I see no reason why that wouldn't work with the Oceanic servers as well, if anyone knows the proper prefix to use for them...
Using .wtf hacks are about the fastest way I can see blizzard banning you. I know several people who have bee banned. Blizzard bans for the smallest infraction. They have millions of customers, so they don't really care about those who make waves. If you have a NA version of the game, you will not need to change anything. Those who play at PC rooms should load the game on a portable HD...problem solved. I've done that before too. The guy who said he doesn't think blizzard bans...my friend who introduced me to WoW has had like 4 accounts banned. The last time was for using a program that gave him better ping times...they accused him of hacking. Blizzard doesn't mess around in terms of banning. |
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RyanInKorea
Joined: 17 Jan 2008
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| Posted: Thu May 22, 2008 6:54 pm Post subject: |
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I don't think the use of the term 'hack' is appropriate. I learned how to do that from reading Blizzard's official forums. I remember a blue responding that it was a quick fix and that I would be playing the game in the other language.
As for banning, you get banned for cheating. That's it. What's considered cheating is not for me to decide, but I have never heard of Blizzard banning someone erroneously. The people I have known who've been banned I believe deserved it, though I might not say it to them.
That aside, it would be a sheite storm if I got my account banned for playing from Korea.
Ryan
Edit: Forgot to mention the lag. Other than a 3 second lag every hour or so (possibly from the fact I use a portable HD), it's exactely the same as when I played at home. I love to PvP, though I am not on a high end arena team (kill the mage first >.>), and I have not had any problems. |
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Sody
Joined: 14 May 2006
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| Posted: Thu May 22, 2008 9:46 pm Post subject: |
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If you read my post correctly it said the accounts were suspended. My account was suspended not banned. I never said my account and my friend's accounts were banned. To re-open the account I was emailed a form that I was suppose to fax to their American office to have the suspension lifted. But after I had stopped playing for a few days the addiction of the game wore off on me and I decided it was a good time to just stop (I had a few level 70s already at that point).
Blizzard has suspended MANY accounts with Asian IP addresses - and not for good or even reasonable reasons whatsoever. It's exactly like a previous poster said, they don't give a damn because they have millions of subscribers already.
Like I said I have played the game overseas, even in Japan for years and never had a problem until a few months ago. Will anyone ever get banned for playing overseas like this? Most likely not. Will you ever get suspended? I'm saying you might, but it's also possible you won't. My whole point is that you are gambling and it could happen to you so be ready if it does. When it happened to me I was PISSED off to say the least, but in retrospect I'm glad it happened because it gave me back my life. |
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pkang0202
Joined: 09 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Thu May 22, 2008 9:52 pm Post subject: |
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| Mr. Pink wrote: |
| pkang0202 wrote: |
| Mr. Pink wrote: |
| Why don't you make the 2nd account with your NZ address and just have him download it from Blizzard's site? |
You can't have 2 accounts under the same name play at the same time. |
You are VERY wrong on this account. I had 2 accounts both under my name that I played for a year and a half. I duel boxed 2 chars at one time, so I was also playing both AT THE SAME TIME. A lot of people do that.
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What I mean is, you can't have 2 characters on a single account play at the same time.
2 separate account should be fine since I knew a lot of couples that played at the same time and both accounts were under the same name/credit card.
BTW, Blizzard's Warden is a VERY invasive. If you want to know just what Blizzard's Warden is scanning when you play the game, just download the governor.
http://www.rootkit.com/vault/hoglund/Governor.rar |
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stillnotking
Joined: 18 Dec 2007
Location: Oregon, USA
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| Posted: Fri May 23, 2008 3:25 am Post subject: |
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Well, Blizzard support got back to me, and this is what they said:
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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 the supported region, we do not support use outside of the designated region. I recommend that, if possible, you acquire a localized version of the game for a more positive gaming experience.
At this time it is not possible to transfer an account or an authentication key between regions. In addition, there is no way to deactivate an account or authentication key in one region to re-create the account in another. Characters and items are non-transferable, as well.
We highly recommend that you purchase a localized copy of World of Warcraft.
You may be interested in the following Localization FAQ:
http://www.blizzard.com/support/wowbilling/?id=abl01663p. |
"We do not support use outside the designated region" is a bit ambiguous -- does it mean "we don't allow it, period" or "you can do it but you won't get customer service"? I have a friend who lives in China, with a North American address, and who was banned (his word) because he was connecting from a Chinese IP. This seems to argue for the former interpretation. OTOH, the relocation FAQ says:
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I travel overseas for work/school/military purposes. Will I have problems playing the game?
You should be able to travel and play the game from overseas, provided you have an account in your home region. However, network connectivity at such distances is not under Blizzard's control, and your play experience may vary as you travel, so we ask that you bear in mind that your connection and support experience will most likely not be optimal.
If you're stationed overseas for an extended period of time, we recommend that you subscribe to a localized version of World of Warcraft. |
... which seems to argue for the latter. I guess it's basically a gamble, especially if you are in China. In Korea, maybe not so much. Thank goodness Koreans make enough money in the real world to render gold farming unattractive.
Thanks for the info on ping times. If I do play in SK, I'll definitely start over on a non PVP server. |
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RyanInKorea
Joined: 17 Jan 2008
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| Posted: Fri May 23, 2008 5:41 am Post subject: |
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| pkang0202 wrote: |
| http://www.rootkit.com/vault/hoglund/Governor.rar |
Usually it's a joke, but this time I am not sure... keylogger? lol@anyone who actually clicks that link.
Sody, yeah I see now that you used the term suspended, but the other two-three posters after you said banned which is why I think I used it. My post was a general responce as I think yours is.
Ryan |
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RyanInKorea
Joined: 17 Jan 2008
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| Posted: Fri May 23, 2008 2:42 pm Post subject: |
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I wrote a thread on the worldofwarcraft.com offical forums and this is the response I got.
______My post_____
I created my account years ago when I lived in Canada and recently I have moved to South Korea for work. I have been playing the game from here, but I have some question about banning that have risen from fellow foreigners playing the game in SK.
Can you be banned for:
a) Changing the realmlist.wtf file so you can use a Korean version of the game to log onto US servers?
b) Simply playing the game outside of your region? As in if I have a NA version of the game, a US account and play on US servers, but my IP shows I am outside of that region.
There has been a great deal of speculation and people claiming they have been perma banned for the above reasons. I would like to know if there is any truth to it.
_______________
_____The first guy to respond wrote_________
a) No, but changing the realmlist.wtf file to access private servers is a no-no.
b) While some regions are unsupported (and I'd recommend against playing in them as it can possibly flag suspicious activity), you are allowed to play your account anywhere in the world so as long as it is you logging into the account.
____________________
____I got a blue to respond_______
Krypter's response was accurate, Blazes.
A blue response really isn't all that necessary. 
____________________________
Krypter being the first guy who responded. It looks like you're safe doing either, but as Sody noted a suspension might occur for some reason. You should be able to re-activiate it, though the annoying factor would be high.
Ryan |
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boatofcar
Joined: 20 Dec 2006
Location: Sheffield, UK
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| Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2008 1:17 am Post subject: |
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| Anybody else unable to get Blizzard to accept a US CC from Korea? I've tried ordering WoW and Diablo 2 from their online store and both times I get an error and a number to call. |
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Voyeur
Joined: 19 Jun 2003
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| Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2008 10:06 am Post subject: |
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Error 202?
I tried to upgrade my trial account and could not make it work.
I have the game being shipped to me from Play-asia this weel.
Do you think I will have trouble entering the CD key for a US version from a Korean ISP?
Should I get my friend to do it from NA? But then I run that risk of having an account log-in in two different continents over a short time. They might think I'm a gold farmer. |
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