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Login server issues this evening
Many players are getting login server errors when trying to get into the live servers, the beta servers or when attempting to pre-order their copies of Cataclysm. Blizzard says that it is a known issue. Davidedl This is a known issue. We are working on getting this resolved as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience and I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. source We'll keep you up to date with any developments. Update 8:45 p.m. EDT: Many are reporting that the login servers are working again, however Battle.net is down for maintenance. [Thanks to everyone who sent this tip in!]
Ubisoft DRM authentification server is down, Assassin's Creed 2 unplayable
Earlier today, our tips inbox and the official Assassin's Creed 2 forum were set ablaze by incensed owners of the PC version of the aforementioned Italian revenge epic. According to numerous reports from prospective players of the game, Ubisoft's DRM authentification servers have crashed, forcing some players to suffer lengthy login periods when booting up Assassin's Creed 2, and locking some folks out of the game entirely. A Ubisoft representative responded to a particularly rage-filled forum thread, stating "clearly the extended downtime and lengthy login issues are unacceptable, particularly as I've been told these servers are constantly monitored." The representative added "I'll do what I can to get more information on what the issue is here first thing tomorrow and push for a resolution and assurance this won't happen in the future." We've got a really great suggestion for how to make such an assurance: Find a less abominable DRM policy. [Thanks, Marc!]
Blizzard investigating login issues [Updated]
Many people, including myself, are having troubles logging in. The error we are getting is that the login server is busy and to please try again later. As the message states above, Blizzard will inform us at 1pm PST of any further details. Those of you who are able to get in, we salute you! The rest of us will wish we were in-game, starting our Feast of Winter Veil activities. We'll keep you up to date of any further developments. Update 2:29pm: I and many others are now able to login. No official update at this time. Also, authenticators had nothing to do with it.
Create a fluid transition from login window to desktop in two easy steps
I always thought it would be cool if you could customize the background image of the Mac's login screen. That's the image you see behind the login panel when you turn your Mac on (if you have disabled Automatic Login in System Preferences). Why? Because if I could have the login image match my desktop image it would create a more fluid transition if, when I entered my password, the login box would fade away and my desktop and all its items would seamlessly appear. Necessary? No. Cool? Heck, yeah! Until Apple gets around to building this functionality into the OS, I'm going to show you how to do it on your own. Step 1: Set your desktop background image. Open up 'Desktop and Screen Saver' in System Preferences and select your desired desktop image.
Issues with Mobile Authenticator get it pulled from the App Store
Blizzard's mobile authenticator updated recently, and as soon as it did, we started getting tips on the tipline saying there was a major issue. Apparently the update reset the code associated with your authenticator, which meant that if you applied the authenticator update (and had the authenticator connected to your account), there was no way to actually get a code to login to your account. In short, if you apply the mobile authenticator update, you won't be able to log in to your account until you take the authenticator off completely (I'd assume you can then reinstall and reuse the authenticator, though people will probably be a little more trigger-shy about that one). There are instructions for how to do all of this over on the forums.Of course it's a major issue, and in response, Blizzard has acknowledged the problem and apparently pulled the Authenticator from the App Store. So if (like me) you haven't updated yet, you won't need to worry about it, and hopefully the next version will fix the issue. But yes, if you have updated, you'll need to go through the steps above to remove the app from your iPhone and account, or just call Blizzard customer service at 1-949-955-1382 and they should be able to help you with the issue.Update: So far we've only heard about problems with the iPhone version, and of course the issue is when you go from the old to the new version. If you use another phone, or have only used the new version, you shouldn't have any issues.
Widespread "Logging in to game server" errors - Updated (again)
We've had tips of a problem some players are having logging in to WoW tonight, but I can attest to it since it's happening to me as well. I can log into any US or Oceanic server except the one I usually raid on. I was on, and about to pull the first encounter in 25 man Trial of the Crusader when I was suddenly disconnected and unable to log back into the server. Several attempts to log back in later, I found that yes, I could log on to other servers, just not Norgannon, my usual home. Attempts to flush my DNS, restart my computer, my router and my modem provided no relief. I could play anywhere, save where I have characters to play. As of 9:40 pm the problem persists. So if it's happening to you, take heart in that you're not alone.Blizzard is aware of the issue, but currently has no ETA as to when it will be fixed.Update: Blizzard poster Claudiog says that the issue seems to have been resolved. For my part, I am finally back online and raiding as of 11:12 PM EST.Update #2: seems that problems persist and Blizzard is asking affected players to help them lock it down. If you can post your ISP and a traceroute to that forum thread you should probably do so. We're also getting widespread reports from EU players that there are several kinds of problems with their login servers as well. We have an image of the European client's Breaking News box after the jump.Update #3: There's now a list of affected servers. We'll include the entire list after the jump: still no ETA on when the issue will be resolved.
Solutions for login issues
We are continuing to get tips from readers that they are having login issues. If you are one of the many still having trouble logging in, commenter tknogk suggested flushing your DNS and Blizzard has backed this up with more detailed advice.Blue poster, Syndri, suggests three possible resolutions for the login problems: Reboot your computer. Flush your DNS cache. Power cycle your modem and/or router. If none of these solutions solve your problem, Syndri seems to be closely monitoring the login server down post in the Technical Support Forums and you may be able to get further help by posting in there.Please let us know in the comments if this solved your login issues.Edited to add: Blizzard is not saying it is the fault of the people having problems. They made changes on their end and we just need to update things on our end in order to be able to connect properly again.
The login server is currently busy [Updated]
Many people have been writing into our tip line that they are unable to log in to their servers at this time. Both Battle.Net and non-Battle.Net users are complaining that authentication is down for them. I received the above error message myself, however my husband is able to log in just fine.We'll keep you updated should Blizzard say anything officially or other developments arise. In the meantime, I will be trying again later as the message asks me to do.Update 7:46PM: Most people are reporting that the authentication issues are fixed.Update: The following message is currently displayed upon login.
Blizzard is spying on you again
People who put way too much energy into watching the flickering messages that scroll past when you log in to WoW, as well as people with slow connections, may be familiar with the message "Submitting non-personal system information." Basically, Blizzard wants to know things like what kind of CPU and GPU you're running on and how much RAM and VRAM you have. Aguilar (who?) has made a blue post letting us know that they're going to start another round of collecting such data "in the very near future." If you're not on a Battle.net account yet, you'll see that message about non-personal information. Battle.net users, however, won't see the message, but they will be sending info up the line. Yet another in a long line of injustices for us B.net account holders: no flickering message! I demand a free month of WoW in compensation.
Jumpgate Evolution interview explains UI customization and emphasis on story
Attendees of the LOGIN Conference last week had a chance to see NetDevil's demonstration of Jumpgate Evolution. The writers at ZAM were among the gaming press attendees and came away from the demo with some positive impressions, but some questions as well. They caught up with NetDevil president Scott Brown who discussed the inspiration for creating the original Jumpgate and how Jumpgate Evolution will live up to its name.The interview specifically touches on how Jumpgate Evolution aims to engage players in ways the original wasn't able to. In that context of how the follow-up title compares to the original, Brown says, "We have a much stronger story now, with help from Keith Baker (the creator of Eberron for D&D) and we have significantly more focused PvP so players have even more reason to fight the other nations."
Battle.Net issues today
Today is a Wednesday, and that means that there has to be some sort of Battle.Net authentication/login/game-version issue today. And guess what? There is!There is a long thread in the support forums about it, and the only blue response so far is that Blizzard is aware of the problem and they're working on it. Many, if not all, Battle.Net users are seeing an error stating the client cannot validate the game version (even after they've patched to 3.1.1).There is no known fix yet. We'll update this post when there is more information to report.Update: According to Neth everything is working now.
How to download Patch 3.1.1 with a Battle.Net account
Having problems getting patch 3.1.1 to download? Thinking that WoW Insider is crazy for announcing a patch without the download happening? Well, we might be insane, but we're not crazy.If you've converted to a battle.net account, you cannot download the patch via the traditional log-in-and-it'll-start method. To get the patch to download, enter your old non-battle.net username and password and the game will begin downloading patch 3.1.1. It's about 10-megs. You can't log-in and play the game with that user name and password anymore, but you can get the patch with it.Seems that Blizzard hasn't worked all the kinks out of the battle.net account system. But at least there's a way around the problems this time.Update: Articles goes up...and 45 minutes later it's fixed!Many thanks to our twitter followers who let us know about this!
WoW Rookie: Patch madness
New around here? WoW Rookie points WoW's newest players to the resources they need to get acclimated. Send us a note to suggest a WoW Rookie topic.Welcome, O WoW rookie, to patch week madness. If you thought run-of-the-mill maintenance and minor patch days could be dicey, here's your chance to enjoy the epic-level chaos wrought by epic-level content patches. World of Warcraft has evolved considerably since its launch in what's now been almost a handful of years ago. Blizzard regularly releases downloadable updates, called "patches," to add new content and features, fix problems and tweak game play and balance. Through patches, players have gained access to new quests, instances, Battlegrounds, events, items and tools. This week's Patch 3.1 is known as a content patch – a nice way of saying "a ton of new stuff we've added to the game that's going to make all hell break loose." The realms go up, the realms go down. The realms go up. Did we mention they also go down? You may log in only to find your characters nowhere in sight ("Oh #%$&, my characters are all gone!"). You may experience disappearing mail or auctions, random disconnections from the game and insufferable lag. You may find yourself merrily rolling along only to find the NPCs have disappeared, you can't zone in or out of instances or log out of the game, and you and every other player who's trapped in your zone are left with nothing to do but chat about the whole thing. (Almost makes you wonder if the Ice Stone has melted yet.)
Login servers down
We're not out of the woods with this patch yet. I'm seeing this message on a North American realm, and lots of other people are seeing the same thing. At least one of our bloggers is still in the game, though, and Blizzard is saying the Authentication servers are still up and running, so this should be fixed soon.We'll keep you updated, stay tuned.Thanks to everyone who sent this in!Update: A login server died. If you try signing in with a Bnet account, you should be able to get in. Otherwise, everybody PANIC hold on and they'll be back up soon.Update 2: Everything seems back up. That was relatively painless. Thanks for playing, everybody!
Urgent authentication database maintenance underway
The opening announcement on the login screen has just let us know that there is urgent maintenance being performed on the authentication servers. The maintenance will continue until 1:00 p.m. PDT / 4:00 p.m. EDT. During this time you may or may not be able to log into the game. Pretty much the luck of the draw and beyond your control. Account management and posting on the forums will be offline during this time as well, so the troll's trolling will have to terrifically terminate 'till temporally soon.We'll update this post when things are back to normal, or if there are additional issues.
Official Battle.net connection issues support page
There have been a lot of login server related issues lately with Battle.net accounts, and from all indication they don't all seem to be for the same reasons. Tom may not have the same issue as Sally who isn't necessarily getting the same error message as Jimbo. As much as the problems are annoying me, the more widespread problems tend to clear up pretty quickly. Usually. For some of the odd, lingering issues you may run into, Blizzard's Support page has added a section for Battle.net connection issues within World of Warcraft with some common solutions. Note that these won't necessarily fix every issue that crops up with the login servers, but it should solve some of them!The most common solution that seems to work out for people is the suggested edit to the realmlist.wtf file, using something like Notepad. Look for the Data folder within your World of Warcraft folder, open it up, then open Realmlist.wtf with a simple text editor. Check to be sure all four of these lines are contained within:
LOGIN 2009 online gaming conference speakers announced
Over the past few years, the online gaming conferences put together by Evergreen Events have been rather significant ones in the industry. Evergreen Events are the people who organized the ION Game Conference which we covered extensively last year, and the Online Game Development Conference in 2007. As we announced previously, ION has been renamed as LOGIN for 2009 and they're already announcing some of the conference's speakers. Among the many speakers slated for LOGIN this May are David Ryan Hunt, Senior Game Designer at Flying Lab Software, and Craig Alexander, Turbine's VP of Product Development. Alexander's session will be "Building Online Games for the Console Generation: Challenges and Opportunities" which could certainly prove to be interesting. We'll keep an eye on how the conference is shaping up as we get closer to the four-day event kicking off on May 11th.
ION Conference returns for 2009, changes name to LOGIN
Massively's readers who follow the online game industry may be familiar with Evergreen Events. They're the people who brought us the Online Game Development Conference (OGDC 2007) and the ION Game Conference (2008). The next step in the annual conference's evolution entails gaining a new name -- the LOGIN Conference.LOGIN 2009 will be three and a half days of lectures, panels, roundtables, and keynotes focused on the online game industry. Thus far details about speakers are scarce, but one keynote speaker has been announced for LOGIN 2009 -- Charlie Stross, author of Halting State, a thriller that deals heavily with virtual worlds. The call for more speakers remains open, and if ION was any indication of what to expect, a number of industry luminaries are likely to have a presence at LOGIN.LOGIN will take place in Seattle, Washington, from May 11-14, 2009. Massively will have more info for you about LOGIN as we get closer to the conference.
SSL certificate expiration complicates LotRO logins
Massively writers trying to play Lord of the Rings Online this Saturday morning stumbled into a mess that's apparently been going on most of the day; upon trying to log into the game, the following error appears: "The SSL certificate appears to be expired. Please ensure your system clock is set to the correct time and try again. [ERROR 80001]" Investigating the LotRO forums has uncovered an official thread from CM Tarrant resassuring players that Turbine's NetOps team is looking into it.Meanwhile, players have already solved the issue. If you want to get into the game, just set your computer's clock back to January 1st. The complication there is that daily quests might then be tweaked out, and so further recommendations state you should set your computer's date and time to the correct values at the character select screen. Essentially, set the clock back to log in, and then reset once you're past the loader. Turbine assures this issue will be resolved soon, and we can't imagine this seemingly minor error will continue much longer. Update: And resolved it was, at around 2pm ET. Sapience wants everyone to be sure to set their computers for the correct time if you used that as a cheap workaround. That should ensure the SSL error doesn't show up for you.
Queue queue moar noob
It's 10:40 p.m. EST on my server and there is a 30 minute wait to login with a queue of over 300. Oh me oh my, time to get out my BlizzCon goodie bag and head for the QQ n00b tissues.Many users across most of the servers, both in the U.S. and E.U., are reporting long queues again. While the population always seems to uptick around this time of year, one has to raise an eyebrow at this happening a second time in as many months.November was understandable. Wrath was a big deal. But after a week or so the queues died down. Is this just the second insurgent of Wrath's wrath?One can surmise that a large number of people received Wrath as a Christmas gift. The assumption is probably correct. Another popular theory is that with all the vacation time on folk's plate right now, people are using it to log into the game and enjoy a bit of Northrend adventuring.
