wow-launcher
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New Battle.net launcher now in open beta testing
No, sorry everybody, it's not the Hearthstone open beta--not yet, anyway--but there is a Blizzard open beta that could use your testing clicks. The new launcher app has been in closed beta for some time, but that phase has ended and now it's in full open testing swing. As explained in the official blog post, the new launcher aims to streamline players' experience of Blizzard games by providing a single application from which to access all of them: World of Warcraft, StarCraft II, Diablo III, and Hearthstone. You'll also be able to use the app to install Blizzard games directly, and if you leave it running it will automatically update those games as well. The new launcher will also allow you to stay logged into your Blizzard games for up to 30 days at a time, if you like. For those interested, you can download the new launcher app here, and access the FAQ here, and you can also check out WoW Insider's overview of what to expect from the new launcher, as well. The app is scheduled to be released in the next few months, in other words, "SoonTM".
New Battle.net Desktop Client Beta
A flurry of invitations has gone out to players to test the beta of the new Battle.net client, and they have begun to be downloaded. You can see a screenshot of the client above, and note various aspects of it quite immediately. Firstly, it has all the Blizzard games on my system available within one launcher for me to choose from, and the launcher also monitors downloads, updates, patches, you name it, for all the installs on your system. The eagle eyed reader will also be able to spot a drop-down menu above the big blue Play button, this currently allows you to choose between PTR and Live servers for your game launch. I'm hoping that, in time, this drop-down might also allow players to pick between different installs and accounts, as I, although I find myself in the minority, have both US and EU accounts that I switch between regularly. While I would emphasize that this isn't a usual mode of play, it would be nice if the option existed to pick between regions and accounts. You can see various other elements on the front page, and there are more that appear as it loads in, and your battle.net friends come online.
Beta testers wanted for Battle.net launcher update
Last November, Blizzard announced that they were working on testing updates to Battle.net's communication and login functionalities. That testing is ongoing and has now been moved to an open beta. Blizzard is looking for interested players to help them test a new desktop application designed to improve the launcher and login experiences for all Battle.net users. If you're interested in being a part of this beta test, you can head on over to your account page and opt-in to a Blizzard game universe beta test. As is usual, invites will go out in waves, so you might not get yours right away. Happy testing!
Launcher and WoW are down, it's not just you
No folks, it's not just you. WoW is undergoing maintenance today, as is usual. Maintenance has been going on since 3:00 a.m. PST / 6:00 a.m. EST and will last until 11:00 a.m. PST / 2:00 p.m. EST. The only difference is, this time around, the launcher isn't even working, which is causing a lot of people to wonder if something is wrong with their internet configurations (thanks, no doubt, due to the lovely maintenance box). But be confident that nothing is probably wrong, especially if you're reading this post. The patching server just seems to be down. Everything will be up again soon. Blizzard's maintenance announcement is as follows: Our regularly scheduled Tuesday maintenance will begin at 03:00 a.m. PST, January, 11 and end at approximately 11:00 a.m. PST. During this time all realms will be down and not accessible for play. Thank you for your patience
Launcher update today causing problems, how to fix
An update to the Blizzard launcher and associated tools this afternoon has been causing problems for folks running various versions of Windows. The bug has a chance of occurring when you get stuck at a "Waiting for files to close..." dialog box when updating. Blizzard support staff was quick to announce a fix, which is pretty easy to do. To solve this, go into the task manager (you can get to that by right-clicking on the bottom taskbar on your screen and selecting "Start Task Manager," or by pressing the control, shift and escape keys all at once) and end any and all of the following processes in the "Processes" tab: WoW.exe Launcher.exe BackgroundDownloader.exe Repair.exe WowError.exe After you make sure none of the above processes are running, you'll be able to move forward with the update and get WoW working again. The full Blizzard statement after the break.
Brief launcher update
Blizzard updated the launcher again today without warning and hopefully without incident -- unlike Monday, when everything went awry, errors abounded and people were unable to connect. There is no indication that patch 3.3 is anywhere near downloading or anything other than a small tools patch. There has also been no word from Blizzard yet on exactly what this patch does, but it is required if you want to log into the game. The patch is very small and only takes a handful of seconds to download and apply. We'll keep an eye on this issue for any problems, but as of this writing, all is well.
