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by Lisa Poisso 
Aug 25th 2009 at 1:00PM
15 Minutes of Fame is WoW.com's look at World of Warcraft players of all shapes and sizes -- from the renowned to the relatively anonymous, the remarkable to the player next door. Tip us off to players you'd like to hear more about.As Blizzard re-imagines old Azeroth, sweeps tired systems out the door and injects new ways for players to connect and work together, we can't imagine why anyone would not want to take advantage of what this top-notch MMO and company have to offer. There are players, however, who choose a different path. These players game on private servers, where conditions range from near-original mirrors to god-mode gameplay with super-GM abilities.
We don't condone private server play, which is clearly against Blizzard's Terms of Service and EULA. Still, there are plenty of players who believe differently, and we were curious why they've chosen the private server route. We visited with a player who plays on a relatively tame private server featuring near-"normal" game play. What can he do that we can't? And what do we have that he doesn't?
Main character Laughoutloud, level 80 Mage (Arcane, Frost)
Realm N/A
15 Minutes of Fame: What is playing on a private server all about? What makes it interesting for you?
Laughoutloud: It's the same reason as people playing on retail: the fun of the game. The fact that the (XP) rates are a little bit higher makes it easier to get to level 80, but at the same time, it isn't so high such that you miss the roleplaying factor of the game. I play on a server that is Blizz-like, meaning no custom mobs or custom quests; everything is supposed to be like retail, except with a 3x boost in experience points.
Well, since I play on a Blizz-like server, there isn't much of a difference except for the experience rates being different. Also, there is a custom teleporter to take you to different home cities instead of taking the zeppelin or the ship, which is a lot easier. There are also custom events that the GMs of the server would host from time to time. It can be PvP- or PvE-related, with in-game rewards. The rewards usually are one or two emblems or some arena points.
Do you have to pay to play on your private server?
No.
How long have you been on a private server?
About 8 months.
Do you also play WoW on a regular server?
No, not any more. I used to, for a little bit.
How does the play experience compare – more or fewer players, bugs, customer support, and so on?
I don't know how the people get the code from and etc. to run WoW servers, but it's obviously not from Blizzard, so the quality of a couple of programmers can't beat that of the team of Blizzard. Thus, there are more bugs, less players per realm. However, customer support is probably more than Blizzard, since you can actually talk to the GMs real-time by IRC.
Blizzard looks at playing on and even connecting to a private server as violations of their Terms of Service and EULA. How does that affect your feelings about where you play?
It doesn't really affect me much, because if they really strongly enforced their Terms of Services and EULA, there wouldn't be so many private servers out there. I believe a lot of the private servers' server hosts are in U.S., so it shouldn't be that hard to track and close if they really wanted to. It's not like BitTorrent, where most of the website servers are located outside of U.S. It really could be part of their business strategy to intentionally allow small private servers to run. It's just like books, movies, or in some other companies where "leakage of information" happens -- but it's really done intentionally.
If eventually they really crack down on private servers and close them down, I'm fine with that too, as it's their right to do so. Will I go back on retail? Probably not, because of time and money issues.
When you say your server offers a 3x XP boost, is that over current XP levels or the original leveling speed when WoW first launched?
I'm not too sure, but I think it's the current XP level and not the beta or original XP level when the game first launched.
What about all the features Blizzard has added to accelerate leveling speed and ease for players? Do those make you more likely to go back to a Blizzard server?
You mean if Blizzard increases the exp gained and make everything 3x rate as well? If so, I won't go back. My reason is not because leveling on retail is too slow, it's because of the time and money that needs to be put into the game. When I pay for something, I feel the pressure to need to play to get my money well spent. I also don't really work either, so paying the monthly fee just seems like something I can save. I am a full-time student, so playing on private server allows me to stop playing when I need to focus on school without "losing" my money paid.
Around 200ish.
Is it hard to find enough people your level to get a group?
Yeah, it is -- when I started to play, anyway. There are more people than before when I started, so I'm not too sure. At 80, it's not too hard to find a raid group.
Do you play mostly on your own, with a small group of friends, with a guild, or in pickup groups?
I play with a small group of friends; also, pickup groups.
Do you belong to a guild? Are there many guilds on your server?
Yes, I belong to a guild created by me and my friends. There aren't many guilds on the server -- probably about four to five noticeable ones in each faction, with a bunch of random ones that aren't very populated.
What type of content are you playing now?
I am playing the Lich King right now, but patch 3.1.3. We do raids.
When WoW gets a patch, do you get it at the same time, or do you have to wait?
Nope, we usually have to wait for whoever is doing the main code for private server WoW to release something. I am not sure what group does that, though -- but I know it's not the people running the private server I'm on.
"I never thought of playing WoW like that!" - neither did we, until we talked with these players. From an award-winning fantasy author and an Oscar-winning 3-D effects director to a bunch of guys who get together for dinner and group raiding in person every week, catch it on 15 Minutes of Fame.Filed under: Features, Interviews, 15 Minutes of Fame
Reader Comments (Page 3 of 8)
protoCOLLIE Aug 25th 2009 3:55PM
I hate to get involved in an argument like this but when you purchase software, you're not buying the software. You don't own the software. You own the physical disc. The software explicitly belongs to the company that developed it and they're letting you use it in accordance with the rules of the 'license' for that software, which is what you're actually purchasing.
Again, you buy a LICENSE to use software, not the software itself. You don't own it, you own a legal document that constitutes proof that the manufacturer gives you permission to use the software in accordance with the rules contained in that contract. That's it. If you break the contract, the company has the right to take away use of the software and seek damages.
verdian Aug 25th 2009 7:59PM
@Protocollie
I think another major reason why Blizzard is not actively pursuing legal remedy against people who host/play private servers is money. The actual pecuniary damages that Blizzard could claim from the people who host/play on private servers would be far far less than the legal/court costs incurred. The only winners would be the lawyers...
Noah Aug 25th 2009 8:58PM
Ok, I'm just going to put this out there. Blizzard offers free downloads of the ENTIRE game client on their website. All you need is an account (even a free trial account will do). It's not pirating when you get it from worldofwarcraft.com.
AudioSpaghetti Aug 25th 2009 1:12PM
ive messed around with private servers and still do once in a while for fun, but they dont compare to blizz. i still pay for wow and think its more that worth it.
draco Aug 25th 2009 1:33PM
same here, i used to play, then i decided to up and pay for it, they just can't compare, but i do occasionnally go back when my sub runs out and i can't get a gamecard for a while( i.e store runs out, the gamecard has to be delivered etc.)
since im only 14, i obviously can't pay for it on the blizz site via paypal or cradit card
Suppressor Aug 25th 2009 9:33PM
Without getting into a debate over the legality of private servers, I'd have to say that the experience on those servers is nowhere near the quality on the official Blizzard servers. For example, most of the mobs you fight on a private server are unable to cast spells.
Sure, it might be fun to get to 80 quickly and see what you look like with all the top tier gear, but while leveling, expect any caster mob you face to simply come up and whack you with their staff.
Also, there usually are quite a few spells and talents that simply do not work. The reason they have portals instead of taking boats and zeppelins is because that mode of transportation is extremely buggy and rarely works. The interviewee may make it sound like portals are a wonderful thing, but they are simply a workaround for not having the technology to make the game work as intended.
The only purpose I could see for rolling on a private server would be to check out what a class is like at max level before investing time into leveling a character on the official live realms. With a number of spells not working, this would be only an approximation of what it is like to play that class.
When it comes down to it, there is no sufficient substitute for playing on the official realms. Not only does the technology work as intended, but there is also a large community of other players to get involved with. Private servers may be fun to mess around with, but there is no way to match playing a game that 11 million other people subscribe to. The truth of it is that WoW alone is a mediocre game, but sharing that experience with a large community of gamers is what makes it one of the best games ever made.
Bossy Aug 25th 2009 1:12PM
FAIL all over.
It is illegal, it is stealing money and WOW insider should NOT even speak of this.
Gnosh Aug 25th 2009 1:22PM
For people who think "lolol the EULA isn't law", it actually IS illegal. It's copyright infringement via reverse engineering of Blizzard software.
biotsrama Aug 25th 2009 1:28PM
So because drugs are illegal, media outlets should never interview drug users?
Aurix Aug 25th 2009 1:25PM
So, by your logic, WoW.com shouldn't have had that piece with the hacker a couple months ago, eh? Because it's illegal, and wrong? Really? WoW related info is related. Regardless. Yeah, playing on a private server is essentially stealing, but much like the Hacker 15MoF, this piece was informative in it's own way.
Litigate Aug 25th 2009 1:28PM
Yep, writing about illegal activities, stealing, and/or generally unethical conduct is totally unacceptable. I'm sure you personally complain to each and every newspaper that writes articles related to theft, murder, drugs, piracy, etc.
Bill Aug 25th 2009 1:39PM
How did the second post get voted way down while this one spouting essentially the same nonsense got voted up?
I agree that it's very wrong. Reprehensible, even. But there's absolutely nothing wrong with wow.com covering it. Good piece.
BishopK Aug 25th 2009 1:44PM
Sorry, but I think you're wrong. I completely disagree with people that try to justify playing on a private server, but I think that wow.com did a good job bringing this story up. It was interesting to read about this, and hearing about the limitations on private servers make the practice even more ridiculous.
Seraphna Aug 25th 2009 1:47PM
Someone doesn't understand the meaning of journalism.
God forbid we actually be educated about such things.
artifex Aug 25th 2009 2:04PM
Actually, I doubt it's legally stealing. Stealing would be a criminal matter, but this is a violation of contract, which should be civil.
Aigarius Aug 25th 2009 2:47PM
Ungained profits != loss. If I steal money from you, you have less money. If I refuse to buy stuff from you, you have the same amount of money like if I did not exist.
Technically, the people on private servers could be using hacked clients where EULA is not shown, so only thing they are actually doing illegally is plain and simple copyright violation, just like people that bittorent music, movies and regular (non on-line) games.
Many of such people do that either because they do not have the money or refuse to pay huge corporations for imaginary property (IP). In either case most of such downloaders would have not paid in the first place. However, experiencing a restricted pirate version can often motivate people to go out and buy a full version of the product even in cases where people wouldn't have done so without experiencing a pirated version first.
I tried WoW on private servers first. It was horrible, but it was still good enough to get me hooked. So I went out and bought a full version several years ago and am still a playing and paying customer with several referrals. If there were no private servers, I would not have bought WoW.
Bill Aug 25th 2009 3:16PM
Aigarius, that's an incredibly naive and oversimplified view.
Ungained profits absolutely do = loss. If someone on a private server
would otherwise be maintaining a legitimate account, there's no
functional difference between that and just taking the money out of
Blizzard's bank account. And intellectual property laws may often be
too protective, but at some level they're essential for keeping
things like this (and music and TV etc.) going. People who say things
like "I refuse to pay huge corporations for imaginary property" are,
by and large, freeloaders who are helping themselves at everyone
else's expense and trying to hide their own greed behind flowery
power-to-the-people language.
AudioSpaghetti Aug 25th 2009 1:16PM
i also have a separate installation of wow on an external HD that i can run as a private local server at work when i get bored. no one else can join or anything but its fun to mess around with all the gm commands and what not. like i said, it would never replace blizz but it is fun to mess around with.
Slog Aug 25th 2009 1:27PM
I used to have a sandbox release of BC beta....its kinda fun to fuck around, but gets boring very quickly...way I see it, to spend an hour in the sandbox, I could have been progressing my actual toon.
regisfrost Aug 25th 2009 1:16PM
Investing huge amount of time on a server with low people that can get turned off at any time? No thanks. Free of course, but I gladly pay to play with more people, get the content first, and support the game.