Cannot play until 10pm PST?

[Blazur]

I heard that even if you acquire the game early, Blizz is enforcing a timestamp limit on the gaming so that you cannot play it until 10pm PST. Can anybody confirm if this is true? It means even if those of us on the East coast can pick it up at midnight, we cannot actually play the game until 1am EST.

[Santrega]

If blizzard didn't want you to play the game right at midnight, they wouldn't be advertising midnight releases. The digital download can't be played until 1am est, but blizzard would never put that time requirement on those who pre-ordered the box version at gamestop and then advertise midnight releases just to allow you to get home and realize you can't play it.

[Rudeliuz]

I got the CE early friday, but when I plugged the cd In, it say's: Hell it's not yet time!.

It seems we'll have to wait until, 12 am PST.

Then we can play until we get wrinkles.

[Blazur]

If blizzard didn't want you to play the game right at midnight, they wouldn't be advertising midnight releases. The digital download can't be played until 1am est, but blizzard would never put that time requirement on those who pre-ordered the box version at gamestop and then advertise midnight releases just to allow you to get home and realize you can't play it.

I'm receiving conflicting reports. Some claim it won't be activated until 10pm PST, and the poster above me seems to believe it'll be 12PST (meaning 3am EST). Looking for confirmation so I can plan my geekiness in accordance to a midnight launch (EST).

[Santrega]

I'm receiving conflicting reports. Some claim it won't be activated until 10pm PST, and the poster above me seems to believe it'll be 12PST (meaning 3am EST). Looking for confirmation so I can plan my geekiness in accordance to a midnight launch.

I'm sure it will be available at 12:00AM in your time zone, whatever that is.. So this guy will play it at 12:00AM pacific time if thats his time zone, and i'll be playing it at 12:00AM est time (well, a little after).

Edit- Actually im willing to bet that anyone who has the collectors edition at 9pm pacific time will be able to install it then... I don't see how blizzard can choose multiple time zones for the game. People can modify that, so they'd have to stick to one time zone for allowing the game to be installed in north america.

[Pick]

I'm sure it will be available at 12:00AM in your time zone, whatever that is.. So this guy will play it at 12:00AM pacific time if thats his time zone, and i'll be playing it at 12:00AM est time (well, a little after).

Can Blizzard tell the difference between West and East North American players?

If they have the NA server up and running for me on the East coast at midnight, how do they stop somone from playing at 9:00 on the West coast if he got the game early?

I guess it is a non-issue. Does it really matter if some people on the West Coast log in at 9:00 PST? They are some of the last people on the planet getting access anyways.

EDIT: Santrega edited his post, I think we agree now.

[Blazur]

IEdit- Actually im willing to bet that anyone who has the collectors edition at 9pm pacific time will be able to install it then... I don't see how blizzard can choose multiple time zones for the game. People can modify that, so they'd have to stick to one time zone for allowing the game to be installed in north america.

Right. The best they can do is mandate stores cannot legally sell the game before midnight in their respective time zone. Otherwise if I got a copy early I could simply adjust my clock settings to be PST and install it 3 hours early on the East coast.

[Santrega]

Right. The best they can do is mandate stores cannot legally sell the game before midnight in their respective time zone. Otherwise if I got a copy early I could simply adjust my clock settings to be PST and install it 3 hours early on the East coast.

Right.. And since they allowed midnight EST releases of the box version, then it should be ready for play at midnight EST. The digital version goes on sale at 1am EST time, which is why they can't play until 10:00PM PST.

[Noctis]

unless the US has separate servers per region that act as hubs

:P

[TheEconomist]

Right. The best they can do is mandate stores cannot legally sell the game before midnight in their respective time zone. Otherwise if I got a copy early I could simply adjust my clock settings to be PST and install it 3 hours early on the East coast.

The clock is based on their servers which wouldn't even be up. If this worked, people would've already beaten the campaign at the beginning of this month when a few people already had it.