It is a daily giveaway, but there is no lottery involved. You make the character in their game, talk to the goblin, get the pack code, redeem it on Battle.net. That's guaranteed. Myself and thousands of people have got two Barrens packs from this so far. The total amount of packs is said to be limited and may not last until July 31, but we'll know when or if that happens.
Added the following paragraph to the article based on new information from today:
"Important note: As we've learned from the DreamHack Discord, the pack goblin is meant to be reset every day around 9 am PDT (which is 6 pm CEST). However, it's not so simple as the process has to be done manually and apparently takes a while (up to an hour). If you attempt to talk to the goblin while the system is being reset, then there is a risk you will not get the code but still get the corresponding achievement, essentially starting your cooldown for the day and locking you out for the following 24 hours. So be careful! Best not attempt anything at that point."
Damn, that sucks. Probably some duplicate codes slipping through. Make sure to report that under that Twitter account for Gnimsh I have linked, or any other relevant DreamHack one. In case you haven't yet - there have been similar reports from people running into the same issue as you, and apparently the devs are aware now and on it.
There have been several reports made to the developers (through Twitter) about it and I hear they've been actively working to try and resolve that crowded/blocked issue. So try again when you have a moment to spare, chances are it's not going to be such a problem going forward.
I would imagine there might be some form of IP tracking being utilized, based on seeing the error that tells you to disable VPN if using one and to try again. It doesn't seem to ask for your Battle.net data or the associated e-mail account, so I imagine there are people who might be trying to get around it. Even if it was doable, as you point out it might require way more time and effort than it's worth. I'm sticking to the honest route regardless, and my laptop has to work hard as is while that thing is opened in the browser. ;)
The tickets should be solvable if you follow the links on the page and grab one for the admission. For logging into that game it sometimes takes a few tries (I've seen VPN errors while not using any, and I imagine the servers might struggle if there are a lot of people trying).
Let me know if it's working now. There might be errors if somebody wasn't logged to their DreamHack account, didn't have a functional ticket yet, or the like. Will also add a line as to where it can be located manually.
As far as a brief recap goes, there have been many Twitter statements from various Blizzard employees (former and current) pointing out that these don't represent them or their views. And that their own personal remarks don't represent the company. So leaders dropping the ball here pretty much, nothing new sadly.
I found it funny that Liv said so and their first early reveal was Touch of the Nathrezim regardless (I added a small relevant note next to that part now, having written the segment beforehand). I guess they want to be careful to avoid the situations from the past you mention, but not dealing in absolutes such as zero new ways to restore health, period.
It's definitely the kind of balance that gives them trouble. How to make Warlock not topple to aggression too easily, but at the same time don't make it unbeatable for anything slower.
I don't think people reacted negatively to your issues with Priest (that's a major community sentiment after all, and the reason we're finally getting some nerfs to it). It was more about "skipping the expansion and hoping the game dies", before even seeing 90% of the cards that are yet to come.
As for Priest generation, we knew this year would still be rough because of the cards printed for Ashes/Scholo/Darkmoon. They only made this promise to tone this down from Barrens/Core set onwards. I don't know if they will eventually get it right, but they did acknowledge some of the problems they created.
They monitor engagement in various ways (albeit not always perfectly), and the reveals of the past that lasted for several weeks while trickling down a few cards here and there weren't generally met with great enthusiasm. People would get tired and bored of the prolonged teasing, and not much care to check a daily card or two. I know I would usually block it out and then look up once or twice a week, if that.
I'm not convinced their current system is that great either due to this "dry period", but feels better out of the two. I do however miss having some sort of small initial reveal stream to fill one week and generate more buzz, since they never fit all remaining cards into the final stream anyway and unceremoniously just dump some of them afterwards.
Damn, that's a great shame. It's a very difficult market due to the lion's share Hearthstone took so very early and the time (plus money for some at least) it demands when simply playing any mode in order to make any noticeable progress, just as World of Warcraft has been for MMOs for so long. One of the reasons why I never got around to trying Mythgard in the end. Not nearly enough hours in the day to invest, while interest was always there.
You can tell they've been very passionate about it, and it's a heartfelt message that brings sadness. Hopefully the team can bounce back and find future success elsewhere.
While Liv directly talked in the interview about "putting a number on the upper limit of spells they're going to be able to generate over the course of a game", I also didn't read it as a hard fixed cap. That would be quite weird. Nothing is ever impossible, but assuming more (ahem) standard solutions, I'd imagine just being a lot more careful with printing cards that do something good while leading to more card generation. And not being able to find all answers on the fly. Just so Priests ending up with near full hands are not as common of a sight.
When I first saw Spice Bread Baker, my thought was "some sort of Control Rogue could be a possibility"? Or at least slower and not as tempo based. They have this potential to end up with a full hand of cards quite often.
We know that Questlines revolve around Mercenaries, although the current examples show it won't have to be necessarily about Combo and discounts. Varden was freezing the board in Barrens, and now provides spell damage. I'm most curious what other playstyles they might come up with.
Even if they don't feel as strongly about it as some players (it wouldn't be good for any developer to downright hate on certain designs), their words indicate they at least understand the issue here. One way or another, we should be moving away from the current Priest playstyle. If Shadow is the name of the game for the next expansion, your typical stall Priest shouldn't see much support. If any.
Ah, that's too bad. It is definitely poorly optimized for a browser game and can strain some older systems. I can even feel it on my own.
It is a daily giveaway, but there is no lottery involved. You make the character in their game, talk to the goblin, get the pack code, redeem it on Battle.net. That's guaranteed. Myself and thousands of people have got two Barrens packs from this so far.
The total amount of packs is said to be limited and may not last until July 31, but we'll know when or if that happens.
Added the following paragraph to the article based on new information from today:
"Important note: As we've learned from the DreamHack Discord, the pack goblin is meant to be reset every day around 9 am PDT (which is 6 pm CEST). However, it's not so simple as the process has to be done manually and apparently takes a while (up to an hour). If you attempt to talk to the goblin while the system is being reset, then there is a risk you will not get the code but still get the corresponding achievement, essentially starting your cooldown for the day and locking you out for the following 24 hours. So be careful! Best not attempt anything at that point."
Damn, that sucks. Probably some duplicate codes slipping through. Make sure to report that under that Twitter account for Gnimsh I have linked, or any other relevant DreamHack one. In case you haven't yet - there have been similar reports from people running into the same issue as you, and apparently the devs are aware now and on it.
There have been several reports made to the developers (through Twitter) about it and I hear they've been actively working to try and resolve that crowded/blocked issue. So try again when you have a moment to spare, chances are it's not going to be such a problem going forward.
Apparently not many people are aware that you can click on NPCs and initate conversations even from a fair distance away.
I'd try a different browser, cache clear, enabling hardware acceleration, or the like. For me it usually goes through on the 2nd/3rd try.
You mean you had a pack code in your offers? And then tried to redeem that code in your Battle.net, or?
I would imagine there might be some form of IP tracking being utilized, based on seeing the error that tells you to disable VPN if using one and to try again. It doesn't seem to ask for your Battle.net data or the associated e-mail account, so I imagine there are people who might be trying to get around it. Even if it was doable, as you point out it might require way more time and effort than it's worth.
I'm sticking to the honest route regardless, and my laptop has to work hard as is while that thing is opened in the browser. ;)
Have you managed to figure them out? I know from personal experience it's certainly not the most optimized thing running over there.
The tickets should be solvable if you follow the links on the page and grab one for the admission. For logging into that game it sometimes takes a few tries (I've seen VPN errors while not using any, and I imagine the servers might struggle if there are a lot of people trying).
Let me know if it's working now. There might be errors if somebody wasn't logged to their DreamHack account, didn't have a functional ticket yet, or the like. Will also add a line as to where it can be located manually.
As far as a brief recap goes, there have been many Twitter statements from various Blizzard employees (former and current) pointing out that these don't represent them or their views. And that their own personal remarks don't represent the company. So leaders dropping the ball here pretty much, nothing new sadly.
I found it funny that Liv said so and their first early reveal was Touch of the Nathrezim regardless (I added a small relevant note next to that part now, having written the segment beforehand). I guess they want to be careful to avoid the situations from the past you mention, but not dealing in absolutes such as zero new ways to restore health, period.
It's definitely the kind of balance that gives them trouble. How to make Warlock not topple to aggression too easily, but at the same time don't make it unbeatable for anything slower.
I don't think people reacted negatively to your issues with Priest (that's a major community sentiment after all, and the reason we're finally getting some nerfs to it). It was more about "skipping the expansion and hoping the game dies", before even seeing 90% of the cards that are yet to come.
As for Priest generation, we knew this year would still be rough because of the cards printed for Ashes/Scholo/Darkmoon. They only made this promise to tone this down from Barrens/Core set onwards. I don't know if they will eventually get it right, but they did acknowledge some of the problems they created.
They monitor engagement in various ways (albeit not always perfectly), and the reveals of the past that lasted for several weeks while trickling down a few cards here and there weren't generally met with great enthusiasm. People would get tired and bored of the prolonged teasing, and not much care to check a daily card or two. I know I would usually block it out and then look up once or twice a week, if that.
I'm not convinced their current system is that great either due to this "dry period", but feels better out of the two. I do however miss having some sort of small initial reveal stream to fill one week and generate more buzz, since they never fit all remaining cards into the final stream anyway and unceremoniously just dump some of them afterwards.
Damn, that's a great shame. It's a very difficult market due to the lion's share Hearthstone took so very early and the time (plus money for some at least) it demands when simply playing any mode in order to make any noticeable progress, just as World of Warcraft has been for MMOs for so long. One of the reasons why I never got around to trying Mythgard in the end. Not nearly enough hours in the day to invest, while interest was always there.
You can tell they've been very passionate about it, and it's a heartfelt message that brings sadness. Hopefully the team can bounce back and find future success elsewhere.
While Liv directly talked in the interview about "putting a number on the upper limit of spells they're going to be able to generate over the course of a game", I also didn't read it as a hard fixed cap. That would be quite weird. Nothing is ever impossible, but assuming more (ahem) standard solutions, I'd imagine just being a lot more careful with printing cards that do something good while leading to more card generation. And not being able to find all answers on the fly. Just so Priests ending up with near full hands are not as common of a sight.
When I first saw Spice Bread Baker, my thought was "some sort of Control Rogue could be a possibility"? Or at least slower and not as tempo based. They have this potential to end up with a full hand of cards quite often.
We know that Questlines revolve around Mercenaries, although the current examples show it won't have to be necessarily about Combo and discounts. Varden was freezing the board in Barrens, and now provides spell damage. I'm most curious what other playstyles they might come up with.
Even if they don't feel as strongly about it as some players (it wouldn't be good for any developer to downright hate on certain designs), their words indicate they at least understand the issue here. One way or another, we should be moving away from the current Priest playstyle. If Shadow is the name of the game for the next expansion, your typical stall Priest shouldn't see much support. If any.