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Thanks MC for sending this in!

Congratulations! You've been selected to participate in the Warcraft® III: Reign of Chaos(tm) Battle.net® Beta Program.

The Beta CDs have been sent out via Federal Express; you should receive yours within the next few days. Unfortunately, we cannot re-send Beta discs or track lost Beta discs. There will be no exceptions. Generally, if a selected tester doesn't receive a copy of the Beta, it's because we don't have the tester's proper address. This rule also applies to CD keys. We are unable to provide additional CD keys for this Beta for any reason (whether lost, stolen, or never received in the first place). Please do not contact Blizzard Entertainment in the event that you do not receive your CD or CD key.

If you experience any problems installing the Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos Beta, please contact our Technical Support department at (949) 955-1382, Monday through Friday, from 9 AM to 6 PM Pacific Standard Time, or send an email to war3support@blizzard.com. As noted above, please do not call Technical Support with issues regarding an un-received, lost, or stolen CD or CD key.

The Beta includes all of the full game's races, units, and heroes. However, the Beta is playable only through Battle.net. Excluded from the Beta are the following full-game features: single-player mode, multiplayer LAN games, all cinematic sequences, computer opponents, the campaign editor, saving and loading, and several Battle.net features.

The principal purpose of this Beta is to test game balance and to test the anonymous matchmaking functionality on Battle.net. We prefer that you help us test anonymous matchmaking in Warcraft III by logging on when others are most likely to be playing, such as during the evening hours of Pacific Standard Time. Of course, we appreciate all bug reports and suggestions about play balance, game features, and interface ease-of-use no matter when play occurs.

Screenshots: @ GameSpyDaily

GAME INFORMATION

For further information on the game, please refer to the "War3BetaReadme.htm" file in the Warcraft III Beta folder, or visit the Warcraft III Beta Information Center at http://www.blizzard.com/war3/Beta. Here you can find information on the game's races, units, abilities, new game concepts, strategies, and more.

DISCUSSION FORUMS

To discuss strategies, provide game feedback, and listen to other participants' experiences, please visit our Beta Forum at . Only Warcraft III Beta testers can post on this forum.

BUG REPORTS

Although we have fixed many issues, there are still bugs in the game (this is, after all, a Beta). On the front of the Warcraft III Beta Information Center site we will maintain a list of the most common bugs. If you run into any bugs while playing the Beta other than those listed on the Beta Information Center site, please submit a report through our bug database at http://www.blizzard.com/war3Beta.

KNOWN COMPATIBILITY ISSUES

1. Windows 2000 with AMD Processor & AGP Graphics Cards Systems Hang

We have recently learned that a Windows 2000 computer may stop responding (hang) when you use an Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) program such as Warcraft III, video-testing programs, etc.. This problem is known to occur with NVidia GeForce video adapters on computers with AMD Athlon processors. This issue is not specific to any particular video-adapter type. For further information about this problem and a fix, please visit our technical support web site at http://www.blizzard.com/support/Beta/AMDHang.html.

2. Midi Initialization Delay

Some sound-card configurations cause the system to appear to hang when Warcraft III is started. Most often the user experiences an unresponsive white screen. After several minutes the game will eventually start. This issue is related to a midi-hardware initialization problem. For more information and an easy workaround for this problem, visit our support site at http://www.blizzard.com/support/Beta/midi.html.


3. Engine.cpp Assertion

This error appears when your system does not have the proper Direct X drivers or Direct X-compatible drivers. You can find further information about this issue on our technical support web site at http://www.blizzard.com/support/Beta/engine.html.

4. Unable to Patch

With some system configurations, Warcraft III will not shut down properly. When this problem occurs, the patch is unable to update the appropriate files. In order to get around this problem, follow these steps:

a. After a fresh reboot, download the standalone Warcraft III patch from http://ftp.blizzard.com/pub/war3/patches/Beta/w3b_101.exe

b. Once the file is copied, install the patch by double-clicking on the file.

Further hardware and compatibility information can be found on the Warcraft III Beta Support page at http://www.blizzard.com/support/Beta.

We expect the Beta test to run a minimum of ten weeks. There's a chance that the test could last until the release of Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos; however, it may also be stopped sometime prior to that point.

Again, congratulations, and we'll see you o¶Ö�¶ttle.net!

Blizzard Entertainment