The recently released Warcraft 3 patch, 1.21b, allows players to run the game without a CD in their drive, according to N4G.

In these days of DRM and strict anti-piracy measures, the most prolific developer in the world freeing its most recent RTS from CD limitations may come as a shock. However, most Warcraft 3 players are playing the game online, where they still need a valid CD-Key in order to access Battle.net, Blizzard’s proprietary mutliplayer gateway. As such, this new patch won’t trigger an onslaught of Warcraft 3 piracy. The game is nearly six years old; everyone who wanted to play the single player campaign, legally or otherwise, has already done so. Blizzard knows that the statute of limitations on pirating Warcraft 3 has passed. Think of this patch as a big “thank you” to the fans, but don’t expect Starcraft 2 to run without a CD when it hits store shelves this year… next year… sometime this decade, at least… please.

Warcraft 3 players can patch to the latest version by logging onto Battle.net through Warcraft 3 or downloading the patch manually from Blizzard’s official site here.

Chris Taylor has always been on the cutting edge of RTS design, having birthed both Total Annihilation and the recent Supreme Commander. Gas Powered Games’ newest title, however, promises action on a significantly smaller scale. 1up has the scoop on Demigod, a DotA-inspired online PC game that puts players in control of a single powerful unit, requiring you to play nice with allies in order to raze the opponents’ base.

If you’ve somehow managed to avoid the largest user-created gaming phenomenon since Counter-Strike, DotA is short for Defense of the Ancients, and is a wildly popular Warcraft 3 map. So popular, in fact, that it’s virtually impossible to play any other type of non-ranked Warcraft 3 game over Battle.net. If DotA’s continued success is any indication, it looks like Gas Powered Games has another hit on their hands. The uninitiated should check out the map’s official site and welcome their new gaming addiction with open arms.

No word yet on when Demigod will get its very own Swedish techno hit.