About Starcraft 2 without LAN support

[Viruzzo]

Everyone is upset, but I don't think many have thought thouroughly of the reasons and the consequences of this:

1) It's not that they can't make a decent LAN support, it's just that they don't want to, mostly for anti-piracy.
2) The game will likely play peer-to-peer, with Battle.net used only as a game administrator: this means no particular lag and no need for exceptional bandwith. This would also allow Hamachi LANs, you will only need to have an original key to access Battle.net.
3) If they go on with this, they will not add LAN play later: it would defeat any purpose they might have.
4) Seriously, they will not make you pay to host games or things like these: it's just not realistic.
5) Spawn install is dead, it wasn't there in WC3 and will not be there in any other game, it's just not convenient from a business perspective.

I'm ambivalent about this: it bugs me, but it may actually be a working anti-piracy measure. That said, I believe they will put in LAN support in the end, if nothing else because everyone is gonna complain without even having an idea of what this is about.

As a final note, mind that the blame on these measures is on VPN systems like Hamachi: before, you could only play locally with a pirated game, but now thanks to those you have virtually access to the same multiplayer possibilities as someone with an original copy.

 

[phar]

Everyones jumping to conclusions before theyve told everyone what features battlenet will have. Im keeping out of the complaints until they come out wiht what features bnet will have. If all I need to do is to connect to bnet then click local game for example.. its hardly a problem.

 

[Credge]

I'd just like to point something out with the following statement.

2) The game will likely play peer-to-peer, with Battle.net used only as a game administrator: this means no particular lag and no need for exceptional bandwith. This would also allow Hamachi LANs, you will only need to have an original key to access Battle.net.

If this is the case then a Garena-type program for BNet2.0 games will come out and piracy will exist.

All it would take would be to re-route where you go after you click online from BNet2.0 to whatever service that is offered, like what has happened with WC3, Diablo 2, etc.

P2P ranked RTS doesn't work. At all. Blizzard knows this.

 

[Viruzzo]

If this is the case then a Garena-type program for BNet2.0 games will come out and piracy will exist. [...]

Yes and no. You suppose that they will be able to create a fake Battle.net service, but that may not necessarily be the case, perhaps not for a while. There is no 100% perfect anti-piracy measure, so they may just do their best without screwing players too much.

 

[Vanguard_Ex]

A lot of people (read: gamers) just seem to love to condemn things that haven't even been made yet. Left 4 Dead 2 springs to mind. You can never say with absolution that something is going to be shit. You just have to wait and see.

 

[Nutcase]

Everyones jumping to conclusions before theyve told everyone what features battlenet will have. Im keeping out of the complaints until they come out wiht what features bnet will have. If all I need to do is to connect to bnet then click local game for example.. its hardly a problem.

It's most assuredly a problem if you don't have an internet connection. Duh.

 

[Viruzzo]

It's most assuredly a problem if you don't have an internet connection. Duh.

The chance that you can't have an internet connection are low by themselves, even more so when you are making a LAN... Just go to the house of someone who has it, or steal a wi-fi or use a cell phone.
Still yes, that's the only real problem (other than the possible loss of performance if the game it's not P2P) that it would cause.

 

[zauxz]

I bet there will be special user created programs, that will let us play on lan.

 

[McAster]

Right, I want LAN play.

There is nothing quite like playing a game in the same room as all your best mates, being able to laugh and joke at each other or "accidentally throw something at them".

Of course people have made ways to make Total Annihilation LAN and Internet playable, so they will fans will make the same here somehow. They are just obsessive enough to do that.

 

[Nutcase]

It's most assuredly a problem if you don't have an internet connection. Duh.

The chance that you can't have an internet connection are low by themselves, even more so when you are making a LAN... Just go to the house of someone who has it, or steal a wi-fi or use a cell phone.
Still yes, that's the only real problem (other than the possible loss of performance if the game it's not P2P) that it would cause.

Homes tend to suck as LAN spaces though. Space and ventilation is not sufficient, there aren't enough empty tables and seating, etc. If there is enough space, then there's usually also a family which you have to schedule to be somewhere else at the time. Setting up at a workplace, school, clubroom, summer cabin or similar places is the way to go. There are various reasons you often can't get online from these kinds of places: no network connection, security rules forbid plugging in any private gear, etc. Cellphone as a backbone for an entire LAN (if it fails the LAN is screwed) seems more than a little suspect, too.

It's not just urban LANners that the decision shortchanges. People like deployed military and sailors get the shaft too.

 

[Boxpopper]

The only thing I'm worried about is how terrible the unexplainable latency issues were on Battle.Net. I swear, me and my friends had to try making a game about 10 times and hopefully it would finally work.

 

[TaborMallory]

I was almost furious about them removing LAN support, but then again, battlenet could have some new awesome features. I'm going to wait on my opinion until the game actually comes out.

 

[Carnagath]

They have already admitted that they are thinking of adding pay-to-use features in Battlenet soon. What they're trying to do is pretty simple, rob you of all other options to play the game other than Battlenet, and soon milk you by trying to make you pay a dollar here and a dollar there to use various features. For a company that is already making BILLIONS every year, they certainly are evil, manipulative, moneygrubbing whores.

 

[Viruzzo]

Please note that I'm not saying that this sucks and will screw up some people's LANs, but only that it's not that terrible and in most cases it can be overcome.

Setting up at a workplace, school, clubroom, summer cabin or similar places is the way to go. There are various reasons you often can't get online from these kinds of places: no network connection, security rules forbid plugging in any private gear, etc.

Yeah houses are good only for small enough groups of people, but then for larger groups you will need larger spaces that will need to be rented, and then you can choose a place with a connection, or even just go to an organized LAN center/cafè.

Cellphone as a backbone for an entire LAN (if it fails the LAN is screwed) seems more than a little suspect, too.

With a decent UMTS/HDSPA you should be able to do fine, but I suppose not everyone has access to it.

People like deployed military and sailors get the shaft too.

That is something I haven't thought about, though I'm not sure if it regards anyone else than Americans (Italian soldiers don't get games).

They have already admitted that they are thinking of adding pay-to-use features in Battlenet soon.

Sources please.

 

[kiltmanfortywo]

I love playing LAN matches with the other guys in my unit. Our internet is shit but the LAN is exceptional so when we all have a few minutes we get together and play a match or two. Making us go through battle.net will severely inhibit our fun/playability.

 

[Nutcase]

Setting up at a workplace, school, clubroom, summer cabin or similar places is the way to go. There are various reasons you often can't get online from these kinds of places: no network connection, security rules forbid plugging in any private gear, etc.

Yeah houses are good only for small enough groups of people, but then for larger groups you will need larger spaces that will need to be rented, and then you can choose a place with a connection, or even just go to an organized LAN center/cafè.

If there are more players than fit a house, I'd say chances are good one can secure a free space. Like I said - workplace, school. It's not like those conference rooms and classrooms are in use on weekends.

 

[Carnagath]

Sources please.

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/92748-Update-StarCraft-II-Will-Not-Support-LAN

 

[Viruzzo]

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/92748-Update-StarCraft-II-Will-Not-Support-LAN

What says here is that they could make you pay to organize tournaments/leagues, which you could just as well do in an "unofficial" way, but having an organized official system is a nice possibility. It's different from making you pay to actually use the system.

Like I said - workplace, school. It's not like those conference rooms and classrooms are in use on weekends.

I'm pretty sure none of the schools I've been to would give access for a LAN party, even more so unchecked access on weekends, and for free. But I suppose in other countries that may be different.

 

[Master_Fubar23]

They have already admitted that they are thinking of adding pay-to-use features in Battlenet soon. What they're trying to do is pretty simple, rob you of all other options to play the game other than Battlenet, and soon milk you by trying to make you pay a dollar here and a dollar there to use various features. For a company that is already making BILLIONS every year, they certainly are evil, manipulative, moneygrubbing whores.

damn them ><

 

[Sevre]

Until we find out what is in the new BNet it is hard to say but until then I'm all for adding LAN to this game.