Since Starcraft 2 Heart of the Swarm comes out today I stared at the battlenet page with the item in question in my Shopping cart for a good 15 minutes debating whether to buy it or not. The price wasn't what mattered, I actually thought it was quite cheap considering the price of games these days. The only reason I hesitated was the fact that I know that Starcraft 2 requires a persistent Online connection, which I absolutely HATE. In fact I dislike it so much that that fact alone might prevent me from buying it. So I was wondering if I'm alone in this and what everyone else's thoughts are on it.
Poll: Persistent Online Connection Games.
- Thread starter NamelessFU
- Start date
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Well there is the option of buying and then adding a non-DRM patch users make, usually you get the most functional version that way.
I mostly just avoid those games altogether unless it's a free to play thing, I got a roster of games bigger then I can even manage to get through so there is really no need at all to deal with these retarded devs.
I mostly just avoid those games altogether unless it's a free to play thing, I got a roster of games bigger then I can even manage to get through so there is really no need at all to deal with these retarded devs.
I ask myself this question: can I play this game without interacting with other people and still have fun? If the answer is no, like if the game is an MMO or an effectively multiplayer-only game, then I have no problem with it. If, however, I can effectively play without directly interacting with another person, then I should damn well be able to play the game offline, and I will not purchase the game. This means that I won't buy shit like SimCity or Diablo III. I have enough other shit to play that I don't need to buy games with this always-online crap.
I thought SC2 had an offline mode? I've never used it...how limited is the functionality?
Poll is missing the option of "I will buy or not buy it depending entirely on my level of interest for the game in question". Although SimCity makes a pretty strong argument in favor of the "DRM can fuck shit up in ways you couldn't even imagine" crowd.
Starcraft is a case of a game I buy to play online in the first place, so the fact I "need" to be online is completely moot.
Poll is missing the option of "I will buy or not buy it depending entirely on my level of interest for the game in question". Although SimCity makes a pretty strong argument in favor of the "DRM can fuck shit up in ways you couldn't even imagine" crowd.
Starcraft is a case of a game I buy to play online in the first place, so the fact I "need" to be online is completely moot.
I've heard many in the industry state that this is as illegal as pirating it to begin with, what is the legality of this? I really like Blizzard and like supporting them, I have no problem paying its just the Persistent Online that bugs the crap outta me, especially since I don't plan to play this game with people at all. I just want to continue the storyline because I thought it was pretty cool.Mr.K. said:
Always online is a shitty, anti-consumer business practice and it can go fuck itself in hell.
No games I'm interested in have had this awful shit attached to them so I'm fine for now, but should I ever be interested in one then I'll pirate it. If a publisher is willing to treat me like a pirate then I am more than willing to act like one.
No games I'm interested in have had this awful shit attached to them so I'm fine for now, but should I ever be interested in one then I'll pirate it. If a publisher is willing to treat me like a pirate then I am more than willing to act like one.
StarCraft 2's offline mode works fine. It's not really "limited" at all, in that you can do the stuff you would expect to do offline - campaign and custom missions, and matches vs the AI. Since the other stuff SC2 has going for it (MP features) are all by definition online, it does its job well enough.BloatedGuppy said:
You have to be connected once to authenticate, and from there, my copy of SC2 has never, ever borked and lost my "offline" status whenever I've set it to that for playing while traveling.
OT: I have never, nor will I ever buy a game requiring an always-online internet connection that cannot justify it (for instance, MMOs or MP games). I have also never, nor will I ever pirate a game (by standard ethical definition of "piracy". I have torrented some Mass Effect DLC, and a crack for KotOR to get passed it's DRM, but only because my legit, paid-for copies of those games did not work, but pirated copies did).
Not directly in the question, but related - I will also not purchase a product from a company that I feel has no respect for its customers. To that end, regardless of my interest in a product, I will not be buying anything published by EA or Activision (starting from early last year. The last product of theirs I bought was Battlefield 3.) until I am convinced they have, for lack of a better term, "seen the error of their ways". I understand that EA/Activision and their ilk are entirely incapable of understanding my position, and simply view sales figures as a failure of a developer or a franchise, but I cannot support these business practices.
It makes me very sad indeed to watch the industry repeatedly display such rampant, flagrant disregard for its own customers. It makes me even sadder to watch some of these customers defend the industry when it does this.
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2013/03/11/simcity-is-inherently-broken-lets-not-let-this-go/
If it's singleplayer (and Sim City is single player because you can choose to play without anyone else affecting you in any way) I won't buy it, but I'm not going to pirate it because the deal with capitalism is, if something is important to you, you can vote with your wallet, not you get to pirate it and have your cake and eat it. If boycotting has no downside it's meaningless and it comes off as if you're just too cheap to pay for a game
Constant online requirements piss me off due to my terrible internet. If publishers think that always online DRM is the way forward then I and anyone who has a bad internet connection (Alot of people) are fucked, therefore will not buy the products.
I'd rather pay for the game THEN pirate it just to avoid having to put up with constant disconnections and being shoved off the game. Most likely scenario is I won't buy/pirate it at all.
I'd rather pay for the game THEN pirate it just to avoid having to put up with constant disconnections and being shoved off the game. Most likely scenario is I won't buy/pirate it at all.