Why are people freaking out over the "Always Online" aspect of Diablo 3?

[OldRat]

I, like probably many other people, live in an imperfect world where the internet connection is held, ever so precariously, together by a length of cable, wooden poles, a small box (that apparently contains some unholy gremlins that require a daily sacrifice of reboot so they won't devour its innards) and the fact my ISP doesn't give a shit about my connection as long as they get their money and I won't call them fifteen times in three days. Also there's apparently some unexplainable magic that devours my connection during any kind of activity peak hours.
And, since we live in this grim, dark world, one can find it, ever so slightly, vexing that a game, no matter if single player is desired, simply will not let me run it unless my connection will remain spotless in use, during the hours I game (which tends to be the hours most people game). This, my friends, is akin to demanding a mouse to pull a horse carriage and threatening to shoot it in the little mousy face with a shotgun if the demands are not met. IT DOESN'T WORK, JUST SHOOT THE MOUSE OR LEAVE IT BE!

On a sidenote, yes, I do use Steam. But Steam has this magical thing called "offline mode". Also "Not fucking disconnecting me from a single player game and calling me a bad person if my connection hiccups during play."

In conclusion, please don't shoot mice, Blizzard. Or if you do, don't justify it with inability to carry out impossible tasks.

ADDENDUM: appropriately enough, as if in agreement of the point, my ever so wonderful internet connection died while writing this, and I had to go unplug my modem for a while. The gremlins have been pleased.

 

[Firgof]

starcraft 2 had this exact same DRM that diablo 3 is going to have.

This is false. Starcraft 2 has a single 'call home'. Diablo 3 'streams' from the server you're playing from. All the monsters, the AI, and so on are not performed on your machine.

This means that, yes, if you have high ping you'll jump around the screen; your HP will take huge hits out of nowhere, and so on and so forth as you'll be "out of sync" with the game.

Unlike SC2 which just checks to make sure you're online when you play; almost everything is local.

 

[orangeban]

The problem is you buy a game, and it isn't yours. Instead of owning the game and being able to play it whenever I want, I have to play it on Blizzard's terms. And with your thing about the auction, just don't let single-player characters sell stuff online, seperate multiplayer and singleplayer.

 

[Moriarty]

Either way, it doesn't affect me, neither will it really affect anyone else, that's the main jist of my point. Even if this was a legitimate problem outside the realm of people who like to hear the sound of their own online voice, don't buy the game.

well it does affect you. No matter how fast or reliable your internet connection is, there will still be a delay between your input and the servers reaction. And sometime you WILL find yourself without internet and locked out of games that have no reason to stop working.

I never once said they were trying to do me a favour neither do I care if they ever did or didn't; like I said, my main point is that this issue isn't half as bad as people are making it out to be. I couldn't care less whether they are or aren't trying to combat piracy, and I don't care about character unification. Let me re-iterate, my main point was directed at those who raged about something which is, to adults, a non-issue.

I wasn't trying to put words in your mouth, I was giving you reasons to care about this. The publisher is making a game worse for paying customers to combat piracy/increase profits and thinks he can get away while claiming to be on your side in this conflict. Don't you care that the people you buy from think you stupid enough to be tricked that easily?

Could you define correctly configured? It was always my understanding that, save for offline mode, Steam requires a connection to their servers in order for a game to validate itself with Steam's servers before play commences. I could be wrong.

Well, to play a game you have to activate it once. Usually this happens when you buy it through the steam store. If you deactivate the automatic game updating steam offers, you're never going to have to connect to the internet again to play the game. (Unless it has additional DRM like GfWL).

Also, I never mentioned anything to do with trolling or fanboys. But if "trolling fanboy" is what comes to your mind when you think of the people that are raging about this, then fine.

let me quote that part for you:

This will affect 0% of all clear thinking adults. The kids (and yes, they can be adults too, but the fact they are raging means they lose adult status)

Also, I'm not sure where 'customer rights' comes into this. Could you please give me your definition of it?

Yeah, those were those things we lost when companies decided we don't buy games anymore, we buy "licenses" that can be revoked any time they wish.


Anyone else not getting the "quoted by" notifications in the messages windows? There seems to be a 30h delay for me.

 

[Elamdri]

Why don't they just have a single-player that's actually separate from the online store and won't let you cross your character over?

Because then blizzard doesn't make money from the online store with you.

They wouldn't be making money anyway if your the type to only play offline. Instead they lose themself a game sale.

We're entering a new age of gaming where the money to be made is not off game sales, but rather constant streams of income throughout the life of the game. That's the way the industry is headed.

 

[Nuds]

Am I missing the point here or something?

Diablo II had the "Ladder" branch which is the main official multiplayer part of the game. No one could care less what you do with your single player characters/items, since they are kept separate from the ladder files. This means that the shiny +9999 stat item you hacked in single player cannot be let loose on the ladder.

Obviously people was still able to bot/dupe items on ladder, but afaik this isn't due to there being a single player "mode".



Now regarding Diablo 3, I really can't think of a reason why you should want/need the auction system for single player (defined by playing offline/on your own).

Obviously, Blizz wouldn't be stupid enough to allow players to farm/hack stuff on their single player save files and then go online to destroy the auction house. Simply because they had the ladder system in Diablo 2, no reason why they can't that for D3.

So in my mind, the perfect system would be to have the standard single player mode where you just boot up the game and jump into it like in diablo 1/2 (with no auction house) and the multiplayer mode which is like the current D2 multiplayer, complete with the ladder for normal/hardcore (auction house for ladder normal, no AH for hardcore ladder).

That way you can do whatever you want in single player (mods etc.) but the "official" files would be on the multiplayer "ladder" where all information is stored on their servers (like the current D2 ladder).

 

[orangeban]

I thought the Penny-Arcade summary was pretty on point about this topic.

^Pretty much the exact image I have in my mind.

Honestly what PC gamer still have a crappy internet service these days. If my wi-fi craps out which it rarely does, then there's your neighbors wi-fi, or a school, or a starbucks/cafe, or any-f***ing-where (free wifi is literally everywhere). And who would want to be playing D3 on a plane?

If you don't have good internet access then the problem isn't Blizzard excluding you from their target demographic (or whatever similar nonsense), the problem is that you yourself is excluded from the entire world, and you live under a rock...that has no internet access....

People who have bad internet connections -
People who experience bad weather
People who travel alot
People too poor to afford constant internet
People who live in remote areas
People getting internet from BT (screw you so much BT)

Also, I should have the right to play the game *I* bought and own without having to (illegally) hack into my neighbours internet connection or slog down to Starbucks (and please suggest how I carry my desktop down there, I can't work out the logistics)

Edit: Whoopsies, forgot the big one, stupid me:
Some people just have shitty internet! I for one can't play Team Fortress 2 at my home because the internet tends to blip every few minutes.

 

[Elamdri]

I thought the Penny-Arcade summary was pretty on point about this topic.

^Pretty much the exact image I have in my mind.

Yeah, it's a shame really, but what alternative is there?

If only there was a place - a bay if you will, of like minded people who frequently had copies of singleplayer games without their DRMs. Then this place could provide such copies for people who would not enjoy this unnecessary requirement. Perhaps it would also somehow not contribute to the sales of the game too, teaching the developer a valuable lesson about implementing such a system.

Alas...

....

I like the fact that I can answer a response to a Penny-Arcade comic with another Penny-Arcade comic. That's quite useful.

 

[Jandau]

I added this in another edit to my original post, but I'll post it here as well:

There will be an offline mode in D3. Source?

http://forums.battle.net/thread.html?topicId=27387874231&sid=3000 (scroll down to the blue post)

Not only that, but it's old news. This whole "controversy" is just silly. You'll have an offline mode. If you want a character to participate in any sort of multiplayer, you'll have to make an "Always Online" character to prevent exploits which would compromise the Cash Auction House.

But I suppose rage is always preffered on the internet. As opposed to, you know, using Google for 30 seconds, which is how long it took me to dig up that post.

Seriously people, chill out already...

 

[orangeban]

I added this in another edit to my original post, but I'll post it here as well:

There will be an offline mode in D3. Source?

http://forums.battle.net/thread.html?topicId=27387874231&sid=3000 (scroll down to the blue post)

Not only that, but it's old news. This whole "controversy" is just silly. You'll have an offline mode. If you want a character to participate in any sort of multiplayer, you'll have to make an "Always Online" character to prevent exploits which would compromise the Cash Auction House.

But I suppose rage is always preffered on the internet. As opposed to, you know, using Google for 30 seconds, which is how long it took me to dig up that post.

Seriously people, chill out already...

Then why would they say there wasn't offline play? I'm suspicious of that post, I think offline won't have all the features of online (even if we just talk single-player).

Though it concerns me that Blizzard is going to "discourage" offline single-player. Bugger off Blizzard, don't tell me how to play the game, what you should be doing is making it clear that offline singleplayer characters can't be taken online, so you don't get that panic situation you described.

 

[Jerubbaal]

I added this in another edit to my original post, but I'll post it here as well:

There will be an offline mode in D3. Source?

http://forums.battle.net/thread.html?topicId=27387874231&sid=3000 (scroll down to the blue post)

Not only that, but it's old news. This whole "controversy" is just silly. You'll have an offline mode. If you want a character to participate in any sort of multiplayer, you'll have to make an "Always Online" character to prevent exploits which would compromise the Cash Auction House.

But I suppose rage is always preffered on the internet. As opposed to, you know, using Google for 30 seconds, which is how long it took me to dig up that post.

Seriously people, chill out already...

Fancy this, sometimes plans change. Blizzard has explicitly stated that there won't be offline mode, which trumps your year-old blue post from the B.Net forums. Should I trust last weeks official Blizzard press release or should I trust what some forum mod though to be the case a year ago?

 

[Zukhramm]

Because I'm not always online. It's as simple as that. I've got a good internet connection, but it's not perfect.

They could of course, let you make an offline-only character but apparently the argument is now that players should not have choices to make, because they migt make choices they will regret.

 

[Vivi22]

Mine too. This will affect 0% of all clear thinking adults. The kids (and yes, they can be adults too, but the fact they are raging means they lose adult status) that are raging simply saw a sensitive topic involved, saw Blizzards name and engaged vitriol spurtation (that is now officially a word).

Always online, even for DRM purposes = utterly unaffected, I already use Steam...

Using Steam as a point of comparison is rather silly since you can play any offline components of your Steam games without an internet connection. You aren't at the mercy of your ISP, or Valve doing server maintenance if all you want to do is play through half-Life 2 or Portal again.

Also, there are a lot more people out their with internet connections that aren't consistent enough to allow them to play a game with an always online requirement when they want. Whether it be because of shitty download caps curbing their use, or a spotty connection to begin with. It's easy to not realize that when you've been spoiled with a decent connection for years, but there are a surprising number of people in first world countries who will have a hard time playing this game. Anyone who wants to play this on a laptop while traveling, good luck to you I say.

And for what? So Blizzard can force people to interact with the online components, and maybe make some more money off of them through their cut of auction house sales, even if all that player wants to do is play by themselves.

Considering the original games included an offline single player mode, which I take it a lot of people used given the backlash, I can't blame those with bad internet connections, or who just don't like having to be online to play by themselves for feeling like Blizzard just kicked them in the junk and told them it was a fun new feature.

 

[ParkourMcGhee]

I don't think I ever cheated in Diablo 2, but I'd still like the option there, as well as the option to play with friends while not having to be online 100% of the time.

Here on holiday in Serbia, I'm paying literally £10 PER GIGABYTE of internet I use. Naturally I'd rather just get a crossover cable or hub and make a lan game.

Of course it probably won't severely affect my decision whether to buy the game or not, but it has an effect. Moreover if I see something as a dickish move, I'm less likely to support a publisher/developer. How much of an effet that has you say? Again probably none, but hey *shrug* you never know.

 

[aescuder]

I thought the Penny-Arcade summary was pretty on point about this topic.

^Pretty much the exact image I have in my mind.

Honestly what PC gamer still have a crappy internet service these days. If my wi-fi craps out which it rarely does, then there's your neighbors wi-fi, or a school, or a starbucks/cafe, or any-f***ing-where (free wifi is literally everywhere). And who would want to be playing D3 on a plane?

If you don't have good internet access then the problem isn't Blizzard excluding you from their target demographic (or whatever similar nonsense), the problem is that you yourself is excluded from the entire world, and you live under a rock...that has no internet access....

People who have bad internet connections -
People who experience bad weather
People who travel alot
People too poor to afford constant internet
People who live in remote areas
People getting internet from BT (screw you so much BT)

Also, I should have the right to play the game *I* bought and own without having to (illegally) hack into my neighbours internet connection or slog down to Starbucks (and please suggest how I carry my desktop down there, I can't work out the logistics)

Edit: Whoopsies, forgot the big one, stupid me:
Some people just have shitty internet! I for one can't play Team Fortress 2 at my home because the internet tends to blip every few minutes.

If people have the money to buy diablo 3 AND a Desktop/Laptop powerful enough to run diablo 3, I don't understand why they can't afford a proper internet provider. I don't think there are a lot of destitute people, or even people whose primary concern is to fish for food or crop the fields, that are gamers. If you travel then there are always mobile broadband USB "internet sticks", or like I said free wi-fi is everywhere (even in a hicktown like Ohio, where I live).

Anyway, I'm sure you'll still be able to play the single player even with a shotty internet service (much like SC2). If you were planning to play multiplayer then (duh) you absolutely need a better internet service, which pretty much goes for every multiplayer game out there not just blizzard games. You're internet can't be that bad...I mean you're here discussing this right now...on the internet...

Honestly it's 2011 people, and internet access is a bit of a necessity these days while gaming is still a luxury. If you don't have internet access then I'm surprised that you can do research for school or even get a job these days (where online application is pretty much commonplace)...getting a $60 game is the least of your problems.

 

[telmac]

Im not terribly worried about the "it checks in on me every few minutes" idea, but my internet can go from 20 mb/s to 200 kb/s, so being connected to my own battle.net game does not sound inviting. We'll have to wait until its actually released, and there better be a demo of some sort.