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Diablo 3 will require a persistent Internet connection to play/has always online DRM

C

crimsonheadGCN

Banned
Remember when you first heard stuff like how either Steam or StarCraft 2 require you to be online for authentication purposes? That the process to play or utilize either service offline can be a bit circuitous, but at least it's still possible to be offline. But, Diablo 3 differs in that you must be online to play at all -- not just for authentication.

Executive vice president of game design Rob Pardo notes that the wealth of improvements and features Diablo 3 brings to Battle.net necessitate the always-online requirement. Specific additions that he refers to include:

A persistent friends list.
Cross-game chat via the RealID system.
Persistent characters that are stored server-side (no more having to play online once every 90 days, nor item duplication cheats).
Persistent party system.
Player-versus-player and public game matchmaking.
Dynamic drop-in/out for co-op
Larger item stash that gets shared among all of your characters (at the moment, up to 10)
The auction house, outlined here.
The Achievement system and detailed stat-tracking, both of which feed into the final point:
The Banner system, a visual way to display your prowess in the game. Banners start out like emblems, where you can choose from an array of symbols, patterns, and overall shape/design. Then, you can tweak its appearance through Achievements and other accomplishments. Examples Pardo cites include whether the character is in Hardcore mode, how many Achievements have been earned, how many PVP victories, and so forth. Additionally, the Banners also have gameplay features; in-game, rather than use Town Portal, you can click on a player's Banner to instantly teleport over to said player.
While Pardo recognizes that people sometimes want or need to play offline (such as internet outages, or playing on a laptop during an airplane flight), he notes that the increased security, plus benefits like the above, outweigh those other concerns. "I want to play Diablo 3 on my laptop in a plane, but, well, there are other games to play for times like that."

Interestingly, before our own play session for preview purposes, we saw what happens when you try to play offline (or get knocked offline): you get stuck at the login screen (a la World of Warcraft). The reason? The beta server wasn't online. How do you feel about this? Are you already online all the time anyways (for Steam or WOW)? Or is this a significant issue? Let us know in the comments below.

Also, if you're curious about some of the new Battle.net features, click on through for some screens (fullsize images also available by clicking on the screen itself) below.
Click to expand...

http://www.1up.com/news/diablo-3-requires-online-when-playing
 
M

Morn

Banned
http://uk.pc.ign.com/articles/118/1185020p2.html

As part of Blizzard's plan to provide a secure trading environment, Diablo III will require a constant online connection whether you're playing alone, with friends or competing in player-versus-player matches. Your characters will all be stored on Blizzard's servers to ensure there isn't any hacking going on, ideally maintaining a safe, secure environment.
Click to expand...

Seems like people get really pissed when UbiSoft does this.

It's not like SCII where there's an offline mode either.
 
C

Card Boy

Banned
Lets see if this will receives the same uproar as when Ubisoft does it, or whether they will get a free pass cause its Blizzard.
 
L

Lothars

Member
I don't agree with this at all and think this is Bullshit, I don't have an issue with SC2 method but I really don't like this.
 
S

sykoex

Lost all credibility.
Gez said:
Lets see if this will receives the same uproar as when Ubisoft does it, or whether they will get a free pass cause its Blizzard.
Click to expand...
I feel like it's a fair trade for the extensive online features they put into the game.
 
F

Feep

Banned
Four threads on the same thing within a minute. Does every Blizzard fan hit F5 every twenty seconds, waiting for random news?
 
A

ampere

Member
Not surprising considering how Blizzard did Starcraft 2, I didn't even know there was a way to play offline. I'm sure this will frustrate some people, but I would be playing Diablo 3 for the multiplayer so I'll be online anyway.
 
scoobs

scoobs

Member
I dont see why this is a big deal anymore. I guess i'm just always connected to the internet so it doesnt really effect me.
 
B

Brazil

Living in the shadow of Amaz
Blizzard is on a negative roll since TBC, huh?

Anyway, I couldn't care less about this, but sucks to hear anyway.
 
I

IceMarker

Member
This is NOT okay with me, I mean holy shit what happens when they have scheduled or unscheduled maintenance?

"Okay I guess I'll just play some SP until then... wait a second."
 
S

Saige

I must do better.
Always online drm? No buy.

If Ubi does this with Farcry 3 or Trackmania I’ll do the same, Blizzard is no different.
 
A

ampere

Member
Forkball said:
Kinda OT, but will everyone be able to see your RealID or can you block it?
Click to expand...
You have to 'add' people to show your RealID. Basically if I knew your email address I could send you a friend request, but otherwise I couldn't see your RealID. People only see your real name if you share your email address with them.

It's optional, you can turn it off entirely if you want.
 
B

bluestuff

Member
they could prolly make single player offline, but there reasoning was that people wanted to keep there characters between single player and multiplayer, thus making the game alot easier to hack ( as was the case of D2), this way they feel the issue is avoided/solved.
 
S

Striek

Member
Bregor said:
You guys should have expected this - it is pretty much required to prevent cheating / hacking.
Click to expand...
No, its not. You only need seperate SP and MP accounts. Not exactly asking for a lot.
 
C

CB3

intangibles, motherfucker
To be honest, who plays Diablo in single player?

I mean really whats the point.
 
S

subversus

I've done nothing with my life except eat and fap
hahahaha. so what now people? I won't buy because it violates my consumer rights, blah-blah-blah?
I'm not buying games with such DRM btw
 
R

ReaperXL7

Member
I like Diablo, but this won't go over very well with anyone I don't think. Why should I be forced to play single player on their servers? damn what the hell is wrong with this gen, and these dumbass DRM choices.
 
I

Instro

Member
rhfb said:
Well that means no diablo for me then :( why can't single player be offline?
Click to expand...
I'd assume that if you want offline single player, then that character would never be able to be used in multiplayer due to risk of hacks and cheating. I could be wrong but I believe the current system allows the character to play single and multi.
 
I

IceMarker

Member
Bregor said:
You guys should have expected this - it is pretty much required to prevent cheating / hacking.
Click to expand...
Then damnit have an offline only mode at the very least, characters that can't be taken online.

Blizzard designers, there are SO MANY other ways you could have handled cheating and hacking, and you chose the most annoying way possible.
 
DJ_Lae

DJ_Lae

Member
Well, shit.

I did preorder the game for only $40, but I'm not sure if I really want to keep it now. The way I have my computer set up it's never going to cause a huge problem, but I don't exactly want to support this sort of thing either.
 
L

Lothars

Member
subversus said:
hahahaha. so what now people? I won't buy because it violates my consumer rights, blah-blah-blah?
I'm not buying games with such DRM btw
Click to expand...

I'm still buying it Day One, it's gonna be an amazing game but I just don't agree with this DRM unless it offered an offline mode or equivalent.
 
E

Eusis

Member
Instro said:
I thought people were pissed at Ubi for doing it in single player only games?
Click to expand...

ciaossu said:
I'm sure this will frustrate some people, but I would be playing Diablo 3 for the multiplayer so I'll be online anyway.
Click to expand...
This about sums it up for me. I don't like it much at all, but I only ever enjoyed Diablo 2 with others and 3 will probably be the same way. This is mainly frustrating when it's put into games that I only care to play alone or don't even HAVE multiplayer features (like Assassin's Creed 2.) This seems likely to be more an extension of the kind of game it is than just bullshit anti-piracy measures.
 
undu

undu

Member
I wouldn't mind if it was Free to play (something that blizz is considering), but sadly it isn't right now.

What happened to the campaign mode? :/
 
D

Durante

Member
Bregor said:
You guys should have expected this - it is pretty much required to prevent cheating / hacking.
Click to expand...
Huh? How? What can be achieved by this that can't be done by keeping online and offline characters separate?
 
N

Nekrono

Member
Thanks for saving me 60 bucks Blizzard, everything that was released after the embargo went down is pretty bad, the gameplay video has nothing exciting going for it, it looks dull, the real money transactions and this DRM .... you're not what you used to be Blizzard, and yet a lot of people supports them and Activision, lol oh well.
 
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