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[CarbonatedFalcon]

You guys should have expected this - it is pretty much required to prevent cheating / hacking.

I can get over it, especially with a real money AH - cheating would break the game more than any other. It does bother though since there is a single-player portion and I don't think single-player games should ever have to resort to this method of DRM, but if you think of it as an MMO, with the rich online feature set, then I'm okay with it. I wouldn't expect to be able to play WoW or EVE offline. As long as they handle DCs/Outages in a good way, it'll be fine in the long run.

 

[enzo_gt]

Looking forward to hearing people find ways to defend this when hype catches up with them just before release.

 

[water_wendi]

One less game I have to buy now.

Yup.

 

[Special J]

activision and it begins

 

[Castor Krieg]

Seems like people get really pissed when UbiSoft does this.

Because Ubi brings nothing to the table to validate always-on DRM, it's their shitty way to fight piracy. Blizz gives you Battle.net features, server-side characters, etc.

 

[NinjaFromTheFuture]

Welp... that does it folks, I'm out.

Goodbye video game industry!

 

[pieatorium]

Yeah I'll still be buying it day 1 but not having a seperate single player only offline mode that can't use all the online stuff is not good. They can claim it would be confusing but you already got hardcore mode with a big warning about permadeath having a no multi warning on an offline mode wouldn't be any different.

 

[Card Boy]

Huh? How? What can be achieved by this that can't be done by keeping online and offline characters separate?

Id imagine so people can't create dupe items, and hence ruining Blizzards new money making cash cow (the Auction house)

 

[kittens]

That blows. I know at least two folks IRL who are gonna be pissed about this.

 

[Vampire Baseball]

This is messed up. I'll be entering my CC info angrily when purchasing this game.

 

[bluestuff]

its not like people aren't gonna buy this because of the internet connection lol, wow numbers proved that, and that requires a $15 monthly fee

>.>

 

[PepsimanVsJoe]

Id imagine so people can't create dupe items, and hence ruining Blizzards new money making cash cow (the Auction house)

Indeed.
What a fucking joke.

 

[Shambles]

One less game I have to buy now.

.

 

[ReaperXL7]

I want to make sure I understand something correctly, with this style of DRM, it means that if Blizzard ever decided to shut down their servers you could no longer play the game is that correct?

I just don't understand why there is this overwhelming need to force these kinds of idiotic restrictions on games these days, like it or not stuff like this will be cracked and dealt with by the people who really want to cheat/hack anyway. So the only ones who really end up suffering are the legitimate consumers.

its not like people aren't gonna buy this because of the internet connection lol, wow numbers proved that, and that requires a $15 monthly fee

I think your comparing two completely different types of games, Wow is an MMO, where as Diablo can be either a single player Loot RPG, or a multiplayer friendly experiance, but it does not need the multiplayer.

I also would not assume that everyone who plays one cares for the other either. I can't stand WoW but i've always loved diablo.

 

[Striek]

Id imagine so people can't create dupe items, and hence ruining Blizzards new money making cash cow (the Auction house)

Character Creation - Tick box 'offline singleplayer character - cannot be used online'. Problem solved.

 

[pieatorium]

Id imagine so people can't create dupe items, and hence ruining Blizzards new money making cash cow (the Auction house)

If you can't take your offline charcters to the online mode theres no risk here

 

[Radec]

wow.

Nice step back blizz.!

 

[Ghost_Protocol]

So I guess Skyrim and Battlefield will be doing this too then?

 

[Saige]

Id imagine so people can't create dupe items, and hence ruining Blizzards new money making cash cow (the Auction house)

But to use the duped items on the AH you would need to get them on a multiplayer character, which you couldn’t do with separate offline/online characters (just turn off shared stash between the two).

 

[madmook]

Ugh I do not like this. How can they expect everyone to always be connected to the internet, much less high-speed, low latency broadband?

There's just gotta be a separate totally off-line single-player mode available.

 

[gimmmick]

Wait, people actually played diablo off line? Is that when the realms were shut down? haha

 

[Noisepurge]

To be honest, who plays Diablo in single player?

I mean really whats the point.

I've always enjoyed playing it solo and also in LAN weekends. And we rarely have a stable internet connection shared for all there. I can already see the "Game terminated due to disconnection to servers" in the middle of a bossfight.

 

[Cipherr]

To be honest, who plays Diablo in single player?

I mean really whats the point.

I did at one time when I first bought the game.

 

[Jackl]

Still leaning towards buy, but really confused on why no offline-mode single player. Segregating both modes seems stupidly easy....

 

[Instro]

Character Creation - Tick box 'offline singleplayer character - cannot be used online'. Problem solved.

The question is would people rather have the ability to play offline, or the ability to move their character between single and multiplayer freely. I suppose they could have both though.

 

[Xyphie]

Called it years ago. Amazing how people are surprised, it's such a no-brainer.

 

[Ulchie]

I felt they were reasonable with SC2. I do not feel this D3 stuff is reasonable. I will ALWAYS be playing online (if I get it) but many of these decisions reek of the stench of corporate profits. They really hit the big bucks with WoW and I feel like they are losing their way now. At least we still have Valve, I guess.

 

[Xabora]

hahahaha. so what now people? I won't buy because it violates my consumer rights, blah-blah-blah?

Spoiler

I'm not buying games with such DRM btw

Yes because an extremely passive form of DRM such as logging into your account with your Client is worse than StarForce or SecruROM.
You did it with Starcraft 2.

 

[Saige]

The question is would people rather have the ability to play offline, or the ability to move their character between single and multiplayer freely. I suppose they could have both though.

Couldn’t you just start a multiplayer game with a password and play him/her solo?

 

[Striek]

Yes because an extremely passive form of DRM such as logging into your account with your Client is worse than StarForce or SecruROM.
You did it with Starcraft 2.

SC2 has an offline mode.

 

[crimsonheadGCN]

So I guess Skyrim and Battlefield will be doing this too then?

Skyrim will most likely be Steamworks and not require a persistent online connection. Battlefield 3 will most likely use a form of SecuROM and the server files are only going to be distributed through trusted server hosts, so pirates will have to wait till someone leaks those files in order to set up there own servers.

 

[Lothars]

The question is would people rather have the ability to play offline, or the ability to move their character between single and multiplayer freely. I suppose they could have both though.

play offline no question, the other option doesnt need to be there.

 

[Corran Horn]

Guess Im not surprised after SC2.

Have they said anything about limiting regions only like sc2?

 

[Xabora]

SC2 has an offline mode.

Thats guest mode and it doesn't record what you do, but it does require you to login at least once.

 

[luka]

inb4 mods change title to "Blizzard: "Please buy Torchlight II instead""

fixed for you.

Runic must be loving this.

 

[Krev]

Fuck Activision.
Treat your customers with respect if you want them to show you the same. Moves like this only push people towards piracy.

 

[RomanticHeroX]

Actiblizzard

 

[Sophia]

Called it years ago. Amazing how people are surprised, it's such a no-brainer.

I'm not surprised at all. Just disappointed.

 

[crimsonheadGCN]

fixed for you.

Runic must be loving this.

I liked that thread title. If only I was more forward thinking.

 

[subversus]

Yes because an extremely passive form of DRM such as logging into your account with your Client is worse than StarForce or SecruROM.
You did it with Starcraft 2.

I haven't bought SC2.

 

[Striek]

Thats quest mode and it doesn't record what you do, but it does require you to login at least once.

Theres guest mode, and theres offline mode. Offline mode saves to your online account once you go online, it just doesn't let you get achivements.

All SC2 is missing is LAN, which is fucking stupid and greedy in itself, I'll admit.

 

[Radec]

Called it years ago. Amazing how people are surprised, it's such a no-brainer.

good guess.

 

[Chris R]

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 don't care. I don't have internet at home except on my phone. Always online means instant no buy for me.

 

[bluestuff]

I played diablo 2 multiplayer, in 2001, on a 56k modem. I don't even understand why people in 2011 are getting upset that a game primarily focusing on loot, co-op, trading etc requires an internet connection.

 

[SUPARSTARX]

To be honest, who plays Diablo in single player?

I mean really whats the point.

This.

People playing single player are pretty much in the minority.

 

[Xabora]

Theres guest mode, and theres offline mode. Offline mode saves to your online account once you go online, it just doesn't let you get achivements.

Odd how I don't even remember that feature.

I played diablo 2 multiplayer, in 2001, on a 56k modem. I don't even understand why people in 2011 are getting upset that a game primarily focusing on loot, co-op, trading etc requires an internet connection.

People complaining in '99 over a game that required a 3D accelerator.

 

[Gustav]

Fuck Activision.
Treat your customers with respect if you want people to show it to you. This only pushes people towards piracy.

I love that whenever something happens that is considered anti-consumer (whether it actually is is another question) some consumers start crying "piracy!!!" as if it's the only logical step you can take when you don't agree with something.

 

[Striek]

Odd how I don't even remember that feature.

IIRC it only shows up if you aren't connected to the internet or b.net is down.

 

[IceMarker]

I played diablo 2 multiplayer, in 2001, on a 56k modem. I don't even understand why people in 2011 are getting upset that a game primarily focusing on loot, co-op, trading etc requires an internet connection.

Tbh it's more of a utility for me, say I want to play some D3 on the road or the power goes out, how am I supposed to play at all now

Spoiler

Torchlight II or Diablo II that's what.

 

[V_Arnold]

I played diablo 2 multiplayer, in 2001, on a 56k modem. I don't even understand why people in 2011 are getting upset that a game primarily focusing on loot, co-op, trading etc requires an internet connection.

Well. Time for subscribing to that "internet connection".
Also, Diablo 3 to require a turned-ON PC confirmed?

I like it, keeps online a little more secure than the past and people who want dedicated offline can just hack it in.

Auction House stuff is... weird, but not entirely shocking after watching them trying to fight gold sellers in WoW with every single bit of design known to man.

Exactly.