Blizzard Surprised by Reaction to Online-Only Diablo 3

[Andronicus]

"We've been doing online gameplay for 15 years now... and with Battle.net [http://www.amazon.com/World-Warcraft-Battle-Chest-Mac/dp/B000H96C9M/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1312484407&sr=8-2] and now with Diablo 3, it really is just the nature of how things are going, the nature of the industry. When you look at everything you get by having that persistent connection on the servers, you cannot ignore the power and the draw of that."

This would make sense, in a single player game at least, if:
A) Internet was free
B) Internet was available anywhere, at anytime, for anyone.
C) Internet was 100% reliable all the time.
D) Having internet on all the time offered any actual benefits, or at the very least subtracted nothing from the base single-player part of the game, including the option to play without having to interact with other people.

Until these comes to fruition, there is always going to be backlash.

Seriously, was this guy only born yesterday?

 

[Fledge]

It's a shame gamers don't have a spine today. If we did, we would have started boycott campagin by now.

 

[marurder]

I feel there is no need for a constant internet connection in SP. Again, you should have the option of characters that can be online or offline. Come to think of it, it seems that all the characters would be hosted on their servers (to prevent editing) much in the same way as WOW.

 

[6SteW6]

I dunno it looks like we have two choices here: Either buy the game or pass on it. Blizzard makes a million gazillion dollars a year, they need to fill their games with intrusive DRM's (I'm not buying for a second that's not the reason, it totally is) to ensure they keep making a gazillion dollars a year. If we all get pissy and boycott D3 causing it to flop then they will stop making Diablo games and focus on other things and bathe in their big bathtubs of money, cause they can.

 

[Ed130 The Vanguard]

Was going to get this game, in till I found out about the constant online thing. Net in NZ is to sketchy to put up with for a single player game besides I pay per GB, I don't mind raking up the net bill for a multiplayer session but for a single player game - No bloody way.

Same goes for me as well, don't they realise that not everyone has access to reliable internet yet?

REcaptcha: erpopi holland

 

[Amdor6]

"World of Warcraft requires a connection to the Internet all the time! Why wouldn't Diablo III (in single player)? It's the same after all."

Brilliant.

 

[Jdb]

They're surprised because they don't realize some people are figuring out the biggest reason for no offline mode and no mods.

The biggest reason for no offline mode and no mods is to force players closer to the auction house. The biggest reason is not to combat piracy and cheating.

Also, the biggest reason for no stat and skill points in favor of more item based customization is because you can't put stat and skill points on the auction house. The biggest reason is not to streamline character creation.

All major complaints about recent developments lead to the auction house.

They're turning Diablo 3 into a money printer that takes away player control over the game. If Diablo 3 succeeds, more games will use this system. Negative criticism needs to keep the pressure up not just for the sake of Diablo 3, but for future games to come.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

It's simply a matter that many gamers, including myself, don't want to have to connect to the Internet to play a single player game, or rather don't want to have to invoke our Internet connection to play a single player game. And I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one whose not really interested in the multiplayer. Having a constant connection to the Internet is fine if you're playing an MMO or playing some other form of online multiplayer game, but when playing single player one expects that the Internet is not required. Even with High Speed Internet where the connection is always present, one still doesn't expect it to be required for a single player experience. It's the principle of the thing.

 

[II2]

Hold the phone, don't 99% of games on steam work just fine w/o an active connection (once they're dl'd and installed?), unless it's said they need one, specifically, in the system requirements.

They seem to work for me??

I don't mean to be daft, but could you expand on where you encountered this problem on steam? I've only ever seen it on some of the 'always on' Ubisoft DRM titles. Is it also on Valve's titles? Or...???

CORRECTION!

When I play Dawn of War 2 and my steam goes down I can't even touch the single player without reconnecting my steam first.

Steam is the bane of offline single player gaming.

That's a pretty bad example, if you're trying to make a general statement, given that "Online Steam Connection" is one of the listed as one of the system requirements for Dawn of War II: Retribution, along with cloud saves / leaderboards etc. Similarly Dawn of War II (vanilla) uses Games For Windows Live, online connection required.

 

[ascorbius]

I have to fly from time to time, when I do, I take my laptop and sometimes play games.
There's no internet on the plane - so Always Connected would mean that I couldn't play on the plane. And I'm not paying stupid prices to play games in a hotel. So that's single player games only.

There is absolutely no reason for a game to be always on-line for a single player campaign unless someone wants to watch you play or check you're not playing illegally. It's not DRM? Pull the other one, it's got bells on!.

You're surprised by the reaction? I'm surprised by your surprise!

 

[Tony2077]

It's simply a matter that many gamers, including myself, don't want to have to connect to the Internet to play a single player game, or rather don't want to have to invoke our Internet connection to play a single player game. And I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one whose not really interested in the multiplayer. Having a constant connection to the Internet is fine if you're playing an MMO or playing some other form of online multiplayer game, but when playing single player one expects that the Internet is not required. Even with High Speed Internet where the connection is always present, one still doesn't expect it to be required for a single player experience. It's the principle of the thing.

unless your like me and have it on all the time streaming email its just easier to leave it on

 

[DSK-]

Blizzard Surprised by Reaction to Online-Only Diablo 3

Blizzard's Robert Bridenbecker says he's surprised at the negative reaction to the news that Diablo 3 [http://www.amazon.com/Diablo-III-Pc/dp/B00178630A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312484335&sr=8-1] will require an always-on internet connection to play.

In my mind, the reaction to Diablo 3's always-on internet requirement [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/editorials/reviews/previews/9055-Diablo-III-Hands-On] was entirely predictable. Whether as a point of principle or practicality, a lot of gamers just don't like the idea of being forced to connect to the internet to play a single-player game. But Bridenbecker, Blizzard's vice president of online technology, apparently didn't see it coming.

"I'm actually kind of surprised in terms of there even being a question in today's age around online play and the requirement around that," Bridenbecker told Battle.net [http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2011/08/04/blizzard-vp-surprised-over-fan-reaction-to-diablo-3-online-requirements/] and now with Diablo 3, it really is just the nature of how things are going, the nature of the industry. When you look at everything you get by having that persistent connection on the servers, you cannot ignore the power and the draw of that."

He also claimed that the always-on requirement has absolutely nothing to do with DRM. "I don't think [DRM] ever came up when we talked about how we want connections to operate," he said. So why not just make an offline mode for people who want to play that way? "You're introducing a separate user flow, a separate path that players are going to go down," he explained. "And, at the end of the day, how many people are going to want to do that?"



Permalink

What a load of complete and utter bollocks this person from Blizz is talking about. They should of learned from when Bioware had a back lash against persistent online DRM when the likes of many people including servicemen/women who couldn't always have access to an internet connection said that it was unjust and draconian. Bioware later removed this DRM and replaced it with a CD check (if I recall - I could be wrong).

I know that time has moved on from then but it still baffles me why they thought it was acceptable. Not everyone can have access to an internet connection 100% of the time. Unless of course they are pandering to the player playerbase that plays a ridiculously large amount of WoW/other popular RPG's (no offense intended to anyone).

 

[VileTerror]

Considering I /still/ die due to random lag spikes while playing Diablo 2 . . . no. No, I really think he's just being intentionally obtuse when he claims he didn't expect a negative response.
Take a page from Nintendo's recent book, and take a massive pay-cut, Mister Bridenbecker. You clearly don't deserve whatever you're getting paid.

 

[Dragunai]

Hold the phone, don't 99% of games on steam work just fine w/o an active connection (once they're dl'd and installed?), unless it's said they need one, specifically, in the system requirements.

They seem to work for me??

I don't mean to be daft, but could you expand on where you encountered this problem on steam? I've only ever seen it on some of the 'always on' Ubisoft DRM titles. Is it also on Valve's titles? Or...???

CORRECTION!

When I play Dawn of War 2 and my steam goes down I can't even touch the single player without reconnecting my steam first.

Steam is the bane of offline single player gaming.

That's a pretty bad example, if you're trying to make a general statement, given that "Online Steam Connection" is one of the listed as one of the system requirements for Dawn of War II: Retribution, along with cloud saves / leaderboards etc. Similarly Dawn of War II (vanilla) uses Games For Windows Live, online connection required.

Never said it was retribution.
Eitherway, its a pointless middleman that screws up single player.
Frankly I hate steam for it.

 

[Tony2077]

well have fun bitching and complaining its not going to change anything. i'm going to leave this shit storm i need a shower

 

[Canadamus Prime]

It's simply a matter that many gamers, including myself, don't want to have to connect to the Internet to play a single player game, or rather don't want to have to invoke our Internet connection to play a single player game. And I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one whose not really interested in the multiplayer. Having a constant connection to the Internet is fine if you're playing an MMO or playing some other form of online multiplayer game, but when playing single player one expects that the Internet is not required. Even with High Speed Internet where the connection is always present, one still doesn't expect it to be required for a single player experience. It's the principle of the thing.

unless your like me and have it on all the time streaming email its just easier to leave it on

Perhaps you missed the last part of my post where I said "Even with High Speed Internet where the connection is always present, one still doesn't expect it to be required for a single player experience. It's the principle of the thing."

 

[mikespoff]

So why not just make an offline mode for people who want to play that way? "You're introducing a separate user flow, a separate path that players are going to go down," he explained. "And, at the end of the day, how many people are going to want to do that?"

umm... how about all of your potential customers who aren't playing WoW right now?

People buy single player games because they want a single player experience. I wouldn't have thought that was really too hard to grasp?

 

[ShotgunZombie]

I'm surprised that they're surprised... Did they honestly think that people weren't gonna go batshit insane over a decision like that?