German Consumer Group Threatens Legal Action Against Blizzard

[Aeshi]

what really upsets people here is not that an internet connection is required. It's the fact that you needed to authenticate every time you wanted to play and could not (error 37 anyone?) the main reason for this is, that blizzard did not supply the needed infrastructure for their DRM.

they say: if something like this is required, blizzard needs to make sure it works 100% from minute 1 (and not 50% a week later).

The same thing has happened with WoW and basically every other MMO ever, didn't see anyone getting up in arms when they didn't work for the first few days.

 

[Kram Darnok]

wow is an mmo. diablo is a totally different story there would not be any fuss about this if it had an offline mode.

look it may be okay for you if you let anything the companies come up with do to you, but there are still people with common sense in this world.

 

[Sushewakka]

They must've left it off in the German version. Every English version of the D3 case clearly says in the bottom left "Internet connection required to play."

The problem is, my Deus Ex Human Revolution has the same warning label in the back, because it requires Steam activation, and thus to be online at least once. But once activated, you can play it offline. How is one to know that Diablo 3 is not the same case, based on the same information on the sticker? What people is asking for is that the box says "always online". It is ambiguous otherwise, and people would be well justified to expect a single player game to require the internet just to install and activate, not to play.

 

[Khayl]

What? Angry Germans? Ive seen enough historical documentary's to know where this is going....

But srsly, read the back of the box guys, this isnt rocket science.

Also, Diablo 3 blows.

 

[Aeshi]

wow is an mmo. diablo is a totally different story there would not be any fuss about this if it had an offline mode

So those extra three letters of 'MMO' are a 'fuck up on release as much as you damn want free' card?

 

[Kram Darnok]

no they aren't either and many mmo launches in the recent past went way smoother and people got free days afterwards.

 

[Skeleon]

Used to be that consumers rights were worth something, but I guess a lot of people don't care too much as long as they get their bright and colourful flashes on the screen.

 

[Reaper195]

They must've left it off in the German version. Every English version of the D3 case clearly says in the bottom left "Internet connection required to play."

The problem is, my Deus Ex Human Revolution has the same warning label in the back, because it requires Steam activation, and thus to be online at least once. But once activated, you can play it offline. How is one to know that Diablo 3 is not the same case, based on the same information on the sticker? What people is asking for is that the box says "always online". It is ambiguous otherwise, and people would be well justified to expect a single player game to require the internet just to install and activate, not to play.

I was somewhat wrong. I just checked the box to make sure, and it says "Constant Internet connection required to play". SO yes, it does say so here. Besides, as far as I know, most games for PC these days require you to be online all the time.

Failing that, why not find a crack? Yeah, arguably it's illegal, but if yoou want to play the single player, then there isn't anything wrong if you cannot connect online. If you want to play online with other people though, as most D3 players seem to do, it seems kind of...well...dumb, that people are surprised thou need to be online. I don't think you can play with others without the net.

 

[maxben]

The packaging does say that internet connection is required. They want some silly huge back sticker on the front.

Sure they do because its a big deal. Imagine you're buying a car and on the back of the sales brochure in small letters it says "engine not included".
This literally limits gameplay, it breaks the product, it must be in huge letters fr all to see.

 

[FEichinger]

They must've left it off in the German version. Every English version of the D3 case clearly says in the bottom left "Internet connection required to play."

The problem is, my Deus Ex Human Revolution has the same warning label in the back, because it requires Steam activation, and thus to be online at least once. But once activated, you can play it offline. How is one to know that Diablo 3 is not the same case, based on the same information on the sticker? What people is asking for is that the box says "always online". It is ambiguous otherwise, and people would be well justified to expect a single player game to require the internet just to install and activate, not to play.

I was somewhat wrong. I just checked the box to make sure, and it says "Constant Internet connection required to play". SO yes, it does say so here. Besides, as far as I know, most games for PC these days require you to be online all the time.

Failing that, why not find a crack? Yeah, arguably it's illegal, but if yoou want to play the single player, then there isn't anything wrong if you cannot connect online. If you want to play online with other people though, as most D3 players seem to do, it seems kind of...well...dumb, that people are surprised thou need to be online. I don't think you can play with others without the net.

Wrong. PC games usually have either their own DRM (Ubisoft, for instance, which is a one-time online requirement), Steam (which in theory would be one-time if the Offline mode worked for once) or no DRM at all.

As for "just get a crack", correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe Blizzard stripped D3 as much as they could to force the connection through much server-side stuff.

I didn't buy D3, and I don't have a box around, so I can't verify the accusations against Blizzard... But quite matter-of-factly it's fully well possible that someone simply misinterpreted the "Constant Internet Connection required" notice, as it may resemble the usual "Internet Connection required" thing. (If you can sue over a not-even-remotely-obvious-resemblance of an IP (Bethesda vs Mojang), then you should very well be able to sue over such a resemblance ...)

What? Angry Germans? Ive seen enough historical documentary's to know where this is going....

But srsly, read the back of the box guys, this isnt rocket science.

Also, Diablo 3 blows.

Might wanna watch out with that one ... Germany's taking the left turn this time, with the government screwing around in Europe.

 

[Aeshi]

Sure they do because its a big deal. Imagine you're buying a car and on the back of the sales brochure in small letters it says "engine not included".
This literally limits gameplay, it breaks the product, it must be in huge letters fr all to see.

Do you want huge letters telling you that a CPU is needed to run the game as well? Or an instruction manual explaining why a Graphics Card is needed for the game to run?

Nobody seems to have had any problem with every other requirement from every other game being on the back of the box or assuming that said requirements will be necessary all the time, but the moment said requirement is one you get a free high horse for bashing people can't seem to 'find' problems with it fast enough.

 

[maxben]

Sure they do because its a big deal. Imagine you're buying a car and on the back of the sales brochure in small letters it says "engine not included".
This literally limits gameplay, it breaks the product, it must be in huge letters fr all to see.

Do you want huge letters telling you that a CPU is needed to run the game as well? Or an instruction manual explaining why a Graphics Card is needed for the game to run?

Nobody seems to have had any problem with every other requirement from every other game being on the back of the box or assuming that said requirements will be necessary all the time, but the moment said requirement is one you get a free high horse for bashing people can't seem to 'find' problems with it fast enough.

Sure they do, because it doesnt make any goddamn sense and you know it. Again, like selling a car without an engine. Or even better, if a game required you to buy a chinchilla for it to work you BETTER have it on the front in big letters. Ridiculous demands must be made obvious.

 

[IronMit]

what?? some people here actually like the vague online/DRM/client clues on the game box art?? will it hurt you so much if there were certain universal regulations put in place to make things easier for the consumer.

Not everyone wants to read 'internet connection required' and then try to figure out if it means; only for multiplayer, or a one time registration, or signing in, or alll the time.

I'm looking at my Mass effect 3 case (UK edition). There is not a symbol of 'origin' anywhere (the client that needs to run to launch the game). Under system requirements it just mentions 'internet connection required to play'.

In the small print next to the bar code it says

'Internet connection, EA/origin account, acceptance of product and origin end user licence agreement, installation of the origin client software....'

It never specifically tells me I need origin running all the time. I can make that interpretation after reading every single text in the small print. I knew i needed origin, but the average joe or mum would not know. Not everyone is going to research the crap out of a game and have an in depth knowledge of all the DRM/online practices across the industry before purchase. Stating DRM related requirements more specifically somewhere other then in the small print is a must.

 

[Aeshi]

Sure they do, because it doesnt make any goddamn sense and you know it. Again, like selling a car without an engine. Or even better, if a game required you to buy a chinchilla for it to work you BETTER have it on the front in big letters. Ridiculous demands must be made obvious.

Except for that analogy to work there would be dozens of other cars that have required Chinchillas to run in the past and nobody ever minded it when they put 'Requires a Chinchilla to run' in small text on the back next to the 'Requires at least 1 Arm and 2 Legs to operate' and 'Requires Petrol to run' requirements.

 

[Aeshi]

People who dont know much about computers or specs will not read the system requirements because they dont know what the fuck they are. This I believe is the only spot where it briefly mentions an internet connection but does not specify always online or not.

You can apply that logic to any requirement of the game, I hardly doubt your hypothetical not-computer Person is going to know the difference between 1GB and 2GB of RAM, or between two of the many types of Graphics Card either.

 

[PingoBlack]

Poor Germans ...

They used to be known as smart, intelligent and well educated people. Experts in technology most of all. The kind of people that teach other nations how to do technical standards, just look up DIN on Wiki.

That was years ago. Now ...
They need bigger and much more colorful labels cause they have become too dumb to read properly.

And we used to make fun of how stupid Americans need obvious labels on anything, huh? There goes that high horse riding off into the sunset.

 

[PingoBlack]

If we're going to start making comments like these, let me know. I have a few very nasty things I could throw at Slovenia.

Turn on your wide lens.

My comment was flying up the ass of us, Euros, and our freaking high horse when we regard America and the legal environment that led to labeling obvious stuff that should be common sense.

Get it now? It was criticism of us, Europeans. And don't get me started on my own country, I'm even more critical of it than you could ever imagine ... Hope you agree that's where you should start, your own back yard?