id Software Praises "Always On" in Diablo 3
- Thread starter Andy Chalk
- Start date
Recommended Videos
We're already renting them though. We just buy licenses. In recent times, what that license entitles has become smaller and smaller.Silenttalker22 said:
To the original topic:
As products become more profitable, this sort of thing tends to happen. With more peers playing games, we get larger games and AAA games, but horrible DRM and nickle and dime style marketing.
Eventually the average Joe is going to have to decide how much they're willing to put up with for the sake of entertainment. I hope the average Joe "evens" this sort of stuff out, but logic says the "Average Joe" will just ask for more and talk about how awesome the game was.
We're gonna have some pay per minute stuff going on with always on internet connections that scan your hard drive for anything that looks like piracy. LIKE A BOSS.
The statement:
"Diablo 3 is required to be online to play at all times."
is equivalent to the statement:
"Diablo 3 will stop being playable after a while."
I have no idea how long "a while" is. I shouldn't have to worry about it.
Does any other medium have this problem? When you buy a book, do you lose the ability to read it after the writer dies and the publisher stops caring about it? No, because you still have the book!
Why, then, are developers intent on making it so that games WILL NECESSARILY die at the very instant they stop caring about it? I get it as far as MMOs and such go, but why introduce this for games that are supposed to have a singleplayer mode?
It's like they WANT other mediums to always be better than video games.
"Diablo 3 is required to be online to play at all times."
is equivalent to the statement:
"Diablo 3 will stop being playable after a while."
I have no idea how long "a while" is. I shouldn't have to worry about it.
Does any other medium have this problem? When you buy a book, do you lose the ability to read it after the writer dies and the publisher stops caring about it? No, because you still have the book!
Why, then, are developers intent on making it so that games WILL NECESSARILY die at the very instant they stop caring about it? I get it as far as MMOs and such go, but why introduce this for games that are supposed to have a singleplayer mode?
It's like they WANT other mediums to always be better than video games.
I remember back when I first moved out of my parents' house I went entirely without internet access for the first six months, because I couldn't fucking afford that shit. It's still an optional expense. So unless they're declaring free internets for everyone they can fuck right off.
Oh and automatic updates can blow me, I'll decide what to use my bandwidth on, thanks.
Jesus fuck, when will they learn? When the bloody pirates win every time, shit's broken.
No sale.
How can all these people continue to be so out of touch?
Oh and automatic updates can blow me, I'll decide what to use my bandwidth on, thanks.
Jesus fuck, when will they learn? When the bloody pirates win every time, shit's broken.
No sale.
How can all these people continue to be so out of touch?
No, screw you dude, I can't say I'm a fan (or an enemy) of id, I'm rather ambivalent about them (though I gather John Carmack is awesome) but I have to say this. When I buy a game, I want to own that game. I want to do whatever I will with that game, and it is not up to the (previous) owner of the game (Blizzard in this case) how I play this game in a non-multiplayer fashion (and the multiplayer bit is really only to keep it balanced and stop hacking).
Also, what is up with his argument? What, were the people with dodgy internet just waiting for a big company to come out and piss on them before they beefed up their connection? Or is he saying that Blizzard's power will force the people with dodgy internet to fuck off.
Geez, Blizzard has been stupid. It wouldn't (I think, I could be disaterously wrong) be hard for Blizzard to have 3 ways of playing Diablo 3, Multiplayer and online singleplayer we already know about and characters from both can interchange. Just put in an offline multiplayer option, make it clear these characters can't be taken online. There, job done, no-ones pissed off.
Edit: What is it with this industry that makes us piss of certain customers (generally poorer ones/ones in non-city areas). We fuck over second-hand game buyers, we fuck over people with dodgy internet connections.
It's like a city making the greatest universties in the world, but some people can't get in them because some primary schools are shitty, and the city is just focusing on improving the universities and flipping the bird to the ones in shitty primary school areas.
Also, what is up with his argument? What, were the people with dodgy internet just waiting for a big company to come out and piss on them before they beefed up their connection? Or is he saying that Blizzard's power will force the people with dodgy internet to fuck off.
Geez, Blizzard has been stupid. It wouldn't (I think, I could be disaterously wrong) be hard for Blizzard to have 3 ways of playing Diablo 3, Multiplayer and online singleplayer we already know about and characters from both can interchange. Just put in an offline multiplayer option, make it clear these characters can't be taken online. There, job done, no-ones pissed off.
Edit: What is it with this industry that makes us piss of certain customers (generally poorer ones/ones in non-city areas). We fuck over second-hand game buyers, we fuck over people with dodgy internet connections.
It's like a city making the greatest universties in the world, but some people can't get in them because some primary schools are shitty, and the city is just focusing on improving the universities and flipping the bird to the ones in shitty primary school areas.
Eh if doom 4, or Quake 5 come out and anything that can be played solo requires an internet connection i won't be buying them.
Yes i have an internet connection that can be used for gaming. But it accounts for less than half of my time on the internet. In locations where i can't game due to proxys or dropout or plain simple no internet.
I have no problem with an always online game, If the game actually needs it. Like an MMO or even a mini MMO. You need to connect to the server so you have to have an internet connection.
however if i'm playing something like ME2, if it requires an internet connection other than for install validation. That's the end of me paying for it. There is no online component.
SP = Offline
MP = Do what you want with it.
So long as they continue with the practice of online only SP modes. I will either be missing or pirating that experience.
And "If you have a juggernaut, you can make change. I'm all for that. If we could force people to always be connected when you play the game, and then have that be acceptable, awesome." Is BS. Oh you have a juggernaut quick charge 200dollars a copy, you can just force them to do it.
I generally avoid pirating since games can be gotten reasonably cheap if you go to the right online stores. But everytime a company pulls a dick move taking away a little more of my gaming freedom. I become more and more inclined to pirate there products out of principle whether ill ever play them or not
Yes i have an internet connection that can be used for gaming. But it accounts for less than half of my time on the internet. In locations where i can't game due to proxys or dropout or plain simple no internet.
I have no problem with an always online game, If the game actually needs it. Like an MMO or even a mini MMO. You need to connect to the server so you have to have an internet connection.
however if i'm playing something like ME2, if it requires an internet connection other than for install validation. That's the end of me paying for it. There is no online component.
SP = Offline
MP = Do what you want with it.
So long as they continue with the practice of online only SP modes. I will either be missing or pirating that experience.
And "If you have a juggernaut, you can make change. I'm all for that. If we could force people to always be connected when you play the game, and then have that be acceptable, awesome." Is BS. Oh you have a juggernaut quick charge 200dollars a copy, you can just force them to do it.
I generally avoid pirating since games can be gotten reasonably cheap if you go to the right online stores. But everytime a company pulls a dick move taking away a little more of my gaming freedom. I become more and more inclined to pirate there products out of principle whether ill ever play them or not
Bweh. I find the biggest advocates against "online only" that shout they won't ever play the game for that reason, will be the players picking the game up on release date.
Kinda reminds me of that "boycot MW2 because there are no dedicated servers! steam group" screenshot with everyone in it playing MW2..
Kinda reminds me of that "boycot MW2 because there are no dedicated servers! steam group" screenshot with everyone in it playing MW2..
This video has been used to express opinions on many things but it is equally appropriate here.
Not everyone's internet is perfect. Even Steam recognizes the need for an offline mode.
Not everyone's internet is perfect. Even Steam recognizes the need for an offline mode.
What in the flying fuck?
Having to be online to play a game type specifically suited to play offline.
That seems sane.
Having to be online to play a game type specifically suited to play offline.
That seems sane.
Just gonna jump in here and say, with confidence, that I both despise this system, I think it violates our rights as a customer (you know I'm serious, I said rights!). I mean, I really don't like the hacky-slashy type gameplay of Diablo games and games like them, but I swear that's the lesser reason, I swear!Mariena said:
I for one will probably buy collectors edition if I am able to but wait to see if anyone makes a unofficial offline patch or mod. Though if that doesn't happen then I'll probably play it for singe player then have it collect dust like Starcraft II has until recently favorite WC3 TD got put on it.
The way TF2 generates items is based on the client being connected to the TF2 item servers. The longer you're connected, the more item drops you get. This is, of course, limited to a certain number per week and is reset every Wednesday. Crate drops operate in the same manner but use a different drop timer than the timer for your hats, weapons, and other items.qwerty19411 said:
If you're playing in offline mode, you're most likely not connected to the item servers. Ergo, you won't accumulate any items in that time. Also, if you're not connected, you won't have access to you dropped items.
This can be annoying, but it also keeps people from flooding their backpacks with duped and generated items since everyone's backpack items are stored on the Valve servers. However, it doesn't stop you from playing offline by yourself or with friends on a LAN. Which is something Blizzard apparently doesn't think is a good idea.
I was anxious at the prospect of finally getting to play Diablo 3. For a time, I was apathetic towards the news but quickly remembered how fun Diablo 2 was and the fun times I had playing with friends over LANs or playing the story by myself. Apparently Blizzard thinks I'm some kind of criminal jackass or a moron for wanting to play that way. So here comes the "Always On DRM".
Well, frankly Blizzard, I'm calling bullshit. This is one of the biggest dick moves I've seen from a game company in a long time. Just because you're merged with Activision doesn't mean you have to act like them. So, seeing as you've given me the equivalent of a giant middle finger in regards to how I'd like to play the game BY...MY...SELF..., I will respond in kind...
Pretty much this.Zenn3k said:
Don't like it, don't buy it.
I'm not too bothered by it, though I can understand where the opposition is coming from. Not everyone is blessed with a perfect internet connection. Regardless, I'm going to buy it. And play the hell out of it for many years to come.
Just to point out, lots of ISPs have some really insane "fair usage policies" which cap download speeds and capacities, and always on DRM is likely to impact these policies, particularly if large numbers of gamers are using them at the same time.
Perhaps these people should stop developing games on their dedicated development testing machines, and actually go about seeing how real people actually use their PCs and internet connections.
I bet a lot of companies are basically looking at the downsides and saying to themselves "but that's down to your ISP, not us" or "things like that happen, but are very rare." Screw that - they should step down from their ivory towers sometime and see the real world...
Perhaps these people should stop developing games on their dedicated development testing machines, and actually go about seeing how real people actually use their PCs and internet connections.
I bet a lot of companies are basically looking at the downsides and saying to themselves "but that's down to your ISP, not us" or "things like that happen, but are very rare." Screw that - they should step down from their ivory towers sometime and see the real world...
Huh. You mean like I couldn't have used a special sumthin sumthin to work a certain Ubisoft Renaissance-related game offline after I bought it? Weird, I did, with the help of Uncle Google.
...And this is how it's going to end. Legit customers will have to search for hacks the thieves use to play the game they paid for. Or risk having gameplay interrupted.
...And this is how it's going to end. Legit customers will have to search for hacks the thieves use to play the game they paid for. Or risk having gameplay interrupted.
As usual, this policy will further diminish what anonymity and privacy consumers in a digital age have, while barely hindering pirates. The efforts to make a hack-proof, electronic media just result in a more restricted experience for the unquestionably ethical gamer whose paid his fare.
