Jimquisition: You Should Be Mad at Diablo III's Always Online DRM

[fKd]

got refund. will never buy another blizzard product again. respect lost beyond repair.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

Say Jim...any chance of a follow-up now that Blizzard have said this?

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/117373-Blizzard-Says-Diablo-3-Hacking-Isnt-Unusual

Either way though Jim, great episode. I don't normally buy Blizzard games because my PC is unfit for gaming so my not buying D3 really didn't make an impact.

 

[Blights]

Although Jim is right, I just feel that all of this complaining could have been done when Blizzard announced all of the constantly online DRM business.

I mean it's not like people didn't expect this, people just finally think they have a valid reason to complain since they have proof, when such uproar beforehand would probably have made Blizzard think twice before implementing the stupid system.

 

[kTrmnatr]

Don't own D3, but can definitely empathize with DRM frustration. Also definitely agree with the 'people have the right to complain' argument. If you aren't enjoying the game, there really isn't any ground for anyone to insist that you are wrong about your not enjoying the game, and there isn't a reason that you shouldn't voice that opinion. That being said, the only way that any of this is going to change is if people stop buying the product. If people keep paying Blizzard and other companies to feed them shit, why should they stop feeding them shit? Put yourself in Blizzard's shoes. What would you do and what would make you change?

 

[godofallu]

So are the servers up to 100pc by now? Might buy the game is it is running smoothly.

 

[bells]

World of Warcraft can be a Singleplayer game. You don't get 100% of the content, and it's not as easy to play but same as Diablo 3.

Nice.

Here's the thing, WoW is an MMO with a persistant world with lots of other characters in the world. Diablo 3 is not an MMO, it's an ARPG. It doesn't HAVE to be online only. They didn't HAVE to make it that way.

But they can if they want to. And they did. And they told everyone well in advance that they were doing it. And even so... most pre-ordered game of all time.

So nobody who bought the game can complain that "they didn't have to do it like this", because Diablo 3 was never presented in any other form. If you don't like the formula, don't buy the game... or in the very damn least, don't fucking pre-order it.

I'm allowed to complain then? I didn't buy the game for this very reason. Any company isn't going to receive my business when they continue to use this restrictive DRM bullshit.

Of course! Hell, that's the exact same reason I didn't buy the game. I almost pre-ordered it...

But then again, i have memory beyond last week to remind myself that this ALWAYS happens. Big tittle comes out, forces everyone to be online, tons of people buy the game, tons of people are denied to play the game for a few days... but Diablo 3 is worse, because their entire reasoning is that it's there to prevent Hacking. And since we're already seeing hacks and exploits... it's all for nothing!

So, instead of Buying knowing all of this then complaining about all the stuff i already knew before buying it, i skipped on the game entirely. Sure, i loose some fun experience, but if only more people did the same maybe in the future we wouldn't get this bullshit served with a silver spoon.

 

[DingoDoom]

Of course! Hell, that's the exact same reason I didn't buy the game. I almost pre-ordered it...

But then again, i have memory beyond last week to remind myself that this ALWAYS happens. Big tittle comes out, forces everyone to be online, tons of people buy the game, tons of people are denied to play the game for a few days... but Diablo 3 is worse, because their entire reasoning is that it's there to prevent Hacking. And since we're already seeing hacks and exploits... it's all for nothing!

So, instead of Buying knowing all of this then complaining about all the stuff i already knew before buying it, i skipped on the game entirely. Sure, i loose some fun experience, but if only more people did the same maybe in the future we wouldn't get this bullshit served with a silver spoon.

I agree, which is also why I cancelled my pre-order when I found out about the always online because to me, it is DRM. D3 has never been nor classified as a MMO in genre and is still classified as a ARPG. D3 does not follow the definition of an MMO nor does it behave like one except for being always online.

However, there are people with more faith in Blizzard who has bought the game regardless, along with reviewers etc. who have a job to do and to those people, I don't think it is fair to say "this is what you get, you have no right to complain because you paid for it".

The people who bought it regardless (even if they still complain about offline), still have the right to complain about Blizzards faulty service. Yes they paid for it, but as Jim said in the video, if Blizzard announces that D3 is going to be always online it is within their rights as a developer, but the people who buy it DO have the right to demand that Blizzard provide them with the service necessary to play their damn product.

 

[TK421]

O.K., what it has is magic pixie fairy dust. That makes the game unplayable at times. The game you bought. For $60. In the single-player mode that should require no internet connection whatsoever.

Wait, I'm sorry, what was your point again?

Creating a new game in D3 is the same as zoning into a dungeon by yourself in WoW. That is not DRM.

Wait, wait, wait....so, if you want to play single-player, you should put up with all the hassle of online-playing for none of the benefits? Seems legit.

I just want to say thank you for replying to Walter's ignorance with much more dignity and much less rage than I would have. Thank you for saying what I wanted to say in an intelligent reasonable manner.

OT: I like Jim more and more nowdays. He just keeps hitting the nail right on the head. I just wish that it was easier for all of us to vote with our wallets and actually change things.

 

[Kekkonen1]

contra-intuitive

Contra-intuitive is now my new favorite word.

It just makes sense what to do next!

Hahaha, you good sir win! =D

it was a hungover englishification of the Swedish word kontraintuitiv, which of course is counterintuitive in English... But contra-intuitive is my new favourite word as well ;D

 

[SenseOfTumour]

I got it free with my WOW subs, so I'm not feeling as bad as some but still, could they not have fixed this by offering Normal difficulty offline?

Would have given people something to play for that first week or so where the servers were overloaded, then they could move on to Nightmare when the rush has faded.

Also, could they not split maintenence over 2 nights? Some people work nights and while it's acceptable for WOW because you can't have half your players playing a different version of a world you share, Diablo wouldn't suffer from that problem.

I'm sure half the servers being up for the overnight maintenence on Tuesday and Wednesday nights would be enough for the late night folks without locking every single customer Diablo 3 has out of their own game.

I also can't see the RMAH being the massive success they expect, they seem to be charging a huge cut themselves, and I foresee the sellers VASTLY outnumbering the buyers, forcing the prices down to near nothing.

 

[bushwhacker2k]

Didn't I use to dislike this guy's vids? I've rarely agreed with something I've heard more.

I'm not going to cite examples, but I think this has been a growing problem in the gaming industry. We, as players and consumers, are expected to put up with whatever problems or inconveniences the creators (producers, publishers, developers) experience because we should be thankful that we're getting anything from them at all. I'm reasonably sure other industries don't suffer from this as much as we do.

I'm still wondering when I'm going to get to play without lagging...

 

[zefiris]

Gaming wouldn't exist, if it was like this back in the day.

Gaming in the 90s: Worked.
Gaming today: Doesn't work.

It's pretty easy to see where the problem lies. Spoiler: Current game development.

Indeed: If gaming had been the way it is like now back then, we'd not have gaming right now. Because it'd have FAILED. The industry would have collapsed because nobody would have been so fanboi to accept stuff like this.

Well, got my refund. In the "blizzard games will not be bought again, ever" camp now. If stupid people want to keep getting screwed over, their choice :>
Blizzard sure likes screwing themselves.

I'm not going to cite examples, but I think this has been a growing problem in the gaming industry. We, as players and consumers, are expected to put up with whatever problems or inconveniences the creators (producers, publishers, developers) experience because we should be thankful that we're getting anything from them at all. I'm reasonably sure other industries don't suffer from this as much as we do.

THIS. This is the problem right there.


If the COMPANY makes moves that make things harder for the consumer, yet offer no benefit (as proven by the rampant hacking issues in D3 right now - even reviewers are getting hacked), then the customer is claimed to be the one at fault.

This is the problem. And whiny fanbois that can't handle their beloved game to be criticized are part of the problem.

 

[GoGoFrenzy]

Well said Jim. But it also HAS to be mentioned that the consumers knew the risk going in and STILL bought the game. So why would Activi$ion/Blizzard change their policy? You already gave them your money.


I voted with my wallet. More gamers need to start doing this. And no I won't die without playing Diablo 3. There are plenty of good games out there without this bs DRM tied to it.

 

[MrBaskerville]

Didn't I use to dislike this guy's vids? I've rarely agreed with something I've heard more.

I'm not going to cite examples, but I think this has been a growing problem in the gaming industry. We, as players and consumers, are expected to put up with whatever problems or inconveniences the creators (producers, publishers, developers) experience because we should be thankful that we're getting anything from them at all. I'm reasonably sure other industries don't suffer from this as much as we do.

I'm still wondering when I'm going to get to play without lagging...

Movie industry does a bit, everyone keeps complaining about movies like Transformers 2, even though everyone seems to be running down to the nearest cinema everytime something loud and stupid opens up. Afterwards people complain that, surprise, it sucked big time.

And then people started defending the movies, it´s okay to have a nonsensical plot and nothing but explosisions, it´s just a popcorn movie and even worse, the "what did you expect?" response. Film critic Mark Kermode wrote about moviegoers diminished expectations since Pearl Harbor which is one of the reasons that there´s put zero effort into all the big blockbusters (with exeptions like inception, rise of the planets of the apes and a lot of superhero movies).

People aren´t too fund of the whole "voting with their wallet" concept. Though it seems to be worse in the gaming industry. It´s easy to ignore Settlers 7 when it has constant online DRM, but Diablo 3 is Diablo 3...

 

[NortherWolf]

You just have to love these desperate arguments.

"You bought the game so you have no right to complain."

"You were informed about a bad feature so you should not complain about it."

"It's their game so you can not complain."

How does knowing that there is a required online component mean that you do not have the rights to complain when it does not work?

Don't forget the mother of all stupid counterarguments, as presented by someone who's name really seems like a lie: "It's your fault because you are all pirates! ALL OF YOU! DAMN GAMERS!"