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Diablo III requires constant internet connection

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Texashiker said:
What I do with my time should be my choice, not yours or blizzards.
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If the point of disconnecting yourself from the net and all that is to take a break from technology, then you shouldn't be playing Diablo 3, because it is technology. If you're not committed enough to "breaking away" so that you don't play Diablo 3, then there's no reason to not leave your net "on".

You're being hypocritical. It's like saying "Man, I need a break from fast food. But I'm still going to eat at McDonalds."
 
ImpulsE69 said:
Here's a question though: How many hours in the last year have you NOT had an internet connection that you were actually in a position where you could actually play a game?
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For me it's not a question of all the accumulated hours I've been without Internet accesss, it's about all the times I've been playing an MMORPG or a multiplayer game and been disconnected for one reason or another. A few seconds of lost Internet connectivity and suddenly I'm dead. When actually playing with other people I'm willing to put up with this, both when it happens to me and when it happens other people I'm playing with, because that's the nature of the beast. But when I'm playing a single player game, and to me Diablo has always been a single player game, I don't want to have to put up with that crap.

So, yes, I'll probably take Rob Pardo's advice and buy another game instead.
 
Texashiker said:
And your being judgmental.

My time is just that, my time.
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lol really?

You make an argument about the business decision of the company (and other companies who have similar restrictions in place) based off a certain personal scenario that you came up with, except that your argument is flawed based on the actions proceeding your reasoning. If anyone is being judgemental, it's you being so against these companies.
 
Fucking retarded. I play multi-player, but I also often just play with the same group of friends. We don't give a shit about "duping," just about being able to talk as much shit and doing whatever we want.

They already had the "hardcore" league, just have the "internet all the time" and the "sometimes internet" leagues.
 
gothamhunter said:
Then you never really played Diablo 2.

Next lameass argument?
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I played Diablo 2 in single player to run through the story and watch the cinematics, when I wanted to actually EXPERIENCE the story and such behind the game.

When I played Diablo 2 in multiplayer, I rushed the bosses and skipped the cinematics just so I could get the loot drops, skipping 3/4 of the game.

While in essence they're the same, they play like two distinctly different games.
 
Ross Ridge said:
For me it's not a question of all the accumulated hours I've been without Internet accesss, it's about all the times I've been playing an MMORPG or a multiplayer game and been disconnected for one reason or another. A few seconds of lost Internet connectivity and suddenly I'm dead. When actually playing with other people I'm willing to put up with this, both when it happens to me and when it happens other people I'm playing with, because that's the nature of the beast. But when I'm playing a single player game, and to me Diablo has always been a single player game, I don't want to have to put up with that crap.

So, yes, I'll probably take Rob Pardo's advice and buy another game instead.
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I am saddened not by the fact that you won't buy the game, but moreso that you mainly play it SP. I hope you enjoy your time within another game 🙂
 
SunnyD said:
I played Diablo 2 in single player to run through the story and watch the cinematics, when I wanted to actually EXPERIENCE the story and such behind the game.

When I played Diablo 2 in multiplayer, I rushed the bosses and skipped the cinematics just so I could get the loot drops, skipping 3/4 of the game.

While in essence they're the same, they play like two distinctly different games.
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Fair argument.
 
On further thought, it really comes down to personal preference. For me, I would say 95% of my gaming time is online/multiplayer. Add to that the fact that I played a MMO (Eve) for 4+ years, having to be online to play a game just comes naturally.

I totally get the whole "control" perspective and using your time as you like, but I really think in this instance and day and age it's kind of nit picking. People want that constant connectivity and with that comes stuff like this. Just like console-ers wanted better online access, they got it, but it came at a price (control), firmware updates, etc.

I am pretty sure at some point can buy this game and crack it to play it offline single player if you REALLY want to.

In the grand scheme of things though, this form of DRM is not that bad. It may have been back in the modem days, but ultimately even I live in the boonies and have no issues with internet access. Saying "well I might want to play it while I'm hiking in the Alpines" is really just a stomp your foot reaction to control. You aren't going to do that anyway.
 
ImpulsE69 said:
On further thought, it really comes down to personal preference. For me, I would say 95% of my gaming time is online/multiplayer. Add to that the fact that I played a MMO (Eve) for 4+ years, having to be online to play a game just comes naturally.

I totally get the whole "control" perspective and using your time as you like, but I really think in this instance and day and age it's kind of nit picking. People want that constant connectivity and with that comes stuff like this. Just like console-ers wanted better online access, they got it, but it came at a price (control), firmware updates, etc.

I am pretty sure at some point can buy this game and crack it to play it offline single player if you REALLY want to.

In the grand scheme of things though, this form of DRM is not that bad. It may have been back in the modem days, but ultimately even I live in the boonies and have no issues with internet access. Saying "well I might want to play it while I'm hiking in the Alpines" is really just a stomp your foot reaction to control. You aren't going to do that anyway.
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Of course you're not. It's just the fact that if you WANTED TO, you cant, and that's why they footstomp.
 
So, is Diablo now an MMO-style game a la Guild Wars? If it's officially an MMO then it's cool to require an always-on connection. If it's not an MMO then requiring an always-on connection is console type bush league bullshit.
 
Texashiker said:
I seriously doubt a constant internet connection is about cheating, its more likely about DRM and trying to prevent piracy.
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I think it's actually mainly about the auction house. Despite the comments in this thread Diablo and Diablo II were single player games for most people that bought the games. Blizzard can't allow items aquired in offline play to be traded in the auction house because the items would be generated on the client. While they can trust that the items generated on the server during an online game are legitimate, they can't trust the client.

Allowing offline play would prevent a large chunk of the player base from buying and selling stuff using the auction house, and clearly that's not it in Blizzard's interest.

Online DRM can be accomplished with requiring an active online connection during play, as demonstrated by SecurROM, Steam, and of course Blizzard's own Starcraft 2.

The official reason is so you can get things like achievements.
 
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sactoking said:
So, is Diablo now an MMO-style game a la Guild Wars? If it's officially an MMO then it's cool to require an always-on connection. If it's not an MMO then requiring an always-on connection is console type bush league bullshit.
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Why? Will it really affect you that much?
 
Ross Ridge said:
I think it's actually mainly about the auction house. Despite the comments in this thread Diablo and Diablo II were single player games for most people that bought the games. Blizzard can't allow items aquired in offline play to be traded in the auction house because the items would be generated on the client. While they can trust that the items generated on the server during an online game are legitimate, they can't trust the client.
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I don't know if I agree with that. I'm pretty sure the majority of players were online, due to the ladders, being able to trade, and the baal runs. I agree regarding the items.

Ross Ridge said:
Allowing offline play would oprevent a large chunk of the player base from buying and selling stuff using the auction house, and clearly that's not it in Blizzard's interest.
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True

Ross Ridge said:
Online DRM can be accomplished with requiring an active online connection during play, as demonstrated by SecurROM, Steam, and of course Blizzard's own Starcraft 2.
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Also true.
Ross Ridge said:
The official reason is so you can get things like achievements.
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Woot achievements.
 
PowerYoga said:
You played diablo for the enthralling single player experience? You'll be fine in the 5 hours it take finish the single player then.
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Um I did as well.. why on earth would I want to play online back then when 99.99% of players were hacks that only wanted to come into your game and PK you?

D1 and 2 were far better as single player games and I had MANY MANY Hours in both.

I for one and with TH I will be refusing to buy this game if it tethers me to the internet at all times..

I'm also with him that I find it far more relaxing to play ALONE sometimes.
and if they are doing this with the much moved Diablo francise that combined with the REAL MONEY and no MODS ALLOWED AT ALL.. are game breakers literally for me.
 
I don't understand why publishers choose to use a DRM strategy that has already failed. If Blizzard took a second to look at what happened to UbiSoft when they implemented "always on" DRM they would clearly see it's not going to work out in the long run.

I get the MP vs SP argument, but if you're game has an SP element don't require an internet connection to play it. Really.. what's the point? It's not like it's going to stop piracy for very long. Again, look at UbiSoft as a very recent example of this.
 
I don't think it's only intended to be an anti-piracy measure. I think it's more likely to prevent dupes and item hacking.
 
Chiropteran said:
I don't think it's only intended to be an anti-piracy measure. I think it's more likely to prevent dupes and item hacking.
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Which could also be fixed easily enough by simply never letting you take your offline characters online. I know most people played Diablo 2 online, but I actually preferred single player and LAN instead. There were several advantages, such as persistent maps, mods like the runeword mod (lets you use ladder-only runewords in single player) and the red rune mod (highlights runes, making them easier to see; now obsolete thanks to Blizzard highlighting runes in the latest patch), and the ability to use stash software like ATMA or GoMule.
 
I don't even know why this is such a big deal and even worthy of a debate. If I don't have internet, the least of my worry is whether I could play Diablo 3. I'd be freaking out and frantically calling my service provider asking WTF I don't have internet, and if my interet is not fixed soon, the orphanage down the street is going to feel my wrath.

And if I live in a shitty country/city/town with shitty internet, I'd be concerning myself with GTFO.
 
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