Gaming news sites rush to print strawman lies in defense of Diablo 3

[Tweak155]

That could have been done locally.

It's more a design choice really. It unifies single and multiplayer (from a development standpoint) and also allows for the same character in both (since "singleplayer" doesn't exist). Yes, it also ensures that unless you can get a copy of the server software, or write an emulator (not trivial, but in a few years, workable (but crap compared to the real thing) emulators will likely exist), you also have to buy it. In that way it's "DRM", but it's no more drm than WoW has DRM. It also means that no servers mean no playing.


There is no "DRM server" that authenticates you to play. You are playing a true client/server game at all times. The game has no single player component other than multiplayer that you don't invite others to join.

I was going to respond but this is a pretty good explanation.

If hackers / pirates aren't aware of HOW items are generated, they can't generate them themselves. It basically takes away the needed information to run the game by itself (in a perfect system).

That said, people still managed to create WoW servers so I'm sure it is doable, but it is multitudes more difficult and likely will never trick Blizzard's actual servers.

 

[I4AT]

And guess what, a game that has multiplayer elements != online game. There's this thing that's been around for decades called LAN. There's also split-screen and same-screen multiplayer games run from a single client. Multiplayer games can be offline too, so your arguments are the ones that are flawed.

The truth is, there is no good reason for Diablo 3 to be an online only game, and I doubt even Blizzard themselves, if they were being 100% honest, could answer the question of why.

The game could easily have two or more components that are 100% separate from each other. There can be a client only offline mode for single player that would have no effect on the online only Blizzard host authoritative economy. Therefore, the integrity of the RMAH can't be the definitive answer. Maybe they just wanted to "force" more traffic into the online zones because a larger population = a higher chance that the RMAH will be used.

Piracy is also a popular scapegoat, but the game will definitely be cracked at some point. It may be a half-baked, year-late experience, but it's still gonna happen. Now maybe I'm a bleeding heart hippie philanthropist, but if I'm in business, and I've made several BILLIONS in past ventures, I'm sure as hell not gonna screw a large portion of my legitimate consumerbase to delay the actions of a small percentage of non-paying customers. If I'm an auto dealership, I know I run the risk of a few cars being stolen off my lot. That doesn't mean I go out and require every person that's purchased a vehicle from me to scan their driver's license and handshake my customer database before they can start their car.

Diablo 2 already had a great system, there was single player offline, "open battle.net" for taking single player characters online, which was riddled with cheaters, but guess what, you didn't have to join public games with those people, and "closed battle.net" which had separate ladder and non ladder realms. I'll be honest, I was on closed battle.net ladder 90% of the time I was playing D2. That means I treated it mostly as an online only game, because there was an incentive for me to do so in the form of exclusive powerful items. But the option to play single player was there whenever I wanted it. The offline experience was better because it was lag free, and you could do things like spam meteors or run a skelemancer without any complaints. Hell, nine out of ten deaths online were due to lag, the only reason I never bothered with a hardcore character. And really, I could have used an editor to replicate the online only items in single player, but that doesn't quite have the appeal of building the runeword yourself. But when they finally shut down the D2 servers that's a fallback option we all have, to be able to play a game we paid for at any point in time.

 

[Ns1]

But most alarming of all, Blizzard has broken its most sacred of mantras: “When it’s ready,” and is releasing an incomplete product.

scathing headshot.

 

[Ferzerp]

That said, people still managed to create WoW servers so I'm sure it is doable, but it is multitudes more difficult and likely will never trick Blizzard's actual servers.

If you've seen the results, you'd see that after all this time, the best fake server available is a pale imitation of the real thing.

 

[Tweak155]

If you've seen the results, you'd see that after all this time, the best fake server available is a pale imitation of the real thing.

So I've heard. It isn't surprising, really. But I'm doubting they reused the code from WoW in Diablo 3 due to that alone. They'd have a good headstart

 

[flexy]

Seriously, when i see the term DRM once more in any D3 review i start to throw up

I myself am a gamer who simply cannot play a single-player OFF-line game anymore, for me, the future in gaming is in playing with other people. (This does NOT necessarily mean MMO, by the way).

A game like D3 or similar genres are perfect and ideal to play in co-op, with a party of other people. For me, this is about 85% of the fun of the game!

From a certain point of view, it made sense how Blizz integrated batte.net and the friends list and everything - seriously we're having a blast here with all the WoW guildies now playing D3 with us.

No one except pirates gives a **** about DRM, "technical release issues" SHOULD BE a non issue - it's bad that blizz couldn't handle the initial surge of traffic, but who cares?

There are countless "single-player" games which dont require "always on-line"...if you prefer those games, whatever, play skyrim or 9000 other games.

I am and was always pro-posing more and more good co-cop games, so i just cannot complain by "forced" online play - and as much as we hate blizz and i don't know how much money they already pulled from us and other people - i HAVE TO (and do) forgive initial server problems etc. You don't wait 12 years for a game and then RAGE because one or two days +/- doesn't really make a difference.

I am just getting tired about "reviews" and all the anger voiced about technical problems on the first day of release - while BAD (no question) and people are pissed and angry...it's really not RELEVANT in a sense.

***g play the game, say to lvl 20 MINIMUM before you form an opinion, have fun with other people...but stop wasting bandwidth and the internet with 900.000 posts where people voice their anger about DRM and how "bad" the game is because you need to be online. Cheezus christ it's 2012, everyone is online.

I guess 75% of the people complaining about DRM are the people who expected a crack, but now realized there never will be one.

 

[Ferzerp]

No one except pirates gives a **** about DRM

Actually, you have it backwards. DRM doesn't really impact non-licensed copies of games because it gets stripped out. It only impacts people like me, who buy games. I don't buy games that have certain types of DRM (anything that installs a driver, service, filter in between normal operation with my drives and the rest of my OS, etc will never be purchased by me). The types of games with DRM I avoid due to doing things that no game should do to my PC, are also all cracked and available illegitimately without the DRM. The "pirates" as we like to call them actually get the superior copy.


An application being a client/server app is no more DRM in my view than accessing a website or a forum such as this one is "DRM".

 

[darkewaffle]

scathing headshot.

Releasing Diablo3 without PVP is like opening a pizza shop that doesn't serve cake.

 

[Tweak155]

The argument is that legitimate customers are the only ones affected by DRM, as pirates always find a way. This I agree with. Many, many legitimate customers don't like DRM and for good reasons. That argument is for a whole different thread though.

EDIT:

Damn you Ferzerp.

 

[weez82]

when was D3 advertised as a single player game? I remember one of their PR guys saying you can play solo if you like but it's still an online character. I got the digital copy so I havent seen the box. Does it read "single player" on the box? These threads are funny as hell. Just a bunch of haters talking about things they know nothing about.

 

[flexy]

Actually, you have it backwards. DRM doesn't really impact non-licensed copies of games because it gets stripped out. It only impacts people like me, who buy games. I don't buy games that have certain types of DRM (anything that installs a driver, service, filter in between normal operation with my drives and the rest of my OS, etc will never be purchased by me). The types of games with DRM I avoid due to doing things that no game should do to my PC, are also all cracked and available illegitimately without the DRM. The "pirates" as we like to call them actually get the superior copy.


An application being a client/server app is no more DRM in my view than accessing a website or a forum such as this one is "DRM".

You are of course correct. Also, the term "DRM" might actually technically be not correct here anyway. It's more in the broader sense meant as "needs to be online to play".

The point is...aside from the (regrettable!!) tech. issues within the first one/two days...it's just not an issue.

For me, the benefits of the more "encouraged" online/friends/co-op play greatly outweigh some hours of outages due to overloaded servers etc.

It's really a minor issue, more something emotional...but 90% of all D III threads are EXACTLY about this. So..cheezus...some people couldnt play on the first day? Some people got disconnected...and...low and behold "they can't play offline" <--- who the frack cares?

 

[StinkyPinky]

The lack of genuine Single Player is a big negative for me. Why they couldn't have an offline mode is beyond me. If they were worried about cheating, simply have it so offline characters cannot play multiplayer games. Have a warning pop up on the screen when you create the character. It's not rocket science and the fact that people are getting burned by lag during a single player campaign is ridiculous.

And for the people that say "Diablo 3 is not a single player game", that's BS and you know it.

 

[flexy]

The lack of genuine Single Player is a big negative for me.

Funny, because with 90% of released games i am crying "the lack of multiplayer or co-op is really an issue".

Imagine Skyrim or countless other great games having a way of playing online with friends, it would be amazing.

Now, one game comes out which HAS this, now people cry because "it doesn't have single player". Like there is not enough single-player games around lacking ANY sort of co/cop friends play already...

 

[Ferzerp]

And for the people that say "Diablo 3 is not a single player game", that's BS and you know it.

How is it BS? You may believe that it *should* be a single player game, but the reality is this:

There is a game called Diablo 3
The game called Diablo 3 has only one mode.
That mode is multiplayer, but multiplayer can be played with only 1 character in the instance.

So... How is that anything other than a game with no singleplayer mode? Reality just doesn't line up with your assertion.

 

[StinkyPinky]

How is it BS? You may believe that it *should* be a single player game, but the reality is this:

There is a game called Diablo 3
The game called Diablo 3 has only one mode.
That mode is multiplayer, but multiplayer can be played with only 1 character in the instance.

So... How is that anything other than a game with no singleplayer mode? Reality just doesn't line up with your assertion.

Can you play a game by yourself?

Yes or no?

 

[StinkyPinky]

Funny, because with 90% of released games i am crying "the lack of multiplayer or co-op is really an issue".

Imagine Skyrim or countless other great games having a way of playing online with friends, it would be amazing.

Now, one game comes out which HAS this, now people cry because "it doesn't have single player". Like there is not enough single-player games around lacking ANY sort of co/cop friends play already...

I'm all for Skyrim having co-op if that's what people want. I'd never touch it but whatever floats your boat.

You see, it's all about choices.

 

[AdamK47]

I wish more people would stop buying games based purely on past experiences.

I'll add - http://www.cracked.com/blog/5-reasons-diablo-iii-represents-gamings-annoying-future/

And if you are someone who didn't buy or isn't into D3, but loved D2. I suggest googling Diablo 2 the hell unleashed, it's a DAMN impressive mod.

David Wong and John Cheese. I loved reading PWOT back in the day.

 

[flexy]

That mode is multiplayer, but multiplayer can be played with only 1 character in the instance.

Right now, my wife is playing "by herself". Are we wasting time with semantics now? Of course it's a single-player game as well. The deeper definition of what makes "single-player" is not relevant here.

 

[Ferzerp]

Can you play a game by yourself?

Yes or no?

If you think answering yes to that means the game has a single player mode, I have one thing to say to you.


You can play World of Warcraft by yourself.

Are you going to tell me it has a single player mode?

 

[StinkyPinky]

The solution is damn simple...

Have two modes

1) Offline Mode - This character is flagged as offline and is locked down. It cannot be played online.

2 Online Mode - This character can only play when you're....online.

But of course that's too logical. Gotta have that always on DRM running.

 

[DrunkenSano]

Can you play a game by yourself?

Yes or no?

Playing by yourself doesn't matter at all. Blizzard made this game as a multiplayer game, they even stated in an interview that this is not a single player game. It's like complaining that a singleplayer game has no multiplayer, it wasn't meant to have one.

The solution is damn simple...

Have two modes

1) Offline Mode - This character is flagged as offline and is locked down. It cannot be played online.

2 Online Mode - This character can only play when you're....online.

But of course that's too logical. Gotta have that always on DRM running.

Or play the game as it is created and as Blizzard intended. If you really dislike Diablo 3 not having a Singleplayer mode, you could not play? Or even better, develop a game that is better than Diablo 3.

 

[StinkyPinky]

If you think answering yes to that means the game has a single player mode, I have one thing to say to you.


You can play World of Warcraft by yourself.

Are you going to tell me it has a single player mode?

Yeah, not like WOW is billed as a Massively Multiplayer Online game or anything. Or that you're sharing the world with thousands of other people.

When you play single player in Diablo 3 do you see other people in the game world?

 

[Tweak155]

Can you play a game by yourself?

Yes or no?

I think what he is referring to is that while you CAN limit it to "a single player", it is NOT a single player game. It is inherently multiplayer. You can play lots of online games by yourself, doesn't make them all single player games.

 

[DrunkenSano]

Yeah, not like WOW is billed as a Massively Multiplayer Online game or anything. Or that you're sharing the world with thousands of other people.

When you play single player in Diablo 3 do you see other people in the game world?

Blizzard never said Diablo 3 was a Single-player game, they explicitly stated that it was to be played online. And when you play single player, you don't see other players, but you have access to other player's items. And you have access to your items from where you other characters could be playing with other players.

 

[flexy]

The solution is damn simple...

Have two modes

1) Offline Mode - This character is flagged as offline and is locked down. It cannot be played online.

2 Online Mode - This character can only play when you're....online.

But of course that's too logical. Gotta have that always on DRM running.

For a solution, there first needs to be a problem.

Which is ..... ?????