StarCraft II Gets DRM

[mindcycle]

Blizzard's Dustin Browder told IncGamers DRM will be included in StarCraft II.

The hugely popular developer has previously had very few intrusive tools in their games to prevent piracy, but StarCraft II will be the first one to go in a different direction. Besides excluding LAN mode, which is one of the reasons the original game was such a success in the first place, the game will also have a mild form of DRM protection, a second new move.

In order to install the game, "you need to connect once to install the game," StarCraft II lead designer Browder revealed. A player will also either have or sign up for a Battle.net account during the installation process.

This is of course a very unintrusive form of DRM, and most fans will likely take it with a stride, as they already have a Battle.net account, or will appreciate the new Battle.net as they sign up. However, it's a first for Blizzard to require any such registration by the player, and could possibly be influence by the much more DRM-friendly Activision since the merger.

http://www.incgamers.com/News/.../starcraft-ii-gets-drm

So their basically saying if you don't have access to the internet, you can't play.

 

[Dorkenstein]

This just keeps getting better.

 

[MikeyLSU]

no biggie, I thought there were plenty of games by valve that did the same thing. If you can't get on the internet once with your computer, I'm not sure why you would have a good enough computer to even play a game like this.

 

[Kromis]

What the fuck? Fuck that shit!

Damn motherfuckers...

 

[ZzZGuy]

Well, I avoid games with install/system limits and online activation most of the time. And yes, ~80% of people don't need to worry, one time connection to the internet and creation of a battle.net account is not that much of a problem. But I'm the other 20% from time to time. Though it is very funny they took out the LAN to try and stop piracy given the tournaments added a lot to SC:I's popularity, which those players will demand LAN and I somehow doubt blizzards claims they improved battle.net enough that it doesn't matter are 100% true. Hell, I use LAN with my friends (good laptop) often, one with multiple people using the same internet connection making it very troublesome to get good ping online.

Too bad SC:II has come to this. At the very most, if the game proves to live up to the hype then I will get the bundle (all 3 games) on sale for ~$30. They will have to work very hard to earn my money now.

 

[Zenoth]

Doesn't seem much worse than Steam or any other similar DRM, if the owner has indeed legitimately bought it then there's nothing to hide and there shouldn't be any problems. My only problem with DRM is when there's activation limits, that's my only gripe, but other than that, I can deal with it. But fortunately enough for me I won't buy SC2 simply because I never really got into the original in the first place, it doesn't look "bad" by any means, it's just not really my type of stuff, I might buy it but I'll wait for a price drop. Another negative in my book about SC2, much worse than any DRM it could have, is the fact that Blizzard intends to release three different full "chapters" with the excuse that they had to do that to be able to offer three different campaigns for each of the three races, it's as if they had to release Diablo III the same number of times that there are chapters in the campaign, which doesn't make any sense.

 

[Slick5150]

Yeah, I don't see why this would be any real concern to anyone. Its unobtrusive.

 

[Ackmed]

Then you dont see everything.

Some people get deployed, and cant get online with their PC to activate a game.

 

[vhx]

You need to connect to the internet to even INSTALL it? Wow. That's the dumbest thing I ever heard next to limiting the amount of installs you can do.

 

[Sylvanas]

Doesn't bother me (no, seriously it doesn't), a one off connection to the net to install is ok.....if it had to call back home every time I play that would be different.

 

[PieIsAwesome]

I am getting this game for the multiplayer, so. . .

 

[adairusmc]

Don't care.

 

[Bateluer]

Originally posted by: PieIsAwesome
I am getting this game for the multiplayer, so. . .

So . . . you're still screwed if you want to play on a LAN.

This just reinforces my estimation not to buy SC2 until Blizzard pulls their head out of the ass and kicks Activation to the curb.

 

[zerocool84]

Originally posted by: Bateluer

Originally posted by: PieIsAwesome
I am getting this game for the multiplayer, so. . .

So . . . you're still screwed if you want to play on a LAN.

I have a feeling that they're going to make you pay extra for LAN and release it after the game is out. That would seriously suck.

 

[Kalmah]

It really isn't that bad. Like somebody else said, if you can't afford an internet connection then how are you affording a computer that can play these games?

I sense bandwagoning when drm is involved. Yes, alot of it is shitty shitty but in a case like this where most of the gameplay is going to be online anyways I don't see a big deal.

Console gaming is messing up pc gaming do to pc ignorance so they have to maximize profits the best that they can. If light drm to this magnitude helps keep pc developers alive then I'm for it.

 

[Maximilian]

Meh... i can deal with a one off access to install. Even if i had no net i could always plug my mobile into my comp and get net through that.

As long as its not phoning home every 10 minutes or requires constant internet to play singleplayer or has limited activations then im not too fussed.

 

[Bateluer]

Originally posted by: Kalmah
If light drm to this magnitude helps keep pc developers alive then I'm for it.

You seriously think Blizzard is in any financial danger? Their revenues from a single month of WoW are more than what some companies make in a year. They could release SC2 with all its features intact, ie LAN play, with no DRM at all, and still sell millions of copies.

Unfortunately, far too many people will still buy SC2 and send the message that DRM is okay. This is exactly the opposite of what people should do.

 

[sticks435]

Yea, I agree with this not being that bad. It doesn't contain activation limits and you can still play SP offline. Besides, 90% of people will probably play this online anyway.

 

[PieIsAwesome]

Originally posted by: Bateluer

Originally posted by: PieIsAwesome
I am getting this game for the multiplayer, so. . .

So . . . you're still screwed if you want to play on a LAN.

This just reinforces my estimation not to buy SC2 until Blizzard pulls their head out of the ass and kicks Activation to the curb.

By multiplayer I meant online multiplayer, hadn't had a LAN in a long time unfortunately.

I still think Blizzard is going to announce LAN later in a way that would make them look like heroes. "We delayed the game, but look we added LAN!"

 

[Sylvanas]

Is it so hard to play a multiplayer game over Bnet instead of LAN....- it's not destroying multiplayer. It's fine QQ

 

[Genx87]

If possible. Ill buy it through Steam. Not a big deal.

 

[AyashiKaibutsu]

I took the no lan play in stride, but this is starting to annoy me... If they announce limited installs next I actually won't bother buying the game, and I've bought every Blizzard PC game (collectors edition if applicable) since Warcraft I.

 

[blurredvision]

Originally posted by: Bateluer
Unfortunately, far too many people will still buy SC2 and send the message that DRM is okay. This is exactly the opposite of what people should do.

I always hated this viewpoint. Just because someone buys SC2 doesn't mean they are throwing in 100% support of DRM. Plus, probably only 15-20% of people who purchase it will even know about the DRM included.

I don't like DRM simply because it doesn't work and is sometimes a headache for those of us who monetarily support the developers. But if I buy SC2, it isn't a vote for DRM, it's a vote for Blizzard and their game-making skills. Don't ever confuse me as a DRM supporter just because I buy a game. Sometimes you just have to put up with it to play a game. I'd rather be labeled a supporter of DRM by buying a game than be labeled a pirate when I download a game and justify it by discounting DRM, anyway.

 

[ibex333]

Who cares! The DRM will be cracked, so we can play single player. For multiplayer we would be connecting to the internet anyway so it doesn't matter.

 

[CoinOperatedBoy]

Originally posted by: Genx87
If possible. Ill buy it through Steam. Not a big deal.

Like all the other Blizzard games on Steam?