Diablo 3 will require a persistent Internet connection to play

[BlueStar]

Full headline "Diablo 3 to require permanent internet connection to play unless you download the cracked version instead of buying it "

 

[FAST6191]

First the no LAN thing a few months back did not help but this... urgh. What is worse is the bumper crop of such titles (or similar genres) that looked to be appearing over the last few months have not be quite up to it (I enjoyed them but unlike many other examples of the genre they will not be installed/to hand and killing mice for the next ten years unlike the likes of dungeon siege, Titan Quest and the older diablo titles) and most other recent examples of the genre appear to lack a solid LAN muliplayer.

Re Steam DRM. Long may it remain as trivial to work around, sure it is not as nice as a proper crack but hey.

 

[Shoat]

Full headline "Diablo 3 to require permanent internet connection to play unless you download the cracked version instead of buying it "

Actually, I'm going to do both. And some other people might do so, too.


I want to play multiplayer whenever at least one of my RL friends are available.

My computer is permanently connected to the internet, and it's a fast line.
But at the same time, I often have no internet connection for a few hours, or a few days sometimes, because I live in a street that seems to have some issues with telephone and internet cables.

So, I am, in addition to buying the game, also get myself a cracked version so I can peacefully play singleplayer whenever I have no internet.




That is, if our assumption that there is no "play offline" mode at all is correct.

It is sensible that single player is online only, because you can actually take that same character and play multiplayer with him, even competitive PvP, or trade loot received on him in the real money auction house.
The "online only" on singleplayer is only to make sure all the items that flow through the economy system and are usedi n PvP are "legit".
You can take your character, level and gear him up alone, and then use him in multiplayer and PvP or sell loot from him on the auction house.
If you could do that with an offline character that is stored on your computer, it opens up the possibility to cheat (hack his stats, give him rare loot) and then use the cheated character in PvP or sell cheat-loot to other players who would possibly pay for it with real money.
That's why even the singleplayer characters need to be stored server-side - to prevent non-legit characters and items from entering the online community.



However, they may still end up just putting a button on the front screen of the game that allows you to play offline instead of logging into your b-net account, but will seperate the characters used in offline mode from everything on your account (so you cannot access the auction house with them and cannot participate in any multiplayer or PvP with them).
It's not that unlikely.


Hell, maybe they will even reconsider allowing LAN connections if the community demands it enough (would, of course, also need to be seperate from the b-net account just like offline-singleplayer).


The online-only on singleplayer makes sense and is legitimate, because any locally stored character can potentially screw up the whole economy and PvP balance.
However, it is possible for blizzard to go around it and just make both locally stored and server-stored characters and I consider it possible that they may do so.

 

[Foxi4]

I just finished my "watching promotional material" for this game and y'know what? It's still pretty damn hot.

They screwed up with the DRM, that much is clear. LAN would be welcome, I also agree... but...

For the first time in years, Blizzard didn't "fa**otize" their own franchise into a colourful pulp of c*ap (WoW) - the game is fast-paced, bloody and looks really darn interesting.

 

[Nimbus]

I don't play Diablo myself, but I can always agree on one thing.


DRM...****ing ruins everything!

I cant say it any simpler way. What good does it do to even sell these games in stores if you have to have a persistent internet connection to play. Granted they list this on the box, but nobody pays attention until they've bought it and opened it. Most stores will not accept returns on games that have been opened like that, even if the DRM/CopyProtectionLolWut prevents it from being copied.

Another reason why DRM needs to jump into a firery abyss and die quickly.

 

[Tom Bombadildo]

A little off topic but...remember when they used a DRM method with Gears of Wear for PC and it just stopped working after a set date? That was funny...

Just another reason why DRM is just stupid.

 

[Bladexdsl]

why do they even bother it's only gonna get cracked

 

[prowler]

why do they even bother it's only gonna get cracked

Because if you give up now then you loose.

Unless you had a failed childhood, you should of been told plenty of times not to give up.

 

[Tom Bombadildo]

why do they even bother it's only gonna get cracked

Because if you give up now then you loose.

Unless you had a failed childhood, you should of been told plenty of times not to give up.

...I've never been told that and I'm pretty ok. Then again I am the god damn best person in the world so I guess it doesn't matter

I've been wondering the same thing, too. It seems all games get cracked within a week or 2 after it gets released.

 

[Deleted User]

Diablo 3 will require a persistent Internet connection to play

...we shall see. I give this game 2 weeks before it crumbes before the might of haxxorz.

Wont be cracked.

how much you wanna bet on that? settlers 7 had the exact same type of drm and it was craxed

In order for it to be cracked, people will need to hack battle.net, seeing as how its an online only game iirc.

 

[doyama]

To me though Diablo 3 pretty much looks like an online only expereince anyways, no different than say LoL. The focus on PvP and the auction house pretty much makes an online only component pretty much a given.

Whether you agree with this design decision or not is of course up for debate. But I don't really lump it into a 'drm' category, anymore than I would consider LoL or TF2 online requirement a 'drm'