Blizzard extends a ginormous middle finger.

[Gobbo]

If we could force people to always be connected when you play the game, and then have that be acceptable, awesome. In the end, it’s better for everybody.

So they pretty much revealed that the main task of Diablo 3 is to change the coordinates of how we perceive commodities and the concept of ownership. Stripping ones freedom and making that acceptable. Capitalism is trying to cheat.

 

[Gord]

Stripping ones freedom and making that acceptable. Capitalism is trying to cheat.

World-wide recession and economic crisis suddenly doesn't sound so bad anymore, does it?

 

[Norfleet]

This is like the "war on drugs", except with % of proceeds instead of seized property. Sneaky sneaky.

So in other words, it's like the war on drugs, except instead of continuing to fight, they decided to legalize and tax?

 

[Menckenstein]

If we could force people to always be connected when you play the game, and then have that be acceptable, awesome. In the end, it’s better for everybody.

So they pretty much revealed that the main task of Diablo 3 is to change the coordinates of how we perceive commodities and the concept of ownership. Stripping ones freedom and making that acceptable. Capitalism is trying to cheat.

Next up: computers that require constant internet connection for anything beyond OS installation.

"Laptop in the plane/train/car?

Not on our watch "

 

[Stabwound]

"Diablo 3 will make everyone else accept the fact you have to be connected. If you have a juggernaut, you can make change."

This quote brings to mind another quote from esteemed philosopher, M. Tyson:

"I'll fuck you until you love me, faggot."

 

[Captain Shrek]

Diablo 3 sucks rats little balls, its that outdated. Even the browser based game Drakensang online looks better tahtn D3. Don't believe me? Check it out.

 

[Gregz]

I've been in denial to myself for a while that blizzard wasn't just another greedy company. I kept getting more and more disappointed with Diablo 3 news.

The great company that was Blizzard began disintegrating 3 years ago, after merging with Activision.

Pre-Activision Merger:

• Warcraft: Orcs & Humans 1994 Real-time strategy game
  Justice League Task Force[30] 1995 Versus fighting game
  Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness 1995 Real-time strategy game
  Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal 1996 Expansion pack
  Diablo 1996 Role-playing game
  The Lost Vikings II 1997 Side-scrolling video game
  StarCraft 1998 Real-time strategy game
  StarCraft: Brood War 1998 Expansion pack
  Warcraft II: Battle.net Edition 1999 Real-time strategy game
  Diablo II 2000 Role-playing game
  Diablo II: Lord of Destruction 2001 Expansion pack
  Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos 2002 Real-time strategy game
  Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne 2003 Expansion pack
  World of Warcraft 2004 MMORPG
  World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade 2007 Expansion pack
  World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King 2008 Expansion pack

Post-Activision Merger:

• StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty 2010 Real-time strategy game
  World of Warcraft: Cataclysm 2010 Expansion pack

Blizzard died sometime between 2008-2010. I hope I'm wrong and D3 will redeem them, but I doubt it will.

 

[Havoc]

I think they started dying with War3, but you could something is up when D2 was out.

 

[Xor]

Activision didn't kill Blizzard. WoW killed Blizzard.

 

[DraQ]

I think they started dying with War3, but you could something is up when D2 was out.

This.


Also, 'tell'.

 

[Mrowak]

I think they started dying with War3, but you could something is up when D2 was out.

This.


Also, 'tell'.

You noticed that as well? I too couldn't shake off the impression that there was something terribly wrong with D2.

 

[Darth Roxor]

Wiedz, że coś się dzieje

 

[meanwhileInPoland]

Wiedz, że coś się dzieje

if your child plays diabolo 2

 

[Suicidal]

Really, out of all these 3 things I'm pissed only about mods. Internet connection? Big deal. I am always online. $$$ auction house? I'm pretty neutral about this. All of the stuff that will be sold there drops in-game, right? It's not like anyone is forcing me to use it. Plus, I've heard that this AH will be forbidden on hardcore games. Diablo 2 didn't have anything of the sort, so I think players can manage in Diablo 3 without using it.

But the ban on mods pisses me off. Diablo 2 had some very fun mods which I played with my friends on LAN, like Hell Unleashed. Even so, Diablo 3 is one of the few upcoming PC games that are worth looking forward to. Butts gonna hurt.

 

[DraQ]

I think they started dying with War3, but you could something is up when D2 was out.

This.


Also, 'tell'.

You noticed that as well? I too couldn't shake off the impression that there was something terribly wrong with D2.

It played like a fucking MMO-lite, lacked persistency, had resurrection by default, no atmosphere whatsoever and you spent most of the time slaughtering utterly retarded fantastic menagerie amongst boring as fuck open spaces, with neither menagerie, nor locations having anything in common with the grimdark, quasi-gothic, pseudo-medieval, european/implied middleastern setting of the Prequel.

How could I have not noticed?

Wiedz, że coś się dzieje

Nawet Natanek wie, że 'Diabolo' to nie erpegie, bo wymienił je osobno.

 

[Kraszu]

Really, out of all these 3 things I'm pissed only about mods. Internet connection? Big deal. I am always online.

And no privacy mode witch sucks the most about it.

 

[DalekFlay]

I like how people are totally fine with complete corporate control of their games because "hey, I have 24/7 internet anyway." The idea of only playing games when my connection is up has very little to do with why I think persistent connection DRM is horseshit. Let's see you play fucking System Shock 2 today if it was only available by the good graces of EA (who GOG says don't even have the full rights anymore anyway, so you're doubly fucked).

And before I get the "Blizzard will have the game up and running for decades" retort let me say you have no fucking clue how true that is. The fact Diablo 2 is still up and running does not prove anything about what will happen to that company tomorrow.

 

[corvus]

Ah, the constant struggle between idealism and convenience. Blizzard is big enough, and their fanbase complicit enough, for these things to become the norm in the near future I think. If the convenience-minded customers won't insure it, all the counter-counter-conformists will.

 

[Shannow]

Ah, the constant struggle against idealism and convenience. Blizzard is big enough, and their fanbase complicit enough, for these things to become the norm in the near future I think. If the corporate-minded customers won't insure it, all the counter-counter-conformists will.

fixed.

 

[Gord]

Really, out of all these 3 things I'm pissed only about mods. Internet connection? Big deal. I am always online.

And no privacy mode witch sucks the most about it.

Privacy is not valued very highly these days. If you are fine with a perpetual total disclosure of your private life on services like Facebook and Twitter, why should you care about an always on requirement?

If we continue to be so indulgent a few years from now all (major) games will require to be online for playing it and feature in-game advertisement that's being personalized for your convenience by an industry that's constantly analyzing every aspect of your digital life - gaming preferences, your social media accounts, websites you like, and so on.

Can you hear Orwell turning over in his grave?

 

[corvus]

Ah, the constant struggle against idealism and convenience.

fixed.

But isn't raging against the always-online requirement some kind of idealism? It is with me anyway, since I'm not even planning on playing Diablo 3.

Also, "ensure" /DraQ

How embarrassing.

 

[Bulba]

1) The game requires a constant internet connection. It cannot be played off-line. = Never played D2 off-line past normal setting = yawn

2) Mods are “expressly prohibited.” Most people will play this on-line, so yea of course. For those who play it off-line (there will be hacks), why give a shit.


3) Items in the auction house are bought and sold for real-life money.


You know, as long as it is player dropped items I have no issue with this. It makes no real difference anyway. However if blizz just generate the items to satisfy orders, ewwwwww.

 

[Bulba]

Yeah, and it's always fun to not be able to play your game in sp when it happens...What?

The way I see it, you will be able to play offline, just like in SCII. You just won't have any of the features you get when playing online. Which may or may not disturb some people.

"Working copy protection"??? First of all: Why do you as a customer care if the CP works or not?

I do not care, but I see the point in doing it from a publishers perspective. It certainly works better than the usual "insert your original DVD"-check and will likely piss off less people as more and more people are permanently online (or have the possibility to be). And since Diablo is played online by 90% of people anyway, where's the point in raging about having to be online? On principle? Idealism? Pfff. Hippies.

Secondly: No. It'll be cracked like all others.

If it will be cracked anyway, why do you care about it?

I don't get consumers who make excuses for corporations. "Yeah, this incoveniences me. But only a little. I'll hardly notice. And the corporation has some imagined advantage from it. Overall I'm happy if the corporation is happy..."

I don't get people who do not get the reasoning behind very obvious behaviour of publishers. We're not talking about indie developers here, who do it all for the fun, for the community, or god know's why. We're talking about a huge market construct with hundreds (!!!) of people somehow dependant on the commercial success of a game. They would be outright crazy not to use copy protections like that.

now i understand why your avatar is a sheep

 

[made]

Blizzard's devious scheme uncovered:
http://www.pixelpoppers.com/2011/08/bli ... ption.html

- make item drops the only means to advance/customize a character
- force everyone online, ban mods so people can't hack drops in their SP games
- sell items on anonymous AH at ludicrous prices

 

[Shannow]

Ah, the constant struggle against idealism and convenience.

fixed.

But isn't raging against the always-online requirement some kind of idealism? It is with me anyway, since I'm not even planning on playing Diablo 3.

I thought you were talking about Blizzard's (apologists') struggle against idealism and convenience