Whilst I accept your point that labelling the always-online component as 'DRM ' is something of a crass simplification, tethering singleplayers to an online connection just so they can play-the-game is a farcical way in which to beat piracy.  Not everyone has a stable connection - fact.  My BT homehub can go for days without hiccups and they suddenly freak out.  Sure I could go and do a Bollockoff and go off and do something else, but why the fuck would I want to pay £40+ for a game when I can't play it at a time of my choosing?  In the rush to protect their product against piracy, they've stupidly ostracised a significant part of their fanbase.  I'm not a rabid fan; the notion that Blizzard 'owe' me anything is completely alien to me. I'm dying to play Diablo3, but for the same reasons I don't play MMOs, I'm not parting with my cash on the off-chance that my Internet connection and Blizzard’s servers reach that sweet spot that will allow a couple of hrs of play before one of them decides to wig out.

Actually signing onto servers to get the damn thing to run is of course only half the story.  The thought of enduring lag in an ostensibly singleplayer game is a complete joke.  And whilst you laud the online integration – you seriously think that the real cash auction house idea as a good one?  From what I’ve read  the AH is already flooded with rare items that are set to unbalance co-op and multiplayer.  Buddying up with people who’ve ‘tweaked’ their character above and beyond what should be possible sounds like a whole load of fun.  In their rush to milk their cash cow, they’ve squeezed its udders beyond bursting point  (apoplogies Kow) – soon reducing what should’ve been the finest action-rpg to date to the level of some redundant pay-to-win fodder.

Your assertion that finally a PC developer will make a ton from their product doesn't square with reality.  This is Blizzard we're talking about. It wouldn’t have cost them to a jot to give players the option of creating an offline singleplayer character thereby mitigating the risk of cheats breaking the game.  But apparently this got overlooked because they were so busy trying to monetarize player transactions by foisting the online component onto all players to sell their virtual wares.  

Coincidentally, I do hope DS is having a good time playing Diablo2.   Twelve years from now, when they release the next sequel and flick the switch on the spluttering Diablo 3 servers and the lights go out for the last time, I wonder who will hear the anguished screams of all those Level 42 Witch Doctors?

I noticed it was running a bit laggy earlier this evening and called it a day. Will see how it is in a bit.. 

One thing that does piss me off now with the online malarkey is the inability to leave a 1p campaign and make me some dinner or go for a thorough shit. As soon as I hit escape and head off a virtual clock starts ticking (10?  15? mins) above my head before you get auto kicked from the server and progress lost. 
I now have to make sure I've got to a checkpoint and gone back to town to make sure it has 'saved' my situation. Might not be a biggy but it did annoy me in a ostensibly 1p game.

Horse shit. Town pissing portal would solve my problem indeed. Nice one Temps. Town Portals are persistent even of you close it completely down and logout aren't they? …. errrr...I retract my objection your Honour. The prosecution rests. 

It's just like earlier today when I found that  the space bar will close all windows on screen. No more chasing little 'X's. These Blizzard folks have thought this one through haven't they?

See, someone else in a review mentioned shit about keyboard shortcuts opening and closing windows and a few other things that Diablo 3 does so well.

It made me laugh 'cause if I'm not mistaken, Diablo 2 already did all that shit. I wish I had this right now.

Blocks your comments about squaring to reality make no sense. Blizzards decisions have made two things abundantly clear - 1) The game is better for the always-online mechanics ans 2) Their userbase, as shown by the sales, have not ben hurt at all by this delivery method, not at alllll

Them making it not have that online ellement ust for singleplayer makes no sense to them, they gain nothing as they feel the experience has been worse, AND the game is now open to ofline cracking -its a lose/lose

The game was to be always online anyways, the fundamental structure of the game is online, its not a singleplayer game nor a multiplayer one specififcally, it assumes anything as standard.

Its not DRM because there's little specific obvious antipiracy measures they have to make, because of this

Out of interest, how many people complain about World Of Warcraft's 'DRM'? (Although using 'DRM' in both these games' instances is kind of ridiculous)

LazyGunn wrote:

The game was to be always online anyways, the fundamental structure of the game is online, its not a singleplayer game nor a multiplayer one specififcally, it assumes anything as standard. Its not DRM because there's little specific obvious antipiracy measures they have to make, because of this Out of interest, how many people complain about World Of Warcraft's 'DRM'? (Although using 'DRM' in both these games' instances is kind of ridiculous)

You can't draw a parallel between those two games though....   No Diablo 3, i have bought it and I love it but I do think it is utter shite that its an online only game.  Yes I understand that there is online integration and all that shit but they managed it very successfully with Diablo 2 without requiring a constant connection, only if you wanted to play or trade online.   I didn't like buying a game and then having to wait for 3 hours to have a go because the servers were busy when I couldn't care less for the online component of this game just yet.  I also don't appreciate that amount of lag that occurs when the ping meter goes up, this happened last night and was appalling, again I am playing this on my own as a single player at the moment so in my mind I shouldn't be penalised for wanting to play a game that I just purchased.   Now, if these things happen when "I" choose to play online then it goes with the territory but for me at the moment I don't like the always online component, too many variables that can contribute towards either not playing or when you do its shit because of lag.  How the hell lag can afffect a game that sits at 15GB installed and you are playing the single player I have no idea.

with all that said the game itself is awesome!

Anyone have one of these trial codes? Not sure I want to drop 45 on this without having a crack first...

tigerswiftly wrote:

Anyone have one of these trial codes? Not sure I want to drop 45 on this without having a crack first...

I'll sort you out when i get home if nobody else does in the mean time

tigerswiftly wrote:

Jimmy The Lips wrote:

tigerswiftly wrote:

Anyone have one of these trial codes? Not sure I want to drop 45 on this without having a crack first...

I'll sort you out when i get home if nobody else does in the mean time

You're a beautiful man with a beautiful name, Jim. But damn you for not being at home already.

I've got everything installed now. Just need to buy the damn thing, or use a trial code to see how things go.

phoned the wife and have now pm'd you

Tempy wrote:

Level 21 Monk flying through co-op with @Bollockoff Starting to think Normal is for solo only, can't wait for the difficulty to up with Nightmare (:

Mah mate, that huge swish figure on the horizon TheCannon is having fun getting one shotted by a miniboss of Act IV on Nightmare. He's level 50.

I can also turn champions into chickens now. Although it's a bit random.

im told nightmare is fucking insane, and actually really the way it's meant to be played

you level up your char by running through normal a few times then get ready for some mindfucking when minibosses pull out absolutely insane abilities, includng one that apparently looks like gigantic lasers, mecha-anime style

so what is peoples go to character of choice?

I've gone for a wizard which is a first for me....

Oh and before I forget. There was some ridiculous cunt on the Blizzard forums earlier in the day who was actually complaining you don't click on gold now to pick it up.