Why do people encourage anti-consumer games?

[loki504]

Blizz do make a PvP game, it's Starcraft. With Diablo 3 though the official line was PvP is the least important thing they'd consider (their actual words were "shut up PvP guy").

can you link it. because it would be kinda stupid to say "shut up pvp guy".
is that what they mean with certain words? sure but saying it that way is almost immposible.

[Heathy]

the comparison between d3 and tl2 isn't so great, for one, tl2 has no Bnet alternative, so there isn't any prestige really. I only played the d3 beta and didn't like it so i didn't buy it.

they probably gave a load of d3's away for free during that mists pre-order so i guess they had to keep the $60 tag to make up from that loss.

[Dhrizzle]

can you link it. because it would be kinda stupid to say "shut up pvp guy".
is that what they mean with certain words? sure but saying it that way is almost immposible.

Well technically they're talking about game balance, but here you go.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTWU6fOSogE

[Fencers]

True. I did point out the difference in artstyle. However, I do feel that things like the price, no modding and always online are a big detriment. You have a game that can be modded so you, the player, could help mold it in time how you want, and a game that is static, you can never change it. I feel this is a big argument.

What if mods are not important to a player?

Not everyone mods their game. A modded game is not the basis of game critique either. One can only critique the game as sold by default. As that is the developer's design.

There are millions of Skyrim players on console that have no clue of modding that game. How Skyrim functions, gameplay and design, regardless of platform is based on how the game is delivered by default.

I also brought up Diablo 3 because, while they did say that they can never undo the always online, the console players will not have a need to always be online, so this shows they can. <snip>

And what if the always online and PVP don't matter to a player?

Also the console version will not have RMT AH. Console programming is a different beast entirely from making a game on PC. It's not simply adding a few lines of code and suddenly; single player offline.

It takes work, development, time, resources and QA. Not to mention that it now changes the fundamental design of the PC version. Blizzard might not be lying when they say they can't undo the always online mode for PC. But likely can when porting the game to a different platform entirely.

Let me give you another example. <snip>

And if I like that specific cake, I will buy it regardless. It doesn't matter to me unless I can get a better cake.

I wouldn't buy a worse cake because it is cheaper or more voluminous.

[loki504]

Well technically they're talking about game balance, but here you go.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTWU6fOSogE

darn people can make elephants out of flys.

[Heathy]

DRM, is unfortunately anti-consumer. its simply a cock block, ironically it does very little to the intended targets it hampers game play from either being always on or simply having to waste time loading up some sort of tool/bloatware *cough* steam.

being on wireless is one reason why i wouldn't play d3 even if it was free, my connection is tenuous at best most of the time.

[Hraklea]

So the question is, why do people encourage anti-consumer practices when there is choice, there are other similar games in quality out there?

Because most people either don't know those other games or don't realize those practices are anti-consumer. And, in some cases, those other games simply doesn't exist.

[Deleted]

you might have a problem with the online only part. but i don't really care about that. so i should buy x because people don't like y. yet i enjoy y more?

what is wrong with people telling me what to do. and what not.
and why do you even care? if YOU don't like it don't buy it. but don't bother me with your crap.

I care because when people promote anti-consumer practices like this one, other companies start using them for their games.

and do you know why they can't/want to change it? maybe its in there code. and to change that they need to recode and might bring massive problems with them?

its so easy to say they lie bla bla bla or there lazy bla bla bla yet you don't know the reason why they might lie or being lazy.

and they clearly stated the always on. so you can decide to buy it. so i live in a freaking cold countery. yet my car dealer can only give me the car with a airco that can also give hot air but going to cost me more gas. its up to ME to decide if i go for the car. not the rest of the world. looks like alot of people don't have problems with it.

and sure they get asked to be scammed if they buy stuff from hackers. but the fact remains it is happening. and blizzard wanted to prevent it. your not forced to used it. so no1 forced you to spend the extra $$ to enjoy the game.

The fact that they could change it for the consoles shows they can and could change it.

I got D3 for free, so your argument is moot. Also the RMAH didn't ruin the game for me. I didn't use it, and I don't hold myself up to the people who do, nor the people who farm all day. I don't need mods to play the game. The interface in Diablo 3 is mostly fine. It's not like it prevents you from playing the game well. "Respect promises?" Fucking entitled brats these days. Also don't fucking play Diablo if you want to PvP. Blizzard doesn't make PvP games, I don't know if you know.

How does it prevent me from playing the game well? Gee, I wish I lived in a world where the internet never falls.
Also, for PvP:
"So far our plans are to add PvP to the game with patch 1.1, and I am fairly sure we will have much more details on this to share with you as we get closer to release :-)"
http://www.diablowiki.net/Player_versus_Player

Yet what you got was...
"In December of 2012 Blizzard announced that the PvP element of Diablo III had been simplified with the Battle Arena aspect of the game going to back to the drawing board. A more simplified version of PvP was promised for Patch 1.0.7."

So primised PvP for and you got the Brawling Arena ... which is not even truly dueling, it's more a WoW style arena.
I think it's sad that you say I'm an entitled brat for wanting something that was promised.

I played a bit of torchlight 2 at a friends house and didn't enjoy it. Diablo 3 did amazing numbers primarily because it was the third game in a really successful series. The price doesn't really bother me on games, I'll drop $60 for something that's new if I'm excited about it... It's the current price for most new games. Just because you enjoy a game and think it's amazing doesn't mean it's going to have the broad appeal or visibility required to sell 50 million copies. 2 million copies is pretty good for a game like Torchlight 2.

Yea, until you think that those 2 million copies sold for 5-20 $. So, assuming at best that they all sold for 20$ (which is not true), at best the creators got 100 million $. But some sold at the sales for 5$, didn't they? So let me spell this out for you, less money means less money to fund development, less money to fund development means the company starts going down the slope.

Since when is everyone supposed to have access to all the same things? Should they make a battery powered version of D3 for people who live in areas without reliable electricity? How about really crappy graphics versions for people who can't get their hands on a decent computer? Always on is the exact opposite of anti-consumer... it actually promotes MORE consumption because you not only buy a system to play the game, the game, the electricity to power the stuff but you also have to buy quality internet. If I can't get my hands on pork because I live in a Muslim country I'm not going to get pissed about the fact that I don't get to eat ribs in my area. I just accept that if I want to enjoy ribs I have to move to a place where I can. The same is true for playing always on games. If you want to enjoy them move to a place you can get the internet to play them.

It is anti-consumer, it is pro-consumerism. Learn your words.

Also, no. Your example is not good. Why? Because internet is not reliable in most of the world at times. Internet is not reliable in trains, in planes in so many other places. Internet can fall for a second at times even in the best connected countries... and then poof, your whole progress for the last 15 min is lost in the blink of an eye. Always on is as anti-consumer as you can get.
Plus, your suggestion is ridiculous (oh, you want to play a game? well move to another country!).

[TheNationGamer]

Because people have different opinions on whats fun for them

Just because one person isn't for that game, doesn't mean person B won't have fun

Personal opinions is the only thing that matters when playing a game

[Dhrizzle]

I care because when people promote anti-consumer practices like this one, other companies start using them for their games.

"Anti-consumer" practices have been around for ages, remember those horrible black-on-dark-purple code sheets for Spectrum games, or code-wheels or (the worst of all) "please enter the x word on line y of page z" which would render your game unplayable if you lost the magic piece of paper; or copy-protection on floppies so you couldn't back-up the game, or games that required the CD to be present, both of which stopped you playing if your original media became corrupt?

Compared to those I find always-on DRM to be much less annoying and, ultimately, I don't care. If the game is fun I'll jump through an extra couple of hoops to play it.

The fact that they could change it for the consoles shows they can and could change it.

Is the console version a direct port from the PC or did they make changes that would allow them to easily incorporate an off-line mode?

Also, for PvP:
"So far our plans are to add PvP to the game with patch 1.1, and I am fairly sure we will have much more details on this to share with you as we get closer to release :-)"
http://www.diablowiki.net/Player_versus_Player

Yet what you got was...
"In December of 2012 Blizzard announced that the PvP element of Diablo III had been simplified with the Battle Arena aspect of the game going to back to the drawing board. A more simplified version of PvP was promised for Patch 1.0.7."

So primised PvP for and you got the Brawling Arena ... which is not even truly dueling, it's more a WoW style arena.
I think it's sad that you say I'm an entitled brat for wanting something that was promised.[/quote]

They never promised anything, in fact Blizz often try to make it very clear that future plans do not equate to concrete promises (remember the whole "Ghostcrawler promised me a pony" thing?) and they made it quite clear PvP was low priority for them.