Post from Mike Morhaime - Printable Version +- The Lurker Lounge Forums (https://www.lurkerlounge.com/forums) +-- Forum: Lurker Games (https://www.lurkerlounge.com/forums/forum-6.html) +--- Forum: Diablo III (https://www.lurkerlounge.com/forums/forum-30.html) +--- Thread: Post from Mike Morhaime (/thread-14088.html) Pages:
1
2
|
Post from Mike Morhaime - smegged - 07-26-2012 http://us.battle.net/d3/en/forum/topic/6080663481#1 Quote:Dear Diablo Players, Reading this post made me a sad panda. It screamed to me of Blizzard resting on its laurels, even though this was a damage control post. The part about the launch numbers should have been communicated around ten minutes after they realised that there were 6 million people trying to connect at once. Furthermore, Quote:One other common topic we’ve seen in the forums is the always-connected experience, and the perception that the online requirement is nothing but an ineffective form of copy protection that has already been cracked. While we’ve never said that this requirement guarantees that there will be no cheating or game cracks, it does help us battle those problems (we have not found any fully functional cracks). More important to us is that the online requirement is critical for the long-term integrity of the game experience. I fully understand the desire to play Diablo III offline; however, Diablo III was designed from the beginning to be an online game that can be enjoyed with friends, and the always-online requirement is the best way for us to support that design. The effectiveness of the online elements -- including the friends list and cross-game communication; co-op matchmaking; persistent characters that you can use by yourself, with others, and in PvP; and some of our customer support, service, and security components -- is tied directly to the online nature of the game. These and other online-enabled features are essential to our design for Diablo III. That said, there are still improvements we believe we can make to expand the online experience and make co-op play even more rewarding, and this will remain one of our priorities moving forward. Overall, while there are some downsides to the online-only approach, I still believe this was the best long-term decision for the game. This is the biggest piece of hubris and self deception I think I've ever seen in a video game developer since John Romero claimed that Daikatana would be good. The *only* thing that being an online-only game protects is Blizzard profits. I, for the most part, don't care about co-op and achievements and all that other crap that they give as an excuse for locking me into their lame DRM scheme. As an Australian I can safely say I won't be buying any more online only games at launch unless they come with Australian servers. It's a load of crap that we have to ping back and forth across the pacific to play what is effectively a single player game. Blizzard really need to wake up to themselves or they will find themselves in a situation where they've hurt their reputation to a point that they can't recover. RE: Post from Mike Morhaime - Jester - 07-26-2012 (07-26-2012, 10:58 AM)smegged Wrote: Blizzard really need to wake up to themselves or they will find themselves in a situation where they've hurt their reputation to a point that they can't recover. Blizzard just released the fastest-selling video game ever, a title they reaffirmed, having also been the previous record holders. Are we seriously talking about Blizzard's reputation being irreparably damaged, to the point where they "can't recover"? That would be quite the fall, from being the world's best-selling developer. It's one thing to talk about making decisions we don't like, or critiquing the game on the merits. But I'm getting awfully sick of the doomsaying over the fate of the whole company, which is still phenomenally successful. -Jester RE: Post from Mike Morhaime - Bolty - 07-26-2012 (07-26-2012, 02:18 PM)Jester Wrote: It's one thing to talk about making decisions we don't like, or critiquing the game on the merits. But I'm getting awfully sick of the doomsaying over the fate of the whole company, which is still phenomenally successful. Aye, and this forum is also going into a bit of a spiral. Those who like the game are being driven out by those who don't but feel a continuous need to keep ragging on it. If this continues, it'll just become a Diablo III hate forum with everyone telling each other how awesome they are for not liking the game. And yes, I realize I share a lot of fault for this. All I can do is ask those of you who are fed up and have stopped playing to move on. Let's leave this place for those who enjoy it, continue to play it, and want to discuss it. RE: Post from Mike Morhaime - LochnarITB - 07-26-2012 (07-26-2012, 05:08 PM)Bolty Wrote: Let's leave this place for those who enjoy it, continue to play it, and want to discuss it. Thank you. RE: Post from Mike Morhaime - Kurosu - 07-26-2012 (07-26-2012, 02:18 PM)Jester Wrote: Blizzard just released the fastest-selling video game ever, a title they reaffirmed, having also been the previous record holders. Are we seriously talking about Blizzard's reputation being irreparably damaged, to the point where they "can't recover"? That would be quite the fall, from being the world's best-selling developer. Long post warning. This game did sell many copies, but it's undeniable that it's also seeing a huge drop-off of players within several of months of launch (see here for example), many of which have a sour aftertaste from the game. Perhaps many of them will be back once the game has advanced some more, but there are also many people who won't be back. "Good riddance, a bunch of whiners less, no big deal", you might think. Granted, there are many unreasonable and immature people who are impossible to please, but there are also many fans of the series who want to enjoy the game but are deterred from doing so for various reasons. And I feel those are the loss of an asset for Blizzard. Also, let's see how many times I can use the word "many" in a single paragraph. I think it has a lot to do with how Blizzard has portrayed themselves on their forum and in statements. There are many people that feel actively griefed by them with the continuous sudden and drastic patch changes and hotfixes. It follows the lines of: "I'm having fun and doing well in the game, why is Blizzard taking this away from me?". Coupled with some of the now popular statements from Blizzard representatives that could be interpreted as condescending, or mocking the customer after taking away their "fun", it comes across as being tactless. It really has a lot to do with the tone or approach you take in such matters. Players are naturally not going to be happy if you take away things from them that they already possessed and took for granted, and people complained about it on their forum. They could have replied along the lines of "the game is still in its initial stage, we did not anticipate <issue> and drastic measures had to be taken to remedy it, and we apologize for the inconvenience it might cause, and in the future....", and so on. In short, to empathize with the player and to admit the oversight was on their end and not because they're looking to hurt the player for whatever reason. But instead you have the "aren't you thankful?" debacle that will stick for a long time to come, such a message should have never been said at all, jokingly or not. Another issue related to that is the RMAH, since so many people feel that Blizzard is just looking out for Blizzard to make the RMAH flourish as much as possible and is directing all these changes towards that. So their opinion of Blizzard sinks even lower, as it goes from "Blizzard is taking my fun away for their own gain, and then they have the gall to mock me for it". And there is the issue where people feel they cannot trust Blizzard, because what they say and what they do seems to be polar opposites. I recall Bashiok mentioning "we don't want people to be afraid of nerfs", but with the rapid hotfixing of profitable actions in game, it just doesn't seem to add up. Coupled with the various changes that are not mentioned at all, or denied when called out on, there is a layer of smoke between the Blizzard and the players, when this kind of thing should be very transparent, especially when real money transactions are involved. Right now, I feel that Blizzard needs to show their intention in 'actions' rather than 'words', as their conduct leading up to this situation has made their word meaningless to many. If they show inside the game that they truly wish to combat the myriad of issues that plague this game, people will take note. RE: Post from Mike Morhaime - Archon_Wing - 07-26-2012 Although the letter was indeed completely worthless and didn't tell us anything of substance, consisting of excuses, I wouldn't be too harsh on it. This is just a standard time buying announcement to the fans, in which hope to bring forth actual changes that may be surprising. Wait for the actual changes to pass judgement. It may be better than the 1.03 announcement, for example, which promised the sky and collapsed on itself. RE: Post from Mike Morhaime - kandrathe - 07-26-2012 (07-26-2012, 07:04 PM)Kurosu Wrote: Right now, I feel that Blizzard needs to show their intention in 'actions' rather than 'words', as their conduct leading up to this situation has made their word meaningless to many.Um, it's 60 days from roll out... I'm sure the development team needed to decompress from the pressure to get to roll out. It's summer here in North America, and many of us schedule weeks of vacation time with our families ( esp. for those with kids who are out of school). I'm not making excuses for them... But seriously? Can we not give them a little time to assess, plan, and react in a measured manner? I feel they are being responsive, not overly so, but adequately responsive. In actions (patches, hotfixes) and words (releases, and forums). RE: Post from Mike Morhaime - NuurAbSaal - 07-26-2012 (07-26-2012, 05:19 PM)LochnarITB Wrote:(07-26-2012, 05:08 PM)Bolty Wrote: Let's leave this place for those who enjoy it, continue to play it, and want to discuss it. x2 RE: Post from Mike Morhaime - Frag - 07-27-2012 (07-26-2012, 05:19 PM)LochnarITB Wrote:x3 *(07-26-2012, 05:08 PM)Bolty Wrote: Let's leave this place for those who enjoy it, continue to play it, and want to discuss it. *... RE: Post from Mike Morhaime - Wessonality - 07-27-2012 Well, sure - the Meteor/Crit discussion I thought was very interesting, I hope there are more corners of D3 gameplay to explore other than "max out primary stat + vit". RE: Post from Mike Morhaime - Mavfin - 07-27-2012 (07-26-2012, 05:19 PM)LochnarITB Wrote:(07-26-2012, 05:08 PM)Bolty Wrote: Let's leave this place for those who enjoy it, continue to play it, and want to discuss it. x4 I've stopped posting here for the same reason I don't post on official forums. If you say you like something, ten people will post calling you a sheep, saying you're kissing Blizzard's ass, or at least telling you ten reasons why no right-thinking person could like their products. Sad when the Lounge turns into the official forums. RE: Post from Mike Morhaime - Occhidiangela - 07-28-2012 x5 on Bolty's observation. I noted yesterday that Bolty had been off line less than a day, when I got a few minutes to play my Witch Doctor. I noted that Roland had been off line 18 days. Months ago, we were mucking about in a DII game and had hoped to play together a bit. I guess that's not to be. At some point, the new rig will arrive and I can catch up. Still having fun, on those rare occasions I get to play. Got a Sager 9130 gaming laptop for about 1300 bucks. We have enough extra TV's and screens in the house that I don't need a large one with the PC. The puppy's vet bills also drove down the available discretionary income. Puppy still lives, he is not a zombie dog. The Blizz gram is about as expected. Patch 1.07 was a pretty decent version of Diablo II, but it has holes that never really got closed. Patch 1.07 was pretty decent patch for Diablo I, but not all holes were closed. Patch 1.04 for D III I don't expect to result in "it's perfect now!" but if things improve, good. I have some months of gaming before I get to the point many of you reached a while back, or potentially so. Fun is where you find it. Good hunting, and enjoy what you can. If it gets too frustrating, leave the keyboard, have a pint, and snuggle a puppy. RE: Post from Mike Morhaime - Bolty - 07-28-2012 (07-28-2012, 04:14 AM)Occhidiangela Wrote: I noted yesterday that Bolty had been off line less than a day, when I got a few minutes to play my Witch Doctor. I haven't been on Diablo III in about a month, maybe more. I play WoW every day. I guess it's counting that. RE: Post from Mike Morhaime - Yricyn - 07-30-2012 If this was the hate on WoW forum I could go on for months.... Pandas? Seriously.... Pandas? RE: Post from Mike Morhaime - Tal - 07-30-2012 (07-28-2012, 11:02 PM)Bolty Wrote: I haven't been on Diablo III in about a month, maybe more. I play WoW every day. I guess it's counting that. I can confirm. RE: Post from Mike Morhaime - Roland - 07-31-2012 (07-28-2012, 04:14 AM)Occhidiangela Wrote: I noted that Roland had been off line 18 days. Months ago, we were mucking about in a DII game and had hoped to play together a bit. When you get that rig up and running you drop me a line. I'll log bag in for some time with you, regardless of the state of the game. At present, I have better things to play - at least until they come out with some more fixes. I got plenty of enjoyment out of D3, but the current state is not satisfying to me any longer. Rather than ruin any future chance at enjoyment I've signed off for awhile. Also, I'm with Bolty and Mav on this one: if you don't like the game, fine - don't trash on others who do. The game isn't a cesspool. It was worth every penny I paid for it, regardless of whether it lived up to all the hype. My biggest regret is not getting to play with more of the old crowd, but so it goes. The game's not "dead" - the servers are still very much active. So long as they're online, I'll find a reason to come back every so often. RE: Post from Mike Morhaime - Occhidiangela - 08-03-2012 Thanks, Bolty and Roland. I have the new rig, and got to play with my son for a bit Wednesday night. We went a bit "go go!" in Act III, which I had just started with my lady wiz. I did the first few quests solo, and found immense fun in so doing. Visually and blow things up goodness abounded for me. The second half of the act, wherein we descend into the depths of Arreat, I didn't get to appreciate as much, thanks to how fast my son likes to play and how we had to kill Asmodan in enough time to get my tired old backside into bed to arise at 0500 to get to work. But YAY! Fun. The look I really enjoyed. I am beginning to appreciate the decisions Blizz had to make in terms of "darkness" of the visuals. A fine line to walk. I am now in act 4 and had to mess with the skill choices a bit to get a satisfactory result in the vestibule. This game is pure fun. I am grateful that I did not get into the beta, the 'discovery' part is still nice. I just don't get enough time to play. Too bad, RL is what it is. At the moment, the messing about, messing up, and switching between various skills is a hoot. Once I've run each class through Normal, I'll probably take a break, and decide which one I want to take through NM. My son wants me to progress more in Starcraft II, since I just started that a few weeks ago, and Mass Effect I. I have to budget my gaming time, so Jimmy Raynor will have to drink a few more in the Cantina before I get back to him. For all those burned out on D III, I envy you the amount of time you got to play that I didn't. Kwitcherbitchen. Fun is where you find it. RE: Post from Mike Morhaime - Archon_Wing - 08-03-2012 I don't mind playing Starcraft II, Occhi. :p However, they've also botched that game badly just recently, so maybe when the smoke clears. It'd be nice to have someone online in the friend's list. RE: Post from Mike Morhaime - Ashock - 08-04-2012 (07-26-2012, 02:18 PM)Jester Wrote:(07-26-2012, 10:58 AM)smegged Wrote: Blizzard really need to wake up to themselves or they will find themselves in a situation where they've hurt their reputation to a point that they can't recover. It's not doomsaying because they released a dissapointing title. It's where the company is going. All you need to know is their little tidbit about reserving the right to sell their own items in the RMAH, to know where their game design priorities lie. RE: Post from Mike Morhaime - Jester - 08-04-2012 (08-04-2012, 12:59 AM)Ashock Wrote: It's not doomsaying because they released a dissapointing title. It's where the company is going. All you need to know is their little tidbit about reserving the right to sell their own items in the RMAH, to know where their game design priorities lie. I really don't think that's fair to Blizzard. They had literally the largest game in history, with players surely willing to shell out hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands (... or more, disturbingly) for better-than-best gear, if they'd been willing to offer it. They haven't been, in 8 years. Why would they do this with Diablo III, where the stakes are much lower? And, if not, why is this so ominous? -Jester |