Comments on: Starcraft II and the lack of LAN play http://www.epicslant.com/2009/07/starcraft-ii-and-the-lack-of-lan-play/ MMO design and industry commentary with a high end twist. Fri, 30 Jul 2010 03:36:23 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Rickie Pinegar http://www.epicslant.com/2009/07/starcraft-ii-and-the-lack-of-lan-play/comment-page-1/#comment-4545 Rickie Pinegar Wed, 09 Jun 2010 03:53:01 +0000 http://www.epicslant.com/?p=898#comment-4545 Hola, Could you please review our work for all starcraft players - <a href="http://sc2rep.net/" rel="nofollow">replays database project</A> and say if you like it or not? We tried so hard to build a place where people can download the most exciting game replays every day! Hola, Could you please review our work for all starcraft players – replays database project and say if you like it or not? We tried so hard to build a place where people can download the most exciting game replays every day!

]]> By: Tesh http://www.epicslant.com/2009/07/starcraft-ii-and-the-lack-of-lan-play/comment-page-1/#comment-972 Tesh Wed, 08 Jul 2009 21:23:46 +0000 http://www.epicslant.com/?p=898#comment-972 I first heard about this here: http://www.gucomics.com/comic/?cdate=20090630 I think it's blatantly idiotic. LAN play for SC was one of the things that stood out in an otherwise EA-like braindead antipiracy trainwreck of an industry. The "spawn install" was brilliant. Tossing that out of the window insures I won't be buying the game... and I was already going to wait for the package deal on deep discount because of the dumb split decision. I detest any company that makes me connect to the internet without giving me extremely good reasons to do so. I don't always have internet access. (Insert mini rant about my local university who doesn't even have papers for the application process any more, where going in to apply just garners you a flunkie telling you to go to the internet. *toothgrind* It made my little brother's application a month-long nightmare when it should have taken two days at most.) I first heard about this here:

http://www.gucomics.com/comic/?cdate=20090630

I think it’s blatantly idiotic. LAN play for SC was one of the things that stood out in an otherwise EA-like braindead antipiracy trainwreck of an industry. The “spawn install” was brilliant. Tossing that out of the window insures I won’t be buying the game… and I was already going to wait for the package deal on deep discount because of the dumb split decision.

I detest any company that makes me connect to the internet without giving me extremely good reasons to do so. I don’t always have internet access.

(Insert mini rant about my local university who doesn’t even have papers for the application process any more, where going in to apply just garners you a flunkie telling you to go to the internet. *toothgrind* It made my little brother’s application a month-long nightmare when it should have taken two days at most.)

]]> By: Shadow-war http://www.epicslant.com/2009/07/starcraft-ii-and-the-lack-of-lan-play/comment-page-1/#comment-971 Shadow-war Wed, 08 Jul 2009 16:00:06 +0000 http://www.epicslant.com/?p=898#comment-971 I accepted that the StarCraft franchise had been completely coopted into the money grubbing, player-be-damned attitued of the AcitiBlizzard partnership the second I heard they announced that SC2 would be sold in three different boxes,one for each race. Like you, I have deep-rooted fond memories of LAN play on this game with friends from highschool days, and this is just another nail in the firmly sealed coffin of my respect for this company. I don't want to skip out on SC2, but it's looking like I won't be buying it till either all 3 are bundled together, or the cost of them is dropped so far that it's equal to buying one game. I accepted that the StarCraft franchise had been completely coopted into the money grubbing, player-be-damned attitued of the AcitiBlizzard partnership the second I heard they announced that SC2 would be sold in three different boxes,one for each race. Like you, I have deep-rooted fond memories of LAN play on this game with friends from highschool days, and this is just another nail in the firmly sealed coffin of my respect for this company. I don’t want to skip out on SC2, but it’s looking like I won’t be buying it till either all 3 are bundled together, or the cost of them is dropped so far that it’s equal to buying one game.

]]> By: Dresden http://www.epicslant.com/2009/07/starcraft-ii-and-the-lack-of-lan-play/comment-page-1/#comment-969 Dresden Tue, 07 Jul 2009 18:47:57 +0000 http://www.epicslant.com/?p=898#comment-969 It seems to me that many games are dropping LAN type support and saying it is for piracy and other reasons. I understand programs like Steam make sure the company gets paid (which I am all for, in the case of well made games). However, it seems to me that these various anti-LAN, anti-piracy tools are just offshoots of the MMO craze that has infested PC gaming. Don't get me wrong, I love MMOs just like everyone else. However, now that they are basically the only massively successful PC games out there, every PC game designer wants their game to have the MMO touch. In other words, a proprietary server to play on, some required software to install it, or a monthly fee of some type. Sure, these things do limit piracy. But, I have seen plenty of cracked steam games floating around out there. What this is really about is controling the end user and having a captive market base. You have to play on their server, they can advertise to you. They can collect data on you and sell that data. Basically, from now on, PC game designers are expecting some income other than the initial sale of the software. It used to be that 60 bucks up front was enough. Now, they want you to pay monthly either in cash or in attendance. It seems to me that many games are dropping LAN type support and saying it is for piracy and other reasons. I understand programs like Steam make sure the company gets paid (which I am all for, in the case of well made games). However, it seems to me that these various anti-LAN, anti-piracy tools are just offshoots of the MMO craze that has infested PC gaming.

Don’t get me wrong, I love MMOs just like everyone else. However, now that they are basically the only massively successful PC games out there, every PC game designer wants their game to have the MMO touch. In other words, a proprietary server to play on, some required software to install it, or a monthly fee of some type. Sure, these things do limit piracy. But, I have seen plenty of cracked steam games floating around out there.

What this is really about is controling the end user and having a captive market base. You have to play on their server, they can advertise to you. They can collect data on you and sell that data. Basically, from now on, PC game designers are expecting some income other than the initial sale of the software. It used to be that 60 bucks up front was enough. Now, they want you to pay monthly either in cash or in attendance.

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