Avatar of Angry Joe Posted on: Tuesday, May 15th, 2012 Author: Posted in: News Comments: 401

Diablo 3 is out! …and so is Error 37!

The highly anticipated Diablo 3 is out…and so is it’s server message “Error 37″ which we are all experiencing at the moment. Of course this isn’t the first online game to have these issues and it certainly wont be the last. However, the question I posed to myself while I sat spamming the login box was, why? Why force players into an always-online format?

Surely the game could have used the Diablo 2 offline game mode, or it could even have had just a system where an online connection is required only to login/update your play sessions and progress periodically. Nope. Full Always On requirement leading to a ton of pissed off people, both back when it was announced and now with error 37.

The reason for this requirement? Well good sir, Blizzard VP of Online Technologies Robert Bridenbecker says this in an interview with MTV Multiplayer;

“I’m actually kind of surprised in terms of there even being a question in today’s age around online play and the requirement around that,” said Bridenbecker. “We’ve been doing online gameplay for 15 years now…and with ‘World of WarCraft’ and our roots in Battle.net and now with ‘Diablo 3,’ it really is just the nature of how things are going, the nature of the industry. When you look at everything you get by having that persistent connection on the servers, you cannot ignore the power and the draw of that.”  -Robert Bridenbecker

I wonder if Robert Bridenbecker will be “surprised” at the amount of logins the game got and error 37, despite pre-order sales and estimates?

Executive Vice President of Game Design Rob Pardo supported the arguement and points out there needs to be an online requirement due to the “wealth of improvements and features Diablo 3 brings to Battle.net”. That list is as follows:

“-A persistent friends list.
-Cross-game chat via the RealID system.
-Persistent characters that are stored server-side (no more having to play online once every 90 days, nor item duplication cheats).
-Persistent party system.
-Player-versus-player and public game matchmaking.
-Dynamic drop-in/out for co-op
-Larger item stash that gets shared among all of your characters (at the moment, up to 10)
-The auction house, outlined here.
-The Achievement system and detailed stat-tracking, both of which feed into the final point:
-The Banner system, a visual way to display your prowess in the game. Banners start out like emblems, where you can choose from an array of symbols, patterns, and overall shape/design. Then, you can tweak its appearance through Achievements and other accomplishments. Examples Pardo cites include whether the character is in Hardcore mode, how many Achievements have been earned, how many PVP victories, and so forth. Additionally, the Banners also have gameplay features; in-game, rather than use Town Portal, you can click on a player’s Banner to instantly teleport over to said player.”  -Blizzard/Activision

Also, I noticed the lack of reviews. Not turning on the servers till the game launches prevents any reviewers (even major ones like IGN) from reviewing with an advanced copy (as they dont exist outside the beta). Thats kinda scary. I hope that’s not a trend we see in the future.

But what happens when those servers are shut down? Or when your internet is down? Or when you want to play a game of Diablo 3 on laptop on a plane or something? You’ll basically have a $60 coaster. Where as you can share in the joys of Diablo 2 with your friends or family down along the line, games like this will likely not even be playable.

I personally can’t help but feel like this is new DRM strategy in disguise. On the other hand it does help prevent against hacks, dupes, and piracy.

What does the Angry Army think? Better than Ubisofts DRM solution? Not a big deal? Necessary evil? or could there have been a better solution?

UPDATE! *All good now, was able to login without Error 37, but the question still remains!