While I don’t condone DDoS attacks, the only reason for D4 to be online-only is monetization IMO: Blizzard wants to sell cosmetics, so people have to see other people wearing them. There is little gameplay benefit from being an MMO-lite.
A system that tracks what store items you might be interested in, and places you in matches with high-skilled players who own that item, making you associate the item with high skill
A system that places you against lower-skilled opponents immediately after you bought an item, making you associate making a purchase with being better.
From here to “they want you to look at other players and how expensive their shit is” is only one step. Honestly at this point I’m even surprised they’re not faking it entirely, making other players just happen to be wearing expensive skins on your screen even if the actual account hasn’t bought that. It’s not like you can check anyway.
Indeed. It also has the inherent side effect of making the game pay to win, because if you don’t pay you get put in hard matches against the skilled people who paid, and if you do it puts you against weaker opponents. This is why micro transactions should be banned straight up, even if they do not impact gameplay. Belgium had the right idea.
While I don’t condone DDoS attacks, the only reason for D4 to be online-only is monetization IMO: Blizzard wants to sell cosmetics, so people have to see other people wearing them. There is little gameplay benefit from being an MMO-lite.
Probably all sorts of datamining regarding the way people play also. Can’t do that so easily if people are playing offline.
Brilliant insight. They probably are tracking metrics on what will encourage people to buy stuff the most too
Activision owns patents on the following:
A system that tracks what store items you might be interested in, and places you in matches with high-skilled players who own that item, making you associate the item with high skill
A system that places you against lower-skilled opponents immediately after you bought an item, making you associate making a purchase with being better.
From here to “they want you to look at other players and how expensive their shit is” is only one step. Honestly at this point I’m even surprised they’re not faking it entirely, making other players just happen to be wearing expensive skins on your screen even if the actual account hasn’t bought that. It’s not like you can check anyway.
Bloody hell this is some nefarious brain hacking type stuff.
Indeed. It also has the inherent side effect of making the game pay to win, because if you don’t pay you get put in hard matches against the skilled people who paid, and if you do it puts you against weaker opponents. This is why micro transactions should be banned straight up, even if they do not impact gameplay. Belgium had the right idea.