Battle.net?

**Ergroilnin** · 11-02-2013, 02:33

Hi there guys. So i've been thinking that I could maybe pour countless hours in Diablo II. So the question is: Does Battle.net still run for diablo II: LoD? Are there any plans by Blizzard for taking it down? If it still is working and they're not going to shut it down... How many ppl do still play? Espc on hardcore?

**Fizoo** · 11-02-2013, 15:41

Theres still realm and ladder games on bnet. the most active board for it is probably the official forums hosted by blizzard. People come here to read the strategy guides. its easy to see that lots of people still play, and easy to find the most active realms by checking the bnet ladder rankings and seeing what level you need to crack it. Hardcore is less active than softcore. Useast has had problems with game creation and joining games failing, so im on uswest lod softcore ladder where everything is active and stable.

**Fizoo** · 11-02-2013, 15:50

Also, the d2 community on this site is mostly single player, LAN, and mods like Eastern Sun (ES). If you go to the single player forums, its surprisingly active. I never got into it mostly because it just seemed to inconveinent to reliably find people to play with compred to bnet. Realm play discussion is on the official forums, as i said.

**Kitteh** · 12-02-2013, 20:48

I would advise joining us in SP, but make sure you check the FAQ to see what modifications etc are acceptable.

I swapped from Bnet to SP because of all the bots and maphacks etc, never looked back.

**Fizoo** · 12-02-2013, 22:45

Originally Posted by Kitteh

I would advise joining us in SP, but make sure you check the FAQ to see what modifications etc are acceptable.

I swapped from Bnet to SP because of all the bots and maphacks etc, never looked back.

I have to advise not to play single player. D2 is VASTLY more fun because of battle.net. Battle.net is very active and its great to hop into games and meet new people at any time of the day. Single Player requires too much organization to put groups together, and people have their own special rules and idea how to play. There are different mods, meaning you can't play with everyone.

**Fizoo** · 12-02-2013, 22:59

Single player uses an IM (internet messenger) interface to form groups called hamachi. That's cool, but in this day and age, I think you need to interface that with the website. For an example of how this can be done, look at http://elitistjerks.com/ where the right sidebar is the IM interface. It actually shows who is on IM in real-time. That way a quick check of the web sidebar can tell you whos online, whos in an active in-game group, whos interested in doing what, etc.

**Kitteh** · 14-02-2013, 13:59

Originally Posted by Fizoo

I have to advise not to play single player. D2 is VASTLY more fun because of battle.net. Battle.net is very active and its great to hop into games and meet new people at any time of the day. Single Player requires too much organization to put groups together, and people have their own special rules and idea how to play. There are different mods, meaning you can't play with everyone.

I was advising SP as an alternative to MP on Bnet. Bnet used to be great, but it is ruined by all the hacks and bots and general poor attitude. SP is also more of a challenge as all people do on Bnet seems to be Baal runs and MF. SP opens up a whole new world of Diablo 2. For example, a 99er on Bnet is barely an achievement at all, whereas on SP it is a great achievement, and its the same for almost everything. Especially if you play self found. I don't doubt that Bnet has a few advantages, but it really has no challenge.

**Greizer** · 14-02-2013, 14:39

I tried SP for a while, but didn't stick with it. You feel too isolated for my taste; on Bnet there's a sense that you're part of a larger world - that your game is merely one room in a vast mansion filled with similar rooms, any of which you can enter at will. I also love fast-paced trading on Bnet, hunting for good deals and haggling. Other than these two aspects SP is superior in every way - static maps, /players8, no lag or dc, etc. You should try both and then make your call.

**Fizoo** · 14-02-2013, 15:07

Originally Posted by Greizer

I tried SP for a while, but didn't stick with it. You feel too isolated for my taste; on Bnet there's a sense that you're part of a larger world - that your game is merely one room in a vast mansion filled with similar rooms, any of which you can enter at will. I also love fast-paced trading on Bnet, hunting for good deals and haggling. Other than these two aspects SP is superior in every way - static maps, /players8, no lag or dc, etc. You should try both and then make your call.

Yes. I believe Blizzard management misvalued its company. The games were good, even very good. But the TRUE value of the company was bnet 1.0. That thing made generating a community very smooth, and its the social aspect that really drove the popularity of warcraft, diablo, and starcraft. World of Warcraft, while not on bnet, had its own robust social tools that did the same thing. SC2 and D3 suffer by being on bnet 2.0, which has primitive to nonexistent social tools, and thus lack the community support. But that Blizzard's error....they thought it was all about the games and not battle.net.

**Fizoo** · 14-02-2013, 15:11

If Blizzard changed nothing about d3, and instead overhauled bnet 2.0 to give it proper social tools, the game would be much better. Unfortunately, as we look at patch 1.07, they are completely missing the target. There are no improvements to make bnet 2.0 more social. Its all about changing the game. Thats not going to work when people still feel isolated.