Linux Users Banned From Diablo III Servers

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Linux Users Banned From Diablo III Servers

Posted by timothy on Tuesday July 3, 2012 @02:47AM from the heavy-hand-holding-broad-brush dept.

dartttt writes with word that "Blizzard has banned all Linux users who are playing Diablo III on Linux using Wine." Reader caranha adds that these users have been flagged as "using cheating programs," and that replies from Blizzard support staff so far have upheld these bans. Update: 07/03 16:57 GMT by S :An official response from a Blizzard Community Manager indicates they don't ban people for using Linux. As with most reports of game bans, we have only the word of random gamers that they were banned for the reason they say they were banned.

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Jesus, stop being pathetic! by crazyjj · 2012-07-03 02:47 · Score: 5, Insightful

Linux users who crawl to Blizzard remind me of an cousin of mine who kept going back to her abusive boyfriend.
Yeah, maybe they've changed this time. Maybe they really love Linux now. Why, I bet after 8 years they're going to release a WoW Linux client too, any day now! This time it's going to be different!
Hey, here's an idea, why not support the studios that really *DO* support Linux instead of studios that treat it like a red-headed stepchild? Just a thought.
I mean, if you're going to be a whore to studios who clearly have no intention of supporting Linux, you had may as well set up a Windows dual-boot and play your game software in Windows.

--
What political party do you join when you don't like Bible-thumpers *or* hippies?
1. Re:Jesus, stop being pathetic! by Anonymous Coward · 2012-07-03 02:51 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  Hey, here's an idea, why not support the studios that really *DO* support Linux instead of studios that treat it like a red-headed stepchild? Just a thought.
  Care to list them? I can think of exactly ... two.
  
  I mean, if you're going to be a whore to studios who clearly have no intention of supporting Linux
  Define "being a whore" in this scenario. They make a good game. We wish to play it. We hate Windows. Dilemma. Nothing about being a whore in there.
2. Re:Jesus, stop being pathetic! by Anonymous Coward · 2012-07-03 02:55 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  But the dilemma is of your own creation. When I make a gaming rig, I just put Windows on it because that's where the games are.
3. Re:Jesus, stop being pathetic! by crazyjj · 2012-07-03 02:55 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  Define "being a whore" in this scenario. They make a good game. We wish to play it. We hate Windows. Dilemma. Nothing about being a whore in there.
  Yeah, except for the part where you buy their game for Windows, sending them the message "You don't need to make a separate Linux client. We whores will happily still buy it for Windows and run it crippled in Wine."
  
  --
  What political party do you join when you don't like Bible-thumpers *or* hippies?
4. Re:Jesus, stop being pathetic! by gtaluvit · 2012-07-03 03:13 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  Or you could stop blaming Linux users for the actions of modders and botters. PlayOnLinux says at least 30,000 people are using it to play Diablo III. I'm one of them and I have not been banned. MANY Linux users have not been banned because the only people who seem to be posting in these threads are the handful of people who claim to have been banned and Windows users who keep saying "quit whining, you're unsupported". My suspicions are that they are using bots and using Wine as their excuse.
  The recent Humble Bundle had Linux support for all of the games and I was happy to buy it. I do support the companies who support Linux, but I have no intention of buying Windows simply to play a game when the company (with one glaring exception with WoW way back when) has had stellar support for Wine even if they don't handle officially because of cost. I've been Linux only for over a decade and will be happy to stay that way.
  
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  - gtaluvit (prnc. GOT-tuh-LUV-it)
5. Re:Jesus, stop being pathetic! by jellomizer · 2012-07-03 03:31 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  They look at the numbers, and they figure it is easier to flag them as trouble makers then adjust their code for the problem.
  It probably comes down to this logic... Are you using library called X. Does it match the approved Check-sums? Nope, then you are probably a cheater.
  Lets say a network library, has been hacked to to make bots, that will mine for stuff... Then sell it for real money.
  These games really need to keep cheating down to a minimum. Cheaters really ruin the game for the other customers.
  Really how popular is gaming in Linux?
  
  --
  If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
6. Re:Jesus, stop being pathetic! by SuricouRaven · 2012-07-03 03:44 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  EVE Online is not a game. It is Serious Business. EVE is for those who think WoW isn't hardcore enough.
7. Re:Jesus, stop being pathetic! by Anonymous Coward · 2012-07-03 03:48 · Score: 1, Insightful
  
  The ENTIRE STORY is BULLSHIT.
  These were Linux users, using wine, who are now whinning they were CAUGHT FOR CHEATING. Blizzard has already publically stated users will not be banned for using wine. Users who cheat will be banned.
  The fact that cheaters were using wine is only a story for the small minded and uninformed. The fact this story made it to slashdot wonderfully shows just how far slashdot has fallen.
  This is not a story folks - unless you're pro-cheater douchebags.
8. Re:Jesus, stop being pathetic! by ArsonSmith · 2012-07-03 03:59 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  When I want a beer, I don't go to the Library and complain that there isn't enough beer there. (well sometimes I do but not in all seriousness) I don't expect there to be beer in a Library that's what I go to the pub for.
  
  --
  Paying taxes to buy civilization is like paying a hooker to buy love.
9. Re:Jesus, stop being pathetic! by PIBM · 2012-07-03 04:08 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  They do test their game in wine themselves, they just don't want to have to support a linux crowd; sadly, not all linux users are power users, and supporting them is often quite problematic. I much favored helping newb windows user than linux newbs who though they were gods so I can understand them.
10. Re:Jesus, stop being pathetic! by Ambassador+Kosh · 2012-07-03 04:39 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  EVE is for those that think that an Everquest raiding guild is not hard core enough.
  
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  Computer modeling for biotech drug manufacturing is HARD! :)
11. Re:Jesus, stop being pathetic! by h4rr4r · 2012-07-03 06:33 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  Linux is a kernel.
  There are Server and Desktop OS built out of it. There is nothing special about the linux kernel that makes it more suited to server tasks than desktop ones. Linux has no fundamental problems running programs that happen to be games. X11 overhead is greatly exaggerated, mostly by people who have no idea what they are talking about.
  Distributing a DEB and and RPM covers just about everyone. Drivers are a problem, but would not be if hardware makers would play along.
  A very small fragment of Linux users are open source zealots.
12. Re:Jesus, stop being pathetic! by h4rr4r · 2012-07-03 06:44 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  Very little OpenGL development is done in the gaming community? Are you high?
  Please tell me how my PS3 runs DirectX, or how my android phone does.
13. Re:Jesus, stop being pathetic! by hairyfeet · 2012-07-03 06:50 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  Most likely that will take the form of a half ass Linux client and a much better supported but locked down hardware wise "steam box" to compete with the X360 because Ballmer pissed Gabe off with the appstore crap.
  Look I'd be the first to cheer if it actually meant jack but the simple fact is Linux has several problems like bullets in the knees before the starting gun even fires. 1.-The VAST majority of games on Steam are DirectX which means they need to be completely reworked (never happen) or use some sort of Wine layer (will be buggy and/or slow as Xmas). 2.-The graphics subsystem in Linux is a big pile of suck right now, hell even Moz couldn't get it to work reliably for GPU acceleration of web pages, expecting it to work any better for games is laughable. Maybe in a couple of years when the AMD FOSS drivers become mature but even that won't help 3.-Torvalds constant kernel fiddling and the religious aversion to allowing a hardware ABI means graphics and sound is broken damned near every update.
  So most likely all you will see is back ports of the Valve catalog and some indie games which you can already pick up for Linux. As much as the community likes to think of itself the big name publishers simply aren't gonna go to the hassle and expense of porting all the AAA games currently on Steam onto Linux, its just not gonna happen. if on the other hand they put out a Steam box then they need only support ONE CPU and ONE GPU and there will be better emulation of DX because there is only one GPU it has to run on so that may be doable, but most likely they'll expect console money before they will allow their games even then. If there is one thing companies like Electronic Arts and Activision has proved us its never underestimate the greed and douchebaggery of AAA game houses.
  
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  ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.
14. Re:Jesus, stop being pathetic! by DeadboltX · 2012-07-03 07:20 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  What if the library didn't serve beer, but had a section dedicated to people who wanted to bring their own beer. But one beer company decided that even though the library lets you drink the beer in there, they don't want you drinking THEIR beer in a library. So if Blizzard catches you drinking their beer in a Linux environment, they are going to ban you from playing Diablo 3.
15. Re:Jesus, stop being pathetic! by murdocj · 2012-07-03 11:09 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  But the dilemma is of your own creation. When I make a gaming rig, I just put Windows on it because that's where the games are.
  Using the O/S as a platform to run the software that you want... what a crazy idea, it will never catch on. Aren't O/S's supposed to be political statements?
Customer Casts Rule Of Law! Blizzard Is Defeated! by Anonymous Coward · 2012-07-03 02:57 · Score: 0, Insightful

...seriously. Blizzard did not provide Wine users enough warning to cover their asses under general standards like implied warranty. If they do not unban or provide refunds a small claims or class action suit will be trivial.
Re:Blizzard Casts Arcane Logic! Customer Is Stunne by LordLimecat · 2012-07-03 03:03 · Score: 2, Insightful

Be as pedantic as you want, Wine emulates Windows behavior. Whether it does so by reimplementing the libraries is irrelevant; the thing that is accomplished is environment emulation.
Re:Obviously by Korin43 · 2012-07-03 03:22 · Score: 1, Insightful

So Blizzard could:
1. Pop up a message when Linux users try to log in informing them that Linux is now completely blocked because one of the largest game companies in the world can't be bothered with some minor software.
2. Offer a refund to Linux users and apologize for wasting their time (remember, "no one plays games on Linux", so this shouldn't shouldn't cost them anything).
But you think it's better for their business to take option 3..
3. Ban legitimate users of your game and refuse to refund their money, making sure they never play anything of yours in the future.
Even more dodgy than that by humanrev · 2012-07-03 03:26 · Score: 3, Insightful

I have no idea if this accusation of Linux users being banned for using WINE with Diablo 3 is true or not, or if we have all the facts yet or not, but one thing seems quite clear to me - if your account is banned, you can't play the game AT ALL - not even single-player, since D3's single player still has to be played via their servers.
So if, through a fuckup of their Warden software you are marked as a cheater despite being nothing of the sort, you probably won't get any recourse. I mean, why would they bother investigating? Here's the TOS: http://us.blizzard.com/en-us/company/about/termsofuse.html
"BLIZZARD MAY SUSPEND, TERMINATE, MODIFY, OR DELETE ACCOUNTS AT ANY TIME FOR ANY REASON OR FOR NO REASON, WITH OR WITHOUT NOTICE TO YOU"
This crap isn't unusual, it's actually very common and will become increasingly pervasive as more service-dependent games are brought into the world. And some people wonder why I don't fucking use Steam/Origin and only go with Humble Bundles, GOG and other non-DRM outfits.

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Most people on Slashdot are fucking idiots.
Re:Blizzard Casts Arcane Logic! Customer Is Stunne by LateArthurDent · 2012-07-03 03:30 · Score: 3, Insightful

And that, dear readers, is why Slashdot advice is sometimes unsound.
That wasn't unsound advice. His advice worked perfectly, as Diablo did indeed run under Wine.
There are only two people to blame here. The first is Blizzard (and all the other game companies for similar games) for making the game the way they did (they can ban whoever they want from their severs, but a single player game should be able to run single-player, and the multi-player aspect should allow any one person to host the game without ever talking to their servers). The second are the people who would buy a single-player game that requires connection to remote servers in order to work.
Queue the people who go, 'Diablo III isn't a single-player game.' Well, considering diablo 1 and 2 were, they should be blamed for that too.
Re:Blizzard Casts Arcane Logic! Customer Is Stunne by LordLimecat · 2012-07-03 04:38 · Score: 3, Insightful

First of all, you are assuming Blizzard is 100% trustworthy.
I and several others used WoW on Wine / Linux for years with no issues. Ive also seen time and again people complaining that they were banned for technical issues, only for the truth that they were cheating to come out.
So forgive me if all of my experience points to this being yet another case of that. If it were some technical issue, why would Blizz stick to its guns and alienate customers?
Valve: Gets it. Blizzard: Does not get it by kikito · 2012-07-03 04:49 · Score: 1, Insightful

Title says it all.