LAN is what made Diablo 1 and 2 great, not the "battle.net".
This is a step down in features for the consumer (just like the step down in features for Starcraft 2 from 1). There's no reason to paint a rosy picture about it. Last I checked there were still more active custom Warcraft 3 games than SC2 games and that speaks volumes.
You honestly think they said "hmm, let's save money by requiring online to play so we can better serve the customer." or do you think they said "let's make more money by further ensuring the integrity of our real money auction house and giving us more control over the product."
LAN is what made Diablo 1 and 2 great, not the "battle.net".
I have to disagree. Diablo 2's robust player economy was the driving force behind the game's lasting success (hence the advent of cash auctions in Diablo 3).
Yeah I'm gonna have to disagree with that. Diablo 2 had a gigantic thriving online community. The game is all about loot and trading is a key component to that. I don't doubt that you personally had an enjoyable LAN experience with Diablo 2 but I'm fairly certain that far more users played online multiplayer than LAN multiplayer. The percentage of users who have a LAN but not internet access is inconsequential.
This is a step down in features for the consumer (just like the step down in features for Starcraft 2 from 1). There's no reason to paint a rosy picture about it. Last I checked there were still more active custom Warcraft 3 games than SC2 games and that speaks volumes.
You honestly think they said "hmm, let's save money by requiring online to play so we can better serve the customer." or do you think they said "let's make more money by further ensuring the integrity of our real money auction house and giving us more control over the product."