Diablo 3 Starter Edition Bug briefly opens up Diablo 3 To everyone

_Caboose_

_Caboose_

MG's resident Boozer
diablo3starteredition.jpg

Battle.net account holders discovered early this morning that they all had access to the Diablo III beta client. Upon downloading the game and logging in, they found they had access to everything a typical closed beta account did.

What was different? The characters they'd create would be tagged with the label "Starter Edition" and upon reaching the limits of the beta, they'd be prompted to purchase the full version of the game. Blizzard has since shut down the servers for maintenance.

"11:15 a.m. PDT- The Diablo III beta is currently unavailable until further notice while we continue to work to resolve an issue affecting the beta accessibility. We will provide an update at approximately 3 p.m. PDT. Thank you for your patience."

Blizzard is likely rushing not only to fix the accessibility issues, but also to create a PR response to our questions on the Starter Edition. Of course, the inclusion of a free-to-play demo is not a surprise, StarCraft 2 has something very similar in place, but the timing of implementing such a system could cause some drama.

After all, the Diablo III PvP system has been removed from the release game, to be added through a free patch at a later date. Is a free-to-play system being prioritized over content many Diablo III fans were expecting at launch? That isn't to say Blizzard shouldn't do what they can to maximize profits, not that they aren't doing that already with the auction system. Okay, time to stop before this becomes a full-on rant.

Should Blizzard update us on the situation in any significant way, we'll be sure to fill you in on the news. Otherwise, take away the knowledge that you'll likely be able to try Act 1 of Diablo III before you purchase the full game.
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http://www.neoseeker.com/news/18873-diablo-iii-starter-edition-bug-briefly-opens-beta-to-all/
 
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that is pretty awesome as it will give the people wanting a wait and see approach a good grasp of the game. I am just surprised that it is coming out so quickly compared to the Starcraft 2 started edition
 
_Caboose_ said:
Blizzard is likely rushing not only to fix the accessibility issues, but also to create a PR response to our questions on the Starter Edition. Of course, the inclusion of a free-to-play demo is not a surprise, StarCraft 2 has something very similar in place, but the timing of implementing such a system could cause some drama.

After all, the Diablo III PvP system has been removed from the release game, to be added through a free patch at a later date. Is a free-to-play system being prioritized over content many Diablo III fans were expecting at launch? That isn't to say Blizzard shouldn't do what they can to maximize profits, not that they aren't doing that already with the auction system. Okay, time to stop before this becomes a full-on rant.
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IMO the implementation of such a Demo has little/nothing to do with PvP development since they would simply re-purpose the existing Beta client (or final Beta build when the Beta Shuts down May 1st), which has all the content already and is capped at only the first fraction of Act 1 and is level and difficulty capped as well (lvl 13 as far as I know), and simply rebrand it "Starter-Edition". This is little more than a facelift for the beta. PvP development and deployment requires entirely new mechanics and as such will take longer and is probably being handled a by separate team to the "Starter Edition" within the D3 dev team.
 
Hmm, I wonder if this will be out same time as launch then I can try it out for myself and see if I find the latency acceptable.

the inclusion of a free-to-play demo is not a surprise
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Why does Free-to-play have to get attached to everything these days, it's a damn demo, when has anyone had to pay for a demo?
 
MOnk said:
Hmm, I wonder if this will be out same time as launch then I can try it out for myself and see if I find the latency acceptable.
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I have a suspecion this may show up a week or so before D3 launches to maximise potential Day 1 buyers.
 
The bug has been fixed with the Beta Patch 17.

Beta is Live and Starter Edition Has Been Fixed
In case you missed it, early today people were able to login to the beta without a beta key. However, after a long maintenance today, this issue has been fixed and you once again need a beta key to play the Diablo III Beta.
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Source
 
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Avatar said:
I wonder, since the SC2 one showed up after a year, I think. It'll be interesting to see.
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Yeah, I think with SC2 they tried it in a non-mmo environment, since WoW has had a starter edition for several years. Potentially they saw a significant jump in purchases post Starter Edition showing up for SC2 and as just are rolling it out earlier for D3.

It is what I would do were it my project.
 
OmegaFenix said:
IMO the implementation of such a Demo has little/nothing to do with PvP development since they would simply re-purpose the existing Beta client (or final Beta build when the Beta Shuts down May 1st), which has all the content already and is capped at only the first fraction of Act 1 and is level and difficulty capped as well (lvl 13 as far as I know), and simply rebrand it "Starter-Edition". This is little more than a facelift for the beta. PvP development and deployment requires entirely new mechanics and as such will take longer and is probably being handled a by separate team to the "Starter Edition" within the D3 dev team.
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I'm guessing this has always been their plan, I got THIS (notice the top right) several times while we were on patch 15, so I just assumed the beta would be the eventual demo anyway.
 
Eugene said:
I'm guessing this has always been their plan, I got THIS (notice the top right) several times while we were on patch 15, so I just assumed the beta would be the eventual demo anyway.
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Yeah. If you consider that all the work has already one into a closed Beta, level cap and selective content, then not using it as a Demo seems kinda silly.
 
This game needs a F2P edition :) This game needs to be free to EVERYONE off the bat so people play. Dont get me wrong people will play but everyone needs access to it so we all get a taste. The more people with friends in game the longer they will play.
 
And how exactly would Blizzard make money if they just gave their game away, that doesn't seem like very effective business strategy. The starter edition will get you that taste, or you could just do it like the old days and actually show your friend the game. :)
 
So amped for this game, been waiting so long now >_<
Hopefully better than Diablo II. Was'nt to impressed with that game.
 
If you didn't like Diablo 2 then why would you be amped for Diablo 3?

Also, WHY YOU NO LIKE DIABLO 2????? :P
 
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