In the coming months, we're planning an update to Battle.net that will give you more control over your online presence when playing Blizzard games. Soon, World of Warcraft, StarCraft II, and Diablo III players will be able to select "Appear Offline" as one of their Battle.net social-status options (along with Available, Busy, and Away) for those times when they want to wander Azeroth by their lonesome, dominate the galaxy in radio silence, or slay demons in solitude. When you choose this option as your status, all of your Real ID friends, BattleTag friends, and character-level friends will see you as “Offline” in their friends list whenever you’re logged into a game.
The “Appear Offline” status option will be added to World of Warcraft, StarCraft II, and Diablo III separately in future updates for each game. For Diablo III, we expect to add the feature in a patch after 1.0.5. For World of Warcraft and StarCraft II, we expect to add the option sometime after the release of each game’s upcoming expansion.
Thanks for your continued feedback, and we’ll share more information on the availability of this new feature in the months ahead.
Such announcements, about such neat and small features, make me at the same time feel happy (because a good feature will be implemented) and angry (why didn't they implement the feature in the first place).
On September 20 2012 22:29 iKill wrote: Now for paid name changes.
I'd settle for just name changes. Paying to change your name.... this isn't WoW.
I do welcome this however, I can now play in peace without being pestered by that one guy who has failed to realise how bad Diablo 3 is and wants me to play with him.
so some people want to appear as they have a life? and blizzard is supporting that option?
they do know that 'busy' does the same thing except that you appear online. and coupling that with no messages ignored from people outside the buddy list pretty much seals the deal.
In the coming months, we're planning an update to Battle.net that will give you more control over your online presence when playing Blizzard games. Soon, World of Warcraft, StarCraft II, and Diablo III players will be able to select "Appear Offline" as one of their Battle.net social-status options (along with Available, Busy, and Away) for those times when they want to wander Azeroth by their lonesome, dominate the galaxy in radio silence, or slay demons in solitude. When you choose this option as your status, all of your Real ID friends, BattleTag friends, and character-level friends will see you as “Offline” in their friends list whenever you’re logged into a game.
The “Appear Offline” status option will be added to World of Warcraft, StarCraft II, and Diablo III separately in future updates for each game. For Diablo III, we expect to add the feature in a patch after 1.0.5. For World of Warcraft and StarCraft II, we expect to add the option sometime after the release of each game’s upcoming expansion.
Thanks for your continued feedback, and we’ll share more information on the availability of this new feature in the months ahead.
It looks like the technology has finally arrived!
About time. Finally I can play SC2 again without my Diablo playing collegues telling me that I look tired and shouldn't play games till that late.
It's kinda funny that Battle.net 2.0 has copped so much flak for making players feel "isolated" and lack of social functionality and yet people get excited about this change
On September 20 2012 22:33 MicroTastiC wrote: so some people want to appear as they have a life? and blizzard is supporting that option?
No but sometimes I want to do a quick SC2 game, but then I log in and I got chat spam from Diablo3 friends instead. This actually caused me to play SC2 a whole lot less:
- I've got an hour, lets play a quick sc2 game. - Hmmm. But I don't want to chat with people atm. - Plays other game instead.
On September 20 2012 22:36 emythrel wrote: global play, appear offline is it possible valve have infiltrated blizzard?
No but this shows what some healthy rivalry can do. I kinda wish valve would make an RTS too lol, that would mean we got 2 great RTS games pushing the limits to be better than the other.
Neat feature to have, if late. One thing though: they must implement it the right way. What's the right way? It's to ask BEFORE LOGGING INTO BNET how you want to appear. Otherwise, you will appear as online briefly then offline. And everybody knows what that means.
On September 20 2012 22:43 ant-1 wrote: Neat feature to have, if late. One thing though: they must implement it the right way. What's the right way? It's to ask BEFORE LOGGING INTO BNET how you want to appear. Otherwise, you will appear as online briefly then offline. And everybody knows what that means.
I imagine it will be on the login screen, like in HoN.
Some time AFTER?!?! What? Why the hell is it impossible to add new features when they RELEASE new games, not just release some gameplay contents and THEN take care of the rest?
Offline feature. That must have taken millions of lines of code. It's the ability to hide in plain sight. It's the ability to become a ninja with a click of a button. The level of obfustication has surpassed that of the hollow man. This is a monumental challenge and I applaud the programmers for conceiving and realizing this feature in the span of a tiny fraction of a millinium.
Awesome news. This was one of the main reasons for me getting a second account. Kinda meh that they'll add it after the HotS release, they should implement it from the start. I mean "how hard can it be?".
I honestly wonder how Blizzard functions as a company.
"You know that feature that every single internet application has, to the extent that it's about as much a feature as an engine is a "feature" of a car? Yeah, let's develop a game for a decade and release it without it. And then take 2 years to announce we're putting the feature in. Sound good? Cool. From now on, I say we do that for everything possible."
Finally we get this, oh how many times I didn't play SC2 because of it. :C
But with SC2 it's almost useless because someone can just check your Match History and see you were playing and another type of crap will flood it. "OMFG you were online and playing games without saying something are you hiding from me or something ?" -.-"
IMO Starcraft will get better and better, so in LotV we'll have RTS as big as BW was. Blizzard plan was to get us mad with WoL so we will love them again in LotV!
I guess it would help with starcraft. Don't really see the need for it in WoW though.
I don't really see the need for it in SC2! Really, sometimes you just like to be left alone and not need to explain yourself why you don't want to join X or Y.
I wonder if the people who are saying this should have been in the game on release, are the same people who complain that battlenet feels like a ghost town
I would love to be able to pretend to have a real life, and maybe I'm overlooking something, but how is this going to be any different from "busy" or "afk" given that the match history still publicly displays all games played?
I juuuuuuuuuuuuuust waaaaaaaaaaaaaaant the renaaaaaaaaaame, even if we have to pay for thaaaaaaaat, and the teamtag too!
But nice option anyway, great! Barcode players are going to be more and more insearchable!
And just, what about their history? Like if I activate this offline status, then I make some laddering, will people see that I played just few seconds ago? Or is it going to updated as soon as I'm going online?
They're giving this away? Should be paid to appear offline button. Good for pro players who want to practice in peace. Just pay up every time you log in for the privilege.
Wonder when clan support is coming. I really don't understand why they keep all these features from the game. They had it in WC 3, shouldn't be that hard to take that and put it in. They have the man power and money to do it. If they were really holding it for HOTS that is dumb. Everyone who has WoL will buy HOTS lol.
On September 20 2012 22:35 Netsky wrote: It's kinda funny that Battle.net 2.0 has copped so much flak for making players feel "isolated" and lack of social functionality and yet people get excited about this change
It's the option. If i want to be totally isolated while doing me some MP i should be able to. And there should be good chat channels for the moments i don't want to be "isolated".
On September 21 2012 00:05 rgbAndraxxus wrote: Finally we get this, oh how many times I didn't play SC2 because of it. :C
But with SC2 it's almost useless because someone can just check your Match History and see you were playing and another type of crap will flood it. "OMFG you were online and playing games without saying something are you hiding from me or something ?" -.-"
the sad thing is that i have like atleast 7 people on my friends list who would do this shit... it would just make it worse..
Appear offline is awkward for something like wow if you encounter them in game lol. For diablo and starcraft it makes a lil more sense. Still cool news
Nice changes, and as always people still find a way to bitch about. Honestly, nobody cares how much butthurt you are over minor subjective things, or pretend to be. There is a polite way to express your critics and not by stupid childish ranting. It doesn't matter what Blizzard does, there is always some shitty whiny posts about how bad and stupid they are. It's getting boring, feels like b.net forums. You better change your attitude and mature up.
wont the guy ur playing know ur online? it saddens me that with all the changes sc2/bnet2.0 drastically needs this is what they have chosen to implement. On the other hand I bet this is much more for d3 and wow and sc2 is only getting it cause blizzard said might as well.
On September 21 2012 02:44 Huragius wrote: Nice changes, and as always people still find a way to bitch about. Honestly, nobody cares how much butthurt you are over minor subjective things, or pretend to be. There is a polite way to express your critics and not by stupid childish ranting. It doesn't matter what Blizzard does, there is always some shitty whiny posts about how bad and stupid they are. It's getting boring, feels like b.net forums. You better change your attitude and mature up.
As opposed to the people who feel that the way they think is 100% correct and be dammed about anyone else and their opinions or ideas?
On September 21 2012 02:45 sLiMpoweR wrote: wont the guy ur playing know ur online? it saddens me that with all the changes sc2/bnet2.0 drastically needs this is what they have chosen to implement. On the other hand I bet this is much more for d3 and wow and sc2 is only getting it cause blizzard said might as well.
On September 21 2012 02:44 Huragius wrote: Nice changes, and as always people still find a way to bitch about. Honestly, nobody cares how much butthurt you are over minor subjective things, or pretend to be. There is a polite way to express your critics and not by stupid childish ranting. It doesn't matter what Blizzard does, there is always some shitty whiny posts about how bad and stupid they are. It's getting boring, feels like b.net forums. You better change your attitude and mature up.
As opposed to the people who feel that the way they think is 100% correct and be dammed about anyone else and their opinions or ideas?
next step, lan?
Whoa, whoa, whoa... Slow down there partner...
Sorry for disturbing these quality thoughts. You can continue your meaningful discussion with correct and constructive arguments.
On September 20 2012 22:29 iKill wrote: Now for paid name changes.
I'd settle for just name changes. Paying to change your name.... this isn't WoW.
I do welcome this however, I can now play in peace without being pestered by that one guy who has failed to realise how bad Diablo 3 is and wants me to play with him.
I didn't know paying to change your name in a game is an idea owned solely by WoW.
On September 20 2012 22:29 iKill wrote: Too late, but hell, better late than never. I'm glad it's coming in.
Now for paid name changes.
stop spreading this godawful idea, please. makes me cringe people want to just pay for it straight up.
GL getting name changes without having to pay for it. It's not gonna happen. Too many people are willing to pay $60 just to buy a new account for a new name, let alone $10 to save them the trouble.
On September 20 2012 22:29 iKill wrote: Now for paid name changes.
I'd settle for just name changes. Paying to change your name.... this isn't WoW.
I do welcome this however, I can now play in peace without being pestered by that one guy who has failed to realise how bad Diablo 3 is and wants me to play with him.
I didn't know paying to change your name in a game is an idea owned solely by WoW.
On September 20 2012 22:29 iKill wrote: Too late, but hell, better late than never. I'm glad it's coming in.
Now for paid name changes.
stop spreading this godawful idea, please. makes me cringe people want to just pay for it straight up.
GL getting name changes without having to pay for it. It's not gonna happen. Too many people are willing to pay $60 just to buy a new account for a new name, let alone $10 to save them the trouble.
Every other game I know about lets you change your name an unlimited amount of times for free. Why the fuck are people willing to pay for a single name change?
On September 20 2012 22:29 iKill wrote: Now for paid name changes.
I'd settle for just name changes. Paying to change your name.... this isn't WoW.
I do welcome this however, I can now play in peace without being pestered by that one guy who has failed to realise how bad Diablo 3 is and wants me to play with him.
I didn't know paying to change your name in a game is an idea owned solely by WoW.
On September 20 2012 22:29 iKill wrote: Too late, but hell, better late than never. I'm glad it's coming in.
Now for paid name changes.
stop spreading this godawful idea, please. makes me cringe people want to just pay for it straight up.
GL getting name changes without having to pay for it. It's not gonna happen. Too many people are willing to pay $60 just to buy a new account for a new name, let alone $10 to save them the trouble.
that's your justification? apple can charge $1000 for new iphones and many people will still be happy to pay that, that still doesn't make it right.
On September 20 2012 22:36 emythrel wrote: global play, appear offline is it possible valve have infiltrated blizzard?
No but this shows what some healthy rivalry can do. I kinda wish valve would make an RTS too lol, that would mean we got 2 great RTS games pushing the limits to be better than the other.
On September 21 2012 04:10 hoby2000 wrote: That awkward moment where you tell your friend you don't want to play Sc2, appear offline, then meet them on ladder.
XD. I'd love to see those conversations. "What the hell I thought you weren't playing SC2! You don't like to play with me, is that it? I'm a bad person?? FRIENDSHIP OVER"
Why do people like this? I don't quite understand it. You can already block people from messaging you, so you just don't want people to see how often you are online? It's some sort of ego thing???
On September 22 2012 10:27 jdseemoreglass wrote: Why do people like this? I don't quite understand it. You can already block people from messaging you, so you just don't want people to see how often you are online? It's some sort of ego thing???
Naah , mate , you cannot possible exist Didnt you have a friend , to whom you just want to say: OOOOh, fuckit, I dont want to play with you , just leave me alone" ? Didnt you play on an ackward hour , and said to yourself: I am prepared to kill this boss/train my micro /shit the fan etc. after agood coffee, and you just feel oh so good about yourself? And then your friend sees you online and ruins your good digestion : Hey! lets play ! and your blocking shit is a shit , he knows you are online , so you block him , and then he asks , "why you blocked me" Can you see some ideea of privacy here? And , btw , for Diablo 3 I still wait for the option play offline
On September 22 2012 10:27 jdseemoreglass wrote: Why do people like this? I don't quite understand it. You can already block people from messaging you, so you just don't want people to see how often you are online? It's some sort of ego thing???
Privacy. That's all. It's a feature that by all means should have been part of Battle.net 2.0 two years ago for those of us who don't want to be seen at all times by friends or family.
On September 21 2012 00:05 rgbAndraxxus wrote: Finally we get this, oh how many times I didn't play SC2 because of it. :C
But with SC2 it's almost useless because someone can just check your Match History and see you were playing and another type of crap will flood it. "OMFG you were online and playing games without saying something are you hiding from me or something ?" -.-"
the sad thing is that i have like atleast 7 people on my friends list who would do this shit... it would just make it worse..
Just hope this is why it takes them a bit longer to implement, that "appear offline" played matches will be hidden too.
EPT
