03-16-2003, 11:12 PM
I don't think people watching their favorite channels was the problem. I think the problem was people running bots in multiple channels to spam click-thrus and ad sites, ruining channels in an effort to make a few extra pennies each month. Anyone who made trips to the Void shortly before chat privilages were revoked there knows what I'm talking about.
Although, if that was the problem, then the solution was pretty lame: Public D1 channels can still be spammed just as easily (whereas private channels weren't subject to such problems anyway), and there remains no way to get normal chat clients and the Diablo clients into any type of channel together. What they were successful in, of course, was getting the spam bots out of the channels which had the most traffic and most new customers: D2 public channels in particular. Getting rid of D1 account numbers at the same time made the whole thing seem downright ridiculous, and is about the only major "issue" I have ever had with Blizzard (and still do, since it hasn't been resolved).
Although, if that was the problem, then the solution was pretty lame: Public D1 channels can still be spammed just as easily (whereas private channels weren't subject to such problems anyway), and there remains no way to get normal chat clients and the Diablo clients into any type of channel together. What they were successful in, of course, was getting the spam bots out of the channels which had the most traffic and most new customers: D2 public channels in particular. Getting rid of D1 account numbers at the same time made the whole thing seem downright ridiculous, and is about the only major "issue" I have ever had with Blizzard (and still do, since it hasn't been resolved).