Battle.net preview: Real ID
by Robin Torres 
Feb 9th 2010 at 8:00PM
Blizzard mentioned this new cross-game social aspect of Bnet at last year's BlizzCon. Real ID is an optional system for chatting with and keeping track of "real life" friends in any Battle.net game. You invite friends with your Real ID. If they accept, you can find out what game they are playing and on what realm and character. You can also chat across realms or games. You won't have to remember the usernames of your Real ID friends and family, because you will see their real names on the interface. And you will also be able to broadcast messages to all on your Real ID friends list, rather than just chatting one at a time.
I cannot wait for this to be implemented for WoW accounts. I would love to be able to chat with my friends who are scattered across many realms and who defect to play StarCraft. I really think this is great for more hardcore players (I'll be on my Alliance alt until you Hordies can get your act together for the raid) or very casual, chatty altoholics.
Will you use the Real ID system?
Filed under: Blizzard, News items
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Wild Colors Feb 9th 2010 8:05PM
Sounds great as long as we still have the option to just invite people to be friends with a particular character. There are a couple of good real life friends I'd want to share my real ID with, but otherwise I want some privacy when I'm running around on alts (let alone when I'm playing other games!)
mel Feb 9th 2010 10:15PM
I'm pretty sure this is going to be battle.net account-wide. Meaning that they will be able to see you no matter what you're doing. Its a bit much, but its no different than facebook or some other social networking application.
I agree with the privacy bit though. Including an "invisible" option would be very wise on Blizzard's part.
Heilig Feb 10th 2010 1:29AM
Account-wide is great as long as I don't have to leave the game to see it. if I have to tab out to a battle.net window to chat, it's useless to me.
Crowqueen Feb 10th 2010 4:35AM
I agree about the invisible option. I got rid of Xfire because I was getting bugged by people in-game. I do like the social aspect of WoW, but I also like to be able to control it.
FireStar Feb 10th 2010 9:55AM
That definitely would be different than facebook, as you can group people up into special groups that you make and choose to be shown offline to them.
I personally hope it means you can invite people into groups cross-realm (in your same battlegroup).
Hoaxs Feb 9th 2010 8:05PM
Finally! I will be able to talk to my RL horde friends again.
Dr. Tea Bag.. (PhD in Bratwurst Detection); Feb 9th 2010 8:06PM
I don't see myself having the time to chat while playing a Starcraft 2 online match. Single player, maybe. But it might just become annoying to have popups in the middle of a crazy cutscene or fight sequence.
We'll see.
Boydboyd Feb 9th 2010 8:39PM
"Will you use the Real ID system?"
Yes.
However, like Doc Tea Bag, there will of course be caveats to its use that concern me.
If I'm in a 25-man raid, or on a Mt. Dew-induced monster SC2fest I am really not going to want to be interrupted.
So long as there is an invisible, or DND feature of some sort, then I'll enjoy it very much.
((Back in DAoC, wouldn't it work in a fashion that if you went /dnd, then if people /who'd you you wouldn't show up? Also, if you logged in after logging out as /dnd, then it wouldn't alert your friends that you had logged on. THAT's the kind of privacy I would like to see.))
Boydboyd Feb 9th 2010 8:41PM
EDIT:
Oof, it was /anon in DAoC.
For those of you that have played DAoC and are familiar with what I'm talking about, can you back me up?
Deadly. Off. Topic. Feb 10th 2010 9:08AM
Yeah, I wouldn't like being interrupted by friends who want something from me when I'm trying to have a little play time for myself. Sadly, I have some nice friends, but at the same time they can go overboard with the annoying, bugging me factor.
But I hope if they do include a DND feature which actually works and make it so that I don't see the pages coming in from other players. Because as it is right now you still see the actual pages from another player so you're still being disturbed.
Goosecomics Feb 9th 2010 8:08PM
I swear if this is the cause for the problems of not being able to get pass the Retrieving character list boss, im going to flip a lid.
Gorgondor Feb 9th 2010 9:56PM
I guarantee you there will be problems like this one upon roll-out, it's to be expected, just avoid playing and go outside for a while, or, report the issues you're having in a constructive way, and be patient while blizzard work out all the kinks after it's gone live.
Not all bugs will be caught in testing, it's impossible to anticipate how many people will be adopting the new system on release, and many bugs will become apparent once 12 million people all start logging it and setting the new features up.
So when the day come, please, refrain from being a troll, and try and be a little more helpful and constructive.
zweitblom Feb 10th 2010 4:37AM
With an attitude like that he probably does not _have_ any friends :o)
Volaro Feb 9th 2010 8:08PM
Ugh, I've been waiting for this feature forever, I'm an altoholic and I constantly switch between my characters, unable to talk to people whenever.
Haar, Death Knight of Thunderhorn Feb 9th 2010 8:09PM
Of course! I play WoW on another server, and sometimes other factions, than my friends in-game. I normally end up logging and re-logging just seeing if they are on, and then I just feel out of place on my main. This would open up whole new possibilities in friendship. Of course, it kind of makes it hard to hide from your friends on a character if they've been annoying or you are having an arguement.
Kar On E Feb 9th 2010 8:08PM
Sounds good, just as long as they include an "Invisible" feature. I know WoW is a social game, but sometimes I just want to kill a murloc or two in peace, ya?
xoxotl Feb 9th 2010 8:12PM
I hope there is an opt-out feature, or at least a invisible feature. My server is a PvP, I would hate to have some angry Horde find out my RealID after I gank him/her and harass me.
Robin Torres Feb 9th 2010 8:18PM
The angry Horde could only find out your Real ID if you give it to him or her out of game. And yes, this is totally an optional feature. Both parties must agree to be Real ID friends.
Marky Feb 10th 2010 1:28AM
Could not happen. You both have to accept the friendship, so if someone else found out your Real ID somehow, they will not be able to talk to you until you accept as well.
Wellsee Feb 9th 2010 8:20PM
No. I want an opt-out ability. I'm already online with 3 IM protocols and that is plenty for me. I don't want people, even friends, having more visibility into what I'm doing. I'm not against other people having it though.