Discussion about Always-On Connection to Origin

[Xenocity 343]

http://www.nintendol...virtual_console

The above article shows just how easy it is for games to be taken away.

Expect a similar fate for SC2013 after 2 years when EA shut down the servers due to online only DRM.

Simcity 2013 runs on Maxis servers not the EA servers.

Correct me if I am wrong, but at this point isn't SC:2013 SOLELY available on Origin?...which is EA's child?

I think you are wrong.. this is on EA servers...NOT maxis.

No you can buy Simcity 2013 from many retailers.

I ordered my digital download copy from Amazon.

Only the Deluxe version and the Mac version are available through Origin store!

All of EA's studioes have to use Origin platform on their servers.

Origin is a PLATFORM not a set of servers.

Bioware controls the servers that runs their games even though it uses Origin platform.

DICE Battlefield 3 uses their own servers, which uses the Origin platform.

Maxis games run on their servers, which use the Origin plaform.

This is much cheaper to use a standard platform for servers than each studio using their own platform.

It just means you have to log into Origin via the game to play the games (All video game consoles already do this for EA's games behind the scenes).

Origin no worse than the other online platforms.

uPlay from Ubisoft is far worse than Origin.

EA is no longer the great evil everyone makes them out to be, they have come along way since 2003.

[Dewm 177]

So your saying they DON'T run it like steam?

because if you buy a game (even if its a disk from the store) and you go to play it, and it requires steam...then it will be one steams servers.

And from EVERYTHING I've read (except your post) it has sounded like even if you bought a physical copy.. it would run over Origins.

So do you have a link or something that states Maxis will be hosting their own servers?

[Xenocity 343]

So your saying they DON'T run it like steam?

because if you buy a game (even if its a disk from the store) and you go to play it, and it requires steam...then it will be one steams servers.

And from EVERYTHING I've read (except your post) it has sounded like even if you bought a physical copy.. it would run over Origins.

So do you have a link or something that states Maxis will be hosting their own servers?

Actually Steam hosts the file for digital purchase for many games but do not host the servers which the games are played on.

Final Fantasy XI and Final Fantasy XIV are all played on Square-Enix servers, even though you can buy either game through Steam.

All of Capcom's games sold on Steam are played on Capcom's servers.

Activisions games are sold through Steam but are played on on Activision's servers.

There are many more developers who do this.

You can pay to use Valve's servers for your game, but most major developers use their own servers.

Maxis already hosts The Sims 3 online portions and Darkspore online portions on their servers, Simcity will also be hosted at Maxis as well as previously stated numerous times over.

You will just need to log in via the game without having to run the Origin desktop client provided you are running the Windows version of the game.

You had to do this via Darkspore as well.

I don't understand why people on this forum don't know that, since most newer computer games use this form of log in to play the game (EA was one of the last companies to implement it).

[Kreniel 0]

it is terrible with this because im not allowed to use internet for games except for my dads so it is a big turn off that ill only be able to play every other weekend

[Haljackey 17,398]

I swear this service will be the downfall of SC13 unless they do something about it.

Do you think they will ever let semi-offline single player be an option one day?

EDIT: Some luls from Reddit:

http://www.reddit.co...he_new_simcity/

[Dewm 177]

So your saying they DON'T run it like steam?

because if you buy a game (even if its a disk from the store) and you go to play it, and it requires steam...then it will be one steams servers.

And from EVERYTHING I've read (except your post) it has sounded like even if you bought a physical copy.. it would run over Origins.

So do you have a link or something that states Maxis will be hosting their own servers?

Actually Steam hosts the file for digital purchase for many games but do not host the servers which the games are played on.

Final Fantasy XI and Final Fantasy XIV are all played on Square-Enix servers, even though you can buy either game through Steam.

All of Capcom's games sold on Steam are played on Capcom's servers.

Activisions games are sold through Steam but are played on on Activision's servers.

There are many more developers who do this.

You can pay to use Valve's servers for your game, but most major developers use their own servers.

Maxis already hosts The Sims 3 online portions and Darkspore online portions on their servers, Simcity will also be hosted at Maxis as well as previously stated numerous times over.

You will just need to log in via the game without having to run the Origin desktop client provided you are running the Windows version of the game.

You had to do this via Darkspore as well.

I don't understand why people on this forum don't know that, since most newer computer games use this form of log in to play the game (EA was one of the last companies to implement it).

You gave the example of FFXI

And I'll give you an example, you buy Supreme Commander 2, you have to play it over steam, on steam servers.. if you don't log into steam, then you can't play. Same thing with Dungeon defenders. etc...

so like I said before, do you have a link or something that states Maxis will be hosting this?

[jnestor 6]

Words cannot even begin to describe the let down. As far as mods go, don't get your hopes up, look at the track record, I'm betting that instead of DL a mod one of you nice people could make for this game you will be purchasing a DLC instead, like with The Sims and pretty much any other game that requires a constant internet connection. I believe it's time we gave Chris Sawyer a call and get a good city-builder in the works from him( Creator and Programmer of Roller Coaster Tycoon). I can't always have an internet connection and I've waited for this game for years and now I guess I'll just wait for a whole new city builder from someone else.....hopefully.

[Xenocity 343]

Words cannot even begin to describe the let down. As far as mods go, don't get your hopes up, look at the track record, I'm betting that instead of DL a mod one of you nice people could make for this game you will be purchasing a DLC instead, like with The Sims and pretty much any other game that requires a constant internet connection. I believe it's time we gave Chris Sawyer a call and get a good city-builder in the works from him( Creator and Programmer of Roller Coaster Tycoon). I can't always have an internet connection and I've waited for this game for years and now I guess I'll just wait for a whole new city builder from someone else.....hopefully.

This isn't entirely true.

Users have been modding The Sims 3 for a while now along with creating custom furniture.

Also Spores and DarkSpores feature user made content.

So Maxis has yet to block any mods and/or user created content.

[Shark7 118]

On the issue of consoles and Origin. The games I've been playing work just fine on my console without logging into Origin. I know this is true because my console is not physically connected to the internet, never has been. I occasionally will connect it to DL updates, then the wire is once again unplugged.

Now will this change in the future? I have no idea, but I have yet to run into a console game that requires me to be connected to the internet 'always on' to play it.

[Urban Cartographer 601]

Words cannot even begin to describe the let down. As far as mods go, don't get your hopes up, look at the track record, I'm betting that instead of DL a mod one of you nice people could make for this game you will be purchasing a DLC instead, like with The Sims and pretty much any other game that requires a constant internet connection. I believe it's time we gave Chris Sawyer a call and get a good city-builder in the works from him( Creator and Programmer of Roller Coaster Tycoon). I can't always have an internet connection and I've waited for this game for years and now I guess I'll just wait for a whole new city builder from someone else.....hopefully.

RollerCoaster Tycoon was a fun game (played 1-3 (though Chris Sawyer did not play much of a role in 3)). Chris Sawyer and Will Wright should chat with each other.

[Hoipus 292]

This gives me some slight hope, because I have no idea how they could balance this.

[Servan 5]

From what I understand, you can have a private region, cut off from global influence, and can have that as a sandbox mode. But you cannot have sandbox and multi-player, that would be insane. Now, as far as having that private sandbox region offline, it doesn't sound like it.

[~Dee~ 215]

From what I understand, you can have a private region, cut off from global influence, and can have that as a sandbox mode. But you cannot have sandbox and multi-player, that would be insane. Now, as far as having that private sandbox region offline, it doesn't sound like it.

You can't play this game off-line, if you play a region all by yourself you still need to be connected to the server, that's why this game is called an always on-line game.

[Hoipus 292]

From what I understand, you can have a private region, cut off from global influence, and can have that as a sandbox mode. But you cannot have sandbox and multi-player, that would be insane. Now, as far as having that private sandbox region offline, it doesn't sound like it.

The private-non-sandbox regions would still be affected by the global economy. The sandbox mode is a mode where money means absolutely nothing. Since money means nothing, the prices of stuff in the global economy means nothing too, which gives me some hope that there is some offline capacity because it doesn't need to worry about whether what you do in sandbox mode affects the global economy.

): they'd probably still force sandboxers to play online "just because", though.

[jnestor 6]

Words cannot even begin to describe the let down. As far as mods go, don't get your hopes up, look at the track record, I'm betting that instead of DL a mod one of you nice people could make for this game you will be purchasing a DLC instead, like with The Sims and pretty much any other game that requires a constant internet connection. I believe it's time we gave Chris Sawyer a call and get a good city-builder in the works from him( Creator and Programmer of Roller Coaster Tycoon). I can't always have an internet connection and I've waited for this game for years and now I guess I'll just wait for a whole new city builder from someone else.....hopefully.

This isn't entirely true.

Users have been modding The Sims 3 for a while now along with creating custom furniture.

Also Spores and DarkSpores feature user made content.

So Maxis has yet to block any mods and/or user created content.

Either way it's still dissapointing that you have to always be online.

[Irganox 10]

I don't really know about other countries and their connectivity, but in scandinavia at least - EVERYONE is beeing connected to the internet 24/7. It doesn't bother me one little tiny bit that you'll have to be connected while playing - cause most (all?) people are anyway.

Now, I don't know how much data that will be transfered back and forth while playing, but this will probably not be an issue either.

You will be connected to the internet while playing anyway, 'cause really... How many sits in front of an offline computer these days?

[anandus 15]

The problem with always-on connection isn't the home-connection, of course, but more the fact that you're dependent on the servers.

As we've seen many times in the past servers can go down, sometimes for days in a row, or there can they can be overwhelmed making it impossible to login, etc, which leaves us impossible to play the game as long as there's no offline mode.

[pritam 0]

I have the internet connection which download speed upto 144 kbps. Will I able to play the new simcity through Internet. Because Maxis team already announced that new simcity - 2013 will unable to play at offline mode and online connection will be Minimum 256 kbps download, 64 kbps upload in Simcity official Website (http://www.simcity.com/en_US/buy/simcity). Please give me a proper replies.........

[Hoipus 292]

The problem with always-on connection isn't the home-connection, of course, but more the fact that you're dependent on the servers.

As we've seen many times in the past servers can go down, sometimes for days in a row, or there can they can be overwhelmed making it impossible to login, etc, which leaves us impossible to play the game as long as there's no offline mode.

Don't forget the eventual end of service. I know I keep bringing this up but it is the salient point that is keeping me from buying this game.

[pritam 0]

I have the internet connection which download speed upto 144 kbps. Will I able to play the new simcity through Internet. Because Maxis team already announced that new simcity - 2013 will unable to play at offline mode and online connection will be Minimum 256 kbps download, 64 kbps upload in Simcity official Website (http://www.simcity.c..._US/buy/simcity). Please give me a proper replies.........

[flyer2359 92]

Go to www.speedtest.net. Click on a random server and if you get above 256kbps, you're good.

[Superbacon 380]

I think you might be able to. Problem is it'll be significantly slower than those you're playing with in a region. While you're playing alone, you'll have slower loading times and will take longer to save.

[Urban Cartographer 601]

What if a few years later, many people stop playing SC2013 and EA would be forced to shut down the server, due to lack of demand? No more SC2013.

[Superbacon 380]

People have slow connections as well. Even if they buy it and try, if it's too slow they'll probably stop bothering. Constant disconnections for being unable to sync with the region.

[strokesboy21 11]

same thing that puts me off is the whole shutting down server thing but then would maxis leave us high and dry? or would they give us an offline patch? im not so sure but then this could be 4 years down the line and with a much better simcity being released if anyone from maxis could answer this as it seems to be the only thing stopping me from buying it. (although i do recognize that most people dont have internet ect so i think ea should release a offline version for those who don't)

saying that i felt optimistic and tweeted @MaxisGuillaume on twitter the following :- what would happen if simcity servers closed down due to not many people online (3 years on) would we get an offline patch

[Spatzimaus 77]

What if a few years later, many people stop playing SC2013 and EA would be forced to shut down the server, due to lack of demand? No more SC2013.

Plenty of other games have handled things just fine when that sort of thing happens. Usually, they release one final patch that disables any DRM or online-only component, especially if the triggering incident is the studio going out of business. In the case of SC2013, Maxis would probably just lock the global resource costs at their final equilibrium values (or with prices defined by a very simple algorithm), and let you play offline. This is especially true if the game has full support for player-hosted multiplayer, where there'd be no need for public matchmaking.

Also, think about this. Right now, the server is handling a lot of the behind-the-scenes calculations for you, right? In part, this is to reduce the load on your computer, which helps them ensure the game is fully playable on laptops and such. But five years from now, would that still be necessary? Or would Moore's Law tell you that we'll quickly hit the point where even low-end computers are capable of fully handling the calculations in one of today's games? In that case, then they'd just need to code the server logic such that if your computer's power exceeds some threshold it does all the work itself instead of relying on the servers to do the job. As time goes on, the load on the servers would decrease as fewer machines depended on them. Five years from now, the entire "online" component for most players could be as small as a simple hourly table lookup for the latest prices, which is not the sort of thing that requires big, dedicated servers. Given that, why would they EVER turn off the online component? What would they gain by doing so?

[SImman123231 4]

Let's Design Our Own Simcity Game Single Player and If Multiplayer have the Servers at Simtropolis. EA Doesn't Know How To Make Games For Simcity Fans

[Hoipus 292]

saying that i felt optimistic and tweeted @MaxisGuillaume on twitter the following :- what would happen if simcity servers closed down due to not many people online (3 years on) would we get an offline patch

Where's your tweet? I can't find it on his page.

[jrm541992 17]

You'll likely encounter some nasty lag and super slow loading/buffering with that connection. You still might be able to play but I'd recommend you get better internet service.

[Exe19 22]

"Offline patch"? If game mechanics allow to play without active sewers why don't add "Offline mode" NOW?!