Discussion about Always-On Connection to Origin

[neurokirurgi 29]

http://www.vg247.com...tion-to-origin/
So basically this means no purchase for me.

Such a shame, the game I've been waiting for years gets announced and it's seems awesome, and yet they manage to screw it up with stuff like this. I could live with the always online requirement (even though it's idiotic and drives people to piracy), but no mods means no purchase.

edit: after hearing from you and other EA/Maxis sources, it seems like mod support is on it's way.

There's still the issue of the always online requirement. While multiplayer sounds exiting (I for one would love to build regions together with friends), it shouldn't be forced on people, and I'm also a bit concerned about the global economy thing they are implementing into the game. There should always exist the option of playing completely offline, having your own fun without anyone else interfering in your little sphere of city simulation. And frankly, that's what they should be focusing on the most, traditional SimCity gameplay, just updated to be as good as possible in 2013 and the years to come.

  Edited January 25, 2014 by Cyclone Boom  
Topic unpinned.

[The Avatar 1,089]

EA I am disappoint.

[Mr_Maison 2,426]

I like many other players is mostly interested in the single player mode as that is how we play SC4. I do not have access to the internet all the time. Can the community create some sort of petition against this bad decision?

Have they not learned from the backlash at CitiesXL? Here we go again, a city builder is primarily a solo experience and sim city players are not your cityville crowd. I would start a petion but don't know how. Any ideas? This community has had enough disapointments.

[LucasK336 54]

But, didn't the mod support for SC4 come with the lauch of SC4 Rush Hour? (not the basic SC4, and maybe I'm wrong, but is what I remember)

I think we will have mod support, but some time later the game launch (or with a future expansion?)

(and sorry for my bad English)

  Edited March 28, 2012 by LucasK336  

[frdrcklim 139]

Didn't SC4 have no mod support at launch as well? Don't jump the gun just yet. They did say, right at the end of the article, that they're not idiots .

Although the Origin requirement is a big disappointment.

  Edited March 28, 2012 by Craig-Abcvs  
No discussion of piracy is allowed.

[jacksunny 741]

but no mods means no purchase.

The article clearly states that there are no mods at launch. I think we could wait a few months, could we not? I would much rather have them focus on finishing the game first, then release modding tools after.

[Jazzmaster 716]

“The reason people are still playing SimCity 4 almost ten years later is because the modding community essentially re-created it and filled it with new content and fixed bugs and made it as much of a hobby as it is a game. We’re very cognizant of that — we’re not idiots.”

And yes, there was no mod support straight out of the box for SimCity 4. No Lot Editor, no IE Reader, no SC4 Tool, no BAT for MAX or GMAX.

If the game is good enough upon release, people are going to take their time playing the vanilla and learning the mechanics and this new Glassbox engine. Did you really expect there to be as many mods useful mods as there are for SimCity 4 on day one? The mods we have now are an accumulation of nearly an entire decade of hard work.

The internet being a requirement thing is sort of a let down but is it really such a horrible thing? Most PC users are constantly connected to the internet. There's WiFi everywhere from coffee shops to air and rail terminals to even sometimes the planes and trains themselves. It'll be an inconvenience sometimes yes, but very often it won't be.

  Edited March 28, 2012 by Yoshiisland  

[jacksunny 741]

What I'm wondering is what the required connection speed will be.

[meowza 230]

I'm getting sick of people thinking that there will be no mods for this game.

SimCity 4 also had NO MOD SUPPORT when it was launched...

---

If modding would come later, I have a good feeling there would also be an offline mode. My speculation is that they are just trying to persuade the public to try online mode first..

Either way, as long as playing online is free (hell, make it free!), I'm still very much okay with it. I'm just sad for those people who can't be online all the time... But don't worry, hope is not lost, there is still time for change.

  Edited March 28, 2012 by meowza  

[Silur 3,309]

Sim City 2013 is miserable and doomed project from first day ...

  Edited March 28, 2012 by Silur  

[jacksunny 741]

Sim City 2013 is miserable and doomed project from first day ...

So the game is suddenly terrible because you have to be online. I don't see what the big deal is. We don't even know what the online functions are. It could just be for saving your city, who knows.

[Frode789 70]

Chill. Mod tools will definitely come..

[jacksunny 741]

^Exactly. EA/Maxis has confirmed there will be modding in the game, it just won't be right away.

[TheRealDeadaim 38]

Got shot down by some but I could see this coming, I'm afraid EA are a terrible publisher now-a-days. Obsessed with forcing DRM on people I won't be able to play this as I live in a village in England, my internet reliability is shocking.

  Edited March 28, 2012 by Craig-Abcvs  
Piracy discussion is not allowed.

[idcaf 65]

It's pretty simple. I will not buy this game, if it requires being always online.

Such a shame though.

  Edited March 28, 2012 by Craig-Abcvs  
Discussion of piracy is not allowed.

[tomfoolery_79 85]

People seem to forget that EA can and does shut down game related servers at their leisure. Just a few weeks ago they shut down servers for 5 games. When the game has run it's course and it's costing them too much to run a server they'll pull it and now what good is your game?

Origin is stupid. It's a "me too" product to compete and take market share from the superior/gamer-friendly Steam. Online Always is a fail and a forced way for you to participate in SimCity's global economy.

That said, I'm super excited for the game and will buy day 1 (if not pre-order).

Stop crying about mod support. It will come. Think about how much better SC4 was with Rush Hour. No mod support is not a reason to buy the game.

[Grumbs64 27]

It's become clear to me that EA isn't building a new sandbox simulation game for fans of SimCity 4, instead they are building a new game platform designed from the ground up to keep the DLC money rolling in.

I'm not buying into that.

[GrimJr987 15]

“The reason people are still playing SimCity 4 almost ten years later is because the modding community essentially re-created it and filled it with new content and fixed bugs and made it as much of a hobby as it is a game. We’re very cognizant of that — we’re not idiots.”

And yes, there was no mod support straight out of the box for SimCity 4. No Lot Editor, no IE Reader, no SC4 Tool, no BAT for MAX or GMAX.

If the game is good enough upon release, people are going to take their time playing the vanilla and learning the mechanics and this new Glassbox engine. Did you really expect there to be as many mods useful mods as there are for SimCity 4 on day one? The mods we have now are an accumulation of nearly an entire decade of hard work.

The internet being a requirement thing is sort of a let down but is it really such a horrible thing? Most PC users are constantly connected to the internet. There's WiFi everywhere from coffee shops to air and rail terminals to even sometimes the planes and trains themselves. It'll be an inconvenience sometimes yes, but very often it won't be.

Right, here's my two cents.

Firstly, DRM, wether it be in the form of Steam, Origin, Starforce, SecuROM or anything else, is a MASSIVE Inconvenience for any PC gamer, Simcity is, unfortunately, only the latest in a line of games to require Origin. DRM is in effect, useless, All it really serves to do, is to taunt the guys over on the torrent sites into saying "Challenge Accepted, *£$%!@* . Sadly for us, they usually win, they end up with a DRM free copy for free, DRM deliberately screw you over. In fact, The Witcher 2, which was released on gog.com with NO DRM was not actually the version that was shared on the net, supposedly. Requiring any Digital Platform is ridicolous at this point in time, because, frankly this means you HAVE to be connected to the net to play a game, designed to be played ALONE.

You have the option of supporting this with your cash, or you can just not buy it. and this is pulling me in the direction of no buy, and considering Simcity's community in love with a what would be considered a rather niche title that are out now, They know, that they HAVE to please us, to get the massive sales they desire and to release the DLC they wish to use to milk us dry with.

Mod support however, you should NEVER expect that on launch. One of the games that recently launched, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, had no way to mod it at launch. Now, that game has a massive PC fan base, that have modded everything from houses, to weapons to armour to the Kneecapper bow, and honestly, it's good that there is no modding at launch, this gives us a chance to see what we actually need to change.

If the Road network is not functioning properly, we'll modd it ;P

DLC and DRM, get angry about, Day One Modding support is a far fetched dream.

[BurroDiablo 222]

Even though they clearly understand that modding has kept SC4 alive and selling to new customers even today, the lack of any solid confirmation on modding support is disheartening. I certainly trust Maxis not to disappoint on the modding front, but SC13 is a no sale for me until mod support is guaranteed, even if it is a few months after the initial release. 'Potential' is a dirty word imo.

I'll add that I don't care much for DRM, but it's not a factor I consider when purchasing a game. I care for longevity.

  Edited March 28, 2012 by BurroDiablo  

[Gamma Stardust 50]

People seem to forget that EA can and does shut down game related servers at their leisure. Just a few weeks ago they shut down servers for 5 games. When the game has run it's course and it's costing them too much to run a server they'll pull it and now what good is your game?

3 more in 3 days:

March 31, 2012 -- Online Services Shutdown

* BATTLEFIELD™ 3: Aftershock for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch

* Fantasi Safari for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch

* Ghost Harvest for iPhone

---

I'll add that I don't care much for DRM, but it's not a factor I consider when purchasing a game. I care for longevity.

Longevity... longevity...

Battlefield 3 Aftershock Details And Screenshots Released Born December 2011

EA bins Battlefield 3: Aftershock iOS game RIP March 2012

= 3 months, I wonder how many were sold...

"We shall make the product you payed for obsolete before you notice it!"

At the very least, apparently, EA/Maxis have come upfront regarding the offline issue in Simcity.

  Edited March 28, 2012 by Gamma Stardust  

[§haÅ--Ñ€ §hÅŽo 370]

I'm a bit disappointed being forced to play online only, but at least their will still be a single player. Also as long as they still plan on allowing custom content in-game they've still got my money. Let's hope EA doesn't screw up Maxis' project.

[Catmando 7]

A mod that makes the economy of the game reliant entirely on the in-game region would be a nice community solution to this (in other words, the game could run essentially self-sufficiently), although I don't think EA would want that to be possible.

[Craig-Abcvs 1,595]

Please be reminded that on Simtropolis we have a ZERO tolerance for any discussion regarding piracy, game cracks, torrents etc...

This rule is not open to discussion and there are no ifs, ands, or buts about it.

Thank you for being mindful of this when posting.

Craig-Abcvs

Simtropolis Moderator

[Jamonbread 222]

I don't understand how it is that difficult to make the game offline which is what frustrates me the most about this news. The other thing is EA must maintain servers for this game and is therefore life support for the game. With the numbers still playing sc4 it would have become extinct years ago because well the active and eager small groups still playing would not be worth it for them. This is why above all without offline support where we can continue to build and enhance the game to a degree say of sc4 the whole series will die a painful death if this remains true.

When I buy a game, I want to buy it... especially for their prices. Not rent it and have everything disapear when the cityville crowd rolls out

[Cockatoo 2,262]

The always online requirement is a serious disappointment for me. This could easily make the difference between Maxis/EA getting or not getting my hard earned. We'll just have to wait and see how it plays out.

Like most people, I've always been very much against any form of DRM. Anyone who attempts to restrict what I do privately on my own PC, especially after I've given them my money, I will not be very supportive of. At all. The CD thing in SC3K and SC4... well I could live with that. But an always online DRM would mean no play on the train, no play when the servers are down, no play in the rooms of my house with no internet reception, no play in 15 years time. That's just unacceptable IMO.

Maxis must include some sort of a mode that doesn't require an internet connection. I want to help make sure this game is a financial success, so Maxis and EA can continue to produce our favorite game into the future, but this sort of thing makes it a lot harder for me to do that.

-

As for modding... don't worry guys. The tone of that article implies that CC is without a doubt coming, just not boxed with the game.

[idcaf 65]

I see two problems that arise on a communication level between game developers and end users.

First one is, that game developers think the ones against playing the game always with internet connection aren't such a big group of people. They should realise 99.746 % of gaming community across the board dislike or despise this option.

Even if we try to *tell* them their strategy is wrong by boycotting the game they would always blame low revenue on piracy and not on their dishonorable idea about needing internet connection just to play it offline.

Ah, well, SC 2013 was a good hype for me while it lasted. I'm astonished they managed to beat up my eagerness for a new Simcity game with just one easy statement.

[Dannibee 138]

EA are just greedy. This is going to far as I see it, why can't gaming go back into the state it was in the early 00's? This has really put me off now, as I dislike Origin and any of that other always online crap.

[NCGAIO 562]

Simple and fast.

I bet that most of the community will not buy!

[GeneralEtrius 78]

While this is disappointing, someone should write a cordial letter to the CEO of EA: John Riccitiello, and calmly and politely explain to him how we as a community feel. Riccitiello is the one that has led EA along the digital and DLC pathway since he became CEO in 2007, and because of the success, EA has been doing more and more DLC and online stuff. He has recently said that he believed that single player was on its way out, and that most games will soon be multiplayer.

It's not too late. The executives at EA see everything as dollars, and if we can convince them that removing the always-on connection requirement will create more dollars, then they will likely order it to be removed.

[Wiimeiser 452]

Fun Fact: Without Rush Hour, SC4 modding was limited to preexisting props. RH allowed use of models and BATs not shipped with the vanilla game.