Anyone else find this Ironic?

[pkderek 51]

One of the biggest arguments they had for always-online DRM was the whole aspect of being competitive with your friends and pitting up your score with everyone else in the world. Yet the Leaderboards and Achievements were the first features disabled and labeled as "non-critical".

 

Food for thought.

[crashx 18]

Actually....that is pretty funny.

[Catchin22 299]

It's a game about building infrastructure, built on bad infrastructure.

[Ohadi195 30]

They only care about the cash. That's how huge corporation such as EA think - they really don't have any love for the genre. only for the money...

[snick25 384]

Food for thought indeed.

 

They spent so much time running around, trying to modify the game to fit EA's precious online aspect, cutting and slashing core features of both the SimCity franchise and the citybuilding genre in general from the game, and then trying to make their childish, cartoony, campy looking social knock-off look better with filters. 

 

And then the servers go down the first day of release. I guess not many people will be able to enjoy those neat filters, not until the servers are fixed at least. And how long will that last until they're down again?

 

Food for thought indeed.

[el.lopan 54]

Want to know what else is ironic?

 

http://www.simcity.com/en_US/blog/article/building-for-the-future

 

Start a text/speech crafted by a senior PR with "We love you, you fans are very important to us" and then tell a fairy tale:

 

We launched in North America on Tuesday and our servers filled up within a matter of hours. What we saw was that players were having such a good time they didn’t want to leave the game, which kept our servers packed and made it difficult for new players to join.

 

"And so our magnificent players were having such a good time that they didn't want to live their real lifes anymore." That sounds so beautiful the way he says.

 

When in fact, the obvious translation to this BS would be: "Yes, we did that stuff that some airline companies do: overbooking. We sold more than we could handle. We wanted to swell our sales. Who cares if there is no room in the servers for everybody?"

[snick25 384]

We launched in North America on Tuesday and our servers filled up within a matter of hours. What we saw was that players were having such a good time they didn’t want to leave the game, which kept our servers packed and made it difficult for new players to join.

 

Man, that's a laughable fallacy if I ever saw one. EA is making a joke of itself. 

[Urban Cartographer 601]

EA had just realized what I have realized many months ago: leaderboards and achievements are unnecessary.

[cirugo 1,889]

most certainly ironic.

I never dreamed that the game would launch this badly.  I suspect it probably sold well but the PR nightmare they are enduring may prevent any more sales and permanently tarnish the game...not undeservedly either, in my opinion.

[Ocram's Razr 964]

I find the irony to be funny.

--Ocram

[halicem 16]

Also ironic that when this whole debacle is over:

 

Guess who's not playing the game anymore? The casual gamers who got fed up with this.. aka the gamers they went after because SC4 was too complicated.

 

Guess who's still playing the game? The fans of the series who's been loyal through the years.. aka the gamers they didn't target with this release.

[cirugo 1,889]

Also ironic that when this whole debacle is over:

 

Guess who's not playing the game anymore? The casual gamers who got fed up with this.. aka the gamers they went after because SC4 was too complicated.

 

Guess who's still playing the game? The fans of the series who's been loyal through the years.. aka the gamers they didn't target with this release.

wrong.  I didn't buy it and won't unless the fix the always-online issue as well as other issues that have been talked to death on this forum.

[AIX 270]

EA had just realized what I have realized many months ago: leaderboards and achievements are unnecessary.

 

Sadly, most people of the Millennial generation and younger have had leaderboards and achievements rammed into their poor little brains, so they think they are necessary. Look at all the crap games on Facebook and iPhone/Android. 

[halicem 16]

Also ironic that when this whole debacle is over:

 

Guess who's not playing the game anymore? The casual gamers who got fed up with this.. aka the gamers they went after because SC4 was too complicated.

 

Guess who's still playing the game? The fans of the series who's been loyal through the years.. aka the gamers they didn't target with this release.

wrong.  I didn't buy it and won't unless the fix the always-online issue as well as other issues that have been talked to death on this forum.

you're right, I should have prequalified my statement to only those who've already bought it

[TinyWeeny 6]

Want to know what else is ironic?

 

http://www.simcity.com/en_US/blog/article/building-for-the-future

 

Start a text/speech crafted by a senior PR with "We love you, you fans are very important to us" and then tell a fairy tale:

 

 

We launched in North America on Tuesday and our servers filled up within a matter of hours. What we saw was that players were having such a good time they didn’t want to leave the game, which kept our servers packed and made it difficult for new players to join.

 

Ha Ha! Now that is ironic.

 

"So many of our players were having a good time, that the rest of them couldn't have any time at all!"

 

Thank you EA, for reinforcing what we've thought of you for a long time: a joke.

[Titanicbuff 1,262]

seems EA missed there mark- thought- well people will play Sim City on the internet- hmmmmmm not in my state- to many blind spots- EA needs to rethink what fans wanted.

[Hellken 1,658]

Want to know what else is ironic?

 

http://www.simcity.com/en_US/blog/article/building-for-the-future

 

Start a text/speech crafted by a senior PR with "We love you, you fans are very important to us" and then tell a fairy tale:

 

 

We launched in North America on Tuesday and our servers filled up within a matter of hours. What we saw was that players were having such a good time they didn’t want to leave the game, which kept our servers packed and made it difficult for new players to join.

 

"And so our magnificent players were having such a good time that they didn't want to live their real lifes anymore." That sounds so beautiful the way he says.

 

When in fact, the obvious translation to this BS would be: "Yes, we did that stuff that some airline companies do: overbooking. We sold more than we could handle. We wanted to swell our sales. Who cares if there is no room in the servers for everybody?"

 

 

Reading news about this game is more entertaining than watching movies. 

[dohraymii 430]

 

Reading news about this game is more entertaining than watching movies. 

 

 

Agreed!! Watching this slow-moving train wreck has been very entertaining. Fan-boys raging at each other, obvious spam accounts talking up SC2013 as if it were going to make everyone forget SC4, and the EA PR-opaganda team still trying to spin this game as a success - I'm surprised there isn't a Crystal Skull involved.

[Linoa06 1,374]

Yes, I've been watching this Simcity thing from afar, perfectly sure of the road it would eventually tread. 

 

This really makes me chuckle. But it's sad, too, in a way.

 

Having said that, server bugs at launch are common for many games, it's all too easy to bash. Let it time. Haters also make me chuckle, though.

[niadara 0]

I have played SimCity since the very first game. I love SC4 and still play it. I didn't buy SimCity2013 because of all the things the beta players already pointed out. I also didn't buy it as I have absolutely no interest in multiplayer gaming nor an always internet-on gameplay where I can't even save on my disk. I play by myself, I want to fill my own region. I certainly wouldn't buy it for that ridic amount for not delivering what it should have. I feel they should have stayed with the SC4 concept, updating it with more details (different road types, better God mode, more public buildings, more ordinance options and such), better graphics, curved streets....

 

Now the PR is horrid. Classic crisis PR. Just spin it. It never does you any good as most people can see through it. They should come out and apologize and fix the game. But that won't happen as selling a faulty product now is cheaper than fixing it.... I hope in the future some other company will acquire rights to SimCity and develop a really good SC6.

[JeffCraig 3]

 

Reading news about this game is more entertaining than watching movies. 

 

 

Agreed!! Watching this slow-moving train wreck has been very entertaining. Fan-boys raging at each other, obvious spam accounts talking up SC2013 as if it were going to make everyone forget SC4, and the EA PR-opaganda team still trying to spin this game as a success - I'm surprised there isn't a Crystal Skull involved.

 

Mmmm... so many delicious fan-boy tears

[mastorofpuppetz 199]

 

Reading news about this game is more entertaining than watching movies. 

 

 

Agreed!! Watching this slow-moving train wreck has been very entertaining. Fan-boys raging at each other, obvious spam accounts talking up SC2013 as if it were going to make everyone forget SC4, and the EA PR-opaganda team still trying to spin this game as a success - I'm surprised there isn't a Crystal Skull involved.

Pretty sure there has been the sacrifice of a chicken.

[Rhadamant5186 19]

One of the biggest arguments they had for always-online DRM was the whole aspect of being competitive with your friends and pitting up your score with everyone else in the world. Yet the Leaderboards and Achievements were the first features disabled and labeled as "non-critical".

 

Food for thought.

 

They probably figured that there's no point in leaderboards and achievements when the base game is barely functional. Right now the leaderboards represent a small fraction of the players who are able to actually consistently login to the same region. I don't know about you, but every time I play I'm shuffled to a new server and have to start a new region, which means square one, every damn time.

[SilverCyric 131]

The funniest thing I find about all this is the obvious bold faced lie. "People are enjoying the game so much they don't want to leave." All the reviews and rants I've read simply say one thing most in common. I can't play for more than 2 hours without getting kicked off the server and if they manage to get on one, 2-4 hours later, and they can't even access the server their city is on, hence they have to start over again... Corporate PR cracks me up!! Like we actually believe anything they have or will ever say for many years to come...

[LOUIESIM 1]

It's called marketing ,they no how long your on and what you'll buy when the exspntion packs start rolling out. Iv been coming to this site for years looking for hints of this new game the reason I think they finally put out the new simcity it's becuase people are getting tie sims 3 exspntion packs. I have a question can you save city's made in sand box mode.hummm I wonder. Louiemain@gmail.com

[arcology 224]

Want to know what else is ironic?

 

http://www.simcity.com/en_US/blog/article/building-for-the-future

 

Start a text/speech crafted by a senior PR with "We love you, you fans are very important to us" and then tell a fairy tale:

 

 

We launched in North America on Tuesday and our servers filled up within a matter of hours. What we saw was that players were having such a good time they didn’t want to leave the game, which kept our servers packed and made it difficult for new players to join.

 

"And so our magnificent players were having such a good time that they didn't want to live their real lifes anymore." That sounds so beautiful the way he says.

 

When in fact, the obvious translation to this BS would be: "Yes, we did that stuff that some airline companies do: overbooking. We sold more than we could handle. We wanted to swell our sales. Who cares if there is no room in the servers for everybody?"

 

 

I even took that to mean - it is the players' faults that no one could join. 

 

Maybe I am reading it wrong, however, it has been done before:

EA blames Star Wars: The Old Republic subscribers fall on casuals leaving game    http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-05-08-ea-blames-star-wars-the-old-republic-subscribers-fall-on-casuals-leaving-game

[arcology 224]

Also ironic that when this whole debacle is over:

 

Guess who's not playing the game anymore? The casual gamers who got fed up with this.. aka the gamers they went after because SC4 was too complicated.

 

Guess who's still playing the game? The fans of the series who's been loyal through the years.. aka the gamers they didn't target with this release.

 

 

very much agree.  that was one of my arguments on the official forums!  the whole star wars debacle should have been a clue.

[reputationZed 4]

EA did get one thing right in naming the game Simcity LIMITED edition. I guess I just didn't anticipate by limited they ment they were going to limit our enjoyment of the game by limiting our ability to actually play the game. I was willing to give the 'reebot' of Simcity a chance eventhough many of its concepts go against my concept of what SImcity should be, but so far EA has made it all but impossible for us to even give the game a fair run to see if their solicial network vs single player model has any merit. I was disapointed we didn't get the much anticiapted and hoped for SImCity 5 but some what intregued that a new spin on the game might actually be enjoyable, but my access to the game has to this point been so limited that I can't even make an informed decision is the game has potential or is a complete fail.

[GirlsDeadMonster 17]

Yeah, they made a game to only be played online and yet didn't have the availability to run the game online. So very sad face of them. Boo.

[el.lopan 54]

One more "ironic" fact I'd like to share with you:

 

Remember when EA said something like "PCs don't have enough horsepower to process the huge amount of data a bigger city tile would produce and that's why we do some part of processing in our servers, so there you have the inherent DRM".

 

Now, take a look at this:

 

https://twitter.com/moskow23/status/296355832998801408

 

The main sim + game loop is on a single thread, so extra cores don't help. We do make use of extra CPU for audio/rendering

 

Dan Morkowitz is SC's lead gameplay engineer. He's basically telling us that the core gameplay makes use of only one CPU core. And that explains a lot of things. Nowadays most domestic CPUs have 4-8 cores, and yet it's chiefly using only 1 core. So, now you know why PCs -even the more powerful- doesn't have enough horsepower to run the game and why the city tiles are so small and why it's "necessary" to have the server-side processing.