Here's a Thought for How Multiplayer Ought to be Done

[AIX 270]

Please, feel free to throw at me any corrections as my knowledge is far from perfect.

 

Instead of requiring everything being saved on EA servers and forcing people into online multiplayer, they should have made this a single-player game with a multi-player option (I know, said many times before).

 

HOWEVER, instead of multi-player games being saved on centralised EA servers that are vulnerable to overloads and EA just pulling the plug, they should have created a mechanism for players to host their own servers. If four people decided they wanted to play multiplayer, one of the people could be the "host" for the game.

I surmise that the collective power of all of our computers is far greater than their server capacity. Also, with smaller games (e.g. limit each game to 6-8 players), ordinary computers and internet connections could handle that. Data would be saved/synched locally.

 

Since DRM is a must (can't escape it), have a means built into the installer of the game to "phone home" to verify the authenticity of the game. I am sure something could also be done at game launch. I am not in love with "phoning home", but it is better than current method.

[Indiana Joe 1,750]

But if they did that, EA's scheme of making you buy a game that becomes unplayable in two years after they shut down the servers wouldn't work.  You could actually keep playing the game for a long time, and you wouldn't be forced to spend another $60 on a new game.  Your logic just doesn't work, you see.