Why is offline play such a big issue?

[Szek]

Many games nowadays require internet connections to play. Including all modern blizzard titles (Which happens to have the current most popular RTS (Starcraft 2) in it's catalogue).

I have seen the odd thread about offline play in regards to SC2 but they are very rare. Here offline play has become a major issue. I am just curious as to why.

Is there really that many people out there still with dialup that maintaining an internet connection is inconvenient?

I cant speak for people everywhere, but where I live (Rural Southern Alberta, Canada) internet outages are no more common that power outages. So I don't see how that could be a factor.

DRM? Well steam itself is DRM so even with offline play you still have to maintain steam.

I am just trying to understand the benefit of offline play and why it has become such an issue specifically with Planetary Annihilation.

[iv00n]

People ♥♥♥♥♥ about it because they can't pirate the game this way. They try to mask this by a lot of different reasons but it's obvious what's the main issue.

[Hannibal]

Początkowo opublikowane przez iv00n:

People ♥♥♥♥♥ about it because they can't pirate the game this way. They try to mask this by a lot of different reasons but it's obvious what's the main issue.

If that were true GOG would not exist. Its an issue because it was a promised feature, no always online for single player. This method is not successful. People don't always have reliable internet. Companies go out of business then servers get shut down, see gamespy, windows live. Sim city had to give up its always online because it was such a problem as have blizzard. Has nothing to do with piracy. That's just publisher talk there and those brain washed by them .

[Szek]

Blizzard has not given up its always online. Both Diablo 3 and Starcraft 2 require you to be online to play regardless of single or multiplayer.

[Zero Enna]

yep, offline play is pretty important. for playing when the internet is down (doesn't happen too often here but it happens), for playing when travelling/staying somewhere where's no internet etc.
but it's not just the offline-feature, it's also the (imo EXTREMELY) important save-function. no match i played in PA was longer than ~1 hour because there's no save-option. if i wanna have real long matches, i need the option to save because just quitting a long game because you get a call or something just SUCKS.

[Szek]

I agree with the save feature, that absolutely should be in game. But it has nothing to do with always online.

[Pothocket]

Some people simply don't want to stay connected to the internet, or that can't. It doesn't matter. The point is they don't need to justify why they want to play offline, they just do.

Don't try and control how gamers use their own machines and you won't have a problem. That's why I'm not buying this game, or Human Resources, unless I know I can play it offline.

[Starbug]

Początkowo opublikowane przez iv00n:

People ♥♥♥♥♥ about it because they can't pirate the game this way. They try to mask this by a lot of different reasons but it's obvious what's the main issue.

haha.. The people who have bought the game and complain about always online are trying to pirate it too? They already own the game, why pirate it again?

[Spock]

Początkowo opublikowane przez Skoda Zek:

Many games nowadays require internet connections to play. Including all modern blizzard titles (Which happens to have the current most popular RTS (Starcraft 2) in it's catalogue).

I have seen the odd thread about offline play in regards to SC2 but they are very rare. Here offline play has become a major issue. I am just curious as to why.

Is there really that many people out there still with dialup that maintaining an internet connection is inconvenient?

I cant speak for people everywhere, but where I live (Rural Southern Alberta, Canada) internet outages are no more common that power outages. So I don't see how that could be a factor.

DRM? Well steam itself is DRM so even with offline play you still have to maintain steam.

I am just trying to understand the benefit of offline play and why it has become such an issue specifically with Planetary Annihilation.

First off you CAN play Starcraft 2 offline. Just gotta start it online once or after an update. Then you can go offline and play fine. I play it all the time offline. Diablo 3 on the other hand is a different story.. I consider it wasted money since I can't play it offline... A regretful buy for me. I have only put about 10 hours tops into that game due to the fact it requires an internet connection. And I've owned it for probably over a year now.

Second I care about online because I game at work. I dont have an internet connection so it is a big deal for me. It is pretty much standard equipment for this type of game to have an offline campaign and skirmishes. Also I dont like the idea of not being able to play the game at home if my internet gets fudged for the day. Or latency issues/lag... whatever. There's no justifiable reason why a single player campaign or skirmish needs the internet. The more games that require an internet connection to play the less i'm able to play them. As I use my time at home to play the REALLY GOOD games that require an internet connection like World of Warcraft... I waste my internet time on multiplayer games that are exceptionally entertaining. I dont often waste it on scrub games that were half assed into release.

[Spock]

Początkowo opublikowane przez iv00n:

People ♥♥♥♥♥ about it because they can't pirate the game this way. They try to mask this by a lot of different reasons but it's obvious what's the main issue.

Your a special kind of person arent you?

[Mikolaj]

Początkowo opublikowane przez Skoda Zek:

Many games nowadays require internet connections to play. Including all modern blizzard titles (Which happens to have the current most popular RTS (Starcraft 2) in it's catalogue).

I have seen the odd thread about offline play in regards to SC2 but they are very rare. Here offline play has become a major issue. I am just curious as to why.

Is there really that many people out there still with dialup that maintaining an internet connection is inconvenient?

I cant speak for people everywhere, but where I live (Rural Southern Alberta, Canada) internet outages are no more common that power outages. So I don't see how that could be a factor.

DRM? Well steam itself is DRM so even with offline play you still have to maintain steam.

I am just trying to understand the benefit of offline play and why it has become such an issue specifically with Planetary Annihilation.

Actually, if you look at the number of games out there, very, very few games require online for single player. Why? Well, because there is no reason to and no benefit.

It has nothing to do with being on dialup. There are four factors here:

1. However good your connection is it can fail in the middle of your game. Even if happens extremely rarely it can happen.

2. The game servers can fail - happened at lot for Simcity and it is annoying if you can't play because the company can't handle traffic.

3. The game has a limited lifetime. I still can play Diablo 1 if I want to (and sometimes I do). Will you be able to play Diablo 3 in 15 years? Probably not.

4. There is ZERO benefit in Single Player to have always online requirement... so why accept something which has no benefits and only potential problems?

[[sMil3]]

Początkowo opublikowane przez iv00n:

People ♥♥♥♥♥ about it because they can't pirate the game this way. They try to mask this by a lot of different reasons but it's obvious what's the main issue.

The developers promissed offline play. It was a direct request from a majority of their backers.
How is it? I mean,to be so clueless?

[Monarch]

Początkowo opublikowane przez Skoda Zek:

Blizzard has not given up its always online. Both Diablo 3 and Starcraft 2 require you to be online to play regardless of single or multiplayer.

SC2 can be played offline.
Done it when Lizard Squad bombard Blizzard's server.

I was enjoying D3, but online only. Then I was bored out of my mind, and gave SC2 a shot, it worked perfectly fine. Just no online matches.

[jcFIG]

While I don't get all the rancor the developer is receiving, I want to buy this but with no offline play I just cannot even when its 50% off. But seriously if you are an early adopter or supporter blame yourself for taking the leap on the gamble. Kickstarter is about crowdfunding and helping creators make projects that are independent and experimental with less corporate interference and editing. If you bought the game expecting offline play and have been waiting for it all along because it was promised, you should only blame yourself for taking the leap. Its like me jumping off a diving board into a pool with no water because I had faith the pool would be filled due to assurances I received. If its not by the time I landed then its my fault because I took the leap of faith. Plus they already assured you there is a team working on this and adding offline play. Whining and getting angry or asking for refunds is not possible if you supported this on Kickstarter because that money was already absorbed in man hours spent delivering a product.

[lukather35]

Początkowo opublikowane przez iv00n:

People ♥♥♥♥♥ about it because they can't pirate the game this way. They try to mask this by a lot of different reasons but it's obvious what's the main issue.

You're right, I want to hack the game I bought and I can not: (...
When you have no reason to defend, which has no defense, Uber employees, and advocates of the absurd, resort to arguments of this type. Playing online in the single player mode is as absurd as trying to play multiplayer, one person alone.

For a decent game, I read that a stable 2mb connection is necessary, if a house is 6, or 5, or 3 mb, when someone plays PA, the other people in the house should not use internet, or Conversely, if there is another person using the Internet, I have to play Minesweeper.

[lukather35]

Początkowo opublikowane przez Skoda Zek:

Blizzard has not given up its always online. Both Diablo 3 and Starcraft 2 require you to be online to play regardless of single or multiplayer.

Only you said this, everything else you write does not make sense. Starcraft 2 can play offline. For skirmish games, is now mandatory download maps before playing them off-line, that is after the new updates, it was not necessary before.