''Everyone’s connected all the time, so we felt like it would be fine to do that'': EA Maxis on Always-Online DRM, Sheep, Mutants and More in SimCity

[MaddMoose]

A friend of mine hasn't been online in over 2 days due to net issues. So everyone always being connected all the time is an exaggeration.

Saying people who aren't online make up any significant amount is an exaggeration.

[Joshsux]

A friend of mine hasn't been online in over 2 days due to net issues. So everyone always being connected all the time is an exaggeration.

Saying people who aren't online make up any significant amount is an exaggeration.

Yeah, His net is obviously ****. Doesn't mean most other peoples are!

[Matty]

A friend of mine hasn't been online in over 2 days due to net issues. So everyone always being connected all the time is an exaggeration.

Saying people who aren't online make up any significant amount is an exaggeration.

I don't believe I said that at all..

[vcatkiller]

It's kind of pointless arguing with these type of people. Unless you live in a regional area where the internet is flakey at best you can just assume that everybody has instant on-tap internet connection all the time. I work at a computer store where the people who come in are usually flat out getting a wireless broadband connection, and have zero access to the nice stuff like ADSL. You could argue for satellite but it's kind of flaky too.

So because Mr EA Exec and friends live in a capital city where there's no excuse for not having an internet connection it means everybody in the universe has an internet connection? Nice.

[ChainsawMcP]

We haven't really heard anything about what level of internet connectivity is required - it may be that a dial-up connection is all that is required to get the game started... and keep it running

There is specific mention in the article that it doesn't require an ACTIVE internet connect for the whole time that you play...

"We do have some safeguards in the game. If your internet connection drops, it can still sort of sit around for a while and recover and you can go back online. Glass Box can handle all of that. It’s basically a safety net for you; you won’t just lose everything if your connection goes down."

I guess maybe we have to wait and see how much of a problem it is...

[PalZer0]

So because Mr EA Exec and friends live in a capital city where there's no excuse for not having an internet connection it means everybody in the universe has an internet connection? Nice.

That's been my point all along with that statement. It just reeks of closed-mindedness.

[caitsith01]

They've made their plans clear in this regard from the very beginning so... don't like it? Don't buy it. You needn't bother looking into any more SimCity information as they're building it from the ground up to take advantage of an internet connection.

There. I just saved a bunch of time for a lot of you. You're welcome.

Thanks! Except I think that, given that I love the old Sim City games and am arguably a small part of the reason that there is even a market for this new game, I'll choose option B, "don't buy it and talk about what a dumb **** decision this was by EA and Maxis".

But thanks for telling me how to think/act!

[Marius]

If you don't have a stable net connection, how do you manage to get onto the forums in time to complain about every old game franchise dying?

I really do get that some people may have legitimate grounds for complaint. But those with stable net who also complain really don't have much to stand on.

[caitsith01]

If you don't have a stable net connection, how do you manage to get onto the forums in time to complain about every old game franchise dying?

I really do get that some people may have legitimate grounds for complaint. But those with stable net who also complain really don't have much to stand on.

Except maybe that they don't want to be at the mercy of a games company as to whether they are allowed to pay a game they've paid for? Which has nothing to do with a stable internet connection.

Maybe EA should go free to play if they want to continue to control the use of their games after they are distributed to end users.

[TRB]

It all really doesn't matter.
The game will be cracked within a week of release and will be playable offline.

[Marius]

Except maybe that they don't want to be at the mercy of a games company as to whether they are allowed to pay a game they've paid for? Which has nothing to do with a stable internet connection.

Maybe EA should go free to play if they want to continue to control the use of their games after they are distributed to end users.

But you haven't paid for the entire game... you've paid for the client... half of what's needed to run a client-server online game.

[TRB]

Except maybe that they don't want to be at the mercy of a games company as to whether they are allowed to pay a game they've paid for? Which has nothing to do with a stable internet connection.

Maybe EA should go free to play if they want to continue to control the use of their games after they are distributed to end users.

But you haven't paid for the entire game... you've paid for the client... half of what's needed to run a client-server online game.

the problem is that so far the online part looks like it might not be anything more then a gimmicky side show that is not central to the actual gameplay.

I bet that the game plays just fine in single player and that the multiplayer part is tacked on.

[a3gis]

this argument pales in comparison to the goddamned price of the game on Origin (for Aussies) $79 GST inc. And that's a PREORDER.

**** **** strike again.

[nit3hunt3r]

It's kind of pointless arguing with these type of people. Unless you live in a regional area where the internet is flakey at best you can just assume that everybody has instant on-tap internet connection all the time. I work at a computer store where the people who come in are usually flat out getting a wireless broadband connection, and have zero access to the nice stuff like ADSL. You could argue for satellite but it's kind of flaky too.

So because Mr EA Exec and friends live in a capital city where there's no excuse for not having an internet connection it means everybody in the universe has an internet connection? Nice.

Well if you think about it the US of A probably has a better developed internet infrastructure, and their main market group would probably have reliable internetz.

Tho you're right that they shouldn't assume everyone has reliable internetz, but from their (financial) POV peeps without reliable internetz is probably almost non-existent.

[PalZer0]

Tho you're right that they shouldn't assume everyone has reliable internetz, but from their (financial) POV peeps without reliable internetz is probably almost non-existent.

This is the problem with many companies (not just EA). They only think of short term profit from a few markets instead of taking a more long term view over all markets - very often at the expense of the very same gamers who made them big in the first place.

Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201