'Constant Online' only lead to a no-win situation, both for players and businessmen

[battlemater2011]

It seems to be smart that traditional PC game require 'Constant Online', it has many kinds of excuses, such as 'For better online experience', 'Save the local space for player's hard disk', 'Polish your network wire from getting rusty' etc.
But the true reason, we all know about it.

As a programmer, I bet that 'Constant Online' is not an idea that come from an programmer's mind, and it must be from a smart MBA graduate, dress and tied, waving his laser pointer on the PPT and promote his 'Constant Online' idea, which acts like an undead mage spelling fire ball. As a business elite, 'I only care about the business, not the game.' must be his pet phrase.

For a 15 years PC game player from C&C1, I consider that the game stored in my PC is a integer property of mine, that means, after I payed and got the copy, I can install and play my game on any time any where, with or without network. I can play Redalert on fjord of Norway as I wish, though it is odd, but that made me relieved that the game I bought is really belong to me.

Let's put aside issues like network lagging, 'Constant Online' give cutomers a feeling of discomfort. Weeks ago I bought a copy of 'Total War Shogun II', I can't wait playing the game when I open the pack, it is exciting you know, but I have to wait because the game need to run on steam and it must be updated for about 3G files, and the update is compulsive and the game could not be run offline!

I am not American, so I do not know wheather internet service in American is free and without lagging, but in the world, even in Eurpe, there are many places that have bad internet lan.

Even we only talk about business, which traditional PC game get the business success from 'Constant Online'? Starcraft II need an online account to play, even using the map editor, but how about the result, the business result? How many players enjoy the 'online playing experience'? How many map creators benefit from the 'Online map publish' mechanism? In fact, it is abandoned and forgotten gradually by players, and it was also cracked even in Beta version.

In 2003, Blizzard's warcrat 3 and starcraft rules the RTS world, but today, players want a next generation RTS game, Starcraft II failed the players, and Command & Conquer General II, with its Frostbite engine, have a chance to get great success in the RTS world, both business and non-business. EA should look further, and do not strain at a gnat and swallow a camel.

[Col.Black_Jarmen]

Yess... I Support you broo.... SAY NO TO CONSTANT INTERNET REQUIREment....

I think we should make a poll of this...

[Lauren]

Personally I can't see what's wrong with constant internet connection. And I can't see where the games you listed failed.

[Klandri]

Personally I can't see what's wrong with constant internet connection.

Unstable connections, foreign download limits, and slowing it for everyone sharing the connection.

[Seraph]

I'm pretty sure the amount of data passed back and forth while playing a game does not slow down anyones connections.

[Alaskan_Viking]

Personally I can't see what's wrong with constant internet connection. And I can't see where the games you listed failed.

OK, imagine this: I go to a cabin in the woods, after a long and fun day of riding snow machines I sit down and open up my laptop to play a game I usually play online, for the sake of argument lets call it Generals 2. I cannot play multi player matches because there is NO internet, period. So I go to play the offline mode, a skirmish against the AI, or the Campaign, then I get a message telling me to check my internet connection. Now I cannot play AT ALL, not even the single player mode I would traditionally be able to play offline.

I'll give you a real world example. I gifted a friend a copy of Fallout 3 on steam. Fallout 3 is a single player only game, there is ZERO reason to require an internet connection to play. So he downloads and installs Fallout 3 on his PC using steam before he leaves to go to this internet-less cabin, and low and behold he cannot play the game, AT ALL. You see, if he wants to play without an internet connection, he needs to go to "Offline mode" this sounds great, except for the minor detail that to activate "offline mode" you need an internet connection.

If that does not sound absurd and stupid to you, then I don't know what to say to you.

The sad thing is if he would have just pirated Fallout 3 he would have been able to play offline just fine, so we were punished for following the law and supporting the game developers.

[Klandri]

I'm pretty sure the amount of data passed back and forth while playing a game does not slow down anyones connections.

You're probably right. But if you have an unstable connection disconnecting automatically from single player is a real possibility.

[stormgear]

I just wish devs would simply use it as a means to keep track of your stat, play MP/Co-op games etc. Instead of keeping the legit users 'in check' if he's pirating the game or not lol.

Even if the devs/companies affirm that the game would be pirated anyway at some point, I think its still unfair for the legit buyers end that they have to put up with the 'persistent internet connection' requirement just to run the game. (see Alaskan_Viking's example)

[Golan2781]

You see, if he wants to play without an internet connection, he needs to go to "Offline mode" this sounds great, except for the minor detail that to activate "offline mode" you need an internet connection.

If you start Steam without an internet connection, it will offer you the option to activate "Offline mode" after a few minutes/canceling the connection update. Your friend probably forgot authorizing/configuring F3, which amounts to skipping the last part of a game installation and complaining that you can't play it when you don't have the disk with you.

While I agree that constant internet requirement has its problems, DRM packages such as Steam usually prevent all critical ones - provided the developers/publishers don't try to be smart by hacking in their own always-online-DRM.

[Dukat863]

If you start Steam without an internet connection, it will offer you the option to activate "Offline mode"

Last time i tried that, it said that steam cannot connect, and close (yes, i pressed the «Play Offline» button).
When i tried it right now, it worked. But that's probably because i'm running it from Wine. Gonna check this again.

EDIT: Yeah, they fixed this.