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[marrec]

It's totally that and nothing to do with an attitude that says posts which demonstrated your boss lied to customers and made them part with money for a non-functional product under false pretenses are only worthy of a "yawn".

Stay classy, Maxis devs.

It would be entirely different if they were contrite and open from the beginning, but for some reason they're letting pride get in the way of any rational discussion about actual issues.

So downvotes from me as well. Start communicating better and I'll start upvoting.

 

[GSG Flash]

For me they do. I think this is where the disconnect

Spoiler

pun intended

is happening.

I will continue to support our oppressive future, I'm sorry my friends.

So what's the issue with having separate always connected(online) characters/saves/profiles and offline only characters/saves/profiles? To me the two aren't mutually exclusive, and this implementation is the best of both worlds.

Any single player game or game with a single player mode that boots you out if you disconnect is inherently broken IMO.

 

[Jac_Solar]

The possibility of communication or interaction is sometimes outweighed by the inconvenience of actually doing it. All of the benefits I'm talking about the purposely vague because we haven't seen a perfect implementation. Diablo III is as good as it gets, but that's a very specific type of game with an economy based around a huge community so I don't think it counts.

Diablo III and (as Durante mentioned) Dark Souls do provide an interesting look at what such a future holds however, and I'm excited about it. Although as was recently pointed out to me, if such a future means we don't get something like DotA ever made, then I'm back out.

Isn't DOTA online only?

 

[marrec]

Isn't DOTA online only?

Yes, but without the possibility of Mod tools it would not exist. I don't want to have to trade Mod tolls for Always Online because the creativity of the community is vastly outweighed by interaction of the community.

 

[Weltall Zero]

well I've mostly been arguing with people that can't seem to understand that this is a persistent online game/service and not a case of horribly intrusive anti-consumer DRM for no reason other than preventing piracy like Ubisoft puts out. It's not simple like flipping a switch to activate "single player offline" mode. They'd have to redesign the entire game.

Literally impossible. Cities are hosted on their servers.

Is it wrong that I get a perverse kick out of rereading these posts? At the very least it shows that my strategy of not talking about stuff I have no clue about is pretty solid in the long run.

 

[Bedlam]

Everything that users were complaining about being broken on launch day
Load/Saving, regional commerce, great works, talking with friends, leaderboards, trading (including implicit trading like commuters), regional unlocks from city halls, etc. Plus cheat detection.

As expected, it's all just basic stuff you'd expect from a MP mode. The regional simulation is definitely nothing current PCs can't handle and therefore there's still no reason for not providing an optional offline-SP mode. Except for DRM, of course.

 

[B-Dex]

So, it's all just basic stuff you'd expect from a MP mode. The regional simulation is definitely nothing current PCs can't handle and therefore there's still no reason for not providing an optional offline-SP mode. Except for DRM, of course.

70% of those features are broken or disabled right now.

 

[Jac_Solar]

Yes, but without the possibility of Mod tools it would not exist. I don't want to have to trade Mod tolls for Always Online because the creativity of the community is vastly outweighed by interaction of the community.

Oh, is modding really that big in DOTA?

And yeah, in an online future, the gaming eco-system would probably push itself into a DLC only corner with no possibility of modding. All the big publishers would certainly require it, but independent games would probably continue to offer modding capabilities.

 

[Septimius]

As expected, it's all just basic stuff you'd expect from a MP mode. The regional simulation is definitely nothing current PCs can't handle and therefore there's still no reason for not providing an optional offline-SP mode. Except for DRM, of course.

Region interconnectivity is merely things like "how many of this is available, and has anyone claimed part of it?" - I don't really see any mind-blowing features there.

 

[jim-jam bongs]

Dota is a mod, I think that was what he was saying

 

[marrec]

Dota is a mod, I think that was what he was saying

Yes exactly. I don't actually do any modding, but I benefit directly and immensely from the modding community.

 

[sophora]

Oh, is modding really that big in DOTA? .

If I remember right, DoTA was a mod in the beginning but that's just off the top of my head at the moment.

 

[inky]

This thread has been a very good read, but basically this:

Hahaha.

 

[Bedlam]

Region interconnectivity is merely things like "how many of this is available, and has anyone claimed part of it?" - I don't really see any mind-blowing features there.

Yep. That's what I've been saying for a while as well.

 

[LAUGHTREY]

Oh, is modding really that big in DOTA?

And yeah, in an online future, the gaming eco-system would probably push itself into a DLC only corner with no possibility of modding. All the big publishers would certainly require it, but independent games would probably continue to offer modding capabilities.

Original Defense of the Ancients was a mod for Warcraft 3, that got crazy and was probably responsible for a large chunk of Warcraft 3 sales, and by extension a lot of people probably picked up WoW because of it.

Imagine what would be if Blizzard didn't allow modding in WC3. LoL wouldn't exist.

 

[marrec]

Original Defense of the Ancients was a mod for Warcraft 3, that got crazy and was probably responsible for a large chunk of Warcraft 3 sales, and by extension a lot of people probably picked up WoW because of it.

Imagine what would be if Blizzard didn't allow modding in WC3. LoL wouldn't exist.

It's possible to imagine an alternate history in which Modding wasn't allowed and Valve doesn't exist because of it.

O.O (Or at the very least Steam doesn't exist)

 

[FieryBalrog]

Original Defense of the Ancients was a mod for Warcraft 3, that got crazy and was probably responsible for a large chunk of Warcraft 3 sales, and by extension a lot of people probably picked up WoW because of it.

Imagine what would be if Blizzard didn't allow modding in WC3. LoL wouldn't exist.

Or if they hadn't allowed UI modding in WoW.

Diablo 3 should have had mod tools like Starcraft/Warcraft always did since Warcraft 2. It would have been a much, much better game thanks to the community fixing issues.

 

[ruttyboy]

The possibility of communication or interaction is sometimes outweighed by the inconvenience of actually doing it. All of the benefits I'm talking about the purposely vague because we haven't seen a perfect implementation. Diablo III is as good as it gets, but that's a very specific type of game with an economy based around a huge community so I don't think it counts.

Diablo III and (as Durante mentioned) Dark Souls do provide an interesting look at what such a future holds however, and I'm excited about it. Although as was recently pointed out to me, if such a future means we don't get something like DotA ever made, then I'm back out.

Again though, nothing in D3 or DS requires always online. I don't think anyone has a problem with 'online' features, it's when you put the 'always' infront it gets unnecessary and detrimental.

 

[Jake Tower]

well I've mostly been arguing with people that can't seem to understand that this is a persistent online game/service and not a case of horribly intrusive anti-consumer DRM for no reason other than preventing piracy like Ubisoft puts out. It's not simple like flipping a switch to activate "single player offline" mode. They'd have to redesign the entire game.

Literally impossible. Cities are hosted on their servers.

Chow down!

 

[CrocMother]

Save us Valve!

 

[Zombie James]

I can't wait for EA's response to "significant calculations" on the server side.

 

[TheLegendOfMart]

lolygon, keep digging moron.

 

[marrec]

Again though, nothing in D3 or DS requires always online. I don't think anyone has a problem with 'online' features, it's when you put the 'always' infront it gets unnecessary and detrimental.

Well my argument specifically with D3 is that the always online requirement increases the ability of Blizzard to nurture and maintain the economy which is an extremely important part of the game and leads directly to consumer benefits.

 

[Oppo]

jesus, way to augur in there Gies.

(doesn't he realize that if he doesn't mea culpa now, they will never let him live this down?)

This whole situation is really incredible. I think the mod community is essentially going to take SimCity now. For their own. And they will fix it and mod it, and they will (rightly or wrongly) feel justified in doing so, because of the events of the last 9 days.

just... really amazing. I now don't feel so bad for buying the game because at least I had front row seats for this fucking circus.

 

[Divvy]

lolygon, keep digging moron.

Nice, doubling down.

 

[Broder Salsa]

lolygon, keep digging moron.

His whole argument to begin with was that it couldn't be updated to work... Now Gies, what is standing in the way of Maxis letting us save locally and trade locally now? Yeah nothing, could be updated.

 

[Air Zombie Meat]

That was predictable. Stretching the definition of big pieces there.

 

[Septimius]

lolygon, keep digging moron.

Oh, for fuck's sake. Now he's arguing that the few things that are online are hard to copy?

 

[Xater]

His whole argument to begin with was that it couldn't be updated to work... Now Gies, what is standing in the way of Maxis letting us save locally and trade locally now? Yeah nothing, could be updated.

Exactly. That should not be that hard for Maxis. But you know why it is impossible? EA's business model.

 

[Mengy]

lolygon, keep digging moron.

Is he really comparing the online content of Simcity to a game like Diablo III or an MMO? Seriously?

Does this guy know anything technical about the games he reviews? Is he on EA's payroll maybe?

 

[marrec]

Thanks Gies, if it wasn't for your increasingly myopic defense of ridiculous past statements, I'd be the only heel in this thread.

 

[DragonSworne]

I can proudly say I have never visited polygon's website in my life.

What a joke

 

[enzo_gt]

lolygon, keep digging moron.

Pirating WoW is a massive undertaking? Aren't there literally thousands of cracked servers?

 

[Jomjom]

lolygon, keep digging moron.

The only thing worse about how clueless this guy is is his always dismissive tone and his know it all attitude.

 

[Broder Salsa]

Pirating WoW is a massive undertaking? Aren't there literally thousands of cracked servers?

There certainly used to be.

 

[lethial]

I can proudly say I have never visited polygon's website in my life.

What a joke

I've never even heard of them until this SimCity shit.

 

[Philia]

I suggest ignoring him and moving on, he's only a personality with an ego.

I've never even heard of them until this SimCity shit.

And this for me too.

 

[LuchaShaq]

Well my argument specifically with D3 is that the always online requirement increases the ability of Blizzard to nurture and maintain the economy which is an extremely important part of the game and leads directly to consumer benefits.

No it led to a broken boring loot system all in service to driving players to the RMAH so Blizzard could make even more cash off of them.

It's telling that Diablo 3 has less interesting loot from start to finish than crappy gameloft dungeon crawlers.

 

[Broder Salsa]

I've never even heard of them until this SimCity shit.

Please watch this amazing piece from them on how to be as pretentious as possible http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMQKXVBU8F0

 

[DaBuddaDa]

I bet it hurts him more to say the words "I was wrong" than it does to get a tat.

 

[DragonSworne]

No it led to a broken boring loot system all in service to driving players to the RMAH so Blizzard could make even more cash off of them.

It's telling that Diablo 3 has less interesting loot from start to finish than crappy gameloft dungeon crawlers.

RMAH didn't cause that, a crappy lead developer caused that. Guess what? Blizzard got rid of Jay Wilson and the game is a million times better now.

 

[marrec]

No it led to a broken boring loot system all in service to driving players to the RMAH so Blizzard could make even more cash off of them.

It's telling that Diablo 3 has less interesting loot from start to finish than crappy gameloft dungeon crawlers.

Neither one of your statements are backed up by any factual information.

 

[A Twisty Fluken]

That about does it for Gies.

 

[lethial]

Please watch this amazing piece from them on how to be as pretentious as possible http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMQKXVBU8F0

Sweet merciful crap. If I face palm any harder I'll end up caving my face in.

 

[milsorgen]

Incredible development of things, seriously

I thought Diablo 3 couldn't be topped - but this is some next-level stuff that people will talk about years to come

All those commentators I saw defending aspects of this game (particularly always online) on Polygon just a few days ago just keep funnier and funnier. It's fine to be wrong, but when you are just days later proven to be dramatically wrong... well, it's a beautiful thing.

 

[mclem]

Pirating WoW is a massive undertaking? Aren't there literally thousands of cracked servers?

I believe that none of them are running on the *exact* algorithms and systems Blizzard have. Now, there's an argument to be said that what they have is good enough, and that's just the sort of loophole I could see aegies working on.

 

[LuchaShaq]

Neither one of your statements are backed up by any factual information.

All it takes is a smidgen of common sense and to play the game during the launch month to see it clearly.

 

[milsorgen]

Time to lower the score again.

Also this quote from Lucy Bradshaw is amazing.

Define "significant". ; )

 

[enzo_gt]

I believe that none of them are running on the *exact* algorithms and systems Blizzard have. Now, there's an argument to be said that what they have is good enough, and that's just the sort of loophole I could see aegies working on.

I always thought the real issue was that they just weren't as populated as actual servers. But that's an issue that's besides just the ability to pirate it and what aegies claimed.

 

[marrec]

All it takes is a smidgen of common sense and to play the game during the launch month to see it clearly.

I played the game quite a bit during launch month and have at least a smidgen of common sense and did not come to your conclusions.