No Single Player offline Mode then?

[CDR TSquared]

I'm so offended by the lack of an offline mode!!! They promised! AAAAHHHH (internet rage)!!

Just kidding. I don't care about offline mode and would rather have the dynamic content, no way to cheat and the realization of how good this game can be. To get that it needs to be connected (at least they aren't forcing you to PVP and you have solo mode). Either that works for you or it doesn't. I am certainly not going to lose any sleep over it and if I can't get to an internet connection sometimes I guess I will have to do something else besides play this computer game.

I might have to get a hobby that involves sunlight.

 

[Hermit]

Since you can cheat when you are offline, you cannot be allowed to go online from an offline game.

No-one's asking for that.

 

[Chichorro]

I don't often post in here but was an early KS backer and backed this partly because of the completely offline promise made during the KS.

The removal of the completely offline feature was a surprise and not a pleasant one......hope FD can re-look at this.

 

[Atinus]

Here's another post from Oct. 9, 2014, indicating they still intended to deliver offline. This was from Mike Evans in the flight model thread: https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=47988&page=10&p=853960&viewfull=1#post853960

Mike, is there any possibility we will be able to choose from different flight models in Offline-game (to satisfy somehow even that minority that will not prefer eventual outcome)?

Cheers, Kai

Nope, never, that isn't how we're making the game. Everything is going to be consistent between modes.

So, as recently as last month, Frontier was still committed to making sure everything including the flight model would be consistent between modes, including offline. That indicates they still believed that it was a feature to be delivered. Therefore, that pins the decision being made just this past month.

 

[Hermit]

But they were focused on being consistent, even with offline. I think it's this "consistency" that's the stumbling block for them. Many have already said that they don't mind a static, but different, version for offline.

 

[Tim Wheatley]

So, as recently as last month, Frontier was still committed to making sure everything including the flight model would be consistent between modes, including offline. That indicates they still believed that it was a feature to be delivered. Therefore, that pins the decision being made just this past month.

I really wish they had presented this news in a different way to how they did... Sigh.

 

[sngerous]

No-one's asking for that.

Well, one of my policies is not to intervene into concerns that don't affect me. Try your best then.

 

[mbpoblet]

There is no AAA popular game where still people complain about not being able to play offline. And people who claim it are just egoistic because they demand a SEPARATE game with separate content. Since you can cheat when you are offline, you cannot be allowed to go online from an offline game.

If you want to go online just once, you have to be online all the time because the server has to verify that no cheating takes place.

This is precisely how it was planned. Offline mode was completely separate from online mode(s) (although periodic updates had been discussed).

I'm guessing you were in your cave when the whole Xbox One fiasco took place?

SimCity was.

And Diablo III.

 

[Nomadski]

But they were focused on being consistent, even with offline. I think it's this "consistency" that's the stumbling block for them. Many have already said that they don't mind a static, but different, version for offline.

Precisely. That was exactly what I expected, it was better than having absolutely no access at all.

 

[Dave Leestir]

Deliberate and intentional server implementation

Here's another post from Oct. 9, 2014, indicating they still intended to deliver offline. This was from Mike Evans in the flight model thread: https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=47988&page=10&p=853960&viewfull=1#post853960

So, as recently as last month, Frontier was still committed to making sure everything including the flight model would be consistent between modes, including offline. That indicates they still believed that it was a feature to be delivered. Therefore, that pins the decision being made just this past month.

...and yet, what doesn't make sense is that a design / implementation decision must have been made to model the galaxy mechanics etc. server-side.
So when that happened, offline must either have been planned to be re-implemented client side, OR dropped.

Can we be told which, and when?

 

[gravityztr]

id say not to worry. it was only a fast statement in the newsletter, altho a dev member stated indeed no offline mode, i interpret this as they are probably really charged with works to do for the futures contents and things they have to do, they might not see it in the near future a schedule to work on it. but id say not to worry. things will happens , and it'll be made... but maybe later in the upcoming year

 

[Gomisan]

Can the person or people posting in thes ethreads that DO NOT have an internet connection please stand up.

Hmmm, thought so.

Seriously. I'm a KS backer and at no time did I ever get the impression that the offline mode would be one that didnt require an internet connection at all. (and yes, i get that there are other concerns, such as longevity of servers, but I'll wait and hear what Frontier have to say about that, it seems to me to be an associated, but mostly seperate issue)

 

[Atinus]

But they were focused on being consistent, even with offline. I think it's this "consistency" that's the stumbling block for them.

By Frontier's own admission. Recall from earlier in the thread:

One of the biggest changes is the importance of the the offline component to manage the galaxy and interactions. This isn't something we can translate into an offline experience as we'd effectively have to make a new game world - we couldn't share the same world and that throws out the intent for a shared universe.

Michael

 

[iFred]

Who cares. I was so looking forward to the offline mode, because I am travelling a lot and at least I would be able to test things in offline mode. But to have this cancelled 1 week prior to release theres a strong feeling of being beaten in da face. I am 100% sure this decision had to be made months ago and they just wanted to gather as many beta-players as possible before releasing this information.

I am so disappointed.

Lets see what else will be missing in the release version. If I were Frontier I would make a list now. Let the storm start now and end it before the 16th. Better then having the whole community against FD.

 

[Tim Wheatley]

Can the person or people posting in thes ethreads that DO NOT have an internet connection please stand up.

Hmmm, thought so.

Seriously. I'm a KS backer and at no time did I ever get the impression that the offline mode would be one that didnt require an internet connection at all. (and yes, i get that there are other concerns, such as longevity of servers, but I'll wait and hear what Frontier have to say about that, it seems to me to be an associated, but mostly seperate issue)

People without an internet connection can be here on their phone, some other device not capable of running ED, or have an intermittent connection unsuitable to play it online in even solo mode. Some people travel for work, either via deployment of travel like truck drivers. Additionally, the majority of those without internet who intended to download this and play solely offline, are not posting here. Imagine the amount of posts if they were!

I'm very happy that you never got the impression it was planned to have a completely offline mode, suffered in any way by now hearing that it was cancelled, or are in any way affected by being unable to play. But I do not quite understand then how your stating that has any relevance whatsoever, and can only assume you're the type who points to people in distress and informs them how you're doing fine.

 

[Atinus]

...and yet, what doesn't make sense is that a design / implementation decision must have been made to model the galaxy mechanics etc. server-side.
So when that happened, offline must either have been planned to be re-implemented client side, OR dropped.

Can we be told which, and when?

I think it makes sense what you suggest that "offline must ... have been planned to be re-implemented client side" because Frontier always intended to implement evolving galaxy mechanics on the server as early at the Kickstarter at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1461411552/elite-dangerous#project_faq_42659 :

The galaxy for Elite: Dangerous is a shared universe maintained by a central server. All of the meta data for the galaxy is shared between players. This includes the galaxy itself as well as transient information like economies. The aim here is that a player's actions will influence the development of the galaxy, without necessarily having to play multiplayer. The other important aspect for us is that we can seed the galaxy with events, often these events will be triggered by player actions. With a living breathing galaxy players can discover new and interesting things long after they have started playing... The above is the intended single player experience.​

So, by my reading, the only conceivable way to have delivered the offline galaxy would have been client-side. As for the evolving galaxy, noted above, that was always intended to be on the server, a decision made a priori to full development. As I noted earlier in the thread, the fully offline promise was an addendum to that FAQ at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1461411552/elite-dangerous#project_faq_42659 :

However it will be possible to have a single player game without connecting to the galaxy server. You won't get the features of the evolving galaxy (although we will investigate minimising those differences) and you probably won't be able to sync between server and non-server (again we'll investigate).​

So, I don't think it's accurate to suggest they would have dropped offline as a feature the moment they decided to implement the galaxy on the server, since they always were going implement the galaxy on the server.

 

[mbpoblet]

Can the person or people posting in thes ethreads that DO NOT have an internet connection please stand up.

The thread is monstrous, but if you're going to use this kind of non-arguments the least you could do is read it before making assumptions.

This people have stood up. People who, due to work or other issues, can only be online for limited periods (some of them only for a few months a year). People who have slow or unreliable connections, that can handle a forum but not an online game. People who convinced friends and family without connectivity to spend money on the game, and now will have to tell them to go through the trouble of getting a refund.

I'm a KS backer and at no time did I ever get the impression that the offline mode would be one that didnt require an internet connection at all.

Then you didn't read the FAQ. Or the forums. Or the interviews where Braben spoke about the offline mode.

Fact is people spent money on the game based on this feature, and now have a game they won't be able to play.

And they found out 30 days from release, from an ambiguous comment hidden in a newsletter, which has only been confirmed on this forum after people bothered to ask, so a lot of affected customers probably aren't even aware yet that they have wasted their money, and might not be till they actually install the game and try to play offline.

 

[Tarman]

Can the person or people posting in thes ethreads that DO NOT have an internet connection please stand up.

Hmmm, thought so.

Seriously. I'm a KS backer and at no time did I ever get the impression that the offline mode would be one that didnt require an internet connection at all. (and yes, i get that there are other concerns, such as longevity of servers, but I'll wait and hear what Frontier have to say about that, it seems to me to be an associated, but mostly seperate issue)

It's been covered in this thread probably 11 times already but apparently it's really tough to play this game over a phone-level connection, though posting to a forum seems eminently doable. Also people posting from work are probably not allowed to show up after hours with their game software unless they have really really cool/nerdy bosses.

 

[Cross]

Welp, this certainly leaves me dubious of any further purchases from Frontier.

 

[Atinus]

I am 100% sure this decision had to be made months ago and they just wanted to gather as many beta-players as possible before releasing this information.

But why were they still suggesting as recently as last month it was still an intended feature? That's irrational. And quite a conspiracy, to boot! At that point, why not keep the subterfuge going for a while longer to "gather as many beta-players as possible"? Why not wait until December?

I'm not buying they knew about this for months. And here, I'm not merely speculating. Now I'm pointing to their own words indicating they believed it was still a feature as recently as last month. I'm not prepared to call them liars, and without proof, neither should you.