No Single Player offline Mode then?

[Tinman]

It absolutely is a legitimate question, and someone at Frontier knows. If not Michael himself, he can certainly find out.

The servers will have a budget assigned to last them X amount of time, based on current finances and irrespective of sales figures.

I think customers have a right to know how long they'll be able to play their game for, now that Frontier have removed all backup alternatives & made us all wholly dependent on them & their flaky servers in order to play.

How is that a legitimate question?

Noone knows this...how could they?

They probably might have some projections internally, but sharing these kind of speculations would help noone.

How long will you live? Surely you should be able to answer this question.

This is a game that the devs over at FD have wanted to make for a very long time. The servers will be up for as long as it's financially possible. The game will keep on being developed and improved for as long as it is financially possible to do so.

How long that will be is entirely dependent on sales and other forms of income, just like any other game ever made. Something they can't possibly know, especially since the game haven't even been launched yet officially.

 

[troe666]

I have had no issues with FD or Elite so far and I will be able to play online virtually all of the time.

I cannot and will not defend FD over this decision.

They marketed their fundraising at a group of middle aged folk who had played FD games offline for 30 years or more . When challenged by the backers during the fundraising process about the availability of an offline version they assured them there would be one and updated their kickstarter page to confirm this.

The studio owner and developers have repeatedly referred to the offline version since that time. Discussions have taken place about it on their own forums and in interviews.

Then 1 week before gamma launch they casually toss into a newsletter the fact they are going to renege on this.

Many people do not have constant internet connections. Salesmen, oilmen, sailors, soldiers, people who live in remote areas. These people are quite rightly upset about this u-turn

I find it sad that people try and defend this behaviour. It is simply wrong and should not be stood for by anyone.

I for one will not be spending a penny more with FD, I don't buy EA games as I don't tolerate their business practices. This is of a similar level of disrespect to people who helped fund their game when they asked.

This. +1 to above. Very accurate post.

 

[Jason S]

As much as I like to know there is no logical point in asking how long they intend to keep the servers up as if it is a short time they will not tell us. And if it is a long time they may change there mind later on and how can we trust now what they say anyway.

 

[Lobstris]

I can understand people not being able to have online connection, but these speeches "how long ED will be online" are nonsense at this point. ED IS oneline game! It's sole purpose and value is extended period of being online!
Seriously.

Which part of 'solo-offline' being available for as long as the hardware/OS/emulator is compatible with the compiled code do you not get? Seriously. Anyway, bless you Pecisk, I thought you had a bit of a wobble last night, but glad to see you back on form.

 

[Kharax]

Omg come on dudes just stop those theres no offline mode whining, enough is enough.

 

[PrometheusDarko]

If it quacks like a duck and it implements single player always-online DRM like a duck...

It's completely indistinguishable from DRM from the point of view of the user, though, so why argue semantics?

Of course always online is DRM. Have these people forgotten the Simcity online desaster? They sound like the EA PR department.

Again, this is not DRM. Honestly. It's really not. My brother is already planning to use one of my character slots, and he can, because there's no DRM. I can install it on my laptop for when I travel (weird how I seem to be the only human on this thread capable of maintaining some semblance of online capabilities in this primitive, pre-wifi world). This is not DRM. This is Spar-I mean, multiplayer.

I would have believed that two months ago, but I'm one of the guys not believing in magical internal builds that will fix all the problems.

How can you polish something that doesn't exist?

Am I missing something? Did Elite fall into the cracks in the universe? Where's that damnedable blue box when you need it, eh?

 

[Jason S]

I have had no issues with FD or Elite so far and I will be able to play online virtually all of the time.

I cannot and will not defend FD over this decision.

They marketed their fundraising at a group of middle aged folk who had played FD games offline for 30 years or more . When challenged by the backers during the fundraising process about the availability of an offline version they assured them there would be one and updated their kickstarter page to confirm this.

The studio owner and developers have repeatedly referred to the offline version since that time. Discussions have taken place about it on their own forums and in interviews.

Then 1 week before gamma launch they casually toss into a newsletter the fact they are going to renege on this.

Many people do not have constant internet connections. Salesmen, oilmen, sailors, soldiers, people who live in remote areas. These people are quite rightly upset about this u-turn

I find it sad that people try and defend this behaviour. It is simply wrong and should not be stood for by anyone.

I for one will not be spending a penny more with FD, I don't buy EA games as I don't tolerate their business practices. This is of a similar level of disrespect to people who helped fund their game when they asked.

This is well said, and exactly the point. It is a moral thing as much as anything.

 

[Skeloton]

Omg come on dudes just stop those theres no offline mode whining, enough is enough.

Omg god people are upset about something im not, they must entitled whiners.

 

[MikeGreg]

Should get an internet connection installed then, either way pretending that either is impossible is not logical when one admits to spending £700 getting the PC "Elite rdy".

I do have a internet when at home
but i work away from home sometimes for several weeks
both in the uk and sweden/finland/norway/latvia...............etc
( i live south of france)
and i can tel you playing online with a dongel is expencive and/or impossible in many locations
but th_is is not the issue here
the issue is that many people me included bought into this under given impression that it could be played off line without a internet connection
last week it was also stated this way on the store
and you can go and find many places on this forum were dev/customer support told people that was the case
there are utube,s out there were DB himself said the same thing
there are people without internet( or internet that allows ) online due to signal problems and in places no signal at all
there are those that bought purly on the fact that offline would be possible

and now a few weeks from countdown are told we dont whant to do it any more
thats the rub

 

[PrometheusDarko]

This is well said, and exactly the point. It is a moral thing as much as anything.

I'm still failing to see the immorality of a simple design change, and then repeated mentions that if you aren't happy with the product, there's the door and the return policy... This isn't the bloody Holocaust, it's just 2014 gaming.

 

[Cmdr Cogg-Willoughby]

Getting lost in all the pointless arguing about benefits of offline/online and peoples' personal preferences for the game they wanted to be made, is the simple question of FD's handling of this.

Given MB's statement that they did not take this decision lightly, why were backers not given the least hint at any point that the offline mode was a potential problem, and then left to infer its omission from a newsletter? For me this is really the only issue, but it's a big one.

 

[jamotide]

Omg come on dudes just stop those theres no offline mode whining, enough is enough.

We'll stop whining as soon as the refund arrives. We'll be back though once the servers aren't profitable for FD anymore and join you when its your turn.

 

[Mengy]

This has been stated multiple times, a couple by Michael himself, as long as humanly possible. since apparently we're doing the whole bold big text thing now.

No offense Darko, but I'm not asking you, I'm looking for an answer from someone at FD. They surely have a budget planned out for a set number of years to support the game and I'd like to know what it is now that offline is not a feature, and if they have any contingency plans in case their timeframe is cut short due to poor sales or other reasons. Basically I just want to know what value I might be buying in terms of years of enjoyment, since this game is now an online only game and thus it will have a limited and set lifespan.

 

[Kayweg]

I have had no issues with FD or Elite so far and I will be able to play online virtually all of the time.

I cannot and will not defend FD over this decision.

They marketed their fundraising at a group of middle aged folk who had played FD games offline for 30 years or more . When challenged by the backers during the fundraising process about the availability of an offline version they assured them there would be one and updated their kickstarter page to confirm this.

The studio owner and developers have repeatedly referred to the offline version since that time. Discussions have taken place about it on their own forums and in interviews.

Then 1 week before gamma launch they casually toss into a newsletter the fact they are going to renege on this.

Many people do not have constant internet connections. Salesmen, oilmen, sailors, soldiers, people who live in remote areas. These people are quite rightly upset about this u-turn

I find it sad that people try and defend this behaviour. It is simply wrong and should not be stood for by anyone.

I for one will not be spending a penny more with FD, I don't buy EA games as I don't tolerate their business practices. This is of a similar level of disrespect to people who helped fund their game when they asked.

Thisone does it ! +1

 

[Steve50]

Omg come on dudes just stop those theres no offline mode whining, enough is enough.

I guess if you bought the game and had no home net or very poor home net you'd just be happy huh?
..let's wait until they cut something YOU want.

 

[Lobstris]

Getting lost in all the pointless arguing about benefits of offline/online and peoples' personal preferences for the game they wanted to be made, is the simple question of FD's handling of this.

Given MB's statement that they did not take this decision lightly, why were backers not given the least hint at any point that the offline mode was a potential problem, and then left to infer its omission from a newsletter? For me this is really the only issue, but it's a big one.

Well, there is also the issue of the meaning of the newsletter's "fewer features", but that has been masked by this excrement-adverse-low-pressure-related-weather-system.

 

[Jason S]

I am a software developer and I believe if they really wanted to they could do a single player offline version. It would take more work but a lot less than some of the expansions that they are offering.

 

[Darkmatter]

Exactly, Commander.

Let me help you get your point across:

NEWSFLASH: MULTIPLAYER GAME REQUIRES INTERNET CONNECTIVITY

World, un-shocked. Apart from Bob, on Forum A. Who is increasingly worried about government-intervention in to his purchasing habits. Bob may have been drinking at the time he made those statements.

Next tonight, however, it's Sam with the weather.

*smirks* reminds me a bit of this one. Can't please all the people all the time.

View attachment 1532

Offline being no longer a feature is unfortunate for some people, but I guess they are collateral if it means a better game for the majority of the players. Namely, the ones playing Open, Private or Solo and getting a truly dynamic universe.

 

[Kicks]

Omg come on dudes just stop those theres no offline mode whining, enough is enough.

If you read the thread, you'll find I have a very different stance to those who want an offline-only mode. There's been repping/de-repping, arguments/debate back and forth for over 100 pages.

However, you come and chime in with this... wow... give yourself a pat on the back, sir. Whilst I disagree with many in this thread, nobody has accused any other party of whining.

All both sides ask for are constructive viewpoints, whether you agree with them or not.

 

[Danelin]

This is well said, and exactly the point. It is a moral thing as much as anything.

What would be more immoral:
1 - Keep offline mode available, resulting in a major split in available resources that leads to an inferior offline product and an inferior online product, causing the entire project to fail spectacularly.

2 - Reluctantly drop the offline mode, breaking promises made to your community in order to maintain the integrity of the finished product that is accessible to the largest number of users?

I'm pretty sure 2 is going to be the answer for most thinking folks who don't have their mad on.

That being said, they certainly could have done a better job of communicating this. Starting with updates the instant it became questionable whether or not maintaining the offline mode as a goal would remain reasonable, and ending with a heartfelt direct apology rather than speaking out the side of their mouth in the newsletter.