What would you like FD to do regarding offline mode?

[kmw]

I voted for FD to start work on offline mode but I will play online. I am genuinely disappointed as I believed I would have the choice to play offline when my connection is sometimes unpredictable/inconsistent, or maybe I cannot always afford to keep my internet connection in the future. I know others who have bought in, one of them feels the same as me.
.
I am still impressed with this game, but I really hope FD reconsider options and find another way on this issue.

 

[foxpur]

My apologies Zephyriel, it wasn't aimed directly at you. Mainly aimed at all those that are decrying that this step has been the ultimate betrayal of trust and how it must have been planned from the very start.(

Down Fenris, leave the Zephyriel alone, Zephyriel is nice people...

 

[eeps]

you forgot one poll option ..

[] Man up and address the decision directly and in detail, apologise to those consumers who feel like they have been misled or lied to, offer immediate unreserved refund, come clean about any other unfulfilled claims.

 

[Hermit]

As I've said before, I've no problem with the online game. It just they need to rethink their decision on the offline part. Or, as Jim Bowen would say:
"The online part's safe, that's fine, you're taking that with you, but look at what you would've won."

 

[xxThe_Dice_manxx]

you forgot one poll option ..

[] Man up and address the decision directly and in detail, apologise to those consumers who feel like they have been misled or lied to, offer immediate unreserved refund, come clean about any other unfulfilled claims.

The only promise was a game and they delivered in spades.

 

[Fenris Wolf]

Down Fenris, leave the Zephyriel alone, Zephyriel is nice people...

I know Fox

That's why I wanted to apologise

 

[Zephyriel]

I think this poll would've been better with a simple yes/no option. Sort of:
-
YES = I feel that Frontier should work on the offline game for those that backed the game because it is an important feature of it.
NO = It's not that important and Frontier should focus all resources on the online game.

Well you can consider option 1 to be your No, and add the results of options 2, 3, 4 to get your Yes. More information is always better in my book.


Fenris > No hard feelings

 

[Globusdiablo]

Good poll. Thank you.

 

[eeps]

The only promise was a game and they delivered in spades.

So the multiplayer/group thing was 'delivered in spades' ?

Wow you must be easy to impress.

 

[xxThe_Dice_manxx]

So the multiplayer/group thing was 'delivered in spades' ?

Wow you must be easy to impress.

Have we got the full release yet?

 

[eeps]

Agreed, no, but its less than a week before gamma (or whatever its called) and there is a fundamental flaw in the machinery ..

-) you connect to a Server first (jsut after log in)
-) you then connect to your player group second (via main menu)

so you actually need to be on Teamspeak or Vent or the like, to ensure you and your friend actually connected to the same server, because if you didnt then flying next to your mates wont be possible.

you also have no choice on which server you connect to, only a random IP appears without choice , so you need to read your IP out loud to your friend via a 3rd party comms program to ensure you hit the same IP.

If youre suggesting this will be fixed by final release, I accept your assertion, but imo its highly unlikely this mechanic will change.

With most MP games, you expect to find your friends in-the-game .. not have to stuff about beforehand so much. players often have to log/relog multiple times before arriving on the same server (randomly)

'in spades' you say ..

EDIT : This is off-topic, my apologies for hijack

 

[Eswaddica]

I cant see the point in an off line mode. It for me is and online game and should always be that.

As stated before the offline mode allows for grinding and exploring without the dangers, and the collection of information that will give an unfair advantage to those who use the offline mode for this.

I can see that some are concerned about their connection (not being able to afford a fast connection or being in a remote area) but that is the same with everything, if someone cant afford to update their computer to meet the specks should a software developer down grade their product to meet that need or should that go for the best experience for the uses. For those in poor connection areas its a matter of contacting the ISP to get the connection improved, that is like blaming your phone manufacturer because you cant get a connection at the north pole when that t the fault of your provider.

I played elite on the spectrum and have had every incarnation since then and as online games became more available I dreamed of an elite type game online. Eve nearly did it but I hated the star-gates. Now I don't bother playing a game unless it has an online component where I can solo/coop/pvp. its not me against the computer anymore its me against other people. Ever tried playing snakes and ladders or tic-tac-toe on your own, quite boring.

Anyway, I am glad that Frontier have decided to drop offline gameplay and don't think they should even consider it in the future, they should spend that time and money developing the online features.

 

[xxThe_Dice_manxx]

I cant see the point in an off line mode. It for me is and online game and should always be that.

As stated before the offline mode allows for grinding and exploring without the dangers, and the collection of information that will give an unfair advantage to those who use the offline mode for this.

I can see that some are concerned about their connection (not being able to afford a fast connection or being in a remote area) but that is the same with everything, if someone cant afford to update their computer to meet the specks should a software developer down grade their product to meet that need or should that go for the best experience for the uses. For those in poor connection areas its a matter of contacting the ISP to get the connection improved, that is like blaming your phone manufacturer because you cant get a connection at the north pole when that t the fault of your provider.

I played elite on the spectrum and have had every incarnation since then and as online games became more available I dreamed of an elite type game online. Eve nearly did it but I hated the star-gates. Now I don't bother playing a game unless it has an online component where I can solo/coop/pvp. its not me against the computer anymore its me against other people. Ever tried playing snakes and ladders or tic-tac-toe on your own, quite boring.

Anyway, I am glad that Frontier have decided to drop offline gameplay and don't think they should even consider it in the future, they should spend that time and money developing the online features.

I concur.

 

[OuterSpaceApe]

They way I see it we all just went from owning a game to renting a game for an undetermined amount of time. Are they offering refunds on this????

 

[Zephyriel]

OuterspaceApe > Sadly that's also how I see it. If you've preordered the final game but not played the beta, I think you can ask for a refund. If you have a good enough connection for solo offline I'd recommed playing the game though. It may be a "rent" as you put it, but there's no subsciption and for the money it's still well worth it for a few years!

Eswaddica > It's good for you that online fits your tastes, but please understand that not everyone sees video games as a competition that is only interesting when played with other people. While ED has been one of my best multiplayer experiences, generally speaking I only enjoy solo games where I can immerse myself in the fictional world. Real people usually just break my immersion and my enjoyment with their behavior, their screen name, their comments...
And anyway the argument is not about solo/multiplayer, since FD has already taken position on that a long time ago by providing a solo online mode. The argument is about wether an offline mode should be made so that people with no internet connection can play, and so that the game can continue to exist once the servers are no longer up.

 

[Zephyriel]

Jontycampbell > I sometimes read this argument that the galaxy would be too huge to fit in your hard drive. Well, actually it does fit right now. Do you think you download new planets and stations from the servers every time you jump ? That's not how the game works. Everything fits on your computer because it's procedurally generated, meaning that the whole galaxy takes little more storage space than its individual building blocks (planet textures, station parts...) do.

What the server does is generate mission lists, trading prices, available equipment on the stations, NPCs. This is because those things are influenced by player actions. The challenge for FD for an offline mode would be to make your own machine create the prices and missions for you, without consulting a server. And surely this would be possible with some work, and wouldn't require a significant amount of storage space.

 

[NormireX]

I'm still too much of a noob here to vote on the poll, but if I could I would choose Option 2. I would like them to throw in an offline mode at some point. Really hate all these online only games that just die and I can't go back and play them. EX: Auto Assault I miss you......

 

[Sandmann]

It's funny... When the topics of auto-route finding or trade calculators come up everyone cries "it's 2014 not 1984". Well, welcome to the 21st century where installation dvd's have been replaced with servers and where the bulk of data is kept "in the cloud".

If they decide one day to stop further development and close the servers then there's a moral obligation to make it's current state downloadable and playable offline or maybe on a LAN for those with several terabytes of storage and download... but remember at that stage it'll likely be so old that it'll only be a few hard core addicts left playing it anyway and people will have moved on to the next big thing.

Otherwise, the internet is only going to get more ubiquitous, not less. Those that only want a solo mode can play it solo online, but anyone who wants to play it truly offline is going to need a huge internet connection to download it in the first place which would make the need for an offline mode fairly redundant. I'm currently in the Philippines and even here with a third world internet connection it would still be playable, so unless you want to play it in an igloo or the middle of a south american rain forest an offline mode would be a very low priority.

 

[Goose4291]

I cant see the point in an off line mode. It for me is and online game and should always be that.

You might see the point if you worked in a environment where you traveled a lot and/or it took you to places where there was no internet connection.

I had this issue with always online when I was tried to take my copy of one of the Assassin's Creed to sea with me. Wasn't able to play at all because I didn't have an internet connection.

 

[Zephyriel]

Indeed, though that's not what I'm driving at, every new major area of the milky way procedurally generated, its planets, stations etc will have to be 'on the same (cartographic) page' for all pilots who on every computer visits that area, after the first initial visit has generated it, right?

Once again sorry but that's not how procedural generation works. The galaxy is already there and the same for every player, simply waiting to be discovered, it's not created as we explore it. Basically it's generated from a mathematic formula. The same calculation will always get the exact same result. In game terms, PG means the same planet will be there for everyone even if their computers don't communicate.

If you're interested there are making of videos about the game No Man's Sky that explain how procedural generation works, the principles also apply to ED.