No Single Player offline Mode then?

[norty303]

Are people simply misunderstanding what 'physical DRM free' means?

When i buy a game on disk with 'physical DRM', that suggests that I need the disk in the drive in order to prove I own the game and have purchased it (and with varying types of ineffective copy prevention systems on the media)

All I read from the quoted bit in one of the posts above, is that I can install the game client on my machine, but not require the disk in the drive when I do play the game.

How that has ended up being linked to offline play, or indeed any requirement to log in, so the game knows who i am, is utterly beyond me.

P.S. I'll hold my hands up and say i skipped about 500 or so pages in the middle bit, but its the start and end in these things that are important, right?

 

[Pennyblack]

I don't condone what I'm about to post.

There are some way clever people out there in this World, if FD don't make the game offline, what's the betting that some wizkid susses it out and does it for them?

Stranger things have happened.

Download link please...

No, just kidding guy's

 

[gazmoid]

Exactly !!!
G.

That is just the thing why people want offline solo mode. Anyone who ever played EVE online knows how only few morons can ruin you the game forever. Yes, that are also the wonders of MMO. And some of us do not find that "exciting". And no bounties, police, bans or insurances will stop morons from ruining the game for casual players. By casual I mean players who can not afford to play the game for hours every day.

And so, after carefully and painfully geting the Cobra at last, some moron blows you off the sky for fun and cause it has a big ship. Some of us just do not wwant these experiences. We want offline mode!

 

[littleminxundr]

I dont, I was asking. If you have not been active online in the game then I think you should get something back, but if you have participated online then no.

Close, but no cigar. When you bought in to the beta, you got what you bought. The beta and all stages of the beta-program. If you not participated at all, Frontier isn't go to look at your hours played, and still hands over the entire goodiebag. So tell me, why should someone who has not participated in the beta have the right to anything?

Weren't we talking about moral responsibility? Do you think that the person who didn't participate was going to tell Frontier, "You know what, keep the goodiebag as I never participated to begin with?"

 

[Driconis]

So, "btw we are planning to release an offline version too" in the planning stages of the game and changing the plans to get the overall project succeed equals questionable business practices?

As for the refunds etc, the terms for digital products in UK seemed pretty clear, if you download and play it, you're not getting a refund.

When numerous statements are made positively affirming the inclusion of an offline mode in the planning stages, presumably as an inducement to boost pledges? Yes I find that quite dubious. When a beta is offered for sale to the public and an eventual offline mode is clearly stated in print to be part of that package, I find that questionable as well. You are entitled to your opinion, however.

 

[-c-s-]

The joy of Kickstarter.. Maybe it's better when game studios depend on their publisher after all, hmm..?

/trolling mode off

On a serious note, i am more concerned with the overall shallowness of the game ATM than with obligation for a good internet line on player's side. I played for one week after PBeta 1 arrived and the game is shelved since then, up until military career/planetary landings DLC i suspect. I can concentrate and find a place to plug my computer into internet, but i can't make this game engaging no matter how hard i concentrate..

Let me point out the writing on the wall that it sounds like you have missed.

David Braben has now gone on record flippantly discarding the core feature that allowed him to create Elite : Dangerous in the first place.

And you think your pet feature/DLC has any future?

For almost 2 years, that core feature has been discussed and referenced everywhere. To add insult to injury, refunds aren't being granted to those that request them. Wake up, man!

 

[mnemon]

That is just the thing why people want offline solo mode. Anyone who ever played EVE online knows how only few morons can ruin you the game forever. Yes, that are also the wonders of MMO. And some of us do not find that "exciting". And no bounties, police, bans or insurances will stop morons from ruining the game for casual players. By casual I mean players who can not afford to play the game for hours every day.

And so, after carefully and painfully geting the Cobra at last, some moron blows you off the sky for fun and cause it has a big ship. Some of us just do not wwant these experiences. We want offline mode!

Solo?

I know it doesn't really satisfy all the "get off my sandbox you kids!" folk but it will definitely prevent griefing by players

 

[Papa Smurf]

That exists even without kickstarter, have you ever run a business before? A business contains risks assessments.

Using typical excuses like above, means that you rather have the problem ignored, rather than solved.

And does not work well with people like myself who see through this political nonsensical jargon.

Frontier changed policy, deal with that fact, and snuck it in a newsletter.

+1 - I am still badazeled that they actually tried to sneak something like this in... are you kidding me? Do you think we are that stupid? It is insulting.

 

[cutthr0at]

[video=youtube;z6SlCQgX3Ts]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6SlCQgX3Ts[/video]

Anybody ever tried to get a refund from steam, origin, humblebundle etc., because didn't liked the game or something wasn't as described, missing feature,broken promise or whatever?
As far as i remember offline mode wasn't promised feature but something extra.

 

[joejett]

So I was talking to my buddy about all this and, I suppose in my naïveté, I asked him if he believed the backlash about all this would prompt FD to reinstate offline single player at some point. He didn't seem optimistic about that. However, he did mention this forum and this thread in particular and characterized it in a lovely way that I'd like to share:

As you know I’m not nearly as upset over dropping the offline mode since I don’t mind playing online single player. But what really burns me is the vicious hateful apologists who personally attack anyone who voices a criticism of FD or the game no matter how small. And FD allows it to continue hoping that these trolls will silence any opposition to FD decisions. So they keep smiling and presenting their positive happy optimistic spin praising backers for their fantastic support while ignoring the elephant in the room.

 

[iFred]

Hey I´m tired. Please close this shoot.

 

[Mecha]

That is just the thing why people want offline solo mode. Anyone who ever played EVE online knows how only few morons can ruin you the game forever. Yes, that are also the wonders of MMO. And some of us do not find that "exciting". And no bounties, police, bans or insurances will stop morons from ruining the game for casual players. By casual I mean players who can not afford to play the game for hours every day.

And so, after carefully and painfully geting the Cobra at last, some moron blows you off the sky for fun and cause it has a big ship. Some of us just do not wwant these experiences. We want offline mode!

Christ on a bike!

I hope you pre-ordered, rather than got beta and know so little about the game.

What you are asking for you will get from Solo mode. No ganking, no sign of another player.

And I'm out of here, I came to this thread not caring either way about offline, hoping to see what the issue is, and in 5+ hours all I've seen is the same old incorrect information repeated over and over.

It's sad you guys haven't found what you are looking for in ED, but good luck and best wishes for the future.

 

[ShottyMonsta]

Lol here is my reply from FD for refund request:

"
Support Team
Wed 19th Nov 2014 17:46
Dear Thomas,

Thank you for getting in touch with us requesting a refund due to our announcement that we were not able to include an offline mode in Elite: Dangerous. We are sorry you have chosen to do this but understand the disappointment it has caused some people.

We have started responding to requests where there is a clear outcome:
Those who have pre-ordered a Elite: Dangerous release version from our online store and have therefore not yet played the game are eligible for a refund.
Those who have already been playing the game online in the Alpha and/or Beta phases, regardless of whether they backed the project via Kickstarter or purchased access to Alpha and/or Beta through our online store, are not eligible for a refund.

We haven't yet responded to your request as each one takes us some time to investigate. We want to make sure we treat each person's situation with the thoroughness it deserves, and therefore ask that you bear with us over the next few working days as we look into your request.

Thanks in advance for your patience.

Support"

 

[-c-s-]

Human nature. People will abuse it more if theres zero protection. Of course it will be cracked but at least DRM keeps some of us honest if nothing more than its a bit extra hassle to get the cracked version, the virtual drive mounter ect.

Right....go checkout GOG.com and see for yourself how things have changed. They are doing quite well without DRM.

 

[mbpoblet]

Human nature. People will abuse it more if theres zero protection. Of course it will be cracked but at least DRM keeps some of us honest if nothing more than its a bit extra hassle to get the cracked version, the virtual drive mounter ect.

Doesn't really work that way.

Look at GOG.com, for instance. No DRM, no hassles.

Instead you buy a game with DRM, and can't play it because the DRM won't let you. Customer service treats you like a pirate. You manage to find a crack, and finally play the game. Next time you probably won't bother buying it first, at least from the same publisher.

DRM doesn't stop piracy, it incentivizes it (the software kind, I mean, not the sea kind).

And then there's the false notion that each pirated copy is a lost sale.

False.

Pirated copies fall into four categories:

• Copies that wouldn't have been bought anyway.
• Copies that have been bought, but can't be played properly or at all due to DRM.
• Try-before-you-buy copies. If the pirated content is good enough, the "pirate" might end up buying the original, or other products by the same creator.
• Actual lost sales. (However, this is largely a matter of how expensive and easy to find is the content; Steam and Netflix, for instance, are much better deterrents to piracy than DRM; they're cheap enough... and easier; in fact, particularly in Steam's case, a lot of us end up purchasing games we won't have time to play; seriously, take a look at your Steam library).

And, of course, piracy means exposure. Word of mouth. Free publicity.

You go to a mate's house, see them playing a game, like it, ask what it is... and then go and buy it. Turns out your mate was playing a pirated copy, and if they hadn't, the game would have sold at least one less copy (or more, since you'll later talk about the game with your colleagues, who'll then buy other copies, and so on.

But you don't have to take my word for it:

“Piracy, while frustrating, can contribute to game evangelism,” he said. “It can also help you reach new territories. For example, we are huge in China now. In the old days of silver discs, it would have been impossible to break the whole country. We would have needed an office in every province but through piracy, our games are circulating and fans are now seeking us out.

“Piracy goes hand in hand with sales,” he continued. “If a game is pirated a lot it will be bought a lot. People want a connected experience, so with pirated games we still have a route in to get them to upgrade to real version. And even if someone’s version is pirated, they might evangelise and their mates will buy the real thing.”

Edit: Also, pretty good comment on the "piracy" issue by Neil Gaiman:
[video=youtube;0Qkyt1wXNlI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Qkyt1wXNlI[/video]

 

[Papa Smurf]

So you haven't been playing the game all this time?

Correct! I haven't played it and have supported it on Kickstarter.

Also if you really want to get into specifics... no one was playing a game.

Beta Testing;

A test for a computer product prior to commercial release. Beta testing is the last stage of testing, and normally can involve sending the product to beta test sites outside the company for real-world exposure or offering the product for a free trial download over the Internet. Beta testing is often preceded by a round of testing called alpha testing.

I honestly can't believe they actually charged people to BUG TEST their software. You know people get paid to do this?!?!

 

[mnemon]

Right....go checkout GOG.com and see for yourself how things have changed. They are doing quite well without DRM.

They're not selling that many modern games, most of the old ones were practically abandonware before gog opened.

That said I do agree that DRM is pretty useless and mostly harms the legit users, just don't think that gog.com is a very good example either way.

 

[Zuikaku]

Acusing backers who want offline (and who have paid the game in advance, some in early KS campaign) mode for piracy is laughable escalation of stupidity some FD apologetes are trying to use due to lack of better arguments. Yes, I'm being rude now, but groundlessly accusing someone for software piracy is also rude.

 

[WeirdWizard]

Lol here is my reply from FD for refund request:

"
Support Team
Wed 19th Nov 2014 17:46
Dear Thomas,

Thank you for getting in touch with us requesting a refund due to our announcement that we were not able to include an offline mode in Elite: Dangerous. We are sorry you have chosen to do this but understand the disappointment it has caused some people.

We have started responding to requests where there is a clear outcome:
Those who have pre-ordered a Elite: Dangerous release version from our online store and have therefore not yet played the game are eligible for a refund.
Those who have already been playing the game online in the Alpha and/or Beta phases, regardless of whether they backed the project via Kickstarter or purchased access to Alpha and/or Beta through our online store, are not eligible for a refund.

We haven't yet responded to your request as each one takes us some time to investigate. We want to make sure we treat each person's situation with the thoroughness it deserves, and therefore ask that you bear with us over the next few working days as we look into your request.

Thanks in advance for your patience.

Support"

Which translates to by law we have to refund a preorder that has not yet been downloaded regardless of the reason but we cleverly packaged alpha and beta access in such a way as to circumvent those laws and don't give a monkeys what your reasons you're not getting a penny back.

 

[pogobone]

Wow. I sure won't be buying this game then. Games for windows live, sim city, WAR and numerous others are why any sort of online requirement (be it always on or merely for 5 seconds) is a bad thing for consumers. Don't get me wrong, online games can be great... until they get turned off. I have more days than i care to admit invested in both X3TC and LOTRO. One day, LOTRO will be turned off and I will lose all of that time investment overnight. X3TC on the other hand.... nobody can take that time investment away.

On another note, one only needs to look at Egosoft for an example of what happens when a developer ignores its customer base (ReBleeeeeerth).