Offline Mode poll

[psuamier]

First: I know no technical details about the game (not really interested, except I'd started working with Frontier). But I have > 10 years SE expierence.

Some further points in this sad turn of events, I still have questions.
If I want to upgrade the Missions in 6 months I could go to my friend’s computer a lot of miles away and download it there. (I mention this example because someone in Alpha had this problem)

I see no basic problem, probably download the Launcher first, then do your update

Or is this to do with your actions in a mission producing several outcomes which have to be catered for and changes made accordingly, but again what can One Pilot do to influence the games structure.

While it is possible to make applications that modify itself, this technique is today not really used any more (similar to procedural techniques that change the game itself when being run at the first time). Game Data itself can be completely transfered to your PC. I see no technical reason why it would not work.
But I would not expect that for "Offline" the changes that happened due to "Online" gameplay are even transferred to your PC.
Also I would not expect the Game Data to have a huge size due to the procedural techniques used in this game.

The System information is already decided, I believe, when the current Galaxy is initialised otherwise we would all find different things in the same system. So that would not be a big thing to sort out.
So what is the difference between Solo and Offline except the physical connection?
What makes it impossible to have a separate offline mode?

I think you could install a server on your PC and use it as Offline-Database. As you are only one single person playing the database should not take that much additional processing power. Most power is required for the client. Even having a large database you only access a very small portion of it while playing, so the most parts of it will be only on your "disc" (SSD/HDD).

[Logain]

I think, that the best solution to offline mode is a system where all market / mission / bounty information are pulled from online servers as they are requested AND if the servers cannot be reached (due to lack of internet) are generated randomly / within the borders of algorithms.

[RaymontP]

The only thing I m looking to is a Solo mode that is completely separated from online mod.

[psuamier]

The only thing I m looking to is a Solo mode that is completely separated from online mod.

Exactly. Especially in the situation we are right now it's the only thing that make sense. You actually have two connections, one local and one network. And these are two different servers. This means nothing of your Offline play can be transferred to Online. The other way it would be possible if the whole game data - without PC data of course - is downloaded (it could be too large though, but I'm very unsure about this aspect).

[FredTA]

This is an absolute BUMMER! I live in a boarding house and the proxy we all use blocks internet games for bandwidth reasons, so that means I can only play Elite when I'm at home? Sucks!

[psuamier]

As I said it's not simply the data although that is certainly an issue. Remember you don't just have the start point of the galaxy, you have any changes that are applied to it. The decision making processes for gameplay within the galaxy are also cloud based and it's not a simple job to transfer these over. The vision for how the game works has necessitated a much more encompassing online structure than we'd initially thought. We've not just said - let's not do offline. We've investigated the different ways we can do it and the simple answer is that we can't - not without compromising the game we're trying to make.

Michael

I have to point out to this argument by Michael. The "Cloud" is - simply put - a multi-server landscape.
To be able to play actually offline this whole landscape has to be either installed at your PC (as said I don't know details) or to be simplified so you only have one or a few of those servers. In this regard development effort would be required but without knowledge of technical details on this I cannot estimate it.

Well I certainly won't give up hope for Offline Mode (even if right now not critical for me), but rather want to go down to the basic facts about costs and effort to make this.




Also: Right now the poll says that 50% don't care or need Offline when the servers are switched off (I have voted otherwise).

[TheNameIsJambo]

Also: Right now the poll says that 50% don't care or need Offline when the servers are switched off (I have voted otherwise).

It's actually 82% of the entire (A) poll who have said, "Meh" to offline mode. The majority actually saying, "I don't care".

Of the 18% whom have an 'unreliable' Internet connection, 4% of that number said they need offline mode.. Although it's a wonder how they even voted at all if they don't have the Internet. Therefore, referencing my previous post - 5% (maybe even 10% who want to pull a fast one) will probably demand a refund. The monetary losses to the actual company will probably be less than someone's salary. Not to mention that Kickstarter investments are non-refundable. FD is/are saying that refunds are being done on a case-by-case basis, therefore, some KS backers may see their money returned in exceptional circumstances. Although, the Alpha backers, etc (£200). Might be told, "No. You funded the game, you took the risks. That's the deal."

So, in that case. They'd get £200 refunded and then re-buy the game at £40 (pulling a fast one). If it were up to me, I'd refund £0 of the Kickstarter pot, since these people took the risks. They understood the risks (supposedly). It's not unfair, it's the same as investing money in the stock market then making losses and complaining that their share price went down and you've lost out.

Of course, you need to keep investors happy. Buy when it's a minority <10%, why bother? You still have 90% of firm support.

FD are a business, not a charity.

[Slugsie]

I don't care about off-line mode right now. Not in the slightest - and before ED I was a gamer who *never* played online games.

However, I really hope that when FD end of lifes ED they either (or both) release a version of the client that can run standalone, or make a version of the server available so someone else can setup their own servers for people to play on.

[Rainchild]

This smells like Sim City and Diablo 3 "Always ON DRM" again.

I don't trust the cloud - it loses my saves, it goes offline at inconvenient times... one of the biggest killers for EVE for me was it always went offline in the middle of my play session for a nightly reboot. I'm not saying ED will be doing reboots, in fact it's been pretty stable in solo mode on the beta, but really it seems to me that the only thing you really need the online connection for is to load missions on the bulletin board and prices from the market - both of which would totally be doable offline.

Disappointed, though not entirely surprised, everyone is cloud for the sake of cloud these days, even when it doesn't make sense.

[Size3]

Completely uninterested in offline mode - I bought the game as an interactive multiplayer. Whenever I've bought the likes of Battlefield or Arma - I never even considered a reason for purchase was the single player...I classed that as a tutorial for the main game...the online aspect.

[Jedra7609]

I voted "Don't care" - I didn't even know they were contemplating a fully offline mode until yesterday when they said they weren't.

I believe in a creators right to have unobtrusive DRM. By that I mean I have no problem authenticating and have no problem being always online. I don't believe in obtrusive DRM like root-kits or god forbid LENSLOCK! If they turn off the servers at some point in the future, the chances are I would have moved onto something else by then anyway. It won't be the end of the world for me.

I also believe that everyone has the right to disagree with me! All power to democracy I say.

[Slugsie]

I don't agree that logging into a server is DRM. It's validating that you are who you say you are and that you have access to what you have paid for.

However there is no firm definition of what exactly DRM is, so there is a large amount of interpretation available.

[munkor]

I don't agree that logging into a server is DRM. It's validating that you are who you say you are and that you have access to what you have paid for.

However there is no firm definition of what exactly DRM is, so there is a large amount of interpretation available.

You have just described what DRM is. That is DRM!

MANAGING and checking that you have the RIGHTS to the DIGITAL product

[Karrzork]

Hi

As I am new to the game and just joined Beta I am wondering what the real difference is apart from possible login issues. Was it originally intended that once you download the game you could play totally offline then only login for updates? If so, does this log in occasionally staement mean the same as that?

Cheers

[psuamier]

I also think the real number of people that are forced to play "Offline" also cannot vote their need (and it's often not a matter of money, even I have it experienced often enough that there are a huge amount of places in the world without any internet). Carefully estimated I'd say they would say every third customer will not buy this game due to this decision. Also I found the vision Online -> Offline very intriguing so that you have at least a chance to get the Galaxy changes from Online Game into your Offline Galaxy. Another reason would be playing on a tablet (on a train or on a trip with unreliable or no connection). It would be good that "Solo Play" play could be played offline for a long amount of time until you are able to synchronize your game data again.