I guess I need to re-assert the original point. Please stop trying to downplay or marginalize the fact, that even solo play requires a connection to play. You seem to keep playing some kind of, "watch this hand," game, and sidestepping the real issue, which is you must be connected even in solo play.
Granted, it's their game, they made it how they wanted, many people are happy with it, there are however some who aren't. They may be a minority, but are their needs or desires somehow less important than yours?
The very fact that they created this game, means they could have done it in any number of ways. Since they did in fact promise an offline mode, they could have figured something out that satisfied both requirements. There was absolutely no need to tie the offline version to the online version. I mean really, can you think of any mmo that would work as an offline game, or do you think you could somehow merge the two without some kind of access to the servers considering that it started out as an mmo?
Btw, your statement of, "...then it's almost certainly a positive change for the final intended product," is rather revealing. Sure, it's positive if that's what you had in mind all along, but it also says, you probably don't give a rats rectum about the people who were told they would have a game designed around their play style as well, but don't seem to be getting at this point.
