No Single Player offline Mode then?

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How the hell can anyone think that any of the things in the kickstarter were set in stone?

No one can see into the future.

All the backers took a punt on the game,do you ask for your money back when the horse you backed comes second?

I don't care if the games always online or not, it was the last thing on my mind when I heard there was a new Elite game being made and when I backed it.

I'm broke all the time, I spend what little I have on computers and games,I'm delighted with the game but even if I wasn't I wouldn't be so cheap as to ask for my money back and I have invested a pretty penny into this game.

So make a choice , you are either in or out, support the game or move on, it's just a game, not your life savings.
 
With a game potentially this vast, it's physically impossible to fit it all on a disc. That's why you have servers to link to in order to give you latest data. You can still play offline. Eventually however you will need to go online to refresh data (especially missions and maps).

This is no different from many other games whereby you can play offline but need to go online to refresh the game data periodically.

So seriously what is the issue here?

You are completely wrong and know nothing about how this game is made. 99.9999% of everything in the game is procedurally generated, so it doesn't require any space on a disc apart from the code that generates the content. Elite managed to fit whole galaxies into a 22k game. Frontier had the Milky Way on a 1.44Mb floppy disc.
 
Chortle.

"Once a permanent download of a Digital Product has been made available for download by you, the order cannot be cancelled and no refund will be offered."

This can be ignored because the law which I earlier described overrides any EULA terms within the EU only

Please note, this does NOT apply to Kickstarter, only genuine buyers.

Additionally, that term is only valid if it is backed up by a definite acceptance by a user as part of the purchase.

The counsel I received in my case this year states, "Cancellation terms in particular need to be flagged (and there are specific consequences of not doing so). Links to T&Cs – if a trader wants to rely on them, they would need to prove a consumer has read them - this goes in levels of ‘risk’ i.e ones that make you scroll all the way before you can accept are ‘safest’, simple links hard to rely on."
 
If they had to drop offline only to make Elite a better game then so be it.

I support them all the way.

I do how ever feel sorry for the Guardians of Solitude who were expecting to play offline for whatever reason (no internet etc)
 
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This is a bit of a let down and I think a lot of people should be entitled to refunds, especially at this late stage. Major changes like that can be a legal nightmare.
Guess a refund equal to the price of the retail version is reasonable if you are really hindered to play with an internet connection. Getting the alpha or beta pledge back is unreasonable though, because you recieved exactly what you paid for: alpha and beta access.
 
Michael,
might i ask, out of interest, how "big" is the galaxy in terms of hardware/memory. In the original everything was able to fit into 32kb and run on a bbc, what would the ED equivalent be? 200gb and a hefty PC? 1Tb and a supercomputer?
 
Personally I couldn't care less about a fully offline mode but I did think (wrongly it seems) that there would be an offline mode with a local galaxy that required connecting online either once to authenticate your account or once each time you load up.

I feel for those that want to play offline most of the time but I do understand there might be a need to authenticate an account - sounds like you will also get updates. It is not entirely reasonable in this age of downloadable games, regular bug fixes and wanton hacking/copying to expect to be able to install a game once and never have to prove you paid for it (forever).

Anyone who is currently playing in beta cannot truly claim they never have access to internet capable of downloading a fair amount of data either.

That said I think it is worth noting that how often you might have to do this and how much data you have to download has not been mentioned. Rather than assume the worst and moan, it might be more constructive and more likely to get a response if carefully constructed questions were asked of FD of where they intend to go now (ie at launch) and plans for the future.
 
I have to agree,i bought this and the unlimited addon for mostly offline.
As i know 1 year from now i prob wont have internet.just limited access for updates.
I don't care about a dynamic world tbh.

That's why i pumped a lot into this game so i have something to play offline when the time comes at least.
I'm getting sick of this always online drm nowadays.
Maybe a refund might be a better option now. :(
 
How the hell can anyone think that any of the things in the kickstarter were set in stone?

To confirm, the issue is not that KS was not adhered to, it is that the law was not followed around a technical restriction being made known at purchase time. This is a very clear requirement of an off-premises sale in the EU.

For those that consider it important they can escape the contract.
 
Guess a refund equal to the price of the retail version is reasonable if you are really hindered to play with an internet connection. Getting the alpha or beta pledge back is unreasonable though, because you recieved exactly what you paid for: alpha and beta access.

Well a lot of early backers paid £200 and at the time the game was being advertised as having a fully offline mode at release. So it should be the full amount. Otherwise it fits the profile of a bait and switch scam.

Unless they reverse on this, they can pretty much kiss their good reputation goodbye.
 
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What is it with you lot? I have read this through and the newsletter and the majority of those saying you cannot play offline are totally wrong!

You can play offline BUT you will need to receive updates periodically to ensure that the dynamics of the game (prices, maps, missions) are updated. It does NOT mean you have to have a constant or permanent internet connection.

With a game potentially this vast, it's physically impossible to fit it all on a disc. That's why you have servers to link to in order to give you latest data. You can still play offline. Eventually however you will need to go online to refresh data (especially missions and maps).

This is no different from many other games whereby you can play offline but need to go online to refresh the game data periodically.

So seriously what is the issue here?

I'm sorry. Perhaps that's what the newsletter says, perhaps it isn't. The wording and clarity leaves something to be desired.
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What is clear is that Frontier pulled of the trick of a huge, static universe with Frontier: First Encounters 20 years ago, are Frontier really saying they can't pull the same trick with an 800x larger galaxy and a bit more dynamism in the markets in this day and age?
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(Oh, I'm also thinking people are taking the 'secrets of the universe thing' a bit differently from the way I read it, which was 'we can't release single player offline as we'd have to release the server, you lot would hack it within a week, then screw up multiplayer with that knowledge.)
 
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If they had to drop offline only to make Elite a better game then so be it.
I support them all the way.

I support them too but we can have an other view. Offline mode is very important for many of us so its normal we discuss of it there.
Hope Frontier will listen and plan later to give us this option cause it will be a big mess for many.
 
Personally I couldn't care less about a fully offline mode but I did think (wrongly it seems) that there would be an offline mode with a local galaxy that required connecting online either once to authenticate your account or once each time you load up.

I feel for those that want to play offline most of the time but I do understand there might be a need to authenticate an account - sounds like you will also get updates. It is not entirely reasonable in this age of downloadable games, regular bug fixes and wanton hacking/copying to expect to be able to install a game once and never have to prove you paid for it (forever).

Anyone who is currently playing in beta cannot truly claim they never have access to internet capable of downloading a fair amount of data either.

That said I think it is worth noting that how often you might have to do this and how much data you have to download has not been mentioned. Rather than assume the worst and moan, it might be more constructive and more likely to get a response if carefully constructed questions were asked of FD of where they intend to go now (ie at launch) and plans for the future.

please read the 19 pages or at least just Michael Brook's own responses. It's not just assume the worst, Michael confirmed you must be Connected to the online server to play. Every transaction must go by the online server etc.. there is no offline server at all for people, no internet at all = no game.. even if you've logged into your launcher etc before you loose the net..

For me it's not a big issue, My gaming rig is a desktop I'm at home, but I have friends who work at mines and others who work for Defence who brought the game believing that the FAQ was correct and they would be able to play even if their net was not functioning because it had OFFLINE SINGLE PLAYER. that isn't the case.
 
I think this is the bit you're looking for.

"If you have received an item that is not what you originally ordered, please contact Customer Service with your order number, name, address, the reason for the return and whether you would like a replacement or a refund."

Didn't EA eventually release an offline mode for Sim City 4?

I didn't back at Kickstarter and no off-line mode isn't going to affect me, but its clearly upsetting people and is going to generate negativity in the run up to the 22nd. I hope this doesn't become 'the story' of the Elite launch because the game is pretty damn amazing, even without everything that we'd hoped for.
 
No off-line singleplayer... well that sucks. Makes you wonder if Frontier has noticed the constant backlash that always on-line games catch? They better have the servers to handle it, because I expect devs who force always online to have pretty stable servers that allow me to play my game whenever I want to.
Yes.
Color me crazy, but I feel that Frontier has now taken it upon themselves to make sure that the servers are online and accessible all of the time, everytime. Without fail.

My thoughts exactly. Single Player is necessary for myself, even STEAM allow me to play games in Offline Mode. I hope with future expansion FD will make completely Offline mode available for us just like we have in X series of games.
 
Chortle.

"Once a permanent download of a Digital Product has been made available for download by you, the order cannot be cancelled and no refund will be offered."

Yep, that's why I said earlier, "You have my €60. Fine. Keep it. But you could've gotten so much more out of me.". The €60 is gone. Which is alright, in my years of gaming I've wasted quite a lot more than €60... TurboGrafx anyone? Atari Jaquar ring a bell? LOL
But I will never spent another dime on Frontier Development. They've just lost my business. And that €60? It's gone and I don't miss it anymore. But I'm severely disabled and suffer from an untreatable disease that sees me committed to a hospital-ward where wifi-signals, as well as cellphone traffic is strictly forbidden. That's why an offline component is so damn important for me.
Yes, I can play this game when I'm not hospitalized, but the times where I'm hospitalized are starting the outnumber the days when I'm at home. In that sense I wasted €60 on a game I frigging researched for compatability with my situation. Gameplay wise, it's a solid purchase. I'm not in any way now saying that Elite is now a bad game. But the option which would have justified the purchase has just been taken away.
Funny how the cookie crumbles, huh?
I should've gone with Star Citizen afterall. I still play the Sinclair ZX48 version on my emulator, I was hoping to upgrade though!
 
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Personally I couldn't care less about a fully offline mode but I did think (wrongly it seems) that there would be an offline mode with a local galaxy that required connecting online either once to authenticate your account or once each time you load up.

That would still not solve the second wound opened today: any form of mandatory server connection is also a form of DRM. Even the store itself says, albeit through what seems to be copy+paste from the backer's app, that I would receive a
DRM-free boxed edition of "Elite: Dangerous".
I had to pay 15 GBP just for the shipping of that box (for comparison, I order a DVD from the USA recently and shipping was like 3€), which I now won't need because it is not a local, offline, DRM-free backup of the game that I can play entirely independent from internet access and any form of authentication or game servers.

If I wouldn't feel so petty already just entertaining the notion, I would try to get those 15 pounds back and cancel the boxed edition, because it has become entirely useless to me now.
 
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