No Single Player offline Mode then?

[light487]

I have said this many times and I will say it again. We are more then likely not going to get a "finished" product on launch there is no time. We will probably not get the content we were promised because deadlines are apparently more important.

I can understand why publishers did not want to pick up this title. Its way to ambitious for the amount of time they wanted it done in. This forum is a result of just one feature being pulled. Whats going to happen when the rest of the promised content is not delivered or is delivered 6 months down the road?

And this is the other aspect of this, as well as the release, that I am aware of yet haven't voiced in this forum yet. I thought the whole point of doing this crowd-source funding stuff was to ensure that no publisher was required. DF had funding already before the KS but not enough to do the game without a publisher. The whole point for anyone else in the same boat is to separate themselves from the publisher model, so they aren't forced to strip features from the game to meet the release deadlines.

This removal of offline, along with the pending release of an unfinished product stinks... it reeks. Why the rush? The game is simply not ready in its current form other than a fancy multiplayer dog-fighting simulator set in the Elite universe. Sure, the game will continue to develop after release but we have a bare-bones, almost tech-demo right now and I highly doubt a month's more development is going to make it into an actual game.

-------------

On another note, until this morning I was equally torn one way (refund) and the other way (no refund). I am of the mind that while I could play the game online, it's now no longer going to be the game I want to play because I really have little love for online games. I played EVE Online for quite a long time, as well as other online games, and I'm just not that kind of game player anymore. I want my experience to be reasonably "static" and only affected by emergent AI.

While I was still "in shock", I wasn't sure what I wanted to do.... I was torn between wanting a refund and not.. the game, the online part of it, is pretty amazing and to play SC I will definitely need a new rig to do it justice and feel like I am playing "the game"... now that the shock has passed, I am leaning more and more towards refund request... the reason is that any time I've tried to get into an online game in the last year or two, I've found myself encountering the same annoyances and grievances, then just stopping playing. One of the big annoyances/grievances I have is that if I, through my own choice or no choice (family issues etc), need to stop playing for a few days or a week, when I come back to the game... everything has changed. All my carefully thought out plans are ruined, all the things I was halfway through doing are done by others, things I was setting up destroyed etc..

So yeah.. slowly leaning further towards refund request... I know I can use my Australian Consumer Law card to get it too.. but do I really want to? I have enjoyed the game in beta.... the solo online experience isn't going to be as bad as the online experience of other games, which is what I am clinging on to at this point... the fact that Single Player Online would be reasonably static..

I REALLY REALLY REALLY want to play this... my computer can handle it, I do indeed have a decently consistent internet connection.. but I simply don't want to play online, for the reasons stated above.

 

[NeoRacer]

Of course not, this game will probably NEVER be finished and I think most of the people here with 'common sense' know that already, its a constant work in progress and things will be added as time goes on. I expect them to be adding content for YEARS down the line. 6 months? Pshhh. We're not as stupid as you might think we are.

I have said this many times and I will say it again. We are more then likely not going to get a "finished" product on launch there is no time. We will probably not get the content we were promised because deadlines are apparently more important.

I can understand why publishers did not want to pick up this title. Its way to ambitious for the amount of time they wanted it done in. This forum is a result of just one feature being pulled. Whats going to happen when the rest of the promised content is not delivered or is delivered 6 months down the road?

 

[Juniper]

On another note, until this morning I was equally torn one way (refund) and the other way (no refund). I am of the mind that while I could play the game online, it's now no longer going to be the game I want to play because I really have little love for online games. I played EVE Online for quite a long time, as well as other online games, and I'm just not that kind of game player anymore. I want my experience to be reasonably "static" and only affected by emergent AI.

While I was still "in shock", I wasn't sure what I wanted to do.... I was torn between wanting a refund and not.. the game, the online part of it, is pretty amazing and to play SC I will definitely need a new rig to do it justice and feel like I am playing "the game"... now that the shock has passed, I am leaning more and more towards refund request... the reason is that any time I've tried to get into an online game in the last year or two, I've found myself encountering the same annoyances and grievances, then just stopping playing. One of the big annoyances/grievances I have is that if I, through my own choice or no choice (family issues etc), need to stop playing for a few days or a week, when I come back to the game... everything has changed. All my carefully thought out plans are ruined, all the things I was halfway through doing are done by others, things I was setting up destroyed etc..

So yeah.. slowly leaning further towards refund request... I know I can use my Australian Consumer Law card to get it too.. but do I really want to? I have enjoyed the game in beta.... the solo online experience isn't going to be as bad as the online experience of other games, which is what I am clinging on to at this point... the fact that Single Player Online would be reasonably static..

I REALLY REALLY REALLY want to play this... my computer can handle it, I do indeed have a decently consistent internet connection.. but I simply don't want to play online, for the reasons stated above.

Same quandary I think a lot of us are going through. I know I am. It's a toughie.

And whoops... Australia. I am definitely up too late!

 

[Cmdr Eagleboy]

I have said this many times and I will say it again. We are more then likely not going to get a "finished" product on launch there is no time. We will probably not get the content we were promised because deadlines are apparently more important.

I can understand why publishers did not want to pick up this title. Its way to ambitious for the amount of time they wanted it done in. This forum is a result of just one feature being pulled. Whats going to happen when the rest of the promised content is not delivered or is delivered 6 months down the road?

Actually promised content is very little. DDF is *guideline* for FD to design game. Not mandatory todo task for implementation. During Kickstarter in fact we were given very light sketches of what might happen. In reality game was fleshed out during DDF and later in development. Still, no DDF holds any legal promise from FD, they all come with disclaimer.

Said that, current game (sans passenger transporting and scavenging) covers almost 80% of DDF, so I really fail to see failure to deliver. Certainly nothing from DDF is legally binding.

 

[xxThe_Dice_manxx]

As so many people defending this decision have said : "Things are subject to change", remember these words well. Because if offline gets canned, there's a very distinct chance other features may well get sacrificed. At this point the problem is trust, this was slipped in as a single line in a newsletter, and the communications have been utterly terrible. If the launch is Simcity-esque, I won't be happy.

If come march 2015 and the open play is still buggy and laggy with terrible comms, I'll dump this game in the blink of an eye, will I be complaining on the forum about this and that? NO , I have already got my money's worth and then some.

 

[Unfluffydave]

I don't want to be rude but is English your first language? "It will be possible to have a single player game without connecting to the galaxy server" is unambiguous.

It will be possible for me to fly into space aboard Richard Bransons "spaceline". It doesn't mean it is going to happen.
It will be possible for me to get struck by lightning. It doesn't mean it is going to happen.
It will be possible for me to drive the new Shelby Mustang GT350. It doesn't mean it is going to happen.

Players have interpreted the word possible to mean certain and are paying the price for that mistake. As for language, the word WILL only confirms the word POSSIBLE not what follows.

http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/82992/will-be-possible-to-be-used

 

[Cmdr Eagleboy]

While I was still "in shock", I wasn't sure what I wanted to do.... I was torn between wanting a refund and not.. the game, the online part of it, is pretty amazing and to play SC I will definitely need a new rig to do it justice and feel like I am playing "the game"... now that the shock has passed, I am leaning more and more towards refund request... the reason is that any time I've tried to get into an online game in the last year or two, I've found myself encountering the same annoyances and grievances, then just stopping playing. One of the big annoyances/grievances I have is that if I, through my own choice or no choice (family issues etc), need to stop playing for a few days or a week, when I come back to the game... everything has changed. All my carefully thought out plans are ruined, all the things I was halfway through doing are done by others, things I was setting up destroyed etc..

So you won't play online just because it is possibility that something might be changed (removing all hyperbole, because mostly if others don't know trade route, they won't show up)? I think you are overreacting and assume worst before even trying it out.

 

[kenny_brocklestein]

So you won't play online just because it is possibility that something might be changed (removing all hyperbole, because mostly if others don't know trade route, they won't show up)? I think you are overreacting and assume worst before even trying it out.

I think you are underreacting and assume these dynamic, emergent systems will actually work in a meaningful way, despite no actual evidence of their existence or proper function in the game.

 

[Juniper]

It will be possible for me to fly into space aboard Richard Bransons "spaceline". It doesn't mean it is going to happen.
It will be possible for me to get struck by lightning. It doesn't mean it is going to happen.
It will be possible for me to drive the new Shelby Mustang GT350. It doesn't mean it is going to happen.

Players have interpreted the word possible to mean certain and are paying the price for that mistake. As for language, the word WILL only confirms the word POSSIBLE not what follows.

http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/82992/will-be-possible-to-be-used

No. The Kickstarter FAQ is not the only place where it's been stated by both David and Michael that there WILL be an offline mode. It was stated in the Reddit AMA, in person, and on the forums. Also in interviews and games events where DB has mentioned it. It was also on FD's own store up until last week.

Your semantic argument proves nothing. There was no ambiguity in the statement whatsoever.

Game was sold on the basis of having an offline mode which we are now not getting.

What people choose to do next is their business.

 

[Namix]

I had to register, just to respond. I backed this game a long time ago. This is so unfortunate, so disappointing. In today's day and age there should be no reason not to be able to produce a good quality stand alone game. Any yet, always online if forced on us at every turn, and always with the same result.

30 years ago they made it work with the limitations they had, because they wanted it to work.

Because online games make more sense as business models these days, why make a game that will sell once and then gradually return less and less as time progress's (players complete games or indeed hit their own targets etc), at least with an online game it can still keep a pretty consistent revenue coming in as the developers work on further expansions to help create more revenue. Then you also have to consider the community aspect, if you play a game and your friend wants to play it with ya then thats another sale, single players dont offer that kind of buy. Then also the constant online connection allows for patchs,fixs,new content to be supplied automatically, without have to inform the community and so on.

Single players generally dont do well, the only ones that seem to survive either have silly release road maps (1 game a year), or have huge marketing drives that cost millions. Only rarely does a single player survive the odds (skyrim as an example) but even they have had to rely on mods to keep it interesting for many.

 

[xyv]

Adding my "probably asking for refund" x3. I've already opened the ticket to get the ball rolling. I bought it partially because of offline mode. When interdictions were ramped up recently I pretty much stopped playing and figured a hack would come out for offline mode to not have to put up with that [redacted]. I want to relax for a while, play space trucker and explore, not get interdicted 3 times on my way to a single space station. I usually evade but it's not the game I started playing and not the game I want to play. So forced interdictions and no offline mode have tipped the scales. Now 3x beta (me and my 2 older kids) getting refunded and 3x X52 pro's back to Amazon and I have to find new Christmas presents. If FD come out and say they will add offline mode in the future I will keep the game even if offline is a year from now. I really like the other aspects of the game, the scale representation is amazing. Really glad though that this info came out before release.

 

[Cmdr Eagleboy]

Adding my "probably asking for refund" x3. I've already opened the ticket to get the ball rolling. I bought it partially because of offline mode. When interdictions were ramped up recently I pretty much stopped playing and figured a hack would come out for offline mode to not have to put up with that [redacted]. I want to relax for a while, play space trucker and explore, not get interdicted 3 times on my way to a single space station. I usually evade but it's not the game I started playing and not the game I want to play. So forced interdictions and no offline mode have tipped the scales. Now 3x beta (me and my 2 older kids) getting refunded and 3x X52 pro's back to Amazon and I have to find new Christmas presents. If FD come out and say they will add offline mode in the future I will keep the game even if offline is a year from now. I really like the other aspects of the game, the scale representation is amazing. Really glad though that this info came out before release.

Elite has never been space trucker game. Pirates were always involved.

 

[kenny_brocklestein]

Only rarely does a single player survive the odds (skyrim as an example) but even they have had to rely on mods to keep it interesting for many.

I was looking forward to mod support for exactly this reason. Oops, looks like that ship has sailed.

 

[johnUK]

Hi,
it seems people are counting how many individuals aren't happy etc, I would also like to see an offline mode. Two reasons stand out, ie, poor internet - I move a lot; not being left behind when I can't play or having trading routes/profits change if I can't play from week to week.
Perhaps, a compromise would be have a lot of offline missions (like the current tutorials) or a tiny universe that the whole data can be downloaded for, the beta pill or smaller or just what was available in alpha?
Thanks
John

 

[Unfluffydave]

Thought the same and posted it a couple of thousand posts ago ^^. It would be nice.
I hope DB will at least excuse himself to the backers via Twitch stream and very carefully point out why they killed the offline mode.
I still hope they reconsider making a striped down offline release, but an excuse for the decision and the way how they spread it just now is the least i expect.

They have a stripped down offline version, you can get it here for free: https://store.zaonce.net/elite-dangerous-cat/elite1984.html

 

[Schwarzwolf]

However it will be possible to have a single player game without connecting to the galaxy server.

English is not my mother language, but how i read it is:

It will be, means is clear. The feature will be there. Otherwise they should have written:
It might be
or
It could be

Now without the offline mode, it is not possible.

be possible to have a single player game without connecting to the galaxy server.

means, that you aren't forced to play the single player without a server connection. It doesn't men, that you will have to be offline for it. Now you can't even be offline.

Aswell how often linked, there where other sources, where they told, that there will be an offline mode. I actually took the one from kickstarter and reddit in my signature.

 

[-o-]

Well, they have offered to listen to their refund claims. I have heard those are getting completed rather quickly.

Oh thats great news.

Can you provide one forum link where someone has stated they have received a refund since Friday please.

 

[Namix]

English is not my mother language, but how i read it is:

It will be, means is clear. The feature will be there. Otherwise they should have written:
It might be
or
It could be

Now without the offline mode, it is not possible.

be possible to have a single player game without connecting to the galaxy server.

means, that you aren't forced to play the single player without a server connection. It doesn't men, that you will have to be offline for it. Now you can't even be offline.

Aswell how often linked, there where other sources, where they told, that there will be an offline mode. I actually took the one from kickstarter and reddit in my signature.

Doesn't really matter how anyone reads it, everything (bar the rewards) on kickstarter was liable to change, everything in alpha was liable to change, everything in beta was liable to change, everything in gamma is liable to change and everything is pre-release is liable to change, only after this point will anyone know what a game contains feature wise, this is how it has always been and will continue to be, the idea that people are thinking anything other than that is frankly mind bending.

 

[Cmdr Eagleboy]

Oh thats great news.

Can you provide one forum link where someone has stated they have received a refund since Friday please.

Unfortunately no, I just heard someone claiming they have seen people getting refunds. I didn't get references or anything.

 

[xxThe_Dice_manxx]

No. The Kickstarter FAQ is not the only place where it's been stated by both David and Michael that there WILL be an offline mode. It was stated in the Reddit AMA, in person, and on the forums. Also in interviews and games events where DB has mentioned it. It was also on FD's own store up until last week.

Your semantic argument proves nothing. There was no ambiguity in the statement whatsoever.

Game was sold on the basis of having an offline mode which we are now not getting.

What people choose to do next is their business.

Again, what primarily matters is this ...everything and anything in the development is subject to change... so what people said in interviews/ama's etc are null and void when this is taken into account.

The only thing that FD botched is the way they announced the scrapping of offline, it could have been done a lot better but here we are, they have explained the reasons, there is nothing else to be said about it.

So it's time to make a choice, if you love the game and want to play then so be it, but if you don't, let it go and move on.