No Single Player offline Mode then?

[Cathy]

fortunately your no longer a mod.
I figure its very hard on the forums these days.

also its almost like if one becomes a mod he,s silenced.
or hardly shows opinion any more.

Who is no longer a mod?

Sorry I don't understand the comment

 

[-o-]

..

Frontier have done amzing work, and have been hitting their anounced deadlines with a reliability very rarely seen on the software business, much less in game development.

..

As I remember it, the only release date they hit was the Alpha release date.

They then missed their announced Beta release date by 6 months, and will miss their announced final release date by 9 months.

Either the measure of reliability, or the depth of my memory, isn't what it used to be.

 

[natte hond]

Long-time supporter, first time poster.

As a player of the original 1984 Elite, I am one of those who cashed in at Kickstarter for a DRM-free offline single player experience with 21st century graphics and improvements.

Not solo mode. Not always-on mode. SINGLE-player. OFFLINE. Saveable. Playable in my own free time, when I like it.

I have requested my £165 Kickstarter entry to be refunded as I have no interest in where this game is heading. I also have zero interest in arguing with developers who have set their minds and likely cannot change the direction at this stage anyway, even if they wished to. One month before gold is far too late for paradigm shifts.

I will take my money back now, thank you, on the grounds of broken promises, and bow out.

I fear many will follow you.
and respect your decision.
your absolutely right its a broken promise.

I rep you+ , (and thinks what if every one + rep this first time poster...)

 

[m000]

That's basically the KS. Is this your "bait & switch"?

Yes, they screwed one of their promises, yes you're entitled to consider it to be important, and to ask for a refund now and I fully agree and sympathize for those who won't be able to play ED. But no, it wasn't a key feature for FDEV, nor a pillar of FDEV vision.

Quoting the KS page:
"And the best part - you can do all this online with your friends, or other "Elite" pilots like yourself, or even alone. The choice is yours... "

That's my bait and switch. The choice between online/offline was presented as the best part of the game. This is the only reference of the word "online" in the KS page. And suddenly, a few weeks pre-launch, the "best thing" is gone and the game is online-only.

Asking for a refund at this point is denying FD the opportunity to make it right for everyone. This is what the selfish type of guy would do. FD seems to have done a good job in most aspects of the game. So it's only fair to stress them the importance of this specific aspect to some of us and give them the opportunity to fix it.

 

[synchromesh]

While I mostly agree, FD haven't shown much interest in negotiation and discussion thus far. I'm not making a judgement about that, just stating how it looks currently.

I don't think they will yet. they need to stay firm and keep it official that ED will be released and delivered 16th December without offline mode...
this would avoid legal issues after the release and delivery of the product because right now its still in development and things can change in that stage.

You may find after release they may be more open to options when they are not so legally bound ?

 

[Zieman]

You may find after release they may be more open to options ?

Hope so.

 

[deusx_ophc]

As I remember it, the only release date they hit was the Alpha release date.

They then missed their announced Beta release date by 6 months, and will miss their announced final release date by 9 months.

Either the measure of reliability, or the depth of my memory, isn't what it used to be.

know as informed individuals that kickstarter dates are 1) just that 2) estimates and 3) not what adept meant.

so once FDEV have announced a new beta patch or the premium beta they have just gone and done that. i have experienced a fair few alpha/betas and live games that could not keep even to published dates.

FDEV have also been super alert when turning around the major issues after every new beta. you have to cut them slack for what they are doing technically. even if you do not like their design decisions or communications.

 

[Perrial]

We are in full agreement. This could be a perfectly healthy and useful conversation, and if it was such I'm sure Frontier devs would keep interacting with the posters as they have in the past.

Instead people quickly escalated to shouting "Trechery!", threatening lawsuits and doing their best to damage the reputation of Frontier and the game. There have been events that felt like DDOS attacks already, and it's not hard to rile certain internet mobs for such action. The "DRM!" and "Broken Promises!" slogans are probably enough, and I wouldn't be surprised if these people will do their best to sabotage the launch.

What astonishes me is that some genuinely seem to think this is how they will get their way. No negotiation, no discussion. Just threats, coercion and sabotage.

FD has done a pretty good job of damaging their own rep, no-one else actually needs to do this for them. The game will be judged after release, I pray it will be stable and playable. Legal action is a viable option for those who backed after constant re-assurances that offline mode would be in the game - FD need to take advice and placate those who may choose the legal route if refunds don't cut it, the fact that you disagree is your prerogative, you may not be affected by this but plenty of people are and are rightfully upset at the way they are being treated by FD. FD are cynical indeed if they think this will all blow over by launch unfortunately.

Personally I want the game to succeed and thrive, if you read my previous postings you'll see that I am more concerned with stability than content. I will be playing solo online mostly but will be giving open a good try too (dreaded pvp but I want to experience it all the same), I would have liked an offline mode for when i am traveling but it's not a massive issue for me. DRM does not bother me thus I have not commented on it at all, advertising as long as it doesn't detract from my playing experience (it may even add to it - we already have advertising boards on station approach and I'm sure in 1000 years advertising will still exist) is a good revenue source for continued development.

 

[ThatFuzzyTiger]

Is this how you feel things are resolved in life, in general? Must be really charming. Anything doesn't go the way people want, and you think the right response is pressure groups and threats of litigation.

I do wonder, but fine, I'll answer, in the spirit of being nice. Companies in the current climate do not listen to polite requests, they have one function, to make profit, and they do that by doing what is most profitable. If that means screwing their customers, they will do that, if it means outsourcing their jobs to india, they will do that. These days ethics are for those who can afford them or who use the word as a sortof hipster promotional thing. Even Apple assemble all their kit in China after all.

Frontier have done amzing work, and have been hitting their anounced deadlines with a reliability very rarely seen on the software business, much less in game development.

They have been forced to prioritise. Something had to be cut, so as not to create a lukewarm compromise that would end up pleasing no-one. The on-line, living and evolving galaxy is the heart and sould of Elite. If there's a decision to be made regarding what is best for realising that goal, and providing a "DRM free solo client" then would you really have wanted them to compromise the main goal because of the needs of the single player client? Maybe you would have, but that would have massively cut down the scope and ambition of the game.

They placed that as a physical reward on Kickstarter, this renders everything else academic. Once you commit to a legally binding contract between yourself and your crowdfund investors, you're locked in, you either see it through or you open yourself up to the consequences. There's precedent now to support that. You can scream and rage and call me names and bait and troll and twist my words and do whatever you like, but those are the facts, hard, cold and immutable. You cannot change them any more than I can change the fact there will not be an Offline mode come December the 22nd.

Acting as an apologist for it is intellectually dishonest in the extreme and is only serving to bait and pour petrol on the fire, as well as attempt to diminish the disappointment that people who will genuinely miss out on Elite Dangerous are feeling. But I guess since it's not a problem for you, it's not a problem at all, amirite?

I want to see Elite pushing the boudaries. I want strong client identification, and as robust anti-cheating tools as possible. It is important for the integrity of the gameplay experience, and for protecting the investments of the clients.

You and others have accused me of "lack of empathy". My empathy dies pretty fast the moment people react with destructive anger, start insulting and threatening the developers, and gleefully machining trouble for FD by spreading libel on gaming sites and organishing / cheering on DDOS and other sabotage.

I find your attitude very poor.

Good for you, I have an allergy to people who don't check their facts and spread FUD. Play the ball, not the man. Read what I posted too, comprehension is a core facet of conversation, and I don't expect to have to explain that when I was talking about slashdotting and the results thereof, it's not a DDOS I was talking about, but the natural consequence of a very highly visited site deciding to link to this one and the result of a large swarm of visitors all coming here -all at the same time-.

Think before you post, it'll save us both a lot of time and effort in future.

 

[JughedJones]

Quoting the KS page:
"And the best part - you can do all this online with your friends, or other "Elite" pilots like yourself, or even alone. The choice is yours... "

That's my bait and switch. The choice between online/offline was presented as the best part of the game. This is the only reference of the word "online" in the KS page. And suddenly, a few weeks pre-launch, the "best thing" is gone and the game is online-only.

Asking for a refund at this point is denying FD the opportunity to make it right for everyone. This is what the a-hole type of guy would do. FD seems to have done a good job in most aspects of the game. So it's only fair to stress them the importance of this specific aspect to some of us and give them the opportunity to fix it.

And frankly, I don't expect you to feel for me. Judging from your forum activity, you have way too much time in your hands. You're probably happy that another game is coming that will help you turn your surplus of time to an ego-boost.

The bolded still applies. You just have to have an internet connection, which is listed in the minimum requirements.

 

[CMDR Brock Samson]

Ah, the "Vision".The technical impossibility to give people a proper offline mode.
FD needs people to be always online so they can spend money with microtransactions and see in-game ads.
This the vision.And I'm ok with it 'cause I don't like subscriptions fees.I sympathise with people who got hurt by this decision though.

 

[Juniper]

This could also explain why there hasn't been much response from FD at the moment....They cant change their mind until after official delivery at this point because then they would be legally obliged to make offline mode....But after official release they could say we will try without any legal obligation.....So for now its best they say nothing.

Interesting point, and the first plausible explanation (besides David Braben chuckling in his lair stroking a cat) I've read.

We'll see...

 

[Diziet Sma]

Journalists can do thier jobs, what no one wants though is biased propaganda, can you guarenteee that ? whilst some are upset over this issue of no offline, that does not detract from the fact that this is a fantastic game close to being released that most of us here have had nothing but praise for, as long as your journalists are bias/making propaganda/misquoting/ or anything else other than reporting in an unbiased honest way, but in the real world how many journalists do that ?

I dont want FD to fail after so much fantastic work especially due to a biased press, do you, if the press can be honest then fine, but can you or anyone else here guarentee that ?

Feeling that icy-cold tingle of fear down your spine, that you just might lose something you've been looking forward to for two years?

Now you know how we feel.. Welcome to our world..

 

[JughedJones]

Risks and challenges:

Stating the obvious, all projects, whether building a bridge, making a film, studying for an exam or whatever, carry risk. Projects can run out of time or money, people can leave, assumptions that were made at the start may prove to be mistaken, or the results may simply not be as good as expected. Games development is no different.


-- Quoted directly from the Kickstarter.

 

[Havner]

Has anyone receive a response about a refund request already?

 

[Skizomeuh]

Quoting the KS page:
"And the best part - you can do all this online with your friends, or other "Elite" pilots like yourself, or even alone. The choice is yours... "

That's my bait and switch. The choice between online/offline was presented as the best part of the game. This is the only reference of the word "online" in the KS page. And suddenly, a few weeks pre-launch, the "best thing" is gone and the game is online-only.

You're quoting a reference to solo/multi, not online/offline.

But yes, by screwing offline, they miss a lot of opportunities and ban a lot of people dedicated to the Elite franchise.

And frankly, I don't expect you to feel for me. Judging from your forum activity, you have way too much time in your hands. You're probably happy that another game is coming that will help you turn your surplus of time to an ego-boost.

Ok. I'll stop feeling for you then. So don't start judging me either.

 

[natte hond]

Who is no longer a mod?

Sorry I don't understand the comment

oeps my mistake.
for a moment I confused you for Geraldine.
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=29923&p=609190&viewfull=1#post609190
sorry

 

[JughedJones]

Has anyone receive a response about a refund request already?

I would hazard the guess, that for the amount of hair on fire we're seeing in this thread, there haven't been many people who've actually asked.

 

[Tacheel]

*sigh*, no they're not "lesser", they are however meant to be impartial, and just as importantly, meant to be seen as impartial. This becomes difficult the more they contribute to a thread, especially one as emotionally filled as this one.

They are meant to moderate the forums by enforcing and following the rules. This doesn't mean they cannot express their own personal opinion.

 

[WeirdWizard]

I would hazard the guess, that for the amount of hair on fire we're seeing in this thread, there haven't been many people who've actually asked.

And I dare say for every one who has there are a least a few more (like me) still making up their mind. *Edit* And many more on top who won't but still disagree with the decision.