No Single Player offline Mode then?

[Voivod]

Give it time. Most people who backed it on kickstarter and then didn't pay much attention untill after release like me won't hear about this immediately. This is just the beginning. Monday morning all the videogame news sites will exploit this and make a huge fuss about it.

Some sites have already reported on it.
Surprise surprise there hasn't been much fuss about it.

Also, /r/elitedangerous continues with business as usual and people posting gameplay videos and positive experiences.

Outside this topic most people are still enjoying the game.
It's some people in here who are suddenly losing their internet connections or can sense the servers suddenly dying tomorrow.

 

[MikeGreg]

Just have to quote this. Brilliant.

Also to the people claiming you have to be on-line to use Steam games. You do not. Valve are one of the few remaining good distribution people - I and many others would not use them if they did not have an off-line mode, which they do.

all i know i bought a game instore sealed
steam refused to let it install on my computer, even though i sent them all the proof that i had bought it
the shop refused to reimburse cos the pack had been open
to take it any furter would have cost more than the game was worth
i bought the game direct from the publisher on e-mail no steam no problems

 

[Nomadski]

You not think you have spent enough time posting on this thread Tim? Did you notice the stats?

Do you not feel even slightly odd about that amount of time you have spent telling us all your ohh so important thoughts on the topic?

I'm really, really struggling to understand your purpose in this thread? Your not affected, good stuff. Go play the game. Stop moaning at people who have an issue with not being able to play the game when its released / in a few months time / whenever.

Take your own advice, and leave.

 

[stephen_usher]

I think if someone put up a poll on a simple YES/NO to offline play, the stats and results would be different. I've tried to put up a poll myself, but can't access the options for the poll.

Actually, a more nuanced poll would probably be more enlightening, such as this?:

o The loss of solo-offline mode doesn't affect me so I don't care.
o I understand the reasons for the removal of offline mode and support it. It was announced correctly.
o I understand the reasons for the removal of offline mode and support it. The announcement was miscalculated badly.
o I understand the reasons for the removal of offline mode and don't support it. I can and will continue to play online.
o I understand the reasons for the removal of offline mode and don't support it. I can't or won't continue to play online.

 

[Cathy]

Why loss of online play is serious

Frontier Development's decision to design offline play out of Elite: Dangerous is serious because it is a matter of access.

Access is not a feature like supercruise, or multiple ship ownership, or a planned expansion feature like landing on planets. Access is whether you can play the game. Access is about whether you get a playable game delivered.

The Kickstarter promised to deliver a game. Numerous posts, messages and comments from the developers reiterated offline play as a definite, e.g.

https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comme..._braben_cocreator_of_elite_creator_of/c7ocvoj

Many people backed the kickstarter because they believed the developers and therefore believed they would be able to play the game which is a reward for their pledge.

If FD announced that multiplayer were out, backers would be rightly upset. Many would feel cheated because multiplayer is what persuaded them to pledge; but as bad as that would be, it is not as serious as the loss of offline play, because it's not about access. We could all still play a single-player Elite: Dangerous if we wanted.

Not so with the loss of offline play. Many backers will not get a game they can play at all. For them a boxed DRM-free disc will be a pretty paperweight.

An unplayable game is not a game delivered.

 

[AV2012]

Crushing! Everyone calm down now ^^

True, the game isn't bad as it is, if you can play it. Having effectively been shut out of the game with crashes on the orange ships, in 3.05 it now falls over every time I jump to another system or open the Galaxy map. I've been assured by the devs that they are looking into the issues. However, if was pinning some hopes on an offline mode actually being playable. At the moment I don't have any confidence that the issue I'm experiencing will be addressed before ED is released.

If I were able to play the game reliably I think I would be felt more sanguine about the news letter with the offline bombshell.

 

[Adept]

Because of the overused 'It's a Beta!' stop-all, coupled with the firm believe that Frontier is somehow sitting on a supersecret magical version of Elite: Dangerous we haven't seen yet, while actually the newsletter said, "We're not going to be able to produce this supersecret magical version, but here have five extra ships.".

The 22nd is going to be a very interesting day. I have not yet decided if I will show empathy that day, or if I will drink the bitter tears of dispair from those who're so easily dismissing the off-line crowd with joyous glee.

Sorry, not convinced. I guess you haven't enjoyed Beta 3.05 then. I think applying polish for launch is perfectly fine for crossing the 1.0 threshold and moving to post launch development. I'm quite looking forward to getting to play with my group of friends on the 16th of December.

As for the gloating thing, it doesn't seem entirely healthy to me.

 

[SuBSynk]

No. If they don't deliver on something you wanted as probably #1 feature, will you?

I would never continually trash a game on its own website to the dev's themselves or ask for my money back etc..no iam not that cheap.

As the founder of a large multi-gaming community that has been going for over 10 years i would be embarrassed to do such a thing.

Gamers support the games and the developers that are special to them even if a feature gets removed, you'd think this is the first time you have been involved in a games dev process and had to face major changes in the original design.

Many game websites would not dream of allowing this kind of discourse on their official forums, GW2 springs to mind. The devs there would have banned you hours ago and not just closed but removed this thread entirely.

 

[srinidhalaya]

Ohh and surprise surprise the topic has been all about 20 -30 people that have stable enough connection to post up all day but apparently not stable enough to play in an online game. Shocked i really am.

Ohh sorry i forgot its about being able to play after the servers got turned off i forgot. /s

Ever consider that you only need to be online momentarily to post on a forum? Never mind the fact that so far today, my internet has dropped over 10 times. Thanks for rubbing it in, how wonderful your life is to have perfect internet.

 

[CPLomax]

Not being rude - I'm gonna make it Short & clear for those BACKERS (who paid MONEY) who "do not want to understand"

What whould you choose?
Single Solo Offline version which will get hacked & pirated on zero release day, free to play to all who didnt pay a dime,
or Single Online version with markets & system ticks managed my Admins & overall model that you cannot pirate & play for free.

 

[littleminxundr]

Hasn't the discussion sort of moved on from that now (the magic patch)?

FD have said there will be improvements on existing things and some stuff added - and that they intend to continue improving and adding some stuff. Pretty much covers all the angles no?

Exactly, but do you really believe that there will a huge sweeping change over Beta3 going into Gamma? That the netcode issues will be solved and you'll suddenly be able to engage in graceful spaceballet with your besties? That the SC will suddenly be a exciting trip through a gauntlet? That the spacestations will suddenly be varied and uniquely different from eachother? That you won't need a notepad anymore to keep track of your spendings and earnings? That all the best A-grade stuff will suddenly be available whenever you want it at so much a snap of the finger? That you'll never go bankrupt because the insurance suddenly covers stuff like an insurance would instead of this non-sensical sci-fi crap?

I advise to buy industry-sized bags of popcorn. The 22nd is going to be awesome.

 

[light487]

I don't want my offline game linked with the online world.. I never did.. I never will. That's how the game was sold to me during the KS, that I would have the OPTION to play completely offline or to play partially online (Online Solo) or to play fully multiplayer.

As the project has rolled along it's become clearer and clearer that the input of backers have been made to resemble the low road and DB's views the high road.. the correct and only road. This is one such shoe-horning example of that happening. DB's vision over-reaching into the lives and views of the actual people who paid for and play the game.

Maybe we should have gone with a publisher model afterall... then these flights of fancy might not have happened to such a degree...?

 

[Sylv3r]

It is, never said otherwise. Exactly why I am DEVASTATED that my brother suddenly will never be able to play, sharing his finds, ranks, purchases, tales of the frontier, etc, with me (in the same way we'd play FE2 on Amigas and do the same) as long as he lives where he is, unless he literally pays himself to upgrade local government infrastructure! LOL

I am pretty sure there will be a way found Just let the time to Frontier to think a bit more and we will get it. We need to continue to support them fully. ED is a truly masterpiece and for the moment its ok we will have only an online game. That dont mean in the future FDEVs will not be able to.
This thread cant be let down, Frontier has allways heard us and i am sure they are thinking about at this time whenever their design actually cant support offlline.

 

[Virgil Kyle]

I wouldn't use the word sinister, exactly. I think Michael has to be evasive all weekend until a full answer is given on Monday. It's business.

He can't give an answer on full refunds because it his not his decision (At least not his alone).

This right here ^

 

[Ydiss]

Michael,

I get having a vision is important and not compromise that vision is important but honouring your promises is equally important. Revealing massively impacting information a month from release is not the best way to go about breaking that promise.

Mike addressed this quite a few times in this thread. They have been working hard to try to get it to work but they were not able to. If they had realised this months ago they would have said then.

I don't doubt he agrees it's not great timing but what should fd do other than what they are doing? More to the point, at what point would it have been fine to say it?

Before they realised it?

I'm sorry if I seem dismissive but if you've read all of Mike's posts here then you'd have to be fairly obstinate to not understand.

 

[DoctorDanny]

Cant let you say it. The game is not bad as it is.

You're absolutely right. It isn't bad as it is, it's even a lot of fun as it is.

I just can't shake the feeling that I dont want to settle for 'well, it isn't bad...'.
I've been hoping for an Elite sequel for over 15 years and when the Kickstarter came around I threw lots of money at it.
Now that it is allmost here I want it to be THE game I'll play for the next couple of years.

My fear is that a failed launch will hamper further development.
Just look at what happened with the launch of X-Rebirth, Egosoft frakked that one up and suffered greatly for it.

 

[gravityztr]

Sorry, not convinced. I guess you haven't enjoyed Beta 3.05 then. I think applying polish for launch is perfectly fine for crossing the 1.0 threshold and moving to post launch development. I'm quite looking forward to getting to play with my group of friends on the 16th of December.

As for the gloating thing, it doesn't seem entirely healthy to me.

its not the trip of enjoying beta or not. some people probably ordered the game using a local coffeeshop's wifi, just to get to play it when it will be out the 16th; then a year later they learn that the game is focused around the internet, so some people will moans saying this doent appeal

 

[almostpilot]

Michael,

I get having a vision is important and not compromise that vision is important but honouring your promises is equally important. Revealing massively impacting information a month from release is not the best way to go about breaking that promise. I don't use the word breaking in a way to paint you guys is a negative light because for the most part i've found you guys to be fairly up front about most things. The issue off offline play is not just about a missing feature it is actually something that will prevent a lot of people from being able to enjoy the game as you intended. Just this week a friend of mine bought ED. Cost around $100 after the conversion. He asked me if there's going to be an offline mode. I said yes. Clearly i'm a liar.

I could even have accepted the no offline thing and gotten over it if it was revealed in a manner that it honestly felt like it was as much a big deal to Frontier Development as it was to the backers. Just having a few lines in a weekly newsletter honestly felt like a massive cop out. Additionally revealing it only a month from release seems a bit cheeky and dishonest. I get that you guys were probably trying to figure you what the best way to reveal this information was but it should have been done the moment offline started to become an 'off the table' thing. I'm sure it was known about a long time ago. If not... ok fine. Just let us know.

This whole thing has left a rather sour taste in my mouth. I'm not wanting compensation or a refund. I actually really enjoy ED for the most part when i'm not having problems connecting to servers but what are FD going to do to at least make those who backed this game based on the promise of offline feel at least respected about this whole thing. I for one as a backer do not feel respected. Instead I feel like a number.... an insignificant number.

Cheers,

-Todd

No you not a liar. FD broke the word and what that they promised.

 

[Half Giant]

It is serious and they won't of taken any decision lightly. AFAIK there isn't any official clarification of exactly what the change is. So it's hard to know it's impact on anybody in particular until we know the details.

 

[Jackruss]

I've got an excellent connection. It doesn't mean that I can't support people who rightfully feel aggrieved or disagree with disgraceful conduct of Frontier.

Same here but I feel so let down, I dumped X when they went steam because of previous experiences with them. That's why I promised myself never to buy into a game that does not give me a DRM free disc as intimated in the kickstarter. I can get over it but the poor sods with connection problems are stuffed.
They wont know yet and wont be able to complain yet but I suspect they will.