The Single Player/Offline Discussion Thread

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Need some definite answers about portability, Drm, and offline play.

Greetings, and a first post from a Kickstarter backer and a Long time lurker:D

I have some questions i haven't been able to find answers to, and i hope that someone from frontier can shed some light on this.

I have been a little concerned about complete off-line functionality. I know that one will be able to play off-line according to the official statements, but since my main machine isn't (and not going to be) connected at all, the ability to install AND play the game without any mandatory initial login, validation, and activation is of great importance to me.
I certainly don't hope that the final game will get crippled in that manner?

Another question, - will the game be portable?
I reinstall my OS quite often - and i very much prefer to be able to archive the game and its future expansions, and move it back onto my main system (or a new system) without the need to re-download and authenticate it all over again.
 
Hi and Welcome to the forums.
Iam not the best to answer your questions as I don't have any definitive answer to you.

But how things works whit other games nowadays.

If you buy a game. let it be single player game or whatever. In nearly all games it require an internet connection to validate it for the first time so you actually not run a pirate copy. And iam quite sure it will be the same in this game. Activate the game require an internet connection but its not required to play the game.

Also an internet connect is necessary to receive updates, bug fixes and probably expansions.

If you have ordered or pledged so you will receive a hard case copy of the game, you can install it from that whit out the need of dl it. But iam not sure if its enough to play the game hence the activation duo to a pirate copy of the game.

Your second question. Sometimes it work to just copy the game folders and store them if you do a reinstall. Sometimes its enough to just copy your client folder to keep your settings and then install the game from the hard case.
Sometimes when you do a reinstall of OS and copy a game over its not reccon by the OS and refuse to start due to it might need files that is placed in the registry. So its real hard to tell how this game will handle an reinstall.
Only way is probably to test as I don't think anyone can answer that question.
 
IIRC

£60 or more got you a physical DRM-free boxed edition of "Elite: Dangerous".

All under £60 were advertised as "reserve a digital copy of the game"


But it may all have changed
 
If there's no validation/activation then isn't it just FD giving away a free copy of the single player off-line game to anyone who wants it?
I'm not sure that's the business model they're going for :)

Perhaps they could have some sort of telephone activation option-of-last-resort.
 
Offline computer : Solo play with static galaxy

From KS page :

Will the game be DRM-free?

Yes, the game code will not include DRM (Digital Rights Management), but there will be server authentication when you connect for multiplayer and/or updates and to synchronise with the server.
 
Offline computer : Solo play with static galaxy

From KS page :

I've seen that but I'm not sure about what drm is according to Frontiers criteria, and what drm is according to my own criteria - especially after trying out the single-player demo. This is a big warning sign: Mandatory login and verification through the client, and not able to start it without being on-line and logged in.

I fear if i cancel my dsl subscription in the future, I may very well be unable to install and play the game and extra content I've paid through the nose for. If thats the case, i could probably get my hands on a torrented copy without the shenanigans - but that would be a deal-breaker for me, and i would rather stop supporting this all together and demand a refund.

That's why i need some definite answers from the officials.
 

Yaffle

Volunteer Moderator
I've seen that but I'm not sure about what drm is according to Frontiers criteria, and what drm is according to my own criteria - especially after trying out the single-player demo. This is a big warning sign: Mandatory login and verification through the client, and not able to start it without being on-line and logged in.

I fear if i cancel my dsl subscription in the future, I may very well be unable to install and play the game and extra content I've paid through the nose for. If thats the case, i could probably get my hands on a torrented copy without the shenanigans - but that would be a deal-breaker for me, and i would rather stop supporting this all together and demand a refund.

That's why i need some definite answers from the officials.

I sympathise if this will kill the game for you, and clarification about it would help.

As for refunds, I think you'll be on a sticky wicket as Kickstarter pledges are not payments for a product, but a donation to help develop a project. The only time you'd be in line for one is if the project maker didn't make the thing. In this case there's pretty overwhelming evidence it's being made. FD may, of course, at their discretion offer you some goodwill money back, but don't bank on it. Caveat emptor and all that.
 
Why would anyone not want the internet? Are you mad? :p

I believe the current login system is in place to prevent non-backers from accessing the game. That system will more than likely be replaced when the full game is released.
 
I fear if i cancel my dsl subscription in the future, I may very well be unable to install and play the game and extra content I've paid through the nose for.

But... why do you even backup a project when its in a non existing state, where you are not sure you get anything at all, when you have such specific demands?

:S
 
I've seen that but I'm not sure about what drm is according to Frontiers criteria, and what drm is according to my own criteria - especially after trying out the single-player demo. This is a big warning sign: Mandatory login and verification through the client, and not able to start it without being on-line and logged in.

I fear if i cancel my dsl subscription in the future, I may very well be unable to install and play the game and extra content I've paid through the nose for. If thats the case, i could probably get my hands on a torrented copy without the shenanigans - but that would be a deal-breaker for me, and i would rather stop supporting this all together and demand a refund.

That's why i need some definite answers from the officials.


Oh boy, I feel sorry for you that you let yourself back a game knowing that in these days the internet is the all seeing eye. I remember back in the day where you could get many "backup" games to the Amiga for a very small sum.

They could make a once a week validation, then you could play without validating each day and just do it once a week? That being said, I think that this is here to stay. We all want them to make high quality games so must ensure that no one cheats, not saying that it is the case in your example.

Cheers,
 
Greetings, and a first post from a Kickstarter backer and a Long time lurker:D

I have some questions i haven't been able to find answers to, and i hope that someone from frontier can shed some light on this.

I have been a little concerned about complete off-line functionality. I know that one will be able to play off-line according to the official statements, but since my main machine isn't (and not going to be) connected at all, the ability to install AND play the game without any mandatory initial login, validation, and activation is of great importance to me.
I certainly don't hope that the final game will get crippled in that manner?

Another question, - will the game be portable?
I reinstall my OS quite often - and i very much prefer to be able to archive the game and its future expansions, and move it back onto my main system (or a new system) without the need to re-download and authenticate it all over again.

I can't help but wonder what kind of person regularly re-installs his operating system and yet doesn't want internet access? How does that make any sense
in the modern world. How do you keep your operating system up to date?
 
I can't help but wonder what kind of person regularly re-installs his operating system and yet doesn't want internet access? How does that make any sense
in the modern world. How do you keep your operating system up to date?

I hadn't reinstalled Windows 7 for about 5 years until Lavecon. I wiped my SSD to install a fresh copy to see if it would improve performance and stability. I have to say it made no noticeable difference, apart from all my missing applications etc. I'm glad I took an image of it first!

Over the 5 years I have been very careful about what I download and install though so I suppose I stay on top of the crap that can build up as is the case with some users.
 
Greetings, and a first post from a Kickstarter backer and a Long time lurker:D

I have some questions i haven't been able to find answers to, and i hope that someone from frontier can shed some light on this.

I have been a little concerned about complete off-line functionality. I know that one will be able to play off-line according to the official statements, but since my main machine isn't (and not going to be) connected at all, the ability to install AND play the game without any mandatory initial login, validation, and activation is of great importance to me.
I certainly don't hope that the final game will get crippled in that manner?

Another question, - will the game be portable?
I reinstall my OS quite often - and i very much prefer to be able to archive the game and its future expansions, and move it back onto my main system (or a new system) without the need to re-download and authenticate it all over again.

Oooo, that's a doozy. Online login is a mainstay these days, as is an authorization protocol.

Reinstalling your OS regularly? hmm, that's a hassle. Maybe you should look into drive imaging, or use guest virtual machines .. and take snapshots of either. Could make your life a lot easier.

Are you sure you are not a game hacker conducting a socially engineered attack?
 

Praevarus

P
Are you sure you are not a game hacker conducting a socially engineered attack?

Do you really expect if he is that he'll tell the truth about it? :)

I can understand why he wants what he wants but it's probably not going to happen. As much as I like the internet, I very much dislike having to be connected to activate something if I want to play offline. This game shouldn't be pirated but if someone decides they want to pirate it then it will be.
 
This topic came up some time ago in another thread. This was (and still is) my position on the matter;

This subject is also very important to me. The main reason I pledged as high as I did was for the DRM free, so that I can install the game and play without ever having to connect to the internet. I would even be willing to use one of these again every time I played... if I really had too.

http://www.msx.org/sites/default/files/photoshoots/Nijmegen 2010/IMG_0050.JPG

AFAIK there still has been no solid answer from Frontier either way.
 
Never cared on DRM. Have lot of games with some kind of DRM but they all worked fine for me. Online is no problem got two ISP.
 
They could make a once a week validation, then you could play without validating each day and just do it once a week? That being said, I think that this is here to stay. We all want them to make high quality games so must ensure that no one cheats, not saying that it is the case in your example.

Cheers,

That would still effectively lock me out from the game, and this is the same reason i avoid steam and its ilk like the plague. Your argument isn't valid, and we don't need this for 'high quality games'.

Those forced validity checks and post install activations for the singleplayer part of the game is totally unacceptable for me, but i am totally fine with tamper checks and validation when one attempts to log on for some multiplayer for obvious reasons.
 
This topic came up some time ago in another thread. This was (and still is) my position on the matter;



AFAIK there still has been no solid answer from Frontier either way.

Exactly. Thats why i want official answers from Frontier on this matter. I find it highly suspicious that they have avoided to come up with a satisfactory answer for so long now.
 
That would still effectively lock me out from the game, and this is the same reason i avoid steam and its ilk like the plague. Your argument isn't valid, and we don't need this for 'high quality games'.

Those forced validity checks and post install activations for the singleplayer part of the game is totally unacceptable for me, but i am totally fine with tamper checks and validation when one attempts to log on for some multiplayer for obvious reasons.

I agree. It's a pain having to validate occasionally to prove your copy is legit. However, unfortunately there are thieves around who wont hesitate to avoid paying for something we have all have an investment in. They will happily steal the game and sell a "works offline only" version for a profit. Profiting from your investment.

However, you may be able to suggest an alternative solution that protects our investments and FD's livelihood.
 
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