Let the DRM rape continue! New SimCity

[Gragt]

You guys have forever ruined my vision of Angthoron as a sensitive and delicate Codexer.

 

[sgc_meltdown]

You guys have forever ruined my vision of Angthoron as a sensitive and delicate Codexer.

Oh, this isn't about Angthoron at all, just fanfiction of the simcity transit advisor.

 

[Dexter]

http://www.destructoid.com/simcity-cranks-the-always-online-drm-up-to-eleven-240898.phtml

A Reddit AMA thread can do wonders for somebody's publicity, as companies and personalities engage directly with one of the largest online communities. However, Maxis didn't quite get what it wanted from the system, after revealing the newest SimCity's ludicrous DRM policy.

The most upvoted question for Maxis concerned the game's DRM, with a user asking what would happen to his game should he lose his Internet connection. Senior producer Kip Katsarelis answered that "short" outages are handled "gracefully," meaning that if you can get online quick enough, you won't lost any progress. Unfortunately, nobody at Maxis yet knows how quick you have to be.

What really annoyed users, however, was the idea that they have no power the save their games offline. Instead, cloud saves are being used as DRM in their own right, as only Maxis is allowed to maintain your progress. Of course publishers found a way to turn cloud saving into another form of product control.

"We will allow you to play for as long as we can preserve your game state," Katsarelis added. "This will most likely be minutes."

One Reddit user fired back with a beautifully sarcastic retort (spotted by TechDirt): "My computer happens to have a hard drive that's suitable for preserving game state. Should I consider buying your game, or is it crippled to online-only?"

As you might expect, other Reddit users joined in, asking what "sorcery" would allow a gamer to obtain such a mystical computer.

Electronic Arts has always been just behind Ubisoft when it comes to mucking up PC gaming for everybody, and it shows no signs of stopping until it's number one in the field. Expect, as usual, paying customers to jump through hoops for no other purpose than to give EA executives a power trip, while pirates get to bypass the bullshit.

Because videogames.

http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/14umm1/we_are_the_simcity_dev_team_from_maxis_amaa/

Spoiler

The SimCity Community on EA/Maxis' proposed DRM:
"Please just make it playable offline -___-" -PumpkinLatte
"This is why people make cracks and sales get barfed over to TPB." -secretchimp
"Being required to stay online to save a game is so stupid. There are many other consumer friendly DRM alternatives." -drylube
"Always-online DRM is a slap in the face of any franchise's fan. It's like putting a security guard to explicitly follow a customer..." -goldensox
"I would love good city builder but I refuse to support extreme DRM abuse." -Namell
"yeah i would 100% pay for this game if [...] it only had the gentle steam drm." -RatherDashing
"...this kind of DRM is completely unacceptable to gamers. I am a huge simcity fan.... but hearing this news is a completely turnoff. I refuse to be punished for purchasing a game..." -terrific_happy
"It doesnt matter, I am not going to buy the game if this might cause me problems, so I want to know the answer." -shooptek
"I don't care how good of a game it is, this question will decide whether I buy it or not." -PersonPersona
"...it just doesn't make sense that a company is so deaf to their hardcore fans opinions." -Metallican
"The option to play online is AWESOME, but being forced to have an internet connection to play... is that really something that enhances the player experience?" -badpersonlivingbadly
"why the need to FORCE this type of gameplay? multiplayer should be optional, there are many people that just want to build cities by themselves... i seriously don't understand this decision." -xYOLOSWAG4JESUS420x
"But it's definitely bothersome that I can't choose to make a single-player region and keep it offline, with or without cloud saves." -payco
"I don't think I'll be buying this game if you can't play it offline..." -Bloodyfinger
"You just lost a lot of customers." -evilbob
"...I will not support this type of DRM..." -nhepner
"This is total bullshit and why people pirate games." -RandomLego
"Sorry, I'm not going to play your game then - Why? This is DRM, it's being forced on me and it's completely unnecessary." -coniferous1
"I dont have a problem with DRM, but requiring an internet connection is a deal breaker for many people, myself included." -Idmorul
"I've been a fan of SimCity since I bought the very first version on floppy disk. I was hoping to be able to play the new SimCity while on the go, traveling by train or airplane. :/" -xippilli
"Ditto to all the other comments; I'm out. No to always-on internet connectivity required DRM." -dasinternet
"I am not buying this game unless it can be initiated and played offline." -apos
"Online-only DRM? You have chosen...poorly" -Doctor_Insano_PhD
"I won't be playing your game if I can't play it offline. It's a shame too because it looks really fun." -Milol
"A singleplayer city building game does not require an internet connection." -dt_vibe
"This is fucking bullshit and that's all I needed to know to stop reading this AMA. You are pulling a diablo 3 singleplayer. Completely unnecessary [...] Skipping this one..." -andrewhl2
"Go tell your DRM team that they just lost another sale. I know it isn't your fault, I know if you guys had a choice it wouldn't be this way...but let them know. Show them this thread if you have to, say "this is what paying customers think about your DRM."" -InfamousBLT
"Is there a "sunset clause" in the TOS somewhere that says that someday, a few years from now, when the game servers are shut down, that there will be a means to continue playing the game afterwards, perhaps via a patch? Because if there isn't, I can promise you I will never spend money on this game." -Philo_T_Farnsworth
"You're making a decision that is actively hostile to your customers. Please rethink it." -Aiede
"I'll be pirating your game in that case." -battlemetal
"Please tell your whole team that I will never pay money for a game that should be playable offline, but requires a connection. Never, ever, ever." -offguard
"I work on an offshore oil rig with limited internet. I will not purchase a game with this type of DRM. I had been really excited to buy this game, but now I'm not." -combatmedic79
"Didn't work for Diablo 3 not going to work for you. Sorry, just lost a buyer." -Bidwell64
"If anything, it gives people a reason who have any issue(s) with the DRM to seek out a pirated solution." -notcaffeinefree
"Great, not buying your game. Thanks for the honesty but DRM is a deal breaker. Oh well, I'll go play something else (likely from another publisher)." -Rhakan
"And you wonder why People pirate games when you have utterly ridiculous DRM like this." -nimie
"Wow.... That sucks." -chewp911
"Sorry Maxis, my childhood was your games, but I will have to pass on this one." -bigger_higger
"minutes? Thanks but no thanks. I'll spend my hard earned money on something else. " -jojotv
"...deliberately preventing players from saving their cities offline is insulting to a long-standing, dedicated and loyal fanbase that deserves more respect..." -Eunomiac
"Sorry, add me to the list of not buying this game.." -ThatFuckinGuy-
"If I buy the game, it should be mine." -Griffun
"I don't buy games that I don't own. It's as simple as that." -ArthurTrollington
"...I can't support crap as hell DRM and stupid business decisions like this." -Mattaro
"Was super excited, probably not going to buy it now... DRM is a fact of life and I'm ok with that, always online DRM hurts you AND us." -MeMoosta
"I think it's absolutely ridiculous that EA hates its customers this much, and has literally no idea what they want..." -TamponTunnel
"If a game requires me to be online all the time to play it, sorry, I can't get behind buying it." -BrewerPhil
"Going to be brutally honest, I reckon this will turn away about 1/4 of the people who were planning to buy it, me included." -richardcook
"...my heart cried out in despair when I learned that you plan on making it rely on the worst DRM method ever, and we can't have offline single-player. I'm sorry, but I won't be paying money for a game that does that." -FixLag
"If you have DRM and DLC like the Sims 3 I won't touch your product!" -koolplatinum
"Sim City now requires a constant internet connection? What the fuck for?" -Cabana
"You don't force a strong community, the strong community comes if the game is worth it." -kissapuu
"This the #1 concern that would stop me from buying what looks like an otherwise excellent game." -rustypig
"I will NOT buy this game so long as you have to get it through origin and have an internet connection. It won't happen, and I'm not alone." -Jaerdo
"There are only downsides for consumers, no upsides. This is why always-on DRM should be frowned upon and killed." -_Wolfos
"I will absolutely not purchase this game if it requires an always-on connection through Origin. I will not purchase this game if it acts as a limited time "license" of the game either. It's either my game and I can play it with some interruption of internet connection, or I'm not buying it." -throwmeawayout
The SC5 model: lock people into a social network, pressure them into keeping up with their peers who have the latest expansion packs, and thus constantly invasively suggest they buy expansions via this soft incompatibility. I will not buy SimCity. -somersetbingo
"I too will not be paying for this game due to Origin and DRM." -Zaxer
"I will not be purchasing this game if it requires the constant connection. I am a fan of the franchise, but not of the DRM movement." -rubberbabybugybumper
"I have been playing Sim City since the 5.25 inch disk days. But I won't play a game that demands a persistent Internet connection." -Cramulus
"...all these horror stories about Origin has caused me to completely avoid their games." -Liquid_Feces
"I don't buy anything with ea on it anymore. Sorry to developers, its not you its the company you keep." -DeathHaze420
"I grew up on Sim City. My dad taught me to play it when floppies were still actually floppy.... Sadly, will not be getting this one if online only persists." -cass314
"I, too, will be passing on this because of the required internet connection and Origin. Pass that along to your superiors." -jefferytaylor
"I don't want to go online to play. I don't want a social aspect to it. I just want to build cities." -240ZT
"I had intended to purchase this game but after [...] seeing I must be online I have to pass out of principle. [...] I had no idea things have gotten so bad in the gaming world...." -Jwaness
"No gamer likes this kind of thing." -Bob_The_Avenger
"...this is a very restrictive move... surely it must be possible to enable offline play for those without reliable internet?" -frymaster
"I know you all have limited control over this decision, but I urge you to push for an offline option." -Nyxalith
"...whoever made that decision just lost a very excited customer." -HoffmanMyster
"I won't get this edition if it requires origin and always on internet." -Maxion
"there's absolutely no reason for it to require internet access. Prove me wrong?" -bekindeverytime
"We pc gamers want 2 things: No DRM and the ability to mod our games. This is not new information!!" -Alexanderh86
"I was really excited about this game until I learned about the internet connection requirement. As much as I realize EA doesn't care, they've lost a potential customer." -mathgod
"I will be passing on this game massively in part due to the always online origin requirement." -dsi1
"I have bought and played almost every Maxis game released but I refuse to purchase any game that requires an internet connection to play that isn't entirely online such as eve, wow, etc" -c12
"I pray you guys don't ruin the game with an always online requirement..." -LeCrushinator
"I can't support a game that requires me to have a constant internet connection." -Kensin
"I'm really sorry, but I cannot support an online-only game. When I am paying $50+ for a game, I want the decision for how and when I play it to be mine." -DaWolf85
"I don't agree to the unnecessary conditions being put on me in order for me to play a game I am paying for. So I will have nothing to do with it." -apricotmuffins
"I have been a fan of SimCity games for a very long time, but I am (with a broken heart) going to pass on this one as well due to the requirement to always be online." -redatwork360
Comment length limit reached! Have to go to work now -- cheers!

 

[felipepepe]

All I see is a list of day-one buyers.

 

[Gord]

The thread title is inaccurate:
SimCity has long been a victim of EA, see SimCity Societies.

 

[Whisky]

I think we're all just trying to forget Societies exists.

 

[Machocruz]

I bet those Redditers all bought Diablo 3 and created threads on Diablo.IncGamers telling people stop whining about the online requirement.

 

[Dead Guy]

I don't know, several things I've seen on the tubes so far have been looking ok. Garbage, water, power, the traffic simulation looks like it might be fairly good. You zone and don't plop down buildings, except city owned ones, and the extensions to hospitals etc don't sound like a terrible idea either. It's pretty far from the shitpile Societies was at any rate. Maybe my standards were lowered to the pits automatically just by testing Societies for 30 minutes.

Though from what I've seen it seems like railroads and highways are already laid down in the region and it could be necessary to choose certain plots to even connect to rail etc, which seems retarded. Will have to see how that works, and how well the simulation works as well obviously. It also seems, from the limited amount of videos I've watched, like it's way too easy to get high-density buildings early on.

But yeah, fuck all that multiplayer noise. If I want to build neighbouring cities or suburbs I'll do it my damn self. I don't see how they can think that this would have such a huge appeal to people at all.

If it's shit, I'll just keep playing SC4 with NAM.

 

[Angthoron]

I may consider playing this once an indie dev enhances it with an offline mode.

 

[codexian reject]

They are backpedalling from it already, but the recent SimCity beta EA banhammer EULA drama is pretty hilarious.

“It is understood and agreed that, as part of your participation in the Beta Program, it is your responsibility to report all known bugs, abuse of ‘bugs’, ‘undocumented features’ or other defects and problems related to the Game and Beta Software to EA as soon as they are found (‘Bugs’). If you know about a Bug or have heard about a Bug and fail to report the Bug to EA, we reserve the right to treat you no differently from someone who abuses the Bug. You acknowledge that EA reserve the right to lock anyone caught abusing a Bug out of all EA products.”

 

[ohWOW]

Fuck man, Stalin was a puppy compared to them.

 

[Whisky]

A few years later they'll make SimCity 6 and we'll hear about how they send people who fail to report bugs or "features" to camps.

 

[waywardOne]

pre-release/beta = bug
post-release = feature

It's all a matter of timing, man.

 

[Snerf]

I just want to add my impotent rage into this enormous bucket of shit. As if the tiny city map and always on DRM aren't bad enough, not being able to save and reload in a simcity game is heresy.

They are shit, this game is shit, everything touching any of this shit is shit. shitty shitty shit shit shit.

shit.

 

[Kem0sabe]

I just want to add my impotent rage into this enormous bucket of shit. As if the tiny city map and always on DRM aren't bad enough, not being able to save and reload in a simcity game is heresy.

They are shit, this game is shit, everything touching any of this shit is shit. shitty shitty shit shit shit.

shit.

You will still buy the "Huge city" DLC tho.

 

[Snerf]

I just want to add my impotent rage into this enormous bucket of shit. As if the tiny city map and always on DRM aren't bad enough, not being able to save and reload in a simcity game is heresy.

They are shit, this game is shit, everything touching any of this shit is shit. shitty shitty shit shit shit.

shit.

You will still buy the "Huge city" DLC tho.

Only if it's the "huge dump" dlc.

Oh wait, the game is already a huge dump. NO NEED FOR DLC, 10/10 DAY ONE PURCHASE.

 

[sea]

I have a friend who is doing QA testing for this game. He says the game is a mess - extremely crash-prone and glitchy, they have tons of SKUs to deal with (something like 20+), there is supposed to be a Linux version which does not even exist right now, and they split up content from the main game in order to make special regional editions and fuel the "gotta catch 'em all!" DLC model. So obviously this game is going to be awesome.

 

[Dead Guy]

Haha oh man I hate the world.

 

[potatojohn]

there is supposed to be a Linux version

Tell me more plz

 

[Infinitron]

Haha, that was predictable.

 

[Berekän]

Well, everyone already knows this is going to be shitty beyond redemption, but just to add more fuel to the rage:

You can have up to 10 regions (in total, regardless of whether they're private or shared with other players)

https://twitter.com/oceanquigley/status/294649873834311680

 

[felipepepe]

Fuck you EA.

 

[Azrael the cat]

How are they going to turn this into a cover shooter, I wonder?

 

[felipepepe]

SimCorridor. You biuld your own corridor and then change to 3rd person view and pop moles on it.*

*corridors limited to 3m. Permanent Internet connection and Windows live required. Some features may be missing on the final product. Failure to comply will result in termination.

 

[Angthoron]

Well, everyone already knows this is going to be shitty beyond redemption, but just to add more fuel to the rage:

You can have up to 10 regions (in total, regardless of whether they're private or shared with other players)

https://twitter.com/oceanquigley/status/294649873834311680

Wait, what? 160 city slots maximum? Finally the technology has advanced far enough!