C&C4 Requires Constant Internet Connection to Play

[Keane Ng]

C&C4 Requires Constant Internet Connection to Play

Due to its MMOG-esque "player progression" system, Command & Conquer 4 will require a constant internet connection to play, even in single-player modes, Electronic Arts confirmed.

If you were hoping to make Command & Conquer 4 your new game for killing time while waiting to board a plane, think again. EA Los Angeles' recently announced PC-exclusive RTS will require players to have an internet connection to play. That's not just for multiplayer, but all single-player modes as well. If you're not online, you can't play C&C4.

"As of right now, you need to be online all the time to play C&C 4," community leader APOC said [http://www.cncden.com/index.php?subaction=showcomments&id=1247514248&archive=&start_from=&ucat=22&]. "This is primarily due to our 'player progression' feature so everything can be tracked. C&C 4 is not an MMO in the sense of World of Warcraft, but conceptually it has similar principles for being online all the time."

EA is making this out to be not that big of a deal. They've done their research, and their findings tell them this isn't going to drastically change how people play C&C4 around the world. Even if you don't have a broadband connection, C&C4 will still work, so no worries there.

"While some may be taken aback by this, we've been testing this feature internally with all of our world-wide markets, we wanted to make sure it wouldn't take away any significant market or territory from playing the game," APOC said. "We have not found or seen any results that have made us think otherwise."

In the end, EA thinks that the strides they've made with this new C&C will be worth having to get used to new things like this. "What we are doing for multiplayer for the game and with our infrastructure for this game is unlike any we've produced before and I think you will finally see the culmination of a lot of key learnings from past projects in C&C 4, in this respect," APOC said.

This could be hugely annoying, potentially. I know I'm rarely offline these days, but what if your connection's spotty or you just want to play offline for whatever reason? Why not just have the option to have an offline player account that's wholly separate from whatever information is tracked online? APOC does use the phrase "as of right now," so things could change. Maybe somebody should start a petition.

[Via Ars Technica [http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2009/07/forced-to-connect-eas-cc-4-requires-always-on-internet.ars]]

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[Baby Tea]

Well with the majority of people online, this seems like it'll only upset the few.
And I can see how this would cut into piracy...until they find a way to get around it.

It's hard to agree, but it's hard to disagree all at the same time.

 

[Disaster Button]

Shit this is gonna be an arse to play. I discon all the damn time

 

[Credge]

I don't understand this at all.

Why do I need an internet connection to have "MMOG-esque 'player progression'"? Really, all this is is an acceptable form of DRM, and I'm fine with that. But don't bullshit us about the features of your game. We aren't idiots.

 

[KSarty]

I can see how this would annoy people, but it is a much more agreeable anti-piracy measure than secuROM ever was. And who knows, they could make it in some way that you can play online, but you don't get credit for any of your player-progression when in offline mode or something along those lines.

I don't understand this at all.

Why do I need an internet connection to have "MMOG-esque 'player progression'"? Really, all this is is an acceptable form of DRM, and I'm fine with that. But don't bullshit us about the features of your game. We aren't idiots.

They mentioned in one of their earlier press releases that this also works as an anti-cheater system. Making people stay online in order to progress their character guarantees that they progressed their character legitimately, and not just through some form of editor.

 

[Angron]

am i to presume u will need xbox live gold to play this? pass then

 

[Fenring]

Meh, I don't have a laptop that could run it, and my 360 is always hooked up to Live. I just want them to bring back the control scheme from C&C3. If they don't I'll just watch the cut scenes on YouTube or something and continue playing C&C3 skirmish mode.

 

[Bob_F_It]

I suspect the real reason for this is anti-piracy. You can't have two copies of it running at the same time in different places because EA will just nuke the key out of use. Yes, it's a solution, but Steam has a useful offline mode for a bloody good reason: for those days when your internet connection dies for one reason or another.

 

[Anachronism]

And I can see how this would cut into piracy...until they find a way to get around it.

I thought much the same. To me, this basically seems like an attempt to replace SecuROM with something that people will hate marginally less. Admittedly, it would be difficult to find something the average consumer hates more than SecuROM, but it seems like EA are still trying to find a working DRM, or an alternative to it.

This probably won't be that much of a problem for most, as pretty much everyone who will be thinking of buying this game will have a broadband connection, but I seriously doubt that will stop people from complaining.

 

[KSarty]

am i to presume u will need xbox live gold to play this? pass then

It will primarily be a PC game like most C&C games, but I would assume it would require some form of LIVE membership to play the 360 version, so yeah that sucks.

 

[Credge]

They mentioned in one of their earlier press releases that this also works as an anti-cheater system. Making people stay online in order to progress their character guarantees that they progressed their character legitimately, and not just through some form of editor.

Yeah, that still doesn't really make any sense.

Why do I need to be connected online if all I do is play single player? Why do they care if I cheated in single player? That's just absurd.

If you're going to create a system, create it right. Have two types of servers: Closed and open. Closed only allows you to play 'characters' created online and open allows you to bring your single player character online. The two will not mingle and would be done exactly like Diablo 2.

Of course, you'll still be able to cheat. People do it all the time. All this is is just a different form of DRM that is acceptable. They know how much people hate the DRM they've used in the past and they've been doing research on other acceptable ways to do it and this is it.

Edit: Further, create an offline mode. Allow people two weeks to play offline without connecting back to the internet like Steam does.

 

[Desert Tiger]

Now everyone can see what I'm doing 24/7, even if I don't want them to.

EA destroyed Westwood, and thus destroyed the C&C franchise. They're just pissing on the corpse, now.

 

[Zirat]

This is going to cost a fortune in Xbox Live membership fees. Considering the game will be sold at the usual rate of $60.00 USD coupled with the fact that the Membership cards usually cost around $20 for about 3 months and $50 for a year (not including taxes in either) in the end you are looking at a pretty expensive game right there.

It just does not look worth the money.

 

[Nutcase]

I can see how this would annoy people, but it is a much more agreeable anti-piracy measure than secuROM ever was. And who knows, they could make it in some way that you can play online, but you don't get credit for any of your player-progression when in offline mode or something along those lines.

Huh? This is a lot worse than SecuROM ever was. At least SecuROM only required you to be online while installing the game you bought.

Fortunately everything points to the game throwing its PC gaming roots away, and descending to the shitter to compete directly with Halo Wars (all-in-one base) and MMORPGs (grinding), so nothing lost by just leaving it on the shelf.

 

[deleted_scifidownbeat]

DELETED

 

[Kollega]

Well,that's EA for you. Yet another attempt to disguise pointless DRM as something else,so it won't get as much flak as Spore. Not that i wanted to play C&C4 - this franchise and all it's possibilites have crashed and burned around Emperor:Battle for dune (that's when Westwood began to fall apart).