Electronic Arts Disables "Non-Critical" SimCity Features - UPDATED

[Jaegerwolf]

Please enjoy your always on DRM, and micro transactions. Leader boards and other minor services will be released as future DLC. A functioning game will be released as an expansion: It wont be a new game, it'll just work.

Seriously, I just read that they are blocking people who ask for refunds and other stupid crap. I'm surprised if EA still had legs, I've lost count on how many times they've shot their own feet.

You mean stuff like this?

Anyone else want to play "Guess if Adrian is his/her real name and what country he/she is actually from?", cause I would be shocked, SHOCKED, if they weren't reading from a script during that conversation.

Getting back to the point, you have to wonder if EA's corporate culture is so messed up that promotions and sales never called up the technology department and said "Yea, you know those Simcity servers you're setting up? You're probably gonna want more...a LOT more." If I was a stockholder I'd be asking some questions because stuff like this is a big red flag of this company about to be driven into the ground.

 

[Atmos Duality]

Oh if that's real...Jesus that is sickening.

And the sick part is that if this goes viral and makes a big stink, the employee will fired as a pariah (for doing what s/he was told to do) than to actually address the problem.

This is EA we're talking about here. Would it really surprise you if this is real?

It wouldn't, but I'm trying to remain somewhat objective here.
We live in an age of metacritic bombing and grotesque overuse of hyperbole.

Given the astonishing amount of EA hate (not undeserved), I wouldn't put it past someone to doctor a chat.
But if OTHER users start coming forward about their refunds being rejected because of this...someone needs to make a big stink about it.

It's false advertising and should go to court...except Origin conveniently requires the user to cede their rights away to arbitration (which is basically a way of saying "You have no rights. We win. Period").

 

[KeyMaster45]

Too bad they didn't have a large beta test of anything to test these issues before the launch.

As a side note, there were lots of connection issues with the beta. I've now learned that a difficult beta is an indication of how a launch is going to go.

You mean those crappy 1 hour weekend tests they did a few weeks back? Oh yeah, they were going to get alot of data from that.

I would hope EA would learn from this and in a couple of years release a Sim City title that wasn't saddled with the always-on drm. Sadly they won't, if anything they'll find a way to blame their customers for everything.

 

[GAunderrated]

Please enjoy your always on DRM, and micro transactions. Leader boards and other minor services will be released as future DLC. A functioning game will be released as an expansion: It wont be a new game, it'll just work.

Seriously, I just read that they are blocking people who ask for refunds and other stupid crap. I'm surprised if EA still had legs, I've lost count on how many times they've shot their own feet.

You mean stuff like this?

Thank you for that picture it was beautiful. You know Simcity was actually the first game that made me consider origin. Both BF3 and ME3 didn't have that much swaying power due to all their controversy and crap but I waited on Simcity and was rewarded with yet another fail train and 60+ bucks saved from me wasting it.

Now that picture has reinvigorated me to never touch origin or EA despite whatever they do. Funny thing is you think you really want a game, until you see all the hoops you have to jump through.

 

[KeyMaster45]

Sadly they won't, if anything they'll find a way to blame their customers for everything.

Don't forget the inevitable "IT'S ALL PIRACY! DAMN YOU GREEDY PEASANTS!".

In a perfect world nobody would bother trying to crack it just so EA would be forced to stand there like a dumb-ass and struggle to come up with an excuse for why it does poorly.

 

[Atmos Duality]

So get this. That Adrian person/whatever...isn't wrong or misrepresenting company policy at all.

https://help.ea.com/article/returns-and-cancellations

Relevant text

What is your refund policy for PC digital downloads?
Unfortunately, EA does not offer refunds on any products downloaded through Origin. EA reserves the right, however, to offer refunds under exceptional circumstances at its sole discretion.

That is highly questionable, to say the least.
Caveat emptor.

 

[thebobmaster_v1legacy]

So get this. That Adrian person/whatever...isn't wrong or misrepresenting company policy at all.

https://help.ea.com/article/returns-and-cancellations

Relevant text

What is your refund policy for PC digital downloads?
Unfortunately, EA does not offer refunds on any products downloaded through Origin. EA reserves the right, however, to offer refunds under exceptional circumstances at its sole discretion.

That is highly questionable, to say the least.
Caveat emptor.

It's not great, granted. But tell me, does Valve offer refunds on any product downloaded through Steam? I know about the Day Z thing, but that was A) an exceptional circumstance, and B) done at their discretion.

 

[Hero in a half shell]

And just think, all of this could have been avoided if they hadnt introduced pants on head retarded DRM

But they need that always online DRM so that everyone has access to the scoreboards and... oh wait.

Watching the release of Simcity burn to the ground as EA tries to put the fires out by dousing it in gasoline is providing me with more entertainment than a game ever could. It's like some sort of modernist art demonstration about corporate idiocy.

Sometimes I feel guilty for coming down so hard on EA, but then they do make it so damn easy!

 

[Atmos Duality]

It's not great, granted. But tell me, does Valve offer refunds on any product downloaded through Steam? I know about the Day Z thing, but that was A) an exceptional circumstance, and B) done at their discretion.

Steam has a similar policy, and why I try to avoid games that require Steam exclusively.
https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=8360-WEJC-2625#refund

A problem that becomes worse when it's a purchase for an online-only game, and the online-component is in bedlam.

 

[thebobmaster_v1legacy]

It's not great, granted. But tell me, does Valve offer refunds on any product downloaded through Steam? I know about the Day Z thing, but that was A) an exceptional circumstance, and B) done at their discretion.

Steam has a similar policy, and why I try to avoid games that require Steam exclusively.
https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=8360-WEJC-2625#refund

A problem that becomes worse when it's a purchase for an online-only game, and the online-component is in bedlam.

Fair enough. I just wanted to make sure you were aware that this policy is not just an EA thing. I have nothing against people sticking to their guns over something they are against. Where the problem comes in is when people complain about EA doing something that Valve has been doing for a while without complaint, just because they think Valve is better than EA.

 

[itsthesheppy]

I just want you know, life over here in "I've never dealt with Origin and I don't purchase EA products" is going very well.

Eventually, the market will learn. EA's long, protracted, bloated death will come sooner or later. I'm keen to be patient, while playing good games made by respectable developers.

 

[Gorrath]

So get this. That Adrian person/whatever...isn't wrong or misrepresenting company policy at all.

https://help.ea.com/article/returns-and-cancellations

Relevant text

What is your refund policy for PC digital downloads?
Unfortunately, EA does not offer refunds on any products downloaded through Origin. EA reserves the right, however, to offer refunds under exceptional circumstances at its sole discretion.

That is highly questionable, to say the least.
Caveat emptor.

It's not great, granted. But tell me, does Valve offer refunds on any product downloaded through Steam? I know about the Day Z thing, but that was A) an exceptional circumstance, and B) done at their discretion.

There's another rather sizeable part to this equation that seems to get missed a lot in these conversations. It isn't simply what a company's policies are, but how they employ those policies. In my very long time with Steam, I only ever felt the need to ask for a refund once. In my very short time with Origin, it happened twice. In the case of Steam, my request was granted. In the cases of Origin, neither was granted.

Valve has earned great goodwill from me by providing me an immense amount of hassle free gaming, and so I do not have to run afoul of any Valve policy I might find problematic. EA on the other hand has garnered no such goodwill because of the lack of quality gaming I've had on the platform mixed with how they employ those exact same policies. It may be true that EA and Valve even have the exact same language in their TOS, but this doesn't matter to me in the least so long as my overall experience with one is positive and the other a constant headache.

Of course I would never begrudge anyone their opinion of the two companies if their own experiences were reversed. However based on the usual flotilla of hate launched EA's way, I can only guess that many have had the same sort of experiences I have had.

 

[james.sponge]

I am in shock.

Nobody saw this coming, especially after Diablo 3's stellar launch.

Oh wait.

I love how people can't seem to wrap their heads around how hard it is to organize, set-up, protect, and keep hundreds of millions of people on servers at once.

Nope. It is all easy. Simple as flipping a switch.

/facedesk

Sure it's hard, but EA must have known this thing would happen but they decided to go with DRM anyway. I sincerely cannot understand the logic of those guys 'we will get lots of bad press, our reputation among customers will be undermined... f*uck it, launch the DRM!'

 

[Atmos Duality]

Fair enough. I just wanted to make sure you were aware that this policy is not just an EA thing. I have nothing against people sticking to their guns over something they are against. Where the problem comes in is when people complain about EA doing something that Valve has been doing for a while without complaint, just because they think Valve is better than EA.

Bringing up Steam is something of a Strawman to my original point, since this was more about discussing what Origin's policy was and why people are not guaranteed a refund (quite the opposite, really); however, I do believe that your point has further merit as a word of caution given the changing reality of the gaming business.

I do not dispute that while Valve has earned their largely positive reputation, however, they have implemented a number of changes to their EULA and policy that makes me doubt their goodwill towards customers will continue indefinitely and why I have taken a more passive stance when the tired Origin vs Steam argument is brought up.

To butcher an analogy:
If you put a frog into a pot of boiling water, it will jump out immediately, but if you put a frog into lukewarm water, and slowly heat it up, it will gladly tolerate it till death.

 

[Something Amyss]

Agreed, and you know the "Servers cost moneys!" excuse doesnt even fly, because its not like EA wouldnt be able to find another use for a few less than used servers after the launch rush was over.

Plus, you know what else costs money? Games. Like the one that a ton of people paid for and can't play.

 

[Agente L]

Well, this is a slap to the face to everyone who say "Get better internet" to people that dislike always online drm.

Just like Diablo 3 was.

 

[RicoADF]

I like that their always-on DRM bullshit causing EA grief, but I am dismayed at the same time because it means that a lot of people bought it.

EA, with their unending Tunnel Vision that can only see the bottom line, will see the massive sales and think "Okay, gamers don't care if the game is always online and has microtransactions. I guess we'll make that mandatory for everything now! Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk!" They don't care if people are unhappy with the product, they paid a non-refundable sum (Just because they said "you can ask for" a refund, doesn't mean they'll give you one, because they wont).

Ugh.

It doesn't matter what they say, some places have laws that require them to refund a faulty product.

OT: its unfortuent that its come to this, buying a game on launch is worse than waiting for a discount. EA has turned economy on its head and not in its favor.

 

[gibboss28]

I am in shock.

Nobody saw this coming, especially after Diablo 3's stellar launch.

Oh wait.

I love how people can't seem to wrap their heads around how hard it is to organize, set-up, protect, and keep hundreds of millions of people on servers at once.

Nope. It is all easy. Simple as flipping a switch.

/facedesk

If EA wants to use a system like this then they should have been prepared for this eventuality, clearly they weren't. I agree, not easy, but if you want to do something like this then be prepared.

 

[weirdee]

Oh, look, all of the features that forced multiplayer and online capabilities were supposed to support had to be disabled, because the servers were unable to handle the load of.....THE GAMES THEY KNEW THEY WERE EXPECTING TO SELL.

At this rate we could get our money back if we sell memberships to the "failed online" club. The floor is paved with the shattered remnants of all the claims that online only is the way of the future.

Btw, did anybody notice how fucking obnoxious the kid in the SC commercial was?

 

[Fireprufe15]

EA guess what! I have a solution for you that is WAY cheaper than getting more servers and such. Patch out the DRM, like now. Just do it.