Maxis Adding More SimCity Servers Over Next Two Days

[VanQ]

I know how to fix this problem! Don't make it require an internet connection.

Also, I have a question EA. After 18 years I can still play CimCity 2000 [http://www.gog.com/gamecard/simcity_2000_special_edition]. Will I be able to play this game in 18 years if I choose to?

My guess is no, since you'll have shut down the servers by then because it's not profitable to keep them up anymore.

Sim City 2000 is 18 years old? Damn, I played that game so much when I was a kid. I can still remember the BG music of that game. I think I need to dig out my old CD-ROM and give that game a play again.

I was honestly feeling down about not having bought any Sim City games since I bought SC2K with my pocket money as a kid. But hell if I don't already own the best version of Sim City that ever existed already.

Spoiler: WARNING: High levels of nostalgia

Nostalgiagasm

 

[jetriot]

People always seem to be defending Maxis here but seem to forget that Maxis is the poster child for EA schemes and isn't the Maxis you grew up with. They are the creators of the Sims and that business model after all. How long has Sims 3 been out? They are still releasing full cost expansion packs without creating game of the year packs or anything of the sort. It would cost you hundreds of dollars if you wanted to jump into the Sims 3 today with all the content. They noticed that more people seem to pirate than buy it(because their business model is shit) so DRM becomes a priority for Simcity.

Also Spore.

 

[Teoes]

..thus EA will blame Maxis and close the studio (see Dead Space 3 and Visceral Studios).

Not totally true that - Visceral Montreal were closed (allegedly, I think EA denied it at least at some point) but that leaves the rest of Visceral, which is the majority of the workforce IIRC. Don't take me as some EA apologist, bro - just sayin'.


captcha: "nercolas cerg". Ermahgerd, cerrptchurr! You trying to say something about my post quality? 'Cuz I know it's crap.

 

[PH3NOmenon]

People keep comparing this to error 37... it was my understanding that it wasn't like that. Error 37 prevented people from playing altogether. This is just putting people in a 30 minute queue. No?

Is "boot up game, make a sandwich, play game." an option or isn't it? Because if it is, then I really don't get all the hubbub. The game's just released, bet you a dollar that in two weeks queue times will be under 60 seconds.

 

[Nantucket_v1legacy]

This was bound to happen wasn't it?
There was no way this game would have the server capacity for launch day... it's was so painstakingly obvious to everybody except EA and Maxis.

This game is out tomorrow in the UK - I'm not going to buy it until I've seen reviews stating the servers hold up well.

 

[jetriot]

People keep comparing this to error 37... it was my understanding that it wasn't like that. Error 37 prevented people from playing altogether. This is just putting people in a 30 minute queue. No?

Is "boot up game, make a sandwich, play game." an option or isn't it? Because if it is, then I really don't get all the hubbub. The game's just released, bet you a dollar that in two weeks queue times will be under 60 seconds.

They don't have a real queue system. The 30 minute timer that looked like a queue is just there to prevent you from spamming the login server. When the timer is up it simply attempts to log you in again. There is no priority system so you were better off spamming the login server for an open slot by switching servers or entering/exiting the game. People that didn't understand that never got in.

The other problems are the way the game saves(it is all cloud based) means that the constant server outages corrupted game files and deleted cities. Also when you can play cities couldn't talk to each other to commute/share services which is needed for this game to function because map sizes are so small. This includes cities that you create yourself and hop between that no other person is playing. So when you do play the server instability breaks the functionality of the game.

There are other problems but essentially it goes - When and if you can play the game is broken. Hopefully this is because of server instability and it isn't a problem with the game itself.

 

[teqrevisited]

All of these server problems, time and time again, caused by the same thing and still the industry's largest haven't learned. Underestimating demand to save money results in people flipping out.

 

[Ruley]

Diablo 3 anyone? I thought i smelled a rat when i couldn't pre-load. They already knew about the server issues before launch! It strikes me as odd if companies haven't looked at situations like that one and haven't learned from it and it strikes me as bonkers if they have looked at the situation and reassured themselves that it cant possibly happen to them because they're better/smarter/have more money/whatever. Ok, i get that its cheaper to remain conservative in your predictions of how many players will be part of the midnight rush but we're beyond the midnight rush now, its been out for a few days, all pre-orders will have been downloaded and all current players are (roughly) on the same timezone. So why couldn't anyone predict say, peak user numbers?

Also, the irony is that if they had just done this work before hand, yeah sure it would have been behind the scenes and they would have gotten no credit for "addressing the issue" but i think a smooth launch is better than bad press over players who cant play the game they bought.

As new as always online DRM is, I'm annoyed that the EU and other governing bodies haven't stepped in to stitch up some loop holes over customer service of purchased products and all that jazz. Because this HAS to void our rights as a consumer somehow? Or, knowing any business ever, there's probably a clause or two in the terms and conditions?

TLR: Nothing new here with always online games. Shame on EA / Maxis for not doing this work as a just in case precaution.

 

[mattaui]

Thanks EA, yet again, for reminding me why I only buy your games, if at all, at a deep discount. Though I wonder about even doing that now, with previously beloved single player games like SimCity requiring some nonsensical always-on internet connection.

I just wish more folks wouldn't rush out and throw down $60 for every big name title that comes out, since the companies aren't going to change until you start voting with your dollars. But hey, if customers keep lining up and paying, I guess we'll get the gaming companies we deserve.

 

[VanQ]

All of these server problems, time and time again, caused by the same thing and still the industry's largest haven't learned. Underestimating demand to save money results in people flipping out.

The only people here that aren't learning their lesson are the consumers that know that these kinds of games with always online requirement never work as intended for the first week or two but continue to buy the games anyway.

As far as the publishers can tell, we're happy to give them money for a service that almost never works as advertised assuming you're lucky enough to get it to work in the first place.

When did video games become a service anyway? I swear they were a product until just recently. Why do businesses that continuously and reliably offer bad service still exist and why do we keep giving them money? Even worse, why do we still defend them?

 

[teqrevisited]

All of these server problems, time and time again, caused by the same thing and still the industry's largest haven't learned. Underestimating demand to save money results in people flipping out.

The only people here that aren't learning their lesson are the consumers that know that these kinds of games with always online requirement never work as intended for the first week or two but continue to buy the games anyway.

I can't argue with that.

I wish it weren't the case though. While it continues we have no power as consumers to decide financially what flies and what doesn't.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

Um... question: Why didn't they have those servers going to begin with?

 

[Harker067]

Seems to the me take home message is never by a mandatory online game at release. Wait 3-6 months for a price drop and the servers to free up or be increased before you think about getting the game. Now back to tropico!

 

[Weaver]

and in an unexpected twist, the always-on requirement has resulted in some complications.

This is a joke, right? Didn't EVERYONE see this coming from a mile away? I even made a thread about it on the 4th.

 

[Necabo]

All of these server problems, time and time again, caused by the same thing and still the industry's largest haven't learned. Underestimating demand to save money results in people flipping out.

The only people here that aren't learning their lesson are the consumers that know that these kinds of games with always online requirement never work as intended for the first week or two but continue to buy the games anyway.

You kinda got that wrong, because from that statement you should wait to buy the game for a few weeks.
Apart from that being a totally ridiculous thing it also makes that the few people who actually will buy the DRM games at lauch (say if it goes that way ~20%)will not experience any server problems -->thus EA won't fix the issues ---> still problems after a month when everybody heard it was working great, which it doesn't because: don't fix what aint broke!

They really should have anticipated more that a few servers were necessary for this game. Don't blame it on the consumers just wanting to play the much hyped, super awesome game they made.

 

[VanQ]

All of these server problems, time and time again, caused by the same thing and still the industry's largest haven't learned. Underestimating demand to save money results in people flipping out.

The only people here that aren't learning their lesson are the consumers that know that these kinds of games with always online requirement never work as intended for the first week or two but continue to buy the games anyway.

You kinda got that wrong, because from that statement you should wait to buy the game for a few weeks.
Apart from that being a totally ridiculous thing it also makes that the few people who actually will buy the DRM games at lauch (say if it goes that way ~20%)will not experience any server problems -->thus EA won't fix the issues ---> still problems after a month when everybody heard it was working great, which it doesn't because: don't fix what aint broke!

They really should have anticipated more that a few servers were necessary for this game. Don't blame it on the consumers just wanting to play the much hyped, super awesome game they made.

I was mostly implying that we shouldn't be buying these games to begin with but I can see how you came to that conclusion from my post. Always on DRM is always an intrusive means to control a product and we shouldn't be defending it in its current state.

Not to mention that DRM also tends to drain resources from the system that could be used better elsewhere. Like, say, in the game we're trying to play. But oh well, people are content to allow this to continue, there's not much we can do about it.

 

[Vetta E-dom]

How long until Maxis get shut down and everyone is fired? A lollipop says two months, maybe three.

There are some "gamers" who cant tell the difference between a studio and a publisher though, and thus why some "gamers" cant comprehend it.

Please dear god, tell me your not inferring that I cant tell the difference between a publisher and a developer..... which has nothing to do with the line of thought posted.

 

[Yureina]

Yet another EA game that I am glad to have not gotten because of some BS that has occurred to screw up what otherwise might have been a pretty decent or fun game to play. >_>

Seriously... when will they finally die, after so many years of murdering good game devs?

 

[knight4light]

I've logged 15 hours in simcity. yes i'm annoyed at the roll backs.. the unable to connect to servers ...grr. but tbh. i kind of expected this much. its EA they greatly underestimated how much strain always online is. theyprobably should have asked people like blizzard or any other large mmo company about how much strain everything is on their servers. cuz that is what i think this essentially is. well. more like an inbetween. i have made my world private while i try figureing out how to make cities..


i failed.. so hard.. and the city i did build up to be great started... failing.. i couldnt pay for anything. i had to shut things down. tear down. i built different things. managed to save it a few times but still slipped. i cant imagine how much trouble it would be if it was bigger @.@

OT: i hope they fix them quickly so i can go back to trying to save my cities!