Thousands Sign Petition Demanding Removal of SimCity DRM

[kortin]

The always on-line DLC is not the problem. The problem is that it didn't work. And that removing it as seen as the best option for solving the problem. Get it?

It is impossible to remove the ALWAYS ONLINE FEATURE of SimCity5 BECAUSE it's a MULTIPLAYER GAME AND NOT A SINGLE PLAYER ONE. They designed the entire game around the bloody thing.

 

[Epona]

What they're asking for is simply impossible, the Always On Element is built into the game at every level.

Buyer Beware.

..and yet the game can be played offline for a certain amount of time. I think the server ties are overstated.

 

[Xan Krieger]

I didnt buy the game, I signed the petition because I will buy it if they fix it.

They won't fix it. It's a fucking multiplayer game. There's nothing to fix. Absofuckinglutely nothing to fix. It will always be always online forever, because it's not a fucking single player game and people like you need to get that through their thick skulls.

Actually it does have a singleplayer mode (see links in the spoiler)

Spoiler

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SimCity_(2013_video_game)
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-57573053-1/simcity-launch-a-complete-disaster/

What the people are asking is not unreasonable, they want to be able to play the game like a simcity game where they can start it up, build a city, save it, back it up so they can try something stupid the next day, and then load the backup so they can keep building. That's how sim city games work, it's how they always have and there is no reason to change it to something that results in an amazon-bombing of the game (at time of this sentence there are 1,161 1 star reviews).

 

[GonvilleBromhead]

you have no right to complain or *****

Actually I have every right to do just that when I find faults with something I have purchased. Nobody has to do anything (unless their actions are criminal of course) But I am well within my rights to complain about a product if I purchase it and find it lacking. This is how products are advanced, by consumers who purchase your product or service provide you with feedback on how said product or service can be improved. So not only do you not understand how consumer rights work, but you are actively stomping on the advancement of the products we buy. SHAME ON YOU!

No, you have no right to complain when you buy something knowing full well that it has a certain feature. You aren't allowed to complain because you already told the company that you accept what they're doing and support it.

He's perfectly permitted to "*****". I see nothing in the forum code of conduct saying "you have no right to use these forums to complain about daft decision making on the part of a developer/publisher that has affected you and various others". Some people are annoyed that they bought a product and it didn't work - that seems perfectly reasonable to me. Others are likely to be pissed that they wish to enjoy a product, but are unable to on account of some fairly nonsensicle decision making on the part of the company charged with its manufacture.

The question is, who at the responsible company said "I've got a great idea - let us include a feature that ensures that only those who live in the few parts of the world with top rate internet connections can play reducing our sales market, will cost of a lot of money to maintain, will cause massive problems for the immediate period after release, garner bad press and damage our reputation". And who thought that it was a good idea?

 

[itsthesheppy]

Hahahaha, this won't work.

It's nice to see people are pissed off, though. Maybe those are 34,000 less people who will buy the next EA-backed shitstorm.

 

[kortin]

The always on-line DLC is not the problem. The problem is that it didn't work. And that removing it as seen as the best option for solving the problem. Get it?

It is impossible

No it's not. Difficult? Maybe, but that's EA's concern, not the consumer's. The ball's in their court now, we'll have to see what they do next (probably nothing).

Also, settle down.

No, it's impossible. You cannot remove the always online feature for a completely multiplayer game. A game that is entirely and completely multiplayer. A game that lacks single player of any kind. The game was designed to be multiplayer and that means always online is required because there's no such thing as offline.

 

[Aaron Sylvester]

There's definitely a double standard as far as I've seen, when Blizzard did it with Diablo 3 thousands of people were actually DEFENDING them saying "it's always like this on launch day, don't worry things will get sorted".
But when EA do it then burn them down with fucking torches, eh?

Remember JimQ's boycotting episode? What did he say it is best to do in times like these again...buy the game, and THEN whine about it? But still buy the game, right? I honestly don't know whether that's going to work on EA.

 

[GonvilleBromhead]

The always on-line DLC is not the problem. The problem is that it didn't work. And that removing it as seen as the best option for solving the problem. Get it?

It is impossible

No it's not. Difficult? Maybe, but that's EA's concern, not the consumer's. The ball's in their court now, we'll have to see what they do next (probably nothing).

Also, settle down.

No, it's impossible. You cannot remove the always online feature for a completely multiplayer game. A game that is entirely and completely multiplayer. A game that lacks single player of any kind. The game was designed to be multiplayer and that means always online is required because there's no such thing as offline.

Except it has a single player mode

 

[IamLEAM1983]

Holy fucking shit. Thousands of fucking idiots. Fucking SimCity5 is a multiplayer game. This is very clearly a case of CUSTOMER ENTITLEMENT. You bought a fucking multiplayer game, it's only your fucking fault that you didn't pay attention to that. It's not a fucking single player game fucking morons.

Swear more. I'm sure a couple more cusses will elevate this post to the status of momument of eloquence.

People are angry because SimCity always has been a software toy, not some strangely asymmetrical MMO. Most of us who bought the game assumed the online features would be optional and that the worst we'd have to weather would be basic authentication. That's not what happened. Designing games with a large chunk of their infrastructure being online means that you're enslaving your paying customers to the whims of your potentially lacking server architecture.

We're all entitled, that's true. We're entitled to a working product. Is piracy that much of a problem for this multibillion business that it has to hide fairly draconian measures behind social offerings that frankly don't bring much to the table?

If you want to talk about entitlement in the sense you're considering, think back on the Mass Effect 3 debacle. The original ending works - it's just not great. The game isn't unplayable because of the ending; it's just disappointing. *That* is gamer entitlement, as BioWare is only guilty of biting off more than they ever could possibly chew. Organic narratives that are completely shaped by the player's actions?

Sorry, BioWare. We're not in the United Federation of Planets yet, and don't have functioning holodecks.

 

[Epona]

There's definitely a double standard as far as I've seen, when Blizzard did it with Diablo 3 thousands of people were actually DEFENDING them saying "it's always like this on launch day, don't worry things will get sorted".
But when EA do it then burn them down with fucking torches, eh?

Maybe people are becoming less tolerant of this over time.

 

[GonvilleBromhead]

The always on-line DLC is not the problem. The problem is that it didn't work. And that removing it as seen as the best option for solving the problem. Get it?

It is impossible

No it's not. Difficult? Maybe, but that's EA's concern, not the consumer's. The ball's in their court now, we'll have to see what they do next (probably nothing).

Also, settle down.

No, it's impossible.

So in other words, assuming EA had unlimited amounts of money, time, and resources they still would not be able to physically do it? (Because that's what impossible means) Prove it.

I wouldn't worry too much about Kortin. The low levels of eloquence, lack of common decency, poor knowledge of consumer rights, and lacking of an understanding of the issue at hand has been seems to about equal the sort of folks EA would employ for damage control

 

[Frostbyte666]

I can't help but think if these petitioners feel that way they should have done something like this when the drm and online-only was first mentioned. Now I would love a new simcity game but I didn't buy it because of those reasons. Every bit of news I hear about the game now just reaffirms that I made the correct decision in keeping my money.

 

[BrotherRool]

It can't work. They designed the game so that a lot of the calculations take place server side to make piracy impossible, for the same reason they can't remove it because they designed it from the ground up to run like this

 

[Ympulse]

That's right. Blame EA for Maxis' decision. Go internet!

 

[Absolutionis]

That's right. Blame EA for Maxis' decision. Go internet!

They're the same entity. "Maxis" doesn't exist anymore the same way "Bioware" does not exist anymore. They are both Electronic Arts.

 

[LordLundar]

Nonsense. Gamers are embracing not being able to play their game and the always-on DRM that causes it to happen.

Sad part is that this is actually what publishers like EA hope for. They want people to buy their games but not play it, instead saving up for the next $60+ cash grab