Thousands Sign Petition Demanding Removal of SimCity DRM

KelDG

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Dec 27, 2012
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Ilikemilkshake said:
Mr.Tea said:
if modders/pirates can make Diablo 3 work offline (they can), then the actual developers sure as hell can and much faster as well.
I wonder how many times i'm going to have to say this today but Diablo 3 is a different game. It was always-on primarily because of the auction house, not because it 'needed' to be. In its current state, SimCity does 'need' you to be online because they've designed it so that many things run server side. This is evident by the fact that they've cut things like cheetah speed to reduce server stress.

Even if they could just flip a switch and make the game work offline, they're not going to do that because it would mean admitting they didn't need it to be online, which would mean taking responsibility for this mess.
Just have to say on word really "local server".

There is not a massive supercomputer doing mega calculations that our computers could not handle, it would not be cost effective. The server only notices you have gone if you disconnect for 3 minuets, so no, all important calculations (sim pathing / city development) are done on your end, otherwise as soon as you disconnect and stop receiving server data your city would not change.

So, whatever program that handles the rest of this info (leader-boards / achievements / some region communication and misc functions), would quite happily run on your PC as a "local server". This holds true to Diablo 3, Sim City, world of warcraft and pretty much any other online game.


**********Quick Update. I frequent a forum (not sure the rules on linking to other websites so will leave it out for now) where a player has clocked the internet usage on loading up a city, it weighs in around +50mb each time, so its no wonder the servers are being hammered. Here is the quote

"Doesn't help that anytime you try to join a stupid game it downloads all your "savegame" from the stupid EA server and its liked 50mb+ of crap that should be on your comp in the ****** first place."
 

major_chaos

Ruining videogames
Feb 3, 2011
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Absolutionis said:
What if buy an EA game and *gasp* enjoy it? What if absolutely none of their side nonsense (i.e Origin) bothers me?
Twilight_guy said:
I am absolutely terrified of the idea of something like this actually working. Imagine if a bunch of angry gamers could force a company to have to change its game.
Took the words right out of my mouth. My only reaction to these petitions will be to point and laugh when they accomplish nothing, or go bleach white in terror if they start succeeding with any regularity.


OT: More people whining about early in life server troubles, something I long ago learned to solve 100% by never buying popular PC games on launch week. A lesson learned after the third time I had to fight with steam for hours to get a game to unlock. I miss when digital distrobution wasn't a thing.
Also: everything kortin said
 

Zeh Don

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Jul 27, 2008
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Gamers sucked it up for Diablo III, which had an equally terrible launch, but now EA does Always Online and suddenly it's bad and plastered all across the media?

No. Do not remove the DRM. Let it sit there, so the idiots who bought it can learn not to buy things with Always Online DRM in it. They will be the example the rest of us will use when we explain why Always Online is a bad thing.
 

II2

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Mar 13, 2010
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Here's a branch to throw on the consumer rights fire pit:

Amazon Offers Refunds. Asked to do the same, EA refuses via Origin, threatens to ban customer if they reclaim digital purchase via their bank / credit card. Note, EA did issue a statement inviting you to request a refund via this channel, but did not, in fine print, promise one.

 

nodlimax

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Feb 8, 2012
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Well, to bad nobody warned people that something like this would happen at game release....

...No wait, there actually were a lot of people screaming out not to buy this game...

Well you bought it, now deal with it and take it as a lesson for next time. I on my part haven't bought any EA games since Origin was released. The same goes for Ubisoft and their UbiLauncher....
 

BrotherRool

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Oct 31, 2008
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Collin Stewart said:
BrotherRool said:
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
the issue with that being is the eventually a pirate will mod the game to make the calculations client side instead of server side.
i mean dear lord there are pirates playing WOW right now what makes you think that server side city building will stop it?
That's true but the game has to be really successful for people to put the time in and you'll either have to hire a private server or have a beast of a computer because they'll won't have bothered optimising it. But you can't beat pirates in the long run and I bet if loads of games try this then pretty soon there'll be a whole host of tools to deal with this sort of protection
 

Galen Marek

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Dec 5, 2011
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TizzytheTormentor said:
I hope this pulls through, my internet has been fickle lately and has been crashing at random, so I wouldn't be able to play the game without being pushed out of it. DRM is the bane of gaming, but even more so with a pretty bad internet connection.

Also, about the multiplayer part, I don't know any friends who would play SimCity with me, most of my friends in town don't play Simcity games and I am not sure if any of my friends on this site are getting it.

Some games I like to just play by myself, SimCity is one of them.
Off topic: Your Kitty, is he happy?
 

spartandude

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Nov 24, 2009
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Zeh Don said:
Gamers sucked it up for Diablo III, which had an equally terrible launch, but now EA does Always Online and suddenly it's bad and plastered all across the media?
you clearly werent around when Daiblo 3 launched...
 

lacktheknack

Je suis joined jewels.
Jan 19, 2009
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TheComfyChair said:
The problem is that the cities are stored on the server... This is like saying 'make an MMO work offline'.

It's not a case of removing a check in a launch program, it's a redevelopment of the game. So i don't think this is going to happen. It would be good if it did, but i doubt it will.
I know how hard any amount of code can be, but how hard can changing the target save location be?

I've actually changed destinations in programming as a midterm.

And if your game is revealing itself to be inherently flawed, then sometimes you have no choice.
 

lacktheknack

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Zeh Don said:
Gamers sucked it up for Diablo III, which had an equally terrible launch, but now EA does Always Online and suddenly it's bad and plastered all across the media?

No. Do not remove the DRM. Let it sit there, so the idiots who bought it can learn not to buy things with Always Online DRM in it. They will be the example the rest of us will use when we explain why Always Online is a bad thing.
This is worse because they're actually peeling away features to make it work.

Also, the Diablo III debacle was also plastered across the media. I have no idea how you've forgotten.

Lastly, no. Fix it. I want to buy SimCity, I love SimCity. I'll buy it the instant the DRM is repealed. There's no need for standing examples, except for spite (the message has been sent through already).
 

weatherfn

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Oct 22, 2008
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Hey, Change.org is all well and good, but should be augmented by signing the petition to the White House at We the People. It would be interesting if we can get the 100,000 sigs needed to see what their response would be.

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/institute-industry-wide-return-policy-video-games-rely-remote-servers-and-drm-function-properly/nMy1wrtC
 

Lightspeaker

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Dec 31, 2011
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IamLEAM1983 said:
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.

In exactly the same way that the Aliens:Colonial Marines debacle was "gamer entitlement", right? Because if you classify the ME3 situation as such you must surely classify the Aliens situation in the same way:
Both made a commitment in advance to how the game was going to be (in Bioware's case through interview statements and promises, in Gearbox's through demo videos) and then it turned out to be lies.

No more, no less. The situations were the same. Companies promised one thing and delivered another, lying to customers all the way. I find it absolutely disgusting that people are happy to dismiss one but later feel they are "righteously angry" over the other. Double standards. Either lying about your product to dupe people into buying it is acceptable or it isn't; its not on a case-by-case basis.

In fact arguably the Gearbox's defence of Aliens is stronger because as we all know "demos are not representative of the finished product". Whereas various senior people involved in ME3 were caught outright lying about things they were answering as "facts" about the game in interviews.

Interesting viewpoint of yours that holding a company responsible for the commitments it makes to draw in customers, only to hoodwink them, is apparently being entitled.


I'm also vaguely amused at how people are under the impression that "if we get thousands of people to sign up then we'll show them the force of our opinion" whereas the significantly higher numbers for the ME3 situation was apparently an insignificant amount. Yet more double standards. At most I expect a token gesture, just like how they did for ME3.


I do somewhat sympathise with people who are having these problems. However for the many people who went on and on about "entitled children" during the ME3 problems and are now suffering over Aliens and SimCity...well the schadenfreude is delicious.


Reply if you wish, I probably won't see it. I rarely read the same thread twice on here. Suffice to say I'm very pleased that people are starting to wake up a little; but its still ridiculous that it had to get this bad before many noticed (and some are STILL clinging to the idea that its "entitled" to want a working game that is as described by the developers, rather than lies).
 

Ed130 The Vanguard

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Sep 10, 2008
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Ahh EA, you're current disaster is like watching a train full of lawyers crashing into a sewerage plant.

A great tragedy for those involved, but bloody hilarious for everyone else.
 

Something Amyss

Aswyng and Amyss
Dec 3, 2008
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IamLEAM1983 said:
*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?
Well, that and lying about the game.

But it sounds so much nicer when you opt to leave that part out.
 

Something Amyss

Aswyng and Amyss
Dec 3, 2008
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II2 said:
threatens to ban customer if they reclaim digital purchase via their bank / credit card.
Yeah, how dare...How very dare...A company threaten to ban you for violating the terms of use you agreed to when you supposedly read your agreement!

I am outraged and sleepy!

...Seriously, while I don't advocate EA's "no refunds" policy, maybe people should actually take this as a lesson learned and stop buying from companies with this sort of policy sight unseen, rather than doing so and then crying that they're being treated unfairly over rules they agreed to.

And ignoring legalese, we've been through this song and dance before. It's not like this is a new thing EA has only now decided to implement. This isn't some gotcha they're just pulling out now, so nobody has an excuse to be shocked.

You gambled. You lost. Next time, don't gamble.
 

Patrick Buck

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Nov 14, 2011
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VanQ said:
Legion said:
Nonsense. Gamers are embracing not being able to play their game and the always-on DRM that causes it to happen.
I know, right? This is a fantastic game worth every penny!
~

I see what you did there! :')
I really doubt this will make a difference, EA Tend not to give a shit about their customers after they've bought the game.
 

Radelaide

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May 15, 2008
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So they're effective trying to have EA pull the game off the shelves for good?

Okay boys and girls, gather round. You in the back! Shut up and let me talk.

IT IS NOT DRM. AS MUCH AS YOU COMPLAIN ABOUT IT BEING DRM, IT IS NOT DRM. SIMCITY IS NOW A MMO.

Does anyone not remember that this happened to GW2? Amazon pulled it from their digital distribution service, people had incredible trouble connecting to the servers but people didn't complain because it wasn't EA so it couldn't be wrong! It was just a hiccup.

Sorry to burst you bubble guys, but this is the way games are going. Either find a new hobby or embrace it and try to help developers understand what they need to do to fix launch issues.

Also, blame Maxis, not EA.