Ubisoft plans to require constant net connection just to play their games

[Astrotoy7]

This makes me feel sorry for the hardworking artists, coders, technicians, testers etc who work for these companies. It would be a lousy feeling putting such hard work into a title and then having it tarnished by something the 'douchebags in corporate' decided. AC2 is something many PC gamers are excited about. Such a decision can do nothing but turn people off, even if simply on principle. Also, you'd think a company like ubisoft would have paid attention to the damaging effects of another recent DRM debacle - with how EA handled Spore.

 

It's not like AC2 wont sell well(unless the PC port is *really* bad), the 'suits' are just getting greedy.

 

I'm not entirely sure this can come to fruition, apart from being restrictive to end users, it is actually staggeringly unrealistic to expect all end users to have permanent internet access(for a SP game)

 

I'm sure this will make a lot of folks upset, at many levels, not just fanragers, and ubisoft will reel it back - hopefully the knuckleheads that came up with it will get their just desserts.

 

@Prime - not that he should be taken too seriously, but EAs new(ish) CEO recently described the PC as the ''gaming platform of the future.''

 

I myself am a contented PC gamer, but I'm not sure I share his optimism

 

mtfbwya

[swphreak]

I'm willing to bet one hundred million dollars that Ubisoft games will still be cracked and uploaded onto the internet even before the game goes to retail.

 

 

Besides, I don't buy Ubisoft games for PC. Don't see it bothering me.

[Prime]

As stated this thing doesn't make any sense.

 

What are the key elements of this platform for PC gamers?

Although a permanent online connection is required, this means that a CD/DVD is not required to play the game after installation. The protected game can be installed as many times and on as many computers as you like. Saved games are also synchronized online so the user can continue playing from any location with the game installed.

So, the proposed benefits are:

1. CD/DVD not required to play after installation
   
2. Can be installed unlimited times on unlimited computers
   
3. Saved games synced online so you can play from any location
   

I don't see why any of these would require a constant internet connection.

 

Is there an "off-line" option?

No. The added services to the game (unlimited installs, online storage of saved games and the fact that you don’t need the game disc to play) require you to have an online connection while playing the game.

The services don't require a constant online connection, Ubisoft requires a constant online connection.

 

Why is Ubisoft forcing their loyal customers to sign up for a Ubisoft account when they don't want to give their private data and only play single player games?

We hope that customers will feel as we do, that signing up for an account will offer them exceptional gameplay and services that are not available otherwise.

If this was really the reason, they would need to do better than hope, considering the obvious downsides. And which of the three proposed benefits are impossible without this system? Which of them provide exceptional SP gameplay?

 

How does the save game feature really work?

The new Online “save games” feature enables you to store your personal saved games online, as well as on your PC. Your saved games are also available from another computer and can be used as a backup if needed to re-install your computer or if you are getting a new one. The synchronization of save games is executed when you start the game and when you exit the game and can be aborted at any time. If you abort, the save game will finish execution the next time you start the game. You can also disable this feature if you prefer to.

So really, if your computer crashes or online connection goes down, you can't play on another computer from your last save, but only from the last save you had when you started the game. So if I start the game, play for 4 hours and save 10 times and my computer crashes I can only play from 10 saves ago, since none of those 10 saves were uploaded.

 

Wouldn't it make more sense to have the option to sync with the server on every save, since the amount of data is so small and a constant connection is required anyway?

[swphreak]

You're forgetting the point. All the stuff they're saying is B.S. to make the uninformed consumer think they're getting something special.

 

In reality, it's their futile attempt to combat piracy.

[Hypnotiq]

And this is why I No. --Jae

I mean, what?

 

But seriously this is kind of the most retarded thing I have EVER heard in the entire world. Who the hell does this benefit? All it does is piss people off, it's not going to fix any problems.

[JediAthos]

Unbelievable..what an absolute crock...let's hope other manufacturers don't resort to this sort of stupidity. If they do they will kill what little PC gaming market is left, and we can all look back and say Ubisoft started it.

 

edit: they're even getting killed on their own forums. I didn't read the entire thread on their site but most of what I read was not positive.

[Jae Onasi]

Just a quick mod note: We cannot discuss how we as individuals conduct illegal activities, and participating in game piracy is illegal. Discussing game piracy as a concept is OK. Discussing how YOU pirate will earn you an infraction. You've been warned.

[jrrtoken]

Legion speaks

PCG: What I think a lot of us would really like is a firm commitment that you understand our worries that the servers are going to go down and suddenly we've just got some trash data on our hard drives that we've paid for.



 

Ubisoft: The system is made by guys who love PC games. They play PC games, they are your friends.



 

PCG: So you can commit to saying that those systems will be patched out?

 



Ubisoft: That's the plan.

 



PCG: It's the plan, or it's definitely going to happen?

 



Ubisoft: That's written into the goal of the overall plan of the thing. But we don't plan on shutting down the servers, we really don't."

Emphasis mine; they sound like a tobacco company being grilled on the content of their cigarettes: change subject and evade, and always add some all-encompassing touchy-feely propaganda. Where are corporate terrorists when you need them?

[Astor]

I think you're right on the money, PastramiX.

 

They play PC games, they are your friends.



 

I call shenanigans. I can't see any way that any sane (that being the pivotal word, here, I think) PC gamer would think it a good idea to require constant online connectivity for a single player game.

[Astrotoy7]

@Jae - I hope discussing this part of piracy allowed

 

OT:

 

Reading about the history of AC1 on PC, and the massive losses ubisoft incurred, that is probably why they decided to come up with this heavy handed approach. It's hardly an ideal solution though.

 

I always thought Ubisoft was a Canadian company(their main dev studio is based in Montreal) but was a bit shocked to find out it is a French company.

 

What happened to Liberty, Equality, Fraternity!!

 

This all boils down to greediness, with a total disregard for their employees job security and apathy towards their consumers..

 

Not surprising if you see who Ubisoft's CEO is these days...

 

 

mtfbwya

[jrrtoken]

I'm pretty sure Ubi's CEO is a Rothschild, if you get my meaning:

 

 

[Hypnotiq]

Just a quick mod note: We cannot discuss how we as individuals conduct illegal activities, and participating in game piracy is illegal. Discussing game piracy as a concept is OK. Discussing how YOU pirate will earn you an infraction. You've been warned.

 

My bad. Sorry about that.

 

I didn't actually mean it, this whole concept of having to be connected to the internet to play single player is just RETARDED, and I was attempting to make a point, but I understand.

 

I don't understand this concept because I mostly play single player campaigns when my internet DOESN'T work for whatever reason, they are taking that away

[Jae Onasi]

@Jae - I hope discussing this part of piracy allowed

 

I prefer these pirates, silly Astro!

 

 

[RedHawke]

Wow this is all a load of BS... damn!

 

I guess I'm a little glad now that DDO has sucked my life away, I have been able to blissfully grind away ignoring the veritable schlock-fest the game industry has become.

[Prime]

You're forgetting the point. All the stuff they're saying is B.S. to make the uninformed consumer think they're getting something special.

 

In reality, it's their futile attempt to combat piracy.

I know that, as most people do. I was just pointing out that their story doesn't even remotely hold water, and has no chance of fooling anyone but the most gullible person.

[Lynk Former]

I remember a time when Ubisoft was seen as "the good guy" and EA was "the bad guy"... the roles have kind of reversed since then.

[Hypnotiq]

I still see EA as bad guys, in fact when Bioware and EA announced their partnership I almost cried, literally.

 

That being said, it is true, Ubisoft is now beginning to rival EA and in some aspects actually pass EA in terms of pissing off gamers. With retarded DRM moves like this I think it's safe to say soon they will pass EA for most retarded game comapny.

[jrrtoken]

Every publisher is inherently evil; some are simply less. CD Projekt is probably the first to come to mind that actually tries to develop and maintain a transparent and benevolent relationship with the fans; the same could also be said about Atlus, and maybe even Nintendo, Sega, or Valve.

 

That being said, they all want your money, but the ones that truly have finesse are the ones that play nice. That excludes EA, Activision, Ubisoft, Atari, 2K Games - and, our favorite - LucasArts; we hate love them the most.

[Lynk Former]

EA is still evil, but they've been releasing a lot of good games recently... plus did the buyout of BioWare really effect things for us? Their games are still awesome... All I know is that EA was responsible for Dead Space... and Dead Space is awesome.

 

I have never bought any EA games in my entire life until I bought The Godfather: Blackhand Edition for Wii and Dead Space for 360... and since then I've bought more titles from EA. They were a publisher I tried to ignore as best I could, and in the past I could do that pretty easily... but nowadays you can't ignore EA... they're releasing some damn good games...

[Astrotoy7]

Well said Lynktron

 

Its pretty easy for folks to say they hate EA if they aren't interested in any games that they make. Now that EA has moved out of simply making games(like their sports titles) and branched out into publishing and distribution at a global scale, they're becoming increasingly inescapable. Between EA, Ubi and Blizzard(and their subsidiaries) you are covering a heck of a lot of what is on the market.

 

For example, EAD(EA Distribution) is now responsible for Lucasarts and Square Enix distribution in US and Asia Pacific, so if you want to play TOR or Final Fantasy XIII, you *will be* putting some money in EA's pocket.

 

If someone fancies themselves as a bit of a Cyber-Che Guevara, and can't deal with that, then they can always play the awesome flash game DISCO BOWLING

 

That being said, this whole DRM thing with ubi had pi**ed on AC2onPC's parade in fabulous fashion. A lot of people with healthy broadband and bandwidth have been egged onto wait for a nefarious copy rather than submit to ubisoft's over compensating for the mess up that happened with AC1onPC

 

mtfbwya

[Drunkside]

Not like it wont be cracked anyway.

 

Exactly. And bs like this is going to drive even those who actually buy games nowadays like me to the world of piracy, its a goddamn kick in the face for honest folk. This is the worst decicion ever by ubisoft, and could actually be their last as well...

[JesusIsGonnaOwnSatan]

 

 

...

 

 

I'm basically of the same opinion as Jae. I buy all my games because i like supporting the devs. I wanted to buy Assassin's Creed, but now im not so sure ill bother with the game... if i get 1, then i'll want to get 2. And i don't want this drm headache that comes with it.

[Ctrl Alt Del]

That's an obvious inconvinience in so many levels. For instance, there are several PCs at home, and all of them share a single internet connection. The purpose of this arrangement is that no one will have to wait to use a terminal when another person is using it; they can just go and use another one. Needless to say this defeats this purpose, since I won't be able to play if the internet is already in use.

[Darth Avlectus]

Ubisoft made "no more heroes" which to me looks like a cheap ripoff of Air Gear anime mixed with a horribly cliche ripping off of Star Wars.

 

Also, I just love how copyright is beginning to jeopardize privacy as a concept. This is the future of gaming. I already open equipment and see part numbers that cannot be looked up in a database like a normal integrated circuit like a "4066" IC or a "74HC688" IC. Proprietary parts.

 

Whadya bet soon for OEM replacements of older consoles (like NES, atari, sega), it will now have some kind of smart meter in it and require an internet connection just to play? I wouldn't put it out of the realm.

 

 

Year 2064: You are now required as a part of all contracts, to submit to a productivity schedule scaled hour-to-hour, and must submit to a check at an arbitrary party's sole discretion with or without sufficient prior warning.

 

( I imagine the contracts' disclaimers would read something like: )

 

These third parties may, in their sole discretion, exercise correctional disciplinary action to correct aberrant behavior deemed but not limited to the following categories: unproductive, counter productive, unhealthy, destructive, wasteful, obscene, indecent, dangerous [to any entities whatsoever], libelous, slanderous, derogatory, defaming, facilitating of violent tendencies, incitement to assembly of any and every kind arising from and out of use of said software and services purchased without prior written consent, deceitful, unsanitary, or in any other way considered to be "straying" from an individual's productivity schedule.

 

Neither third parties, nor service providers for gaming services originating this contract shall be held liable in the event that an error in evaluation has occurred, nor for any caused result in any way;shape;form related to errors made in said evaluations including but not limited to: bodily harm or death caused by immolation, police brutality, disembowelment, impaling, zombificaiton, disintegration, vehicular assault, freezing, electrocution, chemical poison, and possession.

 

Sign on the line with print below:

 

Customer signature:

______________________

 

Customer Print:

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

 

Have a nice day!

[Lynk Former]

Ubisoft made "no more heroes" which to me looks like a cheap ripoff of Air Gear anime mixed with a horribly cliche ripping off of Star Wars.

 

GTA... I've been meaning to tell you this directly for a long time now, but you have absolutely no idea what the hell you're talking about.

 

Ubisoft DID NOT make No More Heroes, they were just the US distributor for the game. Grasshopper Manufacturer led by Goichi Suda made No More Heroes. And if you actually knew anything about the game you'd know that it's about a gaming/anime/sci fi geek who becomes an assassin. A hell of a lot of gaming references, a hell of a lot of anime references and a hell of a lot of sci-fi references. All of these factors were put into the game for the purpose of making fun of it all in a parody format.