Future Ubisoft Games To Require Constant Internet Access

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BuffyNZ

241 posts

Master Geek
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#56906 28-Jan-2010 09:11

No more ubisoft games for me, I think.

http://games.slashdot.org/story/10/01/27/0625244/Future-Ubisoft-Games-To-Require-Constant-Internet-Access

Ubisoft has announced the details of their Online Services Platform, which they will use to distribute and administer future PC game releases.

The platform will require internet access in order to play installed games, saved games will be stored remotely, and the game you're playing will even pause and try to reconnect if your connection is lost during play

Recursion: See recursion.
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ronindanbo

180 posts

Master Geek

#293794 28-Jan-2010 10:07

Yes they first stuffed up with starforce now this will eat into thier proffit margin. I will be voting with my wallet too.

xpd

Geek of Coastguard
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#293820 28-Jan-2010 11:08

Lot more games are wanting internet access.... can those publishers etc guarantee me that the games wont eat into my monthly data cap ? I doubt it.

XPD / Gavin

LinkTree

ronindanbo

180 posts

Master Geek

#293840 28-Jan-2010 11:37

I dont think you will find the kb usage will be great. The real issue around this is that you can only play it while the server is online. This brings them in contrivention of the consumer guarentees act as this product sold as a standalone game (not an MMO) the consumer should resonably expect that the game is playable when they want to play it.

Draconian software producer policies are exactly why piracy is thriving.

Ragnor

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#294027 28-Jan-2010 17:23

From modern games I expect to have cross game voice chat, friends lists, online match making/multiplayer, resume playing from any computer... so I don't see a problem with it.

If I pay $x for a game and get y hours entertainment out of it I'm really not going to care if in 4 years they shutdown the server. There will be newer better games to play.

NonprayingMantis

6434 posts

Uber Geek
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#294151 28-Jan-2010 21:59

Ragnor, did you read the article?

Yes, certainly, most people have the internet all the time on their PCs. But not all people. So already a percentage of the audience is lost. Then comes those who own gaming laptops, who now will not be able to play games on trains, buses, in the park, or anywhere they may not be able to find a WiFi connection (something that?s rarely free in the UK, of course ? fancy paying the ?10/hour in the airport to play your Ubisoft game?). Then there's the day your internet is down, and the engineers can?t come out to fix it until tomorrow. No game for you. Or any of the dozens of other situations when the internet is not available to a player. But further, there are people who do not wish to let a publisher know their private gaming habits. People who do not wish to report in to a company they?ve no affiliation with, nor accountability to, whenever they play a game they?ve legally bought. People who don?t want their save data stored remotely. This new system renders all customers beholden to Ubisoft in perpetuity whenever they buy their games.

this is pretty critical. when people buy a single player game they shouldn't be required to be connected to the net to play the damn thing.

BuffyNZ

241 posts

Master Geek
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#294238 29-Jan-2010 08:02

Look what has happened with the EA gaming servers..

http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2010/01/ea-shuts-down-25-game-servers-including-madden-09.ars

Want to play that game you purchased less than 1 year ago? Nope, sorry, servers have been shutdown.

I have games from many years go that I still replay, old favourites like Portal, Uplink, Darwinia, X3, Pirates!, even Covert Action!

I never got around to finishing Mass Effect so I just pulled that out again...

I recently pulled out Starcraft for my son to play.

Having said that I do buy a lot of my games on steam now... It is just too damn easy. :)

HP

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FreakyKiwi

66 posts

Master Geek

#302173 25-Feb-2010 16:31

And of course single player steam games can be played offline... :)