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Single player games shouldnt be Always Online ever

Zeroing

Banned
I bought the game at launch and had a fantastic time with it. It was kinda fucked up the entire online portion wasn't working correctly.

But I still had loads of fun with the offline races.

They also didn't 'quickly' patch it, I remember it took quite a long time :p
I also had fun too but yes they quickly patch it to run offline. The online patch took months tho.
 

NinjaBoiX

Member
I will never buy a game that's always online, no matter how good it is. Will never support shit like that, it's beyond disgusting.
I would like to say I agree with this, but unfortunately I do play/buy games that have an always online requirement.

#partoftheproblem

But I will say that it STRONGLY sways my decision, I’ll usually only buy said game at a heavy discount, and never once get involved with it’s MTX.

Metrics are incredibly accurate these days though, so I sincerely hope I still come across as an indignant consumer who’s had to be dragged kicking and screaming to spend a fucking penny in their bullshit business model.
 

SafeOrAlone

Banned
The other day my internet was down and I couldn't watch anything on television, while I took a break and ate lunch. It sucked. I mean, I own a small handful of physical movies, but nothing I was in the mood for.
Almost considered tearing the seal off my Simpsons Season 3 dvd, but I like to keep it sealed for collector purposes. Point is, it really sucked and I'd hate for single player games to be thrown into this mess, should the trend continue. I won't be supporting it, because it is unappealing.
 

Hendrick's

If only my penis was as big as my GamerScore!
I have no problem with SP games being online only if that's is a necessary component in the games design. Doing it for DRM reasons and then lying about why it's required is the issue.
 

THE DUCK

voted poster of the decade by bots
I could personally care less. But I'll probably get banned for saying so since I was just warned in the gt7 thread that this is supposedly console waring. Yet I don't care on my pc, switch, my ps5, or my Series X. I mean seriously, if can't live without one game console for a few hours out of one day out of probably years, you have bigger problems than drm.
 
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I remember screaming bloody murder about always online, microtransactions, and such a decade and a half ago.

I was told I "was exaggerating everything" and that "the slippery slope doesn't exist".

Enjoy your bullshit industry.
Let's be honest if the technology existed back then Ace combat 5 would have had microtransactions.
 

NinjaBoiX

Member
I could personally care less. But I'll probably get banned for saying so since I was just warned in the gt7 thread that this is supposedly console waring. Yet I don't care on my pc, switch, my ps5, or my Series X. I mean seriously, if can't live without one game console for a few hours out of one day out of probably years, you have bigger problems than drm.
I think you’re missing the point, it’s not about being locked out of any given game for the few hours the servers are down. It’s part of some bigger issues, namely the fact that it’s usually used to try to wring more money out of you as a consumer.

And also a less immediate but no less important concern is that these games will no longer be playable in the future. And usually not for any tangible reason, purely financial greed.

Also, the saying is “I COULDN’T care less”, saying “I COULD care less” is expressing to everyone that you care more than you admit you probably should.

(Sorry to be a pedant, but it’s really annoying to see the phrase misused to portray the exact opposite intent, haha.)
 

ZoukGalaxy

Member
I don't buy them. Fuck them. Fuck devs/publishers doing them.
Jada Pinkett Smith Point GIF by Red Table Talk


BTW I can't find any source confirming that Hogwarts Legacy is always online. I really hope you're wrong because it will instakill my huge enthusiasm for this game.
 
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Of course you’re right.

However, good luck explaining that to stupid/greedy corporations and, even more luck, trying to explain that to rapid fanboys who’s choice of plastic means more to them than anything related to the topic at hand.
 
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If servers were guaranteed to be up forever and they paid for my internet service I would have no qualms.

Otherwise, technically I have to pay for internet, to play a game I paid for.
 

THE DUCK

voted poster of the decade by bots
I think you’re missing the point, it’s not about being locked out of any given game for the few hours the servers are down. It’s part of some bigger issues, namely the fact that it’s usually used to try to wring more money out of you as a consumer.

And also a less immediate but no less important concern is that these games will no longer be playable in the future. And usually not for any tangible reason, purely financial greed.

Also, the saying is “I COULDN’T care less”, saying “I COULD care less” is expressing to everyone that you care more than you admit you probably should.

(Sorry to be a pedant, but it’s really annoying to see the phrase misused to portray the exact opposite intent, haha.)

Well I can't argue I suppose that every company is trying to wring more money out of all of us. While public corporations are accountable to shareholders to legally maximize return, I think what is lost in that fight is customer acquisition and loyalty costs in the long run. They only see what is front of them for the next year or 2. (it's why I think Sony will go day and date for PC soon, the greed, but not realizing how it will hurt the console side more than they think) We can always vote with our wallets, tricky though if it's your favorite game..........
That said I still don't see this as one of the things that actually cost us money right now. Yes, 20 years from now GT7 might not load, but will I really care? What will GT7 really be worth at that time with GT11 out and being much better? Even more so in a title that gets direct sequels that are very similar.
 

NinjaBoiX

Member
Well I can't argue I suppose that every company is trying to wring more money out of all of us. While public corporations are accountable to shareholders to legally maximize return, I think what is lost in that fight is customer acquisition and loyalty costs in the long run. They only see what is front of them for the next year or 2. (it's why I think Sony will go day and date for PC soon, the greed, but not realizing how it will hurt the console side more than they think) We can always vote with our wallets, tricky though if it's your favorite game..........
That said I still don't see this as one of the things that actually cost us money right now. Yes, 20 years from now GT7 might not load, but will I really care? What will GT7 really be worth at that time with GT11 out and being much better? Even more so in a title that gets direct sequels that are very similar.
Fair point about the transient nature of games like Gran Turismo, and one I’ve made myself a number of times. Games like that are iterative by their very nature; nobody really wants to play the old game once the new one is out, other than the hardcore contingent who will likely find any reason to complain that they’ve been “left behind”.

But what about predominantly single player, story based games like almost all of Ubisoft’s catalog for example? There will come a time when these games won’t be able to be enjoyed by the next generation because they’ve deemed them to be no longer financially viable, regardless of the fact that anyone who would be willing to spend money on them has long since moved on.

It just a sad reality that these games are now so geared towards squeezing every penny out of any particular consumer, that they’ve effectively built in a kill switch once the money stops rolling in.

I dunno, it’s just a shame that’s all…
 
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Bryank75

Banned
An issue I am really annoyed about right now...

Why did Sony go through the whole pantomime of 2013, only to end up here with always online single player campaigns?

I do wish Sony had stayed true to their identity, had listened to their customers instead of chasing trends and competitors down the wrong roads in search of fools gold.....

Now they are after all the buzzwords...cloud, always online, GAAS, MTX, services, subscriptions etc etc...

The company is changing for the worse and it all lines up with Jim Ryan ascending to CEO. I just wish he would fuck off out of gaming and take his retirement package.

Time for someone who understands the PS fanbase to run the business.
 
Completely agree. I was enjoying Hitman other than the odd annoying pop up message telling me it's trying to reconnect to the server and disrupting my runs. One day, IO Interactive decided to perform maintenance on the server for hours and stop me from playing my single player game that I had some free time for. I never came back to the game. Fuck you IO Interactive for putting such bullshit in a single player game and I vow never to buy your products again.
 
If a game is designed ground up to function online I get it, such as flight simulator. But most of these games have 0 reasons to always be online. But they keep getting away with it cause they’ll do something so bad that the next time they just push the boundaries a little bit we go “well it wasn’t as bad as last time” .
 

THE DUCK

voted poster of the decade by bots
Fair point about the transient nature of games like Gran Turismo, and one I’ve made myself a number of times. Games like that are iterative by their very nature; nobody really wants to play the old game once the new one is out, other than the hardcore contingent who will likely find any reason to complain that they’ve been “left behind”.

But what about predominantly single player, story based games like almost all of Ubisoft’s catalog for example? There will come a time when these games won’t be able to be enjoyed by the next generation because they’ve deemed them to be no longer financially viable, regardless of the fact that anyone who would be willing to spend money on them has long since moved on.

It just a sad reality that these games are now so geared towards squeezing every penny out of any particular consumer, that they’ve effectively built in a kill switch once the money stops rolling in.

I dunno, it’s just a shame that’s all…

Well so far Microsoft has done a pretty good job of bringing older games forward with the purchase license intact. Sony a so-so job, and Nintendo a horrible job. PC is the winner here in most cases.
I'm actually pretty happy with the state of things right now - we have 3 pretty successful companies competing well, usually that's good overall for consumers. (just need a real portable competitor to keep nintendo honest)
I do think a fall back, if you own a game, could be emulation. Pretty slick these days, you could in good conscience play every game you paid for from nes to PS3 with very little new costs. PS5 game emulation will probably be a thing in 2040 run on a firetv stick. :)
 

Mabdia

Member
Nobody is saying is ok because of Sony. I mean Driveclub and the studio died because of the always online... that failed to work for months..

It is like online behind a paywall ...one corporation tries it... fans embrace it, the other coorporations do it eventually.
The gaming industry is basically a money game where corporations test us to see how much they can do and get away with it...
Indeed. Directly no one is saying that is because it's Sony doing it.
But the only difference here to me is that Microsoft were direct saying what they wanted to do and what they are trying to do. Sony are not talking that they're doing it. Yet they are implementing it.

And you are totally right. The problem is that we let them go away with a lot of things that we shouldn't.
 

Zeroing

Banned
Indeed. Directly no one is saying that is because it's Sony doing it.
But the only difference here to me is that Microsoft were direct saying what they wanted to do and what they are trying to do. Sony are not talking that they're doing it. Yet they are implementing it.

And you are totally right. The problem is that we let them go away with a lot of things that we shouldn't.
It has been like this for a decade, I do not think there is a turning back. Either we as a collective make a stand or things will keep degrading or going worse. trust me I though there was no way it would get lower but then now we have NFTs ...
 

CatLady

Selfishly plays on Xbox Purr-ies X
Always online doesn't really affect me since I leave my Xbox online 24/7, have NEVER been tempted to purchase an MTX and since I got rid of Spectrum my internet is rock solid.

BUT, that being said, always online for a single player game is absurd and only stems from greed and that pisses me off even though it doesn't affect me.
 

sainraja

Member
Well, some people here are completely okay with a streaming future so there is no getting rid of an online connection there. But games like Destiny are fine; GT7 shouldn't require online though.
 

Neff

Member
Receipts on hogwarts being always online.

There's nothing. The Switch version requires a connection due to being cloud-based, but there's no mention of the other versions whatsoever. Until I hear otherwise, I'm just going to assume OP misread statements about the Switch version and decided to get prematurely dramatic.
 
I could personally care less. But I'll probably get banned for saying so since I was just warned in the gt7 thread that this is supposedly console waring. Yet I don't care on my pc, switch, my ps5, or my Series X. I mean seriously, if can't live without one game console for a few hours out of one day out of probably years, you have bigger problems than drm.
Haha, I received the exact same warning because I was light-heartedly making fun of the state the game appears to be in right now. Plot twist I'm using my PS5 more than any other machine (I basically game on everything) for a long while now. Doesn't matter, it's "console warring".

OT: 100% agree with you, OP. Always online SP games are cancer.
 

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
An issue I am really annoyed about right now...

Why did Sony go through the whole pantomime of 2013, only to end up here with always online single player campaigns?

I do wish Sony had stayed true to their identity, had listened to their customers instead of chasing trends and competitors down the wrong roads in search of fools gold.....

Now they are after all the buzzwords...cloud, always online, GAAS, MTX, services, subscriptions etc etc...

The company is changing for the worse and it all lines up with Jim Ryan ascending to CEO. I just wish he would fuck off out of gaming and take his retirement package.

Time for someone who understands the PS fanbase to run the business.
C'mon, you know better than that. All about riding the PR wave.

Just live TV TV TV. Sony did more TV stuff on PS4 than MS did with Xbox One. Heck, Sony released PS Vue which is literally selling cable TV streaming subs for $50/mth, and promoted that service on PS dashboards. You cant get into TV more than trying to be a cable provider except maybe making video game TV shows and movies too. Oh wait, that's happened too by the truckload.

That service came out in early 2015. It' not like they built that service from scratch in 2014. They had that in the works for years, but shut their mouths until it was time to promote TV services after both systems faced their launch PR.
 
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blacktout

Member
There's nothing. The Switch version requires a connection due to being cloud-based, but there's no mention of the other versions whatsoever. Until I hear otherwise, I'm just going to assume OP misread statements about the Switch version and decided to get prematurely dramatic.

Wait, where are you getting this information from? I haven't seen any confirmation that the Switch version is cloud-based.

Also can't find anything saying that an internet connection is required for any version, including the Switch one.
 

Hobbygaming

has been asked to post in 'Grounded' mode.
Agreed. There is absolutely no excuse for a SP game to be always-online

Even MP games should require offline modes with bots, like some games have offered
 

zaanan

Banned
Worse, once the servers are offline, the game is dead forever. When the PS7 comes out, I should still be able to boot up my PS5 and play GT7. If I bought it, I have that right. Anything else is unacceptable.
While we’re on the topic, everyone gives COD shit bc they have P2P networking for online multiplayer. Well that is one thing I have always loved about them; that means you will always be able to boot up your old console and play online with your friends who have the same console. Future-proof design.
 

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
Agreed. There is absolutely no excuse for a SP game to be always-online

Even MP games should require offline modes with bots, like some games have offered
Bot mode is mandatory in my books. Sometimes I chill out and play COD games with bot mode.

Worse, once the servers are offline, the game is dead forever. When the PS7 comes out, I should still be able to boot up my PS5 and play GT7. If I bought it, I have that right. Anything else is unacceptable.
While we’re on the topic, everyone gives COD shit bc they have P2P networking for online multiplayer. Well that is one thing I have always loved about them; that means you will always be able to boot up your old console and play online with your friends who have the same console. Future-proof design.
LOL. I said the same thing in a different thread a few minutes ago. If you gaffers want to see dedication to online functionality, COD 2 on 360 is still active if you google it (unless it just got shut down recently).

 
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WitchHunter

Banned
So with the stupid server issues in GT7, where players cannot even play the game they bought for 80€ we are looking at another big Single Player adventure that is Always Online in the form of Harry Potter Hogwarts Legacy.

Why online only? So you can bother the consumer, the paying customer, with your bullshit that I have no interest in?
So you can force down your trashy commercials for other products, your login, your launcher or World of WB (whatever they call it)?

We should be holding these shitty companies responsible. Don't buy their always online shit products.
If their server goes down, your game is fucking useless.

If your internet goes down, you cant play the game you bought.
All the beloved launchers like steam and gog snitch on their users and often don't even start. They have the user's saved games too.. It's a fucking gold mine if you want to single out people with interesting behaviour, like who are sadist in nature... And people protect these like their lives depends on it >DDD. Some of the SP games won't even start if you firewall them... What's new here?
 
I like playing games years after their release, so this is an instant no-buy for me.

It's not a case of my internet going down for a few hours - it's a case of Sony (in the case of GT7) turning the servers off and me then being unable to play my game.
 
I do agree with you because one day the servers will go down.

Other than that, how many of you don’t have a stable internet connection?

I live out in the middle of nowhere and still have good internet.

Even when I travel with consoles, in hotel rooms I’ve never had an issue.
 
Is it 100% confirmed that Hogwarts Legacy is always online? To what extent, like you can't even start the game if your internet is down? Is there a source?

If it's true, that's some completely unacceptable bullshit. Utterly gross.
 
Is it 100% confirmed that Hogwarts Legacy is always online? To what extent, like you can't even start the game if your internet is down? Is there a source?

If it's true, that's some completely unacceptable bullshit. Utterly gross.
I’m calling it, op is full of shit.

Why would a non multiplayer game be always online in the first place.

I can believe it for online racers like gt (as shitty as it is) but this game would make even less sense.
 
Single player never should have online.

People who said "who doesnt have internet" is the dumbest shit ever.
What irks is me that there literally are people who dont have internet readily available.

Doesnt even have to be some third world country, some highly developed nations just have some areas that aren't accessible - or at least, heavily throttled by caps.
 
What irks is me that there literally are people who dont have internet readily available.

Doesnt even have to be some third world country, some highly developed nations just have some areas that aren't accessible - or at least, heavily throttled by caps.
Also, there are power outages.
 
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