SimCity: The Backlash
from the still-plenty-of-'online-only'-hate-available! dept
It's not as if EA couldn't have seen this coming. Pretty much everything that could go wrong with SimCity's launch has gone wrong. But EA was warned. A Reddit AMA with the SimCity developers made it perfectly clear how unhappy people were with the online-only requirements. SimCity's closed beta had its own issues, mainly server access (not enough of it).
But EA didn't seem too concerned and went ahead with the launch. Shortly thereafter, everything fell apart. The servers couldn't handle the demand, something which would have been less damaging if there had been any sort of offline option. Much of the processing is handled server-side (along with storage of all saved games) and if customers couldn't find a free slot on a server then they just didn't get to enjoy their $60 purchase.
The backlash was immediate. And immense. Polygon (the Verge's gaming site) lowered its original 9.5 rating to 8.0 because of the online issues. Giant Bomb gave it a rather low 3 out of 5, largely due to the fact that EA made a single player game multiplayer-only to justify its online-only DRM/"social" features. Reviewer Jonathan Cresswell handed in quite possibly the most succinct (but most telling) review of all.
Elsewhere, paying customers have expressed their displeasure. Metacritic's critic score sits at 82. The user score? 1.8. Things are nearly as bad at Amazon, where SimCity currently holds a 1.5 star rating. (The digital version is faring even worse - 1.0.) In a rather unprecedented move, Amazon has pulled the PC Download version completely, citing EA's server issues. When will it be back? Amazon says: "We don't know when or if this item will be available again."
Other game retailers have pounced on the opportunity provided by EA's colossal blunder. GOG tweaked EA with a tweet pointing out that DRM-free SimCity 2000 doesn't require an internet connection (and is only $5.99), resulting in a sales bump that has sent SimCity 2000 to #3 on the "Top Sellers" chart. Another Redditor suggested Steam follow suit and kick off an "offline-capable city sim sale," featuring non-online-only city sims with new deals arriving each day "until SimCity is playable."
EA, for its part, is working hard to add capacity, but much of the effort seems a bit too late. The damage has already been done, and EA has destroyed a lot of gamer goodwill, something it really doesn't have in excess. As part of the effort to extinguish these self-inflicted fires, EA is now shutting off "non-essential features" to ease the server load. One of the first to go is "cheetah speed," the fastest simulation setting. This may do exactly what EA hopes it does (free up servers), but it is going to piss off even more customers, as Kyle Orland at Ars Technica points out.
Presumably this is to give the servers more time to process the thousands of simultaneous city simulations that are all feeding into its global and regional networks. In any case, this is a core piece of the gameplay that's now being hampered by EA's continuing server problems; in my 16 or so hours playing the game, I'd estimate 15 or so have been spent running at Cheetah. Slowing things down, even temporarily, is likely to impact a whole lot of players negatively.Whether or not this backlash/implosion will hurt EA in the long run remains to be seen. It has made no secret of the fact that it wants all of its games to eventually have some sort of "online component," if for no other reason than to (slightly) impede piracy and eliminate second-hand game sales. The odds are that EA will continue to push the online requirement, passing the costs of any outages along to the customers in the form of useless purchases and higher game prices.
Some gamers are attempting to push back. A petition has been started at change.org requesting EA remove "online only" requirements from SimCity (most likely impossible, but...) and future games. It's well on its way to hitting 25,000 signatures in less than 24 hours (and should be well past that by the time this hits the front page), which should give EA some idea how many people are displeased with the SimCity debacle.
It's not completely unheard of for AAA developers to reverse course on onerous DRM (Ubisoft, for one), but EA didn't become one of the most hated companies in America by catering to the whims of its customers. If nothing else, gamers can take heart in the fact that other developers will view this as a cautionary tale, rather than a blueprint for success.
Now, if you're still waiting for an open server slot, why don't you kill a little time with the included Solitaire game? (Image by Redditor PainLing)
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In the end I don't think piracy would have cost them that much.
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It's too bad this kind of thing couldn't happen to a crappy game instead....
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I do love Sim City too and it saddens me that this is the game that flopped big time. But if it serves to stop such stupidity (draconian DRM) then so be it.
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sadly this is typical of game companies today, and they wotn sell the IP even if they think the franchise is not worth continuing, because they dont want anybody else making money off it either.
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The creators of those games are gone. Some moved to different projects, some created their own studios. All of the people that created the games you knew are not a part of this publisher's war on piracy.
You might want to support them, but there are some serious competitors that can take their place on various fronts. I like the City XL game myself and I have a phone that plays another city builder game for free.
If EA wanted my money, they would stop trying to fight piracy, compete with their past games and provide better features than what they have now. The anger and rage that people are feeling is the rage of people being exploited for no reason other than trying to make money as quickly as possible.
Sad to say, but if their best games are in the past, then so is that company. Nothing they could do could convince people they're worth a damn if they have a history of thinking of the public as morons instead of deserving customers.
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This new SimCity release makes me very, very sad.
What's even sadder is that I wouldn't have even cared if they had marketed it as the MMORPG they clearly think of it as now -- then I would not have thought of it as a "real" SimCity in the first place, which as it turns out it is not.
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Stating that it cannot be played offline because the simulations are too heavy for a PC is complete bullshit. The average PC today could probably handle being a server for a small region with 2 or 3 cities that would interact with the single-player gamer. You know, multi-thread and so on?
This was just an attempt to stop piracy with lame excuses that backfired in the most epic way.
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1) Get DRM.
2) Can squeeze performance out of lower end machines lowering the min specs.
3) Don't have to spend time and money having a local version of region simulation in the client.
The whole thing stinks of saving money and gaining advantage at expense of the consumer. Any one who thinks EA is actually running a serious amount of simulation on their servers just needs to think about the costs involved in that. The game is not subscription and they clearly couldn't be assed buying enough server space to actually cope with a launch, hoping instead to ride out the wave based on pre sales.
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I honestly think the amount they may loose from piracy has got to be less then the cost to build and maintain the metric shit ton of servers they need to run the game as it is now. I work for a company that runs data centers all over the world, this stuff is not cheap.
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Sure, decades from now it falls out of copyright, but at that point in time, EA (if its still around) does not have to make the process of actually playing it easy or simple. There's no legal requirement to release the source code or to develop and publish a fully working crack, or to patch the DRM out of the game. All that would happen is that EA would lose the legal right to sue people for distributing the game. That's all.
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What's the point of incentvizing the creation of works if they never fall into the public domain, whether because the duration is too long to be relevant or the duration is too long for the work to be preserved in its original medium?
Copyright incentivizes making money off of copyright and that's it.
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Sure, servers can hold more RAM and more processors than the average desktop, but those components are expensive (for both systems). A lot more expensive then a one time per customer $60 purchase would ever cover, even if every penny went to the server infrastructure.
Unless you did it on the cheap, and simply didn't put enough server resources in place to handle the player load. Maybe build a queuing system to force players to wait for their slice of server CPU/RAM. Nah, that would be an evil thing to do to your customers.
Wouldn't it?
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All well and good if it helps people with lame pcs to get it to run, but in my experience so far, the limiting factor to performance is the required internet connection.
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Well that should come across as obvious bull shit to anyone who knows about computers. Is EA really saying they are going to setup super computers to run their game for everyone? That is insane path to take. They have to then maintain lots of very powerful servers.
This game is doomed just because of the cost to EA of running all that. In a few years they will pull the plug on servers due to high cost of running them.
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Which one is cheaper: optimized and decent code or investing in supercomputers to run the software I wonder... according to my employer its definitely the first.
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I don't think anyone believes this shit. Implausible even for non tech-savvy gamers
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Polygon review down to 4
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Re: Polygon review down to 4
This is Ground Control to Major Polygon
You've really changed the grade
And the blogs want to know whose money you take
Now it�s time to leave the capsule if you dare
Sorry, couldn't help myself.
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Monetize that delay!
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The beauty of it is that they can't blame piracy because it's online-only.
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They'll blame piracy anyway.
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I didn't buy it. I signed the petition. I backed Civitas on Kickstarter. I tweeted EA the proof that I'd done so, proving that I was a lost sale.
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http://i.imgur.com/JTbXxQT.gif?1
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"Some gamers are attempting to push back."
"Whether or not this backlash/implosion will hurt EA in the long run remains to be seen." -- Yeah, "capitalism" doesn't work the way you think. Once a corporation gets above a crucial point, it's increasingly independent from pressure as enough dolts go along with it regardless. -- MICROSOFT.
As there will, despite this, remain enough buying to keep EA in biz, I don't see the good of your ranting. -- It's just part of the "gamer" syndrome so you can't keep from it.
But you haven't actually shown anything about DRM: I think it certain that EXCEPT for (this anomaly of) bad implementation (that's likely fix-able), it'd be a minor nuisance.
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Re: "Some gamers are attempting to push back."
There are countless examples of how DRM does not reduce piracy and only punishes those who buy the game legitimately.
Pull your head out of your arse for two seconds and you might see that.
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Re: "Some gamers are attempting to push back."
You haven't been reading properly (or most likely filter out whatever's inconvenient to your attacks and arguments).
This is the latest in a long, long line of disasters that have left people unable to access the content they have legally purchases or created new problems only experienced by non-pirates. Anything from "Plays For Sure" DRMed music being revoked to content being randomly deleted from Kindles to rootkits on CDs, any attempt at DRM that affects anyone at all will only affect legal customers. The pirates are laughing at you while they access the content that DRM hasn't prevented them from accessing.
DRM is a disaster and always will be. The way to get people to pay is to offer better products in the way people want them. As soon as you people stop pretending that anyone who criticises DRM must be a pirate and actually listen to what customers are demanding, you're doomed to failure repeatedly.
"I think it certain that EXCEPT for (this anomaly of) bad implementation (that's likely fix-able), it'd be a minor nuisance."
It's not a minor nuisance if you don't have a regular/constant/fast internet connection. With or without server problems, this decision left many unable to play at all, and left many others finding that they can't play where they wish (want to play on a long plane flight? Sorry, you must be a pirate, no gameplay for you!).
They've lost more customers over this than any kind of piracy, I'll bet. I certainly won't be buying this crap, fix or no fix, just as I didn't buy Spore, Diablo 3 or any of the other games they tried to destroy their own customer base with.
Their competitors thank them, and supporters like you who cheer on every bad decision.
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Re: "Some gamers are attempting to push back."
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Re: "Some gamers are attempting to push back."
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20111208/12500917012/riaa-doesnt-apologize-year-long-blog-cen sorship-just-stands-its-claim-that-site-broke-law.shtml
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Re: "Some gamers are attempting to push back."
This failure isn't and anomaly/exception/whathever you can come up with. It is THE FUCKING RULE. DRM's main policy is to Royally fuck up the user that BOTHERED TO BUY THE GAME. If you need examples, take a look at SecuROM, Sony's infamous XCP, Starforce and EVERY SINGLE ALWAYS-ONLINE DRM. I can't name every single failed DRM scheme because the list would be far too long, but those should give you an example.
With that said, i wonder if you really mean what you post OR if you are just an attention troll trying to get... well... attention. You write too much idiocy in only one post... I can't imagine someone is that stupid...
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Re: "Some gamers are attempting to push back."
If DRM locks me out of anything I've purchased through no fault of my own (doesn't have to be a video-game) then its NOT a minor nuisance. I've made the choice to pay the company to play the game. They've taken the money and ostensibly given me access. Now I find out that I can't use the software at a time of my choosing: I have no control at all over the servers.
Besides, the removal of features...can't that be classed as a bait and switch. EA promised features XYZ...and pulled features Y and Z. Wouldn't that in and of itself be illegal?
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It won't. As a mob, people are stupid with short memories.
I swore off EA back in the Spore days:
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20080924/1831242364.shtml
But that didn't slow down EA any more than this will. Because while they might lose a few, the Mobs keep buying the EA sequels.
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Here, however, we have several very real issues. First off, EVERYBODY is affected. From reviewers to retailers to gamers, everybody's having problems. You can't play the game without being aware of the online component and how bad it is. Anyone seeking support will be quickly informed that the problems are due to a deliberate, unnecessary move by EA. There's a huge amount of bad press, including from mainstream outlets like the BBC, not just gaming press and forums.
Even that might not be enough, but there's the reactions by retailers to consider here. They will have lost sales by Amazon's suspension of sales. EA's management can't be blind to the reactions from competing vendors - they might not mind that an EA game is getting sales on GoG (assuming they still get royalties), but Steam are literally making money off the back of this for their competitors.
Add to that the inevitable class action suit that will be filed against them, and EA have a major public image problem among people who might not have noticed or cared before. There could well be problems, and changes at EA to try and mitigate the damage. Not holding my breath, but this is definitely worse than their previous problems unless people really do forget about it completely in a week when the problems are ironed out for most people. We shall see...
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I get that for the most part(namely when it's actually working) the game is supposed to be quite good, but 'a great game that doesn't work' should not be dropped down to 'a mostly great game that doesn't work', it should be dropped down to 'this game is broken, do not buy.'
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Can we now please agree that DRM makes for a horrible business model?
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Re: amazon
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To any Frustrated Aussies
If however you bought it via Origin you can still demand a refund via Origin service, though it might take a while (And a lot of pushing, threatening to take to local Fair Trading Dept, and writing of your grief on places like Whirlpool etc).
For those who have been told they cannot get a refund, EA just released a Press release in regards to the Origin Store
"Origin Australia is covered under the Origin Global Terms of Sale. However, for our customers in Australia, Origin will always comply with Australian consumer laws that apply to the purchases consumers make in Australia. These consumer rights are in addition to those in the EA Terms of Sale in our Origin store." [emphasis added]
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Re: To any Frustrated Aussies
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They are fully statutory rights that can never, no matter what is signed or agreed to, be taken away and are also for the life of the product not just a set 12 month warranty period as it used to be. Oh and telling someone they cannot get a refund/repair/replacement (consumer choice) is also an offence.
You can just imagine Microsoft, Abode's, and Apple's (to name a few international corporations) distress at the audacity of consumers to state what they will get ;)
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If it were me, I'd demand the repair option. Sorry EA, but screw you and turn the servers back on. You broke it, now fix it. Maybe that sort of forced commitment to legacy support would actually get them to rethink this always connected nonsense.
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No, fuck that, the problem is not the servers going offline, but that the software is defective. Repair it by removing the bug~~~ I mean DRM.
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Easy answer
It's the same thing that Adobe has done with Photoshop--you cannot find a stand-alone version of it. You must run it online. The benefit -- oh you get almost immediate access to new features -- whoopee! But you pay 50 bucks a month forever if you want to use Photoshop.
You just watch--EA will want you to pay for "real" access and limit you unless you pay. It's just a money grab. So, don't buy into it--do not support this and they will stop if they want to stay in business.
Yes, I know you love the game(s), but do you want to pay FOREVER just to play? There are other games out there, go play them until EA comes to their senses.
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I did that ages ago. We shall just gloss over the fact that I lost interest in gaming in general.
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Re: Easy answer
I stopped buying their products, and stopped PC gaming in general a long time ago. You know what got blamed for my lost purchases? Piracy.
That's the big problem - these people have convinced themselves that piracy is the big boogeyman and the only thing they need to fight, to the point that they don't see all the other problems.
Sadly, until they see reality and realise that they're losing actual sales due to the attempts they make to regain the sales they assume they have "lost", this will continue. But, simply losing sales won't be the answer until they can be convinced that it their own actions, not piracy, that's the cause.
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(Although if your reason for giving up gaming is a lack of time, sadly enough, I completely understand that one.)
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I still buy plenty of console games (from small/indie devs as well as mainstream stuff), and I regularly buy from GoG and Humble Bundle for Mac/Linux (every bundle in fact apart from the Android ones) as well as other less travelled venues.
I'll definitely continue to support the small guys, and I've bought more than one game purely because the devs have made it clear that a lack of DRM and other restrictions was a major focus. My response above was just to illustrate that my switch would have been interpreted by the likes of EA as lost due to piracy, rather than my real reasons.
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Though I did buy one game that I play both Console and PC - Battlefield 3, though there is a reason for that. BF3 on console is okay.. but on PC - 63 other players per map.
I still support EA through Console games (FIFA is mandatory in our household) but no more PC (WIN) games.
Piracy though has been around ever since games of any description were able to be played on PC's and DRM is NOT going to ever solve the problem. Though I do remember some older games that came with a 'shock horror' paper used to ask for a code from page xx before play. That is all DRM should ever be and start actually producing innovative new games with entertaining value that lasts more than 10hrs and have value added structures and maybe people will buy more. Or be happy that the limited amount of peoples entertainment budget is being spent on you at all.
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Meta Game
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Re: Meta Game
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Re: Meta Game
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Par for the course
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Re: Par for the course
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http://www.polygon.com/game/simcity-2013/2630
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Leaving money on the table
If EA really believed in their ability to serve their customers, they would not charge credit cards until game has successfully activated on the installation PC - but I'm guessing they'd rather take the money and (maybe) sort out the issues later.
Out of interest, are pirate versions available yet?
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Re: Leaving money on the table
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Re: Leaving money on the table
This one will probably take until at least Sunday. As far as I can see they need to either write or obtain and modify the server code to run locally, and then update the current game client to use that reproduced local server. Multiplayer options will probably take 2 weeks.
Take that piracy!
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Re: Re: Leaving money on the table
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Re: Leaving money on the table
The insanity worked for M$, it will work for EA.
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But between my frustration this week getting the SIMS 3 running for my wife and this crappy DRM - I guess I'll try CitiesXL.
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DRM Magic
Top stuff, lads.
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Re: DRM Magic
I refuse to Buy any of these Games and have for years.When they decide to End their bullshit then I will come back to the fold.
Till then it is TPB,Skidrow,Reloaded, and the rest of the Gang.
I used to have no issues Buying Legit Games when all you had to do was put in your CD/DVD and use Serial Number.
I Boycott all Dirty Rotten Media ! And I have stood by my Belief for many years.............forget how many but at least 7 years I bet.
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Re: Re: DRM Magic
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EA not supporting the troops
Studies show that game play can help reduce PTSD.
What does all this equal? EA is making moves that can result in our troops having worse PTSD. Is that aiding the enemy?
(Ok, I know thats going a little far, but really our Troop on deployment can't play these types of things with this DRM. )
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Re: EA not supporting the troops
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Petitions...
EA cares not for you. EA cares for money. Take away the money and they WILL listen.
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Petitions...
EA cares not for you. EA cares for money. Take away the money and they WILL listen.
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I would hazard a guess they may roll out a patch in a few months (for a nominal fee) that would allow storing data locally to allow you to migrate to another server.
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Funny thing about that is that micropolis IS the original simcity released under GPL by EA for the one laptop per child thing.
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Idiots!
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Re: Idiots!
It's a major money grab andthat's going to make this worse...
http://www.polygon.com/2013/3/7/4076570/ea-not-offering-simcity-refunds
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Whatever, I'm going to go rebuy SimCity 2k, install it on every computer I own (thanks, GoG, glad SOMEONE gets it), and binge all weekend.
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The problems EA has, if they are determined, can be solved but its likely a massive server investment is on the executive chairman's desk right this moment. I think its idiocy to demand that most of the processing is done at the server level and makes the arguments they used weak at best if not total fabrication.
If anyone wants to sell me some software it had better be a stand alone disk or a way to make one that can be used for a 100% recovery without using the Internet ever. I have made exceptions for business reasons but as soon as an even closely viable alternative pops up... -jumps-
Btw, the games on Linux are slowly getting better.
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Valve are creating a console based on Linux, and as part of that they've recently released a Steam client for Linux (technically Ubuntu only, but it works on other distros, it's just not officially supported).
Watch this space for updates, it's only going to get better, and much more quickly I think:
http://store.steampowered.com/browse/linux/
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Trolls starved?
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Couldn't happen to a more deserving gaming company (other than Ubisoft). Years and years ago I quit buying both EA and Ubisoft over such BS. Only back then it was the stupid drm that acted more like a rootkit with no method to uninstall. The idea that you buy a game only to find out you can't install it but so many times before you have to buy a new license hasn't won anybody over either and totally eliminates the idea that I buy a game to play again and if I like it will go over a couple of computers. Viruses and malware make sure sooner or later you'll format and lose some of those installs.
If you are still buying from EA or Ubisoft, then suffer the consequences of not being able to tell them no with your wallet closed. It's not like they started this stuff with this one game.
If there was a motto for the pirates it would be "it just works" and yes, it's already been cracked. Apparently the server side doesn't do all that much calculation for the game.
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http://stockscores.com/quickreport.asp?ticker=EA
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They have this coming
Epic Fail on EA's part, like how they ruined RA3 with too much hamminess and unit gimiks.
Their so called server can't handle the massive influx of users popping in to play the latest Simcity. So it crashed, and burned due to overcapacity that leaves an almost denial-of-Service attack effect to all.
Congratulation to EA for making this sooo... HARDER than it has to be.
And I'm pretty sure the pirates are happy that their old, off-line simcity copies are now up in the charts and being sold like mad. :P
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Hoax!
In all seriousness, I love SimCity franchise, and am completely staying away from this game until the "always on DRM" is changed/removed (just require an online registration? Sounds simple enough). I'm not holding my breath though...
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The don't understand SImCity players
This is a personal game, it's not a real multi-player game. Some people like to leave it running (like the sims) all day. Some like to play on many different difficult levels and others like it to be it's own ecosystem like a fish tank. Online DRM won't let you do that. No matter how good an internet connection you have, you are risking losing the game at some point in 6 hours of play.
This is what happens to a company when a CEO get's an idea put in their head and they run with it for all products. They have to listen to the public and the analysts....ok just the public.. on how their games are used, appreciated and enjoyed.
If they are so concerned about piracy (which is not a real issue) then have the DRM on launch and then have it fuck off for the day.
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SimCopter
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EA could scupper the Pirates
That would be ironic. EA wouldn't need to pay any developers to add this feature; it would be developed quickly and they would make a buck off the backs of the pirates.
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I have a idea
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Please ask EA...
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Have had a couple good sessions, though a mixed bag of continual play vs. being knocked off the server.
If the server you're on when you start a city is busy when you return, SOL baby. Start a new city. wow.
I do expect it to get better but the online only thing? for $60?
And the online petition is now up to 47,000 signers. So yeah, a sliver of hope on that concept. WTF should I, a paying customer, have to be online to play? Oh right. I must be a criminal because I own a computer. So I must be protected from being tempted to join the piracy.
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Re:
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Succession wars
Only an idiot buys something before knowing what it is. Only the heir to the throne of the kingdom of idiots does this even when they know they can't get a refund if "it" turns out to be garbage.
Looks like succession wars in the kingdom of idiots...
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Re: Succession wars
I don't own any other online-only games. I've been a SimCity owner previously - and never before had any in the series been online-only.
Personally, I'm not a "gamer". I don't read gamer forums. Nor do I follow gaming news or visit gaming sites. I don't buy games I've never played before without doing research. Every previous version of SimCity I've owned was thoroughly enjoyable and each new version was better than the last.
So in that respect, there's no justification for calling someone like me an idiot. I had, until this week, considered myself reasonably aware enough of the SimCity franchise.
Now however, because EA has chosen the maximalist route, and failed to properly disclose this issue in their marketing spin, I have learned.
Yes, I've learned after spending the money.
No, I'm not completely unhappy, because what I have played when I've so far, in the horrific launch cycle, has been as good as all the other previous versions in many ways.
And even if I'm forever relegated to playing this online, I'm more than confident I'll get countless hours of enjoyment out of it. Hundreds if not several hundred. So what, that works out to pennies per play.
And yes, from now on, I'll be more aware and cynical of other situations that might lead to this.
But an idiot? please. Take the thoughtless inconsiderate teenage troll attitude and shove it.
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Re: Succession wars
The new Sim City box carries no warning of the totally online only saving mechanism. Average consumers will be duped and this is the biggest dick move since Spore initially being allowed to install only 3 times on a license key with an expiration date of 3 months.
*"Only an idiot developer creates something that requires begging for permission from the manufacturer to use their own product in a reasonable manner."
Fixed that for you.
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It's all about money, of course
What company does not anticipate the future? Anyone with a degree in common sense could have told EA that just the mention of anything remotely "Sim City" related would be a hit.
Except for the fact that they're trying to make more money than they deserve. The franchise is dust now, and perhaps that was the point: EA didn't really want to make this game, so they screwed it to the wall and called it good.
So in a few years time, they take the servers off line and recall 'the good old days' of taking the public for a cleaning, and making great money while doing it.
$60-$80 a person logging in, and how many tried, or succeeded? That's pure profit, because they got their money before the disaster. Anything after is icing on the cake.
Of course they're not going to refund money! They made sure of it in their 'agreement' when you signed up for Origin, and it was in the fine print.
A few servers is cheap insurance except for goodwill that's forever lost. Ah, well, that's the price of business these days.
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Mission accomplished.
Pretty hard to have second-hand sales without the first sale!
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http://parade.condenast.com/307549/charper138/what-do-gamings-past-and-present-say-about-its- future/
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bee
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