C&C4 Will Require Always-On Internet
C&C4 will require an "always on" Internet connection, however the game will ship without DRM.
Fans anticipating the release of Blizzard's StarCraft II--and the eventual release of Diablo III--have faced the bitter realization that the company has chosen to omit LAN support in both PC games. Outraged by the news, fans lashed out at the company in bitter protest, however Blizzard stands firm in its opposition against the inclusion of LAN. But now there's something else to protest: EA's upcoming fourth installment of Command & Conquer will require an "always on" Internet connection.
"As of right now, you need to be online all the time to play C&C 4," confirmed community leader APOC over on the CNCDen forums. "This is primarily due to our "player progression" feature so everything can be tracked. C&C 4 is not an MMO in the sense of World of Warcraft, but conceptually it has similar principles for being online all the time." This means that no matter what mode gamers are playing--whether it's the single-player campaign or the multiplayer portion--the game must be connected to the Internet at all times.
He also added that the team has been testing this feature internally with all of its world-wide markets. "We wanted to make sure it wouldn't take away any significant market or territory from playing the game," he said. "We have not found or seen any results that have made us think otherwise. You won't need a fast connection, in fact, you could be on age-old dial-up, and have the same single player experience as everyone else. Online all the time won't cause lag for single-player. We've also heavily worked on the online infrastructure such that people with slower connections will not lag other players with faster connections in Multiplayer."
A prior interview with designer Samuel Bass revealed that the "always on" Internet enforcement actually prevents players from cheating, as the game will be shipping without DRM.
or how about laptop users who want to play during a trip?
this new gaming "requirement" is making me VERY VERY angry on one of the most anticipated game....
+1, its our own desire to cheat on single-player. If it doesn't skew the stats in meaningful way, then there is no justification for this feature.
or how about laptop users who want to play during a trip?
this new gaming "requirement" is making me VERY VERY angry on one of the most anticipated game....
Pirating is absolutely an issue here. It's much easier to get a cd key that works offline illegally.
Thanks Blizzard/Activision & EA, 2009/2010 will surely feel nice on the wallet.
I'd like to know where they got their numbers from, because the only areas I can think of where everyone has internet is big cities, which is about 5% of the world's land mass. There are many places where you have to use satellite or 3g options, both very bandwidth limited and expensive.
Someday we'll need constant internet for our shower to work, so someone can constantly monitor the water temperature for us or something ridiculous like that. I know that's an outrageous comparison, but who knows what will come in the next 50 years or so.
The idea that one should be required to be connected to the internet at all times when playing the single player portion of the game is absolutely absurd. If the game constantly checks for a connection then even just a small bleep can ruin all that you did before your last save.
thats like saying "we're going to outlaw driving, however we will no longer police traffic infringements"
this IS DRM! its the worst type yet! and the truly think it isn't!??
JUST BECAUSE WOW HAS A BAZILION PLAYERS, DOESN'T MEAN WE ALL PLAY EXPENSIVE, BORING MMOS!!!!! and we DON'T all have net access all the time, you CAN'T make a game that requires net access and expect it to be played at lan's.
maybe they are right tho, its not like starcraft or diablo was ever popular at lans............
I am on my 4th run of Obivion with a different carecter with my 2nd run on the X3 terran Conflicked I have cut out EA games with C&C, Red Alert and all those old good war games So I still refuse to pirate any
Again well done you bunch of Donkies :-)
Gazz