Topic: Command and Conquer 4 - Update: Online only DRM causing problems (Reply 16)

[MysterD]

Hmmm...is EA gearing up for Command and Conquer 4?

Command & Conquer 4 Details?
   
[Jun 22, 2009, 8:09 pm ET] - Share - Viewing Comments

A post on CNC Generals World has word on an "official EA survey" they believe gives indications on new directions being considered for Command & Conquer 4, the next installment in the RTS series. A subsequent post makes it clear that this is not 100% confirmed, but they are confident in the survey's veracity (thanks Ant and Planet Command & Conquer), and Shacknews has the link to the online survey itself. Here are the parts that have everybody speculating:

    Play in the first RTS game with MMORPG like player progression in which you are rewarded every time you play. Every unit you kill in single player, multiplayer, or skirmish gives you experience points that allows you to level up your abilities and unlock new units, powers, and upgrades to your arsenal.

    Introducing the first mobile base in RTS games: The Crawler. Focus on the action as the Crawler becomes your all-in-one base, which can be deployed and redeployed anywhere on the battlefield for even more strategic options

    Play with all new, bigger and badder, units from GDI and Nod, including the Crawler, the first ever mobile base in RTS games

    Dive into an all-new story written by a new scriptwriting team and told through trademark C&C cinematics taken to the next level with grittier, stylized FMVs in the vein of Minority Report.

    Play in the first ever class-based C&C game – a new challenge for C&C and RTS players to master

    Play the campaign on your own or tackle it with a friend, as co-operative campaigns return

    Play in epic 5 vs 5 online multiplayer with all new objective-based game modes

[MysterD]

Ummm....oops?

[PyroMenace]

Too early for another C&C.

[MysterD]

C&C4 will require an Internet Connection at ALL TIMES -- whether you're doing SP or MP.

[Xessive]

Well that's bollocks. I'm not gonna get all pissy about it since I'm not even gonna consider the game anyway.

[MysterD]

Maybe I'll consider it, at $10.

Maybe I should actually look through at my entire C&C Collection and actually install ONE of those games first!

[scottws]

Westwood would have to pay me to even try the game anyway.  This just means they would have had to pay me more.

[idolminds]

There is nothing "DRM" about this. They are not managing your digital rights. No installation limits, no activation limits, no CD necessary in the drive. You need to be connected to the internet because the game utilizes that internet connection in its most basic fundamental design.

Actual quote from IGN poster. Hard to believe people will believe this shit. As if they couldn't possibly allow people to play singleplayer completely offline.

I have zero interest in the series so this doesn't actually affect me. Still pisses me off because its more bullshit that will probably spread to other games.

[MysterD]

DRM = limits any way you can use the game. If you can ONLY play SP online, that's DRM, as far as I'm concerned.

Idol, you're so right -- I so hope other games with SP pieces don't go this route.

Damn EA and their DRM-ish ways...

[Quemaqua]

It will spread quick enough, though not so much just because of this.  "Games as a service" is the mantra the whole industry is going to be chanting.

Also, fuck all of you corporate sluts out there.  Especially the IGN/Steam group.  It's a wonder any of you can even sit down at your computers to type after all that endless reaming.

[MysterD]

It will spread quick enough, though not so much just because of this.  "Games as a service" is the mantra the whole industry is going to be chanting.

I have no problem w/ that mantra, if they give you "service" in the right way -- see CD Projekt, if you want a company who does that mantra correctly: no DRM in their stuff, constant patches, free updates/DLC in patches, etc etc.

What EA is doing here -- SP component must be played online -- is NOT the right way to give you "service".

Also, fuck all of you corporate sluts out there.  Especially the IGN/Steam group.  It's a wonder any of you can even sit down at your computers to type after all that endless reaming.

And we wonder sometimes why PC gaming is always said to be dying -- b/c corporates try to push unnecessary DRM schemes and the lemmings still buy these games at FULL PRICE.

[Quemaqua]

I have no problem w/ that mantra, if they give you "service" in the right way -- see CD Projekt, if you want a company who does that mantra correctly: no DRM in their stuff, constant patches, free updates/DLC in patches, etc etc.

But that isn't really what they mean when they say "games as a service".  They aren't talking strictly about updates and added content.  I mean yeah, they put those concepts forward because they want people to be excited and not pissed off, but it's just another way to gain further control over the consumer and is completely meaningless.  When they say "games as a service", they really mean that you won't truly own the games you play.

[MysterD]

These companies need to stop serving themselves and serve the customer.
Last time I checked, the customer is (usually) always right.

[beo]

eh, this sucks. i'm a big c&c fan, and bought every game in the series up until ra3 (which i pirated due to their over the top drm / install limits). feels like they're just churning them out now anyway.

[idolminds]

The best quote from the C&C devs:

As a nice side effect, since C&C4 requires players to be online all the time in order to prevent cheating, we'll be shipping without any form of DRM.

Which someone else rightfully corrected:

As a nice side effect, since C&C4 requires players to be online all the time in order to prevent cheating, we'll be shipping without any other form of DRM.

[MysterD]

No LAN support and No Ded-servers for C&C4 PC.

[MysterD]

Looks like the same problem UbiSoft had w/ their PC DRM wanting you to be online all the time is happening also w/ C&C4 for the PC.