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Microsoft Studios' creative director has some choice words about always-online

Metroidvania

People called Romanes they go the house?
Whoa, I come back from page 63 to Sunhi GIFS, Sweet Billy/Orth having a GAF account, and more apologists and "It doesn't affect me so I don't care" people.

What a thread indeed.

edit: Also, it's been said before, but he was 'trolling' in regards to the city comment, not on the standalone comments about the false equivalence 'always online' analogies.
 

slider

Member
It could be price...

Yeah, I mentioned that before. I've always said I think cost of entry is crucial in terms of perception. So some sort of pricing model that's super cheap but with a subscription. Hmm.

Anyone, I'm done speculating on all this additional BS. Show me some games MS.
 

Jarmel

Banned
Someone help me understand this.

The rumors say that they're using activation codes as well as checking to see if you're still connected to the internet. What I'm not understanding is why they would need always online if they have activation codes. Seems redundant as all hell. If the XBL account already shows that the game has been activated, what is there to check?

Activation codes only would make way more sense than whats currently being proposed. It would be just like steam at that point.

Prevent piracy. Would make homebrewing much harder.
 

Ifrit

Member
But it still has to check in initially..... every time you start a game...

I mean we technically do not know what "Always online" means yet.... If it is the game pauses and crashes your save and trolls you when your connection drops then yeah, obviously F that, but if it checks in like PS+ to allow you to play the game and isn't killing the experience then maybe it will be good for developers and bad for gamestop.

What effect does that really have on me? We really don't know yet. If it means NO USED GAMES then MS is likely in trouble....

No it doesn't check online when you start a game, what are you talking about? Have you ever used psn+?

I've played psn+ games offline without a single problem
 

ekim

Member
Just updated shinra-bansho list:


http://www.4players.de/4players.php...20_Weitere_Geruechte_um_Always-on-Ansatz.html
http://www.gamestar.de/hardware/konsolen/microsoft-xbox-720/xbox_720,483,3010968.html
http://www.gamersglobal.de/news/67536/xbox-720-always-on-ms-creative-director-aeussert-sich-upd
 

Takuya

Banned
Not surprised. AC4 needing a constant online connection is probably connected to the sea faring aspect. Perhaps a feature where everyone roams the high seas battling it out in a persistent multiplayer environment?

Seems always online is the new thing. Destiny, Watch Dogs, AC4, I'm sure there are many, many more.

I thought I had heard a Ubisoft representative mention that online is a big part of what the game (Watch Dogs) is about, but that it isn't required.
 

CTLance

Member
Fine with me as I have truly unlimited internet. I can't see what the fuss is as if your internet connection is patchy change isp to a more reliable one.
Well, that's, like, your opinion, man.

Personally, I have 80MBit cable with amazing uptime. Much of my equipment is technically online all the time. However: I will not, ever, buy anything that actually requires me to be online 24/7.

Even with steam and its spotty offline mode I have made sure that I only get games on sales at or below 5, sparsely 15 bucks a pop - with the firm knowledge of not owning, more like "renting" these games until something goes wrong: The 21st century version of going through the bargain bin at the dollar store. There are very few exceptions to this, namely WH40k Space Marine, Dawn of War 2 and the Orange Box, that I bought at full retail price. The first two were a lapse in judgment due to extreme franchise/dev fanboyism, the latter is a game collection of undeniable quality and value.

So... if this turns out to be true the 360 successor will not even be considered by me.

Sure, a 100 bucks console with a PSN like subscription model at 10 bucks per month and delivering full retail-quality games, not "monthly DLC-crippled shovelware" titles may perhaps convince me otherwise, but seriously, that's extremely unlikely.
 
iunno, the guy he was "trolling with" seems to agree that they do it all the time back n fourth
Na2Xkh0.png


but it was pretty stupid either way to be doing that....

It seems like a really unusual cover up... Just how everything is said here.
 

Ploid 3.0

Member
izDWOrU1WBtUG.gif


I think the Kaz gifs need to be redone to remove the PlayStation meeting notice so they make for better general use...

I burst out laughing at this. The way the guy just gave up. What movie is it from? The shooter reminds me of the smooth skin assassin from Smoking Aces.
 

slider

Member
I thought I had heard a Ubisoft representative mention that online is a big part of what the game (Watch Dogs) is about, but that it isn't required.

This just made me realise that my game of the generation, Warhawk, was online only. Not the same thing but it did give me that realisation. I remember thinking it felt weird when I first started playing.

Also: Play Warhawk. Amazing fun.
 

LiquidMetal14

hide your water-based mammals
Oh my word, how do you even know Kaz fired him and he didn't leave of his own volition. Blind loyalty is unattractive.

The guys is still............questionable but hey, I guess if you can try to put some different spin on it then why not.

Speaking of blind loyalty, it's the minority in this thread but you can sure see who is keen on defending MSFT for this here.
 

Takuya

Banned
This just made me realise that my game of the generation, Warhawk, was online only. Not the same thing but it did give me that realisation. I remember thinking it felt weird when I first started playing.

Also: Play Warhawk. Amazing fun.

Warhawk was definitely a great game.
 

statham

Member
Just updated shinra-bansho list:

well, if MS wanted to keep the next box a secret.....

dude is toast.
 

Doffen

Member
The Norwegian videogame media seems very eager to portrait Adam as a Microsoft Studio head/boss, not a creative director for a project.
 

Dunlop

Member
If GAF is responsible for changing Microsoft's course on next-gen Xbox, I'll erect a statue in NeoGAF's honor on my front lawn goddamnit.

MS might have never planned to have "always online" DRM, but now it will be GAF that takes credit if it is not the case ; )
 

danwarb

Member
I'm 97.642% sure it won't be always online in that sense, because how could they be that stupid?

This guy's just a bit of a prat/has messed himself.
 

teiresias

Member
I followed this thread until 3am on my phone last night so didn't bother to post, besides which at 3am I really HAD to get to bed.

Here's my take.

Could the city thing have been friendly joking? Possibly, but his tweets to others outside of that supposed "friendly banter" indicate he holds the general additude that the "why would I live there" post engenders. Absent any other input from MS (and given what we know about the current makeup of the leadership for the 720 team) the only real conclusion I can draw is that this disregard and callous attitude towards their customers and the gamer fanbase is actually how the company feels. It's a horribly cynical and myopic way to view your customers.

Do I want him to lose his job? I don't have an opinion either way if he loses it or keeps it. I wouldn't be surprised if either happened, but this is certainly not the way to address future customers and address their concerns over what MS is trying to do to gaming as an eco-system.

Further, IF there are any 3rd-party exclusives for 720 that are announced that can be surmised to have become exclusives because of the always-online functionality, than that will also tell me all I need to know about those publishers and/or dev houses - that is I will no longer need to worry about supporting their products either. Giving a system like this any exclusive content is an endorsement of the anti-consumer sentiment wrapped-up in the entire conception of this always-online ecosystem.

Also, trying to equate (as some have done) no BC in PS4 to this always-online thing is ridiculous. There's a reason I'll still be able to play my disc-based PS3 content after purchasing a PS4 - because the PS3 doesn't have authentication servers that will be shut down in X or Y number of years and no longer be able to play any of the software (granted the PSN stuff is possibly another matter, but I'm willing to give Sony a little leverage here concerning BC so they can get themselves on a x86 platform and off of Cell).

This means that for 720 there's no "wait and see" for me to know how well MS's services hold up under launch-day strain. I KNOW FOR A FACT that someday those servers will be taken offline and all the software that was purchased will no longer work and was, in actuality, a rental. Therefore, there's no interest at all in buying it regardless of how much uptime the service weathers during launches and under heavy usage load.
 
I thought I had heard a Ubisoft representative mention that online is a big part of what the game (Watch Dogs) is about, but that it isn't required.

I don't recall seeing any mention of it being playable offline. The entire game seems to be built around the invasion mechanic where others can invade your game through their phones, etc.

It's entirely possible there is an offline mode, but I suspect the game would be lacking in so many features/options, that it would essentially be an unplayable husk of what it would otherwise be if you were online.
 

bndadm

Member
Let's say I have a great internet connection because I live in one of them "big cities" (I don't actually).

With the trend of ISP charging by volume you use in a given month, coupled with always online possibility, wouldn't people then begin to see an increase in their monthly bill?

Suddenly that new Durango the parents have bought their kid is affecting their monthly bills. Well that's not going to go down so well.

However I don't understand if the always-online would require a lot of data useage unless you were playing multiplayer. If anyone has a better idea of that throttling in practice, I'd like to know.
 
I'm 97.642% sure it won't be always online in that sense, because how could they be that stupid?

This guy's just a bit of a prat/has messed himself.
It could be that their higher ups at the gaming division feel similar to sweet billy about how most consumers will react to an always online console. That they will just get with the times.
 
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