@stan_boyd @Stag_Lee @AventusAretino @djwood84 But those are patches which don't need cloud computing. You were talking about massive changes to the game world, and that won't happen with AAA games unless there are massive injections of money to pay for it.
@stan_boyd @Stag_Lee @AventusAretino @djwood84 That sort of thing could add a lot to a game, sure. But why disallow offline gaming for games that don't do that?
The problem I see with it is that continually altering the world like that takes continual dedication from the company. It works with WoW because there's that monthly fee which ensures Blizzard's attention stays strong. But with many, many other games the attention wanes and the game's forgotten except for small patches.
In cases without a monthly fee (or f2p), it's done with expansions, and those can alter the game without using a cloud system.
I'd hate to see a world where all games work by monthly fees!
@stan_boyd @Stag_Lee @AventusAretino @djwood84 Well that could be true. Though I would guess that the limiting factors on the ambition and size of a game are primarily money and time. I don't really know, though, I'm sure space is a factor too.
@AventusAretino @djwood84 It's not that difficult to sell the idea. Simply list the benefits. Simply state how being online while playing a single player game is a good thing for the gamer.
It isn't a matter of poor communication on Microsoft's part. It's that the only benefits to always-online are benefits for the company, not the consumer. So they had nothing to say about it. I have yet to hear anyone give any reasons at all as to why always-online is a good thing.
@Andrendenum1 Maybe I'm cynical, but I'd guess that Microsoft's always online policy was about advertising and anti-piracy. Maybe I'm just cynical.
Also, we shouldn't conflate video gaming with communication. The opposition to always-online is because for single-player games it's not necessary (it *is* necessary for those other things you mention). So, it's a barrier and a liability where it doesn't need to be.
I hate it when my internet goes out and I can't watch Youtube, but that's how Youtube has to work. It doesn't have to work that way for my single-player games.
@Iggnatz I'm not saying the internet is bad. If I want to communicate then being online is great, but if I want to play GTA V then there's no need to be online and it only becomes a barrier and a liability.
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