Would the DRM (& etc.) be more palatable if SH5 was a MMO?

[Letum]

Originally Posted by Sgtmonkeynads

Ehhh...instead of this DRM crap why not just give us a usb card that has to be plugged into a port inorder to play. Make it uncopyable and in shape of a Knights Cross, so when not in use it looks like a real one.

Yup. There are commercial systems like this already available for Ubi.

[Thomen]

Originally Posted by trenken

Well we already know the game isnt an MMO right now, but what the system would allow them to do is add modes after the game is released, dont even need to release an expansion pack. Maybe an open world mode where we can hunt together, or one teams plays the allies, the other team axis. I think that would be very cool.

The system would already be in place to allow them to seemlessly add modes like that, such as an MMO mode, which would really extend the life of the game. Instead of getting another sequel in 2 years, we get more modes, you can even update the games graphics through DRM for those that want to upgrade, but you can decline it if you want as well. Ive seen a few games do this.

And Ubi has said the game will still be modable, so maybe people could develop their own modes. There's a lot of possibilities there. I think it's a lot better than it was where the mods were very limited in what could be done with the game, in the sense that you couldnt add new modes that would allow other players to interact with each other in an open world online.

Gotta look at the bright side of things, it really does open a new world to SH.

SH5 will be, from what we told so far, mainly a single player game with a co-op mode. Everything else, as far add-ons, publisher/dev made mods and so on goes is pure speculation. However, I think a system like that would not be un-welcome, if it is optional.


According to the Devs, this time around they will provide better and more tools for modding, therefore making it easier to produce community made mods. The implementation of said mods, however may be a different question until it is known what exactly the OSP does and what files are checked and what modders are actually allowed to do without screwing the program up or getting hit with a hammer by Ubi.

With that said, if they would offer a Silent Hunter MMO (feasibility and playability ignored), I would buy it in an instance.. Hell I would buy two and double box it.

However, in the current state we wont play an SH MMO, but a single player game that is chained to a server.

Another point that comes up with the services you envisioned is the bandwidth requirements for the optional content, downloads or patches.

Besides the ones that have no or just irregular internet, there are still masses of people that either have slow throughput, or have a monthly transfer limit. I do not know if you are aware of it, but even Comcast planned to put a max transfer volume on their cable internet earlier last year.
(To be fair, I am not sure anymore of they still have that limit. I sincerly hope they got rid of it or even the idea.)

Other then that, good post.

[Platapus]

Originally Posted by Sgtmonkeynads

Ehhh...instead of this DRM crap why not just give us a usb card that has to be plugged into a port inorder to play. Make it uncopyable and in shape of a Knights Cross, so when not in use it looks like a real one.

Back when I was playing WoW, I had this security fob synchronized with the Blizzard servers. I had to enter this number once I logged in. Since the number changed every minute, it was pretty secure.

So there are ways to secure authentication for Sh5 without the need for a constant connection

[Sgtmonkeynads]

Time Compression in a multi player game could work!
It would be just like ships in a squad of x-wing fighters jumping to hyper-drive at the same time, but under each ships control.
You could be the leader of the pack and announce that you are jumping, you take off, the rest of us then have the choice of staying in our regular time or jumping with you. If we choose to stay, we keep going at our own pace and watch seagulls. Mean time you run into a convoy and instantly come out of T.C. as normal as soon as a ship is spotted. We then have to race to the scene as in real life, while you shadow. We can use T.C. as long as you are not spotted by the convoy while we do it.

If none of that made sense just think of how a fleet of star destroyers would act, it'd be the same thing.

[Sgtmonkeynads]

[QUOTE]

Originally Posted by Platapus

Back when I was playing WoW, I had this security fob synchronized with the Blizzard servers.

Thats where I got the idea. Now imagine it in a nice wood box like the one in the game. But how to get it implemented?

[d@rk51d3]

Hell Yeah.

My vote goes to the dongle.

[difool2]

Originally Posted by HundertzehnGustav

You cannot turn a Simulator into a MMO, what kind of a WONKY idea is that?

Maaaaaaan, you want to boe playing online only? i mean, no modded campaigns? The Campaign is done by UBI and we are just "running" it? Where is the fun in that?

Before i just start crying, go ahead and eplain yourself.
It seems to me that you did not put enough thought into your idea.
Think of how that could be done, be realistic, be moddable, and be stable.

then come back and submit again - i might possibly listen to such a proposal.
But at the moment, i wont.

AH! one more thing.
Make it so i can run it on a 10kB/s connection.

You assume that I am in favor of such an idea (I remain skeptical just because the gameplay in such a situation likely would be radically different than it currently is in SH3/4-i.e. more arcadey & instant action-ish)-reread my title again. Don't shoot the messenger IOW-just wanted to like I said put this thought out there for discussion.

And, just in case you are unaware, there ARE several simulation-based MMOs (WW2OL to name one, also Warbirds & Aces High).

If a mod group could rent a server, they most certainly could run their own mod on it, painlessly. I do agree that community fragmentation would be an issue, but so far we've just had a few megamods in SH3/4 that we all play (GWX, TM, RFB). Just asking people to think outside the box for a moment.

[artao]

trenken, I would play the game you are talking about. However, that is NOT SH V, and including this draconian DRM does not 'open up the possibility' of the game you're talking about. There is absolutely no need to force us to be online at all times while playing a single-player game. If they wanted me to go online to activate the game, and even re-activate it periodically, and log-in to download patches and/or new content, that would be fine with me. This 'you must be online to play at all' idea is a load of crap tho, and will not fly with the sim community.
If my machine is online, I have my anti-virus software running, proabably a firewall, etc ... If I want to play a computationally intensive game, I want my entire machine's capabilities available to it, and thus generally go offline and shut down all my background 'net-safety apps. Being forced to be online at all times to play, by myself, opens security holes I'm sure Ubi hasn't even begun contemplating. Plus I'd have to leave all my net-safety apps running, taking up valuable memory and CPU power.
MMOs are online games, so of course you have to be online. A single-player sim is NOT an online game, and forcing me to BE online to play is just absurd.
This scheme does not open up the possibilities you talk about. What you are talking about is a completely different game, and that's fine and sounds fun. This scheme IS a kick-in-the-crotch to all of us legitimate users, since we ALL know there will be a cracked copy out within a month or so of release.
hmmmm...... not sure if this will get edited out or get me thrown in the brig, but I wonder about the legality/morality of paying for the game, then running the cracked copy instead

[Platapus]

[QUOTE=Sgtmonkeynads;1252990]

Thats where I got the idea. Now imagine it in a nice wood box like the one in the game. But how to get it implemented?

It got implemented when several hundred thousand accounts got hacked at the same time. Blizzard charged $6.00 which pretty much covered shipping and handling.

That, I see is the future of video game authentication. I could go to any computer with WoW installed and play my game.

I typed in my user name and password. I was then taken to another authentication page where I activated my fob and entered the number. The server, which was synced to my fob by account name, matched the number and I was authenticated.

For SH5, it could be handled via a 15 second connection.

Could this be circumvented? Of course. The objective is to make it so hard/expensive to circumvent that it would not be worth it to the hacker.

If a game costs $50 but it would cost me the equivalent of $60 to hack in to each instance, why would I do it?

DRM is just like an lock/alarm system on your house. It won't deter the highly experienced "professional" burglar, but it will take care of the "amateur" burglars.

[mookiemookie]

An ocean full of people doing 1x patrols. Go for days and days between seeing contacts. Heck, go for weeks in some cases without seeing a contact.

Yeah. they'd sell a million of SH the MMO.

[Mikhayl]

Originally Posted by mookiemookie

An ocean full of people doing 1x patrols. Go for days and days between seeing contacts. Heck, go for weeks in some cases without seeing a contact.

Yeah. they'd sell a million of SH the MMO.

Totally, I say bring it on. I can't wait to see the face of my boss when I tell him "ok, I'm taking 1 month off to play my shakedown patrol"

[Sgtmonkeynads]

Each pack would be in its own game. I think it could work, if done right.

But the real issue is...I don't want to have to be connected to play a single player game !