Why is Internet account needed for LAN?

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by MystaMagoo, Dec 15, 2011.

  1. Lazza

    Lazza Registered

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    We should also make it clear we're not dismissing the potential difficulty with needing a net connection for a LAN party; it seems reasonable that many places currently used have no landline net connection at all (since you currently don't need one), so playing rF2 in a similar manner will need either a wireless solution or a new location.

    On the upside, you don't need a connection that is big enough to handle the game traffic. We won't know for sure until we try it, but it may be a simple dial-up connection from a single computer on the LAN will be enough to get everyone logged in and connected to the server, at which point the LAN handles everything. If the connection is very slow it might just delay the server-joining process a few seconds, but shouldn't actually 'break' anything.

    So, the requirements have changed a bit... same as for the PC requirements, same as for needing a controller (perhaps not strictly true, but I couldn't imagine returning to keyboard control now). Times change, situations change, there isn't really a principle at stake here. Even playing online at all might well be beyond anyone unable to get broadband judging by the figures Tim gave on server requirements, but if things don't move forward at all we'd still be playing Indy 500 and only dreaming about racing each other.
     
  2. pitkin

    pitkin Registered

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    So what were saying here, is that it's fine to make honest users pay for the actions of the dishonest?
     
  3. Lazza

    Lazza Registered

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    That's one way to look at it pitkin. Another is that if ISI can't protect their investment they'll just abandon rFactor completely.

    Seriously, what's your alternative?
     
  4. Marek Lesniak

    Marek Lesniak Car Team Staff Member

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    A bit offtopic, but I'm using keyboard to steer cars in rF pretty often - when I do some straight line tests on a test track (like for checking aero downforce or Vmax) and working on some track stuff in rF dev mode for track editing, so I need that keyboard controls! :)
     
  5. Revvin

    Revvin Registered

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    Why is it so unreasonable for ISI to protect their work and why is it so hard to understand that there is software readily available that can open up a LAN server to the internet and therefore circumvent the matchmaker service? This is the way rF2 is going to work and thats the bottom line. You're not going to have to have a huge connection to transmit this data and there are simple solutions such as a 3G USB dongle or with so many people now owning smart phones tether one to your network and use that.
     
  6. Crankee Stroka

    Crankee Stroka Registered

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    Extremely disappointing indeed and rather annoying. I suppose we'll see RF on a heaving pile of Steam in the near future too lol. *sighs
    It's ISI's gig so we just have to roll with it. :(
     
  7. pitkin

    pitkin Registered

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    They could protect their investment without having to charge me to use a service I don't want. I don't want to race online, but I have to pay to If I want to LAN race with my friends or sons on my own PC's. I'd happily pay for two or maybe even three copies of the game. I'd even probably buy a single subscription if I needed to, but paying a sub for each PC I want to connect to a LAN? That's a no no for me. I don't online game and I only play RF1 over LAN for 2 or 3 hours on a Sunday afternoon, so more than one sub is not really justifiable for me.

    My alterenative is hope. Hope that I can use a single account to connect multiple PC's. Maybe this could be possible with the lifetime membership? Perhaps a single purchase or subscription could cover 2 or more machines? They'd lose very little from this approach, possibly even gain.

    Failing that there is always RF1 or Race 07 for my LAN sessions. It'd be a shame not to use the extra features of RF2 but I'll live.
    At the end of the day, they'll lose nothing from me. I'll still buy the game, but only once and without a sub.
    I do hope they look at a different way of doing this at some point, an online check to see if the game is genuine when it's started, or something else where you don't need to access the full online experience.
    Whatever happens, I mostly game offline, so it's not as major to me as I make it sound sometimes. It'd it just be nice to have more options available. But as they say, you can't please all of the people all of the time.
    Anyway, Merry Christmas all.
    Pitkin.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 26, 2011
  8. fobban

    fobban Registered

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    I'd argue that a rFactor 2 license is for a single user, not to be "shared" with friends at a LAN party. However, I still think it's going in the wrong direction to require internet access at for LAN playing--the whole point with a LAN is that you might not have one!

    One honest question: when did adding requirements like this or other kinds of DRM ever stop the pirates? The only one who will notice this are the paying customers. Unfortunately.
     
  9. 88mphTim

    88mphTim racesimcentral.net

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    This will probably stop more people who don't think they are pirates, than pirates who know they are pirates. The "I'm going to have some mates round each month, and we're all going to use my one copy to race against each other, then they are going to all go home with a working copy of the game I bought once" argument.

    Pirates are not paying customers, that is the point. Nobody is being stopped from using LAN, they're just being made to use it how it works with this product - if they want to use it in this product.
     
  10. Axly

    Axly Registered

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    I'm fortunate to live in a country with very good broadband coverage, and i can only agree with isi's solution.

    However, would it be possible to have some info on what sort of connection is needed for a Lan? If I understand it correctly all that's needed is a validation of the server and each client (if both are in the same switch).
    Is this a one-time check or continous.. i've seen someone mention that dialup is enough, would that be sufficient even with server + 10 clients for example. 3g enough?

    (Starting up a full online season with a weekend LAN soon in a rather secluded area with quite bad coverage, and rf2 is planned to be our main sim)
     
  11. 4L0M

    4L0M Registered

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    It's what all gaming companies do now. Screw over the public who actually buy your games and support you, to fend off " The Pirates " , which is a joke in itself, as pretty much all software and games get cracked within hours of being released and the pirating community happily play the games with no problem, while the paying customer has to jump through hoops to use the software they legitimately paid for. . . . At least Ubisoft have finally figured out that their draconian DRM requirements killed their PC sales from legitimate customers.

    My how i laughed when i bought Silent Hunter 5 on the Friday it came out, only to be not able to play it till Sunday night because their activation servers weren't working. . .Whereas everyone who torrented it had probably completed the campaigns by that point.
     
  12. 88mphTim

    88mphTim racesimcentral.net

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    Actually the SH5 campaigns could not be completed on the cracked version. Software companies often know when someone is a pirate by what bugs they report, such as where the campaign stopped working. :)
     
  13. 4L0M

    4L0M Registered

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    Hi Tim, i think that you should possibly reword the payment section to make the LAN issue crystal clear, as " ONLINE SERVICES", to me and probably 99.9% of the general public doesn't include LAN being an online service. In fact i would argue that that's the entire point of LAN sessions, the need to have no internet :

    Standard or Lifetime version
    When purchasing, you are given two options. Both are the same product, they simply have different pricing structures and limitations on online services.

    STANDARD:
    Single payment of $43.99, then (after one free year) an additional yearly payment of $12 every year.
    LIFETIME:
    Single payment of $84.99.
    Other regional prices may vary.

    STANDARD:
    Online services (including multiplayer and automatic updating) require the yearly payment to be made.
    LIFETIME:
    Online services are free for the lifetime of the product.
     
  14. 1959nikos

    1959nikos Registered

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    Hey, I think simple decency would be for you is first to sync and then demand anything?
    (I dont enjoy all this piracy talk, it makes me feel stupid (a lot of others around), its not a thing to laugh about when you are talking of people working hard and expecting to get paid by it.)
     
  15. 4L0M

    4L0M Registered

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    Hi 1959nikos.

    Why do i need to sync? If you are calling me a pirate per chance, I joined this forum with the same E-Mail address as i bought rFactor2 if anyone wants to check up on me.

    I'm not laughing at these guys or anyone else having their product ripped off, it totally sucks, especially for a small Dev team that tries to make the more " Niche " games as it were that i love, but more and more the honest paying consumer is getting screwed over by anti-piracy measures that blatantly do not work. Companies come up with all sorts of Anti-Piracy measures that makes it harder and harder for legitimate customers to enjoy what they paid for.

    I have no answers as to how to combat the problems, but i'm sick to death of being dictated to as to how i can use the software that i have paid for.

    This isn't really a pop at ISI, but like a case in point is UBISOFT. I bought Splinter Cell in the Steam sale, so i have to boot up Steam, Then download Uplay client, then set up account, then log-in, play for a bit, then my savegames go to the " Cloud ". Come back next day, load up Steam, Load up Uplay, start Splinter Cell. . ."error Cloudsave Corrupt". restart game two levels back, play for a bit, quite enjoy it, get to a point where i am trying to headshot some guys and game starts to Lag and it's impossible to play the game message flashes up "connection error " EVEN though I'm playing offline campaign . . .!

    That is the point i'm trying to put across. I just want to buy a game install it and play it. Simple. :)
     
  16. 1959nikos

    1959nikos Registered

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    The whole thing is getting out of hand as Im sure you know.
    LAN parties seems to me are thrown at the expence of others (as, the rest, you included, as Im sure you realize, if more licences are given free, the end product will be more expensive).

    Its getting so out of hand (Ill give you my experience on this), I was walking to my video club the other day and neighbour asked where I was going.
    He was so amazed by my answer and in front of his young kid he asked me "arent you downloading them?"
    Hey, its 2 euros for a 2hour movie I replied, are you serious? :rolleyes: :rolleyes:
    (I still think everybody should sync, so we know whats happening at least around here).
     
  17. Knight of Redemption

    Knight of Redemption Registered

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    I kinda see your man's point on anti piracy stuff, some of the hoops legit customers have to go through are ridiculous and still these games are pirated. For a long time I had no internet connection so I couldn't even play some of the games I bought because you had to go online as soon as you installed the thing to "register" that was after typing in a huge bloody code off the cover...
     
  18. Mitt Wilson

    Mitt Wilson Registered

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    I am more than happy to Pay for Online Services that ISI has Implemented- And I would say that for anyone whom has Played RF1 buy either buying the Sim or being a Pirate to get it should be Very Very Happy to to pay for Rfactor 2 without questions.
    The Sim is designed to have 1 Copy per person, Not to have 1 Person get a copy and then share it with 50 other people, LAN or Not, If you let someone play your copy of RF2 then that other person should go out and Purchase the Sim the same way you did and have access to all ISI has put together. ISI has worked very hard to provide Years of endless fun for many people, So don't let your Greed sway you from what will be the Best Sim for Many year5s to come.
     

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