Want to play the full experience of rage?

[Slidell]

Always-on digital rights management and online passes are two trends that sparked an abundance of gamer rage lately, but only one will actually find its way into the game Rage. In an interview with Eurogamer, creative director Tim Willits confirmed that the postapocalyptic shooter would lock out some content for people who bought the game used but wouldn't require a constant online connection.

 

http://image.gamespotcdn.net/gamespot/images/2011/26/Rage_16_43796_embed.jpgSince when did letting people into a sewer become an incentive?

 

Instead of taking the standard online pass approach of locking out the game's multiplayer modes unless a user enters a one-time code that comes with new copies or pays a $10 fee, Rage will rope off some single-player content. Diligent players will come across sewer hatches in the world of Rage that take them to new missions. If those players bought the game new (and bothered to download the associated content), those hatches will be open to them.

 

"[M]ost people never even see it," Willits said of the hatches. "I can tell you, some people will buy Rage, download that, and still never set foot in those things. They just won't. I think that's fair. It's cool. It's outside the main path. We're not detracting from anything. But I know some consumers, when you can't avoid it, then you get a little touchy subject."

 

As for DRM that requires a constant connection, the sort that was recently confirmed for Diablo III and championed by Ubisoft, Willits said that won't be used in Rage. However, he did call himself a "big proponent" of the idea and believes a game as eagerly anticipated as Diablo III will go a long way to making that approach acceptable for gamers.

 

"If you have a juggernaut, you can make change," Willits said. "I'm all for that. If we could force people to always be connected when you play the game and then have that be acceptable, awesome."

 

Willits acknowledged that some people would continue to resent the need to be online in order to enjoy a single-player game, but he said it would wind up being better for everyone involved. He cited automatic updates as a particular benefit to the scheme

 

 

Welcome to the future of video games.

Edited August 12, 2011 by Slidell

[Quinn]

**** em. I hate it when you have to be always online to play a game, and I have a damn good reason; What I think most of these companies don't understand is that not everyone has a great internet connection. My internet is shit, it drops out a lot and is slow as balls (when it does work). Before you say "Y U NO SWITCH PROVIDERS???", I can't. My only other option is dial-up, which isn't an option. I guess it's fine for 95% of players, but for us unlucky 5% (or less), I guess we're SOL.

[Slidell]

Always online DRM is like going to a restaurant, getting up to go to the bathroom and having your food taken away from you because you lost contact with the table. You don't lose anything, you just have to restart your meal.