stg83: Like many folks have already mentioned this headline is extremely misleading which actually translates to, "The DRM we have right now is ineffective against all the PC pirates (most publishers are still extremely naive in assuming that console games aren't pirated as much as PC games) so what we need is totally unnecessary, forced and annoying mulitplayer features in a single player campaign i.e. fool our customers into thinking that it would be really fun to do something that could easily be experienced alone with friends and make its sound like a cool new feature."
Case in point starting from the recent Watch Dogs, hack into other players games for no reason whatsoever to get some XP points. Play the upcoming Assassin's Creed Unity's side missions with three other friends so its like a mob hit instead of an assassination. Call on a friend to help you out or get in your way in Far Cry 4 where the whole purpose is actually being alone left to your own devices in the huge open world to take on an army of a psychotic dictator. This new trend of useless multiplayer options in a single player campaign is a trend that needs to be nipped in the bud before all games eventually end up becoming Titanfall where the so called story is just an excuse for multiplayer shooter death matches. If it weren't for their initiative with UbiArt games then I would totally avoid purchasing all Ubisoft games instead of just the ones with forced online features.
See, I don't know...I'm completely okay with them wasting their time on these supposedly experience enhancing online features, as long as they aren't integral to accessing content outside of themselves. That is to say, having accomplishments in side-online-feature thing can be connected to achievements and trophies, supposing those aren't necessary for something in single-player, because who cares, you know? 100% achievements/trophies != 100% game completion, or at least it never should be that way to me.
However, whenever they're interwoven with finishing skill trees, getting to max level, another mission or area, or anything that is more or less core single-player content, then I'm slightly bugged. Like in Watch Dogs, there's entire parts of the UI dedicated to the online components, which isn't bad in itself, but I'd rather only see that
when I'm trying the online components. Part of the radial menu and a short skill line are thrown in with the single-player like I'm not supposed to mind, but I do, because it makes me think outside of the game about other people and the company behind the game, which I'd kind of like to tune out as I'm playing, unless I want my experience to intersect with others or anything else.
The only times I'm okay with this [UI intrusion], is when it's done gracefully, like in the Souls games or Transistor. I don't mind seeing occasional ghosts of other players, that's cool and not that intrusive, and I'm even somewhat okay with making yourself vulnerable or available to other players by being online, but I'd much prefer it loosely coating the experience instead of tightly and coarsely coating it in an ugly and uncomfortable way.
