And I still can't play the frickin' game. Unfortunatelly is all about risk management and cost, perhaps it's cheaper to risk having those kind of problems and have your image damaged than spend money on testing and buying extra hardware upfront.

Somehow I think focusing just on short term sales will get back to all those who damage their image in the long term.

Because Steam(mostly) does it right. I don't really mind DRM per se, I just hate crappy, bugged out DRM. Which is to say of DRM. I don't consider Steam to be more inconvenient than "please insert disc to play". If most DRM looked like Steam, I don't think there would be a lot of hate for it.

I think steam is more convenient than "please insert disc to play", or even DRM free games from for example gog.com simply because steam makes accessing my games from any computer, anywhere, easy and the DRM doesn't get in my way. (I've never even noticed it).

It is 2013 now so i don't have a huge problem with the always online requirement itself (I am always online anyway), but if i pay for a product and/or service i do expect it to be delivered at the date and time promised to me, there are no excuses, there is no such thing as an unexpected initial rush, with digital distribution you know exactly how many copies you've sold and you can stop sales in any region at any time. Blizzard failed with D3, EA failed with SimCity and i don't even care if Ubisoft fails or not anymore (I don't buy their games because of their past DRM fuckups and both EA and Blizzard has to be careful or i'll stop buying their games aswell).

If EA wishes to go down the always online route they need to commit to it, servers need to be up and running and can't be taken down just because a game is getting old, To get my money they will have to prove that they can deliver, not just on launchday but also 10+ years after launch.

Just out of curiousity, what does steam do that's functionally different from Origin? I mean, I've had no problems with Origin. I've had problems with SimCity, but Origin performs almost identically to Steam. Origin/Steam are just delivery mechanisms. I don't see why they are relevant to a game's servers being down. There are plenty of games on steam that have bad launch days. We are starting to conflate issues, and the general negative EA bias is starting to show.

My problem with this issue is Not one of infrastructure and the server problems, but rather one of game design.

What does the server get me?

Cloud storage of my cities.

Interaction with friends.

A community feedback system where my game play is theoritcally enhanced as aspects are now drive by other players, and not merely the same computer generated data as it has always been.

And I really can't think of anything else for the time being, as I haven't gotten to play the game enough yet.

So, why on earth did someone think it was a remotely good idea to block me completely from the rest of the game, that could very easily be played in an offline state with minimal fuss?

Current Flow of events:

Server is down: HAHAHA! You're [Censored]! Please sit there with your thumb stuck somewhere warm and uncomfortable while we do whatever it is we're doing.

What the flow of events Should have been:

Server is down: Ah, sorry, you will have to manage your city with whatever external data you had at the last server sync. Your local save will be synced up with the server as soon as we are back online. It won't be as fun, or cool, but you will still be able to get some enjoyment from the game.

I agree it's good to complain - I'm glad to be aware, so I don't buy the game. Even though most of the time I'm online, I might want to play if my Internet's down, I might want to play away from home without sucking up my mobile usage, I might want to play on a plane or in another country.

Any relevant laws for your country to get a refund?

What the flow of events Should have been:
Server is down: Ah, sorry, you will have to manage your city with whatever external data you had at the last server sync. Your local save will be synced up with the server as soon as we are back online. It won't be as fun, or cool, but you will still be able to get some enjoyment from the game.

I'd agree with that, but that's the way it always works as new technology becomes pervasive. I mean, 25 years ago it would have sucked if a game you really wanted to play required a GPU. Today it's standard. If we run into people with a shitty/no GPU we just laugh them off and say, "well you're SOL". We're nearing the point where the internet can be thought of similarly. As there are fewer and fewer places where one can be expected not to have internet connections there are fewer and fewer reasons not to require them. Not saying it's ideal, but it's not any different than what's happenened with other technology.

As there are fewer and fewer places where one can be expected not to have internet connections there are fewer and fewer reasons not to require them.

I know my last comment got lost inbetween a hailstorm of other comments, so I'll just comment on this point again:

Yes, most people have constant internet access. Some of us do a fair bit of travelling however, and constant internet access, let alone fast internet access is not guaranteed, and I would personally find it very annoying to be unable to play a single player part of a game due to lack of internet. And to be fair, I've yet to purchase any game that required this - for that very reason. I've gone on without reliable internet for up to a week at a time, and while annoying, I'd be even more annoyed if I couldn't play me some games.

There's also the principle of the thing - you're talking about making content dependent on an internet connection, even though it does NOT have to be. It's not the same with GPUs, since modern games actually CANNOT run without them.

See, one is a technological limitation, imposed by the very nature of a game, while the other is an unnecessary limitation forced on for reasons completely unrelated to the game itself.

And the way you're reasoning is, I'm sure, what EA would want people to reason like, so that they can continue imposing whatever restrictions they want.

Also if you once bought a GPU for your computer its always there and even if it fails you can replace it. If that game is only playable with the server connection and the servers get offline, cause the company goes under or decides the game is 3 years old and only 10 people per day playing is not worth it keeping it online you can do nothing but curse them.

Exactly, my issue isnt with requiring a connection now... it is what happens once EA turns off the server once the product reaches end of life.
Sure the gamer zombie masses will slowly march to the next games in the meantime, but what about those who liked playing this game? Will they have to go back to SimCity 2000?
If you work at EA currently and have any say in the matter, your due diligence should really be in warning about this.

There is currently no system in place protecting gamers against *idiots* in the gaming industry and it is getting quite worrying. Though I am quite sure that SimCity is going to do very well... *sigh*

Exactly, my issue isnt with requiring a connection now... it is what happens once EA turns off the server once the product reaches end of life.

I'm probably going to get tired of SimCity well short of it's servers being shut off. What happens when your favorite arcade decides to unplug your favorite cabinet?

If you work at EA currently and have any say in the matter, your due diligence should really be in warning about this.

I have contracted with EA in the past, not on this, but my support of models with online features as a core component has to do with me believing it can actually give better/more meaningful/more valuable experiences for players.

There is currently no system in place protecting gamers against *idiots* in the gaming industry and it is getting quite worrying.

Was there ever such a system?

Yes, most people have constant internet access. Some of us do a fair bit of travelling however, and constant internet access, let alone fast internet access is not guaranteed, and I would personally find it very annoying to be unable to play a single player part of a game due to lack of internet.

Even traveling isn't that unusual anymore. A lot of planes have internet access. Almost every hotel I've been in has internet access. A lot of airports are getting free internet access. Cities are starting to seriously consider free open wifi coverage. Like I said we're reaching a point where there are fewer and fewer situations in which you will find yourself without internet access.