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Nirolak · Feb 17, 2013

So, after the Destiny reveal and Bungie helping to set a precedent, I began to think back to some statements Ubisoft made at E3 about Watch_Dogs.

PC Gamer said:
Watch Dogs exploded out of nowhere earlier on Monday, impressing us with its slick portrayal of cyber-crime and assassination in an always-online Chicago. The Ubisoft press conference demo left everyone with questions about the final few moments. In a scene that doesn’t appear in the demo footage that Ubisoft have since released, the camera pulled back from the action and started following a different person entirely. Was it the same player taking charge of another character, or a second player controlling their own avatar in the same city?

It was a second player. VG247 have spoken to him. His name is Dominic Guay, executive producer on the game. “Online is in the DNA of Watchdogs,” he said. “It’s super important to us. We couldn’t announce our game and not at least tease online.”

“Basically, Jonathan, our creative director was playing agent Pearce at the conference, and I was playing another character, who hacked into him, who had his own objective and we crossed paths. It was basically two players who crossed paths with their own objectives.”

In the conference demo, the character that Guay was playing watched the carnage that Jonathan was causing from afar. After apparently scanning Johnathan’s brain, he turned and vaulted over some rooftops in a different direction entirely, it sounds now as though he was pursuing an entirely different mission in the same city.

It’s a situation that doesn’t fit neatly into your traditional “co-op” and “competitive” multiplayer pigeon holes, but the idea of players interacting through co-incidence and experiencing the collateral damage of each other’s independent objectives is intriguing.

“We definitely want to blend in multiplayer online and singleplayer in ways that haven’t been done before,” says Guay. We’ll be hunting down more info on Watch Dogs as E3 progresses. Meanwhile, here’s the Watch Dogs demo, albeit without that multiplayer tease that Ubisoft threw into their live presentation at the end of Monday’s conference.

Source: http://www.pcgamer.com/2012/06/06/w...layer-online-is-in-the-dna-of-watchdogs/#null

1.) This sounds pretty similar to some of what Bungie is doing with missions in Destiny, where players are running into each other in the same world while just going about their everyday objectives. Bungie has also now set a precedent for attempting this in a giant budget console game.

2.) If "Online is in the DNA of Watchdogs" and "It’s super important to us", could Ubisoft actually consider it so key to the game that they require you to be connected to the internet to experience it?

Now, I don't think the game is as persistent as Destiny by any means, but this thought did still cross my mind with how central they're implying online is to the game.

So, what do other people think? Would they consider going for this? They did already develop the infrastructure with uPlay to have this kind of thing.

FACE · Feb 17, 2013

If it does, I won't buy it.

EightBitNate · Feb 17, 2013

I wouldn't be surprised or even mind.

Dark Octave · Feb 17, 2013

If it does, I'll buy it anyway.

grimshawish · Feb 17, 2013

Sounds like it might though surely you can play single player.
This would only happen between two people connected online at the same time.

I wouldn't read too much into it till closer to the time.
I mean how many people are nearly always online anyway? I don't see what ONLY Online achieves except to create a problem that doesn't need to be present.

MNC · Feb 17, 2013

Yeah just heard something about this a bit back, I hope it's not an MMO kind of deal...

shinobi602 · Feb 17, 2013

I hope not. This is my most anticipated game this year....fuck.

It can have online, that's fine. I just also want a good single player experience.

RoKKeR · Feb 17, 2013

Looking at the end of the Watch Dogs demo, I'll say yes. The way it pans out and shows you the city with other players and their names? Speaks of persistent worlds to me.

Deft Beck · Feb 17, 2013

I wouldn't have an issue with it. Most of the time, I'm connected to the Internet.

As the years go by and broadband connections become more commonplace, it will make more sense to include Internet features as part of the base game.

Such an approach may not work for all games, mind you.

Sethos · Feb 17, 2013

Would be cool.

Luckily I have an internet connection, so it shouldn't effect me.

SolidSnakex · Feb 17, 2013

Sethos said:
Would be cool.

Luckily I have an internet connection, so it shouldn't effect me.

Your connect never goes down? That's one of the big problems with doing always on.

Ridley327 · Feb 17, 2013

It certainly does seem like online connectivity is at the core of a lot of concepts behind the game, so I would have to think that Ubi is leaning in the direction of an online requirement for the game. I certainly take no issue with that if that's the route they end up going in, but Ubi is definitely going to have to make sure that the concepts at play are fleshed out, because I don't think they're going to get another chance if they whiff it.

noobasuar · Feb 17, 2013

So is this going to be the new trend? Always online for every game.

evlcookie · Feb 17, 2013

I would say yes and I thought it was kinda obvious since it's E3 showing.

They liked to throw around the word connected, We got to see that there was other people in the world with you doing their own thing.

I figure both watch dogs and destiny are attempting to do the same thing. Have a single player game but make it multiplayer focused with each persons choices and actions changing up the world around you.

RoboPlato · Feb 17, 2013

This is the first I'm hearing of those details.

It would suck a lot more if Watch_Dogs required an online connection than it does for Destiny. Destiny is at least borderline understandable, given how MMO-like it is, but Watch_Dogs seems like a game that was intended as a single player experience.

Although, requiring an online connection would be an oddly funny way of reinforcing the games concept and theme.

Eusis · Feb 17, 2013

FACE said:
If it does, I won't buy it.

I'll deal with it in Destiny, but this... yeah, I dunno, a lot of the appeal to me is just wrecking hell in an open world with my neat toys. If that has to be compromised because it's actually a persistently online game then I think it's going to be a problem.

Of course, it could also mean that everyone's game is a stew of anarchy, and that may make it MORE compelling. At any rate if true then once again 360's off the table, but seeing as this sounds like it's coming to Wii U I may go there for it unless they botch Pad use, then it's PC.

GoddyofAus · Feb 17, 2013

Dude it's fucking Ubisoft. I wouldn't put anything past those pricks.

Salsa · Feb 17, 2013

Sethos said:
Would be cool.

Luckily I have an internet connection, so it shouldn't effect me.

yup

DRM on a Single Player game is one thing, but a game that requires an internet connection because it is built around that fact? sure. As someone who's online 24/7 sign me the fuck up.

Isaccard · Feb 17, 2013

FACE said:
If it does, I won't buy it.

Why not?

metalslimer · Feb 17, 2013

For people whose internet connections are spotty as hell this would be a disturbing trend and no I would not buy.

EagleBurnn · Feb 17, 2013

I will be shocked. Oh, so shocked.

HT UK · Feb 17, 2013

Probably.

Alligatorjandro · Feb 17, 2013

That would suck.

Sethos · Feb 17, 2013

SolidSnakex said:
Your connect never goes down? That's one of the big problems with doing always on.

Not really, you make it sound like the average connection is supposed to go down a few times a day.

Salsa · Feb 17, 2013

noobasuar said:
So is this going to be the new trend? Always online for every game.

for every game that is purposefully trying to blend a single player and multiplayer experience? sure

its 2013 people

everyone's playing fucking Tiny Tower on their phones and that requires a constant Internet connection

The Grim Heaper · Feb 17, 2013

I'm not sure. I feel online will play a big role in this game from what we've heard(aka what's been hinted), but I feel I'd have much more fun with this if it didn't require an internet connection. Myself, and many others, don't really have a completely stable internet connection to handle things like this.

I'll get it anyway, though. It seems promising.

Viola of the Abyss · Feb 17, 2013

If it does I won't buy it.

My internet connection isn't good enough and I'm not interested in MMO-like games in the first place.
As long as single player is offline playable like in Demon's Souls I'm ok.

We'll wait and see I guess.

Baconsammy · Feb 17, 2013

GoddyofAus said:
Dude it's fucking Ubisoft. I wouldn't put anything past those pricks.

What's their history of prickishness?

Derrick01 · Feb 17, 2013

It sounds like a dick move that Ubisoft would do so I expect it to happen. Next gen's going to be full of unnecessary online garbage.

Pooya · Feb 17, 2013

the end of watch_dogs demo, when camera goes up, you can see multiple players? with their IDs on the map, it seems to be an online game, yeah even if that video was just a concept.

still it's possible to have other options, didn't seem to matter to the gameplay we were seeing.

metalslimer · Feb 17, 2013

Sethos said:
Not really, you make it sound like the average connection is supposed to go down a few times a day.

My connection does a minimum of that.

What's their history of prickishness?

Must not play games on PC.

Glass Rebel · Feb 17, 2013

Online Hackers' Creed with Guns then.

Will buy Watch_Dogs 2 and never bother again.

Coolwhip · Feb 17, 2013

As someone that has been playing World of Warcraft for about 8 years now I don't see why it's such a big deal. You will manage.

KePoW · Feb 17, 2013

SolidSnakex said:
Your connect never goes down? That's one of the big problems with doing always on.

Honestly with no exaggeration, my internet is up 99% of the time. I have a very fast cable connection, 30 megabit. Actually, I bet it's more than 99%... I would say average, my connection is down 10 minutes every full month. So you do the math.

I don't understand those people who say their internet "constantly" goes down... how much are you talking about?

Salsa · Feb 17, 2013

Derrick01 said:
It sounds like a dick move that Ubisoft would do so I expect it to happen. Next gen's going to be full of unnecessary online garbage.

how can you call it unnecesary with how little we know so far?

did you guys not watch the end of that Watch_Dogs trailer? another player was watching him. This game was built around some sort of multiplayer hybrid from the start. It was always implied.

iNvid02 · Feb 17, 2013

should be like dark souls where being online enhances the experience

always on is just a bad idea

def sim · Feb 17, 2013

It's been said, but as along as the games are built with an online focus, I won't mind. I'm not going to dismiss games like these; it's not as if we're getting Super Mario Galaxy with online only DRM.

Baconsammy · Feb 17, 2013

metalslimer said:
My connection does a minimum of that.

Must not play games on PC.

Nope, just on Mac. Are they bad PC devs?

FACE · Feb 17, 2013

Isaccard said:
Why not?

I've experienced the disaster that is Diablo 3, never again.

Miles Quaritch · Feb 17, 2013

I actually like this evolution of single player gaming. Although I wouldn't want it in every game, it is nice to see gaming moving forward in some respects.

duckroll · Feb 17, 2013

I'm not confident about this since we still don't know a lot about Watch Dogs, but my impression since they announced it was that the game would support online by default, similar to Demon Souls and Dark Souls, but it should be possible to play a gimped offline version as well. Obviously for business reasons that option might be removed entirely if they really want to push the online features though.

Viola of the Abyss · Feb 17, 2013

iNvid02 said:
should be like dark souls where being online enhances the experience

always on is just a bad idea

Watch as Dark Souls II will be online only too.

If not that the next one will be. Just my guess.

iNvid02 · Feb 17, 2013

Baconsammy said:
Nope, just on Mac. Are they bad PC devs?

they tried to implement an always on DRM for PC games and it failed spectacularly, port wise they are generally ok

grimshawish · Feb 17, 2013

SalsaShark said:
did you guys not watch the end of that Watch_Dogs trailer? another player was watching him. This game was built around some sort of multiplayer hybrid from the start. It was always implied.

This could be done in the background though.
If you are online; people connect in.
If you are offline; it just doesn't happen.

Am not sure why either has to be a forced function. As you say its 2013; if your online your online, but if your not then your not. So why not just have that in the game, not questions asked - just play and oh...a player showed up.

But if your internet is down I see no reason for that to impact on your game.

Remember as well this would mean needing Live Gold (unless MS changes their set up massively)

grimshawish · Feb 17, 2013

Double Post.
Gaf is gaffing.

Miles Quaritch · Feb 17, 2013

SalsaShark said:
did you guys not watch the end of that Watch_Dogs trailer? another player was watching him. This game was built around some sort of multiplayer hybrid from the start. It was always implied.

I'm watching the trailer and I don't see it. Do you have a time stamp?

evlcookie · Feb 17, 2013

Miles Quaritch said:
I'm watching the trailer and I don't see it. Do you have a time stamp?

It's right at the end of the E3 demo. As stated in the quote in the OP, there was another player / character watching him from a building. Who then takes off in another direction.

PetrCobra · Feb 17, 2013

So, did UBIsoft's internet connection DRM get any less shitty since the first Assassin's Creed where it was making the whole game unplayable for me until I managed to disable it?

Kinyou · Feb 17, 2013

Come on, even Journey had an offline mode. And that's a game where many would argue that the online aspect is a crucial part of the experience.

Miles Quaritch said:
I'm watching the trailer and I don't see it. Do you have a time stamp?

You can only see it in the footage from the press conference. The released direct feed material stayed with the main character.

Here's the Press conference presentation:
http://youtu.be/7JcujYbctPk?t=13m7s

MikeE21286 · Feb 17, 2013

I'd be much more excited if it did.

Next gen persistent online is intriguing.

Massively Single Player

This, not graphics, could be the key differentiator for next gen.

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