DNF: Why This Geezer Plays Offline

[NDAlum]

Great article.

Nothing is better than an NCAA offline dynasty to me. Absolutely nothing.

[tril]

good article. I agree with everything that youve said.

online sucks cause it lacks a basic formal structure or sop.

on-line games should pretty much eliminate any type of advantage, by that I mean in sports player ratings (i.e Lebron James, Kobe Bryant) should not even be in the equation, war ganes-power ups should all but disappear,
these games should be all about the users skill and knowledge of said sport or game. maybe they shoudl just allow an athletes tendencies thats it..

without these basics online will alwasu be suspect.

[Other Guy]

Halo lan parties

/thread

[iLLosophy]

Re: DNF: Why This Geezer Plays Offline

I was the same way until I played NBA 2k6 online leagues - ever since then I have not been able to play most offline games the same way. The only pure single player game I was truly excited about and pre-order since then: Arkham Asylum. Every other $60 game I've bought has had some type of multiplayer aspect to it.

Reasons why:

The Computer is the Biggest Cheeser of All

Every game I've ever played up until maybe NBA 2k11, when you play games on the hardest difficulty - the AI doesn't become more sofisticated, more intelligent, better tactically - no they just get magical abilities. As opposed to human cheesers who spin move to the hole too much, the computer will just decide it's own shot is going to go in regardless of the context. Rajan Rondo - rated 59 mid range jumper shoots jumpers over Roy Hibbert to hit game winners. If there is there is any offender of cheesing, the worst one is the AI - the "guy" who enforces the rules and also the one you're playing against. Can you imagine someone one on one, your opponent is also the ref? Yeah that's a really fair game. At least with a human, the AI acts as a mediator and you know that if you make or miss a shot it's more from your/their own doing rather than the difficulty level making the opposing team perform magic tricks and violate laws of physics.

The AI Always Gets Old and Doesn't Adapt

No matter how "improved" they say the AI gets every year, there's always a certain point where once you've played the AI enough - you have outsmarted them...you know what they are going to do next, you know their reaction to your action. It is inevitable - the game can't rewrite it's own code, it's by design to be predictable. Humans evolve and adapt, this alone gives pvp gaming 100,000x more satisfaction when you win.

Online Gaming requires Common Sense like any other part of the Internet

Do you click on the Osama Bin Laden is dead link that your friend posted on your facebook wall? Do you click on the pop up ads that ask for your bank account #? Hopefully those answers are no. Because you have common sense. Well that applies to online gaming as well. Just like there are other people in your chat room online ready to send you spam, there are people in your game lobby ready to pump fake the whole game until you jump at them. Admittedly the online gaming world needs a lot better "spam filters" but right now you have to decide on which links to click and not just click on whatever shows up on your screen. Just like your e-mail, facebook, or visited web pages.




I am part of a league of guys who've some of which have played for over 10 years from PC to console. I haven't been with them that long, but they have the same comradery as the guys you would invite over to play with in the same room. The beautiful thing is these guys are all across the country. Leagues like this are far and few in between but that is because a lot of guys like this author may not have the time or patience to deal with all the noise and BS that comes with online gaming...(ironically the people like the OP are the ones that are in dire need online) but be patient for that % of people that play online will keep rising, and at some point in the future - you may not even have a choice in the matter.

[bukktown]

Re: DNF: Why This Geezer Plays Offline

I don't have any friends that play videogames anymore. I'm 32 and they all outgrew it. So I'm cool playing randoms online because it's fun. COD and NHL are my 2 online games. Used to play alot of Madden ps2 online too.

I just look at my opponents online as new AI. Nothing more.

[misterkrabz]

I'm a believer in the concept of online play but the execution kills it. In football games, if you don't know all you audibles or know what beats what in every formation chances are the other guy does and you lose big. In hoops games there's always an exploit or lag ruins the game. In baseball games lag flat out kills the experience and it's unplayable. That doesn't even take into account that online sports titles are always watered down versions of the offline play. 99.9% of my online play is shooters or racers. Me and my buddies give the online play a shot every time a new sports game comes out and we always conclude, for various reasons, after about an hour of fiddling around with it that it's not worth our time.

Oh and I turn 40 in June so in gaming years that officially makes me a geezer...but I prefer the turn "blue hair"

[btrapp]

To me, playing online can be occasionally fun, but NOTHING can substitute playing a sports or fighting game in a room full of guys talking smack. That's a true multiplayer experience.

[Cyphre]

This article does have a good point of view, and myself being a gamer for 31 years agree with most of it. I began playing with my brothers all of my sports games and when my friends jumped in we developed "leauges" for every game we played. As gaming evolved (after I married and moved out) I found myself playing more solo, because I lived in a different state. Then xbox came around and made multiplayer fun again with the linking of systems....man I had some great party games with that sytem. Then xbox live....what can I say....I met great friends like XROCK and SnakeMWS thru this new online method of gaming and am able to play online with my family and friends again. And while I agree that being under the same roof playing is top notch entertainment.....I can't knock off online gaming...because although from a distance....it has brought my gaming experience to a full circle.

[guaps]

I have never been attracted to the online game phenomenon. Give me a few guys with a few beers under the same roof anyday. That's multiplaying for me.

I once was a playtester (shooters, platform, action/adventure games) and was asked to test the multiplayer part of an upcoming game. Before the actual test you get asked a bunch of questions about your gaming preferences and the devs looked funny at me when I said that I hardly ever play online (occasionally against my brother) and considered multiplayer as two or more people under the same roof. When asked why I didn't play online I gave pretty much the same scenarios as the OP describes.

And just as the OP I'm rarely online on my console unless I need to download updates or an occasional demo.

[jmurphy31]

Great article. I agree 100%. I rarely ever use online modes unless it is to update rosters. I have tried in the past to play with random people on line but it isnt the same as playing against someone you know right there in the room. I remember playing Tecmo SuperBowl in HS for $20 a game every Friday Night. It always feels more satisfying beating soemone you know and in person

[Da_Czar]

Great Article !!! Lots of excellent posts as well !

[BigSho31]

My main reasons I prefer offline dynasty modes.

1) LAG: This is the largest reason I do not play online. I cant play a game of FIFA offline, then go and play online. It's two very very different experiences. The flow, the strategy, the timing is all much different and its frustrating to try and adjust for latency issues. If all you play is online, this is not so much an issue.

2) INVESTMENT: Offline modes I feel like I can invest my time, thoughts, emotions into to create my own little virtual world where I can rise and fall in my sports universe. Online play is much less involved. Game times are shortened, there is no investment into my personal team, no season or career, only static meaningless games, that affect some vague 'ranking'.

As I read all of these comments I find myself lamenting a couple things:

1) I wish the computer AI could adapt like a human being so I wouldn't NEED to play other people
2) I wish the online servers were so good that you wouldn't be able to tell the difference b/t on and offline play
3) I wish I could find guys in the same stage of life as me who had the same skill level as me to play offline

I used to be awesome at NCAA and Madden...but then the games got harder and my aptitude to adapt, read coverages/blitzes, etc just went away. I played in two online dynasties and scores were in the 100s when the human players played the CPU. I haven't scored 100 points in NCAA since I created the University of Alaska penguins in the first edition of Create-a-School. So needless to say I got "BLOWED OUT" whenever I played the other players. Add lag to that and the fact that I could never get people to play when they were supposed to and it just didn't work for me.

I REALLY WISH I could find the ultimate gaming experience online because I would prioritize it to the point where I would play more often than I currently do.

[swiftychampleone]

That's cuz yous old, man! Ha! Ha!!

But to be serious, I'm not big on online gaming similar to the reason 209vaughn gave. I rather be emotionally invested in my offline franchise in a sports' game and lag can be a pain. The only people I'll play online would be my closest friends or family in a quick game. Another thing, I buy games used when they drop to $35 after a few months. So by the time I get the game, most people would be moved on to the next big game that's been released.

As far as developers/publishers with that $10 online pass threat if you buy the game used, that doesn't phase me at all. I don't need online to begin with.

[Bootzilla]

I play offline 100%.
I game to escape.
I have no desire to be social.
I have to communicate and be social in my everyday experiences.
I have tons of friends.
I honestly don't want/need anymore.
Honestly, most players are pretty cheesy and I do not have the time or desire to find the ones that aren't.

[The Real Ma$$ive]

Agreed with article... Some of my best times were drinking beers, smoking, and playing Tiger woods golf on the gamecube with 4 friends with a little money purse involved... It was our Friday night wine down before we were captured by our girlfriends...

But, to take up for online gaming, some experiences like the OS Vets Madden 10 league, and another league I was in, were teams were picked 3 months before Madden even came out. Everyone in the league had to submit a photo of themselves, and it was put by your team. We all came to know each other pretty well, and trade talks even day to day discussions of the previous weeks were something of a round table that ESPN would be proud of.

When you can find that special group of people where you play online franchise every year in basketball, and football, each season gets harder, and harder as you guys grow, and learn each other.