SimCity's problems with online connectivity have been well documented this past week, with many calling for an offline mode to be created due to the tremendous backlash of the always-online game. However, Maxis general manager Lucy Bradshaw has gone on the record on the EA Blog that an offline version of the game is not in the company's "vision."
"From the ground up, we designed this game with multiplayer in mind - using new technology to realize a vision of players connected in regions to create a SimCity that captured the dynamism of the world we live in; a global, ever-changing, social world," Bradshaw wrote.
Bradshaw also claims that having players be always connected to the internet will help bring together communities of players that will evolve over time.
"But whether they play solo or multiplayer, they are drawn to the connected city experience. And Always-Connected provides a platform for future social features that will play out over regions and servers...The game we launched is only the beginning for us - it's not final and it never will be. In many ways, we built an MMO," she said.
While the ideas behind the online disaster are noble, Bradshaw and Maxis forgot one simple thing: some people would just rather play by themselves. Considering the epic hassle that players have faced to enjoy such "innovative" features like cloud saves and leaderboards, I imagine that there would be a huge number of players who would rather play by themselves then be forced to wait to play with others. It sounds like Maxis has no interest in caving and admitting that that they were not prepared for the game's launch, and offer players the chance to go offline with the game. It will be interesting to see in the upcoming months and years how this decision changes the legacy of the newest SimCity.
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