offline
Latest
CCP gives EVE Online players 50K skill points after DDoS attack
The EVE Online and Dust 514 servers are back online after CCP Games took them down this weekend, following a DDoS attack. CCP says this was the "longest downtime in quite a while," and it's giving EVE players 50,000 unallocated skill points to make up for it. All accounts except for trials received the skill points during today's update of EVE Online: Odyssey, the game's nineteenth free expansion. CCP stressed that the DDoS attacks didn't breach any customer data and the loophole that allowed the attacks has been secured. There's no word yet on Dust 514 players receiving comparable compensation.
EVE Online and Dust 514 servers under DDoS attack, offline [Update]
Update [06/03, 6:30am]: It appears EVE Online and its API have started to go back online. Dust 514 appears to still be offline. Original Story: CCP Games pulled the servers for EVE Online and Dust 514 offline following a DDoS attack this weekend, the EVE Online Facebook page reads. CCP is investigating the attack. "With the highest sense of precaution we have taken Tranquility and associated websites back down for further investigation and an exhaustive scan of our entire infrastructure," CCP writes. "We will update you more frequently via our Twitter feed, however, an extended service interruption of several hours is expected as this process should not be rushed." EVE Online is an MMORPG for PC, and Dust 514 is a PS3 FPS set in the EVE universe and using the same server cluster. Dust 514 launched a few weeks ago, on May 14, and it is free-to-play – though perhaps that freedom is limited right now.
Vudu Player update allows movie downloads on iPhone, iPad
Coming months after the feature's introduction on Android and PCs, Vudu has updated the iOS version of its app with the ability to download movies for viewing offline. Unlike the Android version, this feature is not restricted to tablets however, with downloads of your Vudu / Ultraviolet collection on iPads and iPhones. Other tweaks include making the Player "easier to use" and adding closed captions on iPhone. The Flixster app already allowed for Ultraviolet movie downloads on iOS, however Vudu has access to some movies that may not be available there. The updated version of the free app is available on on iTunes, although you will need an associated account (with updated password info) with unlocked videos to get any use out of it.
The entire nation of Syria goes offline yet again
Entire countries can go offline. Syria's done it before, and now it appears that the troubled nation has dropped its web connection again, according to Google's Transparency Report and other online sources. The outage appears to have begun just before 3PM ET, according to Google's report, and has yet to be resolved nearly three hours later. It's not entirely clear what's caused the outage, but based on educated speculation surrounding previous incidents, it wouldn't be out of the question to conclude that the government was behind this latest interruption. For now, the country remains in the dark -- we'll update this post just as soon as that's resolved.
EA: The Sims 4 is a 'single-player offline experience'
An announcement for The Sims 4 confirms the game will include a single-player component playable offline. With SimCity's tumultuous launch fresh on the brain, the news of offline gameplay is undoubtedly welcomed by fans. Not much else is said about the upcoming sequel in the press release, other than a promise of "new and intuitive tools" with which players can connect with their Sims. There will also be some kind of sharing functionality. The Sims 4 was announced earlier today and is currently in development at The Sims Studio at EA's Redwood City headquarters. The Sims 4 will launch on PC and Mac in 2014.
Offline Google Drive now automatically saves files, lets you create and edit drawings
Well, it looks as if the Drive news just keep pouring in. Shortly after outing a couple of new features that make the service a little more friendly with collaborators, Google's rather quietly taken to its own social network to announce some offline tidbits. Starting today, users of Mountain View's cloud-based storage goods can easily create and edit any drawings without the need for an internet connection. What's more, Docs, Sheets and Slides will now be automatically available offline -- something that should come in very handy while you're, say, 20,000 feet up in the air with no Gogo in sight. Fret not if you don't see these changes the next time you log in, as Google says "it may take a few days" before the rollout is carried out.
The Daily Grind: Are there MMOs you would play offline?
In theory, a lot of us are perpetually online. In practice, connections go down, routers get fried, network cards go kaput. Not even broadband is faultlessly reliable. So we deal with games that can be played without any connection required, and life continues. But are there MMOs that you wouldn't mind playing in an offline mode? Speaking personally, I know I would be happy to tool around in Star Trek Online as an offline playground. It has its faults, but it's a nice little dose of thematic space adventure, certainly something fun for whiling away a disconnected afternoon. Some elements would have to be tweaked for an offline mode to work, but that's not the point. So what about you? Are there MMOs you would play offline if you had the opportunity? Or are you more interested in the social aspects and not interested in just playing the game itself as a stopgap? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
PSN maintenance on April 15
The PlayStation Network is doing some spring cleaning on Monday, April 15. The service is going offline between 11AM ET (8AM PT) and 11PM ET in North America. PSN's Euro side is evidently a bit filthier, as it needs a further 3 hours of sprucing; maintenance starts on that side of the ocean at 2PM UK time on April 15, ending at 5AM the day after.As usual, the PS Store, Home, and account management aren't accessible during the downtime, but online play is as long you've signed in prior to the maintenance beginning.
Wii Forecast, News, other channels going offline in June
Everybody Votes ... until June 28. Nintendo of America has informed us that many of the network-reliant Channels on the Wii will go out of service on that date, including the Forecast Channel, News Channel, Everybody Votes, Check Mii Out, Nintendo Channel, and data exchange between friends. Mii exchanges and Wii Message Board conversation functionality will also go offline.Other services will remain active for the time being, including the really important one, the Wii Shop Channel, so your original Wii is still infinitely better than the totally-offline Wii Mini.
The War Z forums and databases hacked, taken offline for investigation
The War Z has been taken offline due to the compromise of its databases and official forums, publisher OP Productions has announced. "We have discovered that hackers gained access to our forum and game databases and the player data in those databases," the statement reads. "We have launched a thorough investigation covering our entire system to determine the scope of the intrusion. This investigation is ongoing and is our top priority."The user information obtained during the break in includes log-in e-mail addresses for the official forums and the game itself, along with the encrypted passwords associated with those addresses. No user payment information was compromised, however, as payments are handled by a third party company that operates outside of OP Production's ecosystem.Despite the fact that "there was absolutely no exposure of your payment or billing information of any kind," according to the statement, the possibility still exists for the stolen encrypted passwords to be decrypted, which could obviously be an issue for anyone that used the same email address and password for The War Z as they did for other, more vital internet accounts. As such, OP Productions recommends that its users change up their passwords.Beyond the promise of future updates, no further timeline was given with respect to when the game may come back online.
Google Translate on Android gains offline support for thrifty globetrotters
Travelers face a dilemma: they'll often leave a phone in airplane mode to avoid expensive roaming rates or a foreign SIM, but staying offline can break the translation services that might prove vital in a strange land. Google must have heard their plight, as a new version of Google Translate on Android adds the option to download offline packs for 50 different languages. They aren't as full-featured as their cloud-based equivalents, although there's good reason for the trimmed dictionaries -- at least some packs are over 150MB each. Unless space is just too tight, however, anyone with at least Android 2.3 can ask dónde el baño es without risking some bill shock.
Rumor: SimCity modded to disable disconnection timer, open debug mode
Reddit user AzzerUK claims to have enabled SimCity's debug mode and to have disabled its disconnection timer, both of which imply that there is more to the game's inner workings than EA and Maxis originally stated.Currently, a user that loses their connection to the server during gameplay will be logged out of the game after 20 minutes. This is supposedly because the client must sync simulation data back to the server on a regular basis, in order to ease the computational load on the user's machine and to ensure the simulation as a whole runs smoothly.Though not demonstrated in the video above, AzzerUK claims to have disabled that disconnection timer, and that playing an offline city for extended periods of time resulted in no issues with the simulation itself. Since SimCity does not support local saves in any way, it is not possible for AzzerUK to actually save anything that happens in his offline city, but the important thing is that the simulation reportedly did not come to a screeching halt after being unable to sync with the server.The modder/hacker also claims to have enabled SimCity's debug mode, which allows for cities to be edited beyond their typically imposed borders. Though clipping and texture mapping issues are easily visible in the above clip, the traditionally impossible highways created at least appear to function properly. This supposes that, at least theoretically, the game is capable of supporting city sizes that are larger than what is currently available.
Rumor: Maxis insider claims SimCity servers not essential
Though EA's official stance on SimCity's persistent Internet connection has been that it's absolutely required for the core game to function, a report from Rock, Paper, Shotgun claims that is not the case. An inside source who asked to remain anonymous told RPS the online servers are "not handling any of the computation done to simulate the city you are playing."According to the source, the servers are coordinating social messages between cities in a region, as well as "cloud storage of save games, interfacing with Origin, and all of that. But for the game itself? No, they're not doing anything."Even when the servers go down, certain cities have stayed online and playable for a period of time, suggesting off-site computation is not entangled in the main gameplay loop. The RPS source claims servers are also being used to repeatedly check for instances of hacking and cheating – and the game's verification messages to servers are creating queues and hampering responsiveness.Finally, the source casts doubt on EA's claims that a single-player version of this SimCity would be impossible to produce. "It wouldn't take very much engineering to give you a limited single-player game without all the nifty region stuff." EA's current public reasoning about why the game needs to stay online has done little to quell frustration voiced over the game's tremendous launch issues.Joystiq has contacted EA for comment regarding the source's claims.
Put your Age of Wushu avatar to work while you're offline
When you log off from your favorite MMO, does your avatar dream? Maybe, but when you log off from Age of Wushu, your character continues to be an active participant in the wuxia-drenched fantasy world. Many of the NPCs that you see milling about the game's cities and towns are in fact offline player characters going about their business. Your offline avatar can be a fire-breathing street performer, a cafe owner, a blacksmith, or one of several other professions depending on where you log out. There are both risks and rewards inherent in the the game's offline systems. The former include the ability to be kidnapped (and to subsequently log in to an unfamiliar location) while the latter allows you to collect money and items earned from various tasks. Read all about it at the official Age of Wushu website.
Maxis: SimCity offline mode is 'just not possible'
@azbiker72 The game was designed for MP, we sim the entire region on the server so this is just not possible - SimCity (@simcity) March 9, 2013The issues barraging SimCity stem from its requirement that players are always online and connected to EA's servers, even if a player wants to experience the game alone. Making the game available offline could solve many players' issues, but that's "just not possible," developer Maxis General Manager Lucy Bradshaw said during a Twitter Q&A session."The game was designed for MP, we sim the entire region on the server so this is just not possible," Bradshaw said, in response to a question about offline modes. Previously Bradshaw responded to another question about an offline patch: "We have no intention of offlining SimCity any time soon but we'll look into that as part of our earning back your trust efforts."Making SimCity offline would be a significant undertaking, if it were in the cards at all. Bradshaw further reiterated the sentiment of a leaked internal memo, noting that EA wasn't responsible for SimCity's issues; Maxis was."Hey, this is on Maxis," she wrote. "EA does not force design upon us. We own it, we are working 24/7 to fix it, and we are making progress."Recent progress included increasing SimCity's server capacity by 120 percent, disabling "non-critical" game features, and a report that EA asked SimCity affiliates to stop actively promoting the game.
Google Slides gets offline editing, begins rolling out today
Google made Docs available for offline editing this past summer and now it's extending the capability to Slides. In a rollout slated to begin today, users of the web-based app (formerly known as presentations for Docs) will be able to edit, comment and control r/w privileges on Drive-hosted slides without being tethered to the internet -- those tweaks will simply auto-upload the next time a connection is established. You'll need to be currently enrolled in offline editing for Docs to take advantage of this new feature, as it's not enabled by default. But if not, don't stress, Google's included detailed instructions in the source below. So, what's next in line for offline editing? Oh, that'd be Google Sheets.
PSA: Halo 2 PC multiplayer servers going offline Feb. 15
Online multiplayer matches in the PC version of Halo 2 are about to get a lot lonelier than they already are, as Bungie will be pulling the plug on Friday, February 15. Matches over LAN will still be possible of course, but as far as playing through Bungie's servers, that's all she wrote. "We've been monitoring the population for months," the announcement reads, "and it's been peaking consistently at approximately 20 players or less." So! If you're one of the 20 people left in the whole of existence that are still playing Halo 2, allow us to officially welcome you back to society. You'll be pleased to know that several other Halo games have been released in your absence.
Monster Hunter Tri servers go down April 30
The Monster Hunteth, and the monster taketh away. On April 30, just over three years after the game's release, the online multiplayer servers for Monster Hunter Tri on Wii will be disabled.Capcom's hope is that the people still playing the action RPG on Wii will migrate to Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate on Wii U and/or 3DS, of course. That comes out March 19, giving you a safe, six-week overlap period to secure your hunting fix.
Madden 11, NBA Jam, Sims 2, other EA games go offline in January
If it's in the game, it's in the game, until the game gets too old and the servers are shut down. EA is taking some games offline starting on January 3rd, when FIFA Manager 11 for PC will cease online connectivity.Most of the unplugging will take place on January 11: that's when FIFA Soccer 11, FIFA Soccer 11 Ultimate Team, Madden 11 and its Ultimate Team, NBA Jam, NBA Live 10, NCAA 11, NHL 11, and NHL 11 Ultimate Team will lose their online capabilities. The loss of NBA Live 10 effectively ends online play for EA's NBA series.On the 14th the Sims 2 will end online service, and Trenches 2 for iOS will follow on the 19th.
Battle Dungeon goes offline due to piracy
Battle Dungeon is a tactical strategy multiplayer game for iOS that arrived on the App Store about a week ago, but it's no longer there. The developer announced on its website that it has pulled the game from the store due to piracy. The US$4.99 game (also supported by in-app purchases) experienced so many online players playing pirated copies that the developer, Hunted Cow, says that it couldn't keep the crowded servers running with the money coming in, and had to pull the plug. They're offering refunds to anyone who bought the game outright, and money back for any in-app purchases. TUAW checked in with the developers directly about this, and they told us that the team is considering its options right now. They say that "hopefully we'll be back in business very soon." The original website post said the game would be down "for the foreseeable future," but the devs now say to expect an announcement on what's next as soon as possible. We've heard about problems with app piracy before -- it's relatively easy for almost anyone to grab an app from the App Store, and then use widely available programs and exploits to share that app with people who haven't purchased it. That seems to be what's happened here. But fortunately for Hunted Cow, there are also a few ways to fight piracy (especially with a title that requires online play), so odds are that we'll see this game back up and running much more legitimately very soon. [via Touch Arcade]
