Mass Effect 3 PC requires internet connection, no local co-op planned

Slowly but surely, more Mass Effect 3 news is trickling out of BioWare. Firstly, the PC version of Mass Effect 3 will require an internet connection at launch, but will no longer require the connection afterwards.

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Slowly but surely, more Mass Effect 3 news is trickling out of BioWare. Firstly, the PC version of Mass Effect 3 will require an internet connection at launch, but will no longer require the connection afterwards. Considering BioWare isn't owned by Ubisoft, we'll hold them to that.

Local co-op, whether it's split-screen on console or via LAN on PC, also will not be supported in Mass Effect 3's multiplayer mode. That's a tad unfortunate, given how recent co-op games, such as Uncharted 3 and Gears of War 3, offer these features.

You also won't be able to create your own multiplayer server. "Because of a lot of the match making systems are quite server intensive, we have no plans anytime soon to allow the creation of an offline server," BioWare's Jesse Houston explains in a new Q&A.

If you love griefing your friends, you'll be disappointed to know that friendly fire is also not a part of multiplayer. "We didn’t believe it added a lot to the co-op experience," Houston explained, adding it may be available later as some sort of modifier to the game, but not at release."

Finally, Mass Effect 3's Kinect functionality will be stripped from multiplayer, mostly because you'll be using a headset to communicate with friends, not AI. "We'd want you to yell at them and not your TV," Houston noted.

Mass Effect 3 will be available on PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 on March 6th.

Andrew Yoon was previously a games journalist creating content at Shacknews.

From The Chatty
  • reply
    November 8, 2011 10:45 AM

    Andrew Yoon posted a new article, Mass Effect 3 PC requires internet connection, no local co-op planned.

    Slowly but surely, more Mass Effect 3 news is trickling out of BioWare. Firstly, the PC version of Mass Effect 3 will require an internet connection at launch, but will no longer require the connection afterwards.

    • reply
      November 8, 2011 11:33 AM

      [deleted]

      • reply
        November 8, 2011 1:04 PM

        ME 2 had this? Didn't even notice..

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        November 8, 2011 1:10 PM

        Mass Effect 2 didn't require you to be logged in. It just locked cerberous content if it cannot authenticate.

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          November 8, 2011 1:25 PM

          Yeah, this is worse. Especially because you'll be forced to use Origin too!

          Multiple DRMs, huzzah!

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            November 8, 2011 1:53 PM

            Wait, ME3 is going to require Origin?

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              November 8, 2011 2:00 PM

              Why would any new EA release not? If games like BF3 and FIFA12 already require Origin, Mass Effect 3 is a no brainer. Probably won't be on Steam, either. I think SWTOR is the only game confirmed as not requiring Origin, but that's an MMO with its own business model and login and launcher and patcher.

              http://twitter.com/#%21/gtez/status/123534057320624128

              Not sure if there was a followup to that.

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                November 8, 2011 2:37 PM

                I sort of assumed (hoped) that origin will have failed by the time that me3 is released.

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              November 8, 2011 6:23 PM

              it's going to require it on consoles

              from the accidental xbox live leak: http://i.imgur.com/SHhzO.jpg

              • reply
                November 8, 2011 8:19 PM

                Haha, I guess Origin is the new EA Online for consoles too? Yikes. Same account info so it shouldn't matter much.

              • reply
                November 9, 2011 12:41 PM

                I want that Monitor and or TV, do you see the size of those edge bezels? They are no more than 5mm.

    • reply
      November 8, 2011 12:03 PM

      what's the point of this kind of DRM? a cracked version always leaks out before it's officially released anyway.

      • reply
        November 8, 2011 4:43 PM

        Bingo. This shit just exists to piss off actual customers.

      • reply
        November 8, 2011 5:37 PM

        This question is always asked and never officially answered.

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        November 8, 2011 6:08 PM

        Protects against casual piracy!

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          November 8, 2011 10:56 PM

          Except that casual piracy barely even has a learning curve anymore. Hell, most places even give you point-by-point directions. As long as you have an internet connection.

    • reply
      November 8, 2011 12:06 PM

      Yeah... Shacknews forgets that most games nowadays require online activation. We only care if they don't let you play offline at all.

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      November 8, 2011 12:27 PM

      Does that mean EVERY time you want to play, or only the first time you launch and activate it? Does that mean if I'm on the road with my laptop, and no wifi is available, I can't play?

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        November 8, 2011 12:30 PM

        Every time. It's no improvement over always on DRM, you still can't play.

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          November 8, 2011 12:58 PM

          That sucks major foot! You know companies, we don't WANT to apply cracks to our LEGITIMATELY PURCHASED GAMES, but you do stuff this like, and you essentially FORCE us to. Stupids.

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            November 8, 2011 1:05 PM

            You don't have Internet access on your computer?

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              November 8, 2011 1:23 PM

              My internet at home has been super flaky lately. It's getting better but they say it's a problem in the area itself. I've heard of neighbors with the same problem. This argument is stupid anyway. We get it, you want to prevent casual piracy.

              What I want to know is how much MORE piracy you're preventing when you add this kind of horrible DRM vs just the old CD-Key, or steam style. Nobody gives a shit about cd-keys.

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              November 8, 2011 5:44 PM

              would you rather be fine 99% of the time or 100% of the time?

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              November 8, 2011 8:12 PM

              At home, sure. But as odd as it may seem, you don't always have it when you're on the road, and sometimes you want to kill a few hours blasting some Geth, or Collectors or whoever. Kinda sucks if you can't do that because the company thinks you're a pirate.

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            November 8, 2011 1:06 PM

            Well, if you bought it, it doesn't really matter if you crack it, so have at 'er.

            • Ebu legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
              reply
              November 8, 2011 4:36 PM

              Sure it does.

              Hello virus.

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                November 8, 2011 7:14 PM

                I meant from a "morality" point of view, which seems to hold paramount on Shacknews.

                But yes, it's a pain, and i guess you could get a virus if you just blindly download things and run them....

                • Ebu legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
                  reply
                  November 8, 2011 9:46 PM

                  Blindly as opposed to what?

                  That executable could do anything.

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              November 8, 2011 6:18 PM

              Point is, we don't want to have to crack it to play it. We bought the game, an always active internet connection is simply unnecessary. After all, that always active DRM worked so well for Ubisoft, right?

              Oh wait...

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      November 8, 2011 1:06 PM

      [deleted]

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      November 8, 2011 1:21 PM

      Man this game has become a straight up publisher shit-a-thon. What's next?

      I'm not even expecting a good game anymore because it sounds like corporate has had their hands in every aspect of this game molding it into a maximum profit project rather than Mass Effect 3.

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      November 8, 2011 2:32 PM

      qBecause of a lot of the match making systems are quite server intensive, we have no plans anytime soon to allow the creation of an offline server]q

      I don't understand what's so server intensive about "Hey, you want to play some ME3?"

    • reply
      November 8, 2011 4:12 PM

      [deleted]

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      November 8, 2011 4:48 PM

      i'm commander shepard and this is my least favourite drm

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        November 8, 2011 4:54 PM

        The real commander Shepard would go all right trigger on everyone and remove this silly restriction.

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        November 8, 2011 7:10 PM

        Hahahaha

    • reply
      November 8, 2011 5:49 PM

      [deleted]

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      November 8, 2011 6:28 PM

      I will worry about that once I can play Mass Effect 1 at 1440x900.

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      November 9, 2011 2:19 PM

      DRM every start?. Check. No LAN?. Check. Not even server files?. Check. Stupid excuses trying to justify it?. Check.

      Sad to see companies like Bioware doing this. Don't you idiots realize that you're making the pirated version a ton times better than yours?. When pirates get better service at much better price, you have a BIG problem.

    • reply
      November 9, 2011 8:15 PM

      Correction: only paying customers will need to be connected at all times. We've been over this a million times - the only people you're hurting are the ones that actually bought the game.

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