Battlefield 3 Will Require Origin

[Whateveralot]

I hate mandatory steam-logins to start up a game. That being said, battlefield games always required a login, which I didn't mind because it allowed me access to my soldiers / equiment / etc. I just hope that this does the same and you don't have to log in twice. And that Origin is fast (coded).

 

[Awexsome]

Predictable really.

It's already been said but it needs to be said again. Valve's been doing this for a while now. Any outright rejection of it is blatant fanboyism or straight up "fuck the corporations" hate. Then again this is the Escapist so I refer to my first statement.

Predictable really.

 

[Yureina]

Well, that's one less game i'll be buying. I'd say that's good considering how many new releases there will be this fall/winter.

They better not do this shit with ME3 though. That will make me rage.

 

[Cowabungaa]

I just want to know one thing;

Does the ridiculous Origin Users Agreement about only having the game for 2 years apply to retail copies as well now?

If it only counts for digitally bought copies I don't really care, as I won't buy it over Origin anyway. Hell if that's the case the rage is just plain silly and a huge overreaction. Guys, you don't have to run Origin constantly, you can just turn it off when you stop playing BF3. You don't have to buy games on it either.

If it does, then the rage is completely justified. But as far as I know it's just self-entitled whining.

Fine, I have an Origin account, but I still never created it, EA forced it upon me. And if I ever one day decide to download Origin, I will NOT be using any of those accounts.

What? Forced it upon you? They just re-named one of their services, added a store function and that's it. Good gods people...

Well, that's one less game i'll be buying. I'd say that's good considering how many new releases there will be this fall/winter.

They better not do this shit with ME3 though. That will make me rage.

Again; why? You can just don't do anything with Origin, you don't have to buy BF3 on it, you don't have to run it after you stopped playing BF3, and if a poster above us is to be believed it takes less memory than Steam as well when you run it.

All this rage makes so little sense, as long as it isn't going to affect the game, why care about this? You probably won't even know it's there when you're playing!

And I really, really, really wanted Diablo III, BF3, Mass Effect 3, etc. This year might signify my throwing out of this hobby. Before anyone tells me I'm a crybaby, I'm stuck in an apartment with a shoddy connection at BEST, and I'm lucky if even the electricity stays on for a whole gaming session, let alone my internet ok?

Your complaint about Diablo 3 is justified here, as it doesn't have an offline mode. But Steam does, and perhaps Origin as well. If you can't play ME3 offline, if it requires Origin, then yes you'll be right as well. Before that, relax and wait for more information. Good gods people this isn't such big of a deal!

 

[NoNameMcgee]

PC gamer here who doesn't care. The only thing that bothers me at all is Origin closing down and my game becoming unplayable, but by which time (if it ever happens) I'll have long stopped caring about the game anymore. Yeah its a bit of a nuisance and I'd rather have it on Steam, but you guys are all crybabies tbh.

Slightly offtopic question here but will I be able to buy a physical copy and unlock it on Origin like with Steam, or will I need to buy it through the Origin store?

 

[NLS]

I don't get this whole QQ process going on around here.
You had to be online and signed into your EA account for previous Battlefield games as well.

 

[migo]

I'll add my voice to the chorus of those who don't see what the big deal is. This is EXACTLY the same thing that Valve did with Half-Life 2 and you might think that Steam is pretty shit-hot now but believe me, it was a piece of crap when it launched. So why is it okay for one but not the other?

Because Valve hasn't got a reputation for being an evil company.

EA held that throne for a long time, and has only recently (just) lost it to Activision. I have no reason to trust them.

Valve is earning one, and it's because of Steam.

 

[Sectan]

I like playing LAN games with my brothers and having programs like Steam and Origin don't help so much. The first COD MW was stand alone and allowed us to just pass the disc around. When I Saw "Requires Steam" on the Black Ops box I just sat there felt like "Well shit I guess I'll play this alone then..." I can think of how many games on Steam that I'd like to LAN it up with my brothers, but just plain can't.

 

[Phenakist]

I get why EA want to put Origin on it, their major shooter release being used to the winch the number up on it, and from that point of view, I agree completely, what better to break through with, I mean Battlefield is primarily, and always will be "THE" (realistic) PC shooter franchise, so that in it's self, people will primarily (if begrudgingly) get Origin.

Personally, I don't care about the "resource" argument, EA download manager was a bit of a pest, but WAIT, I did the smart thing and turned off the auto run *gasp*. Nobody seems to have thought of this.... As for "yeah but it sucks up your processor when your playing the game" I will reply to this statement with another statement here's 50 dollars.... No, seriously unless you've been living under a rock the last, I dunno.... 10 years, there's been this invention called multi core processors, basically EVERY computer these days at least has a dualcore, if YOURS isn't a dual core, or more, then don't call yourself a PC gamer. I'll put it even more simply, if you computer can't handle a tiny background program, you won't be able to handle the game in the first place.

In short, Origin is coming whether we like it or not, I'm getting it for 360 first, picking it up on PC when it's cheaper. (95% of my BF friends have it for 360, blasphemy, I know.)

 

[monkey jesus]

I played the Alpha via Origin on my mid-spec PC. All is well, it seems a little more clunky than Steam but that might by down to the fact that I've been using Steam for a while.

The BF3 Alpha installed via Origin but appeared like any other game installed from DVD and there was a bit of faffing a clicking on the shortcut to open Origin to open a web browser to launch the game. Feels like trying to load Battlefield Heroes.

My main criticism is that I really need to load the web launcher in a dedicated browser or I get the issue of having 10 or so tabs that load by default sucking up CPU. I'd prefer it to be on Steam but I can see that EA are using BF3 as a carrot to get people onto Origin, it sucks a little but it won't stop me buying BF3.


Also Origin remembers the old games I bought from EA years ago so that's nice.

I get the feeling that this will go the same way as the Modern Warfare zealots, 0.001% of gamers frothing on forums for years about how they are owed the user experience they expected while everyone else just enjoys what's available.

 

[UnravThreads]

Does the ridiculous Origin Users Agreement about only having the game for 2 years apply to retail copies as well now?

There was something about inactive accounts but the timeline is so long that very few people will be subject to it.

Also Origin remembers the old games I bought from EA years ago so that's nice.

That's because they're tied to your EA master account, and Origin is nothing more than a rebranded EADM. It might have new features and a new set of clothes, but it's essentially EADM 2.0

 

[PingoBlack]

I remember posting in Diablo 3 always-on thread, that online services are not necessarily only bad.

Steam and Blizzard offer a lot of added value. Communication, social interfaces, sales and similar. So in order to have this done right, the companies have to keep trying hard to actually offer the value.

Funny tho, seems way less upset people posting here now. Is BF3 so much less popular than D3 or are just people already resigned EA will do bad things?

 

[Griffolion]

I assume this only applies to the PC?

It will.

Still, I5 @ 4Ghz, 8GB 1600Mhz DDR3 and an XFX 5970. My rig can handle Origin, Steam, an anti virus scan and a 10 way Skype conversation while running BF3. So I'm not too bothered by this. Besides, Origin is a pretty good service. The program itself is very nice. I don't mind running this and Steam side by side.

Does the ridiculous Origin Users Agreement about only having the game for 2 years apply to retail copies as well now?

That condition stipulated that your account will be rendered inactive should you not log into your EA account for 2 years. So basically, if you don't log into to play something like Bad Company 2 online or anything else with the EA banner on it, then you will be rendered inactive. But if you have Origin auto-login every time you go on your computer, it's nigh on impossible to actually have this stipulation come into effect.

 

[Rouzeki]

I remember posting in Diablo 3 always-on thread, that online services are not necessarily only bad.

Steam and Blizzard offer a lot of added value. Communication, social interfaces, sales and similar. So in order to have this done right, the companies have to keep trying hard to actually offer the value.

Funny tho, seems way less upset people posting here now. Is BF3 so much less popular than D3 or are just people already resigned EA will do bad things?

PingoBlack, probably resignation about EA, people being more apt to just grab a console copy for whatever reason (still plays into EA's hands) and that Diablo can be a sore spot depending on if you bought the prior ones like I did, and how they played into your offline experiences over the years.

or that and the fact that most people seem to play shooters for the multiplayer. I don't know.

well, I'll weigh in here. HAH. I already didn't care, and this changes nothing. and while Valve seems to be getting shtick for giving EA this idea... the real crap move on EA's part is band wagoning steam, then forcing everyone onto origin for primarily one major release. YES steam may have been crap and done that as well, but that orange box was a deal at the time for someone new to Valve like me. I didn't feel like i was getting cheated, because they offered so MANY things. that and i had no problems playing Portal or one of the half lives when I didn't have a connection... that and Valve have a better rep then EA, (better then the 2 most "vile" corporate arms? yeah)

Sometimes stomping about like a braindead tyrannosaurus such as EA has done earns them a backlash. they don't ever seem to understand a graceful move as of late. they want origin to be a success? then making it a transitional thing would be best for those who care about the issue, NOT "im taking my ball and putting it in MY COURT, valve!" they wanna compete with steam? don't start with slinging mud and acting petulant.

What is it about company's not being able to read or care about potential backlash lately? I just got through throwing boulders of mental energy at the Diablo stuff (its forcing multi functionality and broadband in a game franchise that worked on BOTH sides before, screwing over at least a few thousand people who were hopeful for the game). then ID chimes in favoring Blizzard, THEN EA and this. And yet, even if I did care, it IS a game more locked into its multiplayer, far as I know, so it's more forgiven, I guess.

Couldn't care about BF3. lets hope the console version isn't riddled with Origin adds somehow.

 

[Cowabungaa]

That condition stipulated that your account will be rendered inactive should you not log into your EA account for 2 years. So basically, if you don't log into to play something like Bad Company 2 online or anything else with the EA banner on it, then you will be rendered inactive. But if you have Origin auto-login every time you go on your computer, it's nigh on impossible to actually have this stipulation come into effect.

And what does 'inactive' stipulate exactly? Does that mean all your game accounts are gone? All your bought games gone? Or is it just frozen, like a WoW account you're not currently paying for.

Slightly offtopic question here but will I be able to buy a physical copy and unlock it on Origin like with Steam, or will I need to buy it through the Origin store?

You don't have to buy it on the Origin store, that so much is a given, as other digital distribution platforms are still selling it, and of course there's plenty of stores offering physical copies.

 

[Griffolion]

That condition stipulated that your account will be rendered inactive should you not log into your EA account for 2 years. So basically, if you don't log into to play something like Bad Company 2 online or anything else with the EA banner on it, then you will be rendered inactive. But if you have Origin auto-login every time you go on your computer, it's nigh on impossible to actually have this stipulation come into effect.

And what does 'inactive' stipulate exactly? Does that mean all your game accounts are gone? All your bought games gone? Or is it just frozen, like a WoW account you're not currently paying for.

I'm afraid I'm not sure what's meant there. I've a feeling it might be KILL ALL DA ACCOUNT SETTINGZ thing, knowing EA...

 

[UberNoodle]

"Steam doesn't update EA games like we want them to so... No Battlefield. We promise! It's about updates!"

Days later. Battlefield requires Origin.
Fuck it. I'm playing it on my Xbox.

And many, MANY games require Steam. Everything bad people are going to say about this Valve has already done a long time ago.

And Steam is a stellar and robust service that kicks Origin in the ass. I have installed 5 games on Origin (DVD games I could transfer over for sh!ts and giggles) and some of them, including Dragon Age Origins and Mass Effect 2, didn't even install properly, failing to install and run the required DRM checking software. I then had to use a DOS prompt to run the software that origin's installer failed to. Yet, Mass Effect failed to run. Turned out out it was Origin's social aspect that was crashing the game. EA's response each time I've had problems with Origin: 'uninstall everything and try again'.

So sure, 'Valve did it' too, but it has done it so much better and with so much more professionalism and care for the end user. Don't for a second try to equate Origin with Steam. Perhaps you will answer cynically that Valve, as it is a business, only pretends to care about its customers, but it has done a lot more to show that its intent is genuine than EA has even done. I've been playing EA games since I had to load them via cassette tape. They've never fostered the love in me that Valve has with just 3 game franchises.

 

[ph0b0s123]

What a bunch of Steam loving hypocrites. Where was all this complaining when Steam did it. I posted many times with complains about how non valve non-online purchased single player games were using steamworks which required Steam to be installed and no-one cared. Well, you reap what you sow. To late to belly ache now....

Steam does it = OK

EA does it = BAD

Is it me or do Steam fanbois seem very much like Apple fanbois with their idols can never do any wrong.

At least Origin is only being used for EA games, unlike Steamworks...

 

[ph0b0s123]

"Steam doesn't update EA games like we want them to so... No Battlefield. We promise! It's about updates!"

Days later. Battlefield requires Origin.
Fuck it. I'm playing it on my Xbox.

And many, MANY games require Steam. Everything bad people are going to say about this Valve has already done a long time ago.

And Steam is a stellar and robust service that kicks Origin in the ass. I have installed 5 games on Origin (DVD games I could transfer over for sh!ts and giggles) and some of them, including Dragon Age Origins and Mass Effect 2, didn't even install properly, failing to install and run the required DRM checking software. I then had to use a DOS prompt to run the software that origin's installer failed to. Yet, Mass Effect failed to run. Turned out out it was Origin's social aspect that was crashing the game. EA's response each time I've had problems with Origin: 'uninstall everything and try again'.

So sure, 'Valve did it' too, but it has done it so much better and with so much more professionalism and care for the end user. Don't for a second try to equate Origin with Steam. Perhaps you will answer cynically that Valve, as it is a business, only pretends to care about its customers, but it has done a lot more to show that its intent is genuine than EA has even done. I've been playing EA games since I had to load them via cassette tape. They've never fostered the love in me that Valve has with just 3 game franchises.

Comparing a just launching service with a mature one is hardly fair, unless you can say when steam launched it 100% perfect.

And before you say I love EA. I don't I hate both services requirement to have their bulkware for games not purchased on-line. Especially for ones that have nothing to do with valve and are single player.

 

[UberNoodle]

Where was all this complaining when Steam did it. I posted many times with complains about how non valve single player games were using steamworks which requires steam installed and no-one cared. Well you reap what you sow. To late to belly ache now....

Steam does it = OK

EA does it = BAD

Is it me or do Steam fanbois seem very much like Apple fanbois with their idols can never do any wrong.

You conclusion however, is based on incomplete appraisal of the situation.

Steam does it - it works, it's high quality, fully featured, stable and professional.
EA does it - it barely works, its shoddy and frankly unprofessional.

I have 6 games on Origin at the moment. I'm not speaking out of my ass, and I am certainly not a fanboy because other people are content equating apples with oranges.

The complaint is that Origin is a subpar product and since its launch has barely gotten better. Whereas Steam has improved in strides and it will continue to do so because Valve WANT that kind of involvement. Like I said, Origin is halfassed to say the least.