Here's Why Gran Turismo 7 Campaign Mode Requires Internet Connection

As PushSquare first reported last week, Polyphony Digital's next racing simulator Gran Turismo 7 will require a constant internet connection when playing the campaign mode. This means you won't be able to compete in races should the plug be pulled, and now the developer has explained why that is in a new interview. It's essentially designed to prevent cheating and save data manipulation.

[Orchard]

This feels like reducing the functionality of the game / screwing consumers because PD can't secure their game and/or Sony can't secure their platform.

Why is this only a problem in GT? I don't see save modification being done on other games, and modifying save data is pretty hard on modern consoles. And why does Forza not have this issue? smh.

[ColtPSSX]

I have game pass and that isn’t always the case.
I was moving and disconnected from the internet for 2-5 days (Most likely 2-3 days really) and it wouldn’t let me access the games I downloaded :)
I believe it was suppose to be 30 days but that wasn’t the case.
So I had to reconnect.

All I’m saying is. 95% of the time, this wouldn’t be an issue.

[Orchard]

Weird - pre-pandemic I used to take my PS4 or X1X with me on business trips and never once had issues launching game pass, XBL gold or PS+ games (don’t have PSNow so can’t confirm there).

Anyway, unless I’m playing an online game/game mode or one which needs a web service - I shouldn’t need internet.

[SullysCigar]

@Orchard, you must have missed the duplicate article that's already live, when you approved this:

https://n4g.com/news/244242...

This article literally paraphrases that text, just for the sake of a new, less than page-long, article:

"...to avoid people from modifying and cheating with the save data for the game,” Yamauchi explained. “Another aspect is for the liveries. Livery data is downloaded from the servers even when you’re playing offline. So, an online connection is something that is needed pretty much throughout the game. One part of the game that doesn’t require any online connection is the Arcade Mode, because there’s no interaction with the save data and there are no liveries involved, so it doesn’t require a network connection to do that.”

Edit: wait, you can't have missed that article, as you approved that too...strange. Anyways, happy to help out.

[Orchard]

I did read them both - doesn’t justify it IMO. That all sounds pretty optional and unnecessary to me.

Cheating via save games? So why isn’t every PS5 game always online? Why isn’t Forza always online?

As for liveries - why do I need to connect to the internet? Why can’t I use my offline saved ones or preset ones?

It screams laziness on the developers part - these are solvable problems which other games have been solving for years.

[darkrider]

He wont stop. Next will try to approve another windows central news saying crap about the ps5. It's crazy the amount of time he wastes tryng to find something bad to say about the ps5. The interview of gt was great and full of cool news about the game, but in every single news approved about gt he and the other dude try to say crap about the game. From rt, to connection. Even if all of that is much worse on the other team.

[jukins]

Why do i need to connect to bethesda.net to play deathloop? Why why why? Funniest part is youre on here commenting 10000 times a day but just wanna cry about something.

[Orchard]

@darkrider If you have problems with articles I approve you should contact the website and ask them to change the rules or flag the article - I only approve articles which falls within the rules. Similarly, you are also able to become a contributor and approve articles.

@jukins Deathloop is playable offline - I did this not even a day ago. It just means you play against AI assassins.

[Knushwood Butt]

For liveries it's because they want the control to remove adult/copyright infringement/whatever. They need to be able to control that. It's to protect the business.

It has nothing to do with 'laziness'.

[Extermin8or3_]

It's an issue for gt7 because of the fia licensing. It historically was a problem with gt5 and I believe gt6 where people worked out how to edit their save files to give them cars and modifications and such on the cars that they had not earned and in some instances shouldn't have been able to have on this car models. Now usually that's just a matter of cheating but with the FIA licensing for the exports side of things it becomes more serious and I expect the online only aspect is their way of protecting against it.

[dumahim]

That sounds like an issue with protecting the save files more than anything. Maybe I've just never heard of it, but I've never heard of anyone modifying a save file for Forza to get stuff they shouldn't have. I have seen plenty of in-game steps to get things easy that was never intended (I remember specifically something in FM4 about the houses and getting free super spins).

[CaptainHenry916]

This is the definition of stealth trolling. You didn't hold back 😁😁😂

[senorfartcushion]

@colepssx

Because you’re judging this as though everyone that has a bad word to say automatically has an Xbox or is a fanboy of another company, which is paranoid and weird

[jukins]

No not because he said something "bad" but theres a documented history of such efforts. Most people at least click the profile check comments before labeling a fanboy.

[FPS_D3TH]

Lmao it is a problem in those games and the leaderboards easily show that. GT is a very competitive game. Glad to see a developer take those accomplishments seriously especially since they design a lot of contests with leaderboards as a measure.

[neutralgamer1992]

So much fake rage from people who don't even intend to buy a PlayStation or any of the games yet they are so mad about this news

[alb1899]

I really don'tcare if all games needs internet connection. But hey everyone has his needs.

[iivGHOST]

@Orchard Fm7 definitely had this issue

[kayoss]

Actually, PS4 you can alter your savedata. It works for GT games, some final fantasy games, etc...

[Vames]

Most of those who debating here are probably children or neckbeards. And I make no apology for saying this.

The fact that some of them cannot tell the difference between Sea of Thieves, and GT7 really boggles the mind. One is an online multiplayer game while the other has both online and singleplayer components. Thus meaning, Sea of Thieves being always online makes sense 100 percent. But the same cannot be said for GT7.

When you have a love affair with a console and a company, it blinds your judgment to the point where you'll accept their bullshit as gospel. I remember when Microsoft announced the Xbox One to be always online and most people complained. It forced the company to backtrack.

Here we have die-hard Sony fans who were likely against what Microsoft did, now supporting always online for playing a single-player campaign. These gentlemen have balls the size of a mustard seed if they cannot summon the courage to speak out against their favorite company.

[Knushwood Butt]

'Here we have die-hard Sony fans who were likely against what Microsoft did'

Against them when they announced always online, or against them when they reversed the decision?

[VariantAEC]

Agreed what PD are doing is totally unacceptable.
They must make an offline save game and a separate online progression save game.

I accepted GT Sport's online only component but I will skip GT7 for the first time in the franchises history. I'm still looking forward to pick up FH5.
I can't believe this is happening myself.

Delay the game and make two saves if you want to prevent cheating. Don't f••• us offline gamers.

[dbcoops]

I don't feel like its screwing me over at all in fact it sounds like its doing the exact opposite.

Why is it as soon as Sony requires an online connection for something all of a sudden people want to pretend like they're not already connected twenty four seven to the internet anyway? smh

"Once you’ve downloaded your game pass game,"

Ok so an internet connection IS REQUIRED, ok got it. Seems MS can't figure out a way to get games to people without requiring that filthy internet connection, feels like reducing functionality and screwing consumers.

[Destiny1080]

you can play the arcade mode completely offline, everything else is online due to cheaters being able to manipulate the track times by editing the saved files, which cant be done if there always online

[Orchard]

Why are save files not encrypted like they are for every other game / console?

Players are inconvenienced because a developer is lazy.

[Ron_Danger]

You’re right. They should encrypt their save files so they don’t look like lazy devs. I’d hate to play an online racing game where people could, say change their save to give them unlimited credits and max out their level…. Just like what you can do in Forza Horizon 4:

https://m.youtube.com/watch...

[Extermin8or3_]

The online only to prevent cheating by editing game saves is a requirement for the fia licensing.

[SurgicalMenace]

So, DON'T BUY THE GAME. There's nothing lazy about a developer developing a control that disallows file modification. When is your offline game coming out? Will it be as heralded as GT7?

Never seen so many people without the talent to develop talking as though they can. Just play the game or don't, dude. All this whining has to come to an end as it's not adding anything to the community but annoyance. Has it changed anything?

[jukins]

So since "every other" game does it one way gt7 must do it that way. Lol get over yourself. Funny how you can manage to find an internet connection to troll 24/7 but its an issue when you have to have a console connected to said internet. . . Make it make sense.

[FPS_D3TH]

Lmao you’re gonna need better bait

[NeoGamer232]

This is not really about encryption. Even if a file is encrypted you can still access the file, work to decrypt it (hackers provide tools to decrypt decrypted files all the time), and replace it with a modded file. By tracking everything on a server, you have to hack the server and modify the data in the servers which is next to impossible if the developer does things right.

Developers aren't lazy on this, they are just using the best practice in ensuring data cannot be modded outside the system.

[kayoss]

Everything in this world that is digital is encrypted. But that didnt stop people from hacking it. Savedata is just a file, a very simple file that can be decrypted easily.

[Orchard]

@Ron_Danger Totally different situation. PC is the wild west, you can run unsigned software. GT7 is only on PlayStation consoles (as far as we know), you can't just write a cheat program or easily reverse engineer for PS because you'd need to be a registered PS developer, and even then games are sandboxed / running in a VM and cannot access storage or memory etc. outside of the game VM.

You could say 'well people could copy their save game to USB and connect that to a PC" but even that is a solved problem - Sony could've used the filesystem they use for the HDD. A PC will not detect a PS/Xbox formatted hard drive.

Similarly, if they'd just jump into the 21st century and make cloud saves free already, the USB thing could go away and be a non-issue. No way to get your save game on a PC if it's on Sony's server.

They could also just encrypt the data using a key specific to the PS user - then you'd basically need reverse engineer the PS5 to decrypt the save... that won't happen anytime soon (if ever) and if someone does that they're doing it for piracy/homebrew reasons not save game hacks.

[Ron_Danger]

@Orchard

It’s not different when it’s cross save and cross platform play with PC. Make a cheat save on pc and then transfer it to console.

[dbcoops]

No one is inconvenienced you're just trying to make a huge deal out of it for obvious reasons. Because this is how Polyphony chose to deal with it doesn't make them "lazy" so stop with the fake accusations.

[phoenixwing]

Thanks for letting me know there's an arcade mode.

[darkrider]

There tons of good news in the interview. Should read. The new weather system should be cool!

[jukins]

Darkrider, i hope the weather system applies to sport mode where ill be spending most of my time. Would really add challenge to weekly races where people master the track throughout the week but "random" weather would really change it up.

[tombfan]

I'm so over that thing that you think you've made a great time score just to see that everyone else is 0:00:01, I agree this needs to be done.

[aaronaton]

All my consoles have been connected to the internet since i bought a Network Adapter for my PS2. Can someone explain to me in the best possible way why 'online only' campaigns are a bad thing?
My only assumption is that this game might not be playable in 15+yrs from now??!!

[Smok91]

Yup then they say they won’t buy the game to which I reply “thank god one less complainer on the server”

[SurgicalMenace]

Thank you, it's refreshing to hear someone with reasoning beyond their entitlement. Online is an integral element of gaming in all capacities now. What is being online really messing up for anyone anyway?

[Imalwaysright]

Entitlement... the word useless fanboys and corporate apologists use when normal people that don't idolize multi-billion $ companies or pieces of plastic react to crapola such as this. If I'm paying €80 for a game you better damn well believe that I don't want it to become a paperweight in 7 or 8 years and that I don't want to ask permission to access its single player campaign. Dumbasses like you that defend this shit are telling Sony that it is ok for them to do the same with other games and I for one would like to see the look in your faces if they indeed start doing this with games like GoW 2, Spider man 2 or Horizon 2 just so that I can laugh at your stupid faces.

[SurgicalMenace]

Dumbass?!?!🤣 Says an individual who can't handle a company that's cemented their position to exercise their power of choice. What's $80? Oh, that must be the cost you believe is needed to validate your opinion, which will ultimately be dismissed overall.

Sony knows what works to maintain a successful hold on the market they thrive in, and it doesn't include catering to child like individuals who think the world revolves around their displeasure. Tantrum much?🤣

At the end of the day, my life has enough forfillment in it that it doesn't revolve around something as menial as entertainment only. Entertainment is a luxury not a necessity. If a company does something I don't agree with, I don't spend my money. I thought we were all adult enough to recognize that everything doesn't have to go our way in life to enjoy it. Accept it or not, the game is online only and no measurement of whining is going to change that.

You are correct about one thing though, I am a supporter of corporations; small, medium, and large. My profession requires it, and likewise being a supporter has placed me in a position to not be concerned about how something that only costs me $70 is governed. To each their own, keep whining or go to Xbox. Either way Sony nor anyone else will even care. Good tidings.🤣

[Imalwaysright]

So your reply is a dumbass response that summed up amounts to: Sony can lock a single player campaign from a game that costs €80 behind a paywall because you'll willingly bendover and offer them your asshole so congratulations... I guess and then for what can only be some dumbass reason, you give me your life story as if I gave a crap about it. Serves me right for expecting better from an useless fanboy.

[SurgicalMenace]

Yet another angry online inhabitant disgruntled by real world situations that virtual ones can't remedy. Life story?🤣 Just saying some of us can afford to play without it hindering our mental well-being.

Fanboy? Well given that I own ALL systems and tons of games. I'd say, if anything, I'm in a place that I've at least experienced and invested enough to like/dislike what I please.

Dumbass is such a Neanderthalic insult that those of us who've evolved beyond being awed by fire can't fathom being bothered. Passive aggressive too, what other delightful qualities does your rudimentary existence house? I'm sure all the ladies are just stampeding to get to you. I'll leave you to it. You have fun with that chum, I'm off to buy more games....🤣🤷
27998;‍♂️

[Knushwood Butt]

The folks trying to fan the flames of fake outrage really have too much time on their hands. Running round in circles at this point.

[senorfartcushion]

158 million people in The US alone are without access to any internet lines. A lot of them probably enjoyed playing Gran Turismo. They can no longer follow the series due to an issue they cannot control.

These games are made to die, which means the experience will be lacking from
Day one compared to previous entries, and all fun and games will be finite due to the short lifespan of online games in general.

[Ron_Danger]

So all those other games on other consoles and on pc that need an internet connection to verify licensing privileges don’t matter to the 158 million people in the “ US alone are without access to any internet lines,” but one game exclusive to PS5/4 is the one that gets you?!

Well I’m sold! Point me in the direction of your personal bridge salesman!

[spss11]

@Aphelion82

It's not about the delivery method. Whether a game is installed via disc or internet doesn't matter to me. What many gamers like myself don't like is needing a connection to *play* after it's installed.

[Psychotica]

From what I have read the number is closer to 42 million and a large portion of that are from people who have chosen not to subscribe, not that they couldn't get access to it if they wanted to.

[spss11]

A couple days ago Xbox core services went down. When I turned on my Xbox One I was unable to login. Not a big deal, I mostly play singleplayer... Then I tried to play Saints Row 1. I couldn't load my save file cause I wasn't logged in. None of my backwards compatible games would load because I wasn't logged in.

How is that acceptable?

And btw I play games that are 15+ years old. Many people do. Just played System Shock 2 recently.

[King_Noctis]

15+ years? That is generous. GT6 was released in 2013. The online service was disabled in 2018. That is a whole 5 years of Online service.

https://segmentnext.com/gra...

[VariantAEC]

But I can still play GT6 offline... what about GT7? For that matter what about GTS when PD moves on from that??? Oh right... YOU LOSE YOUR ACCESS TO THOSE TITLES FOREVER!
Sounds like a deal. SMH

[Knushwood Butt]

Forza Motorsport came out in 2005. The online was disabled in 2010. That's a whole 5 years of online service.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/...

[mikey15]

King_Noctis4h ago
15+ years? That is generous. GT6 was released in 2013. The online service was disabled in 2018. That is a whole 5 years of Online service.

https://segmentnext.com/gra...

Then Sony released GT Sport and over the 2017 Xmas period,

https://www.gamezone.com/ne...

so many people tried to access the GT Sport SERVERS, that the security firm who oversees PSN since the outage, shut down PSN as they thought they were experiencing a DDoS attack.

You can go out and buy the BACKWARDLY COMPATIBLE for your PS 5 right now, which is under the PS Classics label RE-released @ £15.99 max [no car/ "copyright problem" here with S*O*N*Y!!!, as they will just renew it "for the gamer"], as soon as you boot the game/engine will offer an update and 4 years of FREE

***One of Gran Turismo Sport's main focuses is competitive online racing, supported by the international governing body of motorsport, the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), and serving as the platform for the FIA-Certified Gran Turismo Championships.[1] The game launched with 168 cars and 29 tracks; post-launch game updates have brought the count to 324 cars and 82 track configurations as of December 2019.[2][3][4] The free updates also added a more traditional single-player campaign mode to the game.[5]***

updated INCLUDING a TRADITIONAL Single player campaign, which you need INTERNET ACCESS to get for FREE.

This Xmas is fine for GT fans, new or old.. Now

https://www.eurogamer.net/a...

Forza Motorsport 7 will be delisted after just four years
Existing owners will still be able to play.

News by Ishraq Subhan, Reporter
Updated on 30 July 2021***

about Forza fanboys, what have they got in the non kiddie Arcade racer, which they can't even trial as MS isn't releasing a demo???

5 years baa-aa--a---ddd
4 years gooo-oooo--oood.

Both GT Sport and Forza 7 were released the same MONTH. GT Sport has been delayed until March 2022, where is Forza 8 or even a TRAILER showing it???

[Tetsujin]

@aaronation

1. Games are only online as long as their popular, and/or the player base is healthy. Once numbers drop the servers can be turned off which means lost data. Some would argue "if you didn't play the game for X time, then don't complain because you didn't care" when there could be a number of reasons why someone stopped playing something.

2. You're on PD clock/time; not your own. If there's server maintenance, or if your internet connection is limited, that can be a problem especially if you're play time is within the game's downtime.

3. As mentioned before, the game can have separate online and offline modes so stats and saves are separate and cheating is minimal or down to 0. The arguments of double-dipping and excessive grinding will appear, and those who aren't bothered will ignore the whining.

4. For PD to say this is a way to verify data, makes them look bad more than the players directly. As mentioned earlier you're on their clock; so if there's some sort of data breach, or server issues, you're talking potential data loss followed by some half-winded apology.

There's tons of examples of games having separate modes for on/offline, and having the option(s) shows the company understands not everyone wants to play online (or are limited), and even after the game reaches its end of life online, you're still able to enjoy the game offline with minimal issues. The issue here is preserving your memories and hard work, not to validate cheating.

[SurgicalMenace]

People will whine about anything. If you don't like it, don't buy it. It's online because that's what they want it to be. Their game, their rules.🤷🏾‍♂️

[senorfartcushion]

Yeah, definitely not their rules.

[SurgicalMenace]

Yeah, definitely are their rules. They set them, we abide by them. So....?

[Smok91]

I’m just here for the manplaining :)

[EmperorDalek]

Man, tunes change quick around here.

[King_Noctis]

Online-only game suddenly not a bad thing.

[mikey15]

King_Noctis4h ago
Online-only game suddenly not a bad thing***

Well its MS fanboys who seem to have the problem.. Proving that the Series S/ Gamepass and Xcloud were all a waste of time. lol

[Father__Merrin]

The save file just like gtsport had FIA timings recorded if not and saves were butchered it would mess it all up. Its better that it's kept like it is.

Arcade mode is available offline all consoles and pc I've owned after the ps2 era have always had a connection so its no big deal some games have to be online connected. Although I would have preferred more offline functions

But what about games like elder scrolls online? I've always played it like a single player yet it needs to be constantly online

PS Google forza 7 cheating

[MetroidFREAK21]

Any game that requires an internet connection for single player is an instant pass

[senorfartcushion]

Something that will eventually lead to getting the players in to buying microtransactions

[Good-Smurf]

Like I said in the last article I'm not happy about the decision but since the cheating is rather rampant back in GT Sport for stupidly fast or impossible lap times and people looking to exploit the game getting tons of money and use hybrid cars (600 mph grippy Civic) to troll and ruin online experience I'd say they made the right and difficult decision.
Not to my liking but I completely understand why they did it like this.

[dumahim]

So people were using these modified files for faster/unrealistic cars for online races? Seems like a car validation step when they're online would be a simple solution. Or have a file system that only has variables for a valid preset selection of parts and settings that fit what is allowed in the game. Anything it sees outside of acceptable values gets reset.

[VariantAEC]

You literally just argued that their current online only title didn't prevent cheating... and now they're forcing that on people who play offline too as it it even matters if they cheat.

As someone else said cars that require DRM licenses to obtain (aka: Paid content only) wouldn't work in your PS4/5 via a savegame file edit because you don't have the license for said content which isn't handled by the game, instead by the system.

Regardless of what arguments people make there is no excuse for requiring online for SP play. I really hope they reverse this decision.

[Good-Smurf]

I get what you mean people will try and cheat regardless but the problem isn't that they cheated they also posted their modded gameplay on youtube which leads to even more people to cheat and mod like that guy.
They did this to hopefully minimize people who'll their servers when they starts tp mess around

[thesoftware730]

Ok, so now we know it requires online and MS were on the correct path back with the Xbox One.

No big deal, just lets not bring it up as a negative if any MS game with single player feature requires online in the future. We all acknowledge that gaming has moved in this direction , I know I have, My systems are always connected to the internet.

[Atticus_finch]

Bro that was different. Xbox was trying to eliminate the used gaming market.
This is not the same.

[GhostofHorizon]

How do you even get to that conclusion? Nobody here is thrilled that the game has to be online but some people understand the benefits/drawbacks. How you go from "Online is not ideal but we can deal with it." to "Online mandatory is the correct way forward." is beyond me.

[VariantAEC]

Way more drawbacks like NEVER EVER BEING ABLE TO PLAY THE GAME AGAIN after PD move to GT8.
You know just tiny little details like that.

[thesoftware730]

Ok, I see where the misunderstanding is coming in, I wasn't clear.

I said MS were on the correct "Path". I did not say that what they were trying to do with used games and such was good, the word "Path" is me saying that if always connected games is the reason PD and others use it for anti-cheat or other reasons, MS direction wasn't all that off the mark.

I do see people in here saying, "no big deal", or "so what my system is always online"(like me), so when the shoe is on the other foot, and a MS game with single player component requires an internet connection, just don flip flop, is all I'm saying.

[UltimateRacer]

I understand some people don’t like this but I’m fine with it. Back in the GT5/6 days racing online was fun up until most people starting modifying saved data and it ruined the online, with an always online connection this will no longer happen. Overall I’m very excited for GT7, there’s lots of good things about it, I find some people feel the need to campaign against GT7 over the smallest of things, that’s just my opinion of course and to each there own.

[VariantAEC]

Separate saves.
Seriously that is my answer and it's a rock solid one. If you need to be online to play online have a different save file. Not that hard. Of course they could gamify MP itself (which they shouldn't have any problems with since that is exactly that GTS has been doing for years now).
There is ZERO excuses for locking SP behind a constant network connection.

[chiefJohn117]

Lol that's comical. GT has taken a serious nose dive from when it was on top. Now it doesn't come close to Forza.

[darkrider]

It's not on top? Who told you that? There no racers with more gamers playing it. Sales wise there not even close. You can combined forza 7 and the latest horizon and gt sport got more then the double of sales and gamers. It's not even a competition...

[Ron_Danger]

Take it easy on him. Trolls are usually really hazy with their thoughts when they first wake up.

[chiefJohn117]

Lmao you guys trippin. Forza H4 sold 10 million compared to 9.5 for GT sport and dude talking about adding F7 to FH numbers too!!! Stop it, and I was talking quality and gameplay, not sells which Forza has outsold GT. So either way you folk not making much of an argument. Call Duty is better than your favorite PS exclusive based off your sells logic.

[Ron_Danger]

@chiefjohn

Do you think active users equals game sales? My google search for sales had FH4 and F7 both at 2 mil sales (but much higher active users from game pass I’m assuming)

[Father__Merrin]

Cheif jhon is in 3rd place where he remains... Its over for Borza

[chiefJohn117]

I really didn't want to turn this into some war just leave it alone folks or come with facts. Otherwise I will surely correct you. Where it's gameplay, player base, sells, review score forza has surpassed GT in all of that.

[Ron_Danger]

The links you provide only say active users, while the GT info is hard sales figures. The link to windows central that the keen gamer link is based off of only has active users.

None of your links provide sales figures.

Do you just assume we won’t check your links?

[AmUnRa]

Yeah....no

[Father__Merrin]

Borza 7 is being delisted also Google Borza 7 cheating....

[dbcoops]

Just here to troll and collect down votes as usual I see.

"I was talking quality and gameplay,"

Well that's like you're opinion, and I know this is going to hurt but not everyone shares it.

[neomahi]

COMMUNISM! Screw that! I aint buyin it, its SINGLE-PLAYER, not online multiplayer where cheating would matter, singleplayer, who cares, you spent $70 just to cheat, thats on you, but isnt the game designers job to figure out how to prevent that? Eh? Sounds like a design problem.

[jukins]

All the trolls can find a connection to cry, stir bs, and comment on n4g 24/7 but somehow having a home console connected to the internet is an insane requirement. Fake virtue signalling. Im so glad that these companies realize the few fake crybabies on the internet dont speak for the masses

[GhostofHorizon]

There is a valid discussion that could be had here just not the one that we can reasonably have on N4G because everyone already sharpened their pitchforks.

[VariantAEC]

We don't need a constant connection to post a comment or even to watch non-streaming content on YT (because the way most of these things work is not by requiring constant connections to function). GT Sport requires a CONSTANT CONNECTION.

Asphalt 9 Legends requires a CONSTANT CONNECTION as well. If you lose your connection for more than 10 seconds the game restarts. It can happen at any time too. Just finished a particularly challenging race but lost your connection before returning to the menu? Well I hope you're ready to destroy which ever device you're playing on because that progress was erased because your connection wasn't reestablished fast enough.
This also did sometimes happen to me in GT Sport when my internet decided to be a PITA for no discernible reason whatsoever.

Meanwhile I can play Forza Horizon 3 and 4 without needing an internet connection. Unlike NFS:MW (2011) I can also start FH3/4 from my PC without a network connection (despite having a disc for NFS:MW; Yes, PC games used to come on disc and they still do though they're unfortunately totally irrelevant today and recently having games on disc is detrimental in the PC space - thanks directly to Microsoft changing how old DRM works with Windows).

[jukins]

Lol kinda proving my point...you DO need a connection when crying and complaining on n4g and you need a connection to download "non streamed" youtubr videos...so how is that a connection is somehow available to do that but when it comes to gaming, all the sudden hypothetical net issues pop up?

Again im so sure you play without an internet connection and again in SOOOO sure your internet is of the quality that it goes out constantly. . . As ive said ive had absolutely no issues playing any game because of a required internet connection.

You guys, in the name of "taking down the man" are using hypothetical situations that even you yourself dont experience. Just avocal minority looking for something to complain about while, AGAIN, using the same internet that supposedly go out only when playing games that require them. Like i said fake virtue signaling just because. I guarantee 99% of you complaining actually have multiple devices connected 24/7 and actually dont have any issues.

[lellkay]

Stupid.

[FlameWater]

Translation: We want microtransactions for in game credit, remember the GT6 glitch where you could duplicate $20 million dollar cars and buy everything. Seemed more like an off the record advertisement since the game sales were slow.

[VariantAEC]

Yeah no.
They should make an online only save file to prevent online cheating. Many games do just this as far back as PS2 on PlayStation hardware. There's no real reason for this at all.

[dbcoops]

If the sword you really want to fall on is "microtransactions" isn't there like A LOT of other games that should be on your list to outrage about before this one? Fortnite comes to mind which is basically the very definition of a microtransaction filled game but that one gets a pass and so does Genshin apparently.

[Petebloodyonion]

I just find this funny that a couple years ago this was the topic around here.
"No Internet? We have a product called the Xbox 360"
https://www.cnet.com/tech/c...
we had countless article like this around N4G
https://n4g.com/news/126883...
https://n4g.com/news/127368...
https://n4g.com/news/128492...

And Forza was under the fire for exactly doing what Gt7 is doing right now and Turn 10 had to explain how to play the game offline after Microsoft revese the always online policy.
https://www.ign.com/article...

But hey this is not 2013 anymore when PPL where asking questions like what will happen when Microsoft decide to close the server or what happen if I don't have an Internet connection?

[UltimateRacer]

A game needing an online connection isn’t the same as a console needing to always be online, it’s complexity different and the thing is a simple patch at the end of GT7s life can enable it to be played once the servers are shut down just like Driveclub for example.

[Petebloodyonion]

Well, the Xbox1 needed to have you connect once every 24 hours.
and the reasons mentioned of the why where similars to avoid frauds cheat etc.
But here's the reason why they change the policy as mentioned by Don Mattrick
"Also important to you is the freedom to play offline, for any length of time, anywhere in the world."
https://www.gamespot.com/ar...
(have fun reading the 8000 comments there)

But you're right it's not about a system it's about a game
So again I don't recall the same understanding and leniency when PPL was complaining that perhaps you could need a 1-time authentification to play Forza 5.
https://www.ign.com/article...
about Assassin's Creed Black flag online authentification requirement
https://kotaku.com/the-good...
And countless articles about how some single players do not allow you to play if you don't authenticate online on services like Steam and Epic Games.
I could also point to you that GOG and Nintendo have made it a selling point to assure customers that all singles players' games could be played offline.

So why should this be ok for Sony to do this in a Single-player game that could be played offline when it was not ok when others proposed the exact same thing?

[chiefJohn117]

Preach! They're hypocrites.

[blacktiger]

there is a difference between a game and a console buddy

[Petebloodyonion]

Let's see how is connect online on your console once per day to validate your credential, preventing frauds, cheats, etc even if you are not playing online or having to log on to Epic game Store (now they added offline mode) to play single-player games different compared to having to log online on a Playstation to play the single-player's portion of Gt7?

[blacktiger]

To avoid cheaters to place on rank?" hmm for ranking thats fine but can you avoid ranking so you can play offline? If yes then I'm cool with that

[wiz7191]

I can see where this can create a problem sometimes ppl Internet might go offline, now the game you’ve paid for is basically paperweight.

[GhostofHorizon]

I'm against requiring online just because I like to go back and play older games where the experience is sometimes not ideal without online.

It does seem like their hands are tied when it comes to this. GT has a certain level of prestige that other games simply do not have. There is a standard that they have to uphold and this is their solution for the better or worse.

[jznrpg]

It’s not a perfect solution but it’s the only way for them to guarantee that there aren’t cheaters flooding the game like most other racing games and GT of the past . There is a lot at stake with ranking in GT so they had to take action and this is what they came up with . It’s not perfect but I understand why they did it . Xboxers are going to cry a fake river but it’s not going to change anything .

[andy85]

I get it, but why does it matter? Its single player. The only game it affects is theirs. If they want to cheat to get a free pass it ruins only their experience. Just disable trophies for anyone who does that

[agnosticgamer]

Fairly lame excuse... seeing as how there is already rampant cheating in online-only games. It is a single-player campaign it shouldn't need online-only to prevent cheating... That already doesn't work in online-only games.

[DOMination-]

It is fine to defend this if you want, but I don't want to see the same people complaining when a non-Sony developer does the same thing.

[IRetrouk]

I'm not happy about it, but I understand it, got used to it with sport, data can't be tampered with, providing a fair, competitive environment, especially for the official fia stuff.

[MadLad]

So it's exactly what everyone figured it was.
Highly invasive DRM being called something different by the devs.

[gerbintosh]

Feels like the cars will be paid dlc for campaign. Thats why they dont want you being able to modify the save file to get all the cars

[VariantAEC]

There's always ways to unlock content via save files but in the case of DLC game content you need to also fake your licenses for ownership of the content. Pretty sure licenses aren't part of save game data.

[XiNatsuDragnel]

Again no thanks Sony

[Nacho_Z]

Does anyone know for sure that the online requirement is necessary for the FIA license? If that's the case it makes this discussion redundant.

[Good-Smurf]

FIA were known to enforce fair highly regulated competition in motorsport so it makes no sense for FIA events to allow some guys with cars well above PP limit or 10 second lap time.

[Spartacus10]

Lame excuse, I'll pass.

[adaminoregon]

Bull. They could store all of it to the harddrive and then have it upload to their cloud when you as a player feel like doing it. This makes me lose enthusiasm for this game. When will these companies get it through their thick skulls that always on line is anti consumer garbage?

[dmonee]

Everyone just stawp it! Gran Turismo lost its way a kong time ago. They want the game to be too perfect and it’s worked against them. It was missing something in the PS1 days and it’s still missing something now. I don’t know what it is. I’ve always felt like Gran Turismo is a great racing sim but it just lacks fun.

[on_line_forever]

No buy

[ArmorOfGod]

TL;DR GREED

[Shakengandulf]

Dont have an issue with it, do what ya gotta do kaz to keep the game fair and clean of cheaters.

[MadLad]

So the AI in the single player cheats?

[Good-Smurf]

Most racing games AI cheat only you just don't see them doing it.
Rubberbanding AI.

[MadLad]

@good

I realize that. At least a number of games do it, just to keep things competitive when you're essentially demolishing the game.

My point is that's a lame excuse to keep the singleplayer behind an always online system.

[Spartacus10]

in FIFA when you play online, squad data is separately downloaded and verified when you enter an online mode which means even if you managed to tamper with the squads in single player, you wouldnt be able to ruin online for everyone else. If EA out of all companies can do this, I dont see why a developer as experienced as PD cant.