Playing offline without gameguard??

[Achnod]

First off, I am not asking this because I want to cheat. I don't wish to go online and start hacking, and even if I wanted to cheat offline, may I ask sega how does that concern them? or any of you for that matters ?

I am asking this because each week, I have an 4 hours train trip and there is no network, not even a wireless one on that train. I'd like to play PSU in story during those 4 hours but I can't because I cannot connect to gameguard because, well, there is no network.

I am not asking on a way to cheat, I just want to know if I could play offline while actually being offline like I should be. Offline mode is supposed to be well...offline.

[Landslyde]

No way to do it without going against the wishes of the developers... sorry.

[Achnod]

So, what you are telling me is that I bought a game to play offline, without any internet connection, but I need internet to play a game offline...wow, yet again Sega has just shown its increasing level of stupidy.

Is that even legal? I am gonna go check out the spec on the box. If an internet connection is not specified, I will see if there is anyways to sue them or take any legal action as I feel I am not the only one in that condition.

You need to be online to play offline, stupidest concept ever.

[Landslyde]

How would it "not" be legal exactly? They can do whatever they want! :? (To an extent obviously... but even this isn't like Sony's fiasco)

... also... on the back of the box it DOES state "Game play requires Internet connection."

I'm sorry but it's only 4 hours... it's not the end of the world.

[Iluvatar]

Yes, sue Sega over $50. Surely that's worth it.

Here's a solution:

You only need to have the connection when you first start the game. Start the game while you have an Internet connection before going on your trip. Leave the game on and play it as you travel. Simple.

[Achnod]

Alright, so it is written that an internet connection is required, but then again it is not written that it is required ti play offline.

[Landslyde]

Alright, so it is written that an internet connection is required, but then again it is not written that it is required ti play offline.
If you'd like to get technical... it's also not written that it isn't required. "Game play" is kind of a catch-all term... wouldn't you agree? Basically... anything "game play" related requires an Internet connection. So you're free to stare at the box, I guess they're trying to say... heh.

[Iluvatar]

Online play requires monthly fee and registration via a computer with an Internet connection.
Game play requires Internet connection.

True, it doesn't say offline, but it also doesn't not say offline.

[RealmreaverII]

Well the nice thing is someone is gonna try and prevail eventually fixing up some sort of fake net so the stupid thing checks what it needs to and can be then by pass. What I think is REALLY stupid is the fact Sega would absolutely PUSH people into hacking by their actions. Anyone knows anything man made can be unmade so I do not see why they had to push people's buttons that could be grade A hackers.

That is just stupid.

Then again if they thought they could have made money off the game itself it wouldn't have been included in the first place.

[Lunacara]

I know it sucks that you cannot get offline without the internet connection. There should be a way though. Sega didn't realize that not everyone is going to have an internet access.

[Starslicer]

So, what you are telling me is that I bought a game to play offline, without any internet connection, but I need internet to play a game offline...wow, yet again Sega has just shown its increasing level of stupidy.

Is that even legal? I am gonna go check out the spec on the box. If an internet connection is not specified, I will see if there is anyways to sue them or take any legal action as I feel I am not the only one in that condition.

You need to be online to play offline, stupidest concept ever.

Offline or Online, all you need to do is get some of the game data and set it up with a server and blam.

You can have a hacked private server with just the offline version, free of charge.

Either way, all you need is the files offline or online and if you get them, you can play with the files however you want. So in order to stop this, you have to play ONLINE so you won't be screwing around with their game. Sure it might seem "stupid" to you, but you don't understand how easily you can make a private server if you could mess around with those files while gameguard is off.

Anyway, like it or not, this is the reason its like that and hack or not, they're not going to let you do it.

If you wanna play offline without being online, get it for the PS2 or 360.

[Mysticales]

Game guard has already been hacked... I mean its never been secure...

I mean best thing almost is to have PSU on the PS2 personally as well as the PC. This way you CAN play offline via PS2 but if you get online, you can cross over between platforms. That part is nice..

Granted. I will agree.. those wanting to play offline should not be forced to get a hack to allow them to play.

Sounds like Xbox PSO which failed since you HAD to have XBL even for offline mode..

[Mareth]

^^ It's not called "offline mode." It's called "Story Mode." So you don't have to go online to play "offline." If it doesn't communicate with a server during Story Mode play, that's fine. But it's not called "offline mode." In order to play "Story Mode" you have to go online to get the game's data each time, and it is for this reason that PSU has only now seen its first hacker, who has only succeeded in spamming with more than one chat bubble. It seems that SEGA is not "stupid" as you claim, but rather has succeeded in keeping Network Mode a mostly hack-free environment for its players, so far. Also, anyone these days without an Internet connection not only severely limits his options in life, but certainly doesn't think PSU important enough to get an Internet connection for. An Internet connection that everyone should have anyway. Also, most passenger trains have wireless hotspots.

[oz78]

^^ It's not called "offline mode." It's called "Story Mode." So you don't have to go online to play "offline." If it doesn't communicate with a server during Story Mode play, that's fine. But it's not called "offline mode." In order to play "Story Mode" you have to go online to get the game's data each time, and it is for this reason that PSU has only now seen its first hacker, who has only succeeded in spamming with more than one chat bubble. It seems that SEGA is not "stupid" as you claim, but rather has succeeded in keeping Network Mode a mostly hack-free environment for its players, so far. Also, anyone these days without an Internet connection not only severely limits his options in life, but certainly doesn't think PSU important enough to get an Internet connection for. An Internet connection that everyone should have anyway. Also, most passenger trains have wireless hotspots.
I mostly agree with you. However you must understand that it may be the case where you live, many countries do not have hotspots within their train systems just yet.

[kaiz611]

Well my only thing about it was this past weekend my ISP crashed so I had no online access for around 8 hours. Not being able to play Story Mode or Extra Mode made me upset and I sought out alternatives. Now PSU is not the first game I play when I get home from work. And if an update doesn't change this in some way then I will be leaving PSU. I bought it for online, I want to be able to play story mode without an internet connection unless story mode in PC is going to get additional episodes. And I kinda find this hard to believe. I also would love it if there was a way where story mode could be played by say 2 to 3 people online. But can't do that yet either....

[Mewn]

wow, yet again Sega has just shown its increasing level of stupidy.
You misspelled 'stupidity'. How ironic.

[Cortana]

wow, yet again Sega has just shown its increasing level of stupidy.
You misspelled 'stupidity'. How ironic.

Awesome!

[MavokUntin]

hmmmmmmmmmmmmm :lol:

[Draketh]

Yup .. cant play story mode offline and sega made it that way on purpose for whatever reason. I personally feel if we are required to have the internet to play the game's story mode where we dont have full content and dont get to interact with other players (not even on a closed network/lan) that gameguard should have no purpose or place functioning when you launch story mode. I honestly see no reasoning behind it anyway seeing as online characters are saved to the server and not our home pc's. Anyway I am disheartened by this and find it utterly foolish of Sega to do, but what can we do eh? it does say on my box that the game requires an internet connection although I wish they had been more clear on this so I wasnt thinking online connection only needed for network mode and not single player. In the end it is a great game and I truly enjoy it when I can play but I still feel like someone lied to me regardless. Below is a copy of a reply I got when I tryed to launch a complaint on this shortly after discovering the truth of PSU and gameguard.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hello *******,

Who is you internet provider? This game requires an internet connection
to play both modes, although the single player only performs a Gameguard
check during the game's startup.

The back of the box does state that gameplay requires an internet
connection, this applies both to single and multiplayer.

Thank you,

Juan
SEGA Support

-----Original Message-----
From: ******
Sent: Saturday, November 18, 2006 2:13 AM
To: psu support
Subject: PSU FORM: Technical Support - Gameguard issues


Saturday, November 18, 2006, 2:13 am [EST]

PSU FORM: REQUEST
name = ********
email =**********
gameid or gametag = *********
platform = PC
-------------------------------------

description =
I just moved shortly after purchasing Phantasy Star Universe and no
longer have a broadband connection .. I unfortunatelly now have a
dial-up connection wich i thought to be no problem as I play story mode
and extra mode so far and not online mode. However to my dismay I have
found that when I try and launch Phantasy Star Universe for story mode
or extra mode (single player) I cannot launch the game because it wants
to verify and update gameguard. Please find me and others in my position
a way to play single player without having to have online access to play
offline story mode. I enjoy your game very much however I now feel as
though I have spent my money on a lie because I cannot play your single
player story mode without haveing connected to the internet as if I was
going to play online wich of course I cannot do on a dial-up connection.
I simply ask you to disable gameguard for story mode and extra mode
settings so those of us who cannot use the internet at a constant may enjoy the game we purchased.

[SatanV1]

I have a somewhat similar problem. Heres what I found works: Start the game up when you do have an internet connection, so that gameguard lets you start, then just leave the window open until you have to disconnect for the train ride. The game will allow you to play Story Mode even without the internet hooked up, but not first open the application.

(Sorry to anyone that thinks this way is "cheap" or something, but it works for us offline player, so deal with it. lol)

[jritbj]

If you Google I'm sure you'll find something.
Of course since this is PSU's legal forum I can't exacly post a link.

Anyway I do have an Internet Connection so I didn't need anything, but since I wanted to play away from home I searched.

(PS: it's hard to find)

[MORB]

No way to do it without going against the wishes of the developers... sorry.

Yeah, because going against the wishes of the developers is CRIMINAL.

Merely entertaining the thought can get you arrested and put in a pillory for 3 month and people will laugh at you and they will throw empty cans and Paris Hilton albums at you!
DON'T DO IT!

That said, the developers are about as clever as a bunch of greasy door knobs for including this retarded protection and you can probably scour the interwebs for something that can disable it. I think that things exist or have existed in the past that can do it.

Or even try to check warez sites for a cracked version of the game. You already bought it anyway, and there's hardly anything morally reprehensible in circumventing technical measures that have little effect beyond farking paying customers.

/And in the name of security through hiding the obvious, you just know that this post will be deleted or the thread locked

[Zolmer!]

No way to do it without going against the wishes of the developers... sorry.

Yeah, because going against the wishes of the developers is CRIMINAL.

Merely entertaining the thought can get you arrested and put in a pillory for 3 month and people will laugh at you and they will throw empty cans and Paris Hilton albums at you!
DON'T DO IT!



what the fudge?