Ubisoft: Watch_Dogs Single Player Can Be Played "Completely Offline"

Then I'll be playing completely offline.

Game sounds really cool! Definitely getting this... on Wii U!

Well that's good. I don't want to not be able to play when my connection is down.

Hmm... I didn't assume it would be any other way.

News everybody!

I'll probably be playing mostly offline but I will certainly try out the online every once in a while since it can add to the overall game experience.

It's nice to be able to shut everyone out now and then. I didn't know about these multiplayer features though. Sounds cool.

I'll enjoy the game with online & offline. Best of both.

Good to know. Giving people the option is always the best way to go. Also, "Watch_Dogs"? Pleeeease don't start typing it that way That's how it is on the box art but nobody types it like that elsewhere, not even Ubisoft in any official material.

i don't think NintendoLife cares if everybody writes it wrong.
What's yout problem with this?

what can you do if you play online? what makes it different from offline?

@Legromancer Don't take it personally. I added the smile so people would know I'm not being overly serious. It does look awful in text though (which is why even Ubisoft aren't doing it). Don't take it too seriously! Also, I think if Ubisoft write it one way, that's probably the right way.

Feeling quite optimistic about this title. Really hope it delivers!

I won't be playing it at all...

Good thing Ubisoft learned from Sim City that no game should EVER have forced online

Somehow, this game seems to be less and less interesting to me. I was really excited for it at first.

@LDXD
dito!

@Sensei_PikPik Sigh

@OSP_ZELDAiii

There will be missions where other hackers are trying to hack you and vice versa. These other "hackers" will be other real people playing their game as Aiden (the main character). So it creates a crossover experience where other people are affecting your quest and you are affecting their's.

Oh, and there will be a multiplayer mode.

Why is this even news? It scares me that we're in an age of gaming where some are worried you may not be able to complete single player mode by yourself!

@Retro_on_theGo It is because of the nature of the gameplay.. people weren't sure if the gameplay would be as functional without the input of other, online players. This is confirming that it will be just fine without an active connection/interaction from others.

I'll get it, it does sound like fun. my Wii U is always online (and I have less issues connecting to Nintendo servers than Xbox servers).

Not to be mean but I think it would be news if this wasn't the case.

Not requiring me to be online at all times wont be a point in it's favor when I consider purchase, but if the opposite were true I would never consider it at all. It's much like police in that respect; if they do the job right you don't notice the benefits directly but if they're doing it wrong you notice how bad they are.

i will be playing online for sure. and on every other device that is compatible

eh least we know but come on its not like no one is going to be curious what the online features will be for the game

least to me it might be my next multiplayer game since AC3 ruined multiplayer for me

Glad to hear. No game should force you to get online, with obvious exceptions like Team Fortress 2. Something I hated about Resident Evil 5 is that the AI is so dumb and useless that it technically forces you to play with another person. And for many people that means forced online.

I've been interested in this game. Might get it for my 360.

It seems a lot of people aren't really getting the multiplayer feature of this game. A summary:

• If you turn it off, you play single player like any other single player game. Sometimes on story missions, sometimes other tasks you've decided to do in the open world.
• If you turn it on, you will never be interrupted during a story mission. Your game is entirely closed to other players during story missions.
• While wandering the city though, through crowds of various people, some aren't NPCs. Once in a while, one will be another player. They see you the same way, as a hackable character in their game.
• If you hack someone, you have to spot them, hide near them while doing the hack, and they will be alerted to your attempt and start trying to locate you. Once the hack is complete, you have to make a getaway. Once you've escaped, you've essentially "won".
• All this only ever happens with the mutliplayer feature turned on. It can be turned off at any time.
• The more often you choose to hack someone (essentially causing a multiplayer situation), the more often you will be available for others to hack. So this means if it's something you only do once in a while, you'll also only be hacked once in a while by others. If you love this aspect of the game and want to achieve as many contracts as possible by hacking people often, you will also be vulnerable to be hacked more often. So you'll only get more players playing with you if you choose to play multiplayer often.

But here's the important point... rather than feel like a separate deathmatch mode or some multiplayer event, it's designed to feel like part of the same game as the single player campaign. You aren't the only person who has hacked ctOS. A few others in the city have as well. As you explore the city, interact with story characters etc, you could be hacked by another hacker, or you may choose to hack someone. The gameplay is also designed in such a way that you can't really grief someone. You have to hide or you will be detected, killed, and you will lose. Some people are afraid that others will ruin their game, but it's not really possible to do that. This is an exciting feature. It's not brand new, but it is different and an approach to multiplayer that not many games have taken. It's tied into the story, it seamlessly happens between other single player events. It's a great idea in my opinion.

To those who want to play alone, I would suggest playing with it turned off most of the time but once in a while giving it a go. To use another open-world game as an example, some people enjoy doing missions in Grand Theft Auto games, others just enjoy doing whatever they want and searching for the next fun thing to do in the city. I like both, alternating between them. Sometimes I want to progress, other times I want to just enjoy the unscripted gameplay and see what happens. I'd suggest that during a play session, if you're in a mood to wander the city and just enjoy the game without playing the story missions, try turning it on for just an extra bit of function during the exploration and interactions. With it turned off, you might spot a teacher about to be attacked and get a chance to save her. With it turned off, you could come across this same situation, or you could find that a hacker somewhere nearby is trying to attack you. You have to think on your feet, hack nearby cameras to get an idea where the attacker could be, then catch them before the damage is done. If you're just in the mood for wandering around and doing activities, it seems a great feature to have turned on. You can always turn it off when you want to get stuck in to the story.

I love the idea that the other player appears as a random city dweller, and to them you appear the same way. It's fantastic. It's a hybrid of single and multiplayer that will make it feel like the people in your single player game are exceptionally intelligent and have motives... because they will do, they're real people.

Another argument from people is that they want the game to feel real, and the atmosphere will be ruined by some idiot jumping around doing stupid things. The way this game works is that the multiplayer forces you to play realistically. To avoid being hacked, you need to appear like any other city dweller, so you need to blend in, remain unseen, which is what the character should be like anyway! It all fits in with the story really nicely. The key to not getting caught during a hack, or not being hacked yourself, is looking natural and hiding in plain sight.

It seems a lot of people aren't really getting the multiplayer feature of this game. A summary:

• If you turn it off, you play single player like any other single player game. Sometimes on story missions, sometimes other tasks you've decided to do in the open world.
• If you turn it on, you will never be interrupted during a story mission. Your game is entirely closed to other players during story missions.
• While wandering the city though, through crowds of various people, some aren't NPCs. Once in a while, one will be another player. They see you the same way, as a hackable character in their game.
• If you hack someone, you have to spot them, hide near them while doing the hack, and they will be alerted to your attempt and start trying to locate you. Once the hack is complete, you have to make a getaway. Once you've escaped, you've essentially "won".
• All this only ever happens with the mutliplayer feature turned on. It can be turned off at any time.

But here's the important point... rather than feel like a separate deathmatch mode or some multiplayer event, it's designed to feel like part of the same game as the single player campaign. You aren't the only person who has hacked ctOS. A few others in the city have as well. As you explore the city, interact with story characters etc, you could be hacked by another hacker, or you may choose to hack someone. The gameplay is also designed in such a way that you can't really grief someone. You have to hide or you will be detected, killed, and you will lose. Some people are afraid that others will ruin their game, but it's not really possible to do that. This is an exciting feature. It's not brand new, but it is different and an approach to multiplayer that not many games have taken. It's tied into the story, it seamlessly happens between other single player events. It's a great idea in my opinion.

To those who want to play alone, I would suggest playing with it turned off most of the time but once in a while giving it a go. To use another open-world game as an example, some people enjoy doing missions in Grand Theft Auto games, others just enjoy doing whatever they want and searching for the next fun thing to do in the city. I like both, alternating between them. Sometimes I want to progress, other times I want to just enjoy the unscripted gameplay and see what happens. I'd suggest that during a play session, if you're in a mood to wander the city and just enjoy the game without playing the story missions, try turning it on for just an extra bit of function during the exploration and interactions. With it turned off, you might spot a teacher about to be attacked and get a chance to save her. With it turned off, you could come across this same situation, or you could find that a hacker somewhere nearby is trying to attack you. You have to think on your feet, hack nearby cameras to get an idea where the attacker could be, then catch them before the damage is done. If you're just in the mood for wandering around and doing activities, it seems a great feature to have turned on. You can always turn it off when you want to get stuck in to the story.

I love the idea that the other play appears as a random city dweller, and you do to them too. It's fantastic. It's a hybrid of single and multiplayer that will feel like the people in your single player game are exceptionally intelligent and have motives... because they will do, they're real people.