The Demo severs are down for good.
To play the demo you need to disable your internet connection and set Origin to offline mode. Then the demo will run.
Reading back my comment I sound like a bit of an arse, but really, why should it want to connect you to the internet in the first place if you simply want to play solo? Sometimes playing a game is a way to pass some time while you're using the internet in the first place. Anyway, it did work and I'll give the full game a shot at somepoint. I shall make Shepard less ugly this time.
I understand that it is frustrating, and I agree that there should be a notification about the issue.
But in our gaming world where every dollar counts you will simply not find a company that puts working-hours into the Demo of a 4 years old game.
@holger1405 wrote:
I understand that it is frustrating, and I agree that there should be a notification about the issue.
But in our gaming world where every dollar counts you will simply not find a company that puts working-hours into the Demo of a 4 years old game.
Just in case anybody else finds this thread: Demo? What f***ing Demo?
I purchased just about every DLC in existance for ME1, ME2 and ME3. I am a prime Mass Effect customer for sure! Today, August 12. 2016 I am unable to play the single player campaign because the servers are down (same message as OP). The notifies me that the DLC can't be verified, so I can't play that. What it really should have said is that I can't play the game at all - because since my save games contain data points from the purchased DLC, the game simply refused to load the saved games.
I am extremely - extremely - dissapointed to be unable to pay my legitimately purchased game due to overzealous DRM checks and non-functioning servers. I never pirate software (I am an IT developer myself so I respect immaterial property) but I will still note that this situation is a sad example of everything that is wrong with DRM. As a paying customer there is absolutely NOTHING more frustrating and unacceptable than being unable to play my legitimately purchased games.
As a "gamerdad" with 4 kids and a full-time BI developer job my time is precious. I don't have the luxury of playing computer games whenever I want. I have small windows of carefully planned gaming time. Being unable to use my collection of PC games when I choose is a massive inconvenience.
Add to that the numerous other issues I have had with EA/Origin over the years, and I am starting to seriously consider if spending money on Origin games is worth the trouble. I am *NOT* a happy customer, and it's outright scary to see that issues like these have gone unfixed or unaddressed for so many years.
There are numerous technical ways this situation could be avoided. Like issuing digital certificates that last for several days or weeks before a re-check of DLC is required. Disabling checks for games that are old, to ensure loyal fans are not bugged with moronic situations such as these, approving certain accounts as "gold" accounts and allowing them to play games for a limited period without DRM checks... in fact, there are so many possible ways to fix this, I am tempted to apply for the job as Technical Director at Origin and help EA fix this miserable mess (dear EA admin, send me a PM with the details for the application if you read this - your managers seem to be in dire need of help).
I feel like I purchased a car, and three years later the vendor decided I can't drive it today "because our DRM servers are down".
With all possible respect: Are you guys freakin' serious ????
:-(
You can play the Single Player Game at any time you want, even if the servers are down.
Set Origin to offline mode, and if that not works, disable your internet connection completely and the game will run with the DLCs enabled.
The only limitation to that rule is that you need to login with Origin to your account at least once every 4 weeks. (I 'am not entirely certain if it is 4 weeks or a even longer time. I will tag @EA_Nils to make sure.)
@holger1405 wrote:
You can play the Single Player Game at any time you want, even if the servers are down.
Set Origin to offline mode, and if that not works, disable your internet connection completely and the game will run with the DLCs enabled.
The only limitation to that rule is that you need to login with Origin to your account at least once every 4 weeks. (I 'am not entirely certain if it is 4 weeks or a even longer time. I will tag @EA_Nils to make sure.)
Thanks for advice on a possible work-around. The procedure is a little more complex for me, as I rely on Origin to sync my save games across multiple computers. Going "Offline" is not enough, I have to go Online first, try to launch, get the error, exit the game, go offline or disable Ethernet, then start over.
I appreciate that you are trying to help, but I will insist that jumping through hoops like this should never be necessary for legitimate customers. The fact that it happens is simply because nobody at EA/Origin has paid attention to the issue.
Also, the servers are back up, so its a non-issue today.
Still: thanks for your reply and advice. :-)
