Changes to Starting Screen

So I opened the game and I was confronted by this screen, which I have never seen before, including this morning when I played a little bit before work.




Is it because I'm offline (which is how I usually play)? I own all the packs that are listed as required, so I am confused as to why I am unable to play.

Am I now going to be forced to play online and update every week or so, and constantly update mods? I am not happy about this attitude of forced online activity,