Mandatory constant Internet connections piss off PC gamers. No studio can has yet put that news in any light that didn't summon an extremely indignant reaction. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2's tried to put it in a different light by saying the constant connection is how players will be served actual game content. Like missions. That does not sound any better than a constant DRM check.
The info comes out of a recent interview of Sergey Grigorovich of GSC Game World, asked specifically about piracy protection, he acknowledged that "permanent Internet access is required.
"Part of the content will be located on the server and downloaded as the game progresses," he said. "Text information, code and quests will be loaded through that connection."
Grigorovich then went on to genuflect to software pirates for making it all possible. "If people can not afford a licensed version, it is to our advantage if they download a pirated copy, and then want to buy a license," he said. "In Ukraine, there are different products that people love so much that they buy a license in principle. We want to create just such a product."
Did I mention that S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, due out in 2012, will be the first game in the series with a console version?
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 will Require a Permanent Internet Connection [DSO Gaming via NeoGAF.]