“I’ve analyzed all of the data calls to and from EA servers – all of the APIs, every request for data, and all of the data that comes back,” explains the modder. And in doing so, he’s found some surprising results. “The SimCity servers are not doing any calculations that could not be done on your PC, even for an entire region single player offline mode, let alone just the city you are in.”

SimCity was released a couple weeks ago for the PC amidst a fair amount of controversy. First Origin, EA’s game download service, was overwhelmed. Then the game’s servers were too busy, causing failed connections, dropouts and saved game problems. The game’s DRM has drawn the sharpest criticism, however, since it requires a persistent online connection.

EA says SimCity absolutely requires servers to work, not just for DRM but also for its core operation. SimCity’s multiplayer support obviously needs a connection, but that’s different. EA may want the connection to be persistent to help combat piracy, but “Azzer” has shown that the game works otherwise.

I have two thoughts here:

Don’t be a thief. And don’t treat your customers like assholes.