Your definition of LAN support is different. Nowhere does he state that you can play peer-to-peer on the same LAN at release without an Internet connection. He DOES say that they will work on getting it so that players set up their own servers, which sounds like what you want.
Yeah, my definition of LAN support is the standard one: can be played on a LAN.
It's the same one people used in the SC2 thread when bashing Blizzard. But now apparently we have a new one: Can be played on the Internet, including if people happen to be sharing the same Internet. That's not "LAN support" except in some redefined version where by LAN you mean "Internet".
Sorry, SC2 you have to be online to install it in the first place, and if you unplug the net, they give you a number to call to get the auth code to install the game...I don't think Elemental has that 'feature'.
But once it's installed, it plays just fine offline. Single time online activation isn't the same thing as "requires Internet access to play" ala Ubi.
Are you intentionally being dense? What part of client/server for multiplayer only do you not understand. Brad has stated many many times that the d/ling of .xml files for single player was for the BETA ONLY. Someone can take the gold version of the dvd, install it offline and never, ever have to sign online to play it or enter a serial # or anything, and install that version on as many computers as they like. Where is the DRM in that?
Read the quote from Brad again, and this time take a minute to understand it. You can't say "how are they going to pirate it, write their own AI?" when the AI is in fact in the game. His entire point is that you can't do LAN play because you NEED Stardock's server to supply the AI.
If the AI is in fact in the client for single player, his argument is bullshit. What we're actually missing is just the ability to act as a server and host people. We're not missing AI, spellbooks, XML, or anything else he mentioned. So why bring it up at all?
Don't like having to cough up a valid login/key for multiplayer? Then yeah, your motives are suspect at that point. Pirates playing SP offline don't hurt Stardock's servers...Pirates able to play online does hurt their servers (and the rest of those who want to play online).
What does piracy have to do with it? You can't play on a LAN unless it has Internet access. Piracy is being used as a way of marginalizing paying customers who are displeased that LAN play isn't supported (and neither are mods in multiplayer).
Also, the multiplayer game is a different one than the single player one...different features, different AI, etc. So the multiplayer AI is on Stardock's servers. Single player is on your local hard drive. There have been several discussions about modding the single player AI and where those .xml files are on the local hard drive. Did you not see them?
Different AI, really? What are you basing that on? Making up stuff doesn't count.
I don't remember where customer server support was promised at release (and I could be wrong, I simply don't remember reading it). I do remember that the emphasis was on the single player game, not the multiplayer one. I for one would be far more pissed off if they made me wait until the February date to play this game just so that you could have your custom LAN server. Your issues are a non-issue to the vast majority of us that aren't here for LAN play.
Mods are a pretty big feature of the game. Custom servers are required for modded multiplayer. It's been mentioned many times, and until very recently there was no indication at all that this wouldn't be supported at release. That's what lets me bring the Gamer's Bill of Rights into this, because how is it a "finished" game if one of the major features (modding) doesn't work at the same time as another feature (multiplayer) until sometime later in the future (maybe)?
Again, were I in charge you'd get that custom server support in December. Of 2013. From the new guy on the team, when he wasn't busy making my coffee or out getting lunch for the office.
If you were in charge, you'd be free to do that. I'd also be free to not buy games from your company, which is a right I'd choose to exercise.