Unity offline use

[orcus00]

I purchased a full license for unity. I have a campaign in progress. I want to add data with my laptop while offline. The campaign file is copied to the laptop. I cant start a lan game to access the info. Does it require internet even if there are no connecting players? If so, why? I have the full license, not the subscription.

[Trenloe]

Welcome to the FG forums.

FGU in LAN mode doesn't require an Internet connection. What errors/issues are you encountering?

[orcus00]

Load camping -> name -> lan -> start-> warning, url va
lidatehost?hosthash

[Trenloe]

It looks like FGU does now do some form of license check when starting a campaign. Sorry for the false info.

We'll have to wait for one of the devs to give feedback on this.

[orcus00]

For subscribers I understand, but I bought the license. It should bypass that. Can you dong a dev about it?

[Jiminimonka]

For subscribers I understand, but I bought the license. It should bypass that. Can you dong a dev about it?

I don't want anyone donging devs! Thats for a whole different website...

I havent tried offline using FGU - I would think once you register online it would remember your credentials though.

EDIT: Just unplugged my cable - yes, doesnt let me launch a LAN campaign without internet.

[Zacchaeus]

Unity allows a demo user to create campaigns - which classic did not. Hence the reason why a check is needed to see if the user has a license or not before starting or loading a campaign.

[Jiminimonka]

Unity allows a demo user to create campaigns - which classic did not. Hence the reason why a check is needed to see if the user has a license or not before starting or loading a campaign.

If one day my internet goes down and I am stuck at home with nothing to do but make my D&D game or convert something to FGU, then I cant :(

Seems like FGU should store the users settings offline, and check next time it gets online only, so people can create content without a connection.

[Weissrolf]

https://i.imgur.com/BVOkirv.png

[bmos]

As a workaround, tether via your cell phone and then turn off tethering once you have launched the campaign?

[Razortide]

+1 to still open campaigns even if offline. You can restrict that nobody is able to connect to the campaign if you are worried that people will go to LAN mode (even I would say this use case is rather uncommon)

[LordEntrails]

I'm not seeing what you others are. I just put my laptop into Airplane mode and opened my FGU campaign with no problem.
Win 10,
4.0.0
5E
Ultimate one-time

[TheSlowestZombie]

Wasn't this a core selling point of Fantasy Grounds? This is really disappointing that Internet is now required. If you google search "fantasy grounds play offline", there are tons of forum posts here and other websites where offline play is listed as a key feature. Before the pandemic, I used offline games a lot when travelling or vacationing. As recently as last week I was telling coworkers in the D&D club I run that it was one of the core differences that Roll20 can't do. And while I can't find a source to cite, I feel like I recall an earlier comment from devs that functionality of the FG Updater was designed the way it is in order to ensure offline play is supported.

I'm mad right now that I didn't notice this was not listed as a feature carried over from the FG Classic in the Kickstarter for Unity. I feel so cheated about it that I used the internet archive to see if an old version of the Kickstarter page might have listed it as a feature (no it does not. Only have myself to blame for not noticing sooner)

Please bring back offline play.

[LordEntrails]

This is really disappointing that Internet is now required. .
It's not. Or at least there is more going on here than the appears from the initial posts.

The post immediately above yours, by me, shows that you can use FGU offline. Please test your setup and see if it works for you.

There is obviously something going on, but not sure what that is yet.

[Kelrugem]

As a workaround (until we know more), you can also simply erase the license key then in the settings, then the check might not happen? (as others said, demo users can save campaigns and also use their purchased stuff, so, everything is there and stays :) ) At least offline working shoule be possible then, hosting of course not possible

[seycyrus]

I decided to try a test of my own, fully expecting to be able to open up my campaign, but alas I cannot.

I manually unplugged my ethernet connection. When I tried to "Load campaign" to the cloud, I got some error about the lobby - expected.

Then I switched to LAN, and still had problems.

I cancelled it after it hung for a couple of minutes.

[Kelrugem]

Yes, I cannot load my campaign, too, I also got an error message about the start button; but erasing my license works, so, as demo user I was able to load my campaigns and to use all my purchased stuff while being offline :)

So, it is possible, just the license stops that then, that may be unintended and may be fixed soon :) (would be nice when I do not have to switch to demo all the time for that :D)

[Trenloe]

I'm not seeing what you others are. I just put my laptop into Airplane mode and opened my FGU campaign with no problem.
Win 10,
4.0.0
5E
Ultimate one-time
What about v4.0.1?

[LordEntrails]

What about v4.0.1?
I was trying not to update before my game tonight :) I will update and see.

[Kelrugem]

Moon Wizard answered to a similar discussion in Discord:

Yeah, it's not supposed to error; just happen in the background when connected.
So, when I understand correctly, then the license check should be disabled in the offline mode, and thence this is currently a bug :) Erasing the license key is some workaround at the moment :D

[DM_BK]

You couldn't run it offline (with ultimate) under classic and I assume Unity is the same way. A license check used to occur when the campaign was launched...after that internet isn't required.

I understand why it's needed but there are still times where I wish it wasn't doing that check.

[LordEntrails]

What about v4.0.1?
Works fine for me in 4.0.1.
updated FGU, exited FGU, turned on Airplane mode (disable wifi), start FGU, Load campaign

I wonder if it has to do with the network adapter status for those that are trying by disconnecting their cable? How about tryin by disabling your adapter instead?

Network Log attached (Compile Logs did not work, separate issue)
41006
EDIT: adding other logs
41007
41008

[Jiminimonka]

Works fine for me in 4.0.1.
updated FGU, exited FGU, turned on Airplane mode (disable wifi), start FGU, Load campaign

I wonder if it has to do with the network adapter status for those that are trying by disconnecting their cable? How about tryin by disabling your adapter instead?

Network Log attached (Compile Logs did not work, separate issue)
41006
EDIT: adding other logs
41007
41008

I disabled my connection rather than unplug (which as far as a computer is concerned is the same thing. Same issue.

41010

[Trenloe]

You couldn't run it offline (with ultimate) under classic and I assume Unity is the same way. A license check used to occur when the campaign was launched...after that internet isn't required.
That's not strictly correct. The GM instance didn't check when the campaign was loaded, it was actually the player instance (if they had a free license) that needed an Internet connection to verify the GM's license key. So a GM could load their campaign successfully without an Internet connection.

[damned]

I imagine offline use is important to many users - even if only occasionally.

[orcus00]

I am the gm for the campaign. It works fine online. Airplane mode it wont work at all. Updated 11/11. This is very disappointing. Makes me want to look at a refund. Offline is the only time I get to work on the campaign.

[Trenloe]

Let's all just wait for an FG developer to comment on this please before going on about refunds and being disappointed, etc.. Nowhere has it been said by the devs that this is a conscious functionality change. This appears to be an unwanted by-product of a change in the recent update - the cause of this being an error raised when networking is disabled.

[Jiminimonka]

Let's all just wait for an FG developer to comment on this please before going on about refunds and being disappointed, etc.. Nowhere has it been said by the devs that this is a conscious functionality change. This appears to be an unwanted by-product of a change in the recent update - the cause of this being an error raised when networking is disabled.

Yeah it's just a bug.

[DM_BK]

That's not strictly correct. The GM instance didn't check when the campaign was loaded, it was actually the player instance (if they had a free license) that needed an Internet connection to verify the GM's license key. So a GM could load their campaign successfully without an Internet connection.

It actually is correct. I know because I didn't use any player instances plus Doug told me that's the way it worked before I had a cabin trip without internet some years ago.
(I had to buy an cellular AP just for this issue and then hike a laptop up out of a valley till I got cell service, launch FGC, load campaign, then hike back - 3 days in a row of that)

I had forum thread on this issue many years ago if you want to look it up.... at the time it was an unapologetic NO to changing the way it worked. I'd assume the policy hasn't changed but I'm not certain of it as I've not had this need again.

[Moon Wizard]

Just to be clear, FGU should run in LAN server mode without any connection to the Internet.

Currently, there is an issue in the networking library we use that is throwing an error when a connection is not available which blocks starting a campaign; but we plan to fix it to fail gracefully.

Regards,
JPG

[Trenloe]

I'd assume the policy hasn't changed but I'm not certain of it as I've not had this need again.
Sounds like the policy did change because what you describe is not how FGC with an ultimate license has operated without a network connection for a number of years.

[Moon Wizard]

The Ultimate license has always required an Internet connection in order to host Free/Demo license users; for both FGC and FGU.

Regards,
JPG

[damned]

The Ultimate license has always required an Internet connection in order to host Free/Demo license users; for both FGC and FGU.

Regards,
JPG

But not to load the campaign up.

[Moon Wizard]

True, but that's just a bug. It's actually an exception error during the local LAN server startup due to the disconnected state of the user network connection.

Regards,
JPG

[damned]

I was just clarifying as some of the posts prior to yours have been to-ing and fro-ing.
Not disagreeing.

[Trenloe]

This issue should now be fixed with the 4.0.2 release a few minutes ago. Info here: https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?63924-FG-Unity-Release-v4-0-2

[blackclove]

Happy to say 4.0.2 fixed this for me.

I can neither confirm nor deny whether I figured this out by moving the internet cable from my desktop over to my laptop for a work Zoom meeting, and then booting up FGU on the desktop during the meeting. If that happened, it would be really appalling.

[TheSlowestZombie]

Also confirmed working. Using my ultimate license, I disconnected from wifi (don't even have wired network at my house), then hosted a campaign, and ran a second instance of the game and connected to localhost. Am relieved and grateful that this was a bug that's now fixed and wasn't an intentional decision.

Only minor complaint that's really NBD is when clicking on Join Game, it be nice if rather than the console log popping up with errors, the server lobby list would just say "No Internet connection detected" or something more user friendly like that.