| Recurring |
one_organization |
(a) The software failure incident having happened again at one_organization:
The article mentions other high-profile online-related launch failures such as Sim City, Battlefield 4, and Diablo III. This indicates that similar incidents have happened before in the gaming industry, including Driveclub's situation [30767].
(b) The software failure incident having happened again at multiple_organization:
The article does not provide specific information about similar incidents happening at other organizations or with their products and services. Therefore, it is unknown if this particular software failure incident has occurred at multiple organizations. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident in Driveclub was primarily due to issues related to the development phases, specifically in the design and system development. The article mentions that the developer, Evolution Studios, had no indication of the impending trouble from tests it ran ahead of the game's release. Despite running "large scale synthetic load tests," the issues with the online connectivity were unexpected, indicating a failure in the design or development phase [30767].
(b) The software failure incident in Driveclub was also influenced by factors related to the operation or misuse of the system. Players experienced significant issues with the online functionality of the game, such as challenges being offline, leaderboards not behaving properly, and connectivity problems. This suggests that operational issues, such as server capacity and network stability, played a role in the failure of the system to function as intended [30767]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident with Driveclub was primarily within the system. The article mentions that the online connectivity issues, server problems, and lack of key features like Challenges, Face Off segments, player's stats, ghosts, and Notifications were all internal issues within the game itself [30767]. The developer, Evolution Studios, mentioned that they had run large-scale synthetic load tests which worked well, and they had confidence that everything was ready, indicating that the issues were unexpected internal problems [30767]. The failure to deliver a satisfactory online experience and the central role of online connectivity in Driveclub's gameplay highlight that the failure was primarily within the system. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in Driveclub was primarily due to non-human actions, specifically related to server issues and online connectivity problems. The game's servers were unable to cope with the numbers of players trying to get online, leading to online functionality being shot [30767]. Evolution Studios had no indication of the impending trouble from tests run ahead of the game's release, and the issues with online connectivity were unexpected despite large-scale synthetic load tests being conducted [30767].
(b) However, human actions also played a role in the failure incident. Evolution Studios had communicated that they would be playing with the servers while readying the game for release, which may have contributed to the disruption in online connectivity experienced by players [30767]. Additionally, the impact of the failure on disappointed consumers raised questions about consumer protection laws and the ability to obtain refunds for a game with non-functioning online components [30767]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident in Driveclub was primarily due to software-related issues rather than hardware. The article mentions that the online functionality of the game was severely impacted, with the game's servers unable to cope with the numbers of players trying to get online [30767]. Additionally, the Challenges element, Face Off segments, player's stats, ghosts, notifications, and leaderboards were all offline, indicating software-related issues [30767].
(b) The software failure incident in Driveclub was attributed to software-related factors. The article highlights that the online portion of the game was not functioning satisfactorily, with issues such as server access problems, semi-consistent multiplayer races, and low connection success rates [30767]. Furthermore, the Challenges element, Face Off segments, player's stats, ghosts, notifications, and leaderboards were all offline, emphasizing software-related failures [30767]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
non-malicious |
(a) The software failure incident related to Driveclub was non-malicious. The failure was primarily due to issues with the game's online connectivity and servers being unable to cope with the number of players trying to access the game online. The developer, Evolution Studios, faced challenges with the online functionality, leading to frustration among players who were unable to fully experience the game as intended [30767]. The issues were not caused by malicious intent but rather by technical difficulties and unexpected server problems. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
accidental_decisions |
(a) The software failure incident related to Driveclub was not primarily due to poor decisions but rather unexpected issues despite running large-scale synthetic load tests and having confidence that everything was ready [30767].
(b) The failure was more of an accidental decision as the issues faced with the online connectivity were unexpected despite efforts to test and prepare for the game's release [30767]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
accidental |
(a) The software failure incident in Driveclub was not attributed to development incompetence. Evolution Studios, the developer, had conducted tests ahead of the game's release and had no indication of the impending trouble. The issues that arose with the online functionality were unexpected, and the developer had confidence that everything was ready [30767].
(b) The software failure incident in Driveclub was more aligned with an accidental failure. Despite running large-scale synthetic load tests and having confidence in the system's readiness, unforeseen bottlenecks and errors still occurred during the real-world launch scenario. The issues with the online connectivity were unexpected, leading to the game's servers being unable to cope with the numbers of players trying to get online [30767]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
The software failure incident related to Driveclub was more of a temporary nature rather than permanent. The article mentions that the online portion of the game was not functioning satisfactorily, with issues such as Challenges, Face Off segments, player's stats, ghosts, and Notifications being offline [30767]. Additionally, the article highlights that semi-consistent multiplayer races became possible after the initial server access issues, albeit with a low success rate and laborious process [30767]. This indicates that the failure was due to contributing factors introduced by certain circumstances but not all, making it a temporary software failure incident. |
| Behaviour |
omission, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident in Driveclub was not a crash where the system loses state and does not perform any of its intended functions. Instead, the issue was related to the online functionality being severely impacted, with players experiencing difficulties in connecting to the servers and accessing various online features [30767].
(b) omission: The software failure incident in Driveclub can be categorized as an omission failure. Players were unable to access key online features such as Challenges, Face Off segments, player stats, ghosts, notifications, and leaderboards. The online connectivity was central to the overall experience of the game, and the absence of these features significantly impacted the gameplay [30767].
(c) timing: The software failure incident in Driveclub was not related to timing issues where the system performs its intended functions either too late or too early. The primary concern was the inability of the online portion of the game to function satisfactorily, leading to connectivity issues and the absence of key online features [30767].
(d) value: The software failure incident in Driveclub did not involve the system performing its intended functions incorrectly. Instead, the issue was more about the system omitting to perform certain functions, particularly related to online connectivity and features [30767].
(e) byzantine: The software failure incident in Driveclub did not exhibit behaviors characteristic of a byzantine failure, where the system behaves erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions. The main issue was the lack of proper online functionality and the absence of key online features, leading to frustration among players [30767].
(f) other: The software failure incident in Driveclub can be categorized as a failure related to server capacity and unexpected bottlenecks. Despite running large-scale synthetic load tests, the developers encountered unforeseen issues with server capacity and errors that impacted the online functionality of the game. This type of failure falls under the "other" category, where the system faces challenges due to server-related issues beyond the control of the development team [30767]. |