Cracks FTW! ...... EA FTL.
http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2009/07/forced-to-connect-eas-cc-4-requires-always-on-internet.arsThe issue of LAN play has become a hot-button issue for PC gamers ever since we found out that StarCraft 2 will have no support for it. Be prepared for an even larger backlash against a well-known RTS franchise however, as EA has confirmed that Command and Conquer 4 currently requires an online connection at all times... even when playing the single-player game.
"As of right now, you need to be online all the time to play C&C 4. This is primarily due to our 'player progression' feature so everything can be tracked. C&C 4 is not an MMO in the sense of World of Warcraft, but conceptually it has similar principles for being online all the time," Community Leader APOC wrote. No matter what mode you're playing, no matter what you're doing, if you want to play Command and Conquer 4, you're going to need to have a working Internet connection.
If you're already enraged, don't be. We're assured that this is no big deal. "While some may be taken aback by this, we've been testing this feature internally with all of our world-wide markets," APOC continued. "We wanted to make sure it wouldn't take away any significant market or territory from playing the game. We have not found or seen any results that have made us think otherwise." You won't need a broadband connection, in fact you'll be able to use a dial-up connection to get the game to play.