EA To Use Controversial Internet-Required DRM On New Games
from the pissing-off-your-customers dept
SteveD writes "PC Gamers are in an uproar over a new copy projection system announced by Electronic Arts for use on their upcoming titles. The PC-port of the successful Xbox title Mass Effect, and the eagerly awaited Will Wright title Spore will be two of the higher profile games to use this new system. The new system is the latest iteration of the SecuROM protection, which has caused problems in the past over technical issues with several popular titles. The version of SecuROM that shipped with Bioshock was even accused (but never proven) of installing a root-kit on users PCs.
This new version is causing controversy due to an online verification system connected to its CD key. The system requires a connection to the internet during installation to check the CD key is valid, and then registers the key with the users' computer. After this the game will try to re-check the CD key every 5-10 days to ensure it hasn't since been found posted on a forum, or used in some form of piracy. If the game can't verify the key within this period it will continue to try for a further 10 days, after which it will stop working until the key is checked. The protection will also only allow the game to be installed three times.
A lot of gamers consider this intrusive and inconvenient, and that the publishers are effectively assuming their customers are pirates and looking over their shoulders every 10 days to check. Other concerns have been raised over users who don't play with machines permanently connected to the internet (such as laptops), or how the system will work in regards to resale. A comprehensive help-line has been promised to help people deal with these issues and the developers have mentioned the new system will remove the need for a DVD to run the game, but these potential problems combined with SecuROM's past have made some call for a boycott of the titles and others to declare an intention to pirate the game out of spite."
Seems like more short-term thinking. If the effort is to reduce "piracy" it won't work. People will figure out other ways to pirate the games -- that's almost guaranteed. So, in the end, all this will really do is piss off the legitimate customers who paid for something that suddenly doesn't work, though no fault of their own. That hardly seems like a good way to build up a strong supporting fan base.
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usage metrics too
Admittedly I've not read the entire discussion thread on the Bioware forums, but one thing that strikes me about this 'phone home' (and something that also holds true for Steam) is that it is much less about piracy prevention, and much more about internal KPIs. Since every copy has to be verified online, EA knows exactly how many copies have been activated, and can match this against how many copies have been sold (better JIT metrics for manufacturing in the future?).
And since customers have to re-verify every 10 days, EA knows exactly how many people are still playing the game over time, which can be used to prove KPIs, or be used for future planning of add-ons or expansions. Sounds much more like business and marketing intelligence gathering than piracy prevention.
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ea
this is why many gamers hate ea, they are like microsoft for the gaming community.
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Crysis was the last EA game I will ever buy. There are so many problems with the securom in that game. 75% of the time I get a black screen when trying to run the game. I can't even update the damn game. What a failure.
Skipping Bioshock wasn't so hard, I hope I can skip spore too. I can't believe Will Wright sold his soul to the devil of gaming publishers.
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Re: usage metrics too
Oh, and why doesn't the XBox360 version do that too? (Or does it?)
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Not out of spite
But out of annoyance, anger and frustration will I wait for the warez version before I shell out for Spore. I would've done the same thing with GTA:SA had Rockstar been foolish enough to implement such an atrocious system.
There's no need for this; it only affects and hurts legitimate customers. SecuROM has been so thoroughly broken and beaten in every incarnation that it's easy to find guides which can walk a script kiddie through the process. It doesn't stop piracy. There will always be warez versions because crackers get their kicks breaking protections and get their jollies by being the first to do so.
Those who can't afford to shell out for a game will always find a freed version of it. Those of us who can afford the $50-100 will spend it if the game is good (often using warez to "try before we buy").
Once the warezers are done with ripping SecuROM out of the 8MB exexcutable (reducing it to 3MB in the process), I might consider buying it. Either that or when EA get their collective head out of their ass and stop hurting legitimate customers in the vain and hopeless attempt to stop the impossible.
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And I was so looking forward to Spore too.
But due to the DRM it is off my list. Not cool.
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DRM is bad, but piracy IS a huge problem in PC gaming
First off, I will definitely try and find a way to remove this DRM when I buy my copy of either game, simply because of the annoyance factor. Only 3 installs? Please. I have blown thru way more than that trying to troubleshoot why a game keeps crashing or didn't patch right.
However, we cannot ignore the rampant piracy that exists within the PC game world. Take a read at this forum posting by a former producer of Titan Quest for another POV on the issue:
http://www.rpgwatch.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4031
Quote:
"Two, the numbers on piracy are really astonishing. The research I've seen pegs the piracy rate at between 70-85% on PC in the US, 90%+ in Europe, off the charts in Asia. I didn't believe it at first. It seemed way too high. Then I saw that Bioshock was selling 5 to 1 on console vs. PC. And Call of Duty 4 was selling 10 to 1. These are hardcore games, shooters, classic PC audience stuff. Given the difference in install base, I can't believe that there's that big of a difference in who played these games, but I guess there can be in who actually payed for them."
"So, before the game even comes out, we've got people bad-mouthing it because their pirated copies crash, even though a legitimate copy won't. We took a lot of shit on this, completely undeserved mind you. How many people decided to pick up the pirated version because it had this reputation and they didn't want to risk buying something that didn't work? Talk about your self-fulfilling prophecy."
This is why developers are starting to release games on the consoles first and then (maybe) on the PC. And also why more and more are considering models like Steam.
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I don't often say it
But I think I won't be buying these games. If anything, that kind of invasive, idiotic DRM just makes me more likely to pirate the game.
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Re: ea
Actually this is worse than any DRM Microsoft has ever used (I almost can't believe I just said that). At least with Windows XP you can call a 1-800 number to register if you don't have an internet connection and it only checks at install (or re-install) time, not every 5 days.
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As a matter of principle, I only get games in a form that will allow me to play them in 10, 20 years if I want to. The same as music. If that means it's a ripped/pirated version, so be it. If I like the game enough and/or is at a fair price, I'll buy it, too, but keep the "freed" copy around.
It's sad that pirates can always (yes, always) release games in a more convenient and longer-lasting form than the own studios.
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Customers--
I've been waiting literally years for Spore to come out. It looks like a fantastically inventive game, and the emphasis on user-generated content is *really* appealing.
Which makes it all the more disappointing that I won't be getting it. I'm not going to pay $40-$60 for something that's going to be so gimped with DRM, no matter how appealing the content is.
Spore was going to renew my faith in PC gaming. I guess not.
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Damn it. I was looking forward to Mass Effect for PC.
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Re: usage metrics too
If it could call home, and did regularly, that would be one thing. That I'd be OK with. I have no problem saying, "hey, I bought your game," or, "hey, I'm still playing it."
This system will disable my game if it is not satisfied. That I'm now OK with.
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Re: Re: ea
Since we're making the EA-MS connection here, I'll point out what everyone's already thinking: MS just killed the PlaysForSure servers. PFS isn't that old. How long do I have to enjoy my new $50 game before EA shuts it's servers down?
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I was looking forward to buying both these games, but because of this DRM crap I won't be able to. I am currently stationed overseas for 2 years in a place where the only internet I have is at work. So, I will either be pirating these games or not playing them at all. How very pathetic.
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Re: DRM is bad, but piracy IS a huge problem in PC gaming
Bull. If the games just worked, there wouldn't be this problem. Look at the games mentioned: Bioshock and Call of Duty 4. Of course the pirated copies crashed, because you had the rip the "CD protection" out of them first. The thing that's most DRIVING piracy is developers trying to *prevent* piracy. Most users are not thieves. Most users are honest and willing to pay a reasonable price for their games. Most users get frustrated and angry when they have to jump through hoops to play those games.
Developers add in DRM, users get pissed off and remove it. 'Piracy' goes up because the cracked game is more useful than the retail one. So developers put MORE DRM in and make their product LESS useful, so MORE users get cracked versions. Talk about your self-fulfilling prophesy.
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PlayForeSure all over again.
Im not buying this game until I find a reliable crack. While I happily pay $15 a month for World of Warcraft, single player games I consider an investment...
I have games that I purchased 10 years ago easilly that - when their DRM schemes don't panic on modern systems - I still enjoy playing.
Game publishers have been treating me like a criminal for 20 years now. Im frankly tired of it. Plus, DRM schemes have rendered enough of my investment obsolete that I dont have a moral or ethical objection to outright piracy to collect on what I'm 'owed'.
That rant aside, I really like Will Wrights work. I'd pay more for a DRM free product, especially if I knew the money was going directly to Will, rather than some EA or SecuROM executives pocket. *that* appeals to my ethics and morals.
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I *knew* EA would find some way to ruin WAR
Been eagerly waiting for Warhammer Online to come out since it was announced. Signed up for the Beta Lottery on day one, and I've already pre-ordered the collector's edition. The game promises to be great and even though Mythic was bought by EA, EA let Mythic do their own thing.
So OF COURSE EA would come along and do something to potentially fuck over the only MMO that's coming out besides Conan that can knock WoW off the top.
Hear is hoping that Mythic can talk EA out of having their game be a part of this very poorly thought out system.
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Can someone please explain this to me
Seriously. We all know the deal here. As soon as a single cracked version of the game is released on the internet, anywhere, that is *it*. The DRM is no longer useful, since anyone with an internet connection (i.e. everyone who can play the game in the first place) can get a free version of the game. So literally the only thing that the DRM does is piss off the people who enjoy buying the game, us folk who like having a copy of it on a shelf. This is something all of us know.
And this is where I get confused. Games developers tend to be one of the most "in touch with the fanbase/customers" people in pretty much any form of industry in the world. There is absolutely no way that they think that this kind of DRM will lower piracy rates, and that it'll have a strongly negative reaction in everyone. That "only 5 installs" thing, for example, is literally the only reason I haven't bought Bioshock (since I live in the UK, the phonecall to unlock it would be expensive).
I can buy that it's the publishers that enforce it, but surely they're also fairly in touch with the fans, and even if they're not, the developers would take them aside and say "yeah, this isn't going to work." Even if the CEO of the publisher was some random old guy who's just in it for the business and has no understanding of technology, someone would tell him it's not gonna work.
So why do they keep doing it? It seems like a huge contradiction to me.
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And if in a few years I want to go back.....
Will everything be in place in four years from now for me to be able to play this game? I still go back and play some older titles, many of which were created by companies that have been absorbed by others.
I agree that piracy is a problem, and that being able to play the game without having the disk (or a patch) is something that most gamers want. But any system that requires activation either by phone or internet, mean that game is only good for as long as the activation system remains in place.
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Re: I *knew* EA would find some way to ruin WAR
Uh, WAR is an MMO, meaning you have to be connected to the internet to play it at all, this system will have no effect whatsoever on that game.
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Bull. If the games just worked, there wouldn't be this problem. Look at the games mentioned: Bioshock and Call of Duty 4. Of course the pirated copies crashed, because you had the rip the "CD protection" out of them first.
I 'pirated' Bioshock because I brought the game home and found out I couldn't install it on my brand new gaming machine because I had to connect to the internet, something I didn't want to do on my pristine system.
Looks like I'll be 'pirating' Spore too.
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Reverse-Reverse-Psychology?
They can't be that stupid. Every balanced study has shown so far that piracy increases sales, entire empires were built on the concept of getting people to try it for free, and they have to understand that. They just CANNOT be that stupid to not have noticed.
So perhaps this is a trick? Just a little reverse-reverse-psychology? Perhaps by making the pirated version of the game more valuable compared to the full packaged product, perhaps they are trying to increase sales by increasing the piracy rates?
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Will wait for crack too
Like others have said here, I will wait to make sure there is a good working crack before buying the game.
I'm sure a lot of people think "Who will want to play this game in 10 years", but the reality is I just dusted off Diablo II a couple of months ago and played it for probably 15-20 hours. That game game out when 1999ish - maybe early 2000s.
It only took microsoft a couple of years to decide supporting their servers was too much trouble.
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All this time...
I've been waiting for Spore to be released (after many many many delays) since 2004. It's sad that it'll be released with the new SecuROM. I respect Will Wright and EA, but now since they put this crap on the game I'm not buying it. I vowed long ago that I'll never buy a game from any company that tries to put anti-piracy features in their installations, simply out of spite. In fact, when they do figure out how to crack the game and get past the new SecuROM restrictions, I'm going to download the game off bittorrent just because EA pisses me off. Congratulations, EA, you just lost 50 bucks by being an ass.
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I've seen a whole bunch of people who *were* going to buy the game say that they're going to pirate it because of how obnoxious SecuROM is.
Seriously, when your anti-piracy technology causes more people to pirate something, you've got to take a step back.
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Re: DRM is bad, but piracy IS a huge problem in PC gaming
Funny you take a stand against piracy, with your opening paragraph saying how you're going to crack the code and pretty much go against the protection against the piracy.
Then you link to a page that is going to be heavily biased as it is a developer writing the piece. His numbers can say what they want, I highly doubt that 70%+ of the market of games played on PC are of pirated games.
The reason developers are releasing more on consoles is that consoles have one set of specs that they need to worrry about, not what CPU is in this computer, what graphics card is in that computer, what sound card is in that other computer, etc. Consoles are also still and expanding market, which means its predictable that more people will be buying consoles and software to run on them.
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Re: DRM is bad, but piracy IS a huge problem in PC gaming
"However, we cannot ignore the rampant piracy that exists within the PC game world." "Bioshock was selling 5 to 1 on console vs. PC."
And you don't suppose the low sales figures for the PC version of Bioshock had ANYTHING to do with its controversial DRM or rampant problems reported by users?
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Re: Will wait for crack too
Forget Diablo 2; I still play the original Warcraft. Graphics suck, but the game is still a lot of fun. THAT game is 14 years old now. And StarCraft is probably the best RTS game I've ever played, and that just turned 10.
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Re: Re: Re: ea
"How long do I have to enjoy my new $50 game before EA shuts it's servers down?"
I'd say you have until the II version come out. I'm still upset with EA for not supporting NFS3. A simple patch would have made it more compatible with modern Video. I own 3 valid copies of that for network play. I've stopped buying. When I contacted support, I was told it was no longer supported & I should buy the new one. The problem is; the newer ones no longer are NFS, but are some sort of Fast & Furious Ricer game. Worse yet they lack the edit-ability of the real NFS games. I was able to install a 200 mph Monster truck in NFS3 that blew through roadblocks like they weren't there. Talk about user content.
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Re: DRM is bad, but piracy IS a huge problem in PC gaming
People still pirate console games you moron. Go on Piratebay and you'll see for yourself.
People dont care if a console's system files are ruined by SecuROM because all they do is play games on it.
A PC is much more volatile (and expensive, in most cases) and you risk losing a lot if 'rootkits' and other nonsense screws around with it.
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The excuse for the use of DRM in any product
Anonymous Coward said it best in last post, "Developers add in DRM, users get pissed off and remove it. 'Piracy' goes up because the cracked game is more useful than the retail one. So developers put MORE DRM in and make their product LESS useful, so MORE users get cracked versions. Talk about your self-fulfilling prophesy."
Companies are completely eliminating the rights of the consumer/user. It doesn't matter whether we are talking about games, music, movies, etc. The end result is always piracy simply because people do not want a product that limits in any way how the product, that they purchased by the way, is used or stored, etc.
It is ridiculous to think that any company has the right to limit how many times a game is installed. What happens when you purchase a new computer or have to wipe your computer and reinstall everything. Things happen and to only allow 3 installs is crazy and is a bad move by any company.
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Re:
Is there a way to send feedback in to EA? Not that I expect it to help, but when they have loyal fans who have waited 4+ years for a game saying they aren't going to buy it, they should really hear about it.
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Mike, you missed the bigger issue...
The bigger issues is that all these people who buy these hugely popular games...if EA decides that the game is outdated and turns off it's DRM server, now all the paying customers have a game that won't run.
I like going back and playing old games that I used to love. A great game will ALWAYS be a great game. 10 years from now, if I want to pop in my Spore DVD and give it another go...now, I can't because EA doesn't support it anymore?! THAT is the bigger issue for me.
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Re:
Crysis had SecuROM? I pirated that with no problems... :-D
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The excuse for the use of DRM in any product and corrupt business practices
A lot of anti virus and anti spyware programs will mark these programs as problems since the DRM by some companies installs rootkits, etc. These programs try to gleam any information they can from you and your computer. Whose to say how far these companies supposed DRM go and what info they supposedly collect during the process. Companies get away with this because people by there products and put up with this crap.
The only alternative is to use a pirated copy if you don't want to put up with this crap and massive intrusion into our computers and personal property. We need to draw a limit as to how far these companies go. Anybody that remembers the original Doom, Quake, Rise of the Triad, etc. remembers that people still bought the game even though it was easy to copy and play a pirated version. Maybe if companies reduced the price, say the cost of the DRM, and put more time into the quality of there product it would sell more copies. Instead of $60.00 maybe the cost should be cut down to around $35-40 max. That would sell a lot more copies and possibly open up new markets, especially to those that can't afford the $60 price tag of games and/or don't want to put up with the B.S. of dealing with the DRM of these products. That is why I will never use Itunes to purchase music. DRM is just an excuse nothing more. To hell with any company that tries to limit how you use a product you purchased legally.
If companies can't handle the loss of business do to there antiquated business model then they deserve to fail and go bankrupt.
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Re: Re: ea
I didn't mean drm, but how hated they are with the open source /gpl/linux etc community.
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WildGames does the same crap. I got Tornado Jockey when I was at Mom's and installed it on her LT while I was there. We uninstalled it, and brought it home.
I installed it on one of the kids computers, till I found out that it just didn't play as nice, so I uninstalled it from her computer, and put it on my laptop.
2 months later, the laptop crashed, and I had to reinstall the OS.
Tornado Jockey wouldn't install, and tech support said "Sorry!"...Even after I explained it to tech support.
They need to do the same thing Adobe does with their full versions....allow you to "authorize/deauthorize" computers...granted, it won't help you if the computer crashes and you have to reinstall the OS, but even Adobe gives allowances for that!
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Re: Can someone please explain this to me
"Games developers tend to be one of the most "in touch with the fanbase/customers" people in pretty much any form of industry in the world."
Not EA...they are a machine, a corporate monster, whatever you want to call them.
There are some publishers who release games with zero copy protection or any DRM of any kind.
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I hear Sins of a Solar Empire has no Copy Protection/DRM and is selling very well. I plan on buying it just to have in my collection, even if I don't play it a lot.
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why not make the DRM system add value?
i am fully against DRM for a number of reasons, but if publishers insist on using it, why not make the DRM do something useful, the way that steam does.
i got the big orange box from valve for christmas, set it up on my gaming machine, moved, and lost the box. then my video card overheated and crashed everything and i had to pretty much rebuild everything.
under normal circumstances i would be out of luck.
steam let me download all my games from the site once i log in.
that's right, no disc, just download steam, log in, and start downloading. you can even do it on multiple PCs. the only downside is that you have to be connected to the internet. it hurts me to say this, but steam saved me.
MMO's aren't so over the top in terms of copy protection because the value of the game is in the online play and monthly fees. you can use anyone's disc to install the game, but you need legitimate and unique key to register a new account.
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Re:
Yah i love what stardock did with their game there. No copy protection and you dont even have to have a CD key if you dont want updates or online multiplayer so you can easily play a nice LAN game with your friends
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I bought Call of Duty 4, its amazing, I love it! The developers completely deserve ever penny they earn from my purchase! Except for one thing....
My DVD is broken, somehow it got scratched (probably my own fault, but to err is to be human). Can I play single player now, no. Why? Need the DVD to verify I own the game. In the end I had to download a warez version just to install it to play multiplayer.
Yes I could get a new DVD from publisher, but I cant find my receipt (6 months on) so I either pay AGAIN for the game, or live with the face that I cannot play single player.
SUCKAGE!
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Re: DRM is bad, but piracy IS a huge problem in PC gaming
I have not used a pirated game since my Amiga 500 when I got off a BBS a hacked version of Prince of Persia. I owned the game, but I heard this crack had hints to get you through the game easier. LOL So when you went in the room with the poison jugs, an arrow showed you which on to drink and items like that.
I was really looking forward to spore for the last year. I refuse to purchase a game with this type of copy protection. This will be one game I will get a pirated version. I hate it, because one of the reasons I feel I never have had issues with trojans and virus' is because I do nto share music or video or install wares. I buy the software I need, or use open source.
Thanks Bill and EA you just turned me into a pirate. Below is a list of games I have purchased the last 12 months.
Tabble Tennis(rockstar)
Shadowrun
Halo 3
The new expansion for WOW
Assasins Creed
Sim City Society
Expansion for 40k RTS
Stranglehold
Fate
Eve Online
D&D Online
Never Winters night 2
A new copy of MS Train Simulator(I lost my old copy)
and about 10 games on my Xbox360. I also built a new computer so that I would be ready to handle Spore and so I could try Tabala Rising. I am not as intense about gaming as some others, but it is a few k at least I have spent.
I have always hated having to carry around a cd with me to play a game(I travel allot), but this is just as bad. There have been at least 5 programs that I have lost the key that came with the CD. The last one was Never Winters Night 1. That blows too.
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Re: DRM is bad, but piracy IS a huge problem in PC gaming
These numbers also seem to blatantly ignore the fact that most gamers own both consoles and computers for gaming.
And obviously, if you go with a game for one system, your probably not going to buy it again for another system as well.
Many people prefer the console experience over the computer.
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Re: why not make the DRM system add value?
not all mmo's have a monthly fee.
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Arrrr...
Seems I be piratin' me some booty from EA this time 'round.
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Not an issue really - so many choices out there in games, I hardly need to buy EA stuff, can always pick something else.
I guess it's possible piracy is a huge problem - but personally, what I find to be a huge problem, is getting cracked software to actually work right. I find it far easier to just buy whatever game I'm wanting to play.
Yea Bob - EA is telling people like us - who travel from time to time that we have no business playing their game while we wait in an airport or if we want to play a game without hassling with getting hotel internet set up. Or if our internet service happens to be out for a time - we can't play - sure it'll work sometimes, but when I *purchase* things - my desire is to have them work all of the time. Would anyone seriously buy a car that depended on the availability of cell service or it wouldn't start? Sure - it might work *most* of the time - but that doesn't cut it.
Another slap in the face for paying customers - I'm sure the games will still get cracked - and those won't likely need an internet connection.
At least Steam can run in 'offline' mode after the initial activation.
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maybe just maybe this is all just to push people to consoles. who would have thought the end of PC gameing would be brought about by the PC gameing industry.
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I've been reading the comments here and other places about this and one in particular from another forum stood out. It was essentially an appeal to quit complaining on internet forums and contact EA to let them know directly that their anti-piracy measures were costing them sales. With that in mind, I went to their website to find an email address so I could write them directly.
Oddly (or maybe not) there doesn't seem to be an email address anywhere on their site. Not for any of the VPs, the CEO, not even a comments email address. I assume support@ea.com would go somewhere, but even that isn't listed on their website. It's almost as if they don't -want- to hear from anyone.
Anyone with any experience in the business world (or who has even taken Business 101) knows that contact and feedback from your customers is the most valuable information a business can get. That EA has made a point to not include a simple feedback email address somewhere easily visible on their website says that they simply don't care what the customer thinks.
I won't be buying anything from a company with that opinion.
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Boycott of EA
I haven't been happy with the last two PC titles I bought from EA and their performance on a pretty well configured XP PC (Need for Speed Underground 2, Need for Speed Most Wanted) and therefore didn't buy the last two games in that series. This nonsense is just another reason to not buy any more EA PC games. I'm sticking with my consoles for gaming and buy PC games from someone else. As stated in the article, anyone who plays games on a laptop and isn't always connected to the internet, will have problems. Apparently the genius clowns at EA didn't think of that when brain storming this "bright idea" of theirs.
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And this is one big reason why I have washed my hands of PC gaming in general and bought an XBOX 360 at Christmas. I'm tired of fighting with a game I legitimately purchase in order to get it to just run. The last game I purchased (which wasn't an EA product) was Turning Point with SecuROM. I was never able to get this game to run without getting SecuROM errors. I finally gave up and now only play older, paying-customer-friendly games. I don't think major game publishers realise that there will ALWAYS be a constant in this world: No matter how much copy protection they put on a game.. there will always be someone out there who can break it and put it into the public domain. In the end though, the only people it really hurts are those of us who are foolish enough to fork out $50 for a poorly coded game that we have to fight just to get to work on our computers. The only thing they are doing is alienating people and weakening an already-shaky PC Gaming industry.
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Yarr. I get ye DRM infested cargo right 'ere! Fast'n the hatches, full sails maggots!! Off to the NNTP we go!!
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Frankly, I stopped buying brand new, off the shelf EA after the screwing over I got from the original Medal of Honor series, and their purchase, and ruin of my first MMORPG, "Earth and Beyond". If I buy their stuff at all now, I buy it second hand. EA gets none of my money
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Peronal examples
#1: officially bought Black & White. Won't work with my CD-ROM because of some idiot coder's mistake who thinks CD-ROM is always the last drive in the system. Had to DL warez version, guess what, they fixed that.
#2: Valve claims Half-Life 2 won't run on Windows 98... bullshit. They specifically inserted a check that will halt the program if it detects Windows prior to XP. Grab a warez version, change 4 bytes -- works like a charm with no ill effects.
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Re:
John Riccitiello is the current CEO. A little Google-fu (which I can't perform at work) should be able to find him somewhere.
Larry Probst is the former CEO but is still the Chairman, so he's not without clout. Similar Google-fu could find him as well, I expect.
I strongly encourage you not to buy from EA, but I also encourage you to tell them your opinion, as well. When it comes down to it, I'd rather they learned the hard lesson and improved rather than withered and died. If we don't tell them their games flop because of DRM, they'll pass it off as general lack of interest and/or piracy, and that serves nothing.
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No Freakin' Way
Outrageous!! I have un-installed and re-installed loads of games like Doom 3, Crysis, C&C3, and Warhammer MANY MANY MANY times, and with one or two it was because of the patch!
F*ck You, EA. I hope you never sell another game in your soon-to-be-short career.
I'm so mad right now.
I'm gonna go eat an egg.
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Figures...
I hate EA...
I haven't bought an EA game since B&W (Original, like few days after release)...
All I want is Spore, not crappy areyouapirate stuff... /grumble.
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Why is this not stopped under our Fourth Ammendment ( stateside apply only)?
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Re:
Yeah, i was gonna buy mass effect... i recently began buying more games. I was looking forward to this one. However, i am not going to buy a game i can only install 3 times.
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I was going to buy Mass Effect AND spore, though I can barely afford to. They came from awesome people with awesome ideas. If they're going to 'call home' though, that's a violation of my privacy, so I'll probably just look for a rip.
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Re:
I don't think it really counts as a search or a seisure. They have code, and part of that code verifies it's authenticity by playing phone tag with home base. If it can't play tag, or the verification fails, it turns iself off. Nothing has been searched, nothing has been seized, the code just ran as intended. Unfortunately, "as intended" in this case is pretty crappy.
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I don't buy many video games unless they are on clearance or a really good sale, and even then, I only buy maybe two games a year. I wish I had more time to play, but between work and school there isn't time like there used to be.
Despite that, Spore was one of those very few games that I was actually going to buy on the release date, and I only have done that a few times in the past. But now with this secureROM crap I don't think I will be....how disappointing. Shame on you EA
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youre all bad
Youre all obviously pirates. Stop being so indignant.
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Re: youre all bad
EA agrees with you. :p
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Re: Re: Will wait for crack too
You kids these days. I reinstalled Dungeon Keeper last month. Doesn't play nice with the graphics driver but works fine in a VMware Win98 environment, as do Redneck Rampage, Carmageddon and Quake (I). The original WEPs had some good games; by far the best blackjack and roulette. Win3.1 goodness: simple and efficient.
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This is why PC gaming is all but dead with the exception of subscription based games like WOW, eve-online, guild wars etc.
Sadly there will likely never be a decent flight simulator for consoles without a programmable HOTAS, by the time a console can support that it'll be a PC.
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Re:
Guild Wars isn't subscription-based.
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Boycott EA
Talk about destroying your customer base. Re-installing is necessary and I do it when I rebuild or just re-format and that happens around every three months. I also uninstall when not playing and may want to re-install an older game to re-try it. I bought one version of software, use one version, and expect one version to work.
Before this, if a game was good, I would buy an original even if I could get a cracked copy. I wanted to support the business of good game manufacturers as well as get the box and manuals. However, now, if I do buy one of those games, I'll purposely forward it, just out of spite, to someone who can crack the security just to screw EA.
Tell me I'm a security risk crook and I'll become one for you.
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Re:
I abandoned PC gaming all together just recently. I love my Xbox 360 (even though it's a microsoft product). I've always loved console games better b/c everyone has the same hardware, generally leveling the playing field. Goodbye, PC gaming. As long as companies like Activision keep releasing awesome games like Call of Duty 4, who needs EA?
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Games
Serious Sam: The First Encounter still rules in my book. An excellent game without a trace of DRM.
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I don't buy a lot of games, but I do have a fairly large collection. All were bought at closeout stores, or used from eBay. I have a few downloaded games, but except for very old DOS games, I prefer to have an original because then I know it hasn't been tampered with or had anything left out. I have the Half-Life game of the year edition with Opposing Force. I downloaded Blue Shift because I could never seem to find a copy at a good price. I was willing to buy Half-Life 2, but not as long as it requires Steam to run.
When I buy a game or any piece of software, I expect it to work forever, providing I still have a system that will run it. I've bought and played (not to mention enjoyed) games that were over a decade old. I expect many of the games I have today, I may want to play again a decade from now.
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Re: Can someone please explain this to me
You try telling a CEO that you should make your product easier to steal. Yes, I know that is not the case at all, they are already easy to steal, no matter how hard they make us try to do otherwise. But the CEO will hear that and stop listening.
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Boycott EA if they do this.
Progammer (73) ... What we are talking about is that there will be even fewer total sales for the CEO if he alienates a customer base that will buy his games.
Sure there will still be pirating, but a lot like me will buy the original if it is a good game. All we need is one game out there to break for pirating. Now, with the new scenario, us previously legitimate buyers will also start pirating too. Sales now equal two: one for pirating, one for backup pirating.
Will we get the CEO's game for Xbox or PS3? No, we just won't get it legitimately. We'll stay with online subscription games and our pirated copies of his game.
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I lol'd at this. Srsly EA?
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Re: Boycott EA if they do this.
Like I said, I understand this. A CEO does not, and no amount of talking will get him to change his mind. The only thing that will is a large amount of people that he know would buy he game telling him they will no longer buy it, on the order of 10-20k people... An even then he will probably look at it like a banker being told he needs no vault door.
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Re: usage metrics too
Whatever label you want to put on it, it still stinks. boycott all ea games.
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Piracy helped sell my game
I helped develop a game several years ago for a small label gaming company. We didn't use DRM. Piracy was rampant, and we felt like we sold more games because it got our game more exposure.
But it still annoyed me when a club would get together for a tournament and everyone was using one copy of the game (We did burn a unique serial number on each disk).
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Re: youre all bad
I just don't want my game to shut down after three re-installs. And I prefer NOT to have my games on the same machine as my internet machine.
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Re: DRM is bad, but piracy IS a huge problem in PC gaming
I have call of duty 4 on ps3 and 1,2, and 3 on pc. one of the reasons I switched was do to control scheme I think the joy pad is more convenient then the keyboard and I like the fact that I don't need to upgrade hardware for every game as it seems I have had to in the recent past. yes there is a high rate of piracy for pc software but those sound like RIAA numbers. I have been guilty of try before you buy and have been grateful of that there are some really bad games out there but the ones worth it I buy so i dont think that the shift from pc to console is do to piracy I think its due to people getting tired of the game companies screwing us over on the pc every time they can 60 for the game then another 150 for a new vid card and another 60 for more memory I had to do it for gears of war.
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Re: Re: DRM is bad, but piracy IS a huge problem in PC gaming
Well, technicaly you're supposed to be able to go to them with the CD and get the CD key out of them
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I'd try starting with...
Sir, this DRM system isn't going to make it harder to pirate our game. It will be broken, just like all the others before it, and probably a lot quicker than whoever sold the idea to you claimed. What it WILL do, sir, is make our legitimate product less useful than a 'cracked' copy, more annoying than a 'cracked' copy, and all around less-valuable than a 'cracked' copy. We can't sell a product if the free version is better.
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I have to do this now for Microsoft because of my job. If EA thinks I'm going to go through this same time-wasting aggravation for the privilege of paying to use their entertainment software, well, they're mistaken. Maybe I'll take a walk-- I don't think Nike is doing this with their shoes (yet).
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Re: usage metrics too
Sounds OK to me.. but IF that's the case.. why not make it optional?
Manufacturers have for a long time, allowed people to register their games.
Why not tie it into registration where once you register, the game communicates periodically with EA.
They could offer a rebate or those who do, special offers, be put on a beta list. Be offered a mini-expansion, etc. all to encourage registration so they can track people's interest in the game and useage.
Though you raise a valid point... I doubt it's about marketing
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Re: I'd try starting with...
The guy who sold it probably marketed it as unbreakable (kinda like all the others that were broken...) and all that would do is make him want to make it even harder to steal.
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It adds hours of enjoyment cracking it before hours of enjoyment playing the game. It is like 2 games in 1 :D
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Spore
I was looking forward to getting Spore.. Allot...
Now, if this is on there, I'll just have to be satisfied with the pirated version. I honestly hate to do that, but at this point, I feel like I don't have a choice in the matter. Either I miss a game I've been waiting for 2 or so years for or I accept this copy protection (not happening).
Here's to hoping that Spore comes out on Steam.
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Re: Re: I'd try starting with...
But you miss a key point. "We can't sell a product if the free version is better." that's