May 8, 2008 -
Hotly-anticipated PC titles Spore and Mass Effect will be among the first wave of PC games from EA to employ a controversial form of copy protection.Techdirt reports that publisher Electronic Arts will use SecuROM protection, a scheme that has caused technical problems with some past titles. From the Techdirt story:
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... After this the game will try to re-check the CD key every 5-10 days... If the game can't verify the key... it will continue to try for a further 10 days, after which it will stop working... The protection will also only allow the game to be installed three times.
So what's the beef? According to Techdirt:
A lot of gamers consider this intrusive and inconvenient, and that the publishers are effectively assuming their customers are pirates... Other concerns have been raised over users who don't play with machines permanently connected to the internet... or how the system will work in regards to resale.
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.
Cnet's Daniel Terdiman weighs in on the brewing controversy:
Systems like this are never going to be winners for companies like EA. For every copy of one of its games that it successfully keeps from being illegally copied, it's going to lose a good customer who's beyond annoyed at the way the system works and the way they feel they're being treated.
To be sure, software companies feel they have to fight tooth and nail to avoid being robbed... [but] as the Sony rootkit scandal and other DRM PR nightmares have shown, users do not want to be controlled in this way. And they vote with their wallets.
Comments
Re: PC Gamers Angered by EA's New Copy Protection System
Well, unfortunately I bought it. Yes, I have spent 49.99. What do I have to show for it ? Nothing. It won't even start. I get the message "The game can not start. The game needs access to the internet in order to verify ownership of this game. Please ensure that your computer is online and try again." Obviously, the internet is fine. I have the dvd on my table. The box was sealed - I opened it myself. I have left a message to EA's "help desk" and after two days I still have no answer from them. I have the confirmation that my help request has been posted, yes, but no answer, even though they claim that they will email an answer in 24 hours.
So not only after two days I still cannot use a merchandise I have paid good money for (as I said, it won't even try to execute), I'm also given the "silent treatment" from their "help specialists".
Way to go, EA ! After all, dummies like us, your customers, are paying your salaries (and profits). Well, from now on, dummies no more ! Some people have long memories. I'm one of them. Trust me on this one, EA !
PS. Too bad I don't have the money to go after them from a legal standpoint - the lawyer would cost a fortune. That's what many companies are counting on, anyway.
Re: PC Gamers Angered by EA's New Copy Protection System
Actually, if you folks had scoured the internet (or this thread for that matter) a bit harder for information on the process, you'd find that you only need an internet connection every 20 days, not every 10. It checks every 10, but if you miss an update then you get an extra 10 "grace period". Even people who travel from their PC don't get it that bad.
But I will agree that for our servicemen This is a pretty bad deal.
Re: PC Gamers Angered by EA's New Copy Protection System
I currently own 498 PC games. All legitimate, store-purchased disks.
Simple solution to this DRM problem: I don't buy any games that will not allow me to make a backup copy.
I'm missing out, you say?
Not very likely, as there are more than enough superb back titles (and some new titles, such as Sins of a Solar Empire) to keep me happy.
Kiss my money goodbye, EA and all other paranoid publishers. Nice job of destroying your own industry.
Re: PC Gamers Angered by EA's New Copy Protection System
A lot of people ask me why PC gaming is starting to die... SecuROM is that fucking reason...
REMOVE secuROM from SPORE petition
Companies like EA should be wary. There are lots of gamers out there that would happily support the publisher and do the right thing. But treat your paying customers like pirates in the first place, and the ones that are saavy enough will just go get a cracked copy to avoid the hassle. The people who would have just pirated it in the first place will still do so. net result: You lose more customers, and it costs you more because you are paying the ridiculous SecureROM license that does NOTHING to prevent piracy, and in fact, encourages it.
Stardock (the publisher of those 2) actually dont mind if you just give the cd to a friend to install. the way they get round it is by just saying, if you dont want to buy the game fair enough , use someone elses copy and see what you think. If you do buy the game and register your email and your game key and you get lots of free updates, expansions extras etc.
simple. reward those customers who pay. dont punish everyone in some half assed attempt to stall hackers who will get round the protection whilst everyone else suffers.
Its like dropping an A bomb, just to kill one pirate in a crowd of thousands of innocents, even though the pirate is in a bunker anyway.
E. Zachary Knight
Divine Knight Gaming
OK Game Devs
Random Tower
Saw one state was $12mil, alone.
Could have helped a lot of families and kids....
The key word you haven't added to your statement is "yet". They upgrade it continuously.
I would have liked to support Will Wright and Maxis, but fuck SecuRom.
Seems I'll be finding a DRM free copy of Spore.
Spore and BioWare copy protection to be improved
Posted by Hanners on Sat 10th May 2008
Well, it appears that the outcry across the Internet about the proposed draconian copy protection mechanism to be implemented in these two games has had a 'mass effect' (sorry, but I had to get that joke in before someone else did), with announcements that both of these titles will now have far more reasonable online authentication requirements.
First up, here's Spore's new authentication system.
- We authenticate your game online when you install and launch it the first time.
- We'll re-authenticate when a player uses online features, downloads new content or a patch for their game.
- The new system means you don't have to play with the disc in your computer. And if you are like me, always losing discs, this will be a huge benefit.
- You'll still be able to install and play on multiple computers.
- You can play offline.
Mass Effect's authentication system has actually been relaxed even further.
When Mass Effect comes to the computer it will not use SecuROM's 10-day periodic re-authentication and instead will instead use a modification to do only a one-time online authentication, Bioware announced today.
The developer said the decision came after listening "very closely" to its fans and that the new system will also allow gamers to play the game without the DVD in the drive.
The system will allow gamers to authenticate their game on just three computers, but EA does have the ability to give additional authorizations if they are warranted.
So, good news all round, and proof positive of the power of community pressure on game publishers.
I was considering getting Mass Effect, but now, never mind.
cant you do something right and after this BF:BC thing
I'm losing faith in this company
http://patchtimer.org/uploader/files2/travesty-onceandforall.jpg
And anyway, who has enough free time to even think about another game now that GTA4 is out? Maybe in one or two months...
A block of ice! of course, why didn't I think of that?
I think this one looks worse mostly because it has all the crappiness of Steam without any of the pluses (digital download, online store, mods, etc).
Oh well...I'll just simply look to valve for my PC gaming needs and watch the decline of the rest of PC gaming from my couch with a controller in my hand.
...is the correct answer.
I wouldn't be surprised if crackers will be able to play the game before legitimate users.
(and ive had spore preordered for like over 12 months!)
gutted i really want the game but i cant be doing with that hassle. i love to get old games out n replay them but what happens once the 3 installs is up? i also reformat regularly (every few months) so what happens...?
sorry ea but you just lost a customer. After bioshock i thought ppl would have learned.
The irony with bioshock was that within 24 HOURS (actually 100% true ...just 24 hours) there were cracks and pirated copys all over the internet. And the forums were FULL of paying customers whou couldnt get it to work. I actually remember the adminhaving a go at one point suggesting all the people who couldnt get it working were pirates or something. the logic was bizaare and it was utterly insultig when people had come for support for THEIR mistake.
oh n let me remind you of the conversations with tech support that we had...
SecuROM : it isnt our problem, contact 2k games
2K: sorry its a problem with SecuROM contact their tech support...
SecuROM : it isnt our problem, contact 2k games
2K: sorry its a problem with SecuROM contact their tech support...
SecuROM : it isnt our problem, contact 2k games
2K: sorry its a problem with SecuROM contact their tech support...
so pirates will be playing these within 24 hours happily.
Paying customers will be the ones complaining and unable to play. GREAT business sense.
i will NOT be buying this game now. thanks ea.. thanks.
i may add my 2 cents!
Why punish your INTENDED audience. Do you hate money?
I am a big purchaser of games. I pretty much never pirate, with one exception. When a game I want to play has Starforce on it.
Isn't it possible that piracy is actually a symptom of DRM?
Its easy enough to get online multiplayer even with a pirated copy, or at least use something like hamachi to get multiplayer going with other people with pirated copies.
And downloadable content? It would be up for torrent in 5 seconds flat.
Yeah, apparently no one remembered how much fun BioShock was to get working on your PC... oops out of reinstalls, guess you gotta plunk down another $60 for a new copy...
And that's supposed to discourage piracy?
E. Zachary Knight
Divine Knight Gaming
OK Game Devs
Random Tower
yeahh it was crazy. the hilarious thing was people on the forums, after a week with no fixes actually started posting 'Screw you 2k, ive just downloaded the cracked version, and it works fine, whilst my boxed copy is now nothing but a useless drinks coaster'. Since the only way they could play the game they ahad paid for was with the HELP of pirates!
its madness