EA Sticking With SecuROM

[Hell Kitty]

It just wasn't my type.

 

And yet you chose to play it for 10 hours. Oh, sorry, you were forced to play it for 10 hours.

 

The "oh I only make this much and games are like sooo expensive" sob story it just pathetic. Games are luxury items, no one needs to play them, and certainly no one is forced to play them. "I was forced into it. By myself!" Companies make and sell games. You want to play them, you buy them. Don't want to pay for them, then you don't get to play them.

Edited September 10, 2008 by Hell Kitty

[mkreku]

It just wasn't my type.

 

And yet you chose to play it for 10 hours. Oh, sorry, you were forced to play it for 10 hours.

 

The "oh I only make this much and games are like sooo expensive" sob story it just pathetic. Games are luxury items, no one needs to play them, and certainly no one is forced to play them. "I was forced into it. By myself!" Companies make and sell games. You want to play them, you buy them. Don't want to pay for them, then you don't get to play them.

Sure, it's a sob story. But if someone makes 700 Euro a month and can't afford more than one game per month.. Who gives a **** if he downloads stuff? It's not like he could have spent money he didn't have on those games anyhow.

[mrmud]

Concerning Mass Effect, is it possible to bypass the Securom limitations with some kind of crack? I really want to buy this game but this will only happen if there is a way to get rid of this DRM thing...

 

It should be. The problem is that finding a crack could be difficult without downloading the entire game. Since the game doesn't need the cd to play after it's installed, sites that usually post cracks for backup purposes aren't doing that.

Cracks are more readily avaliable than warez are because they arent illegal and as such can be placed on websites. Thus you dont need to torrent anything. You should never have to warez a game to get the crack for it.

[SteveThaiBinh]

Cracks are more readily avaliable than warez are because they arent illegal

They violate the EULA.

[Hurlshort]

It just wasn't my type.

 

And yet you chose to play it for 10 hours. Oh, sorry, you were forced to play it for 10 hours.

 

The "oh I only make this much and games are like sooo expensive" sob story it just pathetic. Games are luxury items, no one needs to play them, and certainly no one is forced to play them. "I was forced into it. By myself!" Companies make and sell games. You want to play them, you buy them. Don't want to pay for them, then you don't get to play them.

Sure, it's a sob story. But if someone makes 700 Euro a month and can't afford more than one game per month.. Who gives a **** if he downloads stuff? It's not like he could have spent money he didn't have on those games anyhow.

 

These are the risks you run as a consumer. It doesn't excuse thievery. These are games, it's not a loaf of bread to feed your family, there is no moral excuse for stealing it.

[Deadly_Nightshade]

Cracks are more readily avaliable than warez are because they arent illegal

They violate the EULA.

 

That depends on the game, and EULAs, like the cracks themselves, are a gray area. But let's not talk about that and get the topic locked.

[Walsingham]

I used to be a lot more relaxed about this until I started doing pure brain work, and in particular buidling stuff that can get copied. Usually these are ideas, and procedures. Now, I agree that a guy who earns tuppence a week is not reducing my earning pool. HOWEVER, it seems rather bloody unfair that my paying customers should be paying so I can hand out free stuff.

 

I have a family member who worked on a rather fine independent film. It was pirated when it became clear it was going to win awards. As a consequence the team who made the film weren't able to enjoy their success, which they richly deserved.

[alanschu]

It just wasn't my type.

 

And yet you chose to play it for 10 hours. Oh, sorry, you were forced to play it for 10 hours.

 

The "oh I only make this much and games are like sooo expensive" sob story it just pathetic. Games are luxury items, no one needs to play them, and certainly no one is forced to play them. "I was forced into it. By myself!" Companies make and sell games. You want to play them, you buy them. Don't want to pay for them, then you don't get to play them.

Sure, it's a sob story. But if someone makes 700 Euro a month and can't afford more than one game per month.. Who gives a **** if he downloads stuff? It's not like he could have spent money he didn't have on those games anyhow.

 

That doesn't entitle him to playing the game. He could go do something else if he can't afford it. Just like my friends can't hop the fence at the private tennis courts and start playing some tennis, even though no one else is currently playing. It's not like we would have paid to play there.

 

By downloading it though, it tells those that do crack the game that he supports their actions, and that he'd like them to continue cracking games.

 

Let's not forget that I'm a selfish **** too, and it annoys me that he gets to play the game because I am willing to pay for it to keep game development companies in business. (EDIT: Walsingham sort of touched on this....he's playing games on our penny)

Edited September 10, 2008 by alanschu

[Hurlshort]

I'll be honest, when I was in High School I gave little thought to pirating. We had FTP sites and with my 2400 baud modem I downloaded a few things. I regret it now, I look back and realize how young and dumb I was. I'm just hoping that the message of the clearly older folks on this forum is getting across to the younger ones. It is wrong and it damages the very industry that you enjoy.

[Moatilliatta]

I'm just hoping that the message of the clearly older folks on this forum is getting across to the younger ones. It is wrong and it damages the very industry that you enjoy.

When has this ever happened?

 

I too had a bit of pirating on my conscience when I was in what is equivalent to high school, they were just a few movies that I weren't gonna watch anyway so surely it didn't hurt anyone. I luckily know better now.

[aries101]

How is it different than having to have a CD in the drive 'just to play a game"

 

The difference is this:

 

Securom, at least the kond of Securom EA uses now, will install itself on Ring0 in your windows system (Others will have to explain what this means more precisely, but I do know that this has something to with the windows kernel). Securom can allow you to have 2,3 pr 5 activations or as many activations as you wish. On top of that you will need to activate the game via your cdkey the first time you install the game.

 

BUt wait, there's more.

 

There's a certain version of Securom (version 7.xx I believe?) that installs somethinng called ncd? This is used for tracking the hardware of your computer, what websites you have been visiting, what games you have installed on your computer etc. Many gamers who played the Spore demo or the Creature Creator have mentioned that the game have uploaded their computer's name* to the internet - without their permission - when they have uploaded their Spore Creatures to the game's internet site. *You know the line which you can find in the infobox 'the name of this computer'.

 

For me, this is the worst thing possible - I do not want a program on my computer tracking what I have been done - especially if it going to be used to send commercial adds to me based on my behaviour on the net. I know google and my isp does this as well - but at least there I have some sort of control; with the ncd program you don 't have any control at all. It just installs itself (I think?) without my (or our) consent.

 

I don't want that. I want to decide what programs I have running on my computer.

 

edit:

 

This is just one thing, however.

 

Another thing is EA Support, yet another thing is the activation servers and their possible closing in the future? What do we do then ? We buy a new game, of course. From the Bioware forums I have learned that EA support seems to be near to non-existent. (unless you get hold of a supervisor, it seems). Then, there's the whole question of what a case-by-case base really means - when someone calls or emails EA Support to get their 6th activation. To me, it should be done like Bioshock and Two Worlds do it: People just call or e-mail and then they get another activation.

Edited September 10, 2008 by aries101

[Walsingham]

I think it's worth being absolutely crystal clear on this. To misquote Matt Stone: I hate piracy, but I really ****ing hate being made to leap through hoops when I have in fact paid my ****ing money. I put the money on the bedside table. YOU don't get to call the shots.

 

(I may have been watching too much Zero Punctuation)

[Killian Kalthorne]

Cracks are more readily avaliable than warez are because they arent illegal

They violate the EULA.

The EULA is not legally binding.

[Gorth]

Cracks are more readily avaliable than warez are because they arent illegal

They violate the EULA.

The EULA is not legally binding.

Depends on which country you live in In the US it looks like it is (free registration required).

 

Since software is protected by copyright, you sort of need the EULA to grant you permission to use it (and the conditions under which permission is given), otherwise you would rarely be able to install a piece of software on your computer (legally) in the first place. If you do not accept the EULA as a valid legal contract, you also don't accept the right granted to use the copyrighted software. Plague or cholera?

 

There are days where I do think investing in a console might be have been a good idea for gaming. It does look like it saves some headaches and hassles...

 

Somebody please tell me that Sega uses less draconion DRM's? Please?!? >_

[WILL THE ALMIGHTY]

I hope this kills EA.

 

But then again hope is pretty worhtless in this industry.

[Hurlshort]

I don't think anyone has every been arrested for using a CD crack on a game they own.

[Dark_Raven]

Hopefully they will go the way of Interplay.

[Deadly_Nightshade]

Cracks are more readily avaliable than warez are because they arent illegal

They violate the EULA.

The EULA is not legally binding.

Depends on which country you live in In the US it looks like it is (free registration required).

 

There have been cases on either side, the issue of EULAs in the US is a gray area.

[LostStraw]

EULAs may be a gray area in the US -- but the DMCA is rather clear cut. Circumventing copy protection is illegal except in certain cases. Modern PC games do not fall under any of those cases.

[ramza]

I hope this kills EA.

 

But then again hope is pretty worhtless in this industry.

 

 

If this kills EA, Bioware will go down with it... Why did they have to merge? I hate the idea of not being able to play Dragon Age...

[Spider]

Concerning Mass Effect, is it possible to bypass the Securom limitations with some kind of crack? I really want to buy this game but this will only happen if there is a way to get rid of this DRM thing...

 

It should be. The problem is that finding a crack could be difficult without downloading the entire game. Since the game doesn't need the cd to play after it's installed, sites that usually post cracks for backup purposes aren't doing that.

Cracks are more readily avaliable than warez are because they arent illegal and as such can be placed on websites. Thus you dont need to torrent anything. You should never have to warez a game to get the crack for it.

 

I was talking about games using the EA DRM specifically. Since most sites that post cracks to so to circumvent the need to have a CD in the drive (at least officially), they don't feel the need to have the Mass Effect crack, because ME doesn't require a cd in the drive to play once activated. I know the site I usually get nocd cracks from doesn't have it.

[mrmud]

I was talking about games using the EA DRM specifically. Since most sites that post cracks to so to circumvent the need to have a CD in the drive (at least officially), they don't feel the need to have the Mass Effect crack, because ME doesn't require a cd in the drive to play once activated. I know the site I usually get nocd cracks from doesn't have it.

Hmm, true that. I hadnt really considered the situation for mass effect.

[Lare Kikkeli]

I don't care how many laws I break, or if developers are losing money when I pirate a game using SecuRom. Stuff like SecuRom is killing the whole PC business. I'll gladly pirate games that use it as a protest, and stop when everyone just does what Valve or Stardock is doing. I'm breaking the rules to make a statement, and I dont give a damn if you call me a criminal or a bad person for it. The old model of developer - publisher is archaic and apparently just like the music and movie industry will crash and burn because they can't adapt to a world with internet.

[random n00b]

Yeah, yeah. What's all this "PC gaming is dying" nonsense, anyway?

[Moatilliatta]

Wait a second, since when has the movie and music buisness crashed and burned? Last I checked many artists uses the internet to great effect and the giants seem to be doing well enough even if they have lost revenue.

 

People need to stop thinking that the world is gonna change just because they want it to.