Humodour Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 (edited) I know we might not seem to matter to some people. But we do. It's called word of mouth. It doesn't happen over night - but it spreads, slowly, like a cancer. EA does not want a cancer. I was neutral about spore to begin with. I might not have bought it, true. Now I will never buy it. EA doesn't have an obligation to its customers to keep a forum up at all. I'm not sure why people are up in arms about this. It seems to be a much bigger deal that they are relenting on the DRM measures. I'm starting to get the feeling some folks are just looking for a reason to whine about EA. Board moderation isn't anything new. EA is not the only company to do it. How far are you willing to defend them, hmmm? Did you miss the bit about forum bans translating to being banned from a game they bought, or did you gloss over that deliberating? Edited September 23, 2008 by Krezack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tale Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 They're probably tired of their forums being shat on. I can only imagine what might happen here if countless threads were sprung up over a single topic that always degenerated into arguments and flames. "Show me a man who "plays fair" and I'll show you a very talented cheater." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gorgon Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 I was checking out Mass Effect in the games shop next to the mall on my way home. Is it affected by this DRM crap with 3 installs ? Na na na na na na ... greg358 from Darksouls 3 PVP is a CHEATER. That is all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gorgon Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 EA doesn't have an obligation to its customers to keep a forum up at all. I'm not sure why people are up in arms about this. It seems to be a much bigger deal that they are relenting on the DRM measures. I'm starting to get the feeling some folks are just looking for a reason to whine about EA. Board moderation isn't anything new. EA is not the only company to do it. They aren't breaking any laws, but that doesn't mean it's not offensive to forcefully silence legitimate complaints. Na na na na na na ... greg358 from Darksouls 3 PVP is a CHEATER. That is all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
random n00b Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 Is it affected by this DRM crap with 3 installs ?Yep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deadly_Nightshade Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 This is just another reason to dislike EA, not that we needed another one of those... "Geez. It's like we lost some sort of bet and ended up saddled with a bunch of terrible new posters on this forum." -Hurlshot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramza Posted September 23, 2008 Author Share Posted September 23, 2008 EA doesn't have an obligation to its customers to keep a forum up at all. I'm not sure why people are up in arms about this. It seems to be a much bigger deal that they are relenting on the DRM measures. I'm starting to get the feeling some folks are just looking for a reason to whine about EA. Board moderation isn't anything new. EA is not the only company to do it. You may be right, but don't expect us to buy games from companies that have no consideration for their customers. Treating us like pirates and shutting our mouths when we "speak ill" of them is not helping either. Look at CDP and what they did to The Witcher. Now, that's what I call professionalism. Same for Bioware which kept releasing patches even 5 years after the release of the original NWN. Such moves make me appreciate them and buy their games so as to help them keep going. "Ooo, squirrels, Boo! I know I saw them! Quick, throw nuts!" -Minsc "I am a well-known racist in the Realms! Elves? Dwarves? Ha! Kill'em all! Humans rule! -Me Volourn will never grow up, he's like the Black Peter Pan, here to tell you that it might be great to always be a child, but everybody around is gonna hate it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirottu Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 EA doesn't have an obligation to its customers to keep a forum up at all. I'm not sure why people are up in arms about this. It seems to be a much bigger deal that they are relenting on the DRM measures. I'm starting to get the feeling some folks are just looking for a reason to whine about EA. Board moderation isn't anything new. EA is not the only company to do it. Moderation and banning people from the forums isn This post is not to be enjoyed, discussed, or referenced on company time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirottu Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 They're probably tired of their forums being shat on. I can only imagine what might happen here if countless threads were sprung up over a single topic that always degenerated into arguments and flames. These boards were close to closing down when the ****storm that was reaction to Kotor 2 This post is not to be enjoyed, discussed, or referenced on company time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neckthrough Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 It is extremely stupid to ban a customer from a GAME they bought just because they complained about it on a forum. I would guess this decision was made by some idiot in lower-level management and doesn't necessarily represent EA's general position. I mean I still hate them, but this is stupidity on an entirely new dimension. For those that didn't bother to read the original link, here's the exact quote from their admin: Please do not continue to post theses thread or you account may be at risk of banning which in some cases would mean you would need to buy a new copy to play Spore. On the flip side, it's good to hear that upper management is realizing how pissed off customers are. Looks like there are multiple decision makers influencing these contradictory actions (which is understandable given the large organization EA is). In other positive news, Activision seems to have made a genuine attempt at combating piracy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killian Kalthorne Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 (edited) DRM will have little to no effect to their bottom line in terms of sales. That remains to be seen. We won't see how bad the impact, if any, will be for at least a year or three down the line. Of course, it may be sooner. If Dragon Age tanks, it would probably be the fault of DRM. Edited September 23, 2008 by Killian Kalthorne "Your Job is not to die for your country, but set a man on fire, and take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
random n00b Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 In other positive news, Activision seems to have made a genuine attempt at combating piracy.Yes, that is legitimate and reasonable, but unlikely to produce any results overall. They put the top guy behind Razor1911 behind bars once too, and AFAIK, they're still operating... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hurlshort Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 DRM will have little to no effect to their bottom line in terms of sales. That remains to be seen. We won't see how bad the impact, if any, will be for at least a year or three down the line. Of course, it may be sooner. If Dragon Age tanks, it would probably be the fault of DRM. If Dragon Age tanks, it will be blamed on a weak PC gaming market and we will see even less games like this coming out for the PC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killian Kalthorne Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 If Dragon Age tanks, it will be blamed on a weak PC gaming market and we will see even less games like this coming out for the PC. EA will blame it on a weak PC gaming market, and it is getting weak because of DRM. "Your Job is not to die for your country, but set a man on fire, and take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magister Lajciak Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 (edited) I couldn't buy Mass Effect due to minimum system requirements and thus did not know about the DRM in place. Spore is a game that I was considering buying, but it was definitely not an autobuy for me. Then I found out about the draconian DRM and I definitely decided not to buy it. The next EA game, I was actually really interested in and that was Red Alert. The DRM that EA has stated will be in place, however, makes a purchase of this game out of the question. The game I really, really want from Bioware (and thus EA), however, is Dragon Age (and I will probably have a new computer that will be able to run it by the time it comes out). It would be an enormous pity for me if EA slapped the same type of DRM on Dragon Age. I hope EA comes to its senses by then. Why do I dislike DRM as implemented by the EA? I cannot accept any DRM that prevents me from coming back 10-15 years later, installing the game and playing the game again to refresh my experience. Both install limits and online activation prevent this, or rather make it dependent on EA's goodwill and future existence. What if EA goes bankrupt in the future? Yes, it is a big company, but this happens in the gaming industry - once unassailable giants go bankrupt or renege on their promises of support for a game... It happens. Any promise to issue a patch in such a situation that would make the game playable without activation and install limits is laughable (and in any case hasn't been made). I would love to see a gaming company in trouble, rush back to their previous titles and release patches for them just so that players can play them effectively after their bankrupcy, when they are in trouble with difficulties paying their employees and honoring their business commitments, so if anybody was about to suggest that, please don't insult my intelligence. In summation, I can accept some forms of DRM (even Securom), when they do not affect the longevity of the game and my ability to play it many years after the game's release without the need to depend on the company (in this case EA) to do so. Edited September 23, 2008 by Magister Lajciak Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dark Wastl Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 (edited) If Dragon Age tanks, it will be blamed on a weak PC gaming market and we will see even less games like this coming out for the PC. EA will blame it on a weak PC gaming market, and it is getting weak because of DRM. Or, in the case of the EA Sports series, because the games are bloody awful and an insult to every pc-gamer. This year they release the fourth version of NHL06... I wasn't aware that a company can stop someone who legally bought one of their products from using it. No one has the right to tell you what to do with a product you bought, as long as it's for private use and not going against public interest. Unless it's a continuous product, like an MMO, you can't take a game away from someone without giving him his money back. Edited September 23, 2008 by Dark Wastl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gorgon Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 (edited) Yes you can, they can ban you from your account for any number of reasons if it's in the EULA, you know that thing everyone has scrolled all the way past to click 'I accept' since the dawn of time. Edited September 23, 2008 by Gorgon Na na na na na na ... greg358 from Darksouls 3 PVP is a CHEATER. That is all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WILL THE ALMIGHTY Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 How long until upper management wakes up and facepalms? "Alright, I've been thinking. When life gives you lemons, don't make lemonade - make life take the lemons back! Get mad! I don't want your damn lemons, what am I supposed to do with these? Demand to see life's manager. Make life rue the day it thought it could give Cave Johnson lemons. Do you know who I am? I'm the man who's gonna burn your house down! With the lemons. I'm going to to get my engineers to invent a combustible lemon that burns your house down!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tigranes Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 Board moderation isn't anything new. EA is not the only company to do it. It was idiotic a few years ago, and it's still idiotic now. It was idiotic when other companies did it, and it's still idiotic now. I mean, what? This is a very valid point if you are trying to salvage EA's reputation from being unfairly condemned, but it does nothing to change the fact that it is an abhorrent practice. (Kids breaking windows are nothing new, this kid isn't the only one to do it... but that doesn't mean we just let it go right?) Yes you can, they can ban you from your account for any number of reasons if it's in the EULA, you know that thing everyone has scrolled all the way past to click 'I accept' since the dawn of time. Yeah, I'm pretty sure EA put in some sort of all-purpose clause in the Spore EULA. Probably says something like this activation key may be rescinded at any time for any reason at our leisure. The thing is, I don't think the discussion of its legality in this specific situation is the point! The point is whether they should be able to legally do this in the first place, and whether it's good business practice to do it, whether legal or not. Legality is not the main issue. Saying they can do it because it's legal is... well. Let's Play: Icewind Dale Ironman (Complete) Let's Play: Icewind Dale II Ironman (Complete) Let's Play: Divinity II (Complete) Let's Play: Baldur's Gate Trilogy Ironman - BG1 (Complete) Let's Play: Baldur's Gate Trilogy Ironman - BG2 (In Progress) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Humodour Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 Yes you can, they can ban you from your account for any number of reasons if it's in the EULA, you know that thing everyone has scrolled all the way past to click 'I accept' since the dawn of time. That doesn't mean much. EULAs are often not legally enforceable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Volourn Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 "If Dragon Age tanks, it would probably be the fault of DRM." Evidence, please. if DA tanks it will be because not enough people wanted to buy it for many different reasons. "if it's in the EULA" As stated above, just because it's in the EULA doesn't make it legally binding. DWARVES IN PROJECT ETERNITY = VOLOURN HAS PLEDGED $250. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreasyDogMeat Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 I think EA, Ubisoft and Atari are in a competition to see who can piss off their customers the most. I had Atari in the lead with a year long delay of MoW for nothing more than their new DRM scheme but banning players from playing a game if they complain on a forum... that gets high marks. Getting to the point where any game you buy you are going to be supporting some scum bag publisher or another. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Volourn Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 scumbag publisher > scumbag 'fans' / 'customers'. Why? Because publishers like Atari and EA make games I want to play.. customers give me NOTHING. DWARVES IN PROJECT ETERNITY = VOLOURN HAS PLEDGED $250. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dark_Raven Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 EA sucks. Now that this parasite has infected Bioware well... Hades was the life of the party. RIP You'll be missed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deraldin Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 scumbag publisher > scumbag 'fans' / 'customers'. Why? Because publishers like Atari and EA make games I want to play.. customers give me NOTHING. Customers give publishers money which the publishers use to make games you like. Customers indirectly give you games that you want to play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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