*The* DRM thread

[Magister Lajciak]

... TBH, I've never been bothered by DRM. Mostly because I play on consoles.

 

I guess this is one major advantage of console gaming over PC gaming. Your games never expire if the publisher pulls some server...

Don't worry, they'll fix this soon enough. Today's console disks provide copy-protection equivalent to the CD-key checks used in PC games thus far. Future console disks will only be playable on the first 3 unique consoles you first play the disk on. Once you "activate" a particular console, you can play the game on that console as many times as you wish, but if you want to play it on another console you will use up an activation. The idea is to limit second-hand sales (an ugly and downright criminal practice that is rampant in the console space), and to discourage you from lending your disk to your friend temporarily (another deplorable practice). These modifications will bring console DRM on par with today's PC DRM.

 

ROFL That's a good one!

 

They would also have to make sure, that if you by any chance change controllers or other hardware or otherwise upgrade the console, it can also use up an activation, but you can never know ahead of time - you have to try it first to see!

Hasn't happened yet, and haven't heard of any plans on that. So I have no idea where you got that idea.

 

And if it was sarcasm, whoopsies.

 

Yeah, that was sarcastic.

[Magister Lajciak]

I would like to draw attention to another DRM-free game. It is called King's Bounty: The Legend Click Here

 

Not only is this game DRM-free, but it is also outright excellent! It is an old-school Strategy / RPG hybrid with turn-based combat. I am playing the demo and I am loving it so far!

 

I guess this is where some of my monies that would have been spent on EA Games' games with DDRM, such as Red Alert 3, will go instead.

 

King's Bounty: The Legend supposedly only uses a serial number as copy protection when downloaded from GamersGate: Click Here

 

The CD-version of the game does use SecuRom with CD-checks (but no online activation nor installation limits), but supposedly this too has been removed with patch 1.6 (Russian patch, but apparently works problem-free with the English language versions).

 

There is also a free demo of the game available for download here: Click Here

[neckthrough]

http://www.bethsoft.com/bgsforums/index.ph...892618&st=0

 

http://www.bethsoft.com/bgsforums/index.php?showtopic=892715

 

It's one thing to require users to uninstall Daemon tools in order to play a SecuROM game, but it seems even 100% legit tools like Nero is unacceptable to SecuROM. You're only allowed to keep the standard Windows CD burning software. Seriously, this piece of crapware must go away.

[Strix]

I'm playing on a PC with about three-four different burning tools on it and I've had no problems, although I might have simply gotten lucky.

[Epirote]

http://www.bethsoft.com/bgsforums/index.ph...892618&st=0

 

http://www.bethsoft.com/bgsforums/index.php?showtopic=892715

 

It's one thing to require users to uninstall Daemon tools in order to play a SecuROM game, but it seems even 100% legit tools like Nero is unacceptable to SecuROM. You're only allowed to keep the standard Windows CD burning software. Seriously, this piece of crapware must go away.

 

 

Hm, yeah, major turndown and it would be a good reason not to buy games that include this version of SecuROM for me, although I'm currently dual booting Vista64 and XP, so it might not affect me at all. Nevertheless, I agree that this is just one step too far ...

[Strix]

EA's DRM might be coming back to haunt it.

[Strix]

Non-gamers accused of torrenting games, Atari says "oops."

[Magister Lajciak]

Thank you for the informative posts! I have reposted the links on BioWare forums - I hope you don't mind.

[alanschu]

EA's DRM might be coming back to haunt it.

 

 

I doubt it. EA makes their money on the console market. Things like economic recession are probably many times more significant than DRM for the small pie PC market that EA deals with. (And yes, the PC market is small pie for EA, coming straight from the mouth of John Buchanan who was at the time the University Liaison for EA doing a recruitment drive at my University).

[Calax]

on the EA note, they will be connecting their forum accts to your multiplay acct therefore if you get your bum banned in the land of message boarding you can't go and take your rage out on some unsuspecting newbie in an EA game because you will be locked out.

[Magister Lajciak]

EA has backed down on the insane FORUM BAN = GAME BAN policy: http://forums.ea.com/mboards/thread.jspa?m...53

[Magister Lajciak]

Some avatars or signature images for all: :D

 

Click Here

 

Click Here

 

Click Here

[Mamoulian War]

thanks

[Magister Lajciak]

thanks

 

I am glad you like it!

 

BTW: How do you make the image (instead of just the link) actually appear in your sig?

[Mamoulian War]

{img}http://url.oftheimage.com/image.*{/img}

 

 

use [ and ] instead of { and }

Edited November 2, 2008 by Mamoulian War

[Magister Lajciak]

{img}http://url.oftheimage.com/image.*{/img}

 

 

use [ and ] instead of { and }

 

Thank you!

[Magister Lajciak]

Thanks - it clearly works.

[Magister Lajciak]

Does anybody know when is EA's next major release? I would like to monitor the game for DRM developments.

[Walsingham]

I should just chime in to remark that however dingbat the opposition to EA and DRM, I noticed recently that I have not bought ANY EA games in two years. My first thought was that I'm being a little harsh given I don't really understand the issues. But then I thought 'balls to it, as if EA deserve me cutting them slack'. It's an interesting point, marketing wise, I feel.

 

I've been wondering recently if consumers would do well to collaborate into unions to combat abuse and exert pressure more effectively.

[Magister Lajciak]

I should just chime in to remark that however dingbat the opposition to EA and DRM, I noticed recently that I have not bought ANY EA games in two years. My first thought was that I'm being a little harsh given I don't really understand the issues. But then I thought 'balls to it, as if EA deserve me cutting them slack'. It's an interesting point, marketing wise, I feel.

 

 

I've been wondering recently if consumers would do well to collaborate into unions to combat abuse and exert pressure more effectively.

 

Yes, I think this is definitely the case. Consumer organizations could help a great deal with those kinds of issues. As far as I know, gamers don't have such an organization, or if so, it must be really low profile.

[Hurlshort]

http://www.theeca.com/

 

There ya go, our consumer group. Hal Halpin is active in it, I believe.

[Magister Lajciak]

http://www.theeca.com/

 

There ya go, our consumer group. Hal Halpin is active in it, I believe.

 

Thank you!

 

I will be writing to them about DDRM issues for sure!

[Magister Lajciak]

Hal Halpin is active in it, I believe.

 

Who is Hal Halpin?

[Hurlshort]

Hal Halpin is active in it, I believe.

 

Who is Hal Halpin?

 

You can read about it on that website I linked, but he's the founder and president of the ECA. He's also probably the most active advocate for gamers. He's done numerous interviews on news stations and the like. He's pretty well spoken, although he's definitely an odd looking guy.

[Magister Lajciak]

Hal Halpin is active in it, I believe.

 

Who is Hal Halpin?

 

You can read about it on that website I linked, but he's the founder and president of the ECA. He's also probably the most active advocate for gamers. He's done numerous interviews on news stations and the like. He's pretty well spoken, although he's definitely an odd looking guy.

 

OK - thanks!