How does Mass Effect's securom work?

[Maria Caliban]

Yeah, if you hate intrusive DRM then logically you loathe Steam. Amazing how many people seem to think just because it's Valve and they made omghalflifebestgameeverexcepthalflife2!!!! it somehow isn't intrusive though.

 

Steam is not intrusive. DL it once, then never go online again to play the game, if that is too much trouble for you, get a new hobby.

 

It won't let me play Left4Dead unless I sign onto Steam. Even if I just want to do a single player campaign.

[Maria Caliban]

Here

http://rumandmonkey.com/widgets/toys/testgen/5261/

 

Woot! Thank you.

[Bos_hybrid]

It is intrusive in the sense that you have to download a third-party program (Steam) to play a game. I just want to buy a cd or purchase online an installer.exe file. Why do I have to go through all this to play a game? What happened to old-fashioned gaming? Moreover, they make us endure all that while it has 0% impact on the reduction of piracy. Who are they kidding?

 

0%? You really believe that? Does it have a big effect on piracy? No, but that doesn't mean it has no effect.

 

As to what happened to old fashioned gaming, P2P happened. Everything changes over time. In the end I'll take Steam over any other form of DRM. Especially ME/EA limited activations crap.

 

It won't let me play Left4Dead unless I sign onto Steam. Even if I just want to do a single player campaign.

 

So you can't play in offline mode? I had never tried until you said, but I can.

[Maria Caliban]

It won't let me play Left4Dead unless I sign onto Steam. Even if I just want to do a single player campaign.

 

So you can't play in offline mode? I had never tried until you said, but I can.

 

*searches for offline mode*

 

There it is!

 

Do you know how to do offline mode in Games for Windows LIVE?

[Bos_hybrid]

You don't need to actually use GFW, as long as its installed games will work.

Edited September 14, 2009 by Bos_hybrid

[Maria Caliban]

Is there away to get rid of the pop up? It seems to log on automatically.

[Bos_hybrid]

Is there away to get rid of the pop up? It seems to log on automatically.

 

I've never had that, have you got GFW in your Startup folder in your start menu?

[Zoraptor]

Steam is not intrusive. DL it once, then never go online again to play the game, if that is too much trouble for you, get a new hobby.

If Steam actually did that (it doesn't) it would be, well, exactly what people rant about SecuROM for. Steam doesn't get criticised as much because of the built in Valve fanbo^H^H^H^H fanbase but don't kid yourself, in every substantive measure it's as bad if not worse than activation SecuROM.

 

Offline mode doesn't work by design, as it "spontaneously" reverts to online mode at various times, and won't let you reactivate offline mode until you've redialed the mothership.

[Purkake]

 

I might like Valve as a game company, but I like Steam, because it actually works(even if it didn't in the beginning). I'm fully aware of it's limitations and I'm okay with them. If I had some problems with it, I would complain/not use it.

[Deadly_Nightshade]

...because it actually works...

 

[Purkake]

...because it actually works...

 

 

?

 

I pay money, I can download the game and play immediately.

 

I didn't say that the DRM worked, I meant the whole Digital Delivery business. You should know me better than that.

[Zoraptor]

I can (and have) do(ne) that with Gamersgate, without having to worry about the vagaries of external clients. Some of which are potentially very nasty- as an example, if I was struck by the bug with Empire: Total War where verifying the DVD install resulted in downloading the entire game off Steam it would have theoretically (as I didn't buy ETW, and I've got my connection set up to stop well before reaching 12GB) cost me $450 (!!) in usage fees.

 

It may seem that I'm ragging on Valve- though I actually have no animosity towards them at all- but that's just because I've yet to see an argument from Steam fans which didn't ultimately boil down to "well, it's Valve isn't it?" as to why it's better than [alternative].

[Purkake]

It's better because it has the greatest selection and awesome weekend sales.

 

If you can't download 12GB without breaking bank Steam is obviously not for you.

[neckthrough]

in every substantive measure it's as bad if not worse than activation SecuROM.

Steam doesn't run nefariously hidden spyware in the background with Admin privileges. I had to log on as Administrator once in my life to install Steam some 4 years back. Everything else -- including updates to the Steam Client itself -- works at the user level. No spyware, no behind-the-scenes mothership dialing.

 

Yes, it does rob some of my freedoms, and I'm not happy about that. But in consolation, it does give me certain value additions -- the ability to backup my local state for quick retrieval, the ability to download and play my games on any machine where I install the client, and, if I so choose, the ability to play games in offline mode. In contrast, SecuROM games have given me nothing save for intruding on my privacy and freedom.

 

In a world where all games are defective by design, Steam is probably the level of digital restriction I'm willing to put up with. Technically and philosophically, I find it far less harassing than SecuROM.

[alanschu]

Steam is not intrusive. DL it once, then never go online again to play the game, if that is too much trouble for you, get a new hobby.

If Steam actually did that (it doesn't) it would be, well, exactly what people rant about SecuROM for. Steam doesn't get criticised as much because of the built in Valve fanbo^H^H^H^H fanbase but don't kid yourself, in every substantive measure it's as bad if not worse than activation SecuROM.

 

Steam doesn't get criticized as much because it's transparent in what you're getting, and it's very good at what it does. If you want to argue that it's worse than "limited" installs then that is your prerogative. I wholeheartedly disagree. It's anecdotal sure, but I know plenty of non Valve fanboys that enjoy Steam (I'm not one of them... I am a Valve fanboy that loves steam. I also love Direct2Drive, Impulse, and Gamer's Gate).

[Zoraptor]

Steam doesn't run nefariously hidden spyware in the background with Admin privileges. I had to log on as Administrator once in my life to install Steam some 4 years back. Everything else -- including updates to the Steam Client itself -- works at the user level. No spyware, no behind-the-scenes mothership dialing.

I presume this is in comparison with SecuROM? If so, SecuROM does not install spyware and installs at exactly the same level as other standard programs, including the Steam client.

 

Steam dials the mothership every time you log in, verify or download games, and is as likely to be 'spyware' as SecuROM is- ie you have no idea what information is being sent in either case, the difference being that while Steam's is persistent monitoring SecuROM does it once. Like having a video camera in the room (Steam) vs having someone take a picture once (SecuROM).

 

Yes, it does rob some of my freedoms, and I'm not happy about that. But in consolation, it does give me certain value additions -- the ability to backup my local state for quick retrieval, the ability to download and play my games on any machine where I install the client, and, if I so choose, the ability to play games in offline mode. In contrast, SecuROM games have given me nothing save for intruding on my privacy and freedom.

OK. But how is this better than other digital distributions (yes, Purkake's point about range can be conceded, Steam has more titles available)- you can do the same with GamersGate/ Impulse/ D2D and with GG at least you can do without even installing a client. Is it functionally better than a physical copy (unless strict portability is the prime issue) or other digital distribution systems?

 

On the activation issue, I think it's a stupid system. It generates a lot of tech support overhead and just plain doesn't work. Having said that, for most people it isn't a problem.