Ubisoft DRM confirmed to boot you from your singleplayer game when the net drops out

[Oner]

Also, it works pretty well for stopping second-hand sales.

 

Yes, it is definitely effective at that.

Until the second buyer downloads a crack that is.

[Spider]

Supposedly, there are now software cracks for consoles, but I am not sure how much truth there is to that.

 

There is for the Wii, I'm not sure about the other consoles. Or I'm sure there isn't for the PS3, since it remains uncracked afaik. I have no clue about the 360 though.

[Mamoulian War]

Supposedly, there are now software cracks for consoles, but I am not sure how much truth there is to that.

 

There is for the Wii, I'm not sure about the other consoles. Or I'm sure there isn't for the PS3, since it remains uncracked afaik. I have no clue about the 360 though.

 

afaik all you need for 360 is firmware update for the DVD drive

[Zoraptor]

Supposedly, there are now software cracks for consoles, but I am not sure how much truth there is to that.

 

There is for the Wii, I'm not sure about the other consoles. Or I'm sure there isn't for the PS3, since it remains uncracked afaik. I have no clue about the 360 though.

PS3 has been 'technically' cracked, ie it can be done, iirc, but has a whole bunch of stuff making it not cracked in a 'practical' manner- high cost of media, low availability and high cost of writers, difficult console modding process, liable to nuking like xbox live bricking modded 360s, no critical mass, potentially enormous download sizes etc.

[Spider]

Afaik the only thing geohoot said was that he had access to some inner workings of the PS3, which could possibly lead to a crack, but it hasn't been cracked as far as piracy is concerned (or anything else for that matter, he was on the path, but there hasn't been anything released).

 

High cost of media is a non-issue if you can play the games from the harddrive.

Edited March 15, 2010 by Spider

[Oner]

http://www.neoseeker.com/news/13357-ubi-co...vious-downtime/

[Deadly_Nightshade]

I think they still haven't fully cracked the PS3 and possibly some of the newer PSPs.

 

The PS3 is cracked and so are all the PSPs though the 3000 series (I don't know about the Go but I suspect that would be as well).

[Mamoulian War]

http://www.neoseeker.com/news/13357-ubi-co...vious-downtime/

 

If i would be owner of Ubi game, the only acceptable reimbursement for the downtime would be patched offline mode...

[Dakar]

I think they still haven't fully cracked the PS3 and possibly some of the newer PSPs.

 

The PS3 is cracked and so are all the PSPs though the 3000 series (I don't know about the Go but I suspect that would be as well).

 

The PS3 is cracked in the sense there has been an exploit found. He most likely meant cracked as in, able to play pirated games.

 

I wouldn't consider the PS3 cracked even with an exploit found. We'll see if it really amounts to anything.

 

Update: turns out someone said it better before me:

 

Afaik the only thing geohoot said was that he had access to some inner workings of the PS3, which could possibly lead to a crack, but it hasn't been cracked as far as piracy is concerned (or anything else for that matter, he was on the path, but there hasn't been anything released).

 

High cost of media is a non-issue if you can play the games from the harddrive.

 

Exactly. Access to the PS3 and an actual working end-user crack are two REALLY different things. Could be years before an end-user crack is in place.

Edited March 17, 2010 by Dakar

[Walsingham]

Isn't the real point that UBi is treating us like techno-serfs? I mean I was playing RUSE this morning on its beta release, and loving it. But if I am going to be expected to sign in every time then I am aggreived and angry, and I don't pay 30 quid to be aggreived and angry.

[Humodour]

Isn't the real point that UBi is treating us like techno-serfs? I mean I was playing RUSE this morning on its beta release, and loving it. But if I am going to be expected to sign in every time then I am aggreived and angry, and I don't pay 30 quid to be aggreived and angry.

 

Quite true. Instead you pay 30 quid on 6 DIFFERENT high-end AAA games that are on discount on Steam, and save yourself the hassle worrying about any Ubisoft games until they are actually worth giving a **** about (i.e. when they have realistic DRM scheme).

[Calax]

Isn't the real point that UBi is treating us like techno-serfs? I mean I was playing RUSE this morning on its beta release, and loving it. But if I am going to be expected to sign in every time then I am aggreived and angry, and I don't pay 30 quid to be aggreived and angry.

 

Quite true. Instead you pay 30 quid on 6 DIFFERENT high-end AAA games that are on discount on Steam, and save yourself the hassle worrying about any Ubisoft games until they are actually worth giving a **** about (i.e. when they have realistic DRM scheme).

Well, in one particular situation (Battlefield 2) the standard DRM is being pulled (I think it was starforce?) in the steam patch later this week.

[Walsingham]

Isn't the real point that UBi is treating us like techno-serfs? I mean I was playing RUSE this morning on its beta release, and loving it. But if I am going to be expected to sign in every time then I am aggreived and angry, and I don't pay 30 quid to be aggreived and angry.

 

Quite true. Instead you pay 30 quid on 6 DIFFERENT high-end AAA games that are on discount on Steam, and save yourself the hassle worrying about any Ubisoft games until they are actually worth giving a **** about (i.e. when they have realistic DRM scheme).

 

Indeed, and BTW I should have added "I do that by looking in the mirror for free".

[Magister Lajciak]

Posted by a (former?) customer at Ubisoft's boards:

Edited March 18, 2010 by Magister Lajciak

[Purkake]

So any updates?

 

Are the servers working now?

[MacMichael]

So any updates?

 

Are the servers working now?

 

I ended up picking it up on the day it came out in the US. I haven't had any problems connecting to the servers at any point. One night, I did apparently lose connection to the servers, but I barely had time to read the screen before I was back in game. I'm still not sure about the system, but it hasn't given me problems. I'd be more comfortable with it if they announced, and stuck to, a schedule for removing it, rather than just saying they'll do it if it's needed. Kind of like Egosoft does, putting out a no-CD patch, usually with additional free content roughly a year out from release.

Edited March 19, 2010 by MacMichael

[Magister Lajciak]

So any updates?

 

Are the servers working now?

 

No real updates. The servers are apparently working in some regions and/or for some users, but not working in other regions and/or for other users. I am not sure why there is this sort of difference.

 

Here is a semi-update on the situation: According to some people on the boards of some Might & Magic fansites (Might & Magic is the only franchise in Ubisoft's possession that I am really, really interested in, so I sometimes I visit those boards), the Norwegian consumer agency has begun investigating the DRM and there is a possibility that requiring an internet connection in case of single player games may not be legal under Norwegian law. They did post an article on the matter, but it was in Norwegian, so I cannot verify it. But it was the site administrator posting it, so maybe it has some validity. I guess it is not much of an update if we cannot verify it - more a rumor.

 

Hmm, what else could be said about it. Well, I guess Amazon has a slew of one star reviews for the PC version of the game. We don't have figures the sales of the game yet and even when we will do, it will be difficult to judge how many have not purchased the game because of the DDRM.

 

I am not sure whether this has been mentioned yet, but Ubisoft claims that the DRM has not been fully cracked yet. The company claims that playable cracks do exist, but that they do not provide the complete game. I am not sure what that means, whether the DLC is missing or whether some things from the core game are missing or if it is marketing speak and it is merely the DRM that is missing (lol).

 

I have thought about it and it is possible, in my eyes, that the game is essentially a single-player MMOG (SPOG/SPO? [single-player online game?]) - that it basically provides an incomplete game in the box and connects to the servers to access only those parts of the game that the player tries to access. That would make it difficult to crack for sure (it would take a long time - unless, of course, the servers were hacked and the relevant material downloaded, but I am not sure how difficult that could be - potentially it could be very hard for the hackers to do that) and would explain the need for a constant connection to their servers to play the game.

 

Of course, effective though it might be at preventing piracy, I have no interest in in playing SPOGs/SPOs, so I hope this does not stick. I guess we will see based on Ubisoft's analysis of costs versus benefits as time goes on. I could also be wrong and it might not be an SPOG/SPO...

[Mamoulian War]

I have thought about it and it is possible, in my eyes, that the game is essentially a single-player MMOG (SPOG/SPO? [single-player online game?]) - that it basically provides an incomplete game in the box and connects to the servers to access only those parts of the game that the player tries to access. That would make it difficult to crack for sure (it would take a long time - unless, of course, the servers were hacked and the relevant material downloaded, but I am not sure how difficult that could be - potentially it could be very hard for the hackers to do that) and would explain the need for a constant connection to their servers to play the game.

 

With little bit effort all they would need is to do the same thing, what they do for free WoW servers... just listen to the network traffics when playing legal game and storing all downloaded content... one playthrough should be enough, but someone had to bother first

[Monte Carlo]

[T]he Norwegian consumer agency has begun investigating the DRM and there is a possibility that requiring an internet connection in case of single player games may not be legal under Norwegian law. They did post an article on the matter.

 

Wow, those Norwegians think of everything don't they?

 

The Scene: The Norwegian High Court

 

"Hey, Thorvald, are you done writing up those legal statues yet?"

 

"No, Knut, I'm still considering the jurisprudence concerning the viability of single-player computer games vis-a-vis persistent internet connections."

 

"Coolio, it's all about detail."

 

---

 

[Magister Lajciak]

[T]he Norwegian consumer agency has begun investigating the DRM and there is a possibility that requiring an internet connection in case of single player games may not be legal under Norwegian law. They did post an article on the matter.

 

Wow, those Norwegians think of everything don't they?

 

The Scene: The Norwegian High Court

 

"Hey, Thorvald, are you done writing up those legal statues yet?"

 

"No, Knut, I'm still considering the jurisprudence concerning the viability of single-player computer games vis-a-vis persistent internet connections."

 

"Coolio, it's all about detail."

 

---

 

Here is a link to the article: http://www.vg.no/spill/artikkel.php?artid=579754

 

As I said, I don't speak any Norwegian, so I cannot verify it. The link was posted by Kalah, the Norwegian administrator of the Heroes of Might and Magic fansite called Celestial Heavens: www.celestialheavens.com

 

Perhaps somebody here speaks Norwegian and can fill us in about the details of the article and whether Kalah interpreted it correctly?

[Gorth]

[T]he Norwegian consumer agency has begun investigating the DRM and there is a possibility that requiring an internet connection in case of single player games may not be legal under Norwegian law. They did post an article on the matter.

 

Wow, those Norwegians think of everything don't they?

 

The Scene: The Norwegian High Court

 

"Hey, Thorvald, are you done writing up those legal statues yet?"

 

"No, Knut, I'm still considering the jurisprudence concerning the viability of single-player computer games vis-a-vis persistent internet connections."

 

"Coolio, it's all about detail."

 

---

 

Here is a link to the article: http://www.vg.no/spill/artikkel.php?artid=579754

 

As I said, I don't speak any Norwegian, so I cannot verify it. The link was posted by Kalah, the Norwegian administrator of the Heroes of Might and Magic fansite called Celestial Heavens: www.celestialheavens.com

 

Perhaps somebody here speaks Norwegian and can fill us in about the details of the article and whether Kalah interpreted it correctly?

They are not claiming that it is illegal, only that the consumer watch dog organisation will put it on this years agenda for them to investigate in regards to consumer rights (not literally translated, mind you).

[Magister Lajciak]

[T]he Norwegian consumer agency has begun investigating the DRM and there is a possibility that requiring an internet connection in case of single player games may not be legal under Norwegian law. They did post an article on the matter.

 

Wow, those Norwegians think of everything don't they?

 

The Scene: The Norwegian High Court

 

"Hey, Thorvald, are you done writing up those legal statues yet?"

 

"No, Knut, I'm still considering the jurisprudence concerning the viability of single-player computer games vis-a-vis persistent internet connections."

 

"Coolio, it's all about detail."

 

---

 

Here is a link to the article: http://www.vg.no/spill/artikkel.php?artid=579754

 

As I said, I don't speak any Norwegian, so I cannot verify it. The link was posted by Kalah, the Norwegian administrator of the Heroes of Might and Magic fansite called Celestial Heavens: www.celestialheavens.com

 

Perhaps somebody here speaks Norwegian and can fill us in about the details of the article and whether Kalah interpreted it correctly?

They are not claiming that it is illegal, only that the consumer watch dog organisation will put it on this years agenda for them to investigate in regards to consumer rights (not literally translated, mind you).

 

Cool, Kalah mentioned that they will investigate and that it 'may not be legal' rather than outright stating it is illegal. I tried to make that apparent in my message.

[Gorth]

Cool, Kalah mentioned that they will investigate and that it 'may not be legal' rather than outright stating it is illegal. I tried to make that apparent in my message.

You sort of did

 

Even if it is legal, those consumer organisations can be pretty tenacious in getting the rules changed, so it may not stay that way.

[Rosbjerg]

 

I think this sums it up perfectly

[Oner]

http://forums.obsidian.net/index.php?showt...t&p=1021236