You've lost a customer

[Taiko]

Look, **** it, I'll buy ME2 instead.

 

You could have chosen a better game.

 

Scratch this, I thought you had written MW2 and not ME2.

 

No your logic still stands. He could of chosen a better game than ME2. You might as well just buy a movie instead of ME2, really there is no difference except the movie might be better scripted and last longer.

[213374U]

(a message which I heartily endorse, by the way)

I'm having a bit of trouble understanding this. So you are tired of people re-iterating their dislike of something and their frustration at the publisher's disregard of their customers' preferences. Okay, I can understand that. But... then what's the point of reading a thread specifically created about it AND taking the time to look for and post a snide image, other than deliberately being a prick? Do you actually endorse that? Really?

 

Agree on the mod thing, btw.

 

 

I can't help but quote this part since you basically expressed what I feel in a much more coincise and precise manner than I probably would.

I think it's also worth pointing out that pirates won't waste their time ranting about DRM -- they will simply download the game and save themselves a lot of time and headaches...

[Thorton_AP]

But... then what's the point of reading a thread specifically created about it AND taking the time to look for and post a snide image, other than deliberately being a prick? Do you actually endorse that? Really?

 

Well, it's not like he knew it was going to be a DRM thread based on the subject alone.

[Humodour]

Upon reflection, and in view of all the facts about Uniloc, I will tentatively scrounge up the money to buy AP (and if I'm going to buy the game after all I might as well support Obsidian as much as possible and pre-order).

 

Edit: I should clarify that I find this DRM scheme acceptable only due to the promise of a patch to remove it. That said, if this DRM were any more restrictive I would simply wait for the patch to buy it.

Edited May 11, 2010 by Krezack

[Tigranes]

[Baeus]

Welcome back to the AP fold.

[entrerix]

damn, i am not looking forward to waiting 18-24 more months until they release a drm free version...

 

oh well, i've waited this long, whats another 2 years....

 

or i could buy it on xbox... le sigh... there probably weren't going to be any good mods for this game anyway... right?

[Thorton_AP]

What is it about the DRM that precludes you getting it now, rather than insisting that you get it only when the DRM has been patched?

 

Or are you concerned it won't actually be patched out?

[entrerix]

i vote with my dollars, if i buy it the day the drm is removed then it will help demonstrate to publishers that drm actually LOSES customers

 

i spend about $500 a year on video games, i'm a serious consumer, but i don't spend money on things i have a problem with. digital rights management in all forms bothers me. some forms more than others, after reading the articles about the sega drm scheme, it bothers me enough to not support it with my money.

 

steam doesnt bother me, because as a previous poster wrote, its not just drm, its a whole online service with drm only being one small aspect of it imo. I only need one of these types of things infecting my computer though, steam is enough, no more... unless your game is SO GOOD THAT THE GODS DEMAND I PLAY IT....

 

which is why i know i'll cave and sign up for blizzards new service thing to play starcraft 2 and diablo 3. however, were either of those games to require a monthly fee to play then i would not buy them (once again a vote with my dollars - i don't abide by ongoing fee schemes, i would rather pay 150$ once and have unlimited usage than pay by the hour)

 

there are some services which i pay for even though they bother me, xbox live, for instance. i refused to pay for xbox live because multiplayer should be free imo. HOWEVER, i bought into xbox live for the netflix streaming option, because i watch tons of movies and the convenience of this product was worth the 35$ a year it costs me to have xbox live, that i can play games online is an added bonus, but it still bugs me that so many people are willing to pay for it, though to be fair, i do see much of that money put to use, there are a lot of neato little features involved, but nothing better than steam, which is free.

 

so yeah, im not exactly 100% principled, if a product is good enough then i will relent and pay for something i dislike the theory behind, but this is not such a product, i will instead wait 2 more years to play alpha protocol and show sega that some of their wealthiest customers don't like drm, and maybe someday drm will just be a bad memory of overreaching publishers.

[Thorton_AP]

Interesting point. I wonder if there will be a significant enough spike when the DRM is patched out.

[entrerix]

i hope so, though i have a feeling there are not very many people like me who play video games, though there are several who frequent these forums, i still feel we are a great minority

 

don't get me started on the movie industry right now either, i have plenty of money, but i'll be damned if i pay 10-15 dollars to see a movie in the theater that i can see for about 1 dollar at home if i wait 3 months...

[Deadly_Nightshade]

steam doesnt bother me, because as a previous poster wrote, its not just drm, its a whole online service with drm only being one small aspect of it imo.

 

And, because non-steam games can be added, you can get the "service" without the DRM - DRM that is worse than what you are arguing against.

[framerate]

We did our best to make sure the DRM was an non-intrusive as possible, but we don't have a lot of say in the matter (as has already been said).

 

I've always been a big fan of open source, and I think the things I spend my money on should be mine to do what I want with (game consoles to mod, games to make my own backups up to preserve the disk etc) however I also feel that unless you're planning on doing something that Obsidian and SEGA isn't going to like in the first place, you don't have anything to worry about with most DRM*.

 

It's sad really. There's nothing we can do to prevent people from pirating our games. All we can do is deter some of them, even if it pisses them off in the process.

 

I mean, I'd really love to leave my front door unlocked so when I come home with an arm full of groceries I won't have to fumble my keys out of my pocket, but could I truly expect my HDTV to still be there when I get back?

 

On the same note, locking my door won't keep the guy who REALLY wants my HDTV from getting it (my apartment still has windows). But at least the stupid kid from next door will just try the handle, feel the locking mechanism, and move on to the neighbors door.

 

Or maybe he'll just go out and buy his own HDTV.

 

I hope you've enjoyed this metaphor.

 

*(Assassin's Creed 2 not included in this statement)

[poetic obsidian]

We did our best to make sure the DRM was an non-intrusive as possible, but we don't have a lot of say in the matter (as has already been said).

 

I've always been a big fan of open source, and I think the things I spend my money on should be mine to do what I want with (game consoles to mod, games to make my own backups up to preserve the disk etc) however I also feel that unless you're planning on doing something that Obsidian and SEGA isn't going to like in the first place, you don't have anything to worry about with most DRM*.

 

It's sad really. There's nothing we can do to prevent people from pirating our games. All we can do is deter some of them, even if it pisses them off in the process.

 

I mean, I'd really love to leave my front door unlocked so when I come home with an arm full of groceries I won't have to fumble my keys out of my pocket, but could I truly expect my HDTV to still be there when I get back?

 

On the same note, locking my door won't keep the guy who REALLY wants my HDTV from getting it (my apartment still has windows). But at least the stupid kid from next door will just try the handle, feel the locking mechanism, and move on to the neighbors door.

 

Or maybe he'll just go out and buy his own HDTV.

 

I hope you've enjoyed this metaphor.

 

*(Assassin's Creed 2 not included in this statement)

 

I feel for the devs most of all. DRM is often a lose-lose situation for you guys. Too strict is bad, but too lax is also bad.

 

To improve your analogy: Developers are the renters while the publishers are the landlords.

 

Suppose someone legally buys the TV from you, and you give them the key and tell them to go pick it up at your house.The landlord could create fancier and fancier locking mechanisms on your door, and you'll have no say in it. This would give the person who bought the TV from you a lot of trouble opening the door. But you'll get the blame for the annoying locking mechanism, not the landlord.

[Thorton_AP]

I enjoyed the metaphor

[entrerix]

We did our best to make sure the DRM was an non-intrusive as possible, but we don't have a lot of say in the matter (as has already been said).

 

I've always been a big fan of open source, and I think the things I spend my money on should be mine to do what I want with (game consoles to mod, games to make my own backups up to preserve the disk etc) however I also feel that unless you're planning on doing something that Obsidian and SEGA isn't going to like in the first place, you don't have anything to worry about with most DRM*.

 

It's sad really. There's nothing we can do to prevent people from pirating our games. All we can do is deter some of them, even if it pisses them off in the process.

 

I mean, I'd really love to leave my front door unlocked so when I come home with an arm full of groceries I won't have to fumble my keys out of my pocket, but could I truly expect my HDTV to still be there when I get back?

 

On the same note, locking my door won't keep the guy who REALLY wants my HDTV from getting it (my apartment still has windows). But at least the stupid kid from next door will just try the handle, feel the locking mechanism, and move on to the neighbors door.

 

Or maybe he'll just go out and buy his own HDTV.

 

I hope you've enjoyed this metaphor.

 

*(Assassin's Creed 2 not included in this statement)

 

the problem is you are not simply locking your door, you are looking at the living room of the customers who paid for your goods. its totally different.

 

i do feel for the devs too, and i'm not heartless, but still the current drm trend is similar to me as say the following example:

 

I've been a best buy customer for years, i like the store/selection etc whatever, but one day when i go to buy a new tv, they tell me that I need to allow them to pat me down before they let me leave the store with the tv. I know I havent stolen anything, in fact, i've just spent $1500 on a nice new tv, but still they wont let me leave the store with the tv until i let them pat me down... well, rather than agree i would return the tv on the spot and not allow them to touch me because i feel they are overstepping their bounds as a retailer.

 

which is why i unfortunately cannot allow myself to get alpha protocol, its not about the money, its about principles. those same principles which forbid me from stealing or pirating a game, will also keep me from buying a game that will intrude on my desired rights as a paying consumer

Edited May 13, 2010 by entrerix

[Thorton_AP]

I respect that!

[Oner]

It's your choice, but this DRM doesn't pat you down.

[Raithe]

The DRM on AP barely gives you a glance over. From the sounds of it, it's simple, smooth, non-invasive, and easy to deal with if anything screws up.

 

You can't really compare it to the horror show that some DRM is these days...

 

Although that's always a worrying yardstick to use.... "it's not as bad as other things" .. but seriously, I don't really see why people would have any problems with it. Especially after the whole "in 18-24 months we should be putting out a patch to remove the DRM."

[Oner]

Especially after the whole "in 18-24 months we should be putting out a patch to remove the DRM."

Couldn't we sue SEGA if it turned out they lied? Edited May 13, 2010 by Oner

[Purkake]

I don't think a vague promise somewhere online is legally binding.

[Oner]

Official FAQ isn't exactly a vague promise but whatever.