Uniloc on Steam = Lost sale

[Yachemenev]

I was very excited for Alpha Protocol and, and still am. But no longer for the PC version. Now I will look for a used copy of the PS3 version when it becomes available.

 

The reason - Uniloc and 5 machine activation limit.

 

I have been very glad over SEGA

[Oner]

Steam version only has Uniloc, no Steam DRM IIRC.

http://forums.sega.com/showthread.php?p=5788545#post5788545

The system chosen for Alpha Protocol is Uniloc: SoftAnchor. The system will allow the user to activate Alpha Protocol online immediately out of the box and once activated the user never needs to worry about activating again. The activation can be used on a limited amount of PCs, and can be deactivated through our online servers allowing the user full control over their license - should they need to re-install, swap machines or suffer a catastrophic hardware failure on their normal PC.

 

In the future, SEGA will be releasing an unprotected patch of the game to alleviate any fears of not being able to play the game when the Uniloc servers won’t be around anymore.

 

We also do not use Steamworks - the Steam released version will use Uniloc DRM.

Edited May 25, 2010 by Oner

[Tigranes]

In other words, for DRM everyone gets Uniloc: then you can choose whether to use Steam as a game service... or not.

[Morgoth]

Retail version @ my store:

[Yachemenev]

Steam is DRM in itself. A third party client that is required for playing the games, and demands an online activation for every install. I buy all my PC games from Steam since 2007, since I as a PC game had to make a choice for what DRM scheme I would find acceptable.

 

So for me, if I want to play Alpha Protocol, I get to deal with two layers of DRM, which I haven

Edited May 25, 2010 by Yachemenev

[WorstUsernameEver]

Retail version @ my store:

[fuZZ]

going with the steam version, wont uninstall so uniloc wont bother me... not sure why people dont like steam, never had an issue with it.

[Oner]

So for me, if I want to play Alpha Protocol, I get to deal with two layers of DRM, which I haven

[Yachemenev]

So for me, if I want to play Alpha Protocol, I get to deal with two layers of DRM, which I haven

[Raithe]

As has been mentioned in the Sega forum.. and quoted a whole buncha times on various of the AP threads here..

 

Steam can be used to download the game. It's a medium to download the game. But Steam is not used as a DRM. Steam does not check anything beyond the fact that you have paid for the game. Once you download and install the game .. (which, again.. Steam does not use any DRM to check on) you only have the Uniloc DRM..

 

5 activations at any one time across 5 pc's. And a seriously simple and easy way to deactivate them. Even if a computer crashes and you haven't uninstalled it.. you can log onto the website and deactivate it... Or when you next reinstall the game (if you happen to have used all 5 activations) you get a "you've already used 5 activations, do you want to de-activate an old use to activate this install?" option...

 

Simple, clean. Not that invasive. And once again.. Not using Steam DRM

[Morgoth]

So for me, if I want to play Alpha Protocol, I get to deal with two layers of DRM, which I haven

[Yachemenev]

As has been mentioned in the Sega forum.. and quoted a whole buncha times on various of the AP threads here..

 

Steam can be used to download the game. It's a medium to download the game. But Steam is not used as a DRM. Steam does not check anything beyond the fact that you have paid for the game. Once you download and install the game .. (which, again.. Steam does not use any DRM to check on) you only have the Uniloc DRM..

 

5 activations at any one time across 5 pc's. And a seriously simple and easy way to deactivate them. Even if a computer crashes and you haven't uninstalled it.. you can log onto the website and deactivate it... Or when you next reinstall the game (if you happen to have used all 5 activations) you get a "you've already used 5 activations, do you want to de-activate an old use to activate this install?" option...

 

Simple, clean. Not that invasive. And once again.. Not using Steam DRM

 

Steam is not just something to download the game. It

[Klemer]

You can run most Steam games in Offline mode. So you don't have to be online to play every game. I run alot of my games in offline mode. Also you can make a new shortcut to some games on your desktop and run it without even touching steam. Or just go to your common folder in steam and run the program from there.

 

If a game needs steam to operate, MW2, N:TW, etc. Then of course you need to launch steam.

 

So if you consider Steam DRM, your sadly mistaken. I agre with Morgoth, Raithe that Steam is just a delivery program.

 

Yachemenev, if you have alot of Steam bought games installed try running Steam offline and see what you can play with it in that mode, as well try making some shortcuts or running said games with Steam shut down. You might be surprised.

[Yachemenev]

You can run most Steam games in Offline mode. So you don't have to be online to play every game. I run alot of my games in offline mode. Also you can make a new shortcut to some games on your desktop and run it without even touching steam. Or just go to your common folder in steam and run the program from there.

 

If a game needs steam to operate, MW2, N:TW, etc. Then of course you need to launch steam.

 

So if you consider Steam DRM, your sadly mistaken. I agre with Morgoth, Raithe that Steam is just a delivery program.

 

Yachemenev, if you have alot of Steam bought games installed try running Steam offline and see what you can play with it in that mode, as well try making some shortcuts or running said games with Steam shut down. You might be surprised.

 

All Steam games require online activation before being able to run in offline mode.

All Steam games require the client connected to your personal account to run at all times.

Not matter how you start them, through shortcuts or directly through Steam, all games are executed through the client.

Edited May 25, 2010 by Yachemenev

[Raithe]

No.. You're confusing different aspects of Steam.

 

Steam itself, on it's own, is a delivery system to download things.

The Steamcraft DRM is a seperate matter. Yes, usually it's used when you download via Steam. But it isn't an automatic part of EVERYTHING that you get from steam. Steamcraft just usually runs in conjunction with Steam downloads, so most people tend to view them as a single thing when they're actually just two things that work together.

 

However, with Alpha Protocol Steamcraft is not used. It doesn't check or require anything from the game to instal or activate. You only use the Steam side of it to download the game.

The game solely uses the Uniloc drm as a method of activation.

[Yachemenev]

No.. You're confusing different aspects of Steam.

 

Steam itself, on it's own, is a delivery system to download things.

The Steamcraft DRM is a seperate matter. Yes, usually it's used when you download via Steam. But it isn't an automatic part of EVERYTHING that you get from steam. Steamcraft just usually runs in conjunction with Steam downloads, so most people tend to view them as a single thing when they're actually just two things that work together.

 

However, with Alpha Protocol Steamcraft is not used. It doesn't check or require anything from the game to instal or activate. You only use the Steam side of it to download the game.

The game solely uses the Uniloc drm as a method of activation.

 

Steamcraft? You mean Steamworks.

 

The following description applies to games without Steamworks:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

If I purchase a game through Steam, and download from Steam, an online activation is done. Naturally of course, since I

Edited May 25, 2010 by Yachemenev

[Itkovian]

*sigh*

 

I have to admit the ethics here are quite troubling to me.

 

Because the publisher uses a DRM you dislike, you will deliberatly go and buy the game pre-owned. In doing so you end up supporting the retailer, and denying any money for the developers, the ones who actually worked hard on the game.

 

It's legal, of course, but really? If you are going to buy the game at all, why not make sure the developer gets rewarded for your purchase? In today's market, game developers need all the help they can get.

 

Of course, I understand that you are protesting the DRM scheme (or at least what you thought the DRM scheme was, there's only 1 layer), but its important to understand that the developers probably don't choose the DRM scheme used. That usually is a publishing issue.

 

Meanwhile you have a team of dedicated developers who worked hard for years to provide the product, and only the retailer will make money off of it. If you really care about the issue that much, don't buy the game at all (and don't pirated it). By buying it used instead you're just feeding the parasite that is seriously harming the industry (not because they sell used game at all, used games have existed since the atari days... but rather because selling used games is now their primary focus, and they actively try to push buying used copies instead of new ones, and rollover new purchases into used return/purchases).

 

Anyway, sorry if that's off topic, it's just a pet peeve of mine.

 

Itkovian

Edited May 25, 2010 by Itkovian

[Yachemenev]

*sigh*

 

I have to admit the ethics here are quite troubling to me.

 

Because the publisher uses a DRM you dislike, you will deliberatly go and buy the game pre-owned. In doing so you end up supporting the retailer, and denying any money for the developers, the ones who actually worked hard on the game.

 

It's legal, of course, but really? If you are going to buy the game at all, why not make sure the developer gets rewarded for your purchase? In today's market, game developers need all the help they can get.

 

Anyway, sorry if that's off topic, it's just a pet peeve of mine.

 

Itkovian

 

Because the effect of me purchasing a new copy of the PS3 version will only say that I prefered the PS3 version over the PC version, nothing else.

 

I have my money ready as a Steam customer, but I will not be a part of the circus that is caused by every single developer and publisher choosing their own DRM scheme that only confuses customers. I don

[Raithe]

Sorry, yup, I meant Steamworks. Running on about 2 hours sleep and not fully behind the eightball today.

 

Well, to my mind, there's Steam which you run, you log into so they can identify your account and know which method of payment is yours.... and that provides the medium to download the product.

 

Steamworks is the actual DRM that Steam tends to favor and is part and parcel of the needing to activate the game once you've run it.

 

Now me, I'm just going by the fact that they've said "Alpha Protocol does not use Steamworks as a form of DRM".

 

So to me personally, that's not requiring me to suffer through multiple forms of DRM. And Uniloc is basically a one-off thing the first time you install the game.. (well, until you get around to installing it on another computer...or have uninstalled it and later reinstall it) not having to check on it every time you try to run the game....

 

So you buy the game... you download the game... you have the game install.. you have the activation of that particlar game installation... then you play the game....

 

I'm just not getting what about that seems terribly difficult compared to so many games with annoying third party DRM's that require some other software running. GTAIV's combination of having to run the "RockStar Social Club" and the "Games for Windows" before you even get the game to start loading...

[Tel Aviv]

Just buy the damn game already.

[Metal_Guitar]

Because the effect of me purchasing a new copy of the PS3 version will only say that I prefered the PS3 version over the PC version, nothing else.

 

I have my money ready as a Steam customer, but I will not be a part of the circus that is caused by every single developer and publisher choosing their own DRM scheme that only confuses customers. I don

[Yachemenev]

Now me, I'm just going by the fact that they've said "Alpha Protocol does not use Steamworks as a form of DRM".

 

Well, yeah, they don

Edited May 25, 2010 by Yachemenev

[Tigranes]

I do see the OP's point, if we get past the Steam/Steamworks distinction (which IS true) and look at his experiences as a consumer, having to use Steam and then getting Uniloc's 5 activations might indeed count as double-DRM'ing.

 

What I'd say is, though, if you look at it like that from a practical point of view, then only one question matters - how invasive and inconvenient is the whole package? The answer? Not very, since you get 5 activations you can easily activate / get back, you will never lose them even if your PC fries, and it will be removed later on. The whole 'double DRM' stuff - well, isn't Steam + Steamworks 'double DRM' too? As it is, you're up against a fairly lax, almost apologetically lax, form of DRM package in Steam client + Uniloc activations.

 

By the way, I'm not sure why you can't just get the retail version? Are you saying that you don't like having multiple DRM on your computer, so you will only ever buy PC games that use Steam and/or Steamworks? If a game has DRM and is not on Steam you won't get it?

[Itkovian]

*sigh*

 

I have to admit the ethics here are quite troubling to me.

 

Because the publisher uses a DRM you dislike, you will deliberatly go and buy the game pre-owned. In doing so you end up supporting the retailer, and denying any money for the developers, the ones who actually worked hard on the game.

 

It's legal, of course, but really? If you are going to buy the game at all, why not make sure the developer gets rewarded for your purchase? In today's market, game developers need all the help they can get.

 

Anyway, sorry if that's off topic, it's just a pet peeve of mine.

 

Itkovian

 

Because the effect of me purchasing a new copy of the PS3 version will only say that I prefered the PS3 version over the PC version, nothing else.

 

I have my money ready as a Steam customer, but I will not be a part of the circus that is caused by every single developer and publisher choosing their own DRM scheme that only confuses customers. I don

[Itkovian]

I do see the OP's point, if we get past the Steam/Steamworks distinction (which IS true) and look at his experiences as a consumer, having to use Steam and then getting Uniloc's 5 activations might indeed count as double-DRM'ing.

 

What I'd say is, though, if you look at it like that from a practical point of view, then only one question matters - how invasive and inconvenient is the whole package? The answer? Not very, since you get 5 activations you can easily activate / get back, you will never lose them even if your PC fries, and it will be removed later on. The whole 'double DRM' stuff - well, isn't Steam + Steamworks 'double DRM' too? As it is, you're up against a fairly lax, almost apologetically lax, form of DRM package in Steam client + Uniloc activations.

 

By the way, I'm not sure why you can't just get the retail version? Are you saying that you don't like having multiple DRM on your computer, so you will only ever buy PC games that use Steam and/or Steamworks? If a game has DRM and is not on Steam you won't get it?

 

And that's a good point. Why not just buy the retail version for PC, which will only have 1 DRM? I've got mine pre-ordered from amazon, and will get it on day 1 (at least in theory, natural disasters willing *grin*).

 

Itkovian