Well, it forum moderator Keir replied letting this user know that Eidos put the glitch into the game intentionally so those who pirated the game could not play through the entire thing. He then went on to say, “It’s not a bug in the game’s code, it’s a bug in your moral code.”

So, EA are you listening? This seems like the best alternative to DRM as it’s been proven no one likes that, right?

via maxconsole

It seems that the publisher is so fed up with piracy that they have plans to combat the issue with their own firepower. Yves Guillemot, head of Ubisoft, speaks of the piracy problem:

“Altogether on console, the piracy is low. On the PC the piracy is quite a lot. We are working on a tool that would allow us to decrease that on the PC starting next year and probably one game this year.”

So what do they have cookin’ over at Ubisoft? Let’s hope they aren’t getting ideas from EA as we saw how well that was recieved with Spore.

Here’s something that is sure to piss a few people off — Community Leader APOC has recently said that you will need to have a constant internet connection to play Command & Conquer 4:

“As of right now, you need to be online all the time to play C&C 4. This is primarily due to our “player progression” feature so everything can be tracked. C&C 4 is not an MMO in the sense of World of Warcraft, but conceptually it has similar principles for being online all the time. While some may be taken aback by this, we’ve been testing this feature internally with all of our world-wide markets.”

He then goes on to point out that this won’t be a big deal as it won’t require high-speed connections and won’t cause any lag in single-player gameplay. Hell, you can even use one an oldschool 56k connection because who needs phone calls, anyways?

ThatVideoGameBlog points out that this seems eerily like a ploy to hide the fact that EA will use a constant internet connection as a way to prevent piracy rather than using DRM.

Electronic Arts received some heavy criticism for using digital rights management software for Spore. The SecuROM software made it so that the game could only be authenticated up to a total of three times, which was later raised to five.

In response to all of the negative feedback, EA has decided to stick to the old fashioned key code authentication system for the Sims 3.

“To play the game there will not be any online authentication needed,” said executive producer Rod Humble. “We feel like this is a good, time-proven solution that makes it easy for you to play the game without DRM methods that feel overly invasive or leave you concerned about authorisation server access in the distant future.”

The Sims 3 will be out June 2, 2009 in North America, and June 5, 2009 in Europe and Australia. It will be available for the PC, Mac OS X, iPhone, and other mobile devices.

Read (Eurogamer)

The game will have disc-based copy protection – there is a Serial Code just like The Sims 2. To play the game there will not be any online authentication needed.

We feel like this is a good, time-proven solution that makes it easy for you to play the game without DRM methods that feel overly invasive or leave you concerned about authorization server access in the distant future.

EA has been criticized before for using – what people call – “draconian” DRM in their games. Spore is an example – it used online activation initially that allowed owners to install the game three times before having to contact EA.

2D Boy co-founder and World of Goo co-creator Ron Caramel believes that utilizing digital rights management as a means to prevent piracy is a “waste of time” and developers just “end up giving the DRM provider money.”

“Anything that is of interest gets cracked, and the cracked version ends up having a better user experience than the legit version because you don’t have to input in some 32-character serial number,” he quite simply stated.

DRM doesn’t exactly pose a threat to pirates anymore, seeing as how games are cracked and available on P2P sites within hours of release.

"We don’t see the point in having DRM," he added. "Anybody who wants the game is likely to find it on BitTorrent sites. It’s going to get cracked even with DRM, it’s going to be available very quickly."

The game available through Valve’s Steam are Spore, Mass Effect, Crysis and FIFA Manager 09. EA will launch Mirror’s Edge and Dead Space soon.

via arstechnica

“A lot of people complain that DRM is what forces people to pirate games but as PoP PC has no DRM we’ll see how truthful people actually are,” wrote Easton. “Not very, I imagine.”

Easton noted that only the physical retail copies of the game will be devoid of DRM.

Ubisoft is notorious for including draconian DRM in its games, including Assassins Creedfor which it was highly criticized because it had a DRM that apparently phoned home.

Sadly for Maxis not only do the number of pirated downloads approach the total number of copies sold (over two million), The Sims 2 is second on the list, Unfortunately many surmise that the vast amount of Spore piracy is due to the DRM they instituted on the extremely anticipated game.

While many question the future of PC gaming given the extremely high rates of piracy for these and other games, the continued success of World of Warcraft and other MMOs shows that the future of PC gaming is likely in that genre, given that the constant online access includes whatever DRM measures are necessary.

Pissing off many gamers, Rockstar has revealed that the PC version of Grand Theft Auto IV will make use of the oft-criticized SecuROM copy protection. However, some controversial features, such as install limits, won’t be utilized.

“SecuROM is the most effective form of disc based copy protection and allows us to manage authenticity on a global level for Grand Theft Auto IV,” said the developer.

As expected, the game will require a one-time activation via the Internet and the disc of the game has to be kept in the drive while you play.

While the retail physical version won’t have any install limits, digital download vendors may place their own installation limit.

Interestingly, the studio noted that those who crack and play the game will have their game experiences changed, ranging from “comical to game-progress-halting changes.”

GTA 4 is due out December 2 on PC.

One Richard Eldridge of Pennsylvania is suing the publisher over undisclosed installation of the DRM software after installing a demo version of Spore Creator Creator. Here’s a bit from his suit:

The inclusion of undisclosed, secretly installed DRM protection measures with a program that was freely distributed constitutes a major violation of computer owners’ absolute right to control what does and what does not get loaded onto their computers, and how their computers shall be used…

The other suit, filed by Dianna Cortez of Missouri, cites EA for “immoral, unethical, oppressive, unscrupulous” conduct for installing the DRM which caused problems on the user’s computer.

Hopefully, this will lead to nonsense-DRM being phased out, making place for smarter software and maybe a DRM-less future.

It was something I probably should have tuned into more. It was a corporate decision to go with DRM on Spore. They had a plan and the parameters, but now we’re allowing more authentications and working with players to de-authenticate which makes it more in line like an iTunes. I think one of the most valid concerns about it was you could only install it so many times. For most players it’s not an issue, it’s a pretty small percentage, but some people do like wiping their hard disk and installing it 20 times or they want to play it 10 years later.

A sensible man, I might add. Anyways, when asked where to go from here, Wright commented that the whole dynamic of game commerce will eventually shift online. He cited Battlefield Heroes as an example, noting how they will need to monetize in Asian markets, among other things.

The DRM will allow five activations on 3 separate computers. Interestingly, uninstalling the game “refunds” an activation so long as you complete proper uninstall. Ubisoft hopes to support the fans by allowing additional activations and assures that you’ll always be able to play the game, be it in the far future.

"I personally don’t like DRM,” he said. “It interrupts the user experience. We would like to get around that. But there is this problem called piracy out there.”

Expressing his opinion that he recent Spore DRM outcry was blown out of proportion by a minority of activits, he noted that EA is still “working out the kinks.” He added that 99.8 percent of the users wouldn’t notice the DRM, saying that the .2 percent unfairly “launched a cabal online to protest against it.”

Now, if Mr. Riccitiello really hates DRM that much, why don’t they just get rid of it? Oh, piracy, I see. Damn pirates!

"We’re trying to convince [publishers] there is nothing to be afraid of," said studio CEO Michael Kicinski. "DRM-free, that is something they are really scared of, but on the other hand we can say ‘all of those games are available pirated widely so it’s better to sell them for small money than make the customer’s life difficult and get some more revenues.’"

CD Projekt is known best for The Witcher, but is currently focusing on launching the GOG service which will offer cheap, Vista-friendly versions of old games such as FreeSpace and Fallout.

"DRM makes customer’s lives too complicated, and this is usually because of some corporate ideas, policies and trying to be smart, too smart, in how to get customers and how to keep them and no let them go somewhere else. We are believers in the free market and bringing freedom to customers."

Out of all the consoles, the PlayStation 3 has dealt with hard drives the best. Ironically, while there should be less need to make room for content on a PS3, the DRM makes it financially “inconvenient” if someone wants to manage their movies. Apparently, content bought from the Sony Video Store can be stored on one, and only one, PlayStation 3. Users can move videos to, up to three PlayStation Portables. Re-downloading content is something even the Wii is capable of.

There is an exception to the rule. After being questioned about the re-downloading of content, Lincoln Davis, who deals with PlayStation network media relations, said that Sony will allow users a courtesy download if they go through consumer services.

“If a consumer deletes a purchased movie from their PS3, they will not be able to redownload the movie without assistance from SCEA’s consumer services. Consumer service can issue a redownload as a one-time courtesy, as provided by our guidelines, for the title to allow the consumer to go back and download the movie from their PSN download list.”

Ironically, the PlayStation 3 is also the most convenient system to watch pirated content on, if one were so inclined (DigitalBattle does not condone piracy of any form). Sony should keep that in mind, especially since their system’s major updates have been known to be “unfriendly” towards data on the console’s hard drive. When will companies learn that it’s a bad idea to punish people for using their service? The only one who benefits from this is EA, because now they have an example of DRM that was handled worse than Spore’s.

Additionally, the company’s EULA for the game states that “CRYTEK reserves the right to periodically validate your license through subsequent online authentication.”

So, it’s confirmed then: EA doesn’t trust its customers any more. Or maybe PC piracy is so bad that even those who buy the original copies are not to be trusted anymore.

These creatures make reference to the game’s use of SecuROM technology, which limits the user to install the game on no more than three computers. EA has also been criticized on Spore’s Amazon product page, which was flooded with hundreds of negative reviews of the game, all citing the title’s DRM.

However, the company appears to be downplaying the customer uproar, stating that fewer than 25 percent of users will ever install the game on more than one machine, with less than 1 percent installing on more than three computers.

Though many gamers think so, the game’s executive producer Lucy Bradshaw described copy protection as a necessary element of the PC gaming business, adding that the software included in Spore will not burden legitimate users too heavily.

“[Spore has] copy protection, it is a necessary part of our biz,” said Bradshaw. “But we’ve worked to make it something that does not punish the legit owners.”

“You need to authenticate once at the first install,” Bradshaw explained. “This happens online. You can install on three separate computers and you do need to register for the online features.”

She also talked about possible expansions for the game, noting that the studio has a “very cool opportunity” to take the game to “different directions,” but wouldn’t divulge any details.

Spore is due out soon on PC and Mac.