Headlines - Spore and Mass Effect require online re-check every 10 days

[HEXUS]

In a bid to combat piracy, SecuROM Technology,the CD/DVD copy protection system,will be used in EA's highly anticipated evolution sim, Spore and Mass Effect.

Read more.

[TiG]

Surely the answer to the question is after 11 days and you try and play the game sure you won't be able to access the servers, but you won't need to re-install. You just wait for your isp to be back up and then connect then.

I can't imagine it being programmed any other way.

TiG

[Steven W]

God knows, it seems that the answer to most of the questions from Bioware appears to be 'contact EA support'.

[TiG]

I don't think its a bad system tho, it sounds like Bioware doesn't know much about the system rather than the system being bad. The communication department has failed to communicate effectively and has now created confusion.

Assuming it works in a logical manner, It wouldn't bother me, I can't see it would be particularly problematic. How many people play fully offline all the time?.

Spore will need online support to play too won't it?..., seems pretty unlikely you'd want to play spore offline imo.

Lets just hope they get a clear statement out on how it works.

TiG

[Lee H]

Is this going to have it's own real-time clock system in order to keep an eye on the time or is it going to be easily bypassed by simply changing the system or BIOS clock on a daily basis?

[kalniel]

Seems absolutely fine to me.

The main complaints I've received about copy protection systems has been problems reading the disk or people not wanting to change disks to play games. Nearly all the complainants have asked 'why can't you just have online verification'.. looks like EA listened and gave the punters what they want.

To play a steam game or guildwars my computer checks every time I play - having 10 days to find a server in this system seems very generous. If they drop the servers at any point in the future I'm sure they can just patch out the check too.

[kasavien]

From the gaming article...

Is SecuROM Technology the right way to combat piracy or is it just making life difficult for innocent gamers just because of the actions of nefarious few ?

It's not the nefarious few though is it, the whole reason why companies are starting to do things like this is that it's already the nefarious many.

[Nick]

We were being generous in our phrasing...

To my mind Steam-like online activations are the way forwards and I agree with TiG in that likely 90% of the 'uproar' is because of poor comms about how the system will work.

Far more a pain in the bum is when a disk check procedure won't allow the damn game to load or install at all, as happened several times when I was using an old DVD drive.

I personally think that publishers recognise and react to the issues their copy protection measures cause and more often than not sort them out for the next title, as French has stated they will.

Yes, I know the tin-foil-hat brigade will be up in arms over server checks of CD keys etc but if this is what a publisher feels they have to do to protect their IP then so be it.

As long as I can still play the game then I'm happy... of course, if there was some balls-up and the key I use was duplicated by a key gen, publicly released and resulted in a game lock out for me, I'd be bloody furious...

[nichomach]

OK, online activation, fine; don't PARTICULARLY like it, but OK. A recheck after 10 days, again, don't like it as such, but would deal with it. Every 10 ****ing days for a single-player game? Forever??? That's bloody retarded. Even if it were acceptable to start with, what, are the servers that graciously allow me to run the damn game I paid for going to be there in perpetuity? What if I want to play it again in two or three years? Are they still going to be there then? What if they aren't? The game assumes that I'm a pirate and stops me running it, effectively preventing me from using software that I've paid for. The games publishers whinge continuously about piracy and software theft; well theft at a n-year remove is still theft, and this system is theft.

[finlay666]

I dont mind too much

HOWEVER

A steam style implementation, so gamers know what it is they are getting is a good thing, as a grey area leads to confusion and outrageous rumours.

[QPCloudy]

I completely understand where a lot of people are coming from in regards to the every 10 days verification. However, I would gladly exchange having to have the cd with me everywhere, with the verification. So many times have I been somewhere with my notebook and forgot a disc for a game I want to play. As an Orange Box player, I LOVE not needing the disc. AND, if I don't have a connection, steam starts in offline mode and I can still play.

Relax, it's not that bad.

[nichomach]

Sorry, but Steam allows an offline mode; this just tells you to naff off.

[QPCloudy]

Sorry, but Steam allows an offline mode; this just tells you to naff off.

Ok, possibly we'll do the after the first 10 days check, then be able to play in offline mode? Or so I am hoping. Either way, I still don't feel this is too big a deal.

[sleepyhead]

I like the idea; however this is how I have understood it.

Within every 10 day window it checks to make sure your copy is valid and if you miss it you are locked out?

I'm a strange person when it comes to games. I got NWN2 and played that for abit, dropped it because I wanted to play FEAR and Farcry, then I picked up Elite Force again (after 5 years), now onto Warsow and HL2...which means NWN2 hasn't been used it a long time. Added to that I would like a second rig for purely net stuff and a dedicated gaming rig that stays offline as much as possible...

So does my habits need to change to adjust to the new way of activating games if I end up with a internet box and a gaming box? Does this mean that if the above situation is applied to the new activation method, I would no longer been able to play Elite Force, FEAR, Farcy and NWN2 (if the gaming box remained offline for longer than 10 days)?

[kalniel]

Even if it were acceptable to start with, what, are the servers that graciously allow me to run the damn game I paid for going to be there in perpetuity? What if I want to play it again in two or three years? Are they still going to be there then? What if they aren't?

Then they'll just disable the activation check. Simple.

The game assumes that I'm a pirate and stops me running it, effectively preventing me from using software that I've paid for. The games publishers whinge continuously about piracy and software theft; well theft at a n-year remove is still theft, and this system is theft.

I guess you are mistakenly thinking you own the software, as opposed to a license to use it in a specified manner. Also have you ever played a MMORPG?

I like the idea; however this is how I have understood it.

Within every 10 day window it checks to make sure your copy is valid and if you miss it you are locked out?

I think if you miss it it keeps trying for 5 days and you can still play, and after that it tries to activate each time you want to play and if it can't you can't play.

So does my habits need to change to adjust to the new way of activating games if I end up with a internet box and a gaming box? Does this mean that if the above situation is applied to the new activation method, I would no longer been able to play Elite Force, FEAR, Farcy and NWN2 (if the gaming box remained offline for longer than 10 days)?

Many games are begining to require an internet connection - all the premium modules for NWN did, all MMORPGs do, Bioshock did. I'm sure there will always be some games that cater for people using disks as the activation tool rather than an internet connection, but so many gamers have asked for an internet based activation rather than disk I think it's inevitable it headed in this direction. Assuming you can get an internet connection it should be far less intrusive than other protection methods.

[nichomach]

Then they'll just disable the activation check. Simple.

You know I DO hope they remember to do that, I really do.

I guess you are mistakenly thinking you own the software, as opposed to a license to use it in a specified manner.

Don't get pissy with me. I know exactly what a software license is; my point is that the "manner" is egregiously onerous. If they turn their servers off (because companies do), and fail to ever-so-generously provide a patch (as they well might - a forum post isn't exactly much of a commitment, now, is it?), then they'll be depriving the user of the benefit of the license. They won't be able to use the software in ANY fashion, specified or otherwise, and so will have had stolen the value of the license.

Also have you ever played a MMORPG?

No. I haven't. You know what? I'm really not interested in MMORPGs or indeed in online gaming that much; I prefer standalone games where you don't need an Internet connection to...oh, wait...of course NOW you do. Seriously, WTF do MMORPGs have to do with this at all? They are online multiplayer games; Internet connectivity is a functionally essential requirement. ME is NOT an online game, and it is NOT a multiplayer game.