I hope companies who put DRMs into their games go down.

If it continues at its current rate, how long do you think it would take for a large amount of people to just throw the towel in? At the moment it's annoying the hell out of people but most people just accept it since on the scale of things it could be a lot worse and that they can't be bothered to do something about it?

 

I haven't gamed in years and was just starting to get back into it a little. I don't mind having to verify via the internet when installing, but requiring a constant connection just to play? Nope, not gonna buy it.



Maybe it's time to get another console...

 

Then we'll end up withno games =p

 

Wow my thread blew up as I was at work. I read all of the posts and you guys have some good points but I gotta say... A lot of you seem all "ohmigawd no piracy!!1" and it really isn't that big of a deal. If a game comes out with another crappy DRM but you still want to play it, why pay for it? Purchasing the game would just tell the publisher that it's fine to treat you like a criminal and put these crappy restrictions in the game. If I'm paying for a game (which I do. I just bought minecraft and MW2), I want full functionality of the game and peace of mind. A game with crappy DRMs just begs me to pirate them for a few good reasons. 1: I would not buy a game with such restrictions. I have better things to use my money on. 2: The publisher wasn't going to get my money in the first place and it's like adding insult to injury. 3: They deserve it for thinking it's okay to add such restrictions to their game. 4: Why pay for a game if you have to illegally download a DRM free version to get the full unrestricted version? 5: I don't like when people try to control me (this one is me being a noob)

But seriously though. You guys act like piraters are the evil plague or something. Yes piraters caused companies to try DRMs but when they see that their pitiful DRMs can't stand up to an army, they will back down.

 

It's tough, but we just need to vote with our money, and not give in just because a game is good. I stopped buying Ubisoft games.

 

Maybe I'm a little bit ignorant when it comes to these "issues", but is a required internet connection really that big of a deal? Whether I'm on campus or at home, my internet never disconnects. I can understand that if you're traveling or in the car/metro, it would be tough to maintain a constant connection with a wi-fi hotspot. But I guess if you're going from one place to another and know for a fact that you'll disconnect, you could always save your game right?

And for those unexpected power outages/random dc's, just remember to save often!

*checks the time* Well, guess I gotta hide under the desk to avoid the incoming barrage of hate.

 

The only reason for me to pirate a game is if i bought it and lost the CD...

 

Good points, but not everyone has the ability to be connected to the internet like you or me.

 

This is the only way to get it into the heads of the publishers that DRM just doesn't sit with gamers. If people continue buying the games they'll never learn.

 

Well don't buy it and send an email or note to them stating you're really interested in the game but won't buy it because of the DRM.

 

Well, maybe the solution is to buy the game when it is dirt cheap. Maybe that way you will show that you are not going to pay full price for having an awful DRM.

I dunno, I simply won't buy such games. I hate the new trend in stupid DRM and services imposed.

My gaming hobby is turning into a mess. At least I can still enjoy my handhelds for a bit longer.

What I hate most is the attitude of people tho. "Shut up, buy it and deal with it you whiny #@$@#"

 

I completely agree.

Piracy is so bad that you really can't fault any business for trying to come up with creative ways to defend against it.

It would be irresponsible to do nothing.

 

While you have a point, the current trend in DRM is horrible. Something like a periodical internet check once in a while, i could live with. SecuROM on the other hand...

What i particularly hate is companies putting DRM like SecuROM without an apparent notice to let us know.

 

Current DRM is horrible, and again, why not look a gift horse in the mouth (I hate that expression, but you can all suffer with me ). Need I sound like a broken record, give us a return policy. Stop shoveling out crap, and give consumers confidence in your product. Piracy isn't the answer, no. And I've only but pirated a handful of games in my geriatric lifetime, if you consider downloading and playing without buying pirating. But I have also downloaded numerous no-cd patches and DRM free copies of games I own just to play them as I see fit. The irony is so strong if it were body odor, the publishers would be a big armpit. Oh wait.

 

HTWingNut's expression are...

._.

Maybe people would also pirate less if they give out contents worth the price they're setting instead of raising it higher due to their popularity. Look at Magicka, cheap game, lots of replayability, lots of fun, cheap DLCs and free DLCs at times. I don't see them put any sort of DRM and they're enjoying the profits just fine.

 

You speak words of wisdom. How dare you make sense!

 

Htwingnut is right us pc gamers in the U.S. cannot return pc games. Every time i buy a pc game i get hella nervous because what if the big title games are not finished like crysis 2, ssf4 ae, Call of Duty: Black Ops, and of course Duke Nukem Forever!..so on. And to make it worse u have to wait for days just to have the patch to be release so the game can be completed.....NOT COOL AT ALL! I hate paying half completed games!

 

You shall forget this ever happened.

 

Yes, it's a big deal. I work on ships and we don't have an internet connection for our personal computers and are away from home for months at a time. A lot of us on board play computer games to ease the boredom when we're underway and now the game publisher trend is to take that away.

 

I already did that with Crytek.

The only game I ever came close to "pirating", was the original Aliens vs. Predator. I already own the cd version, but when the updated Steam version came out (updated code to be able to run on modern systems without graphic issues), I bought it. However, I got tired of having to authenticate it every time I reinstalled windows, so I found a way to make it standalone. No more internet required, ever. So I own the game twice already. That's the closest I've ever come.

 

Good old days of original StarCraft and Warcraft 3. just a product key.


of course I run a pirated version of SC, but only because my retail isn't working with Windows 7. It's more of a mod than anything.

 

Let me sing you a song...

Ohhhhh pirates oh pirates we sail the internet LuLz,
scanning for games and all the videos
downloading crap at 6kb/s
Arghhh matey!

Now that sucked.

Jeez, just download a no DRM crack. Problem fixed. It's how I do my business.

 

While I am not in disagreement with your statement (which is clearly not pirating), I think it is bad that after a few good years and enjoying a seemingly lowly intrusive DRM (1st use online verification, no CD/DVD loaded) now we are going back to the impractical DRMs where you're bounded again to something else not being the already installed software.

In any case I think the best action is to vote with the wallet, next is filing complaints, and next is to try to sue the companies for applying draconian DRMs (like asking some level of legal consumer protection in face of the high level of DRM that benefits in no way the customer). Pirating in no way send the right message (if not see the link to the cartoon in the first page, not first post).

 

Trying to sue might be a problem since they tend to hide themselves behind their loooong user agreement and make sure you can't sue them for hidden DRMs written in font size 0.5 somewhere in the agreement.

 

Certainly we would need something very big, and personally I don't see it feasible in the short term. Nevertheless we should know that they can't hide forever behind their EULA/TOS shrinkwrap agreements.

 

In the UK, such license agreements are illegal and from what I rememeber there are proposals to make standard EULA's have much ore restriction on them. Unless you're a lawyer, it's almost impossible to understand them. There's also the fact that they rarely hold up in court anyway. The companies are essentially trying to "legally" rob us of our rights by exploiting the fact that no one in their right mind wants to read through 10 pages of size 8.

If I ever end up working on for a games company after I *hopefully* get a place in computer science, I'd actually try and remain human and give an honest experience where:

1. The game works, if it doesn't work nicely (a few small bugs are excusable) then the release date will simply have to be put on hold
2. The game doesn't have any diabolical DRM
3. No payed DLC packs or premium accounts. I guess one DLC pack right after release is ok but having to pay money just to get DLC packs so you have all the latest weapons is just wrong
4. No blatent console ports.
5. Actually make a game which can give PC's a run for their money, not because of poor porting but because it's actually got great visuals. If it can't give a monster gaming PC a run for its money then tech is simply being wasted. Some people say "You shouldn't have to have a monster PC to be able to max a game out", but the reality is that you should, it's just a case of scaleability.

 

I wish you the best in your carrer, and fight for the ideals you've pointed out.

In regard to the EULA: it's not hard to understand them, but they're so long and boring (yes, people don't read 10 pages of size 8 and single space).

 

On the surface they look quite simple and it's easy enough to read them if you have the time and patience. But there are loopholes designed in all of them which their lawyers can exploit, most people wouldn't notice these because you really have to bend the words for it to come out like that. The problem is that lawyers are payed to bend words, it's pretty much what they do as a job.