BioShock PC launch short-circuits

2K servers go down, preventing PC players from completing installation process for single-player, offline game.

PC owners trying to install their brand-new copy of BioShock have had a rough time of late, with several users reporting that 2K Game's patch servers were down for some hours today.

Installing BioShock on a PC requires a user's computer to connect to 2K's auto-patch servers before the game can be played, something made impossible for some time today when the 2K servers crashed. 2K's own forums were alight with disgruntled BioShock buyers who were prevented from playing the game due to the required connection. As of publication time, 2K's official Web site was timing out, as was the BioShock Cult of Rapture site.

A 2K Games Australia spokesperson said 2K technicians were working on the issue, and had already added additional servers to help cope with the influx of traffic.

526 Comments

  • LightofHeroes

    Posted Aug 23, 2007 3:20 pm PT

    00697man This person made me LOL. Good thing I didn't buy this game though... almost did... but something told me not to.. I'll just wait for the next awesome game to come out. Guess BioShock was overrated.

  • 00697man

    Posted Aug 23, 2007 3:12 pm PT

    CLDragonCL

    You only have to buy a new system every 5 to 6 years. Nowadays just a video card can cost more than a game console. You CAN do what you described but really.. i 1000$ computer WILL NOT last as long as a console before you have to replace a part to play the most recent games. also.. something that finally turned me off to pc games. expansion packs ARE FING ANNOYING. Why can't the developer get it right the first time and make the game awesome for the first release? Just a way to squeeze more cash out of you.

  • CLDragonCL

    Posted Aug 23, 2007 3:09 pm PT

    murlow12 I dont know where you live but right now you can build a computer for 1000$ and have it run games at a better quality than the 360..

    or maybe you dono anything about computers and can't buy your own parts... stick with the 360 then I guess...

  • DuaneDog

    Posted Aug 23, 2007 3:09 pm PT

    Well I was on the fence on if to get the PC or Xbox360 version. After downloading the 360 demo and playing on the 42" plasma I already was leaning that way... So the choice is clear now. I absolutely DEPLORE activation copy protection where the assume you have only one computer you ever want to play the game on and demand you never format it or lose it without big hassles to use the game again. pretty much my PC is now for RTS games. Anything else just is easier and less hassle on the 360. There is a reason why consoles games are outselling PC games by about seven to one.

  • umbrae

    Posted Aug 23, 2007 3:08 pm PT

    Requiring an internet connection to play single player. That is stupid. Glad I got the 360 version.

  • Beefycake

    Posted Aug 23, 2007 3:08 pm PT

    Well at least theyre working on it. For now, ill just admire the Box cover and manual.

  • DiscGuru101

    Posted Aug 23, 2007 3:03 pm PT

    -Well thats one good reason to not have an offline game require online startup.

  • Lord_DoDo56

    Posted Aug 23, 2007 3:00 pm PT

    Great demo about to buy since I got paid

  • mpeg3s

    Posted Aug 23, 2007 2:57 pm PT

    That's American quality.

  • buruburu

    Posted Aug 23, 2007 2:53 pm PT

    I preloaded the game last friday via VALVE. I noticed the download speed of the unlock process was half of the speed that the "PreLoad" did, and took much longer than expected due to a seemingly larger than expected download/unlock/key.
    ___I feel a bit lucky to be playing my purchased game. (that's an odd statement)

    With the driver & nVidia 7950GX2; game video 1920x1200; when much activity_Mechanized gun traps+flying turrets+self_ is on the screen it slows down significantly, I'd call it ghosting or lagish, YET it's overall very pretty. I've been playing it with 1680x1050. A nice break from BF2142.
    __It startled me real good once=in game, I turned to see a very close bloody surgeon standing behind me. IMO: a fun game. Alien movie use of anticipation feeling-achieved spookyness. Not a game for youngsters=great. sure would be good to have more of these types of games=not a kiddie story or cliché hero situation.

  • Danplunkett

    Posted Aug 23, 2007 2:53 pm PT

    at least we know the game would run on 360

  • bignick217

    Posted Aug 23, 2007 2:45 pm PT

    Disillusioned01, you are also missing the point of if later on down the line, when they no longer support the online activation, and they "have" to support it in order for you to install it, then we won't be able to play the game because we can't even install the game. This is not like not being able to install a patch. This is you not even being allowed to install a game unless it's connected to the net and goes through activation. If you can't get a connection to their server and you simply try cancelling the update or activation, it simply rolls back and the files it installed are removed. So you can't even install at all. Thats the point. So if they ever stop supporting online activation, you will be left with a paper.

    This is a MAJOR problem that needs to be fixed.

  • dlmcgraw

    Posted Aug 23, 2007 2:44 pm PT

    Disillusioned01:

    You need to think before you write something.

    It's stupid, no matter how you look at it. I, a loyal customer, shouldn't NEED to un-install a game before I put it on my other computer in my house. I shouldn't NEED to un-install it before I reformat my computer. I shouldn't need to send in a picture of my CD and case, because I can't activate my copy due to the exceeded limit... Oh, and if your computer CRASHES, your screwed. Bottom line is, they have no right to force me to do things because I buy their product. If they choose to do so, they lose my business, and many others.

    And the fact that this business may not be here 5, or 10, years from now just just leaves those people that want to install this game out of luck.

  • trifuzion

    Posted Aug 23, 2007 2:44 pm PT

    @Disillusioned01

    Actually, I'd suggest that you read up more on the problem since it has to do with the uninstall process itself. It's fallible. If you forget to uninstall Bioshock prior to a hard drive format or your hard drive suddenly fails, you have to go through a long and agonizing process to get the unlock key. There have also been reports from sources like PC Gamer that properly uninstalling may still cause activation problems. Seriously, all this is meant to prevent piracy and I have no problem with that, but all it really does is give legitimate consumers like me a headache.

  • xcollector

    Posted Aug 23, 2007 2:40 pm PT

    Damn activation protection scheme. When will they learn that anti-copy features only keep the honest people honest. They are the ones who get shafted for being honest.

  • runstalker

    Posted Aug 23, 2007 2:40 pm PT

    Good thing I installed it yesterday, and had zero problems applying the auto-update following the install. Game runs great on a dual core PC with a GF 8800-class card.

  • Gen007

    Posted Aug 23, 2007 2:39 pm PT

    this is why most people dont mess with pc gaming the pirates have everyone scared i mean come on you have to connect to their servers to play the game thats some BS. I mean what if someone has a pc but no internet so they cant play bioshock and even with all of that i bet the game will still be hacked

  • Dylanius

    Posted Aug 23, 2007 2:39 pm PT

    But what about replayability? You pay 55$, play play play, get stuck/beat the game... What then? Multiplayer? Buying games and then playing them for a week or two is not a very wise investment, given the price and limited enjoyment.

  • philsin

    Posted Aug 23, 2007 2:37 pm PT

    The issue is much bigger than just the servers crashing which is bad enough. The insanely complex and hidden DRM process on this game has prevented many legitimate customers from being able to use the game they paid for.
    The bioshock forum gives a flavour for this chaos.
    http://forums.2kgames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6628&page=26

    Since Gamespot have actively promoted this game I believe they owe it to their subscribers to keep us informed of the issues around this mess.

  • sideoftheham

    Posted Aug 23, 2007 2:37 pm PT

    that sucks man

  • bliechty

    Posted Aug 23, 2007 2:36 pm PT

    The great irony of this is that the plot of the game revolves around disasters emerging from capitalism gone awry.

  • Disillusioned01

    Posted Aug 23, 2007 2:34 pm PT

    For all of you whining about the 2 install limit, that is two simultaneous installations. So if you have two computers with Bioshock on them and want it on a third, you'd have to uninstall it from one of your other computers first. If you properly uninstall the game before reinstalling it, you will have no problems. Granted, it's still a little ridiculous, but it's nowhere near as bad as you're all making it out to be. Read up on it before you start whining.

  • Land-0-Funk

    Posted Aug 23, 2007 2:30 pm PT

    I had no problems installing..just hope I never lose any install codes

  • vbdevpro

    Posted Aug 23, 2007 2:28 pm PT

    "For those who got Bioshock for the 360. Does that version of the game need any sort of patching or balance tweaking? One advantage that PC's games have over consoles is that if something is real buggy or glitchy they can just patch things up unless they want another PS2 Matrix game -_-"

    360 games can and have been patched fairly easily.

  • Fade2gray

    Posted Aug 23, 2007 2:24 pm PT

    2K hasn't been winning any fans with the way its handled anything and everything to do with Bioshock. Limited Edition only available at Gamestop, Demos only available at Fileshack, and now unreliable on-line activation with only a two activation limit (I don't know about anyone else but I like uninstall and reinstall my game fairly frequently). 2K really needs to get their heads out of their arses and put back on straight.

  • Myugenjin

    Posted Aug 23, 2007 2:22 pm PT

    Blackace does have a good azz point!

  • datbush

    Posted Aug 23, 2007 2:19 pm PT

    you gotta love the people who defend the "recent screw you gamer" products out now (in game advertising and outrageous copy protection) they really give you a good laugh

  • dlmcgraw

    Posted Aug 23, 2007 2:18 pm PT

    You know, I enjoy playing old games... Just wait... 10 years from now, when you try to install this game and it doesn't work. "You've exceeded your installation amount, please contact so-and-so." Oh, sorry, so-and-so doesn't exist anymore. Thanks, sucker!

  • bignick217

    Posted Aug 23, 2007 2:17 pm PT

    CALIBAH, Thats the very same point I was trying to make. Right now the pirates are getting away with it, and they will crack this game. But it's the legitimate customers who are being treated like criminals. If they keep this up, the legitimate customers will give up and cross the piracy line in order to avoid the hassle that comes with doing things the legal way.

    As you and I have said, they're doing it to themselves, and if they don't wake up and smell the coffee, they are going to put themselves out of business, becuase customers will give up on them.

    And if they think that the average person doesn't know how to crack games, they are in for a big surprise. It has gotten to the point where almost everyone knows how to do it, and everyone gives the exact same reason as to how and why they learned. Because somewhere down the line, they "had" to learn, because doing it the legal way was prevented due to some types of protection the wouldn't allow them to use something the legitmately purchased.

    People don't buy your products because they don't know how to crack them, because almost all of them do now. They buy your products because they "choose" to.

    I've known how to crack games for years because the corporations forced me to learn, yet I still "choose" buy all of my products.

    Why should the legitimate customers be punished for purchasing products.

    The answere is, we should not be.

  • DontEatCream

    Posted Aug 23, 2007 2:16 pm PT

    I'm surprised Gamespot didn't write an article about the 2 activations that BioShock allows. It's probably causing more of a firestorm than the downed servers on most forums.

  • DA_B0MB

    Posted Aug 23, 2007 2:14 pm PT

    Ouch.

  • sm_bw

    Posted Aug 23, 2007 2:06 pm PT

    The latest patched versions of both Company of Heroes and Supreme Commander don't require the DVD in the drive to play. Relic Entertainment, Gas Powered Games, and THQ rate very highly in my book. Why couldn't Bioshock have been like this???

  • FallenOneX

    Posted Aug 23, 2007 2:06 pm PT

    No matter what you believe, it's a sad state when legitamite owners are looking for cracks so that they can play a game they own. Another example of why downlaoding full NEW games won't workout so well for consoles, at least for another couple of years.

  • comthitnuong

    Posted Aug 23, 2007 2:00 pm PT

    Hope they fix it up quick...There are probably a lot of angry gamers out there.

  • Expo_Smacko

    Posted Aug 23, 2007 1:55 pm PT

    Glad I got it for xbox360

  • ChaosLives68 posted Aug 23, 2007 1:54 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    ChaosLives68

    Posted Aug 23, 2007 1:54 pm PT (hide)

    If you think you are being "punished" by having Digital Media Rights then you sir must have it pretty easy. And yes DRM sucks but It is something that looks like we are going to have to put up with for a long time. Lets all just be happy 2K Boston made an amazing game.

  • bulletsword

    Posted Aug 23, 2007 1:50 pm PT

    Welcome to the next generation of gaming... activation... nice...

  • tnyswonger

    Posted Aug 23, 2007 1:50 pm PT

    Glad I bought it at noon the day it came out. Installed with zero problems and so far it's an awesome game!

  • Nick_Cave

    Posted Aug 23, 2007 1:50 pm PT

    CALIBAH , I couldnt agree with you more.

  • Calibah

    Posted Aug 23, 2007 1:46 pm PT

    The industry is really killing itself..

    People have the choice between downloading the games illegally for free and cracking them (cracking takes 10 sec at most) or actually buying the games and supporting the gamemakers.
    But when publishers do stuff like this, making you unable to play the game you've bought, they're driving even the people that want to support them into piracy.

  • beckoflight

    Posted Aug 23, 2007 1:44 pm PT

    Meh .... i'm so angry .... i want Bioshck now ... ..HULK SMASH !

  • Proust

    Posted Aug 23, 2007 1:44 pm PT

    This is too much. I, like everyone else who has the game, is waiting for an activation crack to show up online. Why do I bother paying for a game that treats me like a thief.

  • Bozanimal

    Posted Aug 23, 2007 1:44 pm PT

    @ChaosLives68 - I think the point is that people should not have to jump through hoops once they have paid to play a game. Digital Right Management software have gotten out of hand, and consumers are being punished with license thefts, invasive software, and buggy support.

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