DRM and copyprotection, Is Thier Really Any Point?

So recently a freind of mine purchased chronicles of riddick; assault on dark athena for the PC only to find it had mandatory SecuROM copy protection which limits the user to 3 installs before the disk is basically useless. This had apeared, as some of you will know, in even more restricting forms in the past and has to end if the PC gaming is ever going to really recover.

Firstly; Mass Effect was fitted with secuROM, which made you have to active it EVER 10 DAYS! That's ridiculous. It also emabled the '3 strikes' type of install limitation.In additon to this uninstalling did not re-emburse your original install, this makes the game practically un-useable in this form. Second to fall prey to this was Bioshock, the game also had the 3 installs limit. Spore was also given a limit of 5 installs and had to be registerd on-line to activate it.

These restrictions are mind-blowingly, well, restrictive to a user who OWNS the game. It basically turns it into a full price rental. It also makes non internet computers unable to play these games.

This will either do one of three things.

• 1. The user will simply not buy the game (as was the case with me and Spore as it was a PC exclusive)
• 2. The user will buy the game on a different platform (i did this for bioshock and ME)
• 3. The user will pirate the game DUE TO the copy protection

I know many peole who have taken route 3 instead of putting up with copy protection, sometimes when they actually own the game just to get arround the installs limit or registration.

There is also an other issue, Copy protection just dosen't work"Despite EA's efforts, Spore has seen relatively substantial rates of illegal piracy among peer-to-peer groups, and with a reported 1.7 million downloads over BitTorrent networks, it was the most-pirated game of 2008".

There are thousends of crakers, hackers and modders who will get arround any form of DRM no matter how restrictibe.

All DRM ends up doing is punishing the legit user whilst the pirate gets a version of the game which is actually MORE functional. There would seem to be no reason to do it, but as we have seen riddick has gone back to the draconian method of 3 installs, they obviously havn't listened. There are countless games with less copy protection that get pirated less than the Uber DRM ones, why **** on your own userbase?

There is no point in it, other than trying to kill PC gaming and annoy PC gamers until they give in and buy a console. Companies are seriously trying to kill PC gaming, especially Microsoft, since MS doesn't directly get money when someone buys a PC game. What MS doesn't realize is that if PC gaming ever "died", NOBODY would use Windows anymore since the only reason to use Windows is to play games. So they are digging their own grave without even realizing that they're doing so.

Paying Idiot...sorry I mean customer: Brutally abused through DRM Downloading wise guy/pirate: No DRM enjoying the game for free Can anyone explain what kind of moron came up with the above business model?True_Gamer_

EA :oops:

Basicallt its like this. I do not believe that any game developer believes that DRM works. Whether a game has DRM is up to the publisher. The publisher is under pressure from the share holders. These share holders decide whether the game has DRM. Since most share holders look at profit and not in what they invest I am pretty sure they do not know much about DRM. They were pitched the idea that it secures the game from piracy and believed it.

There is no point in it, other than trying to kill PC gaming and annoy PC gamers until they give in and buy a console. Companies are seriously trying to kill PC gaming, especially Microsoft, since MS doesn't directly get money when someone buys a PC game. What MS doesn't realize is that if PC gaming ever "died", NOBODY would use Windows anymore since the only reason to use Windows is to play games. So they are digging their own grave without even realizing that they're doing so.

HenriH-42

Basicallt its like this. I do not believe that any game developer believes that DRM works. Whether a game has DRM is up to the publisher. The publisher is under pressure from the share holders. These share holders decide whether the game has DRM. Since most share holders look at profit and not in what they invest I am pretty sure they do not know much about DRM. They were pitched the idea that it secures the game from piracy and believed it.

rzepak

I really hate DRM.I buy all my games and I usually get problems installing them because of DRM.

They are using their neck to strangle pirates, thus killing themselves in the process.

DRM is as insulting as it is useless.

Make games free = no more pirates.

DRM is extremely stupid. Pirates still break through it and play the game for free, but the people who legitimately pay for it are punished. I really hope developers learn how foolish this is. Deadly_Fatalis

I wonder if having a game pirate free for a month AT MOST is really worth turning massive amounts of people away from PC gaming?General_X

I wonder if having a game pirate free for a month AT MOST is really worth turning massive amounts of people away from PC gaming?General_X

I wonder if having a game pirate free for a month AT MOST is really worth turning massive amounts of people away from PC gaming?General_X

there is no point, all drm does is make people go crack hunting so they don't have to deal with it. Steam type drm is fine when it is tied to your account and can be installed as many times as you like but install limitation don't work. imprezawrx500

Steam is the way to go when it comes to DRM.

It can still be cracked (not as easily as secuROM and others), but at least it makes it easier on the legitimate users and they can install it as many times as they'd like.

The downside is it requires an internet connection, but is that really so demanding? Technology is advancing quickly and the people responsible for protecting their products better get with the times and realize that these old methods don't work anymore.

Well why are they still charging full price for this hacked up gaming licences. When I did more gaming on my PC, I never left all my games installed, only the ones I used more frequently, but how can I do this with install limits.

What if its actually a really good game? My best games, have been installed on my computers many many times for various reasons. All my games are legit by the way.

Plus I don't see what installing has to do with piracy.

Pirates have forced this desperation on the publishers part, I don't know why people pirate PC games apart from it being available to them, PC games aren't expensive.

Well why are they still charging full price for this hacked up gaming licences. When I did more gaming on my PC, I never left all my games installed, only the ones I used more frequently, but how can I do this with install limits.

What if its actually a really good game? My best games, have been installed on my computers many many times for various reasons. All my games are legit by the way.

Plus I don't see what installing has to do with piracy.

Pirates have forced this desperation on the publishers part, I don't know why people pirate PC games apart from it being available to them, PC games aren't expensive.