Atari's Digital Download Hell

[CrystalShadow]

Yeah, I'm just going to rant a little bit, because this has been very irritating.
Don't feel obliged to read this (It's gonna be long)...

So, a few days ago, I find out Chris Sawyer created a 'sequel' to Transport Tycoon, called 'Locomotion'. It's old now (2004), but as it turns out, Atari has it available on their digital downloads service...

It wasn't too expensive, so I thought, why not?

Well, turns out Atari is into Crazy-ass over the top DRM (for a 6 year old game???), and worse, is irresponsible in giving you the codes needed to unlock this DRM.

First, upon downloading the game, it gave me a code that's supposed to get the game to work.
But, the installation file creates a folder equivalent to the installation CD the game probably once had.
Then, when you try to install it, it asks you for a CD key...

Fine. Whatever, they've given me a code, that must be what it is right?

Wrong! Firstly, I noticed the code didn't look like the example of what the game wanted as a CD key.
I tried a dozen variations, then looked for more information online.

This led me to the fact that the CD key for this game should be 24 characters, as 6 groups of 4 seperated by dashes. (Eg. Something like XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX)

The code I was given had no dashes in it, but I figured that could just be an oversight... However, it was also 25 characters long....

Further, a question on a forum I found that this game, on top of having a CD key, if downloaded digitally also contains SecuROM...

Well, stories about SecuROM aside, I now figured they'd given me the SecuROM code, but not the CD key.

I emailed them, saying the code they'd given me didn't work...

(While waiting for this, and because I was a little bit frustrated, I looked up a CD key for this game elsewhere - This code looked exactly as I would have expected, and allowed installation. It also allowed me to confirm that there was indeed a second DRM system (SecuROM) activation required when you start the game. - Since this wasn't MY CD key, I uninstalled the game again, waiting for the email response).

So... I get the email reply... And what do they send me? The EXACT SAME CODE They'd already given me...

Now I've emailed them again, and I'm still waiting for a new response.

But... This kind of thing makes me really pissed off.
I know I can find a pirated copy of this game, and get it to work in about 5 minutes.

Yet I buy a legitimate download, and at this stage I'm not even sure it will ever work...

I mean, what the hell? How is this going to encourage anyone to do the right thing?

I might as well have flushed money down the toilet for all the good 'buying' this did me...

No wonder steam is so popular. At least their downloads work when you buy them.

 

[dududf]

Then pirate it.

You've given them the dues for the product, and the money is the appreciation for them producing the game. I don't think the developers give a damn if you pirate it after to avoid the DRM if it is so debilitating. The EULA is not legally standing so don't worry about any crap you think you may get.

There really shouldn't be any immoral grounds here.

 

[RedEyesBlackGamer]

Developers definitely aren't helping themselves by punishing the one group they shouldn't: paying customers. I remember spending the better part of two hours getting my store bought copy of The Witcher to work. It is one of the reasons why I don't game on the PC. Thank you pirates, you are the reason we can't have nice things.
OP: You might have to crack your legal copy of the game if tech supports continues being incompetent.

 

[Hyper-space]

Fucking this. If secuROM is not able to keep people from pirating it, then fuck it, drop secuROM, make it easier for customers to install the game.

 

[CrystalShadow]

Yeah... I know morally I have paid for it, so getting a copy by other means just to get it to work isn't quite the same as actually pirating it...

But on principle this is just stupid. If the only way to get something to work is to do dubious things with it...

Eh. Anyway...
Thanks Atari. I'll think twice about downloading anything from you guys in future. >_<

 

[CrystalShadow]

Yeah... So, to update this if anyone's paying attention at all:

The response I got was "We can't do anything, you'll have to contact technical support."

I haven't, but among a list of common issues for the tech support area of their site it essentially says:
"If you have a problem with a CD key, for a digital download, contact the online retailer you purchased it from..."

Yeah... I can see how this is going to turn out. >_<

Customer services for their online sales department tells me to contact Technical support, technical support is going to tell me to contact sales...

And I'll be caught in an endless loop trying to find someone who isn't either completely apathetic, or clueless about how to solve this.

So... Yeah. I don't think trying to solve this the 'right' way is going to get me anywhere.

How sad, that in the name of preventing 'theft', companies feel like they can just screw over their paying customers and sell them stuff that essentially doesn't work.