GOG Says DRM Drives Gamers to Piracy
- Thread starter Andy Chalk
- Start date
I love Good Old Games. The cheapness of the games, and the neat extras that come with it (soundtracks, wallpapers, etc.) are always nice.
Not really interested in the Witcher 2, but I've been buying alot of games on their site as of late.
Not really interested in the Witcher 2, but I've been buying alot of games on their site as of late.
There is some truth to this, I think. Most people who pirate a game were likely never going to pay for it anyway, so, it's not exactly a lost sale. Course I could be wrong on this, I'm not an expert on this matter.
I will say, though, that when it comes to old games I always check GoG first to see if it's on there before looking for a torrent or free download of it, and if it is on GoG then I will buy it from them instead, so, there you go.
Also: I'm debating on getting The Witcher 2. The first one was good but it had a serious flaw of being very easy to forget what you were doing as far as the main story goes, as Yahtzee pointed out. I'm hoping they address this in the sequel.
I will say, though, that when it comes to old games I always check GoG first to see if it's on there before looking for a torrent or free download of it, and if it is on GoG then I will buy it from them instead, so, there you go.
Also: I'm debating on getting The Witcher 2. The first one was good but it had a serious flaw of being very easy to forget what you were doing as far as the main story goes, as Yahtzee pointed out. I'm hoping they address this in the sequel.
Very well put. I think I will go buy a copy of the first game, and if I like it, I will preorder the new one.
I also love his line
I also love his line
On board 100% buddy!
I just see those Activation limits as a car key or household key. As long as you keep it you'll be fine.
My PC really haven't crashed lately and modern PCs are quite stable as well.
So the whole "Treating us like criminals" is a tad bit overreacting imo. Personally I find the CD/DVD need to be the more annoying type of DRM.
But people pirate because.
1: It's free.
2: They don't have any money.
3: Hate the DRM so much and try to make a point by pirating it.
It's the "FREE" part that lures the most people.
My PC really haven't crashed lately and modern PCs are quite stable as well.
So the whole "Treating us like criminals" is a tad bit overreacting imo. Personally I find the CD/DVD need to be the more annoying type of DRM.
But people pirate because.
1: It's free.
2: They don't have any money.
3: Hate the DRM so much and try to make a point by pirating it.
It's the "FREE" part that lures the most people.
The Witcher is indeed a great game. I'm actually looking forward to the sequel. I can't quite remember when that last happened.tzimize said:Yeah. Granted, a lot of the reason is the fact that The Witcher is one of the best games I have ever played, despite its flaws...but yeah. Go no-DRMteh_gunslinger said:
And the gog.com offer is great for me, as a European, with a 16$ in-store credit to offset the lame overpricing that happens here, and of course all the other nice stuff, including a free game.
I think what he really thinks, is that spending money on DRM which will be 'cracked' sooner or later is a waste of time. However he does say one important thing. Respect goes both ways. If the publisher/developer treats the clients as thieves, the clients will treat the publishers/developers in the same way. Reciprocal behavior is one of the basics, and some (stares at Ubisoft) didn't learn the lesson yet.
This is me. And I agree it's a bloody waste of time but I like to play my games to the fullest. It's akin to treating all your customers as robbers the second they walk in the store. It feels uncomfortable and makes you want to leave.Andy Chalk said:
I have never once pirated a game I didn't already own.
It's really no surprise to hear that Elite developer say AAA games won't last, not only because of the cost of developing, but then to put such a huge barrier to buy is just a joke. I HAVE pirated but ONLY for the reasons expressed above when the DRM made it unplayable, and have always bought a copy of the game.
Though the excuse that "I have no money" is not a license to steal in any circumstances and is cannibalising the industry. The next time someone says the gameplay was linear they better have bought the game because no developer is doing 3 months more work for free.
Though the excuse that "I have no money" is not a license to steal in any circumstances and is cannibalising the industry. The next time someone says the gameplay was linear they better have bought the game because no developer is doing 3 months more work for free.
Steam is more than your typical DRM though. It also manages the CUSTOMER'S rights, allowing someone to play a game on basically any computer he wants without needing to carry a disc around. Wanna play Half Life 2 at your buddy's house? If he's already got the game, you just need to log in, and not only do they allow it and make it as easy as possible, but you've already got your custom key mappings and savegame ready for you. What's more, they have matchup features (easy to join a friend's match in any Steam game) and cross-game chat.WaaghPowa said:
While Steam is technically a form of DRM, Valve has gone out of their way to make it something that protects and benefits their customers as much as themselves. It's not overly restrictive, no install limits, no need to insert a disc every time you play, you only need to be online the first time you play something and you can use offline mode after that, etc.
I think what it boils down to is that customers don't like being treated like criminals, and most DRM does exactly that. This is also the reason Steam doesn't get the same kind of crap about it, because they very much DON'T.
P.S. Thanks
Those that will never buy a game and pirate them know what and the hows of dealing with malware. they take a chance on it and if they get one with a virus or something its no more than just deleting it and grabbing a different download. if you are a naive unsuspecting noob then yes ofcourse you will probably need to some major work to get your pc back going, for experianced pirates its just a matter of a minor inconvienance when they get nailed by a bad virus. with that in mind why does comapnies like Ubisoft think that having DRM that is so draconian that it makes legit customers pirate that the DRM helps stop it? and yes I have 4 Ubi titles that I bought, and have a pirated version without the DRM that i actualy use. not one contained a virus and was easy enough to find and download.
Wouldn't agree completely. Price is a huge factor also. Add regional pricing where some people are forced to pay sometimes even double price for the game and you can see why pirating is a better alternative. Its free and its fair for everyone. Publishers who try to squeeze double amount deserve nothing less than watching millions play for free.
I've got XP and Windows7 laptops that probably can't support this game, which really saddens me because after hearing this guy I want to support his company as much as possible.
Someone! Hey! Someone buy this game new since I can't!
Someone! Hey! Someone buy this game new since I can't!
Regional pricing makes smart people import those cheap games and sell them for more in richer countries. It's like you'd go to Poland, and pay 50 zloty for a game, and then sell it for 40?. Thats about 300% Return on Investment. This is why it won't work. Unless we are all ready to welcome "zones" again.. well, I'm not, that's for sure.Faky said:
I did crack several of my singleplayer games due to DRM, even due to such small thing as requirement to have CD/DVD in when it got lost and later when my DVD drive died. The oalways-online ones are the worst tho, i have a decent connection but the infrastructure in my neighbourhood is pretty terrible so the signal strength get's very weak and during cold or rainy days it can disconnect several times during day. Not fun when your game craps out every 30 minutes.Keith K said:
Now as for the Adobe price. Question is do You really need Adobe? If the answer is yes then 7 small commissions will make it's worth the money, 100$ for a piece of work is pretty standard. For your own hobby use there is loads of freeware software that will provide you with enough features starting with GiMP for eg. Similarly for 3d artists you do not need zBrush nor 3ds max for your own pleasure, you can use Blender or Sculptris, both are freeware.
Adobe is not for amateurs doodling in their free time, it's professional software used in industry.
To add upon the Adobe argument - such software can be bought for about 10% of its value if you are a student, and you need this software to learn your profession. You are often eligible for discount programs if you are in an Art college.Keava said: