GSC Mulls Always-On DRM for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2

[Baresark]

Also, a big FYI. Pirating console games if fucking easy. So the fact that it's also a console release is not actually an excuse. As it stands now, in order to pirate 360 games, you need a DVD burner and a thumb drive.

 

[Mekado]

This is one of the few cases that having a properly organised boycott would actually help. Why? STALKER is, pretty much, GSC Game World's sole source of income these days. It's also a series that isn't really widely popular, depending mostly on a hardcore group of fans.

So if those fans, me being one of them, clearly say; guys, we don't take shit like this, it could send a powerful message through the industry. I know I won't be getting STALKER 2 if they really are going to use this.

...AAAAANd there goes my interest in buying it!

Take it easy, it hasn't been implemented yet. It's good to be wary and on your toes, but rushing it doesn't do you any good either.

Agreed, this has certainly made me think twice about buying it if they actually go through with this and I'm certainly all for the boycott, especially if it has your aforementioned knock-on effect.

Anyone playing a pirated copy of Batman: Arkham Asylum found themselves playing a Batman unable to do leaping attacks or something to that effect, which basically made the game unplayable for them. That's the way to do it; actually punish the pirates! I can think of loads of ways this could be done in S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2:

1) When you throw a grenade, it flies back in your face
2) You start off with the worst possible - irredeemable - reputation with the NPC's, you scum!
3) You don't get to use any guns, or they spontaneously disintegrate as soon as you pick them up, or they simply can't hit anything; turn a classic series bug/design flaw into a punishment
4) You get no emission warnings and they hit instantly
5) Lock all the graphics settings at the absolute minimum but also cap the frame rate at 10
6) Leave in the crash-to-desktop Bug Trap duet
7) Your PDA only displays a middle finger
8) Remove the crouch/slightly-lower-crouch controls

I could go on but you get the idea and I invite everyone to see how many you can come up with.

Edit: Sorry for the double-post, my browser briefly slowed to a crawl as soon as I clicked Post so I clicked back and tried again, not realising it actually did post the first one.

Hehe yeah i was thinking something in the same vein, make a "different" game when it's pirated, the game is already hard as it is but if you change every single mob for, say, a mix of bloodsuckers and chimeras, the little pistol you start with will only be useful to blow your brains out

 

[Royas]

They can mull always on DRM all they want... however, I'll be mulling always-off S.T.A.L.K.E.R. As in, always off my computer.

Don't do it, guys. This type of DRM never works, and can lead to greater piracy as people seek to just get the game to play without your inevitably crappy servers getting in the way of their fun. Don't be the perpetrators of bad engineering.