Mass Effect 3 PC will require Orgin

[FoolKiller]

4) Will ME3 be available on Steam?
During initial release Mass Effect 3 will be available on Origin and a number of other 3rd party digital retailers, but not on Steam at this time. Steam has adopted a set of restrictive terms of service which limit how developers interact with customers to deliver patches and other downloadable content. We are intent on providing Mass Effect to players with the best possible experience no matter where they purchase or play their game, and are happy to partner with any download service that does not restrict our ability to connect directly with our consumers.

EA calling steam restrictive is laughable.
I guess the good news is that it MIGHT eventually be on steam, meaning i MIGHT eventually purchase it, if its on sale.

They call it restrictive because they won't allow EA to spy on their customers.

 

[Tony2077]

all you people that ***** and complain about this do yourself a favor and think before you post your hate filled BS.

 

[FoolKiller]

Good thing I'm getting it on Xbox, then. 'HA' IS ALL I HAVE TO SAY TO YOU, EA. HA.
But ME3 will be the last EA game I buy. I'll make sure of it.

I can one up that. I refuse to buy anything EA new anymore. I just can't stand their shitheadedness.

And yes, Origin may be good or bad but I'm not going that route. I can live without the nonsense that is EA running things.

 

[bkrockwell]

Your metaphor was nice, but whatever happened to the good old "the customer is king"? Why do we have to swallow everything they present us? I, and I believe most people, do not want Origin at all, but do want to play Mass Effect 3.

So here's a metaphor to give another take on the ordeal: I'm in my house and want to go outside, but suddenly, I find there's a door-to-door salesman blocking my path who says, "Sorry, sir, I can't let you out unless you buy this vacuumcleaner." But I don't want a vacuumcleaner, I just want to go outside.

Similarly, I don't want Origin, but I do want Mass Effect 3. Here's where my metaphor ties in: The previous 2 instalments of the series required no Origin, but now the concluding chapter does, and according to your reasoning, I have 2 choices: I am to either accept Origin, or not get the game at all and be forever deprived of the concluding chapter of a game series that I liked.

But, what happened to option number 3, namely: to get this game without any unwanted bloatware hanging off its sides?

Nowadays, it seems we are herded into believing that the customer is supposed to take any shit that a company gives them without objecting to it, and we seem to have forgotten that it is the customer that gives the company power.

Since I agree with the sentiment of what you're saying, I won't pick apart your analogy. Basically, I don't really care whether people pirate this game or not - the problem I have is if they pretend (or worse, believe) that Origin gives them logically sound justification for doing so. I agree with your general tone and sentiment of your post, but I don't make the leap to deciding it means I can actually defend obtaining their game without paying a dime. That's an argument I don't believe you can logically back up (as in, free of holes, contradictions and fallacies).

I guess I just wish more people owned up to the fact you can't justify piracy, but they're okay with doing it. "I know I shouldn't, but it's just so easy and obviously very cost-effective, so for now, I can live with myself."

Bottom line is, EA have business practices that are going to result in a lot of people deciding to obtain their products without supporting their business. I don't think those people can successfully defend their actions, but it's a very predictable reaction which EA should have anticipated and could have avoided. I'm not going to stick up for people who pirate ME 3, but I'm not going to have sympathy for EA either.

 

[HassEsser]

Not purchasing ME3 now.

Objectionable portion of Origin EULA:

In addition to information that you give EA directly, EA collects non-
personally identifiable (or anonymous) information for purposes of improving our
products and services, providing services to you, facilitating the provision of
software updates, dynamically served content and product support as well as
communicating with you. The non-personally identifiable information that EA
collects includes technical and related information that identifies your computer
(including the Internet Protocol Address) and operating system, as well as
information about your Application usage (including but not limited to successful
installation and/or removal), software, software usage and peripheral hardware.

Egregious unnecessary spying clause highlighted.

Translation: "We get to peek at what else you have installed on your system and how often you use it, as well as peek at whatever hardware you have, and we get to do it all without letting you opt out. Nice tax returns by the way, hey, we see you use TaxCut, did you know TurboTax is better? Yeah, might wanna try it. Oh, if you don't consent to all this, you don't get to play Mass Effect 3. Have a nice day."

EA doesn't need to gather this information silently, behind users' backs and essentially without their consent. Sure some of it could be useful during troubleshooting, such as which antivirus or firewall you might be running, but they could ask for that if and when necessary. They could even have a button to click to generate a problem report containing the relevant info. Instead, this gives them carte blanche to look at everything, silently, with no way to stop it.

It's disgusting.

It's spyware.

So, I kinda really dislike Origin, and am a huge fan of STEAM, but you are aware that STEAM does the exact same thing? They analyze your computer's components, hardware- and software-wise, yet we don't scrutinize them for it because they've been doing it since day one, and thus no one has really noticed.

To be honest, I couldn't care less that these digital distributors are looking at my computer. I mean, I give them my fucking credit card information and email address, why wouldn't I trust them?

 

[Sylveria]

I hadn't seen this here so far, and I know it concerns a number of Escapist users. Mass Effect 3 on PC [http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/323/index/8975536] is going to require Origin. Even though I'm not a PC gamer, am a massive fan of the Mass Effect games, and am anticipating ME3 unlike any game since ME2, this disappoints me.

My preorder stands firm (360 version), but I know I've seen a lot of you say you'd think of cancelling if this came to be. I don't pretend to understand the issue fully, but back gamers' right to vote with their wallets on issues that concern them.

Never buy an EA published game on the PC. They intentionally pump their PC relases with as much garbage and DRM as they can to discourage piracy, but instead just screw the legitimate buyers.

Of course, I don't recommend supporting EA at all with their attitude towards their consumers.

 

[Ickorus]

I know they changed the privacy policy but I still have no plan on downloading Origin, didn't really play the Mass Effect games at launch anyway, always something I bought during Steam sales.

 

[Sylveria]

So, I kinda really dislike Origin, and am a huge fan of STEAM, but you are aware that STEAM does the exact same thing? They analyze your computer's components, hardware- and software-wise, yet we don't scrutinize them for it because they've been doing it since day one, and thus no one has really noticed.

To be honest, I couldn't care less that these digital distributors are looking at my computer. I mean, I give them my fucking credit card information and email address, why wouldn't I trust them?

Yet another person who has not closely read the Steam EULA and privacy policy.

Origin, as worded, reserves the right to perform scans on your entire computer. Steam limits itself to software you use through Steam.

 

[PurePareidolia]

I'm not buying Mass Effect 3 because of it. I want to see the ending, but not that much.

If the stuff in the leaked story documents remains in place (and it would take a lot of work to change it at this point), you may not want to see the ending at all.

I was already fairly set on avoiding this - the Origin requirement just reinforces that decision.

So I've heard.
Speaking of which, any idea where to find that? I figure I might as well have a look.

 

[Risingblade]

*hugs Xbox* You may not be able to play mods but at least you don't have to make me worry about origin

 

[Tony2077]

origin is bad its the end of the world whine cry spit god damn give it a rest people

 

[Liam Riordan]

After buying ME 1 & 2 in a Steam Sale I came to love them, and couldn't wait for the next in the trilogy.

Sadly, I am completely against Origin in its data mining form. I will accept that it'll slowly become another gaming platform like Steam, we can't avoid it EA has the money for it.

But I'm missing out on BF3 and ME3 because of Origin and its annoying.

I don't like Origin, EA, I WILL buy both products NEW if you let me have the OPTION to install Origin!

 

[Aircross]

Well, now I don't have to worry about being indecisive about whether to get ME3 on launch day or wait for a sale.

 

[Rainforce]

It's a deal breaker for me. Refuse to have origin on my PC. That said i refuse to also get it on my PS3 as well. So i will be acquiring the game another way, and i will not feel guilty about it in the slightest.

Same here, same here.
Damn that's sad. Hope they'll see what it got them : /
ME3 alone sure might be worth its money, but me getting origin would take EA far more than exists on this planet.

 

[Zaik]

That's just fine, I know where to find some scurvy lads that handle these sorts of problems on a regular basis.

They managed to tear the GFWL out of Fallout 3, and beat Assassin Creed 2's always online DRM in under 24 hours, I don't see how this is that much different.

 

[illas]

Not purchasing ME3 now.

Objectionable portion of Origin EULA:

In addition to information that you give EA directly, EA collects non-
personally identifiable (or anonymous) information for purposes of improving our
products and services, providing services to you, facilitating the provision of
software updates, dynamically served content and product support as well as
communicating with you. The non-personally identifiable information that EA
collects includes technical and related information that identifies your computer
(including the Internet Protocol Address) and operating system, as well as
information about your Application usage (including but not limited to successful
installation and/or removal), software, software usage and peripheral hardware.

Egregious unnecessary spying clause highlighted.

Translation: "We get to peek at what else you have installed on your system and how often you use it, as well as peek at whatever hardware you have, and we get to do it all without letting you opt out. Nice tax returns by the way, hey, we see you use TaxCut, did you know TurboTax is better? Yeah, might wanna try it. Oh, if you don't consent to all this, you don't get to play Mass Effect 3. Have a nice day."

EA doesn't need to gather this information silently, behind users' backs and essentially without their consent. Sure some of it could be useful during troubleshooting, such as which antivirus or firewall you might be running, but they could ask for that if and when necessary. They could even have a button to click to generate a problem report containing the relevant info. Instead, this gives them carte blanche to look at everything, silently, with no way to stop it.

It's disgusting.

It's spyware.

Wow, I was morally against Origin before I read this post.

Seriously, that's astounding.

 

[Twilight_guy]

I actually kind of sort of wonder how big the overlap of people who just don't like EA and people who dislike Origin specifically is. Is there a market that thinks EA is okay but Origin is too far? Is one a prerequisite hate for the other? Could make an interesting if pointless study.

I don't know how this will effect me. I'll probably buy the game long after its release so I'll see how things pan out before its an issue for me.