Modding single player Mass Effect 3 bans you from Origin

[PingoBlack]

Jesus, SK, are you paid by BioWare?

BTW, this is exactly what people have been warning you when we heard of how Origin EULA is written. YOU allowed them to scan all files on your HD, not only memory space like other companies do.

So now instead of just banning modded game from connecting to servers by running memory checksums, they can scan your file system and checksum your whole install, even when you are offline.

But hey, weren't you calling people warning you about that alarmist anti-BioWare crazies? For the record, file system checksumming is not done by Steam or by Blizzard for WoW as two examples. Because those companies never asked to scan our hard drives and they thus cannot checksum files.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

Well EULAs are enforceable, at least according to several courts.

No, they're enforcable in certain jurisdictions - specifically the jurisdictions of the courts in question and those where lines of precedent from those same courts are binding.

In a lot of other places EULAs are of very questionable value when they're not presented until after purchase and pretty much useless if there's no mechanism for refund should you not agree with the EULA.


Apropos of nothing much, I find it interesting to note that Origin's ToS includes using macro software as a violation... that should be mildly alarming to SWTOR players and a lot of people with gaming keyboards (as many have macroing software built into the driver package).

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

Goddamnit Activision and EAs anti-modding policy's have really gone to far now. Really the whole industry seem to be leaning towards "NO MODDING ALLOWED".

Which is not only a kick in the teeth to PC gamers but also those console gamers who're waiting for the day when open ended modding comes to consoles (if it ever does).

 

[xPixelatedx]

Jesus, SK, are you paid by BioWare?

At this point no one on their side has any justification left for everything that company is doing and saying, so we kind of have to start asking that now, don't we? XD

He might work there or have a family member/friend who does. Game companies are pretty big and they need a lot of staff for a lot of things. But working on the assumption that he is just a fan, then I would just throw him in with the crowd that ate the ending up with a spoon, like the good little consumers they are.

 

[Aprilgold]

By the way, anyone still want to run out the "but... but... Steam is just as bad as Origin!" argument?

I'm just waiting for it.

So... Mods in PC games are frowned upon? Seriously? And where but on the Escapist will you find people standing up and clapping? Seriously, it's like you people HATE gaming.

Sadly, yes. Gaming as a whole has basically been swayed by Publishers and general fandom in order to always side with them. I believe that its just the companies abusing fandom for money and / or protection from bad publicity.

If Deus Ex taught me anything is that a poweful enough news caster can very easily change anything into whatever someone wanted to protect their interests.

 

[getoffmycloud]

Considering that EA wanted mine craft to make it more accessible for mods they are a pretty stupid company.
Everyone hates them that's why their in semi final for worst company (hoping they win but realistically probably BOA)
The'll eventually add a steam workshop kind of thing but that is just ridiculous.
They are just begging people to pirate because the only way to have real fun in the game will now cost you everything on your account.
I loath EA i don't really think anyone properly supports
I bought the game so why the hell can't I enjoy mods.
Jesus bans multi player mods fine but single player is mine.

As much as I agree ban the multiplayer mods not the single player ones how do you go about doing that.

Say I was to mod a god weapon into my game with the intent of only using it for the single player how do EA know i'm not going to use it in the multiplayer?

 

[Karathos]

It's the Starcraft singleplayer controversy all over again. When will people stop popping a vein every time this happens?

This is the kind of shit that spawns the "entitlement" arguments that then get mis-used in other conversations. You're dealt a hand, you play your cards - you gambled, you lost, you got banned. Such a goddamn first-world problem it's just upsetting.

Grab a mirror, folks, and take a long hard look at the person that caused your ban if you received one.

 

[TorqueConverter]

I don't get it. I need a little bit of help here getting this through my thick skull. Modding, of any type, will result in a ban from Origin because you could possibly be cheating in MP, correct?

OK, I get their logic but has this not been an issue in the past with other MP games? I've only played around with modding in MP games, such as Soldat and BF Vietnam and it was cosmetic stuff and it has had no effect on my or anyone else's MP experience. I thought mods to weapon stats and leader board crap was considered hacking, not modding in a MP game?

Why would the game even allow you to go online in MP with modified files involving weapons and other MP centric stuff? Did they not bother to put a system in to check and just decided to drop the ban-hammer on all modding, cosmetic or otherwise MP and single player? If so, that's just lazy Bioware and wreaks of disregard and indifference to your consumers. Funny thing is I already got that tone from them with the day 1 DLC nonsense and their stance on the game ending.

EDIT: If freaking Soldat, a free indie MP only shooter with a player base of a couple hundred can have a anti cheat system in place that is able to distinguish between cosmetic modifications to the game and hacking/cheating, then AAA title backed by big bucks sure as hell can too.

 

[Soviet Steve]

EDIT: If freaking Soldat, a free indie MP only shooter with a player base of a couple hundred can have a anti cheat system in place that is able to distinguish between cosmetic modifications to the game and hacking/cheating, then AAA title backed by big bucks sure as hell can too.

Well you can but why would you want to? It takes a miniscule amount of money and effort, and the world's full of idiots that would pay triple the price EA is asking for half the content simply because it is Mass Effect.

... Oh and "Mwahahahahahaha"

 

[TorqueConverter]

EDIT: If freaking Soldat, a free indie MP only shooter with a player base of a couple hundred can have a anti cheat system in place that is able to distinguish between cosmetic modifications to the game and hacking/cheating, then AAA title backed by big bucks sure as hell can too.

Well you can but why would you want to? It takes a miniscule amount of money and effort, and the world's full of idiots that would pay triple the price EA is asking for half the content simply because it is Mass Effect.

... Oh and "Mwahahahahahaha"

I kinda though game developers are our peers. You know, gamers that have found a away to make a living doing what they love for a community of like minded individuals. For the most part I believe that assessment to still be true but with the influence EA and Activision have, that seems to be changing.

 

[Soviet Steve]

I kinda though game developers are our peers. You know, gamers that have found a away to make a living doing what they love for a community of like minded individuals. For the most part I believe that assessment to still be true but with the influence EA and Activision have, that seems to be changing.

Ehh, I'd say it has more to do with lawyers and businessmen also being in the decision-making process as far as the games are concerned, that and gaming is still finding it footing. It could go either way though as it matures and new blood comes in I don't see these people competing too well on service. Evolution in business takes time, and fucking hell does that suck. >_>

 

[TitanAtlas]

"YOU'LL GET THE GAME BY OUR RULES, YOU WILL EXPERIENCE THE ENDINGS WE GIVE YOU AND YOU WILL PLAY EVERYTHING BY OUR RULES AND WITH THE THIGNS WE GIVE YOU!!!"

Love
-EA

 

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

I think they have they have the right to do that. Tampering with their game is a betrayal of trust...

WTF? The whole benefit of PC gaming is that we have full access to our file system. Unlike the "locked down" consoles, we can alter resolutions, textures and what have you. It's been going on since the beginning and will never change. It's our game to play with and tweak how we like.

Multiplayer is a different story. Anything that affects another player's experience better or worse I think is absolutely inappropriate. Single player however, to be banned from origin....?? Wouldn't that imply that the player would then no longer be able to play ME3 thereafter? Or would they be unable to ever download it, or other origin games, ever again?

 

[veloper]

So you cannot even mod or fanpatch games you got from EA/Origin, or risk losing everthing you ever bought on their store?

A good thing to know. Better stick with Steam, GOG, direct2drive, gamer's gate, etc. Anything that isn't Origin.

 

[Flames66]

The angry mob has already said everything I was thinking. I will just conclude with I will not be using Origin or any other system controlled by EA. Also to everyone who does I say take EAs advice and "Challenge Everything!"

It's the Starcraft singleplayer controversy all over again. When will people stop popping a vein every time this happens?

This is the kind of shit that spawns the "entitlement" arguments that then get mis-used in other conversations. You're dealt a hand, you play your cards - you gambled, you lost, you got banned. Such a goddamn first-world problem it's just upsetting.

Grab a mirror, folks, and take a long hard look at the person that caused your ban if you received one.

This post represents everything that is wrong with society. This is not acceptable and yet there are people who actively support it. It reminds me of people who say the police have the right to knock your door down on the mere suspicion that you have a cannabis plant in your window box.

 

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

You can mod things in TF2 that work in multiplayer without being banned, though that's only really graphics. F.ex one can change the engineers wrench into a hammer, or the spy's dagger into something else, a wood texture with a different one, and so on. Whether those changes will last thru a patch I have no idea, but VAC I believe checks client/server data for tampering, rather than GFX files. And the worst thing that will happen if someone does cheat I believe is a server ban. Obviously if it happens enough, a player will run out of servers quickly, but there's no outright ban of the game entirely, LET ALONE their entire game library.

I've modded my ME3 coalesced.bin file loads on my 2nd playthru. 1st one, vanilla. 2nd playthru I've unlocked all armours, casual appearances, disabled fuel usage on galaxy map, disabled reapers on galaxy map and made scanning much faster, I've fixed the consolised FOV which is lazy game design and shouldn't need fixing. I've basically unlocked all content that would otherwise be available over the course of a game from the start and taken out the annoying bits. That's my prerogative to edit it. I'm not doing anything illegal, affecting other players or infringing on copyright. Ban me then, I dare you.

 

[Kathinka]

the real reason behind this is obviously that they don't want fans to make new content like cool new guns, missions and clothing. because then the stuff that they created in 10 minutes and try to pimp out to the end users as DLC wouldn't sell as well anymore.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

And the worst thing that will happen if someone does cheat I believe is a server ban. Obviously if it happens enough, a player will run out of servers quickly, but there's no outright ban of the game entirely, LET ALONE their entire game library.

That's the thing, a VAC ban can, at worst, get you punted from a game's official servers for good and a forum ban can get you permanently punted from Steam's forums... where on Origin similar things would see your entire service terminated. It would seem that Valve requires a higher level of 'offence' before they start taking all the toys away.

The funny thing is EA were promising to 'fix' forum bans becoming termination of services even before Origin launched. That's how long this shitfuckery has been going on.

 

[barbzilla]

I think they have they have the right to do that. Tampering with their game is a betrayal of trust...

WTF? The whole benefit of PC gaming is that we have full access to our file system. Unlike the "locked down" consoles, we can alter resolutions, textures and what have you. It's been going on since the beginning and will never change. It's our game to play with and tweak how we like.

Multiplayer is a different story. Anything that affects another player's experience better or worse I think is absolutely inappropriate. Single player however, to be banned from origin....?? Wouldn't that imply that the player would then no longer be able to play ME3 thereafter? Or would they be unable to ever download it, or other origin games, ever again?

Correct, you would be unable to use your Origin account. Including all of the content you previously paid for unrelated to ME3 as well. So your BF3, BFBC2, Need for Speed, The Old Republic online, ect are all on your Origin account (because EA forces you to register on their system) and you get banned for modding the skins in the single player game, you are now unable to use all of said content. You must now make a brand new account and re-purchase all above materials previously purchased. And they wonder why people choose to do things through other online sources.

 

[Woodsey]

I think they have they have the right to do that. Tampering with their game is a betrayal of trust...

What trust? You can do what you want to your own copy. Its not the intended experience, but you've paid your way so it doesn't matter. Presumably you feel that they can pursue legal action if you decide to stick your dick through the disc hole instead of actually playing the game, because they were "trusting you" to not get funky with it.

This is just petty attempts at control for no logical reason. It also begs the rather worrying question of what they consider a mod - are we going to start being banned from all our games on Origin (all one of them) for altering some textures?