Modding single player Mass Effect 3 bans you from Origin

[SajuukKhar]

So let me just process this for a bit. Modding Mass Effect 3 in any way, no matter how small like making the textures better can get you banned from your ENTIRE Origin account. So say someone has 100 games on Origin (including ME3) then they mod the textures in Mass Effect 3 they can be banned access from not only Mass Effect 3 but the other 99 games that they bought on Origin.

I'm sure that's not going to cause problems for EA and BioWare.

It hasn't caused much problem for Valve and Steam yet, and hey are going on what? 6? 7? years now.

I will suspect it will at sometime in the future

 

[Zeraki]

Sorry is single player that hard for you?

Do you need someone to hold your hand or make you invincible?

If you need to mod the game in anyway, I laugh at you.

It's easy enough.

Most people just mod the game to add cool stuff to it.


Like that.

 

[Jadak]

Source: http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/344/index/9917845/2#10648995

Previously I didn't care about Origin, it just seemed like Steam but slightly worse. However after this I can't endorse it's use to anyone.

Disgusting behaviour from EA, they truly are ruining the industry.

Did you even read the thread, or just the very last post?

Also in the thread is a very clear statement that they are only taking action against those who are modding in a way that impacts the multiplayer experience.

Now, since the last post would seem to conflict with that, I don't really know what they're actually doing, but I would think it's referring to the fact that some of the files that can be edited to change things in single player also happen to be used for multiplayer, which raises the concern that Origin may not discriminate between the exact changes being made.

Either way, not really worth raging about without confirmation on exactly what changes trigger banning, which is not provided in that thread.

 

[Kahunaburger]

enforceable

Define "enforceable."

Can someone get banned from IWNet for using an aimbot? Sure. Can someone get prosecuted for modding their .ini? Haha, nope.

 

[SajuukKhar]

Define "enforceable."

Can someone get banned from IWNet for using an aimbot? Sure. Can someone get prosecuted for modding their .ini? Haha, nope.

Violating a liscening contract could get one prosecuted, and given the sue happy nature of America and large corporations I could see it happening.

really people have gotten sued over more stupid things.

Most people just mod the game to add cool stuff to it.

I must be blind but what was the mod in that video?

 

[Kahunaburger]

None of you read the thread did you?

The problem they're having is that people screwing with the coalesced file impacts multiplayer as well as single player, giving them an unfair advantage (whether or not that was actually the user's intention is a different issue).

.ini tweaks are pretty standard for most multiplayer games, particularly e-sports. If EA really, really doesn't want people to tweak their .ini in multiplayer, they can patch the game around this.

Also for the record, many, many people on the forums have been altering their coalesced.ini files to give themselves extra war assets, so yes they are cheating, not "modding" in the traditional sense. I've not actually seen anyone talking about "real" modding yet.

 

[Waaghpowa]

Source: http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/344/index/9917845/2#10648995

Previously I didn't care about Origin, it just seemed like Steam but slightly worse. However after this I can't endorse it's use to anyone.

Disgusting behaviour from EA, they truly are ruining the industry.

Did you or anyone else read the first page? There was a bioware post that said they're only monitoring MP, not SP. So modding SP is ok. Then the last post says no, dafuq?

 

[Kahunaburger]

Define "enforceable."

Can someone get banned from IWNet for using an aimbot? Sure. Can someone get prosecuted for modding their .ini? Haha, nope.

Violating a liscening contract could get one prosecuted, and given the sue happy nature of America and large corporations I could see it happening.

really people have gotten sued over more stupid things.

Your armchair lawyer is showing

EA is not going to spend a shitton of money on a court case that - even if successful - does not benefit them, and will more likely result in them spending even more money hiring people to re-write their EULA.

 

[Asclepion]

I think we need to define our terms. Is modding just gaining access to data that was already on the disc, or adding new content?

For the record, this is my ME character. There have been numerous "mods" added, such as removing the heavy weapon from her back, changing the hair to be more disgusting from fighting in a helmet, and giving herself thousands of renegade and paragon points to open up every dialogue option. Also, she has every power from every class, for shits and giggles.

I have altered the data in ways that the publishers and developers have not intended. Doing so has enhanced my enjoyment of their game. I can think of no ethical reason for me to be restricted from doing this, or punished for it.

 

[Raziello]

If you buy a lawnmower and add better blades to it, do the people who made the lawnmower have a right to take that lawnmower away from you?

I beleive from the way games are sold nowerdays its more Akin To you Renting a lawnmower and then replacing the blades on it to non-sanctioned ones (which may or may not be better) which naturally they wouldnt like and they would want you to return the lawnmower (and other rented items) back to them and likely not want to provide you a renting service anymore.

 

[SajuukKhar]

Your armchair lawyer is showing

EA is not going to spend a shitton of money on a court case that - even if successful - does not benefit them, and will more likely result in them spending even more money hiring people to re-write their EULA.

I never said they would.

Your word-warping is showing

 

[Dys]

I think they have they have the right to do that. Tampering with their game is a betrayal of trust... Unless they actively encourage it to the point of releasing a mod pack like Valve or Skyrim.

Is it really fair to talk about betrayal of trust on the customers end with the way publishers currently treat gamers?

Modding and hacking has been an integral part of everything computers since the Apple 2 (despite the different direction Apple went in afterward). What gives EA the right to tell you how to use a product that you have bought and paid for? If you buy a car is it a "betrayal of trust" if you drive it on a gravel freeway? If you buy microsoft word are you somehow screwing microsoft if you install and use PDF converter[footnote]A side program that allows you to print to pdf[/footnote] or endnote[footnote]software for referencing more easily[/footnote]? It's completely intolerable for a publisher to restrict your usage of a service or product you have paid for unless it: Needs to be returned to them, is shared with other people or is being claimed as faulty (you can't modify something then reasonably claim it's faulty).

Spoiler: quoted text

................................That's because IT ISN'T ORIGIN SETTING THE RULES IT IS EACH DEVELOPER.

Origin much like Steam doesn't set the rules for what developers allow in their own games. they just enforce the rules the developers make for thier own games, and have an overall DONT CHEAT/HACK in games rules.

Neither Valve nor EA could tell Bethesda to allow modding or get rid of it.

/facepalm

You're flat out wrong. EA are the publisher of Mass Effect and they set the rules. Bioware only make the game. The reason that neither Valve nor EA can tell you what to do with Skyrim is because it's published by Zenimax. Would it be overly pretentious of me to use your facepalm image to demonstrate my frustration at your unimaginable ignorance of what the role of a Publisher is compared to a Developer?

 

[SajuukKhar]

You're flat out wrong. EA are the publisher of Mass Effect and they set the rules. Bioware only make the game. The reason that neither Valve nor EA can tell you what to do with Skyrim is because it's published by Zenimax.

If you truly believe a developer has never told their publisher to fuck off because they wanted to do something different then you are naive.

 

[Kahunaburger]

I have altered the data in ways that the publishers and developers have not intended. Doing so has enhanced my enjoyment of their game. I can think of no ethical reason for me to be restricted from doing this, or punished for it.

True dat.

 

[Dys]

You're flat out wrong. EA are the publisher of Mass Effect and they set the rules. Bioware only make the game. The reason that neither Valve nor EA can tell you what to do with Skyrim is because it's published by Zenimax.

If you truly believe a developer has never told their publisher to fuck off because they wanted to do something different then you are naive.

Do you honestly think that Bioware were in a position where they could tell EA to stick it even if they wanted too or are you just saying stupid things because you're angry about being called out on being so wrong?

 

[Kuchinawa212]

Just don't mod? I mean I know some people like to do it, but sometimes you gotta deal with the fact what you get is what you get. I don't mean to sound sarcastic but if you gotta mod games to make them fun then you're going to learn to live with disappointment. either do it and get banned or just take it for they way it was intended

 

[idarkphoenixi]

Saw that coming a mile away. Origin has banned people for using the wrong language on forums, I doubt they will think twice about modding their games. It all comes down to money...If you get a mod for extra content you might not buy their DLC and we can't have that happen can we?

The worst part is that when you get an Origin ban, that includes locking your games from you...the games you paid for, legally owning the rights to. I'd totally buy ME3 if I could get it on Steam, or at the very least buy it from a store and not be required to use Origin to play it. I'll be damned if I give those crooks at EA my credit card info.

What pisses me off currently is that I'm playing ME2 and I can't buy the DLC on Steam...I couldn't even get a special edition with all DLC included. EA wants me to pay for it on their own special little network (which is why they no longer are using Steam). The best part? Cerberus network never connects! So even if I wanted to buy the DLC from them I wouldnt be able to.

 

[SajuukKhar]

Do you honestly think that Bioware were in a position where they could tell EA to stick it even if they wanted too or are you just saying stupid things because you're angry about being called out on being so wrong?

Over something as trivial as this?
Over an issue that EA apparently really doesn't care about because they have let other games have mods?

Yes, or are you just asking stupid questions because EA is the current "hate target"?

 

[CardinalPiggles]

Uhh were is the problem in this?

-The game belongs to EA/Bioware
-They have the right to say no modding SP


Again, where is the problem?

If they downloaded it then I would agree with you, but if it was a physical copy activated on Origin, then this is ludicrous.

At the end of the day we don't know enough information to make such judgements.

 

[SajuukKhar]

If they downloaded it then I would agree with you, but if it was a physical copy activated on Origin, then this is ludicrous.

At the end of the day we don't know enough information to make such judgements.

So digital copies are supposed to get different treatment then physical ones?

I would love to know why.

No matter if you buy it online or physically you are still buying the same license.