Questions Still Swirl Around EA's Origin Bans

[jFr[e]ak93]

Right when I think EA has hit the apex of their stupidity with this service, I get proven wrong.

I don't get why they can't just kiss and make up with Valve. Please EA, please!

 

[Adultism]

Does anyone remember when buying a game meant ownership of that game? Where publishers couldn't take away your ability to play the game, where they couldn't dictate how many times you could install your game, where they didn't force you to be connected to their (short lived) server to play single player and where they didn't moan that you sold your property on to someone else? I hope this trend of games becoming a service by the publisher isn't here to stay but of course it is. Publishers wont give up this level of control, especially when consumers seem happy to accept it.

Ah yes, I remember those days.

For those who don't know, it was like this.

I went to the store. I bought the game. I installed the game. I played the game.

It was that simple. What's so different now?

I go to the store. I buy the game. I start up Steam. I input the CD code. Game connects to the internet to make sure I'm not a pirate even though I proved that when I bought the game. Game installs whatever service it needs to install(Steam, Origin, GFWL, ect.). Game updates. Start game (provided the servers are working). Get told to register the game. Finally get to the game menu. Play game.

Oh, and god help you if one of those things ends up not working.

I can top this. I have to go for awhile after this post though.

Buy game from gamestop + Guide that comes with a code.
Get home
Put CD in
Use CD code with steam
Installs core files
STEAM INSTALLS THE REST - 5 hours later.
Game is installed
Servers are to busy to activate the extra content that I got for pre ordering
Gotta wait 24 hours for the servers to be able to install my DLC
Finally install my DLC
Try to get my code from prima games
Prima tells me that they are out of codes and I must email their support team
Email
Wait 24 hours
Get new code
Get all my DLC installed.
Get all my extra content installed
Play game.

Yeah, I wasted like 3 days trying to get all the content that I pre ordered, however prima was really cool about it and gave me the code outright, despite how rude I was.

one part of your tale is at least due to your hardware, a 5 hour setup means either your hard drive is terrible, or your internet connection (or possible their bandwidth, but only on high profile weeks is their bandwidth really an isue.

I could post my specs, but I have already proven in other threads that I have a monster rig, and I only get 1MBPS on steam. I usually don't keep track of how long it takes, I just go to sleep when it starts installing, because it takes too long for me to even care.

 

[Spud of Doom]

When a company bans you from playing offline single-player retail games because you said "e-peen" then something is horribly, horribly wrong.

 

[Toeys]

CLEARLY Electronic Arts doesnt want our cash.

I reckon it was quite silent for a time, where Kotick was starting to rise on top of his pile of money, but lately EA has done ANYTHING in their power to stop us from wanting anything to do with them

Forcing on us a fanboy war with Medal of Honor vs COD
Forcing on us a fanboy war with Battlefield 3 vs COD
Using god damn gangster rap to promote wargames
Forcing us to use Origin, instead of letting us choose
Screening reviewers before sending out early copies
Scaring a whole army of mass effect fans with plans of making ME3 more accessible(generally a good idea, but come on... what the fuck is so complicated with ME2 as a rpg...)
+
+
And now this...

 

[danirax]

Another thing to add to my list of "why NOT to get origin" and the "why ea suck" list. =P

 

[Cid Silverwing]

Isn't what EA doing illegial? Seriously, we need a lawyer up in here.

It's legal, sadly. Wanna know why? 'cuz EA buys out the judges, along with the rest of the fatass capitalist pigs at Wall Street.

 

[robert01]

See this is where EA is getting in a slippery slope of legal issues.

When I purchase a game I am entitled to play that game. I have purchased a license to do so. So now EA is saying that their licensing is conditional to your standings on their forums, and that by being banned from their forums also revokes all of your licenses to play their games?

The way the suspension should work is you can't post to the forums, but you can continue to play the content that you purchased a license to play. Hell even Steam's VAC doesn't lock you out of single player content(or non-VAC servers depending on the game).

Looks like EA is looking to dig their own coffin.

 

[Zeren]

Time to break this picture out again.

 

[rembrandtqeinstein]

Therefore when someone violates our Terms of Service, we are forced to take actions that can include suspensions and other measures.

And there is the kicker. Every TOS for a public forum run by a corporation has a line something like "no statements that are objectionable." Then they leave the definition of objectionable up the the individual mods.

Someone says "I had eggs for breakfast" they get dinged for "advocating cruelty to animals" by a militant vegan mod. Someone says "I didn't think passion of the christ was a good movie" they get dinged by a fundie mod as anti religious.

And there is never any meaningful appeals process because the corporate owners either don't care or don't want to make it harder to find people to take the thankless job of modding.

But unlike most forums where a ban means you just find somewhere else to waste your time a "service" like origin means you are locked out of content you paid for. But in a way that is a good lesson.

Any power one person has over another will be used as a means of control. Always has and always will. The mod in a service like that has powers to ruin someones day by banning or suspending them, they will find every excuse possible to exercise those powers against those who say things the mod personally disagrees with.

 

[Bullzeye421]

Haven't bought a game from EA in years. Anything I do buy is used. Suck it EA! Sorry devs but your publisher is all kinds of evil.

I'm right there with you 100%. After what they did to Pandemic and then the crap about the forum bans/game bans I refuse to have an EA game on my trophies lists. I actually removed my PSN accounts and created new ones, then took all my EA games and sold them.

Their behavor reminds me eerily of a smack dealer's reaction to a junkie talking shit about the quality of the "merchandise". NewsFlash: EA. If you treat your customers like addicts and cut them off they'll eventually find a new supplier.

Fu-Q EA! Long live Bethesda and Rockstar!

 

[Metalrocks]

a very good reason to stay away from EA and their spyware origin. i think their mentor is MOM from futurama. call techsupport and they will kill you.
how i wish to get my self ME3 but EA stops me from getting it with their spyware.

 

[ExileNZ]

Whew, and to think I nearly signed up with EA just to get an Old Republic beta key.
Thank you, random crashes.

 

[Strazdas]

And here i was hoping for an article of Germany banning origin.......

anyway, thats a very effective way to stop trolling. not a good way, but effective. soon - ea forums are desert.
and if you break the rules, no matter in game or in forums, you get punished. point being - stop breaking the rules?
though the examples mentioned really seemed ridiculous.

So, now im boycotting ubisoft and EA, whos next?

 

[veloper]

Isn't what EA doing illegial? Seriously, we need a lawyer up in here.

It's legal, sadly. Wanna know why? 'cuz EA buys out the judges, along with the rest of the fatass capitalist pigs at Wall Street.

You don't waste a judge's time with trivial matters like this. This is something we can deal with ourselves.

We have a gaming press reporting on these abuses and then we can decide if we still want to do business with EA.
At the very least, if you must play BF3, never use the EA forums or ANY forums related to EA, such as the Bioware forums, just in case another harmless word like e-peen becomes a banning offense.

 

[Shadow-Phoenix]

Why haven't a swathe of hackers tried to take these people down already?

I mean if anyone deserved it, it's these clowns. Seriously, bunch of assholes. Why intrude on steam when you could annoy some people who deserve it.

They may be a bunch of asshats but they are an obvious target indeed which is why they haven't been attack yet because it would only generate a sob story from EA only to try and reinforce their rules and try and gain more sympathy.

If anyone deserves it it's Activision.

 

[Metalrocks]

i once posted a link from wikipedia about origin on the bioware ME3 forum. someone was still asking what origin was, so i posted the link.
the next day, my comment has been removed. but i dint get a warning or anything like that. still weird why the link has been removed when its a official one. i guess EA dint like this link because it clearly states what origin is and does.

 

[Melnordan]

I am going to say that if they want to tie there in game to the forums then they should be prepared to have a very quite forum. After all the best way to keep from getting into trouble is to never post. Of course this helps out the forums that are not directly tied to the game it self so 3 cheers for the independent Thanks for opening up the market EA

 

[Niccolo]

If anyone deserves it it's Activision.

Honestly, I'd say EA deserves it more. But I think that's because Activision have been relatively quiet recently.

Either way, I think most of the gaming community would find it exceptionally cathartic.

 

[Brownie101]

And EA Continues to thrive on my unbridled hate for them. First they take Westwood from me, then they set up a crap distribution service with the worst rules and regulations I've seen and now this. I'm just glad that the only game I want from EA in the forseeable future is Mass Effect 3. And I was planning on buying it retail anyway for the collector's edition.
It's also good, I guess, that I almost NEVER go on to the forums for any game I own. Except TF2 so I can go trading.
EA, may your company rot.

 

[Sylveria]

I had a thought, they'll probably introduce this system into SWTOR. Anyone who steps foot out of line get's the ban hammer.