Street Fighter X Tekken Dev Laments Hacked DLC

[FieryTrainwreck]

I'm still not 100% sure how I feel about used games, but you better believe I sold my copy of SF X Tekken to Gamestop after reading about the on-disc DLC. I hope to god someone opts for my used copy versus a brand new one, and I relish the idea that Capcom won't see a single dime of that second-hand sale. Because fuck them. I'm done with this bullshit entirely. I only hope Namco doesn't pull the same shit with their crossover title. If they do, it's a no-buy for me, full stop.

This was, and this has always been, a strategy to increase the game's longevity without having to resort to the usual method of "Super Ultra AE:2012 Turbo HD Remix" - and I can totally appreciate that, and I would've thought that it was a pretty cool idea if people hadn't found the characters and costumes already on the disc.

Because that didn't happen with SF4 at all.

 

[croc3629]

Quick question.

Does this mean that Capcom will, from now on, continue developing their DLC characters concurrently with their main roster, but leave it off the disc instead to keep people from doing this? Or figuring out that there were more characters developed already?

 

[Folji]

Locking content that's already in the game and making the way to unlock it an expensive DLC is just a bullshit approach. It really is. You might earn some money on it, but what you'll earn a lot more of is disrespect from your customers.

 

[Redd the Sock]

Anyone "surprised" that the content was hacked isn't smart enough to tie his own shoe. Even among normal games and gamers we find the cheat code, the glitches, the exploits. Among the tech savy hacker crowd, they get into everything. Put the DLC on disk and you basically dared them to do just this.

Of course, maybe the surprise was that someone could hack the game. Given the level of arrogance of those that come up with these schemes, it is a possibility they think their software is invulnerable.

 

[gphjr14]

I guess next time they'll just give people the full game instead of being greedy.

Or not...

 

[Scow2]

The consumer doesn't own the content on the disc.
Just throwing that out there.

Actually, he does. It's on his (or her) system. All he's not allowed to do is re-distribute or use the content on the disc for financial gain.

Just as a side note - the characters totally aren't finished.
Blanka in particular is broken as fuck.

This is the only valid point you might have.

 

[Baron von Blitztank]

Oh Capcom. You and your DLC shenanigans!
Seriously, you put 12 fully functional characters on the disk and the charge of the DLC is just the ability to unlock a few of them. Bad decisions aside, It really doesn't sound that hard to hack if you have the know-how. It's pretty much just lockpicking.

 

[eNTi]

Ah, DRM is of course for "money-grubbing", because losing sales to people who don't buy DRM-laced games and the amount of time and money it takes to license and incorporate these DRM methods of course earns them money. Somehow.

Look, I'm not agreeing with DRM. I don't have an issue with it personally, and I can see why some do, but at the end of the day, I don't think it's really unfair to point out that the more people try and break into a system, the harder teh creators of said system will try to make it for anyone to get in, and maybe it's a retarded idea, maybe it's not, but mark my words, the pirates who we all shrug off as being unaffected by these issues are the ones that are going to make our lives living hell in the future because of the knee-jerk response to these sort of stories.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yunSRfnsVck

 

[dimensional]

So hes `disappointed` hmmm well I was `disappointed` they put finished characters on disc and then locked them out until people handed over more cash.

Seriously though it is not surprising this has happened imagine if you bought a house but one room was locked and you couldnt get in so you ask the estate agent and he says yeah sorry that rooms extra you have to pay me a for a key so you can use it, you would likely go sod that Ive already payed for the house ill break the damn door down if need be because im not paying for that key on principal.

Not a perfect analogy obviously but I think it sums up a lot of what people feel of on disc locked content.

What they should have done if they were going to be underhanded bastards is be properly underhanded they are finished but do not put them on disc and just provide updates to the game as you slowly release each fighter so those with them can fight those without this makes it look like they have actually been working on them and are supporting the game even though really they have finished ages ago and are on their next project.

 

[WanderingFool]

From a technical standpoint, I guess it makes sense. You need the data on the disc so people who didnt buy the characters can play against the people who did. I get that. Doesnt mean Im more supportive of the idea.

Also, in this age of DLC and such, why does Capcom still make the Super versions for games like SF4 and MVC3? Wouldnt just releasing a big ol' DLC pack that give you that stuff work just as well? Scrath all that, I just thought of that question while reading this article, and while I was typing, I gave myself a reasonable answer.

 

[RaikuFA]

From a technical standpoint, I guess it makes sense. You need the data on the disc so people who didnt buy the characters can play against the people who did. I get that. Doesnt mean Im more supportive of the idea.

Also, in this age of DLC and such, why does Capcom still make the Super versions for games like SF4 and MVC3? Wouldnt just releasing a big ol' DLC pack that give you that stuff work just as well? Scrath all that, I just thought of that question while reading this article, and while I was typing, I gave myself a reasonable answer.

They actually said why. Capcom of Japan hates DLC, which turned out to be reason why UMvC3 was made, not because they lost the data in the earthquake.

 

[Random Argument Man]

I'll feel bad when Capcom realizes that DLC means "Downloadable content" instead of "Disc Lock Content".

 

[SonOfVoorhees]

$20 for 12 characters already on the disc is a bit steep, cant blame people for being upset. I think they should just make it downloadable only so it feels like your getting something extra for your money instead of an unlock code.

 

[Weaver]

"But I was really kind of disappointed that it created this kind of environment where a bunch of players were playing the characters but a bunch were unable to play with them."

Of course, he means, without paying Capcom first.

 

[FoolKiller]

I want to say the actions of the hackers were unjustified and wrong, because after all, in the end it is still stealing.

I disagree. And I'll explain.

To play many games on PS3 as well as one of the features on Xbox 360 is the installation of the game. Say a game is 4GB. DLC will eat up maybe another 1GB over time if I choose to purchase it. When I install the game that already has on disc DLC on it, the content will eat up more hard drive space even though I am not using it.

Now in the case of one game it doesn't seem bad but if you end up with 10 or 20 games installed (which I do on my 360 and PS3) I find it absolutely insulting that they are using my hard drive as storage space. We're talking about the possibility that the companies are eating up 10 or 20 GB on a hard drive that is (in the 360's case) overpriced and limited to 320GB at most.

In my opinion if you are using my hard drive for storage without compensation the fee should be the use of the content.

Also, in my opinion the whole argument that it says you can't "reverse engineer" the software is rendered invalid in this case as the software they are talking about is what you paid for. As you haven't paid for the content, in the company's point of view, then the EULA shouldn't apply as you can't have an EULA for something that you aren't Using.

 

[Harley Duke]

You know who the hackers hurt when they hacked the game?

Pardon if I feel less sympathy for the multi million dollar corporation.

and pardon me when I ask this rhetorical question: "Why do you think we have increasingly invasive DRM these days?"

Hardly a rhetorical question. I spent months doing a term paper on this, in fact.

DRM is not meant to stop piracy, never was meant to, and will never be able to. The simple fact that DRM exists and STILL gets constantly bypassed will tell you this.

DRM exists almost entirely to discourage secondhand game purchases, since a publisher/company only makes any money off of the first legitimate purchase of their product. Part of the reason I almost always buy used games off Craigslist is because of the certain knowledge that someone who's already rich won't be getting any richer.

That might sound rather petty, and that's because it is. But you'd honestly stop feeling quite so "anti-piracy" if you stopped and read an "End User License Agreement" one of these days. Did you know that you, as a consumer, likely haven't actually owned a piece of software since the days of Windows 98?

 

[squid5580]

Wait, what??? He is disappointed because people will be/are using characters other people don't have?? Isn't that the exact same thing that will happen anyways since not everyone will buy the 12 extra characters for a variety of reasons?

 

[airrazor7]

As far as I'm concerned, DLC=Price Inflation.

Developers and Executives alike have been trying to find a way to inflate the price without consumers making a fuss about it. They abuse the public's concept of DLC to pull it off. They sell part of the game for $60 but then say "Hey, if you want the full experience, just pay an extra $20 to $30 dollars."

Now some of those companies have gotten so brash that they're selling their "DLC" the same day as a game's release date without even bothering to keep up the illusion that the content was worked on after the game's completion; they openly admit to working on the "extra content" for DLC within the time frame of the game's development process. It's not really extra if it's worked on within the game's development time and budget. Then later they want to charge consumers $20 or more for a code that grants access to something they already have.

 

[Hyperme]

So, in an age where DRM has benn bypassed before a products release, a company includes locked out content on a disk. To a market whose opinion on such matters is 'screw that shit'.

Why are they disappointed? Being disappointed in this is like being dissapointed that pouring acid on your hand caused it damage. It the age of Day One Piracy, on-disc 'DLC' is pretty dumb. Day one DLC is maybe okay if it's actually a download, and perhaps made of content that was unfinished at the 'send to console clearing process' deadline. Because work in money out is how business is meant to work. And hey less wasted error on the unfished stuff.

But leaving things on the disc is just asking for hackers to find it. Hackers gonna hack, for kicks or whatever reason.

 

[evilneko]

"Personally, I was really surprised when I heard the news that the characters had been hacked

I just have to laugh at this. Like gee, what did you think was gonna happen? Do you really not know that there are thousands of people out there who see software and hardware locks as challenges? People who will try to open that lock just because it's there? Y'know, the same reason Captain Kirk climbs mountains.

"So I was pretty disappointed by that. I was really surprised at how skillful the hackers were, basically.

With all due respect, no you were not, Mister Tomoaki. You planned for this. You wanted it to happen. Whether it be for nefarious purposes, or because...

"...I was really kind of disappointed that it created this kind of environment where a bunch of players were playing the characters but a bunch were unable to play with them."

As I'm sure the players are, too.