Ubisoft Clarifies New Online DRM Scheme

[jasoncyrus]

EA is following this trend with C&C4. Not going to buy either now and going to have all my college buddies boycott it.

 

[WafflesToo]

Oh good, I thought that it was going to be ineffective and irritating and not irritating and ineffective.

Thanks for clearing that up Ubi

tossers...

 

[CD-R]

looks like we're going to need another 1000 1 star reviews on Amazon. Let me know when you guys want to do it I'll throw one up.

 

[The Lost Big Boss]

Single player games requiring an internet to play at all time. Any one else see something horribly wrong with this? I don't give a shit what they say, that sentence should never be said.

 

[Thwarted]

OK, line in the sand time. This is utterly ridiculous. I was looking foreward to both ACII and Splinter Cell:Conviction. now, not a chance. I find it unbelievable that when more and more people are buying gaming laprops ubisoft announces that all of their future games will be unplayable on the move. Morons.

 

[ultimateownage]

Nope. Still a retarded idea. This won't stop pirates, because they can't play a pirated game on something like that, so it only effects the legitimate purchasers. It just makes more people want to pirate it and less people likely to legitimately purchase it. What idiots.

 

[Abedeus]

I don't give a damn. If for ANY reason I can't play a SINGLE PLAYER GAME, other than buggy hardware, a game I PAID FOR, I'm simply not going to buy it. Simple as that.

Again, I wanted to buy that game on day one, or at least the same week. Instead, I'm just NOT going to buy it.

Can anyone explain to me how these measures will prevent piracy? (or at least explain Ubisoft's logic)

Give it a couple of weeks after launch and there's almost guaranteed to be a workable crack out there, rendering the whole process redundant.

I'm not saying I'll pirate the game, but I'm certainly not buying it now.

Couple of weeks? I'd be surprised if it takes people more than a week. Two, tops.

 

[Coalhada]

I'd like to know if the number of sales change with this new DRM method.

It would be great if it were a lot lower than what Ubisoft is expecting.

 

[MurderousToaster]

That is still awful and retarded. They should really rethink this before they lose every sale ever.

 

[Outamyhead]

Still a giant piece of crap, I'll bet Ubisoft will spit out an anger filled response to the crappy sales figures.

 

[MR T3D]

To find something succesful, many stages have to be trialed before hand. It's like saying my current relationship is destined to fail because all my previous ones have. There will be a point where DRM is succesful, and thus the issue (for the company, which is the only thing that matters in the grand scale) will be resolved.

I have serious doubts about this.

server checks can be re-directed/removed and any tied-in game content repaired
1's can be made 0's and vice-versa.

I'm confident that it is impossible to create a truly successful DRM, as only one person needs to break it.

 

[Rainboq]

Bit of a news flash for you. Crackers are smart. Almost all of them have day jobs where they make enough money to buy all the games they want. They see cracking these games as a challenging puzzle. They will absolutely LOVE cracking Assassin's Creed 2.

Spore had a similar "Must be connected" DRM (it wasn't nearly as draconian as this, but I digress). It was cracked and released to the web a week before it was released on the street.

All DRM does is cause problems for legitimate consumers. This is the worst idea in the history of DRM.

Don't even try and patronise me, I'm well aware there are individuals out there who's only purpose is to circumvent these failsafes.

These individuals also work for these companies implementing, said crackers are hired to aid them in creating new defences. Firewall manufacturers hire them, and now games companies do.

To find something succesful, many stages have to be trialed before hand. It's like saying my current relationship is destined to fail because all my previous ones have. There will be a point where DRM is succesful, and thus the issue (for the company, which is the only thing that matters in the grand scale) will be resolved.

...

are you Skynet?

It is, it is! RUN FOR YOU LIVES!

 

[Rainboq]

There will be a point where DRM is succesful, and thus the issue (for the company, which is the only thing that matters in the grand scale) will be resolved.

Well, so far they've tried hardware and software approaches. Both were quickly circumvented. Console piracy is also pretty rampant (and pathetically easy), but no one admits it.

Thing is, the current state of piracy is built around easy cracks that involve editing only a few lines of code. With come copy/paste here and there. The harder the copy protection, the harder they work. But to steal another's metaphor, its the frog (customer) in boiling water (DRM) with the pirates sitting in a boat. Every time the publishers turn up the heat (add more drm) the pirates only have to make small modifications to their boat (tactics).

*High fives* perfect simile!

 

[obisean]

I can see the announcement now:

"Due to the poor sales and high piracy rate of the latest Ubisoft PC games, we have decided to limit our future selection of games for PC."

And they would probably seriously blame the pirates, 100%, for ruining it for everyone.

 

[Altorin]

...

are you Skynet?

How much fun I would have if I was.

Just to clarify as well, I don't necessarily agree with all this DRM malarkey, I just see it in the manufacturer's eyes. Additionally I have the benefit of it not affecting me, so I can judge based on information rather than emotion (which seems to be fuelling a LOT of posts in this).

The normal consumers that do get stained with this; chin up basically. You're part of the demographic that is judged to be sacrificable for the greater good (profit margin).

If pirates didn't exist this wouldn't. If car thiefs didn't, I wouldn't have a garage. Don't hate the players, hate the game.

I have to say, that first post didn't really do much to sway me to the opinion that you are not an artificial intelligence bent on the subjugation and destruction of all organic life.

your second paragraph, I think that's bullshit. Paying customers shouldn't have to suffer so that the companies can make a miniscule amount more money. In your proposed dystopia where DRM finally wins, that will be a loss in the category for every gamer. Eventually this shit will make its way to the consoles. It already has in some ways with ME2 and DAO. Bought it new? Got some DLC? I hope you're connected to XBL, or else your DLC won't work. What? You're DLC doesn't work? Well, you can't load your save without it. I don't want to see a day when all games require such things, even if you're not so bold as to take some content that was offered to you, or that you paid for.

And finally, your third paragraph. It's more like.. Imagine if you bought a car from a car dealer that had installed an anti-theft device that kicked you in the balls everytime you put the key in the ignition. In this case, it would be an anti-theft device that kicks you in the balls everytime you hit the brakes.

I gotta say, I wanted to edit your post down and respond to it individually, but I couldn't bring myself to cut it. I say this without a hint of patronizing (I actually apologize for before, I didn't mean to sound like such a tool with my earlier post), but It was a work of art and I enjoyed taking it apart in its entirety without taking bits out of context to chew on them.

 

[Rainboq]

I can see the announcement now:

"Due to the poor sales and high piracy rate of the latest Ubisoft PC games, we have decided to limit our future selection of games for PC."

And they would probably seriously blame the pirates, 100%, for ruining it for everyone.

mmmmmmm..... politics..... gotta love it!

 

[TheMadTypist]

Still not better. Still not buying anything with Ubisoft's fingerprints. I've never pirated a game, because I object from a moral standpoint. And you know what? I still won't. So hey developers, prospective game-idea people, etc, you want me to buy your game? Keep away from Ubisoft. Companies with more reasonable DRM, like, say, Stardock or Ironclad, are the way of the future. I'll support the market, but not companies that pull crap like this.

Even if it means I have to miss out on a bunch of titles.