Ubisoft has put the DRM back on From Dust

[Woodsey]

I'm at the point I hope Ubisoft just burns to the ground. They've fucked me harder than any other game company has.

Uplay needs a login and an online check once, then you're good to go. It's not exactly the most heinous of additions, even if it does seem somewhat pointless to reapply it to a game whose time has easily come and gone on.

How exactly does that work? Because every time I try to play Assassin's Creed 2, it logs me into Uplay and then freezes the game when I finally get in because the internet connection here is shit. I haven't even seen a "play offline" feature.

My uni blocks Steam and Uplay during the day so I play Far Cry 3 offline all the time, it just defaults to offline mode straight away for me. Their whole catalogue should do the same.

Are you sure the game isn't just crashing, or does it actually say that the game's stopping until you can reconnect?

 

[LetalisK]

I'm at the point I hope Ubisoft just burns to the ground. They've fucked me harder than any other game company has.

Uplay needs a login and an online check once, then you're good to go. It's not exactly the most heinous of additions, even if it does seem somewhat pointless to reapply it to a game whose time has easily come and gone on.

How exactly does that work? Because every time I try to play Assassin's Creed 2, it logs me into Uplay and then freezes the game when I finally get in because the internet connection here is shit. I haven't even seen a "play offline" feature.

My uni blocks Steam and Uplay during the day so I play Far Cry 3 offline all the time, it just defaults to offline mode straight away for me. Their whole catalogue should do the same.

Are you sure the game isn't just crashing, or does it actually say that the game's stopping until you can reconnect?

Going through my other Ubisoft games, I guess it depends on the game. For example, my Assassin's Creed Brotherhood has a little "Play Offline" button on the launcher, which my AC2 doesn't have. After looking up more stuff on the internet, I guess they don't manage all their games the same. Bleh. >.<

 

[GoaThief]

You do realize that the version of the Witcher 2 being circulated on Torrent sites was a cracked version of the DRM copy right?

That's patently not true, the most seeded versions are the original and Enhanced Edition, DRM free from GoG. That is the current situation still, I just checked.

 

[Coffeejack]

Yeah, this is why many PC gamers have an instinctive aversion to Ubisoft games. They are dicks to the PC consumers, then when this reflects on sales they just blame it on piracy and double up on the DRM, driving more people away and so on and so forth.

I rarely buy anything from Ubisoftr and when I do I crack it. I don't care about lost functionality, I just want to play my game without being constantly fucked by the always-online crap. A good example - Anno 2070. I cracked the game when I got it. This meant that a few features weren't available, but I found it to be an acceptable loss for being able to play in peace.

You missed little, if anything. Many of the achievements necessary for unlocking user profile pictures do not work correctly.

 

[Vivi22]

You do realize that the version of the Witcher 2 being circulated on Torrent sites was a cracked version of the DRM copy right?

That's patently not true, the most seeded versions are the original and Enhanced Edition, DRM free from GoG. That is the current situation still, I just checked.

You say it's patently not true, but that's not what CD Projekt Red said here: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/116242-Witcher-Studio-Chief-Vows-No-More-DRM

Now between you who make a statement while providing no sources to back it up and the company with a vested interest in investigating the piracy of its game, who do you think I should believe? Now maybe things changed since then and the DRM free version from GOG was being passed around eventually and still is now, but that doesn't negate the fact that CD Projekt Red themselves confirmed that the DRM version was cracked almost immediately and was the first one popping up on torrent sites.

 

[Nimbus]

You do realize that the version of the Witcher 2 being circulated on Torrent sites was a cracked version of the DRM copy right?

That's patently not true, the most seeded versions are the original and Enhanced Edition, DRM free from GoG. That is the current situation still, I just checked.

You say it's patently not true, but that's not what CD Projekt Red said here: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/116242-Witcher-Studio-Chief-Vows-No-More-DRM

Now between you who make a statement while providing no sources to back it up and the company with a vested interest in investigating the piracy of its game, who do you think I should believe? Now maybe things changed since then and the DRM free version from GOG was being passed around eventually and still is now, but that doesn't negate the fact that CD Projekt Red themselves confirmed that the DRM version was cracked almost immediately and was the first one popping up on torrent sites.

Thing is, you don't have to believe either person. You can, perfectly legally, go and find out for yourself. It'd take about 30 seconds.

 

[Tamrin]

It seems that I've been warned not to advocate piracy. I'd like to point out that I was not advocating piracy and that there is a big difference between downloading a game for free and removing the DRM from a game you purchased legally.

That's what I thought. -_-

Seems a mod here needs to be educated on the difference between a crack and a copy. I'm sure my 12 year old brother can explain it clearly.

 

[Something Amyss]

The estimated piracy rate was about 5 copies for every single sale

Which was pulled straight from the ass of a developer, and would have made it as popular as the top franchise games that year--more than quite a few of them. The fact that it was admittedly a hyperbolic claim and the absurdity of its competition--in some cases with games that also had no DRM--should be setting off a little warning light for you.

 

[The Lunatic]

You don't have to prove to UBI you own the game.

You spent money, you know you didn't pirate it, you're entitled to crack it, you've done nothing wrong.

 

[Smooth Operator]

Nice to see Escapist mods still can't distinguish piracy and patching your game, perhaps an educational office course is in order.

 

[A3sir]

I like the part where DRM punishes the people with legit copies and the people with pirated copies don't have to deal with any of it.

I've always enjoyed this little flow chart http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/4b7ea17b000000000080a2b6-610-629/pirated.jpg

 

[Savagezion]

I got a kick out of when they said they had a super secret source that can positively identify pirates with 100% accuracy but couldn't disclose how or even who this source was. LOL. I guess it works on people gullible enough to believe there is an internet police.

I have here in my hand a list of names of torrenters in congress, the state department, and throughout Hollywood.

Prove it, all that means is a list of suspects, not perps. I can get a list of names in congress, state dept, and Hollywood who are "confirmed" extra terrestrials if I wanted one. The point is that there isn't any accurate way to trace piracy without massive invasion of privacy. To claim that you can trace it with 100% accuracy is extreme BS. If it were even remotely true Media producers would be shouting it from the rooftops and getting sentencing laws passed. But instead 1 developer says it and claims they can't reveal how or even who is involved because it would "damage their reputation" opposed to making them the most successful & popular DRM ever.

 

[GoaThief]

You do realize that the version of the Witcher 2 being circulated on Torrent sites was a cracked version of the DRM copy right?

That's patently not true, the most seeded versions are the original and Enhanced Edition, DRM free from GoG. That is the current situation still, I just checked.

You say it's patently not true, but that's not what CD Projekt Red said here: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/116242-Witcher-Studio-Chief-Vows-No-More-DRM

Now between you who make a statement while providing no sources to back it up

Anyone can go and confirm this for themselves, I would have thought it's obvious why I haven't linked directly to torrent websites. Does it really need spelling out for you? If you can't be bothered to go check for yourself then I'll be happy to provide evidence outside of this website. Feel free to contact me elsewhere.

and the company with a vested interest in investigating the piracy of its game

... And its distribution format? Think about it.

*edit to right Dolphin HD autocorrect weirdness. :S

 

[Mycroft Holmes]

I got a kick out of when they said they had a super secret source that can positively identify pirates with 100% accuracy but couldn't disclose how or even who this source was. LOL. I guess it works on people gullible enough to believe there is an internet police.

I have here in my hand a list of names of torrenters in congress, the state department, and throughout Hollywood.

Prove it, all that means is a list of suspects, not perps. I can get a list of names in congress, state dept, and Hollywood who are "confirmed" extra terrestrials if I wanted one. The point is that there isn't any accurate way to trace piracy without massive invasion of privacy. To claim that you can trace it with 100% accuracy is extreme BS. If it were even remotely true Media producers would be shouting it from the rooftops and getting sentencing laws passed. But instead 1 developer says it and claims they can't reveal how or even who is involved because it would "damage their reputation" opposed to making them the most successful & popular DRM ever.

Not sure if it just wasn't an obvious enough reference or if nobody at all remembers the dark but extremely important events in US history succeeding the Wheeler Speech. Either way, this still calls for a House UnUbisoft Activities Committee.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_McCarthy
http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6456/

 

[veloper]

Didn't they say not a few months ago that they where done and would never using this type of DRM again?

Well I'm glad I didn't believe them back then, shame as I was going to get Far Cry 3 at some point but anyway back to not touching any Ubisoft stuff with a ten foot pole.

Yeah, what the hell happened here?
This got alot of attention in the mags back then, but no noise at all after months of zero improvement.

 

[Savagezion]

I got a kick out of when they said they had a super secret source that can positively identify pirates with 100% accuracy but couldn't disclose how or even who this source was. LOL. I guess it works on people gullible enough to believe there is an internet police.

I have here in my hand a list of names of torrenters in congress, the state department, and throughout Hollywood.

Prove it, all that means is a list of suspects, not perps. I can get a list of names in congress, state dept, and Hollywood who are "confirmed" extra terrestrials if I wanted one. The point is that there isn't any accurate way to trace piracy without massive invasion of privacy. To claim that you can trace it with 100% accuracy is extreme BS. If it were even remotely true Media producers would be shouting it from the rooftops and getting sentencing laws passed. But instead 1 developer says it and claims they can't reveal how or even who is involved because it would "damage their reputation" opposed to making them the most successful & popular DRM ever.

Not sure if it just wasn't an obvious enough reference or if nobody at all remembers the dark but extremely important events in US history succeeding the Wheeler Speech. Either way, this still calls for a House UnUbisoft Activities Committee.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_McCarthy
http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6456/

Ah, I see. Joke went right over my head. Hadn't even heard of that speech before. My bad.

 

[The Artificially Prolonged]

Didn't they say not a few months ago that they where done and would never using this type of DRM again?

Well I'm glad I didn't believe them back then, shame as I was going to get Far Cry 3 at some point but anyway back to not touching any Ubisoft stuff with a ten foot pole.

Yeah, what the hell happened here?
This got alot of attention in the mags back then, but no noise at all after months of zero improvement.

My guess it was just a PR move to try and polish up Ubisoft's image with the pc crowd but in the end it looks like Ubisoft's word is as worthless as it ever was. Shame because I think a lot of people where willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.

 

[Snotnarok]

That seems like lawsuit material, changing the ToS randomly and literally yanking the game out of your hands. Demand a refund, without swearing demand a refund.

 

[Thomas Hardy]

Its not just the DRM to me. Its the whole mind-boogling corporate logic behind it.

Virtually all the games in my library are second hand. From ten games and my second NES to to Mass Effect 3 about ninety percent of the games I have in my house were bought, borrowed, or gifted second-or-third generation hand-me-downs from friends and family (and the occasional pawn-shop *cough* EB games *cough*). I like having and playing my little collection of "the good ones".

Now, Steam and other account-specific DRM has changed all of that. I haven't PURCHASED a game in two years (Got Borderlands for Chistmas) and my friends can no longer entice me into buying a game by loaning it to me for the week-end.

Meanwhile, I'm spending all my time instead playing Minecraft, League of Legends, and Planetside 2 with those same buddies and I don't have to pay a cent to do it. Hell, when I bought Minecraft it was 15 bucks with free updates for life!

So why exactly should I take a risk and pay 70 bucks for any of the DRM-laden online-only crap that Ubisoft and other companies spew out when I have a libary of a couple-hundred old games and an entire indie-game scene in the middle of a renaissance that offers high-quality gaming experiences with little-or-no DRM and less hardware overhead for my toaster of a PC?

Its almost entertaining to see how many times Ubisoft can shoot themselves in the foot before they finally fall over and die. Its almost as bad as watching Sierra bury even more great original content alive under a sea of copyright lawyers and bureaucratese.

 

[ShinyCharizard]

Snip

Snip

snip

I'm glad to see that at least a few people understand my point.

If you purchased the game legally then you should have no qualms about cracking it. I for one do not like to be treated like a potential criminal just because some people do the wrong thing.