Nooners said:
We complain about DRM a lot here. So let's role-play, or brainstorm. Maybe we'll come up with some interesting new idea.
You're a AAA game development/publishment company working on a big game that will include offline single-player and online multiplayer. While you want to release your game without any form of DRM, your supervisors demand it be included in some form. What do you choose for your game's DRM, and why?
And work within the limits I've provided. You can't quit your job in protest, and you can't convince your bosses to not have DRM for the game.
EDIT: Should've answered my own question. And yes, this is primarily a PC question since this is where most DRM controversy stems from.
I personally would run it through Steam. Works offline, and is a good online service too. Simple for me.
I have personally broken DRM into 3 broad categories for my own consumption, and I'd like to share it and see if you guys agree: There are the lockers, fixers and cuffers. I think you can guess at what each category by now, but i'll detail it as clearly as I can.
Level 1:Lockers
It's the easiest level of DRM. Use a unique code and/or logarithm to "lock" the game from piracy. As with all codes, the code will eventually be figured out, and with in the advent of the internet this "figured out code" will quickly spread all over to facilitate piracy. The program also needs to be cracked as the CD-ROM itself is a key.
Examples:All games had locker-type DRM before any other DRM was available. Diablo 2, Heroes of Might and Magic 3, etc.
Security Level: Minimal to negligible, due to competent piracy teams and internet
Level 2:Fixers
The game is "fixed" to tie in the installation with PC specs. E.G. The architecture will be memorized for the install, effectively this is an extremely complex code where the PC itself, the key, is non-transferable. The CD itself is also fixed for limited installs to prevent physical transfer. Vulnerabilities might result from this intrusive DRM as your PC specs are grabbed/local progam data is accessed.
Examples: SPORE, SecuROM itself.
Security Level:Minimal despite inconveniences. Game WILL be cracked eventually and limited installs affect only CD-owning users(AKA the consumers)
Level 3:Cuffers
The DRM is the warden. This is the always-online authentication, or the one-time online authentication system. Your game is "cuffed", unable to play until released by the warden(DRM). This works by matching the code with the publisher's own database of released codes and only works on a 100% match. Other codes will not work, meaning figuring out the code generation formula will not allow you to play the game as it is still cuffed.
Most Cuffed games have anti-cracking code which break the game if it's pirated. Batman:Arkham asylum had players flying off into oblivion if piracy was detected. This slows down piracy rather than breaking it, as pirate groups can patch these stumbling blocks.
Examples: Most games released since 2010, Notably Origin and Steam AAA/popular release games. For anti-drm coded games, notable examples are witcher 2, serious sam 3 BFE, game dev tycoon(which was a rigged setup)
Security level:Moderate without inconveniencing the consumer too much. The DRM is effective until the pirates figure out the kinks of the code and anti-piracy. The more security, the more inconvenience. For Always-online, imagine your game as a prisoner on parole with 4 guards surrounding him.
I would run a online store system(Steam?) with a locker DRM that downloaded a certificate onto your computer. The certificate would simply be tied to the IP of the local machine it was downloaded on. If it's a boxed copy, the certificate would be installed with the game, taking your computer's virtual IP. Without the cert the game would just not run citing insufficient permissions. This will prevent piracy on a international-sharing level in the short term, which is really all that matters in a on-demand market. As long as I separate those who pay and those who don't, and offer a better service to those that do pay, it's fine.
Maybe an always-online DRM would make piracy impossible, but it's simply segregating the market too much. There are people with little or not internet, and if it's a boxed copy, they better be able to play it out of the box. I view DRM only as a means to separate the free riders, but never to stop them because to do so would be to compromise the service the game provides. The idea of piracy is part of human nature; if you can get more stuff for free, you would. Paying for something is a conscious decision compared to not paying for free stuff and this is not a dangerous phenomenon, it's just natural.
Providing incentives to play(like the U-play rewards system) an original game is an excellent way to provide superior service to the paying customer(as a pirate would be offline and not connected to the game reward servers) and is a better solution to this "piracy issue" rather than using more and more "uncrackable" DRM - This may impact the consumer negatively. Punishment was never an incentive because the only thing to look forward to is a lack of it. Human nature is biased towards accumulation, that's why we have nostalgia, we keep things for keeping's sake, and the current dominant mindset of the online world, capitalism, encouraged such behaviour. That's why we feel satisfied when we get more and more points and get more and more stuff, this is the reward and positive-feedback system we are born into. TL;DR:It is better to reward rather than punish as rewards act as incentives and retains your customers much better. There isn't any chance of the punishment for the free-riders to backfire too!
