BioWare technical producer Derek French has said that the PC versions of both Mass Effect and Spore will make use of copy protection that will require online validation every ten days in order for the games to continue working.
"After the first activation, SecuROM requires that [Mass Effect PC] re-check with the server within ten days (in case the CD Key has become public/warez'd and gets banned)," said French in a post on the BioWare forums.
If customers do not come online after ten days, the game will cease to function.
"After 10 days a re-check is required before the game can run," added French. "..An internet connection is not required to install, just to activate the first time, and every 10 days after."
The check is run when users activate the game's executable file, with the first re-check coming within "5 days remaining in the 10 day window."
According to French, Maxis' Spore will also make use of the same scheme: "[Electronic Arts] is ready for us and getting ready for Spore, which will use the same system."
French also noted that the online requirement will be clearly labeled on the games' packaging.
View: Shacknews
"After the first activation, SecuROM requires that [Mass Effect PC] re-check with the server within ten days (in case the CD Key has become public/warez'd and gets banned)," said French in a post on the BioWare forums.
If customers do not come online after ten days, the game will cease to function.
"After 10 days a re-check is required before the game can run," added French. "..An internet connection is not required to install, just to activate the first time, and every 10 days after."
The check is run when users activate the game's executable file, with the first re-check coming within "5 days remaining in the 10 day window."
According to French, Maxis' Spore will also make use of the same scheme: "[Electronic Arts] is ready for us and getting ready for Spore, which will use the same system."
French also noted that the online requirement will be clearly labeled on the games' packaging.
View: Shacknews
EA needs to be face a massive consumer boycott.... end of story.
Get a grip games companies! Also...
What exactly is the difference? The first activation is part of the install procedure to be able to play the game.
That would make it nearly impossible to crack, and could lead to cheaper games also. For example, if a new game is released, then $5 could give you access to it for a month. Yes, I know some people might complain about an Internet connection being required to play the game, but these days I believe the vast majority of PC gamers have Internet access.
you will have to pirate game to play it (crack it or so)
normally it will not be playable because of "protections"
and because of that stupidy of course I will buy Spore and apply nocd/nointernet crack - this does not make me a pirate
The fact of the matter is that (even with games like Bioshock) the pirates will circumvent the protection, and the legit user's will be stuck with a game they cannot play if they cannot connect to the internet for any reason.
My god, what will they ask us to do before people stop defending these imbeciles?
If you had to walk to your nearest game store to "manually" activate your game every ten days, would you just say "anyone with a legal version of the game and a pair of legs has nothing to worry about"?! If they keep trying more and more stringent copy protection schemes which are utterly useless since it will be circumvented anyway, and get away with them, they'll just try something more absurd.
This has got to stop, it's getting ridiculous now...
Q2) Are you connected to the internet at least once every ten days?
If the answer to both the above questions is yes, stop whining
The sad thing is, and I'm guessing the developers haven't totally clued into this yet, many potential customers are now turned off from buying these hit titles. I, for one, was definitely going to purchase Spore ever since I saw one of the big videos on YouTube showing off gameplay and features. Now, I'm not buying it. At least not until the copy protection is totally turned off long after launch. Until then, illegal free download version here I come. I'll say once again, I would more than willingly give lots of money to the developer/publisher to buy Spore if it DID NOT employ these draconian anti-piracy measures. It's a simple and reasonable argument. Maybe it doesn't justify my illegal action of playing the game for free when it's cracked, but sure as hell does justify my NOT purchasing the game. Unfortunately, these tactics are turning more and more people away from PC gaming and towards consoles and piracy. I just hope developers realize this soon.
Yeah, because no company has ever put out a patch removing DRM before...
If this is the way PC games are gona go then I guess I won't be buying any anymore.
Fraggen nuts.
I will stick with my Civ4.
If this is the way PC games are gona go then I guess I won't be buying any anymore.
Fraggen nuts.
I will stick with my Civ4.
Yea no joke... they are killing their own damn business and promoting more piracy.
This protection will get cracked before the game will even see release.
Thing is, I can totally see why they're doing this. Piracy is absolutely rampant on the PC. In fact I would go so far as to say 80% of the people on this forum have, or are playing now a pirated game. It's for that reason they don't put as much effort into PC games and there are less and less exclusives coming out for it. Gamers have completely brought this on themselves so it's only fair that they tighten security because otherwise it's like throwing your cash down the ****er because you know most games are pirated.
I know mod chips have been around for consoles for years but realisticly what percent of current gen consoles are playing pirated games? It's negligable.
Here's the thing - I agree, PC gaming piracy is rampant. But here's the difference - I pirated Sins of a Solar Empire a few weeks back. I installed it with no issues because (get this for an idea) it had no copy protection to start with, and I played it a few times.
And then I bought it. Because Ironclad/Stardock have taken a sane approach to copy protection (i.e. not got in their own customers' way) and actually created an extremely good game, I will pay my money to support them, and know a lot of others who have done the same. EA's problem isn't piracy, it's the quality of their games.
And then I bought it. Because Ironclad/Stardock have taken a sane approach to copy protection (i.e. not got in their own customers' way) and actually created an extremely good game, I will pay my money to support them, and know a lot of others who have done the same. EA's problem isn't piracy, it's the quality of their games.
You strike a very good point there. EA's game quality sucks. Luckily for Mass Effect the first 3 games are down to Bioware, after that then EA will be screwing it up.
You're in a minority though, most people once the game is running won't bother to buy the game, it's the lazy human nature. Notice how even now Crytek have said there will be no more PC exclusives and it's solely down to piracy. Infinity ward have said that the amount of pirated COD games playing online are outnumbering the legal copies by some silly ratio like 5:1 or something like that.
Unfortunatly that's what happens when you have a completely open system. A locked down environment like a console was always going to win the developers favour just because at the end of the day they want to see $$$.
in fact i know tons of people who own legally the game but use 'cracked' binary w/o Securom or StarForce simply because that 'piece of s***' copyprotection software is unstable
instead of spending millions on USELESS protections , spend them on game engine coders and Quality testing to get rid of bugs
better game as result == higher sales
Friend: "Hey I downloaded xyz game the other day"
Me; "Well if it's good you should buy the real version"
Friend; "Yeah, and then what, I can't play it if I don't have internet connections at the right time? No thanks"
Systems like this one are stupid because they not only discourage the paying customer, they actually reward the pirate over the person who has paid for a real copy.
If I'm honest, it's really quite likely that until they remove this retarded protection on these games, I won't be buying them. I don't pay to be treated like a pirate.
Wait. So if I were to buy, install, and play a game using this "feature"
Wait. So if I were to buy, install, and play a game using this "feature"
That alone would make me either pirate, or buy/crack any games that have it. I play games when I want to, I won't have EA telling me to play every 10 days.
are they actually TRYING to stop piracy? cus damn it sure doesnt look like it
http://masseffect.bioware.com/forums/viewt...um=125&sp=0
They are removing the every 10 day activation from Mass Effect PC and replacing it with the activation on install system. There will be a 3 activation limit in place.
Well, it's a step in the right direction, but I still will not be buying a game that requires activation. Too bad, as I was looking forward to this one.
http://masseffect.bioware.com/forums/viewt...um=125&sp=0
They are removing the every 10 day activation from Mass Effect PC and replacing it with the activation on install system. There will be a 3 activation limit in place.
Reading that has made me feel better. I don't have a problem with activation on installing, but the constant authentication was pushing it too far.
Is there any word on whether Spore will be changing it's authentication? I can't seem to find anything saying that it will be changed, which I'm not happy about. Spore is the title I'm more interested in, and if the constant authentication is going to be present then I'm not going to get it.
No way in hell am I running around like a dog trying to play the game.
Sure i'm paying for the license to play it but you can f'off if im going to jump through hoops to keep that license 10 days fresh.
Freeking useless copy protection schemes.
I'm personaly not a big fan of the games Stardock makes, but at least they don't use Copy Protection on their games (just their patch installers).
Note to the gaming industry: If you want more people to buy your games, then make games that don't SUCK!
Penny Arcade had an interesting take on all this:
http://www.penny-arcade.com/images/2008/20080509.jpg
Last edited by Airlink on 10 May 2008 - 04:34
and what about people with no internet
Know what this made me think of? Oblivion. You know, that game had no copy protection besides a simple CD-in-drive check. And yes, there was piracy. But it was a huge hit. No copy protection does not mean low profits. What does mean low profits is lackluster, mediocre, half-assed games. If you build it, they will come. If you build it and put an electrified fence around it, they will get zapped, and wander away cursing and slightly twitchy.
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