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Rumor: Spore DRM limits to 3 installs
LT says,
This is a very alienating approach to DRM. According to reports, you'll get to install Spore 3 times and after that it will alert you that you need to buy more licenses before installing it elsewhere. The terrible part of this is that you cannot gain back an installation license by uninstalling it or deactivating the license on a previous install.
I understand and support the needs of developers and publishers to combat piracy, but this approach to DRM takes things too far in the direction of screwing over legitimate customers. If I buy Spore, I should have the option of disabling a previous installation to install it elsewhere.
Let's say I install the game. A week later my hard-drive crashes, I reformat and install the game again. A month later the same thing happens and I build a new comp. If I install it there I can never install it again without buying more stuff? No thanks. I won't be pirating Spore in some sort of quasi-retaliation against EA. Instead, I will simply be skipping it in favor of others games this Holiday season which won't treat their customers like criminals with poorly-thought out DRM.
Article excerpt from simprograms.com —
"As reported here in the past, Mass Effect for PC contains a new type of SecuROM which will be present in all future EA/ Maxis games.
What does it do? Not only does it install itself to your computer without a word of notification as well as disable your firewall, dvd drives and cd/dvd burning software.It limits you to installing your game...
Read the full article at simprograms.com »
Read the full article at simprograms.com »
Comments: 14
Posted 3 years ago
This article is not the most recent representation of Spore's DRM. According to Giantbomb.com, Spore will include the SecuROM DRM limitations.
Posted 3 years ago
Hmm. Interesting. I find that Apple's model of allowing only 5 activations makes me crazy. The only redeeming feature of that is that you can clear out all the activations en masse once a year, but that's *still* a pain in the ass. I would rather be able to do it anytime. Sure, I can see limitations of not allowing it every day, since you can see people passing around their activation in a pool of people, but once a year sucks.
Given how I feel about Apple's method, I can't imagine Spore's is going to be any better, since the restrictions are tighter. How very annoying.
Given how I feel about Apple's method, I can't imagine Spore's is going to be any better, since the restrictions are tighter. How very annoying.
Posted 3 years ago
Honestly, it's crap like this that keeps me a console gamer. I'd much rather have any antipiracy measures built into the hardware. 
Posted 3 years ago
It's people like you who will stand in the way of getting rid of the need to change discs! ;) Seriously though, isn't that what the consoles do now, requiring the disc? I dream of an all-digital future.
Posted 3 years ago
I thought most PC installs these days still require the disc to be in the drive. It's the *additional* step of needing an authentication code to even activate the necessary HD install data where the DRM kicks you in the balls (metaphorically).
Posted 3 years ago
True, true. I wasn't trying to compare consoles to PCs -- I think it's clear that consoles are easier on DRM heavy-handedness than PCs -- but the idea of all digital content in the future, and getting rid of discs entirely, since that was the most obvious (to me) part of "antipiracy measures built into the hardware".
Posted 3 years ago
*sigh*
And it's all for naught anyway. Spore's cracked, and on the intarwebs. Please don't torrent it. It's the incredibly hard work of many people over the course of the last six years. It's a huge experiment in user generated content, with absolutely stunning technology, which you've seen in the creature editor.
Hundreds of people worked lots of late nights, tore their hair out, and busted their asses for this to finally make it to store shelves. I have no idea how it turned out in the end, but if you're interested in the concept, the editors are worth the price of admission alone.
Reward their hard work. Do what's right. Please.
And it's all for naught anyway. Spore's cracked, and on the intarwebs. Please don't torrent it. It's the incredibly hard work of many people over the course of the last six years. It's a huge experiment in user generated content, with absolutely stunning technology, which you've seen in the creature editor.
Hundreds of people worked lots of late nights, tore their hair out, and busted their asses for this to finally make it to store shelves. I have no idea how it turned out in the end, but if you're interested in the concept, the editors are worth the price of admission alone.
Reward their hard work. Do what's right. Please.
Posted 3 years ago
See, here's where I am undecided. Does anti-piracy software actually *do* anything?
The people who are going to download the pirated version of the game bypass the DRM anyway. They simply wait for the pirates to crack the game and upload it. And the pirates *will* crack the game. Or they'll somehow get a copy of the game without the DRM wrapper. It happens all the time.
So what's the point? I mean, a cursory level copy protection measure to prevent the average Joe or Jane from sticking the game into a burner and making a copy is okay. But anything more than that and, well, I feel like you're pissing off more legitimate customers than anything.
The people who are going to download the pirated version of the game bypass the DRM anyway. They simply wait for the pirates to crack the game and upload it. And the pirates *will* crack the game. Or they'll somehow get a copy of the game without the DRM wrapper. It happens all the time.
So what's the point? I mean, a cursory level copy protection measure to prevent the average Joe or Jane from sticking the game into a burner and making a copy is okay. But anything more than that and, well, I feel like you're pissing off more legitimate customers than anything.
Posted 3 years ago
What a tragedy. I hope only an insignificant number of people steal it. I think that Spore will be helped by the fact that the Maxis brand has such a loyal, yet extremely broad following.
Yet the P2P + cracked software combo is tragically popular.
Yet the P2P + cracked software combo is tragically popular.
Posted 3 years ago
You bring up a good point. DRM only slows the people who want to pirate by, what, an infinitesmally small amount of time, and act as a general nuisance for people who have zero interest in pirating.
What is the answer though? To do nothing is to give up entirely and almost like giving the pirates free reign. The movie industry has shown embarrassing results when they showed those little "educational" clips before trailers asking not to pirate.
I wish people would just be decent and not just take things they have no rights to. But I guess I'm living in a dream world.
What is the answer though? To do nothing is to give up entirely and almost like giving the pirates free reign. The movie industry has shown embarrassing results when they showed those little "educational" clips before trailers asking not to pirate.
I wish people would just be decent and not just take things they have no rights to. But I guess I'm living in a dream world.
Posted 3 years ago
Well, while it's annoying when you lose the CD cases, what's wrong with Blizzard's method? Just have the player input a code upon installation. Granted, people will still often share discs (and just stay off Battlenet so their copies don't get booted), but having some sort of copy protection on there that disallows simply copying of discs seems like it should be good enough.
Posted 3 years ago
I thought people have been able to do thing like generate keys and such...?
Posted 3 years ago
All this nonsensical DRM bullshit and the game's copy protection was cracked before the game was even officially released. The DRM really doesn't stop pirates, but it did give me reason enough to pass on Spore. I'll reconsider that decision if the DRM is made reasonable or it comes to a system like Xbox 360 where a game disc is a game disc and I can be sure it will work 20 years from now if I have a working Xbox 360.
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About LT
Brian M
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