Thursday, August 23, 2007
PC Game Publishers: Please Hurt Me Some More!
When I first heard about the two installation limitation on the PC version Bioshock, my first thought was, "Screw that, I'll just buy the XBox 360 version."
I'm a die-hard PC gamer. And I do not even HAVE an X-Box 360 yet (rumor has it Santa might have it on order for Christmas). Given the choice between a console and PC version of a game, I always go with the PC version.
Yet my first thought upon hearing what sounded like a pretty onerous copy-protection scheme was to hand in my PC Gamer card, and wait four more months so I didn't have to deal with that kind of B.S.
Since then, it has been clarified in that as long as your computer is hooked up to the Internet... and there's no firewall issues... and no hiccups... IF you uninstall the game correctly, it will count as a "negative installation" and you don't have to call up the copy protection company and prove your innocence and beg for them for permission to play you bought from them.
And really, it shouldn't affect me one bit, should it? I am usually hooked up to the Internet, and I do know enough to uninstall my games properly --- usually. Assuming my hard drive hasn't crashed or become corrupted by spyware (or other copy protection software) or anything. And I play downloadable games all the time, and more than once I've had to email the developers / distributors and ask for my old key back. Assuming they are still around when I reinstall - as a retrogamer I am pretty used to playing games that are no longer being supported (and whose former publishers no longer even exist). But barring any of that, it shouldn't be a problem, should it?
So what's the big deal? Why should I object to being treated as a criminal by the game publisher, and putting my faith into an untrusted mechanical guardian that has power over whether or not I have the right to enjoy my investment? Why should I be concerned about having to jump through a bunch of hoops as a legitimate consumer, knowing that the dishonest pirates will soon be enjoying a superior product than what I have paid good money for?
And after the PC gamer has been filled with the spirit of generosity for having bolstered a company's sales projections by pre-ordering the game and paying for it in advance, why should they be annoyed that they are denied the opportunity to play their long-awaited purchase immediately because the registration servers that dole out permission are overloaded for a few hours or days?
And why should game publishers complain that the PC market has been weakening? You mean that pissing off all the PC gaming fans and turning this open platform into a desolate wasteland of gaming hasn't been their plan all along? Surely they could not have been constructing such an sophisticated bed to lie in purely by accident?
(Incidentally... is the Steam version free of this particular crap... albeit coming with it's own unique brand of crap? Somehow I have more faith in Steam than SecuROM... or maybe it's just my loyalty to a developer-turned-publisher...)
UPDATE: According to the PCGamer blog, uninstalling isn't guaranteed to count. And SecuRom is friggin' PSYCHOTIC and paranoid about re-authorizing the activation. And, according to this unlucky journalist, they aren't doing what they promised. So... uh... guess what? I'm gonna be giving this game a miss unless they pull a rabbit out of a hat and make things right. At this point, I won't even get the X-Box 360 version. I don't want to support a publisher that treats its customers like criminals. I've had enough. Thanks to Shamus Young of Twenty-Sided and Scorpia for the tip-off on this latest development!
UPDATE #2: Buying it through Steam is the same raw deal. Joy. The registry entries are no big deal though... unless someone finds a non-deleteable process running after installing the demo, I wouldn't get too worked up about it and cry "rootkit." Yet. Again, thanks to Shamus Young for THIS little tidbit. You know, I'm suddenly feeling even more warm fuzzies towards Stardock... Incidentally, here is a post that tells you how to remove the SecuRom crap that was installed on your machine as part of playing the demo...
(Vaguely) related tirades:
* CD Key Frustration
* A Pirate Story
* Enjoy an Oldie But Goodie
* Will 2007 Be the Year of the Downloadable Game?
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Labels: Biz
- posted by The Rampant Coyote @ 7:27 PM (Permalink)
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So you want to show your objection to this appalling decision by the publisher by pubishing them. To pubish them you intend to give them no money for their PC version, but for their XBOX 360 version.
They still get paid. The best way to punish them is to not buy their game on any system and let them know why. There's loads of other games to play instead, such as the fantastic ones on this site. It's not like we were all twiddling our thumbs game-less waiting on this game to come out.
They still get paid. The best way to punish them is to not buy their game on any system and let them know why. There's loads of other games to play instead, such as the fantastic ones on this site. It's not like we were all twiddling our thumbs game-less waiting on this game to come out.
# posted by 
: August 24, 2007 2:19 AM
: August 24, 2007 2:19 AM
I'm glad to see this post. I have to hold off a purchase until I have a machine that can run the thing anyway, but hopefully this will be worked in some way by then.
You'll notice on the Cult of Rapture site that they are increasing the number of installs from 2 to 5.
But I think the bottom line is that these sort of protection schemes shouldn't be there in the first place. The pirates will always find a way around, and the paying customers will continue to have a harder and harder time.
I remember staying at a buddy's house for hours as we tried to install and activate Half-Life 2. The hammered servers just wouldn't let us play our game.
Unfortunately I see the game ownership freedom of the past quickly falling away into history.
You'll notice on the Cult of Rapture site that they are increasing the number of installs from 2 to 5.
But I think the bottom line is that these sort of protection schemes shouldn't be there in the first place. The pirates will always find a way around, and the paying customers will continue to have a harder and harder time.
I remember staying at a buddy's house for hours as we tried to install and activate Half-Life 2. The hammered servers just wouldn't let us play our game.
Unfortunately I see the game ownership freedom of the past quickly falling away into history.
Oh, and also, I really feel like these sort of protection schemes just ENCOURAGE more piracy. Why should I buy a game and get locked in when I can pirate it and have all the freedom I want?
Yeah, don't buy their game. That way they can blame low sales on "piracy".
I do not buy any games requiring activation. In fact I've never even played HL2 nor do I intend to unless a version is released without authentication.
For about 2yrs I even stopped buying any PC games because I was fed up with the copy protection BS. Oblivion got me to start buying games again (Oblivion only has a CD check, that's it), although I'm starting to get more and more fed up since the situation is even worse than when I quit buying games before!
I picked up Bioshock (Making this the first time I spent money on an product requiring activation...so yay now 2K has as supporting activation) the other day to see if my stance on activation is unfounded and unfortunately it is not. Activation is a PITA and isn't going to get any better.
Hoping a NOCD/Noactivation comes out soon so I can replay this game in 5-10-20yrs without worrying about contacting a nonexistent server.
I do not buy any games requiring activation. In fact I've never even played HL2 nor do I intend to unless a version is released without authentication.
For about 2yrs I even stopped buying any PC games because I was fed up with the copy protection BS. Oblivion got me to start buying games again (Oblivion only has a CD check, that's it), although I'm starting to get more and more fed up since the situation is even worse than when I quit buying games before!
I picked up Bioshock (Making this the first time I spent money on an product requiring activation...so yay now 2K has as supporting activation) the other day to see if my stance on activation is unfounded and unfortunately it is not. Activation is a PITA and isn't going to get any better.
Hoping a NOCD/Noactivation comes out soon so I can replay this game in 5-10-20yrs without worrying about contacting a nonexistent server.
By way of clarification - I probably won't be getting the XBox version either. Maybe it'll be a rental.
There are a ton of great games out there. Maybe not as new and shiny and currently enjoying 15 minutes of fame, but just as fun. I'll be spending my money elsewhere.
Eric - I am very anti-piracy as you probably know. Once upon a time, I would have disagreed with you about a copy-protection scheme encouraging piracy. But when legitimate users are having trouble actually using the game they purchased (and this is hardly the first time), I can't help but agree.
I don't actually have too big of a problem with "activation" so long as they are generous and give the benefit of the doubt to the consumer. When a company demands that someone sends them a PHOTOGRAPH of their CD and the box, and then still takes over 24 hours to re-activate the product, something is seriously, SERIOUSLY screwed up. They deserve to be publicly called to the carpet, and IMO to lose sales.
They lost mine. And it was a done deal.
There are a ton of great games out there. Maybe not as new and shiny and currently enjoying 15 minutes of fame, but just as fun. I'll be spending my money elsewhere.
Eric - I am very anti-piracy as you probably know. Once upon a time, I would have disagreed with you about a copy-protection scheme encouraging piracy. But when legitimate users are having trouble actually using the game they purchased (and this is hardly the first time), I can't help but agree.
I don't actually have too big of a problem with "activation" so long as they are generous and give the benefit of the doubt to the consumer. When a company demands that someone sends them a PHOTOGRAPH of their CD and the box, and then still takes over 24 hours to re-activate the product, something is seriously, SERIOUSLY screwed up. They deserve to be publicly called to the carpet, and IMO to lose sales.
They lost mine. And it was a done deal.
I guess to clarify further... the activation thing annoying (especially in conjunction with the CD-ROM / DVD-ROM check), but not what turns me off. If it's a downloadable game, in particular, activation (to me) is no huge deal.
What I object to is the publisher attempting to curtail my LEGAL RIGHTS as a consumer. Technically speaking, sure, they are being fairly generous with what... five machines simultaneously? But they are enforcing it by a method that is demonstratively error-prone. And they are apparently being jerks about dealing with their own failures.
This is uncalled for.
What I object to is the publisher attempting to curtail my LEGAL RIGHTS as a consumer. Technically speaking, sure, they are being fairly generous with what... five machines simultaneously? But they are enforcing it by a method that is demonstratively error-prone. And they are apparently being jerks about dealing with their own failures.
This is uncalled for.
I am not a big fan of over-restrictive software protection. I really don't mind license keys, I am pretty good at keeping up with them. I did buy a game with steam once for the single player parts of the game. After several hours of trying to get it installed, I packed it all up and took it back to WalMart. I have had to do that with three games now. I will not call, I return, and I never look at it again. I also will not do internet activations for games, it is a security risk for me that the game company feels comfortable with me taking.
See, this is why I wait for reviews from users and not from people who might have been given a special media copy. :)
So, no Bioshock for this household. Oh well. I've got plenty of other things to do.
So, no Bioshock for this household. Oh well. I've got plenty of other things to do.
I own Half-Life 2. I also own the expansion, and the original Half-Life. I think that Half-Life 2 ranks among the top five games ever made.
But looking back, I really do regret buying it. The escalation of copy-protection bull**** is just a violation of the consumer. (I'm not leaving out a word there. Copy-protection is violating us.)
But looking back, I really do regret buying it. The escalation of copy-protection bull**** is just a violation of the consumer. (I'm not leaving out a word there. Copy-protection is violating us.)
Well, that may be putting it a little stronger than I'd put it... but I think the basic principle there is correct.
Now, I will agree that - for now - there needs to be some form of copy protection / DRM on digital media. There's plenty of anecdotal evidence that stronger licensing /protection schemes yield far greater sales than weaker / nonexistant ones. (There's a great article by a small indie company that's a terrific ferinstance, but I can't find it right now).
That's a shame. But it indicates that yes, people are broken, and that the majority will take something without paying for it if you leave the door open and they don't think they'll get caught.
So there needs to be a balance struck there somewhere. The company has a right to prevent its software from being pirated. But the consumer has rights, too, and the more the DRM / Copy Protection inhibits "normal" use of the software by the consumer, the bigger problem I have with it. At some point, it crosses the line.
Now, I will agree that - for now - there needs to be some form of copy protection / DRM on digital media. There's plenty of anecdotal evidence that stronger licensing /protection schemes yield far greater sales than weaker / nonexistant ones. (There's a great article by a small indie company that's a terrific ferinstance, but I can't find it right now).
That's a shame. But it indicates that yes, people are broken, and that the majority will take something without paying for it if you leave the door open and they don't think they'll get caught.
So there needs to be a balance struck there somewhere. The company has a right to prevent its software from being pirated. But the consumer has rights, too, and the more the DRM / Copy Protection inhibits "normal" use of the software by the consumer, the bigger problem I have with it. At some point, it crosses the line.
Ha, all this reminds me of my first crack at activation keys and code. I had dozens of static keys set up to generate a key depending on the date. Both the websites php script and the java code ran the same algorithm with the same key feed. Basically, what the customer wound up with was a membership into the site to login and get the key any time they needed it.
It was a good idea in some respects, but not really as practical as it should have been for the consumer. I would have used a vanilla license key scheem, but at the time I couldn't afford the cross platform products available for this.
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It was a good idea in some respects, but not really as practical as it should have been for the consumer. I would have used a vanilla license key scheem, but at the time I couldn't afford the cross platform products available for this.
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