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Guest Message by DevFuse
 

Will EA Ever Learn?

Started by SuperTaz, Apr 24 2011 12:50 AM

8 replies to this topic

#1 SuperTaz

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Posted Apr 24, 2011 - 12:50 AM

http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2011/04/18/will-ea-ever-learn.aspx

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Three years ago, its much-touted and heavily marketed release of Spore was marred by an overly heavy-handed copy-protection policy. The Digital Rights Management, or DRM, scheme gave users the right to install their legally purchased copies a maximum of three times, causing a public hue and cry. What's more, pirates cracked and released a protection-free version before the game even hit retail shelves.

In short, pirates got a more functional game, could play it before more scrupulous customers, and generally got the better end of the stick.

Last week, EA was at it again: Dragon Age: Origins launched with a DRM scheme that required the game to contact a central server before it could be played -- and the servers collapsed on the first weekend. Legal owners of this highly anticipated game were unable to play it, and once again, the pirates had been slaying dragons for a week already

:up:

#2 xX_Renegade_Xx

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Posted Apr 24, 2011 - 03:15 AM

That post does prove one thing, even with DRM the game can still be pirated.

It only hurts the paying customer anyway, just remove it!!

#3 MaydaX

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Posted Apr 24, 2011 - 07:22 AM

I think the most important DRM needed today is release control (prevent a game from being played before the release date).

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SecuROM Release Control places your executable and any other desired files inside a 128-bit key encrypted, self-extracting container. When the container is launched, it first contacts the SecuROM Release Control server to determine if the release date has been reached. After the release date, the server returns the key for decryption and unpacking of the container.

The container decrypts and extracts its contents into the Windows temporary folder and subsequently overwrites itself with the unpacked content.

If the release date has not been reached, Release Control informs the user with an error message. The container will remain unencrypted, and when started the next time, the release date check will be performed again.

I'm sure some remember the Ubisoft DRM that required you to be online all the time while the game was running. If you lost your internet connection the game would quit back to the main menu. That was bypassed by pirates eventually so all it did was piss off the legitimate customers. They patched most of their games to remove that now and giving an offline option.

So best to just use a protection that prevents casual piracy while not pissing off the people who buy the game because they get cracked eventually anyway.

#4 xX_Renegade_Xx

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Posted Apr 24, 2011 - 07:57 AM

That SecuROM Release Control sounds like a better option, is it being used in any games at the moment and if so, is it working?

#5 MaydaX

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Posted Apr 24, 2011 - 08:57 AM

View PostxX_Renegade_Xx, on Apr 24, 2011 - 07:57 AM, said:

That SecuROM Release Control sounds like a better option, is it being used in any games at the moment and if so, is it working?

Latest EA game that used it was Dead Space 2, which wasn't cracked until 2 days after release.

#6 SuperTaz

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Posted Apr 24, 2011 - 02:46 PM

No matter what the dev's do, the pirates will always be one step ahead of them, in my opinion.

#7 HSMagnet

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Posted Apr 24, 2011 - 09:37 PM

if they worried about making games that people wanted

they would sell so many it wouldn't matter

games used to be free and send them a couple of dollars if you felt like it

large corps were built on this model

then they got greedy

#8 MaydaX

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Posted Apr 24, 2011 - 10:55 PM

Part of the problem is unfinished console ports. Take Crysis 2 for example: no DX11, no 64bit, no sandbox editor, no public server files, no advanced graphics options. Some of which are coming in a future patch. And to top it off, it's $59.

The phrase "more for less" should not mean less game for more money. Too many publishers release half a game first then add the rest later for free or for a price through patches and DLC's.

Give everyone the option to get their money back for lets say 7 days after release. I will bet the quality of games will increase as players would no longer be stuck with a lemon on release day.

#9 xX_Renegade_Xx

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Posted Apr 25, 2011 - 05:58 AM

View PostMaydaX, on Apr 24, 2011 - 10:55 PM, said:

Part of the problem is unfinished console ports. Take Crysis 2 for example: no DX11, no 64bit, no sandbox editor, no public server files, no advanced graphics options. Some of which are coming in a future patch. And to top it off, it's $59.

The phrase "more for less" should not mean less game for more money. Too many publishers release half a game first then add the rest later for free or for a price through patches and DLC's.

Give everyone the option to get their money back for lets say 7 days after release. I will bet the quality of games will increase as player would no longer be stuck with a lemon on release day.

QFT!!

View PostSuperTaz, on Apr 24, 2011 - 02:46 PM, said:

No matter what the dev's do, the pirates will always be one step ahead of them, in my opinion.

Maybe an alternative would be to speak to these pirates and get them to design something that can't be cracked, they obviously have no problems with the current DRM judging by the original post.
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