News EA to stick with SecuROM for Red Alert 3

[CardJoe]

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/2008/09...-red-alert-3/1

EA has announced an intention to continue using the controversial SecurROM copy protection software with the upcoming Red Alert 3.

[Grasshopper]

So, they didn't learn after all.

[reflux]

Three installs of Mass Effect pisses me right off. I installed it on my laptop, my desktop, and then reformatted my desktop and installed it again. Now I have to ring up EA, to get another activation, if I want to install it again? It's ridiculous....when will content providers put customers in front of their own selfishness?

[biebiep]

"I think it would be a shame if people decided to not play a great game simply because it came with DRM, but I understand that this is a very personal decision for many of you and I respect that. As you might imagine, I’m a lot less respectful of those people who take the position that they will illegally download a game simply because it has DRM,"

Couldn't be more true, seriously...
The only thing DRM does is make you a little bit more concious about carefully installing/uninstalling your software (and thats a VERY good thing, for overall system health and computer awareness).
I for one have never had problems with Spore/Mass Effect/Bioshock/Windows XP activations. And why the hell do you think calling for an activation is hard work ? >_>

The man from EA is totally right, people who actually prefer NOT to buy a game due to DRM are 98% of the time just ppl who want free games and need an excuse for themselves >_>.

[wuyanxu]

meh, still not going to stop me buy my favourate gaming series of all times.

[Daniel114]

Originally Posted by biebiep

The man from EA is totally right, people who actually prefer NOT to buy a game due to DRM are 98% of the time just ppl who want free games and need an excuse for themselves >_>.

I don't think thats the true at all, I generally format my hard drive quite a bit mostly thanks to Creative drivers and SP3 updates which seem to cause me problems.

The idea of someone legally buying a game, then having to limit their installs before calling to activate it is a ridiculous idea, regardless of the ease by which it is accomplished. As mentioned before in other threads its treating genuine buyers as potential pirates and really has no advantages. pirates will torrent the game, install it and bypass activation, people that buy it will have to activate it after x amount of installs, its intrusive and useless.

It may be the case that the game remains the property of the company releasing it, but reminding people of this is just bad business practice, this is why it alienates people, its nothing to do with the random '98%' of people that want free games,

99% of people already know this

[hodgy100]

so what i just wont uninstall it , then the only thing that will cause me a problem would be if I managed to get 3 HDD's that break, and what are the chances of that?

[reflux]

Originally Posted by biebiep

And why the hell do you think calling for an activation is hard work ? >_>

Because there's absolutely no reason why I should have to. It's intrusive, unnecessary, and smacks of selfish luddism. I've bought the license to play the game once, so why I do I have to ask permission to play it again?

[Kúsař]

Limited installations? Product activations? No, thanks. The game is just not good enough for me to buy it with DCP included...

[quack]

When will they learn that DRM DOES NOTHING to stop piracy. It is a complete waste of money for them, and nothing but an added annoyance and hindrance to those who actually buy the product.

Those in The Scene who want to distribute the product will get their hands on a copy before the release date, it will be leaked to P2P, and those who don't want to pay for it will be able download it with the DRM already cracked.


DRM only affects (and annoys) PAYING customers.

[Bursar]

I don't think gamers are against DRM in principal - games have had various forms of copy protection in them for donkey's years. It's the way the protection is implemented that causes the problem.

I personally won't touch any StarForce based products as I've had coutless issues with them in the past. The installation of device drivers to affect the operation of my optical drives is not the best way to impress me. There have been several StarForce protected games that I just couldn't play. The install went fine, but after that I couldn't actually get the game to run.

Compared to that, I think SecurROM is a fairly friendly system!

[Tyrmot]

Those people who say 'well now I'm going to pirate it' would have done it *anyway*. They're just happy as now they can justify their actions and feel better about themselves. I don't buy into this idea that it's driving people to piracy. All it's doing is losing EA business.

EA has lost my money on all 3 of those games they packaged with secuROM (well... maybe not Spore as reviews have been pretty lukewarm) - RA3 is now just the latest addition to that list. I'm not going to pirate it just because EA messed it up - I'll treat it as any other game that was messed up in some way (whether that had been gameplay, graphics etc) and go and find something else to entertain me, it's not like there is a shortage of choice after all...

[Sh00ter]

real shame, will most prob still buy it - but ffs it buggs me beyond belief that the only games i have that give me any form of grief are the legal ones!!!

[chrisuk]

You all make me laugh....not buying a game because of DRM. EA is FULLY entitled to do what it sees fit to protect itself as the rights holder. I don't for a second believe anyone has a genuine reason to install a game, concurrently, on more than 3 machines. And if your all so disconnected from the world that you won't phone them then you've got bigger problems than SecurROM, or maybe, your mums won't let you use the telephone?

Yes, it doesn't stop people pirating - but they would have anyway...the people who for some reason think they are entitled to something for free.

All you idiots think your waving a huge banner against some kind of injustice and I just don't see it. Its not like you've got 3 installs and that's it, you have to buy it again - and, exactly how many machines can you run a console game on concurrently? Don't hear anyone complaining about that....do you? And no, you don't have any right to put it on more than one machine......all that has changed is that the technologies now exist to enforce what has been in EULAs for a long long long time.

I just hope those of you who refuse to buy a game because of DRM eventually pull your heads out of your own behinds, start thinking about the people your really hurting (those who slave away day after day creating these games) and just pull off your campaign hats. Games are meant to be fun, and RA3 certainly will be, buy it, install it, play it and have fun - safe in the knowledge your supporting an industry that....lets face it, needs all the help it can get.

[Kúsař]

Originally Posted by Tyrmot

...it's not like there is a shortage of choice after all...

Perhaps EA thinks otherwise. Seems like that's the reason why I've been enjoying classics like Might & Magic 7 instead of Crysis or Bioshock this year

[Phil Rhodes]

> Red Alert 3 is shaping up to be a world-class RTS game that will give you many hours of enjoyment,

Until we get bored of supporting the activation servers at which point it will never, ever give anyone any enjoyment ever again.

[steveo_mcg]

Its funny the older i get the easier it is to stick to an arbitrary principal.
I've no intention of playing a game with these types of drm. Note thats playing not buying, i wont pirate it and I wont buy it. There are plenty of games which i'm willing to pay for these are not amongst them so it is a genuinely lost sale unlike the percived piracy threat.

On a similar note i noticed bioshock had the activation requirement removed. Does any one know if you install a new retail copy does it still install SecurROM?

[impar]

Greetings!

Originally Posted by Star*Dagger

I will never buy a Securom game and I invite others to boycott them until EA (and other fools that use it) until they clue in.

I can buy Securom infected games, but not those with online authentication or limited activations.

The online authentications require servers that I have no way of knowing if will be online in the future.
Limited activations are just intolerable.

Full DRM details:

I know this can be somewhat of a polarizing topic, and I thought it would be best to open the lines of communication with some facts:

- We will authenticate your game online when you install and launch it the first time.

- We will never re-authenticate an installation online after the first launch. In other words, no reaching out to a central server post-install to see if you’re “allowed” to play.

- You will be able to install and play on up to five computers.

- This system means you don't have to play with the disc in your computer. Personally, I think this is a huge improvement over our previous copy protection requirements, which have always required a disk to play.

- Life happens. I know it’s unlikely, but for those unlucky few who install the game and have their machines nuked (virus, OS reinstall, major hardware upgrade, etc.) five times, EA Customer Service will be on hand to supply any additional authorizations that are warranted. This will be done on a case-by-case basis by contacting customer support.

-You can, of course, play offline without impediment or penalty.

Another EA game to avoid.

[Daniel114]

Originally Posted by chrisuk

Rant

Yes, it doesn't stop people pirating - but they would have anyway...the people who for some reason think they are entitled to something for free.

Rant

So what's the point of it then?

[Paolo]

This is one thing I don't get: The spokesperson openly acknowledges the fact that people *will* crack it anyway, and it *will* be downloaded illegally regardless.

Given this statement, it seems they are saying that they are including DRM to annoy the people that actually did purchase the game - this annoys me.