News Fallout 3 DRM detailed

[CardJoe]

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/2008/10...drm-detailed/1

Fallout 3 uses SecuROM DRM technology, but Bethesda has claimed that it isn't as draconian as some other games.

[johnnyboy700]

As long as it does mess up my PC of trip my virus scanner I'm fine with it.

Its sad fact of life that certain PC gamers have brought this on all of us with rampant piracy, the developers need to do something and this seems to be the path they have chosen.

[leexgx]

wunder if it let me install with haveing Alcohol 120% & demon tools on my pc

[Andune]

So why use SecuROM at all Bethesda?
As far as I've heard the game is already pirated, of course not as bad as the console version but still...

[Cobalt]

Don't care TBH. Disk checks and CD keys are still the best way to prevent casual piracy (lending disk to friend etc) without harming the consumer. Securom have a bad name because of some of their products but this version is easily circumventable and harmless. Daemon tools even has an option to override it.

[Hamish]

so if it only uses securom for disc check does it still install securom for the steam version?

[Shadowed_fury]

Yeah since i'm getting it on Steam i'd like to know if this is just ignored...

[Jokkocze]

Disc check? I had no problems running my game without the disc :S

[riggs]

Bah, bloody disc checks! Don't get me wrong, anti-piracy is an issue that needs sorting as far as PC games are concerned. I just hate the fact that I still need to have the disc inserted to play the game, despite the fact it's installed on my HDD!?!

I much prefer Steam-esque online checks instead, but maybe that's just me?

Give it a week or so and no doubt a NOCD patch will turn up...

[Narishma]

Cobalt: How is lending the disc to a friend piracy? Besides, CD-checks don't do anything about it. Only online authentication every time you play (like Steam) prevent you from lending the game to someone else.

[Daniel114]

I must say with all theproblems I'd encountered with GOW on the PC, I haven't noticed a thing with Fallout.

Installed easy, and even though I'm playing using a DVD burner it doesn't have the usual 'please insert DVD' glitch that GOW had, also the Windows live thing hasn't reared its ugly head once, doesn't even need to connect to play single player (unlike GOW)

[Kúsař]

Fallout 3 1.0 SecuROM 7.38 Setup only

It is NOT DRM! It's common copy protection. This one is present on many of older games(RE4, Vietcong 2, ArmA international,...list goes on and on...) and it definitely isn't causing problems like securom's DRM or starforce.
I never had a single problem with this kind of copy protection, I'm perfectly fine with this one as a customer. And it effectively prevents schoolyards from copying the game

[s3v3n]

Just curious, if I bought the boxed version, can I get the Steam version free?

[Hamish]

Originally Posted by s3v3n

Just curious, if I bought the boxed version, can I get the Steam version free?

no
you can install the boxed version and then put a shortcut into steam but generally you can only activate valve retail games on steam

[Cobalt]

Originally Posted by Narishma

Cobalt: How is lending the disc to a friend piracy? Besides, CD-checks don't do anything about it. Only online authentication every time you play (like Steam) prevent you from lending the game to someone else.

Its is piracy despite what you may think. You are giving a copy to a friend who doesn't pay for it. If you just give them the game fine but if you expect to both be playing it at the same time then its piracy. Its more relevant to multiplayer games, granted. But, if you require the disk to play then two people can't be playing it at the same time unless you have a crack.

[Adnoctum]

They are not being completely honest in their statement, because many people are having issues installing Fallout and Bethesda's solution is to start uninstalling legitimate CD/DVD burning programs.
Linky: http://www.bethsoft.com/bgsforums/in...owtopic=892618

Wanna play Fallout? No Nero for you!
Don't like it? Go talk to secuROM. Not our problem.

[Gunsmith]

nero's been **** for years anyway.

i fail to see the problem

[Almightyrastus]

I have nero on my pc here and have not had a problem running Fallout 3. The only issue I had was one of my DVD drives (my panasonic reader) would not accept the disc and spat it out. My (again panasonic) DVD writer is fine and I have been able to rinstall and run the game with no problems when using that one.

[Kúsař]

Originally Posted by Adnoctum

They are not being completely honest in their statement, because many people are having issues installing Fallout and Bethesda's solution is to start uninstalling legitimate CD/DVD burning programs.
Linky: http://www.bethsoft.com/bgsforums/in...owtopic=892618

Wanna play Fallout? No Nero for you!
Don't like it? Go talk to secuROM. Not our problem.

I don't think it's true. Securom 7 blacklists virtual drive managers like Daemon Tools, Alcohol, Blindwrite, etc. even then - if you've got original disc in drive you should still be able to run/install the game with virtual drive managers running. Just to make sure - I tried running Fear(securom7) and Vietcong 2(securom7 too) with original disc present and without hiding Daemon tools - and it worked fine.

I'm going to say that most of the people who complain on bethesda forum about securom copy protection are either people who know nothing about it and never bought the game to try it or pirates who are trying to run/install the game from badly created image of original DVD, probably torrented one. Those who use virtual drives to keep their original discs safe usually now how to surpass securom. As I said - securom 7 has been used for many years now and no one complained...

[donnie]

I installed Fallout 3 fine but when I came to start the game it refused with the usual please insert corrent disc all because I've got daemon tools installed so a quick visit to a nocd website and i'm playing the game fine but it shouldn't have to be like this, and just to reiterate the torrrent version of the pc game was out 2-3 days before the game actually shipped complete with a nocd patch and no problems, I had thought that Bethesda was an enlightened developer which knew that this DRM crap doesn't actually protect Jack, Jill or the hill so why use it.

Just another case of developers paying a crap company "secuROM" loads of money to protect thier investment and failing but I guess this is just another page in the file of DRM doesn't stop anyone from stealing you're games.