Man of Honour
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Mass Effect Requires Online Validation Every Ten Days to Function
- Thread starter Tejstar
- Start date
Oh, well that's always been the case.
Consoles have always been just a couple of steps behind PCs, which are more expensive in the high-end, and so they eventually can play the games PCs can showcase.
An interesting way of looking at it, but yes that is the general feeling it gives.
Weebull, they are wasting money into developing anti-piracy measures that will not make any difference what so ever to the pirates. And they are charging the paying customer for it. I've bought something with my hard earned cash, yet they don't trust me and want me to prove I've bought it and so have actually charged me extra so I can prove it! Why should I have to prove myself to anyone, specially after paying out!?! Plus what happens if I want to play while away from an Internet connection, or if the servers go down? You'd be stuffed.
Lets not go there! hahaDoesn't sound too different to TV licensing people
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Soldato
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Realistically, how many people play on machines that dont have internet connections? Realistically, how many people will not be connected to the internet even on a laptop once every ten days?
If you dont notice it, its not a problem (as they said its done stealthily).
If you dont notice it, its not a problem (as they said its done stealthily).
Oh, well that's always been the case.
Consoles have always been just a couple of steps behind PCs, which are more expensive in the high-end, and so they eventually can play the games PCs can showcase.
It hasn't always been the case, not to this degree. Consoles now have MMOs, online shooters, a solid online experience that is Live, out of the box voice comms, loads of things that a few years ago console owners would only have dreamt of. PC exclusives are conversely getting rarer and rarer - and when games like Crysis come out that stretch the PCs hardware to the limit and showcase what it can do, people still moan coz it wont run at maximum settings on their aging setups. Cant win.
I can't believe I'm actually going to go point-for-point with you on this, it's so dense...
As for Windows and CD keys, yes it does bother me that I have to enter keys and validate my copy of Windows Vista online. The difference is that CD keys have been in use for so long and with such a huge range of products that there is a snowball's chance in Hell of ever getting it changed now, whereas all this activation malarkey (especially this "every ten days" rubbish) is barely used yet and something can be done to stop it if it proves unpopular enough.
But hey, to address your point properly: I just crack all my non-online games unless they're Steam.
Yes there are lots of programs that connect to a server and give a quick hello because it's a function of the program, but that is not the case here. The intent here is purely to force people into proving they are not criminals. For example my Windows clock connects to servers to update the time, but guess what, it's not checking validation and it works in pirate copies too.
Like I said, does "innocent until proven guilty" mean nothing anymore?
The difference is that none of my Steam games say "whoop, it's that time again, prove you own this game or we're going to break it". I buy the games through Steam and Steam simply remembers me buying them.
But it still makes you look like you're being purposefully dense.
If I buy a game, that generally cost £30-40 new these days, I do not expect the company who made it to force me into proving that I actually bought it. Ever heard of "innocent until proven guilty"?
When I connect to an MMO server it's to connect with other people, not to validate that I actually own the game, so you're talking about something completely different there.
As for Windows and CD keys, yes it does bother me that I have to enter keys and validate my copy of Windows Vista online. The difference is that CD keys have been in use for so long and with such a huge range of products that there is a snowball's chance in Hell of ever getting it changed now, whereas all this activation malarkey (especially this "every ten days" rubbish) is barely used yet and something can be done to stop it if it proves unpopular enough.
But hey, to address your point properly: I just crack all my non-online games unless they're Steam.
You're missing the factor of intent here.
Yes there are lots of programs that connect to a server and give a quick hello because it's a function of the program, but that is not the case here. The intent here is purely to force people into proving they are not criminals. For example my Windows clock connects to servers to update the time, but guess what, it's not checking validation and it works in pirate copies too.
Like I said, does "innocent until proven guilty" mean nothing anymore?
Erm, actually yes I do just connect to steam when I feel like it. When I want to buy a game, when I want to play online through Steam's matchmaking/server service, or when I want to see if there are any patches for my games.
The difference is that none of my Steam games say "whoop, it's that time again, prove you own this game or we're going to break it". I buy the games through Steam and Steam simply remembers me buying them.
You can keep pretending that Steam is "just an anti-piracy system" if you want.
But it still makes you look like you're being purposefully dense.
You say that but it's just another example of the PC being a step ahead. It's going to be the next generation of consoles until we see something on the level of Crysis, and at that time the PC will just be making another advance. This is the bonus that comes with spending more on a more powerful machine.
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There's just more cross-platform releases than there used to be. Most best selling games are available on multiple platforms, for example Portal is available on the 360.. imo, this isn't a bad thing. PC fanboys will moan about games being 'dumbed down' for consolers, but how was Portal dumbed down? How was UT3 dumbed down?
PC Exclusives are getting rarer, but single-console exclusives are also getting rarer. Welcome to the wooooorld of tomorrow!
Because how else would they differentiate between your version, and an illegally downloaded one?
Would you rather email them your receipt, your name and address, a list of the PCs you own, and all their hardware specifications, every time you buy a game?Oh, I never said it was a particularly smart idea, my point was simply lambasting requiring a permanent internet connection, only to moments later almost admit completely to having one.
Anti-piracy measures have existed for years, and this is such a pitifully minor one that I don't see the fuss. As I mentioned, CD-keys have existed for years, and still do, even though keygens are ten-a-penny. As long as the possiblity that they might, even briefly, inflate the sales of a games as potential piraters choose not to wait, then they will continue.
As for wasting time and money, something as simple as this could be done in hours, if not minutes. It's a handful of lines of code at best.
I can't differentiate between a lot of my games and pirate versions because I crack them. I don't see what this has to do with anything as long as I know I bought them and have supported a good game.Because how else would they differentiate between your version, and an illegally downloaded one?
You best get cracking on writing one of these cheap programs that can be done in hours then because you're going to but a lot of software security companies (Starforce et al) out of business overnight.
lol.
A script to handshake once a fortnight and auth actually would take just a few lines of code, there's no need to be so sarcastic.
Starforce protection works in a completely different way.
Wasn't Bioshock's activation part of the Securom package?
Edit: I just went to find out how much it costs for a business to licence Securom, but you have to inquire.
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Securom is pretty much the same thing as Starforce but developed by Sony, which means it will probably cost just as much (if not more) to licence and probably costs millions to develop.I've no idea of
a) the answer
b) how it's relevant
We don't know what system Mass Effect will use specifically, but I'll bet "a simple handshake" it is not.
So, say I buy Spore and install it. I then proceed to play for a few weeks and get quite addicted, then I have a fortnights holiday away from my computer. How does that work? Are EA going to reimburse me the price of the game? Or are they going to do what they did when I complained about a bug that prevented me from playing, still does to this day, BF2? Namely emailing me and telling me to **** off!
I think it just lets you validate when you get back.
Caporegime
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I hope Spore comes to consoles now.
Because, as I said above, it's so damn hard to tell the difference between a legal version and one that's been downloaded? As another of your posts put it:
But you can't spontaneously create a TV out of thin air! If you did, and it was illegal to (which, given that a TV is not an intellectual property, I doubt), I'd expect there would be checks. The analogy just doesn't work.
You don't think online games verify your account/game legality when you connect? Wha? Sorry, you're just wrong, they do, regardless.
But why? Do you get wound up when you have to show your ticket to the conductor on a bus/train journey? Does it boil your blood when you have to produce your car documents when pulled over? Do you fly into a blind rage when you're leaving a shop, and a security guard asks you for your receipt? I take it you've never filed a tax return?
Checks and balances exist in many aspects of our world. CD-keys are hardly out of the ordinary in this aspect. Try shouting "INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY
" at them all, and see how willing they are to let you get away with it.So it's better that illegally downloaded version of software have just as much functionality as the legal ones? There should be no penalty for pirating anything, and no-one should care, because hey, it's not like anyone's job is at stake after all of it?Yes there are lots of programs that connect to a server and give a quick hello because it's a function of the program, but that is not the case here. The intent here is purely to force people into proving they are not criminals. For example my Windows clock connects to servers to update the time, but guess what, it's not checking validation and it works in pirate copies too.
Well fair enough if that's true, but in that case, I'm not entirely sure why Steam is any more preferable to you than buying a CD version online, installing, and patching it by checking sites (or, in fact, letting the game itself update, as some do nowadays).
Where did I say anything of the sort?
The whole point of pirate copies though is that they're the same product, just free/stolen.
The analogy is stealing, I thought you would've gotten that.
Of course, following on from my analogy... Thanks to cracks, pirates don't have to put up with this stuff. "The men" wouldn't come "knocking on their door", it only affects legitimate buyers and as such is a waste of time and money.
Not as a primary function, as I keep saying. If I connect to a game or MMO server it's not to prove I have the game, it's to play online with other people and that must be done through a server.
I already have a receipt for the games I buy so why do I need to activate?
Nah, I just crack them unless I need to play online.Checks and balances exist in many aspects of our world. CD-keys are hardly out of the ordinary in this aspect. Try shouting "INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY
Erm, but that is how pirate software works. In the vast majority of cases it's just as functional as the real thing, you can even play pirate games online etc. and pirate copies of Windows can be made to run just like the real thing (even when it comes to Windows Update and such.)
You actually sound like anti-piracy actually makes a bit of difference.
Steam is better for me because I don't have to wait for the disc in the post.
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I fail to see you point? If the market is smaller - then why would developers develop for the PC market if they make more money on consoles? The fact of the matter is; there are less titles coming out on PC then there used to be and the ones that do get released are normally sold on one of the other consoles (and they are normally developed with that console in mind and then ported over).
Ulfhedjinn said:
Maybe I miss-read the article, but I'm pretty sure it said the main reason for the increase in revenue was because of the Burning Crusade release. In-fact, the article even says: "NPD analyst cites rise in popularity of RPGs" (which is in reference to MMO games). These "RPGs" are now coming out on consoles and due to the number of people buying games on consoles over the PC, the PC markets share in the MMO world will decline.
This bit of the article is key as well:
"NPD's research shows retail sales of PC games in the US kept steady at just under USD 1 billion annually in 2005 and 2006, after a 14 per cent drop from 2004 figures. This compares with 2006 console game sales of USD 4.8 billion and a handheld game market worth USD 1.7 billion.
The latest 2007 figures show a sharp reversal of this declining trend, although only time will tell if they are any more than a Burning Crusade-related blip. "
Was it a blip? More than likely - yes (although I have no proof to back that up
)Ulfhedjinn said:
It's a deterent; if people see they have to crack it - some people won't bother. Especially if it's quite complicated to do.
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