Ubisoft still don't get it do they?

barmyllama · 13 Jan 2011 at 20:51

I noticed a new game on Steam call Zeit2, a side scrolling shoot 'em up for £6.99.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/33390/

So I clicked on the store page and it's got Steam Achievements, Steam Leaderboards and Steam Cloud. So it's obviously a Steamworks game.

Sounds good I thought to myself, until I read 3rd-party DRM: Tages Solidshield
3 machine activation limit.

Why?

It's a bloody Steam game, why do I need anymore DRM than that?

Ubisoft you are a bunch of morons, that's another one of your games I won't be buying.

Neil79 · 13 Jan 2011 at 20:54

They don't care either, actually when ubisoft put in DRM they didn't even care about their own customers lol let alone pirates

Ravenger · 13 Jan 2011 at 22:49

Yep, stark raving bonkers, DRM layered over DRM.

I don't know how Valve can allow it, because they make a big point that Steam games are locked to an account, and not a machine - limited activation DRM negates that. It's tantamount to false advertising.

It's about time Valve forbade any sort of third party limited activations on Steam (though I could see them allowing account based DRM for multiplayer games or third party DLC).

Gimpymoo · 13 Jan 2011 at 23:04

I dislike Ubisofts attitude towards DRM... however they were one of the few devs releasing big budget PC Exclusives last year.

n111ck · 13 Jan 2011 at 23:14

Steam is fully cracked - it only prevents early pirate releases.

Gimpymoo · 13 Jan 2011 at 23:29

n111ck said:
Steam is fully cracked - it only prevents early pirate releases.

So is nearly every other DRM.

If games were not copied, there would be no DRM.

Without DRM, games will be copied.

Megahurtz400 · 13 Jan 2011 at 23:46

Gimpymoo said:
So is nearly every other DRM.

If games were not copied, there would be no DRM.

Without DRM, games will be copied.

You srs?

DRM or no DRM, people are going to download games in my opinion

PapaLazaru · 13 Jan 2011 at 23:51

I also saw this game, got nostalgic and nearly bought it.

It looks like my kind of game but alas, stupid drm.

Gimpymoo · 14 Jan 2011 at 00:05

Megahurtz400 said:
You srs?

DRM or no DRM, people are going to download games in my opinion

That is the point I was making.

It is a chicken/egg thing.. well, it is not, but you know what I mean

malachi · 14 Jan 2011 at 00:23

Downloaded this for my 360 instead......less hassle.

Just noticed the same for Riddick on Steam aswell
"Notice: After activating the third time your product using TAGES a 30-day timer starts. After 30 days you will get that activation back up to 3 total activations."

Whats all that about?!?!?!!? How much DRM do they want?!??!

Borrish · 14 Jan 2011 at 00:29

Isn't that saying you get 3 activations a month or am I reading it wrong?

'Wes · 14 Jan 2011 at 08:25

Borrish said:
Isn't that saying you get 3 activations a month or am I reading it wrong?

I read it as there is no point in putting DRM on that product.

tom91x91 · 14 Jan 2011 at 08:28

tbh whats the big deal? you will probably not need more than 3 activations/3 machine activations.

Tombo · 14 Jan 2011 at 08:31

Maybe not but it's not the point.

Ravenger · 14 Jan 2011 at 08:35

We've already lost the right of resale due to DRM. I don't want the hassle of having to deal with multiple different DRM systems on my PC - some with revoke, some without revoke, some locked to accounts, etc. etc.

I trust Steam to be around for a while. I don't trust 3rd party DRM systems, especially as this particular one caused massive problems when Riddick Dark Athena was released. Players couldn't activate the game and were given the runaround between Tages, Steam and Atari with all three denying responsibility. It got sorted eventually, but only after players were denied the ability to play the game for a considerable time.

Jay.D · 14 Jan 2011 at 08:36

Borrish said:
Isn't that saying you get 3 activations a month or am I reading it wrong?

That's how it reads, which is more than reasonable.

Ravenger · 14 Jan 2011 at 08:51

Jay.D said:
That's how it reads, which is more than reasonable.

This is how far PC gaming has fallen, when we're saying a system which basically makes you beg permission to install a game, requires you to have internet to install, and limits how many times you can install it is called 'reasonable'.

I put up with Steam because even though it locks games to an account and needs the internet to activate, it doesn't limit how many times or what machines I install a game to, and it adds tons of extra benefits to compensate.

These limited activation schemes add no value to the customer. When your retail version of game has more restrictions and worse features than the pirate version, then you've lost the piracy battle right there.

Rezident · 14 Jan 2011 at 08:52

It's sad that I can't buy Ubisoft games since their anti-consumer DRM on Assassin's Creed 2 - I would have really liked to play the game, loved the first one, and other games of theirs no doubt, but since my unreliable (I've tried several providers) Irish wireless connection cuts off regularly - only for a few seconds/minutes but crucially does cut off, I simply cannot buy any Ubisoft games again until they start providing products that work properly for me.

Actually, anyone have any Ubisoft email addresses I can write lengthy complaint emails to while I'm in work today?

Cheers,

Rez

npjnpj · 14 Jan 2011 at 09:25

There's a lot of games I didn't buy because of this lark, but spent the money on games form other publishers instead.

Games I didn't get are the latest versions of: Settlers, Silent Service, Assassin's Creed and there was something else that I forget now.

Judging by the piles of unsold games in the stores here in the last few months I'm not the only one not buying because of it. I wonder how all that actually effected sales? I expect we'll never know. What do you do when you shoot yourself in the foot? Shoot yourself in the other one as well.

trickycurve · 14 Jan 2011 at 09:42

Borrish said:
Isn't that saying you get 3 activations a month or am I reading it wrong?

You don't get three activations a month, you get three activations 30 days after activating it for the third time.