Spore, Mass Effect to require online validation every 10 days
by Ross Miller 
{ May 7th 2008 at 2:00PM }
French explained that there is no external program installed and the check will be run through MassEffect.exe (or Spore.exe, presumably), the data transfered will be the CD key and a "unique machine identifier of some type" and that he has been told, "there will be clear labeling on the package."
Despite all these reassurances, an unfortunate scenario brought up by one poster -- of ignoring the game 11 days and then trying to play with no internet -- was proven true, as French confirmed you wouldn't be able to play the game under that situation. Of course, it's not like you're gonna put any of these games down for ten days, right? Right? Eh, we hate DRM.
(Note: We do understand the irony of making a Samara/The Ring joke when -- spoiler -- her primary goal was to have people make as many copies as possible.)
[Via Shacknews]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Fernando Rocker @ May 7th 2008 2:05PM
Nice pic!
=p
A person @ May 7th 2008 2:50PM
Yeah, that picture is awesome.
KilgoreTrout XL @ May 7th 2008 3:30PM
Yes, kudos for the picture.
deaftly @ May 7th 2008 2:05PM
It'll be cracked in a day at most.
Mromson @ May 7th 2008 3:30PM
I'll pirate it simply cause of that protection.
NoHitHair @ May 7th 2008 4:42PM
Yup, just based on the protection scheme they're running, I will now openly and officially declare a refusal to purchase it and an assurance to illegally download it.
Come after me, pigs.
time @ May 7th 2008 4:55PM
I'll buy it, but install a crack so it doesn't have to do those stupid checks. Bleh.
ThornedVenom (Harley Quinn Defense Force) @ May 7th 2008 6:28PM
I hate pirating, but I hate this type of DRM even more.
Pirate away, you have my approval for this one.
Kujel @ May 7th 2008 8:08PM
I was going to pirate it just because it was on PC but now I'm going to pirate it also because of this lame ass DRM scheme. I blame you EA!!!
fischju @ May 8th 2008 12:33AM
1 day? Bioshock had something similar and that took 11 days. A massive amount of time for a crack.
Dr. Strangel0ve @ May 7th 2008 2:06PM
I guess I'm pirating Spore or waiting for it to come out on Steam.
Deatharea @ May 7th 2008 2:15PM
My thoughts exactly
ChaosWeevil @ May 7th 2008 2:19PM
How is this any different than Steam, which also requires an internet connection for validation every arbitrary time interval?
I'll be buying it, even though I'm the most anti-DRM person I know. I'd love it if they released Spore without DRM, but they won't. Everybody's having a knee-jerk reaction of DRM BAD, but there are so many people who want it to come out on Steam, which really isn't any different.
sicsided @ May 7th 2008 2:25PM
@Chaos
After you activate a game, you can at least have Steam in offline mode and play it, even after months of not connecting. Plus only having 3 activations is a serious cramp, especially for a person like me who goes through computers like a bottle of booze at a teen party
Pixelantes Anonymous @ May 7th 2008 2:39PM
Oh, absolutely! This will definitely cause me to get the pirated version. It's not like the pirated version will be hard to find either.
I'm hoping this draconian crap get dropped before Spore gets released. I would REALLY like to give Will Wright some of my money, but I will never, ever buy games with that sort of DRM in it.
Jeff @ May 7th 2008 2:49PM
Agreed. I'm gonna have to pirate Mass Effect and Spore. No way I'm gonna PAY to have a game shut itself off if I don't play it for 10 days.
Note: I have not yet pirated a PC game in my life.
spmbx @ May 7th 2008 3:01PM
@sicsided
Steam doesnt mean there wont be any other DRM features in place! Take Bioshock for example. The Steam version still has SecuROM and requires you to activate with SecuROM before using it. So chances are that a Steam version of Spore or Mass Effect will have 2 layers of DRM; Steam itself AND SecuROM. JOY! And they wonder why noone is buying the games anymore... I know i dont with all this bulls**t.
BananaBoat @ May 7th 2008 3:17PM
If I buy spore (which is a big IF because it looks so cartoony) I'd immediately replace the EXE with a cracked one. Screw anyone that thinks they can get me to pay 50-60 bucks for what is essentially a rental that I need their consent to play every time. These companies have got a massive shock coming if they think they can sell us games with marketing campaigns we have to participate in for new weapons, DRM that is basically spyware, or in the case of some games (battlefield 2142) outright spyware. If it hadn't been for the Sony debacle, these companies would probably be including rootkits with their games, if only to screw with us in one more way.
THIS is why people don't buy computer games anymore.
Haggard @ May 7th 2008 3:43PM
I would be very careful with pirating to avoid DRM headaches, as it can result in even worse headaches from malware that certain unscrupulous pirates slip into the torrents.
Tim The Enchanter @ May 7th 2008 4:02PM
BTW, Bioshock on Steam had its DRM requirement replaced with the same as all the other games.
I think Steam would work best in this case. That's what I'll wait for. Otherwise, way to screw over the paying customer EA...
glitched @ May 7th 2008 4:23PM
I agree completely.
Steam or bust.
well more specifically, I will buy it on Steam if it doesnt include any additional DRM, Or I will pirate it. Plane and simple.
*only buys pc games from steam.
[.sm0ke.] @ May 7th 2008 10:45PM
I already own Mass Effect on 360 legitimately, but I'm going to pirate it for PC and seed it until my ratio on the torrent is at least 20, just out of spite.
NATO_Duke @ May 7th 2008 2:06PM
While I understand Spore is an online emphasis game - I don't see this being very friendly for ME gamers.
Sir Fidlious Wong (Zeon Defense Force) @ May 7th 2008 2:07PM
*checks Spore and Mass Effect off his game buying list*
Well, that certainly frees up some money for the Company of Heroes expansion pack and Sins of a Solar Empire.
LameDuck @ May 7th 2008 2:08PM
I can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with you.
Sir Fidlious Wong (Zeon Defense Force) @ May 7th 2008 2:10PM
Why do people act shocked when they agree with me? I'm a reasonable man. Well, mostly I'm an asshole but I CAN be reasonable.
Fernando Rocker @ May 7th 2008 2:12PM
Welcome to my world, sheppy.
Sir Fidlious Wong (Zeon Defense Force) @ May 7th 2008 2:14PM
I would try your world, Fernando, if I didn't need a 12 digit friend code...
Burn..... just kidding. Sometime this weekend though I should be playing Wii online. Just let me know when you want to play if you want some points fodder.
Fernando Rocker @ May 7th 2008 2:17PM
=p
I play every night Mario Kart online... maybe FenixKnight wants to join... he has not played Mario Kart online.
See ya on MSN tonight shep =p
Justin McElroy @ May 7th 2008 2:20PM
Sheppy, for your awesome friend-code based burn, I'm awarding you the Justin T. McElroy Memorial Burn of the Day Award.
Congratulations.
Fernando Rocker @ May 7th 2008 2:23PM
Ahh Justin! It's not fair...
You have gave that award two times with burns directed to me =(
Yourself @ May 7th 2008 2:45PM
You don't have the CoH expansion yet? Are you insane? The British, man, the British.
Though I myself admit that I've been putting off buying Sins of a Solar etc. forever. Just two more days until finals are over...
Isaac @ May 7th 2008 3:23PM
Sins of a Solar Empire has NO copy protection. I love that game so much.
xeleion @ May 7th 2008 6:13PM
I wanna get in on the Joystiq Mario Kart. Do you guys have AIM? -too lazy to register an MSN name-
Ted @ May 8th 2008 5:18AM
British? Panzer Elite is where it's at.
Full assault veterancy panzer grenadiers with g43's ftw... The blob of doom :D
Abscissa @ May 7th 2008 2:10PM
Well, guess what I won't be buying.
License to ill @ May 7th 2008 2:13PM
Ditto...
Halorin @ May 7th 2008 2:11PM
I'm actually for this. I agree that it sucks immensely, but people put millions of dollars into these games and countless hours. I don't know how I'd feel if months, years of my hard work was awarded with an overwhelming percentage of the revenue I'd get in return to be taken away from pirating.
Look at it this way. You should be glad it's coming to the PC at all. If I was the executive, I'd let the pirates play Solitaire.
Sir Fidlious Wong (Zeon Defense Force) @ May 7th 2008 2:23PM
Wow, what a completely off basis and unintelligent thing to say.
Sims 2 and Company of Heroes both are rather DRM light yet they constantly sell. Sins of a Solar Empire does well too. Starforce was a major factor in many games losing potential sales.
Now, my PC gaming goes as such. I PC game mainly when I'm either bored and lacking artistic ambition at the time (TF2, Audiosurf, UT3), or my Internet is down. So for a game like Spore which I expect to leave alone for weeks at a time to revisit during an internet outage (I've heard they're Comcastic!), I would be locked out of a $50 game.
Now, I don't mind some DRM despite the fact that most of it is crackable within an hour of the games launch. I hate hardcore locked down DRMs. Take, for example, this wording...
"unique machine identifier of some type"
Okay, more than likely, like DRM in the past, this isn't generated by SN of Windows or other such things but rather hardware configuration. Buy a new Video Card and suddenly you're looking at ~3 hours on tech support revalidating your software. And keep in mind, this is EA. A company notorious for abandoning product support ~two months after it ships on PC. Like how C&C Generals will not work on Vista. The expansion pack will, but not the core game.
Derrick @ May 7th 2008 2:24PM
We should be happy to be given the privilege to pay EA for a game which doesn't work as intended unless you allow them to check over and over again that you haven't stolen your copy?
We should accept that when EA decides it is no longer profitable to maintain the registration server or when the DRM company goes bust that we are no longer able to play a game which we legitimately pay for?
I understand that the developers of these games put tons and tons of effort into making them and that they (as well as EA) have lots of money invested in these projects and this means that it is in their best interest to minimize piracy and maximize sales. So why are they taking steps to ensure that the pirated copies are the best version for the users?
We should support these hassles EA imposes on us (the paying customers) while people who simply download the game illegally are free to play without an internet connection, without the hassles of verifications, and without the fear of being unable to play the game if the DRM verification process stops working?
Ordeith @ May 7th 2008 2:24PM
It won't stop the pirates.
What it will do is seriously inconvenience legitimate buyers and add less incentives to buy the game.
People who pirate these titles will not have to deal with the intrusiveness of SecuROM or have to deal with the constant activations in order to play. Even if the priated version cost money it would still present the better value.
EA is betting their customers aren't capable of performing any cost/benefit analysis.
Geoffrey @ May 7th 2008 2:29PM
You, sir, don't get it.
Piracy's impact is over-calculated, because it is based on every pirated copy being representative of a lost sale.
There are fallacious assumptions inherent in this system. 1. Piracy is preventable within the current legal framework (ie, the idea that with sufficient DRM, all individuals willing to pay for the software would). 2. The demand for the product is inelastic with regards to price (The price for a pirate is essentially bandwidth, effort, and the risk of being caught [which, in the current market, has a probability very close to nil]. Were assumption #1 true, then all pirates would not suddenly become consumers, because the cost will have increased exponentially. Valid point for the anti-piracy people: there is a segment of consumers that WOULD pay for the full game, were it not for the free alternative. It is simply not the whole universe of pirates. Which leads back to assumption #1: you can't make piracy go away, so you can't easily capture this lost segment, no matter what.)
On top of that, depending on the way that piracy is calculated, the impact of draconian DRM like this will be overstated if they base it off of "# of individuals logging onto our servers with cracked copies". Guess what, dudes? Legitimate customers contributed to the demand for the crack, because you made it harder for them to play your game than it is for the pirates to do so. They paid for it, then cracked it, so they could: Skip your bloody 5 minutes of intro screens to get into the game; Play without an internet connection; Play without a disc in the drive; Play without it crashing because it keeps phoning home. Say what you will about Steam, naysayers, but at least it doesn't shut you down if it fails to phone home for 10 days.
Halorin @ May 7th 2008 2:34PM
Do I think it's the best way to do it? Not really. Do I like it? Not really. But do I think things like this will benefit the PC gaming community in the long run? I believe so.
These companies release these games to make money. Pirates take money out of their pockets. I can't blame them for trying to make sure every copy of Spore is played legimitately.
Rather than blame companies for taking measures like this at the expense of having to be on the internet and 'DRM' things, perhaps you should focus that anger towards the pirates.
If I was a game company executive, I'd have done something like this years ago. I'm not going to bother finding a link, but Joystiq had a pretty candid quote from a CoD4 developer that pretty much nailed the sentiment behind a move like this.
Halorin @ May 7th 2008 2:48PM
Geoffrey,
Nicely written response. Congratulations on the word inelastic, also. I agree with you in some regards, but in my experience, money talks.
EA has already scaled back its PC sports releases. I look at this as EA's last chance to make the money they want to make out of the PC market. If this still gets easily pirated, I'd imagine they will just cut their losses entirely. If that's what happens, then this pirate population you claim would not become consumers actually would be stopped, as they'd have no PC games to pirate.
To me, this is evidence that PC gaming is starting to fade away.
Call me what you want. I'm entitled to my opinion. I'm not trying to sway anyone else's. :)
zero2dash @ May 7th 2008 2:49PM
'I don't know how I'd feel if months, years of my hard work was awarded with an overwhelming percentage of the revenue I'd get in return to be taken away from pirating.'
The game was going to be pirated anyway.
The fact that they added more DRM into the title means MORE people will pirate it, LESS will buy it which translates into....take a second and guess...LESS REVENUE.
ogvor @ May 7th 2008 2:54PM
I agree with you. I am fiercely against DRM, I think it burdens only the real consumer, but I would like to see, just this once, Pirates being unable to play the game.
Halorin @ May 7th 2008 2:56PM
Zero,
You saying that is exactly why I think PC gaming will be done in 5 years. I may be wrong. Who knows. But if it's certainly not good business practice to release a non-tangible product like a computer game to a market with this type of mindset. You've really just proved my point.
I can't imagine a company ever saying, 'Well, they're going to pirate me anyway, so I may as well not try to stop it.' I'd sooner think they'd say, 'I'm not going to release a game on a platform that's so easily hacked. I'll just stick to console games.' Infinity Ward agrees.
Arttemis @ May 7th 2008 2:57PM
@Halorin:
That's absolutely absurd. These efforts are not a solution to privacy. If anything, this has turned away people who would have purchased the game otherwise.
To say that this is a logical step toward thwarting piracy, and that the blame for this should be put on pirates alone makes as much sense as blaming only a government for imprisoning waves innocent people simply to catch bad ones.
What's worse about this situation is that there is already a reasonable system in place that LETS people play their games online whenever they'd like to, and allows them to install it on their other computers.
Again, THIS system is NOT the answer to stop piracy and it only encourages people to seek alternatives.
There's no god damned way I'm going to put that shit on my computer. Even if I purchase this game, it won't be until there's a crack out -- and I might not even do that anymore.
Geoffrey @ May 7th 2008 2:59PM
You, sir, still don't get it.
Nobody is angry at the game companies for wanting to protect their profits. We're angry at them for being idiots that make our lives more difficult, and in turn, may very well CAUSE some of the reduction in the size of their market. The quote from the CoD4 Dev is directly related to the assumptions I was talking about. The bad ones.
Halorin @ May 7th 2008 3:04PM
Arrtemis,
Congratulations on expressing your opinion. I agree to disagree. If you choose not to buy the game because the company releasing the game is trying to protect their assets, more power to you. Like I've said, it's not so much that I approve of the exact way they're doing things, but I can certainly understand and appreciate the concept behind it.
In a perfect world, there wouldn't be a need for something like this, because there'd be a non-instrusive way to guarantee PC games aren't pirated, but that's not the world we live in.
I think it's incredibly closed-minded to be mad that a company is trying to get the most for their effort. If you're so stubborn that you'd forgo a game you were interested in because a company doesn't want to potentially lose millions of dollars to appease you not wanting your software verified, then that's your loss.
Cheers. :)