PSA: Mass Effect PC still locked at 3 activations, uninstalling won't help
by Christopher Grant 
{ Jun 17th 2008 at 10:31PM }
Now, a little over a month later, that mob has grown to some considerable size, spurred on by a forum thread on BioWare's site being referenced on consumer-advocacy blog The Consumerist. The problem: some confusion over whether or not uninstalling the game reinstates one of your three activations. After some wrangling (you know how support centers can be) EA confirmed that "unfortunately, you will not gain an activation by uninstalling the game." So, be stingy with those installs, gamers.
Gallery: Mass Effect (PC)
[Via Consumerist; thanks, Eric]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
bigmac375 @ Jun 17th 2008 10:35PM
... while the piracy scene gets unlimited installs.
Dr. @ Jun 17th 2008 10:39PM
Jokes on them, though, they just installed Mass Effect...
Neebs @ Jun 17th 2008 10:40PM
Indeed? You know how fast that crap was cracked? Very quickly. Now, why would I pay $50 for a product that limits what I can do without it? I didn't.
giantenemycrab @ Jun 17th 2008 10:48PM
Shows how worthless this DRM is. The pirates were able to crack it within hours. So what good does it do now? It prevents people that actually purchased the game from playing it. This is why the gaming community hates you, EA. That, and you're crappy games.
Lando @ Jun 17th 2008 10:52PM
I'm enjoying my pirated copies of Mass Effect and Spore. I was looking forward to buying them at launch, but they've made it very clear that they do not want my money, and I'm happy to oblige them.
feffrey @ Jun 18th 2008 2:33AM
It actually was not cracked that fast, it took almost a week for the game to become fully cracked. While they did kill the 0day piracy, in the end their drm was beaten, but I think that for them it is mission accomplished. Some people did not wait for a good crack and bought a copy instead.
Burnt Meatloaf @ Jun 18th 2008 7:01AM
*Lando: "I'm enjoying my pirated copies of Mass Effect and Spore."
If you refuse to pay for the game, the least you could do is send a letter/e-mail/whatever to the company explaining WHY you didn't buy it. Every time an executive sees a person like you post online, they are only even more susceptible to the marketing bullshit spewed by the salesmen representing the newest DRM technique.
"It's guaranteed to work this time, honest! You can trust people like us!"
Ghen @ Jun 18th 2008 7:55AM
As a lifer pirate, The DRM sucked this time around!!! I mean, the cracked .exe that came with the game had a SMALL BUG!!! I had to download a crack-fix the next day, it took a whole extra 10 minutes of my life to crack the game! WTF MASS EFFECT??! I want my 10 minutes back!
joking...
To fight me the first thing publishers need to do is make it just as easy to buy the game as pirate it. Steam-like distribution for every new game with zero DRM and full hard drive installs. No CD/DVDs should be necessary. Expecially for MMOs... Those games you already download multiple 500MB patches before you can play anyway!
Questworld @ Jun 19th 2008 12:45AM
It's one of the reasons I have yet to get this and why I got Bioshock once the revoke tool was available. If they stubbornly continue on with this three install limit, then I might just get a pirated copy of this game instead. Not that I'm a slave to gaming that I must get the game "now now now" so I'm patient enough to wait (price drops are always a good thing), but if months or years down the line this is still in effect, then at the very least I can guarantee I won't be buying a copy.
Lorben @ Jun 17th 2008 10:40PM
Well...I'm glad I didn't get the PC version and I'm usually all for getting the PC version of the game over a console version.
giantenemycrab @ Jun 17th 2008 10:42PM
What I did is I actually bought the game then downloaded the crack. How sad is that? I have to download third party software to actually fully own the game I purchased with my money.
John McPoop (PSN:johnnynumber5) @ Jun 17th 2008 11:34PM
Wow.
So you install the game on 2 machines and then say you need to restore your computer to the original drivers due to corruption during an update. At that point you are hoping nothing goes wrong.
What a joke EA
GenBanks @ Jun 18th 2008 6:00AM
I have Mass Effect for PC too... my windows installation has a corrupt file (wdfldr.sys corrupt for some reason so OS won't boot properly) so I'm going to have to format and reinstall the OS. Soon I will be on my last install of the game :(
If what we're paying for is effectively a limited use rental of the license to play the game, don't charge $50 for it, EA you bunch of idiots!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They have got to be the most arrogant corporation in the industry.
Burnt Meatloaf @ Jun 18th 2008 6:57AM
Sad? I've been doing that for 8 years, now. It's old news to me.
Actually, no. I've been doing that since the Amiga days. No blood-red sheets of paper or corrupt floppies for me, yo.
T3kNi9e @ Jun 17th 2008 10:43PM
So what happens when someone installs Mass Effect, then reformats PC because they get a virus. Then over time, this happens 3 times... Will they be able to install it the 4th time? If not, then PC games that do that seriously needs to be boycotted... Too bad people are to dumb to do something like that. For example: Boycott GameStop for their gay trade-in prices and used prices.
AirIntake @ Jun 18th 2008 1:12AM
Gamespots prices on trade ins are high enough to keep the shelves fully stocked, and if you don't buy the newest games you can get some great stuff for under $20 there. R6 Vegas is $14 at my local GS, that's not bad at all.
Xizer @ Jun 18th 2008 4:24AM
Someone who manages to get a virus on their computer and have to reformat three fucking times deserves whatever they get.
Burnt Meatloaf @ Jun 18th 2008 7:04AM
I know it's somewhat off topic, but I haven't had a virus since I started using Win95. I admit I'm a little out-of-touch with people lacking any sort of maintenance skill.
Chigurh @ Jun 17th 2008 10:43PM
Wow. I never pirate anything that I think is a good product. But this shit from EA makes me want to pirate this game and pass it out on the street.
I'm tempted to even throw in the necessary GPUs.
I hope they get this shit ironed out. I was waiting for a PC release to buy this game(I'm not really going to pirate it, I like Bioware), but I'm sitting it out until they dump this crap.
Put it on Steam. That deters most pirates and is pretty snazzy if you're too lazy to go to GameStop of just want a new FPS in the middle of the night.
ApolloIV @ Jun 17th 2008 10:49PM
I'll take a new GPU good sir.
Ayle @ Jun 17th 2008 10:56PM
Yeah I really hoped it would be released at launch... Oh well...
TychoCelchuuu @ Jun 17th 2008 10:58PM
Uh, you still get unlimited reinstalls with the PC version. It's just the same kind of unlimited reinstalls that come with your Windows XP install.
Ghetto Levis @ Jun 18th 2008 2:28AM
Yeah, but it's a bit of a different case - I mean I can live with having to phone in to activate a software that costs 200-300$ (or more), which I have to reinstall (normally) once or twice in two years.
With a 30-40$ game it's a cruel joke. Imagine every game had that...
Burnt Meatloaf @ Jun 18th 2008 7:10AM
Plus, OS developers are in a spot to abandon activation when the product enters End-of-Life. At least, if they want to avoid a lawsuit. An OS is a platform. Other programs depend on the platform.
Games are individual products. Will game publishers lift activation requirements a few years after the games are no longer supported, or will said publishers fake support by having a phone number you can call (and be left on hold until you hang up)? If what they are doing is legal, they won't give you squat.
Ironraptor Albion @ Jun 17th 2008 10:54PM
This my friends, will be the future of PC gaming...
Sad to say this will be the same of Spore
tmmoore_nc @ Jun 17th 2008 10:55PM
It's not just EA doing stuff like this. It's EVERY PC game maker.
Ironraptor Albion @ Jun 17th 2008 10:59PM
And people wonder why the PC gaming market is dying...
Seppuku anyone?
Sir Fidlious Wong (Justin T. McElroy Memorial Burn of the Day Award) @ Jun 17th 2008 11:26PM
Actually, no. This is the first time a company has gone this far. Several other companies are running practically DRM free.
Who are the people doing this? The ones that bitch about the lack of PC sales yet are swimming in Sims 2 money...
Haggard @ Jun 18th 2008 11:56AM
+1 Fid, they (or perhaps Blizzard) have the least to lose from piracy.
Digital Fox @ Jun 17th 2008 11:04PM
Maybe I'm the only one wrestling with this:
So, you install the game, beat it, have fun, blah blah blah, etc. Then, you get a virus. You have to reformat. You don't get that activation back.
Suddenly, you want to play Mass Effect again. You install on your computer again, taking up another activation. Have fun, blah blah blah. Power surge fries your computer, or something more catastrophic. Computer is replaced.
Oh boy! Mass Effect again! You install, using your third activation. Play, have fun. Something happens again, causing you to reformat.
Hooray! Mass Effect again! Oh, wait... I CAN'T, BECAUSE I HAVE NO MORE ACTIVATIONS.
Sure, this is an unlikely scenario, but it's one that many people encounter. I actually enjoy reformatting my computer every once in a while to get the nice new computer feeling, and I don't want to have to go out and buy a whole new copy of Mass Effect or another game with similar DRM to play it after a few years.
Ihavepants @ Jun 17th 2008 11:10PM
XP is limited to one activation, but that does not stop you from reinstalling it over and over again.
You would just need to call support and re-enable the activation methinks.
Oh I've bought the game, played through and finished it, and won't play it anymore until it becomes a sequel.
Amazing game though.
albinogoldfish @ Jun 17th 2008 11:07PM
Pirating is what brought about DRM in the first place, I am torn here, I don't want to be told what to do with product, but on the other hand, what do you expect these companies to do? console versions make a ton of money for developers, is it any coincidence that 95% of conole gamers play the legit?
Just my 2 cents
Lando @ Jun 17th 2008 11:25PM
In general, games that don't use draconian protection schemes like this tend to sell far better. They'll learn, or they'll never see another dime from me. If they're going to treat me like a criminal, I may as well live into it.
albinogoldfish @ Jun 17th 2008 11:33PM
I know of one game recently that sold WELL, not great without DRM, the name of it escapes me at the moment...
But I ask you this: What can they do?
They obviously can't rely on the good nature of the masses to be legit. I mean people will always poke and prod and unlock, its human nature. But its also human nature to protect an investment.
I don't think that there will be a solution to this, ever. But I will say that you can't call out EA or anyone else for their knee-jerk reactions to pirating, because like it or not, they call it pirating for a reason. It is the constant back and forth between developers and the hacking community that has gotten us to this point. BOTH groupss.
Acceptable Risk @ Jun 18th 2008 12:47AM
albinogoldfish:
Perhaps you're thinking of Galactic Civilizations 1 and 2 or Sins of a Solar Empire from Stardock? These don't have any kind of DRM. You can go easily rip them off if you like. Despite that, they sold rather well. Especially considering the somewhat limited market for 4X games.
They encourage sales through community involvement and support for the people who register their games online with them. That's how you do it. You've got to respect your potential customers. Instead, if you treat them all like criminals, can you be surprised if they turn to crime?
albinogoldfish @ Jun 18th 2008 2:34AM
While I don't disagree with your idea that fostering community growth and respect will ultimately help developers not rely solely on DRM. But even then, what responsibility does a developer really have beyond delivering th best game they can? Community involvement costs time and money, two things that most developers seem to be hard pressed to get enough of these days.(or all the time?)
I guess what I am trying to say is, if we as a community want respect from these companies in the form of getting rid of "draconian" DRM, we as a community have to show that they don't need to take DRM a step forward in the wrong direction. But seeing comments on Joystiq like "they broke the DRM in a day, whats the point of it?" and boasting about having illegal copies. Maybe its time to start expecting developers to pick up the slack and we as gamers should actively shun pirating and do our best to not endorse it. If we want to be treated with some respect, then I say we should try earning it.
albinogoldfish @ Jun 18th 2008 2:36AM
*start=stop*
...sorry
TheGuy @ Jun 17th 2008 11:08PM
Once again, we see legitimate PC gamers get screwed by crappy DRM while pirates continue to crack their protection and play the games with more freedom than legitimate PC gamers. It's time for EA to realize that there is no such thing as piracy-proof DRM, and instead of continuing futile attempts to stop pirates with DRM that further screws legitimate PC gamers, offer features that make the game worthwhile to purchase. This system seems to have worked well for Steam, so it could work well for EA too.
Poisoned Al @ Jun 17th 2008 11:10PM
Normaly I roll my eyes at all this "OMG!!! DRM IS TEH EV1L!" But after I lost 2 hours work after EA curled a fat one onto my hard drive by the name of the download manager, I tend to agree. Fuck EA and your shitty, crash happy software!
007craft @ Jun 17th 2008 11:12PM
well I have already installed starcraft over 100 times across at least 5 pcs. Also, I format every 6 months or so just to clean things out. This would never work for me.
The only pc game im gonna buy is starcraft 2, so lets hope they dont pull some shit like this. Mass effect I already have on 360 and spore I will pirate (its 1 player game, no cd key needed for online).
Ihavepants @ Jun 17th 2008 11:17PM
Well aren't you awesome.
007craft @ Jun 17th 2008 11:19PM
That's captain awesome to you
Ihavepants @ Jun 17th 2008 11:29PM
See that reply button up thar?
You missed it.
007craft @ Jun 18th 2008 12:31AM
no I didnt, shody coding and humming bird attacks made me hit the reply button, scroll me down here to the reply box, but not add the "repling to" to my note.
This time, after 12 or so clicks, I finally got it here woot. I cant wait for this crap to be fixed, then I can wear a "I survived the Joystiq Hummindbird attack 2008" T-shirt
Ihavepants @ Jun 18th 2008 12:39AM
What browser are you using? Because it sounds shit.
Burnt Meatloaf @ Jun 18th 2008 7:13AM
JavaScript *is* shit.
Craig @ Jun 17th 2008 11:34PM
[quote]what do you expect these companies to do? [/quote]
Listen to their paying customers?
Bioware has had the benefit of literally thousands of posts, some of which suggested many alternative strategies to combat piracy that might actually help reduce the number of pirated copies (unlike DRM which has not worked since they first tried this crud in the late 80's).
Their response has been to refuse to answer basic questions about the DRM itself. Or anything to do with DRM: like what the point of it was when it was known it would be cracked (before the crack). Or whether they would consider removing it once the working crack was released.
When the furore didn't die down they also decided the subject was 'off-topic' and was any and all discussion of it was summarily banned from the Mass Effect PC forum and restricted to the off-topic forum where it could safely fester without unduly alarming unaware customers who might be checking out the game forum.
Now many people who actually bought the game unaware of the DRM are sounding off in the off-topic area because some have already run out of activations!
One guy bought the game, installed (activation) and began to play. Had some frame rate issues so changed from vista to xp and reinstalled (another activation since the hardware/OS profile changed) and played a bit. Then he upgraded some hardware (added a new video card, burning up his last activation) tried to play and got some heat issues and added a cooling fan . Yep, game won't play ...the error message tells him he's out of activations and if he wants to play he has to go out and buy another copy of the game!!!
5 days of jumping through all the hoops with EA/tech support and he still can't play the game he legally purchased.
At least he's not the guy who bought it and doesn't have internet access at all and has never even been able to see a moment of the legally purchased game.
Thank heaven I canceled my pre-order when I heard about the DRM. Best move I've made in a while. Can't wait for the class action lawsuits to start.
In the meantime, if you're seriously concerned about this issue then one thing you could do is complain about this kind of corporate BS to your legislative representatives. Gamers need to ensure that they have some political and legal clout on their side to counterbalance the lobbying power of the game publishers like EA.
juju187 @ Jun 17th 2008 11:34PM
$50 dollar rental?
Burnt Meatloaf @ Jun 18th 2008 7:14AM
50 dollar dollar rental?
How much is that in yen?
Ironraptor Albion @ Jun 17th 2008 11:44PM
Also.. speaking of the subject of DRM.
A warning to all those who've also downloaded the Spore Creature Creator trial version...
http://www.securom.sublimesims.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=84:securom-found-on-spore-demo&catid=59:spore&Itemid=79
Congrats, you've just contracted SecuROM.
"Scanning -> C:\Program Files\Electronic Arts\SPORE\Sporebin\SporeCreatureCreator.exe
File Type : Exe, Size : 17351944 (0108C508h) Byte(s)
-> File Appears to be Digitally Signed @ Offset 0108B000h, size : 01508h / 05384 byte(s)
-> Suspicious MZ Header..
[!] SecuROM Detected - Version 07.36.0012
[!] Possible CD/DVD-Key or Serial Check -> Unregistered
- Scan Took : 1.140 Seconds"