Spore will allow more than one user per account
by Alexander Sliwinski 
{ Sep 19th 2008 at 12:15PM }
These screen names will have separate entries in the Sporepedia, along with their own buddy lists and achievements. It's good to see Maxis and EA loosening its iron grip a little. Moments like this seem appropriate for quoting Princess Leia: "The more you tighten your grip ... the more star systems will slip through your fingers."
[Via Big Download]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Dracula Jones @ Sep 19th 2008 12:32PM
I've been holding off on buying Spore, despite having looked forward to it for years now, because of all this DRM/account limit BS. It's nice to see EA loosening their grip and I hope they learn a lesson for future releases (although, you'd've hoped they learned something from Mass Effect). I will probably pick up the game once these fixes go live.
Lone Starr @ Sep 19th 2008 12:35PM
"It's good to see Maxis and EA loosening up their iron grip a little."
Yeah, but it came a little too late, wouldn't you say? They lost the PR war already.
BigD145 @ Sep 19th 2008 1:39PM
They've been testing the waters to see what they can get away with. There's nothing "good" about what they do from here on out.
Red Leader @ Sep 19th 2008 3:02PM
Agreed @ Big
EA is the Devil of the game industry.
BigD145 @ Sep 19th 2008 3:09PM
No Red, all companies pull sh!t like this. EA happens to be one of the ones that doesn't even bother trying to be apologetic about it.
BigD145 @ Sep 19th 2008 5:45PM
I'm going to give two words to describe what EA has inflicted upon its users: Stockholm Syndrome.
juju187 @ Sep 19th 2008 12:45PM
spore endgame = Spice whore
Haggard (Free Mr.ESC!) @ Sep 19th 2008 12:46PM
It annoys me. I really want the boxes to stick up on my big shelf o' PC gaming, but the following EA games feature/will feature the limited install DRM.
Spore
Crysis Warhead
Dead Space
Mirror's Edge
All of which I want, but I'm buying the boxes so that I can dust them off in ten years time and relive them - and if the activation server is offline then...
Tiptup300 @ Sep 19th 2008 12:58PM
*cough* Steam
Tiptup300 @ Sep 19th 2008 12:59PM
*cough* Didn't read the post fully, *cough* having heartattack. *cough* *cough* *gurgle*
Alex @ Sep 19th 2008 1:34PM
In 10 years you'll be able to play Crysis Warhead on a toaster.
SuperGayParade @ Sep 19th 2008 1:49PM
Maybe it'd make sense to post up a patch on the interwebs to disable it when they take down the servers
Haggard (Free Mr.ESC!) @ Sep 19th 2008 1:55PM
@Alex
Indeed, it's odd to think that stuff from only 7 years ago can probably now be run on an iphone.
Then again, we'll probably look back at Crysis when playing it on the computers built into the soles of our shoes and think "the graphics on this are awful".
Tiptup300 @ Sep 19th 2008 2:35PM
Actually I think we're at the point where graphics isn't all about realism, It's more about how the art direction is. Look at Rock Band & Guitar Hero 3. GH3 is more complex, but Rock Band is so much nicer to look at.
Look at MGS4 and look at Crysis. MGS4 won best graphics while Crysis' graphics are a whole lot more realistic. I don't want realistic, I want nice looking.
bobartig @ Sep 19th 2008 2:38PM
I don't get how gamers can deride other forms of DRM for the entirely speculative "am I going to be able to play the game in 10 years?" argument while at the same time promoting Steam.
Steam has great features, but the DRM restrictions are the same. It verifies game ownership on launch requires authentication even for single player offline play, forces updates, doesn't work if the servers go down, individual games can be shut off like lightswitches if Valve says so, and if Valve goes out of business or is bought, the entire ecosystem could go into licensing limbo. Steam is no more certain than secuROM, and, outside of install limits (which I'd wager Steam *can* do) offers all the same limitations of SecuROM.
Steam has advantage of not behaving like malware compared to SecuROM, but from a 'Restrictions' and "Can I play my games in x years" perspectives, its the same boat. I own games with SecuROM, and the experience has been identical so far, except that Steam is more likely to force a multi-hour update, or have trouble of some kind than the SecuROM titles I've played.
Haggard (Free Mr.ESC!) @ Sep 19th 2008 4:10PM
I heard that the Steam version of Crysis Warhead has an install limit too..
Anyway, I'm a bit neutral towards Steam because Valve have said that if they go out of business they'll completely remove all DRM and licensing from Steam. They're a company who have done nice things free of charge before and I'm inclined to believe they'll do it again.
Although I don't see them going out of business and I imagine if they did, Google or Microsoft would be there to step in and buy Steam.
joeybeast @ Sep 19th 2008 1:09PM
So.. we won?
meist3r @ Sep 19th 2008 2:07PM
Well not exactly, families that need one copy of the game for up to three children and the wife have won. If you have more kids interested in playing Spore or if you are one of the computer guys that needs to reformat and/or update your hardware once in a while you're still stuck with the crazy 3 install limit and the risk that the game will stop working once EA shuts down the activation servers. Ah and lets not forget the virus like rootkit that opens internet connections to a third party server which you can't properly control without additional hardware.
So maybe the right answer is: No.
deaftly @ Sep 19th 2008 1:31PM
Played Spore for about an hour, probably never going back to it. Beyond boring.
meist3r @ Sep 19th 2008 2:05PM
Oh Yeah!
juju187 @ Sep 19th 2008 6:16PM
just un-installed it,
lucky I dont have to deal with 3 install DrM *Wink
Gavin @ Sep 19th 2008 2:15PM
Reall don't care at this point...haven't touched it in days. Probably will uninstall it if I end up needing the space. Letdown of the decade.
wesley johnson @ Sep 19th 2008 2:21PM
looks like EA changed the DRM.
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080919-ea-relents-changes-spore-drm-too-little-too-late.html
didn't read the Big Download article so if what is at the above link was covered there, i apologize.
Is this what yesterday's patch was all about?
FSK405K @ Sep 19th 2008 3:41PM
"one account, but they'll be able to add five Spore screen names to that account." So...all the players still share their savegames / progress?
Vidikron @ Sep 19th 2008 4:47PM
It says they have their own achievements, so that would seem to indicated separate saves.
Dano @ Sep 19th 2008 4:23PM
DRM, like Carousel, is a lie. Instead of preventing piracy, it only encourages it by the use of these Draconian methods of authorization.
JonFitt @ Sep 19th 2008 4:27PM
Good. Having one screen name was one of my reasons for not purchasing the game.
Now if they'll just remove the install limit, that'll be my other reason gone, and I'll buy it.
I'm waiting...
Blyrrh @ Sep 19th 2008 10:38PM
This isnt anything new, and it isnt a 'victory' in any sence of the word. All companies care about is the DRM in the first week of launch, as this is when all the sales that would be lost to piracy happen. Anyone who would have pirated the game after this period usually wouldent have bought it anyway. EA and other companies have been releasing games with ridiculous DRM at launch, only to later 'give in' to community pressure.
captain underpants and the bringdown gang @ Sep 23rd 2008 7:46PM
who cares as long as we keep bitching about the DRM than the more they will loosen it eventually giving in completely and showing other companies that DRM never works.
HektikLyfe @ Sep 29th 2008 10:16PM
I really want this game. I've been waiting patiently for years. I refuse to bend over for it though. Couldn't they at least put it on Steam?
Ok, what if I pay for a copy, a legal one from the store. Then I just download via other means and use that version instead? EA would still try to screw me over wouldn't they... Good thing that was purely hypothetical.