Far Cry 2 bundled with Spore DRM
by James Ransom-Wiley 
{ Oct 15th 2008 at 12:00PM }
- Purchasers have up to 5 activations on 3 separate PCs
- Uninstalling Far Cry 2 "refunds" an activation; this process is known as "revoke" (as long as you properly uninstall the game, you'll be able to re-install it an unlimited number of times on the 3 machines)
- A computer can be upgraded an unlimited number of times (using "revoke")
- Ubisoft is willing to provide additional activations, if necessary
- "Ubisoft is committed to the long-term support of our games: you'll always be able to play Far Cry 2"
[Via Shacknews]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Whoppy @ Oct 15th 2008 12:05PM
Buy it and download it. Problem solved.
AwesomeTown @ Oct 15th 2008 12:37PM
Yea, but if everyone did that, the sales would stay high. So even with SecureROM, people are buying the game, and then it'll be in every future PC release. They need to understand it only hurts the consumer, and to do that people can't buy it.
And no, just to make it clear, I'm not saying pirate it.
Whoppy @ Oct 15th 2008 12:42PM
I would normally say a boycott would be a drop in the ocean i.e. Spore. But for a game like this which I expect has fairly meaty system reqs it could actually do something to the sales figures i.e. Crysis.
AwesomeTown @ Oct 15th 2008 12:46PM
True, good point. This game has hardcore PC crowd written all over it.
Arttemis @ Oct 15th 2008 1:19PM
Despite its "hardcore" target audience, Crysis has sold over a million copies despite a slow first week, and has managed to stay in the top ten off-and-on for months.
Surprisingly, I imagine its reputation as a computer-killing app helped it gain popularity.
This game, however, will have stiffer competition from its multi-platform couterparts...
I'd love to play this game on my PC, but SecuROM and similar DRM (despite how convenient they try to make it) is BS because it serves absolutely no purpose but to hinder the honest consumers.
United States of Generica @ Oct 15th 2008 2:22PM
Download it you say? Love to, except...
...the European publishers Ubisoft and Atari/Infogrames wont let you do that if you are a European customer.
American customers get to download these publishers games from Steam or Direct2Drive, European customers do not ... because that way the publishers can charge different prices in different European states, all of which are more than Americans pay.
Mutagenaric @ Oct 15th 2008 3:57PM
I'm... not entirely sure he was talking about Steam or D2D, actually.
Think he meant more along the lines of how we all got our hands on Spore.
TedJustice @ Oct 18th 2008 2:25PM
I don't consider these measures to be extreme or disadvantageous to people who buy the game. The problem I have is: Why bother doing this at all? It doesn't stop pirates. The most it stops is brain dead casuals burning the disc and giving it other people, and we've had way easier ways to stop that in the past. Mainly, CD keys. What was wrong with those?
This is basically like a grocery store saying "In an effort to prevent theft, we ask that all customers sign a form that says that they haven't stolen anything whenever they pay for their items." Thieves wouldn't be paying for their items, so it would be completely pointless.
Chin-Poh @ Oct 15th 2008 12:06PM
I hope they can give you a "free" activation if you are forced to format your hard drive and lose the installation. : /
SoulBlade @ Oct 15th 2008 12:10PM
Yea formatting is the first thing that comes to mind, but here's hoping nobody has to reformat their HD 5 times without remembering to revoke.
TFoK (Naked Peach Defense Force) @ Oct 15th 2008 12:33PM
Is it really that hard to click 'source'? Or read the article for that matter? Yeah, Ubisoft is going to give out installs to those who don't or didn't have the option to uninstall properly.
Am I the one who doesn't think 5 revokable installs across 3 machines is all that bad?
wiredknight @ Oct 15th 2008 12:38PM
I'm wondering how you would prove to them that you had to reformat a hard drive or something prevented you from uninstalling it properly.
Also. If they're "revokeable," why limit the number of activations in the first place?
DemonGSides @ Oct 15th 2008 12:46PM
TFoK - I don't intend to buy the PC version, but with revokability and they're being generous handing out extra installs, I don't see the problem.
Ordeith @ Oct 15th 2008 1:14PM
The problem is other aspects of SecuROM.
It prevents some programs (unrelated to the game) from running correctly or running at all.
It tracks items on your system unrelated to the game.
It can disable parts of your OS, and in some cases damage your hardware.
and you can't get rid of it, even if you uninstall the game SecuROM remains behind and entrenched in your computer.
Ubisoft used to use Starforce and stopped due to public outcry. We thought they learned.
They just moved on to something else almost as bad.
Haggard @ Oct 15th 2008 2:02PM
@TFoK
The very fact that the limited installs exist is bad news. Sure, to most people it won't be an inconvenience, but it's very much the worry for the future that bugs me. It's a limit on something that should not be limited, and not only that, but there's not even any reason for it - pirates will crack and download the game anyway.
Bill Eberly @ Oct 15th 2008 12:12PM
Welcome to the "future of me not buying games from EA"
sinergy @ Oct 15th 2008 12:15PM
It's the present for me! :D
Dirty @ Oct 15th 2008 12:18PM
The scary thing is that this is Ubisoft. Now everyone is doing it.
Heyyou27 @ Oct 15th 2008 12:08PM
I was interested in Far Cry 2 for the PC, but like Crysis Warhead, I won't purchase it with SecuROM. Luckily if the game really is great, I can still get it on the 360 or PS3 instead and avoid the DRM headache.
Jon2309 @ Oct 15th 2008 12:12PM
In the same boat. Really hope the 360 version is good now.
Habiib @ Oct 15th 2008 1:46PM
Sorry, but the 360 will have SecuROM too.
If it detects you playing any game other than Far Cry 2, your 360 will eject the disc and shut down for 30 minutes to teach you a lesson.
Swordfish @ Oct 16th 2008 2:35AM
yay! Finally an excuse to dl the game!
Stavros @ Oct 15th 2008 12:09PM
This doesn't actually sound that bad as far as DRM goes. 5 installations, and uninstalling refunds one? Seems pretty versatile for personal use but restrictive enough to curb piracy.
MowDownJoe @ Oct 15th 2008 12:13PM
Yeah, the topic title is misleading. Yeah, it's SecuROM, but at least uninstalling gives you back an activation, making it much less restrictive.
Still the whole "activation server" problem, but I don't think Ubi is as bad as EA... are they?
BigD145 @ Oct 15th 2008 1:26PM
The problem comes about when you can't uninstall the program properly. I've had uninstall problems before. 64 bit OS's can cause problems. 3 core CPU's can cause problems. Antivirus programs can cause problems. A power outage can cause problems. The list goes on.
Arttemis @ Oct 15th 2008 1:27PM
I see no indication that this system will curb piracy in any manner.
SecuROM will be stripped away by crafty pirates and it will become available without install limitations (despite how "revocable" they may be) to anyone on the internet.
Ubisoft's costumer-assuring stance of providing additional licenses only makes the current limitations less necessary.
This kind (or maybe any kind) of DRM isn't the solution to anything except logic.
M. @ Oct 15th 2008 6:40PM
Heh. Must not be a PC gamer. Go on btjunkie or isohunt the day this game is released -- heck, even before it -- and you'll see it up there for download. That DRM is really curbing piracy, huh? This kind of DRM does nothing to deter piracy. It's that simple.
Orenthol @ Oct 15th 2008 6:43PM
YES. This has absolutely nothing to do in the realm of curbing piracy.
If anything, it's to further destroy the used games market for PC. Which I figure is the real agenda for DRM.
Fox318 @ Oct 15th 2008 12:15PM
Does this continue on steam?
thebig l @ Oct 15th 2008 12:21PM
Nobody would have bought this in the first place. Now it's really a far cry from selling any copies.
swmarc @ Oct 15th 2008 6:05PM
Really? I have been waiting ever since the first one came out and I know I am not alone.
Conor @ Oct 15th 2008 1:07PM
Zing!
Haggard @ Oct 15th 2008 2:11PM
I disagree with your sentiment, the game itself looks kickass.
thebig l @ Oct 15th 2008 4:07PM
Yeah I saw the one commercial for and thought it actually looked kinda cool. My comment wasn't really against Far Cry as a game or series, it was more meant to state that Shooters in general all almost completely played out.
I'd say the only reasons Halo still sells is because it has an extremely rich back story and it happened to grab the multi-player market developing a very strong online community across B.net and XBL.
RockLoi @ Oct 15th 2008 12:18PM
Living with SecuROM isn't nearly as hard as you make it out to be. No one is "driven" to piracy.
And this sounds perfectly reasonable, 3 PCs, refundable activations, more upon request.
Your boycotts will not stop them trying to protect their product, not everyone can make games with MUST-HAVE online components.
Shagittarius @ Oct 15th 2008 12:25PM
SecuRom is like herpies, once you get it you've got it for life and there is no cure. I hope that 'one night stand' was worth it.
Heh (Mr. ESC, living in the hearts of us all) @ Oct 15th 2008 1:02PM
Spore was bullshit. Not only was the game crap and buggy, but the DRM really killed the whole thing for me.
However, I agree that this doesn't look that bad. If it's on steam I'll pick it up, if not, meh, I'll live through it and play it anyways. This one's been on my radar for awhile and I'd like to support the developers/etc by buying it.
RockLoi @ Oct 15th 2008 12:28PM
Shag, I have it. I opted to purchase rather than pirate. I'd say it was more like chlamydia, it can be treated with a reformat and as far as I've been able to tell it's symptomless.
Timmay @ Oct 15th 2008 12:59PM
I don't want to reformat every time I want to take SecuROM off my PC because it started messing with some software I'm legitimately using (which it has done before). The simple fact that I can't remove it without reformatting, or a ton of work, puts it right in the definition of malware. I've got other issues with DRM like SecuROM as well.
The way they're treating the activation limits is nice, but the sheer fact that they're putting SecuROM on my PC is enough to not buy it.
Dirty @ Oct 15th 2008 12:18PM
Here we go again.
kingmoron @ Oct 15th 2008 12:21PM
well screw this
pirating a game makes it much much simpler than buying a game these days. all drm does is make it hard on the guys that buy the game. hell any game i buy i crack anyway so no discs, activations what not.
Eh @ Oct 15th 2008 12:22PM
The future holds a 1 star Amazon rating.
wiredknight @ Oct 15th 2008 12:26PM
Well wait a minute. Does this mean that you can install it on multiple PCs and have both playing online at the same time?
It seems to me that if you can fully activate it on multiple PCs at once, they should be able to play together.
koehler83 @ Oct 15th 2008 12:29PM
Likely installed on 3 machines under a single account.
wiredknight @ Oct 15th 2008 12:33PM
Oh, yea that sounds more like it.
Wishful thinking on my part.
Jakka @ Oct 15th 2008 12:26PM
If I wasn't getting it for 360(and my PC could run it) I'd actually buy that game.DRM hurts the user but it seems like people are learning from EA's mistakes and attempt to make it as comfortable as possible.
DarkTetsuya @ Oct 15th 2008 12:57PM
"Welcome to "the future of DRM," people. Get comfy."
Oh, I'm sorry did you say something? I was busy watching my torrent of FarCry 2. (That *doesn't* come with the SecuROM.exe virus.)
Jakka @ Oct 15th 2008 12:41PM
Wait, it's out already!?
TFoK (Naked Peach Defense Force) @ Oct 15th 2008 12:52PM
"Oh, I'm sorry did you say something? I was busy watching my torrent of FarCry 2."
Oh, I'm sorry, did YOU say something? I was too busy preparing to rage at a blatant pirate to notice.
I don't see the problem with this DRM scheme, but I suppose it's easier to whine and moan on the internet rather than read the article and/or realize that this DRM scheme is quite a bit less restrictive than others are.
Timmay @ Oct 15th 2008 1:09PM
@TFoK
It still has SecuROM, which means it still puts malware on my PC, which means that I will have software on my PC that I cannot remove without a reformat AND may conflict with some software I have installed on my PC.
No matter how lax the restrictions on installs are, I still don't want spyware/malware on my PC.