Alpha Protocol PC to use Uniloc DRM

by Griffin McElroy on Apr 14th 2010 1:04PM

Is the personal computer your platform of choice when it comes to living out your spy game fantasies? Be forewarned: Sega recently informed Eurogamer that the PC version of its upcoming cloak-and-dagger RPG, Alpha Protocol, would use the Uniloc DRM system. Though not as troublesome as other digital rights management protocols, Uniloc did hinder some players' enjoyment of Football Manager 2009 due to a registration code printing error and a supposed DDoS attack on the authentication servers.

Uniloc's corporate site promises their DRM solution is "polite" and "unobtrusive," thwarting would-be pirates "without compromising [your] experience." Unfortunately, we've begun to equate a company's promises about the painlessness of their DRM technologies to proctologists' promises about the painlessness of their procedures. In fact, that might be the most literal analogy we've ever conjured.

Source

Tags: alpha-protocol, digital-rights-management, drm, obsidian, sega, uniloc

Reader Comments (48)

Is it just me or is DRM become more hassle than it's worth?

It always has been.

It's like airport security theater. As a result, I no longer fly.

Dr. Stab - Isn't it because you're on the No Fly list instead?

I'm not sure if I'd like to fly again myself. I'm Indian and non-Muslim but with a brown skin and beard, I'll be automatically mistaken as a Muslim, Arab, etc. I had security looking at me intently in the U.S as I was departing to India and when coming back to the U.S via Germany, I was pulled aside by security and searched (also felt around in my underwear, thanks a lot you bastard Nigerian Christmas bomber!).

Oh? You want to enter our building? We'll need to anally probe you to make sure you actually paid for the privilege to enter this building.

Oh that guy? He broke in through the window, so we have no chance of anally probing him. Nothing we can do about that.

Bend over please.

@nerdydesi
then shave your disgusting beard. You have only yourself to blame

Yeah it has nothing to do with terrorists and racial profiling. It's that disgusting beard!

FUN FACT: The majority of plane hijackings is done by white Christians.

Are you sure the peoples enjoyment wasnt hindered just because they were playing Football Manager 2009?

The game would have to be released for it to matter.

It took pirates what? A month or so to get around the Assassin's Creed 2 DRM? Maybe less...

Haven't these companies learned that their DRM is only going to delay pirates while paying customers get screwed forever?

Assassin's Creed II was cracked?

...

...

brb

yes it was cracked but it´s not as easy as changing an exe and that´s it, it´s something like a server emulator, you even have a list of places where the protection is trigger and the program uses that "list" to allow you to play, as far as i know it´s only possible to end the games main mission but the rest is not fully accessible, still this is the best example that if a person wants to play the game for free they are NOT going to pay for it no mater what, even if you have to lend it from a friend this stupid DRM stuff only destroys real sales, it doesn´t force anybody to get the game.....

Yeah I didn't look into it much, just saw it listed as "server emulator" and the comments said it worked for them.

I bought the game for PS3 though. I was just curious how long it'd take them to get around the new DRM. Turns out not that long.

Actually no Hunter, the entire game can be finished 100% of everything, main quest, side quest, DLC, and Collectors Edition dungeons.

It was only unfinishable while they were building the values database. Five days after, the database was completed (with respect to entire content).

Also, now they have it as an .exe, one click and it will launch the server, edit the HOSTS file, and launch the game, without actually touching it or cracking it.

The game has technically been cracked without anything modified to the original vanilla clean install.

That's just what I read anyway.

If these developers want PC gamers to get off the platform and get the console versions instead, sadly, it may be working.

You just feel hurt when the PC version has DRM and the console versions don't, all this mistrust for a buying customer, because of these frickin pirates. God damn.

When has DRM EVER thwarted would-be pirates? It just doesnt work that way. Pirates generally have the game before its released to retail, thus before the general public. All this is is another kick to the balls for customers.

As much as they say they want to use DRM to thwart piracy all they are doing is initiating the countdown clock till it gets cracked.

Those dastardly bandits

Look on the bright side.

Tales of Monkey Island isn't going to use any web based DRM.

Look on the bright side.

My mechanical pencil isn't going to use any web based DRM.

Wait until that mechanical pencil becomes self-aware. It's only a matter of time.

My point is that, even if you aren't big fans of them, there are companies out there that have their heads screwed on right when it comes to DRM.

I'd just like to point out that that analogy was fantastic.

Damn it, Sega just use steamworks it is free!

Why don't more developers just use steamworks? You can buy your game on disk if you like and all you do is register it online with steam once and you're good to go. You also have a digital version you can download if you lose your retail copy. Best DRM solution ever.

I disagree :x
You practically forfeit all rights to your boxed product if it's connected to steam, and I hate that.
You're not allowed to sell Steam accounts. You can't sell your game for anything without a key, and you can't get your key back.

The best DRM is no DRM. At the most, a serial key. That's as effective as anything else, and much less intrusive.

Yeah steam is bullshit too.

"Sega promises that the Uniloc DRM solution will be "polite" and "unobtrusive," and will thwart would-be pirates"

It's so cute that they believe that.

NOoooooooo! I was looking forward to getting this on PC. Does this only apply to Europe (which is sometimes the case for DRM)? Would it be included in the Steam version?

Looks like I have another pre-order to cancel.

I dont mind drm as long as it is sensible and unobtrusive. the second you put drm that requires internet connectivity on a single player game you lose my business. give me a serial, require the disc, i dont care about those, but limit me as to when and where i can play a game that ive purchased, especially a single player one, and you get no money from me.

well, here we go again.... i wonder how many pre-orders were canceled after reading this?? for starters mine so......One.....

When it comes to PC games you can either use Steam DRM and only Steam DRM or you can kindly eat a bag of dicks.

And then there's games that use Steam DRM AND additional DRM. Hell, the retail copy of Arkham Asylum has no DRM whereas the Steam version uses Securom activations!

The retail version of Arkham Aslyum PC uses Games for Windows Live. DRM, more or less. At least it lets you play without registering online (unlike GTA4), so it's not bad.

DRM doesn't work :x
People who pirate, when they pirate, download a version without the DRM or a program that removes the DRM.

You aren't thwarting anyone. Why do you companies do this? I don't get it :(

Do some hucksters with weird hats and suitcases selling DRM make all kinds of promises to executives who don't know the first thing about games, or something?

How to better stop piracy? Make PCs just like consoles, make them into a proprietary closed off system and operating system.

How about putting them on Blu-Ray or larger sized discs, so they are difficult to download and duplicate (at least in the U.S with our mediocre broadband, not in Japan and S. Korea).

Or best yet, make gaming mandatory in cyber-cafes with employees watching your every move.

Sigh.........

Why go through the expense? If somebody were willing to go that far to stop piracy, they might as well just drop the PC altogether and focus on console games.

Consoles don't stop piracy either. It's best to just live with it.

Consoles stop piracy?
That's news to me.

Shiiiiiit. I was really hyped for this game too. I prefer buying multiplatform games for the PC over my PS3. I'm gonna have to wait a few weeks and see what the DRM is like for this game before I buy it I guess.

Please tell me this doesn't include the Steam version...

These days the DRM in a game gets more publicity than the game itself.

It ironically either results in a publicized screw-up or people pirating the game anyways. Probly not worth it in the long run publishers

Well, I suppose that I'll be buying the Xbox 360 version, after all. Dammit, Sega.

People still play games on PC?

Yes!

Dammit. I was looking forward to Sonic 4. And now SEGA had to join Ubisoft and Activision (among others) on my boycott-until-they-die list.

Sorry, you must be logged in to leave a comment.

Breaking News

The most popular posts
in the last 7 days

Rumor: Japanese Vita devs jumping ship, Sony responds 124 comments
Buy 2 get 1 free on select Vita games at GameStop starting today 114 comments
Sony's Rohde: proprietary Vita cards 'completely necessary' to combat piracy 112 comments
Sony: Call of Duty blasting onto Vita this fall 89 comments
Asura's Wrath review: Wrecking the curve 84 comments

Alpha Protocol PC to use Uniloc DRM

Reader Comments (48)

Posted: Apr 14th 2010 1:05PM Spike Spiegel Humble Bounty Hun said

Posted: Apr 14th 2010 1:09PM RKN said

Posted: Apr 14th 2010 1:18PM Dr Stabbingworth said

Posted: Apr 14th 2010 1:45PM Liekos said

Posted: Apr 14th 2010 1:49PM RKN said

Posted: Apr 14th 2010 3:18PM Rawrmander said

Posted: Apr 14th 2010 7:18PM Extinction said

Posted: Apr 14th 2010 7:27PM Spike Spiegel Humble Bounty Hun said

Posted: Apr 15th 2010 11:46AM Unvrfd said

Posted: Apr 14th 2010 1:08PM TheDarkWayne said

Posted: Apr 14th 2010 1:09PM Dr Blight said

Posted: Apr 14th 2010 1:10PM sonicspike41 said

Posted: Apr 14th 2010 1:24PM ROBOCOLOSSUS said

Posted: Apr 14th 2010 1:33PM Hunter141072 said

Posted: Apr 14th 2010 1:45PM sonicspike41 said

Posted: Apr 14th 2010 5:43PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Apr 14th 2010 1:10PM RKN said

Posted: Apr 14th 2010 1:12PM handalo said

Posted: Apr 14th 2010 1:12PM Stevetrop Man of Mystery said

Posted: Apr 14th 2010 1:12PM Gibbeynator said

Posted: Apr 14th 2010 1:48PM Miketor said

Posted: Apr 14th 2010 4:34PM DangerMouse001 said

Posted: Apr 14th 2010 5:10PM Gibbeynator said

Posted: Apr 14th 2010 1:15PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Apr 14th 2010 1:15PM bigE said

Posted: Apr 14th 2010 1:17PM Kleptomaniac said

Posted: Apr 14th 2010 1:50PM Otimus said

Posted: Apr 14th 2010 2:03PM Shagittarius said

Posted: Apr 14th 2010 1:20PM Liekos said

Posted: Apr 14th 2010 1:19PM GamGams said

Posted: Apr 14th 2010 1:19PM Shagittarius said

Posted: Apr 14th 2010 1:23PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Apr 14th 2010 1:28PM Hunter141072 said

Posted: Apr 14th 2010 1:29PM FOI said

Posted: Apr 14th 2010 1:39PM RKN said

Posted: Apr 14th 2010 5:13PM MaJoR said

Posted: Apr 14th 2010 1:48PM Otimus said

Posted: Apr 14th 2010 1:51PM RKN said

Posted: Apr 14th 2010 2:05PM Acosta02 said

Posted: Apr 14th 2010 3:38PM LaughingTarget said

Posted: Apr 14th 2010 8:15PM Rawrmander said

Posted: Apr 14th 2010 2:35PM Discotheque said

Posted: Apr 14th 2010 3:18PM MowDownJoe said

Posted: Apr 14th 2010 3:22PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Apr 14th 2010 6:28PM kevinski said

Posted: Apr 14th 2010 7:28PM armageddon said

Posted: Apr 15th 2010 9:54PM RKN said

Posted: Apr 16th 2010 1:02AM (Unverified) said

Info

Description

MSRP

Release Date

Genre

Developer

Publisher

Rating

Breaking News

Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs is the next title from Frictional Games and Dear Esther dev

Featured Stories

Building A Machine for Pigs and expanding the universe of Amnesia

Persona 3, Tactics Ogre, and other PSP RPGs that will live on my Vita

Tekken 3D Prime Edition review: Far from prime edition

The most popular postsin the last 7 days

Engadget

TUAW

Massively

WoW

The most popular posts
in the last 7 days