EA got kicked medium style..?

[Schwaltzvald]

Turns out ever since the Spore DRM backlash, they decided to "scale back" on the DRM for Red Alert 3...

On another unrelated note, EA dropped its bid to buy up Take Two...

[I-n-j-i-n]

3 to 5. Geez, that is a WORLD OF DIFFERENCE.................................NOT.

[Avatar of Justice]

What amazes me about DRM is that Valve seems to have solved the problem ok. All Steam games inherently have a basic DRM scheme, but nobody complains about it and goes nuts over Portal and Team Fortress 2. Why can't other companies just do what Valve does?

[I-n-j-i-n]

What amazes me about DRM is that Valve seems to have solved the problem ok. All Steam games inherently have a basic DRM scheme, but nobody complains about it and goes nuts over Portal and Team Fortress 2. Why can't other companies just do what Valve does?

Because most EA games are on CDs where you are supposed to have pure and total control over the property while digitally downloaded ones gives off the illusion that it is more like a rental?

That said, I hate Steam too. DRM in all forms. That said, it's understandable why they do it. PC gaming is totally ravaged from piracy and DRMs are not solving the problem.

[RedFusion]

Wow. Respect for the Amazon.com community for voicing their opinion of DRM (an issue generally only discussed in gaming circles) quite profoundly on a website that primarily caters towards non-gamers.

But then again, I've always known to check Amazon.com for their generally good reviews of music.

[Drack]

Yeah, there's been a SPORE protest going on at Amazon, an organized review bombing.

Changing the installs from 3 to 5 is not a significant improvement. EA needs to change its DRM a lot more than this. I've started pirating stuff I already bought if the DRM scheme is too inconvenient, and if I were an RTS fan I would definitely consider it for this game.

I think the main reason people like Steam's DRM over others' is because downloaded Steam games just need a login/password, no cd keys. You can redownload form their FAST AS HELL servers whenever you want, install on as many comps as you want, and play on any of them (just not simultaneous multiplayer on one acct obviously). The only hassles are that sometimes the servers are busy, and you need an internet connection, patches, and the like. Oh and they need ports forwarded but don't allow you to DMZ your steam box.

[Bahamut]

Yeah, there's been a SPORE protest going on at Amazon, an organized review bombing.

Changing the installs from 3 to 5 is not a significant improvement. EA needs to change its DRM a lot more than this. I've started pirating stuff I already bought if the DRM scheme is too inconvenient, and if I were an RTS fan I would definitely consider it for this game.

I think the main reason people like Steam's DRM over others' is because downloaded Steam games just need a login/password, no cd keys. You can redownload form their FAST AS HELL servers whenever you want, install on as many comps as you want, and play on any of them (just not simultaneous multiplayer on one acct obviously). The only hassles are that sometimes the servers are busy, and you need an internet connection, patches, and the like. Oh and they need ports forwarded but don't allow you to DMZ your steam box.

There is one thing Steam offers as an improvement as well - I lost my HL2 Collector's Edition DVD, but once Steam identified that I registered an account before with a particular email address, they forced me to log on with my original account. Once I did, I found that I could redownload all of the games I got with my HL2 Collector's Edition for free, without any hassle. Steam is still pretty buggy, but if it offers such an improvement, I'm willing to go with a DRM scheme since there's no indication that it's intrusive in any other way. The version of SecuROM that EA is using contains just about all of the bad aspects of DRM rolled into one though, and is one that should be shunned by all intelligent/reasonable consumers.

As long as EA uses SecuROM for its big PC titles, I have no reason to even consider buying or playing them. There are more than enough companies out there who don't take a massive dump on their consumers out there to not care about a few missed games.

[The wingless]

that's my employer you're talking about, douchebags!!! I SHANT HAVE IT!

[PlastikBag]

While 5 installs is still lousy, I'm rather pleased that they're getting rid of the 10 day authentication cycles.

[EdgeCrusher]

I have yet to have one problem with steam. If I don't feel like finding the cd or dvd, bam, download it from steam. No hassle, no errors. So yeah, I approve of it.

EA's DRM though is retarded and needs to die in a fire.

[Shadow Wolf]

You just sit in your pregnant widowskin chair and mind your bloody business young man.

Where do you even get one of those? Ikea?

[Fishy]

Steam is just about the best format for buying games I know of. The only thing that might annoy people is you need the internet, but i don't know of anyone who has a computer but not internet access.

[Secret Agent Man]

Also note from the article that they also no longer require the CD to be used while playing, which, while it isn't solving the problem, is a slight improvement.

[atmuh]

i dont see why people dont like steam besides the fact that maybe its really terribly coded and takes up tons of resources but in terms of distributing games i find it excellent because as long as i know my login info no matter where i am i will forever own the game

also as ive said before if i like a game i will buy it regardless of any kind of drm

[Avatar of Justice]

Because most EA games are on CDs where you are supposed to have pure and total control over the property while digitally downloaded ones gives off the illusion that it is more like a rental?

That said, I hate Steam too. DRM in all forms. That said, it's understandable why they do it. PC gaming is totally ravaged from piracy and DRMs are not solving the problem.

I mean, DRM sucks. But if we must deal with it, I'd rather deal with Steam's. The only problem I see with Steam is how when the Steam server go down in the future, you will be screwed out of your copy. But the EA scheme is equally bad. I want to be able to play any game I buy FOREVER.

On an unrelated note, why do people consider having to have the CD inserted into the drive a burden? It's no worse than a console, and when I was a big PC gamer 5 or 6 years ago, I never even thought to be annoyed by it.

[atmuh]

On an unrelated note, why do people consider having to have the CD inserted into the drive a burden? It's no worse than a console, and when I was a big PC gamer 5 or 6 years ago, I never even thought to be annoyed by it.

its because never having to swap out is really nice

anyone that has a custom fwd psp or r4ds can tell ya that

[Hyperion5182]

I mean, DRM sucks. But if we must deal with it, I'd rather deal with Steam's. The only problem I see with Steam is how when the Steam server go down in the future, you will be screwed out of your copy. But the EA scheme is equally bad. I want to be able to play any game I buy FOREVER.

On an unrelated note, why do people consider having to have the CD inserted into the drive a burden? It's no worse than a console, and when I was a big PC gamer 5 or 6 years ago, I never even thought to be annoyed by it.

A lot of pc gamers today multi task. The real high end rigs can run a game on one screen a movie on the other. Now if you have one DVD drive (not that uncommon) you can only watch movies on that drive. Most games however are DVD only these days. This forces pc users to have two dvd drives. While that in itself wouldnt be so bad you cant find JUST a dvd drive. Typically adding a second one is a pretty nasty expense. Also they do die eventually. Replacement costs can be a pain in the ass especially with gamers who play such games alot.

Being able to play a game without having the physical disc in the drive saves time saves frustration and saves your optical drive. Supreme Commander does it and hell any game you can digitally download does it. (Now soon to include crysis) Back then it was a lot harder to operate with out a disc in the drive. Now its commmonplace to do so. To be forced to use a disc is very annoying. Especially ontop of the DRM.

[sgx]

its because never having to swap out is really nice

anyone that has a custom fwd psp or r4ds can tell ya that

Yeah I love downloadable games for 360, PS3 and PSP. Its great just turning on the system and browsing the list of games, seeing what I feel like playing at the moment. Especially for the PSP where you don't have to carry anything but the PSP. Sony should really go wild with the PSP Playstation Store, make the PSP 3000 cheaper, get rid of the UMD drive, and give it either a HD or 16+ GB solid state memory.

[Gollgagh]

Yeah I love downloadable games for 360, PS3 and PSP. Its great just turning on the system and browsing the list of games, seeing what I feel like playing at the moment. Especially for the PSP where you don't have to carry anything but the PSP. Sony should really go wild with the PSP Playstation Store, make the PSP 3000 cheaper, get rid of the UMD drive, and give it either a HD or 16+ GB solid state memory.

aw shit yeah, I would probably buy a whole new PSP for that.

[Blake]

i dont see why people dont like steam besides the fact that maybe its really terribly coded and takes up tons of resources but in terms of distributing games i find it excellent because as long as i know my login info no matter where i am i will forever own the game

also as ive said before if i like a game i will buy it regardless of any kind of drm

Also the steam servers are so reliable that downloading/installing barely takes any times.

[Bleck]

if you think drms are a problem then just pirate the fucking game

[Schwaltzvald]

if you think drms are a problem then just pirate the fucking game

Considering the audience here, you don't actually think we don't pirate stuff do ya..?

[Bahamut]

if you think drms are a problem then just pirate the fucking game

Problem is, you give the companies the impression that you'd possibly buy the game if it couldn't be pirated. The best solution to dealing with companies inserting DRM, or a particular kind, is to just not give any game with any of that crap any mindshare. That will give them the message pretty quickly.

[bladiator]

that's my employer you're talking about, douchebags!!! I SHANT HAVE IT!

Once again, wingless makes me happy to have an internet connection.

[The Coop]

that's my employer you're talking about, douchebags!!! I SHANT HAVE IT!

Well then you know.

But in all seriousness, protecting your rights as an IP holder is one thing. Telling buyers they can only install their $50-$60+ game three times before having to go through jump through hoops to prove they bought it is another. And really, given the fact that the DRMs in question haven't had much of an effect in deterring piracy (and might actually be helping to inspire it in some ways), you'd think they'd stop pushing such a faulty (and often criticized) setup. Surely there are better resources at EA's disposal that don't border on punishing the buyers like their current DRM does.