Mass Effect & Spore no longer check every 10 days

Post by **deject** » May 9th, 2008, 22:13

http://kotaku.com/5008452/bioware-backs ... entication
http://kotaku.com/5008454/spore-to-use- ... entication

So they will now be using the Bioshock limited number of installs system with the initial online authentication and an additional check when you download new content.

I think that's not a bad trade off for not needing the disc in the drive, it's certainly not as bad as the every 10 days bullshit.

Post by **Dr. kitteny berk** » May 9th, 2008, 22:21

Not ideal, but much better.

buzzmong · Post by **buzzmong** » May 9th, 2008, 22:48

Seems that it requires most of the interwebs to make a noise, but EA can listen to their customers.

I'm surpised actually, I was expecting it to be patched out within a month of release.

Gunslinger42 · Post by **Gunslinger42** » May 9th, 2008, 23:26

To be honest I'd rather it periodically check teh interbutts for verification over limited install crap... but then again every ten days is ridiculous

Post by **Dog Pants** » May 10th, 2008, 8:14

buzzmong wrote:I'm surpised actually, I was expecting it to be patched out within a month of release.

Likewise.

As I've said before, none of this copy protection should really affect me in theory, but I still don't like it. Why should I, as a legitimate customer, have to risk making the product unusable? If I upgrade my machine a few times and run out of installs are they going to replace my copy?

Also, I resent having to be connected to the internet to play (or install) a single player game. It isn't neccessary, so why horse it? There are still plenty of areas without broadband coverage, as I've found out, and I expect there are plenty of younger gamers whose parents refuse to pay for one. Suffering because of a lack of a high speed connection is still fresh in my mind, not just from last year but also from the latter years of the 90s when it seemed that every other game and article was about internet gaming, which was inaccessible to me at the time. It's tough enough as it is to find a decent single player game now, without forcing even those to have the same requirements as an online game. Still, I know that those people are in such a minority that the games companies, the people who speak on forums, and the providers, simply shrug and say "who cares, fuck 'em".

Post by **Joose** » May 10th, 2008, 8:54

Am I reading it wrong? Because it sounds to me like its just Mass Effect that has the only-install-X-times thing. It specifically says in the Spore one that you can install and play that on multiple computers.

As for the needing intercocks to play a single player game: Spore might be single player, but it heavily relies on a net connection for so much of the game, I would be surprised if you could play it at all without one. Mass Effect, fair enough, but I don't really give a monkeys about mass effect. I already have it on the 360

also...

Doggers wrote:Why should I, as a legitimate customer, have to risk making the product unusable? If I upgrade my machine a few times and run out of installs are they going to replace my copy?

According to their press release, yes, they will sort you out. You would have to contact them to tell them what has happened, and they review each case individually, but it *should* be sortable. Not that that is a great way of doing things, and I'm not saying that it'll be as easy as that in practice, but they *claim* that you wont get screwed.

I should point out here, I'm not defending anti-piracy stuffs in general, as I actually think the games companies are going about it all arse about tit. But we, as a gaming community, do have a tendency to have a great wailing and gnashing of teeth at the slightest provocation with these things. I didn't really see a problem with the 10 day check (for Spore, that is), and I certainly cant see any problems with what they are now doing.

Post by **Dog Pants** » May 10th, 2008, 9:07

I haven't read the articles in any depth I admit, but this is more of a general stance I'm taking against intrusive anti-piracy. It extends to DRM and unskippable 'adverts' on DVDs. All of these things are usually circumvented on pirate copies, leaving only legitimate customers disadvantaged.

I'm glad that, should you be able to prove that you have legitimate cause, they will replace a 'burned out' copy of Spore. At least they're trying to be reasonable. I'm also well aware of the internet's propensity for over-reaction, although I'd hope that most people here should know that most 5punkers, including myself, aren't like that.

I never planned on buying Mass Effect anyway, just doesn't excite me. Spore I was disappointed about, but it seems like they're trying to compromise so I'm happier now. I still stand by my last statement though. Spore certainly will use online content, but will it rely on it? I was assuming not - that you can play in offline mode and the game will generate other races for you. If the online component is an integral part of the game (which would seem unneccessarily restrictive to me) then of course authentication over the internet is reasonable just as it is with an MMONG or online shooter.

buzzmong · Post by **buzzmong** » May 10th, 2008, 12:39

Judging by that article, SPORE will now only call home when you access functions on the interwebs for it after the first install (or for patch updates), which makes perfect sense, as C&C does it to connect to the westwood networks for multiplayer as do a number of other games.

Essentially, once installed, you don't need to go online, and iirc all the actual online elements in SP are just user generated races and planets, rather than NPC generated ones, which'll allow for more variation.

If you want to use all the online functions, it calls home all the time, they've just stopped it calling home every 10 days regardless, which IMO was a stupid move, and sounds like a "managment decision" rather than a programmer/designer one.

Mass Effect will be cracked within a couple of weeks, as that method of SecureRom was used on Bioshock, so the crackers will have experience cracking it.

Fear · Post by **Fear** » May 10th, 2008, 14:13

I've actually considered pirating something I am often happy to buy simply so I can do what I wish with it. So called "anti-piracy measures" don't stop piracy, they encourage it. Certainly the case with music, although these days I think a lot of the DRM is out of them.

Post by **HereComesPete** » May 10th, 2008, 16:01

buzzmong wrote:Mass Effect will be cracked within a couple of weeks, as that method of SecureRom was used on Bioshock, so the crackers will have experience cracking it.

Don't even need to crack it, daemon tools pro has it as a standard spoofing option.

Baliame · Post by **Baliame** » May 10th, 2008, 23:57

buzzmong wrote:westwood networks

The ones taken down around 2003 when the company disbanded/fully merged with EA? Or is there a secret hideous way I can play RA2 online?

buzzmong · Post by **buzzmong** » May 11th, 2008, 1:19

Baliame wrote:
The ones taken down around 2003 when the company disbanded/fully merged with EA? Or is there a secret hideous way I can play RA2 online?

I thought when EA took them over they kept them up, it can't have been 3 years ago I last played RA2 online. It really can't. I swear it's 2 at maximum.

Edit: If it is, replace Westwood networks with whatever network Generals Connects to.