Is anyone else tired of the current trend in computer games that requires a one time internet authorization just to install on to yer computer? I mean, come on!! Some of us don't have on-site internet at all yet we'd love to play some of these games especially seeing as the game publishers enjoy putting this little fact in with the little bitty writing on the back of the games. So I buy a game such as Spore and get it home before I notice that little bitty writing which just destroys any chance of me ever being able to install it. So here I sit not able to play Spore or a large section of the new games coming out right now. This F-ing blows! I hope Fallout 3 doesn't have this requirement or I'm going to go off on someone!!!!!
Ah! A fully conscious victim of capitalist globalisation! Would you mind terribly much if I put you under glass for a week or two to study you, DJ?
ow_tiobe_sb
Phantom Bunburyist and Fop o' th' Morning
I'm going to assume that the PC you typed this post on is not the same one at home that you game on?
But yes, a single player game that requires online activation sucketh hard.
This is where somebody mentions the Gamers Charter, or whatever it's called, because it addresses this type of 'anti-piracy' stupidity.
And they wonder why console games sell more...
Gamer's Bill of Rights you mean?
Yes, this is exactly the kind of situation it was designed for. Any game that follows it would have to work without activation.
I've also heard that Spore can only be activated 3 times before you have to call the company and convince them you aren't a thief. Changing your hardware requires a new activation, as does anytime you reinstall the software.
Which is why I will never ever buy Spore.
Add me to the list of ranters. Between the hidden spyware certain companies (cough,cough...sony...cough, cough)install with their programs, computer crashing copy protection (star force, anyone?)activation codes, and DRM issues, I'm sure the game companies are out to get me. Is it too much to ask a company to provide a game disc, that we pay for that installs the game and leaves it at that? I don't need GameComrade (hmm Comrade eh?)or EA whatsitwhosey or any other "online enhancement" to enjoy my purchased product. If I choose to install my purchased game on one computer and then when I upgrade the very same computer for the outrageous "best played with requirements" , I should be at liberty to install my legally purchased software w/o the game company's having to know. We're in the days where companies are so consumed w/ piracy issues that they're taking it out on the loyal fans that buy these games. My understanding, is that most of these pirated games are stolen from the inside and released illegally by torrents, not because little Billy wants a copy of Dad's Roller Coaster Tycoon on his computer too. Limited installs...I have multiple installs of some games on the same computer for mods (Take Command:2nd Manassas, Nascar 2003 and FF come to mind). Come on already and stop destroying the industry w/ game breaking admin features! It's bad enough that when I play RB2 on the Xbox360, it has to check the "Rock Central Servers" constantly. I paid for the thing, leave me alone! Whoo...sorry for the tirade.
And you just pretty much summed up what Rob, owner of game publisher Stardock and creator of the Gamers Bill of Rights, has been saying for years.
It's a vicious circle. Companies add more copy protection, which makes the games harder to play, so paying customers switch to consoles. Company's see the falling sales, but not a fall in pirated copies, decide that piracy is responsible for their loss of sales, and increase protection further, sales drop further, and whole cycle continues.
Little ol Stardock on the other hand, releases game with no standard style of copy protection, just restriction from updates unless you register with a unique serial code (and believe me, those are nice updates, you want those updates) and lower system requirement, and they clean up just about every time they sell a new game.
Quote from: catwhowalksbyhimself on September 19, 2008, 07:47:02 AM
And you just pretty much summed up what Rob, owner of game publisher Stardock and creator of the Gamers Bill of Rights, has been saying for years.
It's a vicious circle. Companies add more copy protection, which makes the games harder to play, so paying customers switch to consoles. Company's see the falling sales, but not a fall in pirated copies, decide that piracy is responsible for their loss of sales, and increase protection further, sales drop further, and whole cycle continues.
Little ol Stardock on the other hand, releases game with no standard style of copy protection, just restriction from updates unless you register with a unique serial code (and believe me, those are nice updates, you want those updates) and lower system requirement, and they clean up just about every time they sell a new game.
See, I have no real problem with Stardock because it never requires ye to have internet connections to install the game but these current trends with requiring internet connections for installation is what really pisses me off. Not everyone has internet connections and why should we as long as we pay for it!! Freaking stupid....let's go back to the old confirmation numbers that we used to have with games. Remember those, they were usually some long row of numbers and letters that ye had to enter during installation but they were pretty easy to find becuase they were printed in either the manual or on the game box....those were better times.
Yes, well, the problem with those is that you can just copy the number and send it along with the copy of the game. It only poses a problem if the game does connect to the internet. Of course the solution is worse than the problem.
Again, you and Rob, owner of Stardock, are saying pretty much the same things. He cites military folks I think in some of his interviews.
The problem is these companies are so obsessively afraid of piracy that they make the games to much trouble to play. It's getting bad enough that legal game owners are often downloading cracks or pirate version because they work better than the commerical ones!
I have difficulty envisioning a computer at this point with absolutely zero access to the Internet.
They still exist. Military service members is the most common case, but not the only ones.
Besides those in the military service, there are those of us who live in rural areas where the telephone lines are so old they won't handle even a broadband connection. Hell, I cannae even get cable out in my area unless I go for satelitte which is also the only way I could potentially recieve an internet connection and well..that's too expensive.
Yeah, regardless of why they do this, it is still very, very stupid.
Eventually they'll realize that they've blown their foot to smithereens from shooting it too much.
At least, I hope so. I won't be buying Spore most likely. It's too bad, really.
QuoteEventually they'll realize that they've blown their foot to smithereens from shooting it too much.
They problem is, they've already done this, but instead of realizing it are blaming it on their favorite boogeyman, the pirates.
Quote from: captainspud on September 19, 2008, 09:09:46 AM
I have difficulty envisioning a computer at this point with absolutely zero access to the Internet.
Travel around a little bit. Internet access is still not available everywhere computers are.