@Toasticus: No, it's already started. That's why they've dishing it out so viciously, because the less they have left, the less they have to smell.

toejam316

Have EA and such ever released solid figures on the performance (positive/negative) of DRM like SecuROM in terms of sales? If not, they should. It would help when arguing a point. Surely these figures exist, otherwise companies wouldn't opt in considering the amount of bad press they get.

If using SecuROM resulted in a greatly increased level of sales, let's say 500%, would you blame companies for using it?

treeoflife

I swear to fucking GOD I'VE HAD IT UP TO HERE WITH EA!!!!!!!!!!!

Seriously, they're refusing to let me play the game I just now bought.

Here's the deal, I downloaded the Creature creator when it came out and made an account. However, I had to go to work before I could validate it. When I came home, the validation window had already closed. I tried to get a new validation, but the idiots at EA sent a link that didn't even work. Fast forward to now and I have the retail game, but it refuses to let me re-register because it says my old account still exists. I can't use the old account because it never got validated, and I can't get that old account validated because the link they're sending out now only works for forgotten passwords. Not only that, but to get support for the game, I have to log in to the site, something I can't do because my fucking account never got validated!

Sure, I could play offline, but without a proper account many of the game's key features will be disabled. I did not pay full price for a gimped version of a game that EA can't properly give support for. If these tards don't fix this for me I'm going to be one extremely pissed off customer.

Pezdispenser

@ShirtGuyDom: I know you said it was a ripp-off as well. I guess I just wanted to make a point. I don't think people should chill out on this. It just gets worse and worse for the consumer while the lawless people get the benefits. I don't think it's fair at all.

CDs never had copy protection on them (IDK if they do now) and you could do whatever you wanted with them. I didn't see them complaining that people were stealing music when I made a mix tape or mix CD from them. But I guess the internet changed all that somehow. Which is retarded because CD sales were in a decline before Napster even was thought up. People turned to the internet because they jacked up the prices of CDs to 20 bucks and over for NO REASON at all! It was crazy.

Now they want to blame pirates when the companies themselves drove the people to piracy. Which is really a stupid word because it isn't stealing at all. It is copying from the source. You can do this with VCRs, Tivo off of TV and Cassettes and CD burners off of the Radio. What is the problem?

It is just silly to have to pay a "rental" fee for something that we "own". If it is just a rental then they should price it accordingly. Otherwise people will be pushed and encouraged to DL the game for free off of the internet. The companies brought it to themselves and the consumers shouldn't have to pay and be abused for that.

Netnavi

@fumar: Funny you should say that about the Steam version of Bioshock, because it DOES come with SecuROM, regardless of where you got it.

konron

@AstroMoth: The clowns who make SecuROM can be contacted at www.sony.com

Grimhound

@ShirtGuyDom:
I agree yes, but there's a lack of better idea's floating around.
Amazon's spore review has dropped to 1 star now and that a good way to go about it, but EA keeps getting Amazon to remove the negative reviews so its ultimately ineffective.

AstroMoth

And of course I will buy both games well maybe not red alert "don't think it will be good" but I will download a clean install and just leave my purchased copy on the shelf. I don't like extra crap on my pc.

redice

@Siskoraban: Well when the topic at hand in SecuROM and how it's changing and affecting the market, talking about the beta not being impressive is kinda pointless.

SarcasmOD

Spore is probably the last game I buy from EA (just because I had it preordered YEARS ago, before the DRM crap was known). This is getting ridiculous, I want to OWN the game, NOT rent it. Screw EA, I knew the whole "EA isn't evil anymore" Wouldn't last long.

Azriel77

SecuROM is the reason I didn't buy Bioshock until a few weeks ago when it was $15 on steam (a version that is draconian drm free!). I reformat my computer a lot and I should not be punished for doing that.

I was excited for Spore, but I didn't buy it Sunday. Why? Bullshit DRM. Stand up for your rights gamers, don't buy games with BS DRM.

Oh and the piracy excuse is complete bullshit, Sins of a Solar Empire took care of that myth. Make good games and people will buy them.

fumar

@AstroMoth: Torrenting the game out of pure spite isn't the right way to do this. Two wrongs don't make a right. Didn't anybody go to elementary school?

ShirtGuyDom

one of the things they justify this, is that you will have to be connected to the internet for you to negate the 5-install limit.

well, fine if you havea pc at home on a fixed line.

but if you regularly travel around and don't have a mobile internet, well you're basically screwed.

it's like they are saying, "laptop business blokes, you can just forget playing this game!"

D:

Onizuka-GTO

Wonder when the first person will sue EA over this. I mean say a dude re-installs windows 5 times "I have probably done it at least that many times in the last year because of upgrades etc" so now he can't install his game at all. So whats that? I thought I bought this game? I thought I owned this game?

Funny I have the box cd and manuals on my shelf yet I can no longer use it because all of the sudden ea doesn't believe I own it? Funny they didn't have any problem letting me play it for the last year.

Heck I even played on there online servers with no problems, but now all the sudden they took away my right to play the game I legally purchased? Sounds somewhat like theft to me, they just stole this game from me. I think I will take them to court and make them give it back, ya that's what I will do.

And I wouldn't be surprised if he won.

redice

As much as I don't usually like the "well I'm pirating the game because of X, Y and Z" excuse, bullshit like SecuROM makes me almost agree with it. If the company's going to treat you like a potential criminal even if you're a paying customer, why not actually be a criminal?

Grave

@relic1980: What happened on the phone call?

But yeah, no thanks EA. I won't be buying!

Stoli

@ShirtGuyDom:
It's highley unlikely that EA will shift one way or another, they probably have signed some kind of deal with the clowns who make SecuROM.
But if enough people both hold off on buying the game and seed the torrent, it should prove to them that this kind of DRM is obviously not working if so many torrents are flying around the web.
Personally I don't care for RA3 and wont buy it or even play it, I'm just hoping they give up on this invasive, ineffective crap before they put it on another game I actually want to give them my money for (only to be unable to play it for weeks again).
Bring back the cardboard spinner wheels!

AstroMoth

@Netnavi: Read my posts.

ShirtGuyDom

@dyl604: Bingo.

Siskoraban

@ShirtGuyDom: You pay 50 dollars or more for a rental of a game? I think you are getting ripped off.

let's see: 5 rentals X 6 dollars = 30 dollars. 35 with tax.

So we have to pay 30 extra dollars for what now? For the privilege of "renting" it?

Netnavi

I usually buy games I like but because of the SecureROM install limit crap. I've chosen to pirate Mass Effect, Spore, and I'll do Red Alert 3 when that comes out. If I buy a game I'll install it as much as I like. Install limits from SecureROM are nothing but overpriced rentals.

PS -Thank you RELOADED for fighting the man.

shadowskill11

If they know it doesn't stop piracy, why include SecuROM? I figure they lose a percentage of sales because people refuse to buy software with it. Then they lose money having to pay for a licensing fee to use the crappy copy protection. Then they lose money having to pay support staff to help disgruntled customers who can't run the game because the SecuROM screwed up their system, or their drive can't read a legitimate disc because of the SecuROM. Then they lose future sales from customers who've become wary of anything with SecuROM because of such a bad experience.

I can't see how the number crunchers come up with a net gain from including SecuROM on their games.

dyl604

@TheAngryHeretic: As a somewhat older PC gamer, I do.

There are enough legitimate PC game makers out there that I can choose to ignore EA games.

arstal

@SarcasmOD: Heaven forbid anyone have a negative opinion of a game.

Siskoraban

@HikariOblivion: Paying full price for what could be called a rental =/= death penalty. Though at this point I'm becoming convinced that you're getting sarcastic.

Yes, hopefully this will end soon. But the more people say "I'm just going to torrent the game to prove a point to EA," the more likely it is that EA will keep putting DRM in their games.

ShirtGuyDom

Well fuck... won't be getting this game either. :\

WEGGLES90

I would pirate some Spore and RA3 but I just can't figure out how to use keygens or whatnot to get the game to actually play. You have to know some shit to actually play the cracked games as well. Though it is more beneficial than having limits on how many times you can play it.

Why can't they just let it be DRM free. We just want the game. Just give us that.

If they are pirating the games that have DRM anyway then it's a waste of space. They are just playing the game. Those that would get a copy for free versus actually buying one would still be in the same ratio as it is now. And if it came without DRM then maybe people would actually buy the game because they would feel the downloading stuff is more complicated than actually buying a disc.

Keep it at a fair price and you would never have to worry about sales again. You'd maybe end up getting more sales.

Netnavi

@ShirtGuyDom: I dunno, I kinda like to own a game, and be able to install it whenever. That's how it's worked since I first played a PC game.

Lately, it seems things have gotten much more shortsighted. Thankfully, this and Spore will probably be rereleased in a respectable manner once SecuROM has gone the way of Starforce, but I really hope this madness ends soon, or there's gonna be a lot of rediculousness if I want to play the damn game in a year or so. There's NO reason a cracked EXE should be an absolute REQUIREMENT to play a game you OWN and have PAID (prossibly full price) for

HikariOblivion

dammit. i was looking so forward to this game, but with the dread of having this ridiculous DRM, i guess it gives me another excuse to hold on to my money.

Onizuka-GTO

And what the hell is up with people saying they're going to torrent EA's games just out of spite or just to make a point?

You're part of the problem. You're adding to the number of games that are torrented, and that is going to lead EA to impose stricter DRM techniques in their games.

Here's a thought: DON'T BUY THE GAME. Don't exacerbate the situation.

ShirtGuyDom

Thank you pirating nation, for making customers like me actually put up with this illogical bullshit.

Great job.

Thorax

This type of DRM just pisses off the people that actually pay for the game. The people that illegally download the game are the only ones that won't have to deal with it.

foofed

So.. after 5 installs the game is pretty much useless? sweet

phantomlink

I don't get why they put the DRM in..if they KNOW it doesn't stop piracy.

Why are they punishing their actual customers?

Ajh

DRM and copy protection is a fine and dandy idea but it hasnt really worked since those cardboard wheels that used to come with amiga games. SecuROM only really hurts the people who paid for the game and after buying Bioshock on pre-order and not being able to play it until 4 weeks later (time it took tech support to actually help me get that SecuROm crap working on my machine) when all my piratey friends had already completed it I really wont be buying anything with that crap ever again.
Not that I really care about RA2 but I just might be tempted to seed RA2 on torrent though just to make a point to EA.

AstroMoth

Spore? waited for that game ever since it was announced. not buying because of the DRM, sadly.

Red alert 3 too it seems. too bad, because that will be the first C&C I'm not buying at launch (not at all).

QC8472

"I think it would be a shame if people decided to not play a great game simply because it came with DRM"

That's like saying it would be a shame if people decided not to eat a great steak simply because it was covered with rat feces.

Cattleprod

@HikariOblivion: No it's not. You could call it a rip-off, but that's about as much hyperbole as you could legitimately use here.

ShirtGuyDom

@ShirtGuyDom: Paying full price for what amounts to basically a rental is kinda draconian...

I hope Spore, this, and whatnot comes to something like Steam. Then everyone wins. Except the people who have to buy from a physical store :(

HikariOblivion

You know EA, because of your DRM a lot of customers are saying "screw this" and downloading cracked versions of your games from Bit Torrent instead of buying them.

grangerfx

@Moonshadow101: yeah, that was my favorite bit as well. really embraces how futile that shit is.

@Altima NEO: me too, but i dont convince myself that all these PSN/XBL/wii ware games i buy cant just as easily plague me if the respective systems ever go tits-up.

TheIrishNinja

As an older PC gamer, I don't see anything wrong with the DRM scheme that makes you keep the DVD in the drive to verify that you have the DVD.

Stick with that method, as do tons of other PC games, and be just fine.

TheAngryHeretic

Draconian? Are you fucking kidding me?

Okay, just to point it out, I'm no fan of this SecuROM business. But for one reason: It doesn't stop piracy.

All of you people are seriously overreacting here. You're equating a 3 or 5-time install limit to the death penalty for minor crimes.

Take a god damn chill pill.

ShirtGuyDom

@theEnemy: I already saw a beta versions of Red Alert 3 on a reputable Private Torrent Tracker.

nyaz

What a brilliant strategy on EA's part! I'll definitely be picking this game up as soon as I make sure to give a fuck about what Chris Corry has to say about useless, draconian, retarded DRM and how it will inevitably be broken - meaning only patrons feel any restrictions.

Arttemis

@Moonshadow101: The vast majority of people in game studios already know that, the problem is that it's not their decision most of the time.

juc

@Moonshadow101: "I like how he basically acknowledges that the DRM won't do anything to prevent piracy."

Exactly. If they know it doesn't stop piracy, why exactly is it still being used? I just don't get it. And I refuse to buy games that have this kind of DRM. It is really hampering my PC gaming, and I am a PC gamer first.

I guess if the industry were to die, DRM would be how.

Mobus

Yeah, really, this article ended with the team's little message of faith in the DRM.

vid3oman64

"I think it would be a shame if people decided to not play a great game simply because it came with DRM"

Um, what? Simply?

I think it would be a shame if people didn't vote with their wallets and avoid buying a game that is shipped by the publisher 'broken'.

Hobie-wan

Only 5 installs? That's complete crap, we still play red alert 2 from time to time at my house (we had a 4player lan for a few days when my cousins came over this summer). This would mean we get to stare at coasters 10yrs down the line (or even a year or so given how often I have to restore my pc).

Nutchos

Yes, keep using the securom. Cause that stopped people from pirating Mass Effect, Bioshock and Spore. O wait a quick search a torrent sites shows all of those... hum...

nyaz

@BobDelli:
Your right, that is one stupid statement on his part.

The pirates don't need your respect EA, they can play your game without much hassle. It's the consumer who buy the game legitimately, who you fail to respect. And because of that your unintentionally promoting piracy not as an alternative but as a requirement to play your games.

surft

This is BS. This time, I will be evil and are correctly justified to be executed because I am the "scum" of the Earth.

Karbrino

Ok I was going to buy the game and now not not so much.

Really do hate DRM thats why.

Witzbold

Why can't we get a real life pic of Gina Carano?

This game has inspired choices for the live action characters. Incredible male voices to go with a bunch of gorgeous chicks.

Pure win!

boringjob2

i just wont bother with a game with DRM.

mostly cause i dont really play PC games anyways, but ya.. its not cool.

joeloliol

This just makes me wish even harder for that PC gamers' bill of rights to get used. So far I've asked Santa, Chanukah-man, the toothfairy and the Easter Bunny, Jesus, Chuck Norris, bigfoot, and my town wishing well. Now I'm sitting at the window, waiting for a falling star.

MagickBocks

Did EA buy a bunch of SecuROM in bulk that they now feel compelled to use up before it goes bad and stinks up the fridge or something?

Toasticus

@SarcasmOD: Woah hey, no I'm not an indie rocker lol, don't listen to indie stuff at all >_>.. I didn't mean to sound condescending either.. I just I played the beta, and I'm not impressed... I should of added "but it was still pretty alright" or something to not come off as a jerk? gah...

Katorok

They just WANT me to buy the console version, right?

twinturbo2

Here's a solution; simply don't buy the game. Great game? Maybe. But I've had it up to here with companies who penalize the legal purchasers with this crap knowing full well that the illegal downloaders will have less-polluted games than those who are spending their hard-earned cash for their product.
(Sorry, just got off the phone with the idiots at 4myXbox on this subject...let's just say I'm a less than happy camper).

relic1980

Wow, more reason to stick to consoles

Altima NEO

4 days to 1 week before the official release, the pirates have already cracked this game. Quote me on that!. DRM doesn't stop piracy.

This might also be the next "Spore".

theEnemy

Dammit, this and Fable 2 were going to be the only two games I buy this year, looks like Batman and Starkiller get to fight for my money now.

InfernoT

"As you might imagine, I'm a lot less respectful of those people who take the position that they will illegally download a game simply because it has DRM."

This sentence explains so well what's wrong with EA and their DRM.

BobDelli

@Katorok: In Soviet Russia, beta is unimpressed with YOU!

Are you an 'indie' rocker by any chance? It would explain why you're so excessively condescending.

SarcasmOD

hmmmmm, This is still so misguided. Those who want it free, get it free. Those who are willing to buy it get jerked around by this shit.

kakihara

I like how he basically acknowledges that the DRM won't do anything to prevent piracy.

Moonshadow101

Meh, played the beta, not impressed...

Katorok

@Illusion: Again, not saying that DRM is a good idea, just that pirating the game because of it doesn't help one bit.

ShirtGuyDom

@ShirtGuyDom: Considering it does screw with your computer and throw a hissy fit at even your drivers, I don't think people are really over-reacting. Draconian might be a bad description. An extremely bad and ineffective deterrence would be a better description.

Turambar

@ShirtGuyDom: 3 wrongs, technically. But seriously, EA is just exacerbating the problem by making the legit version less attractive than the pirated version. I'm not surprised in the least that people that would have bought it DRM-Free are turning to piracy.

Illusion

I so care about EA losing respect in me.

Mayu-mayu

@Stoli: Eh, tried to get the idiots to deal with a problem on my original Relic1980 account (after having Gold for a year, it should have lapsed to Silver but didn't, and now I can't access Live through that account, which I need to do to recover games lost when my original 360 RRoD'd).

To make a lo0ng story short, I got another David Bramalamadingdong on the phone who told me after running out of answers on his idiot sheet that I needed to buy ANOTHER year of Gold so I could get Silver again, and then use my free 1 month card to sign up for Gold again, so I could recover my games and stuff. Hell with that. I won't be buying another piece of stuff from Live (using my newer Silver account) because of their cumbersome DRM scheme. Yes, I know that the crooks and cheaters have ripped the companies off. They continue to rip those companies off. So why the hell penalize law-abiding buyers while the crooks and illegal downloaders get their product with little problem? Some will blame the crooks, and they'd be right. But you don't shoot your mother because your next-door neighbor ripped off your mower.

relic1980

Looks like I'll be getting the 360 version. Thanks for making the decision easy for me, EA.

kojirodensetsu

@Kymeira: I never said that all punishments under Draco's laws were the death penalty. In fact, I said:

"You're equating a 3 or 5-time install limit to the death penalty for minor crimes."

I understand why you missed that tidbit, as it was a post from quite far up in the comments.

"I think you were trying to be nit-picky but failed miserably."

So, it seems, are you. Heh.

ShirtGuyDom

What I read:

Blah blah blah comes with DRM blah blah blah

F you EA.

t('-'t)

StupidDufus

They need to do what Apple does with iPods. Allow a certain amount of validations at one time, and allow you to clear them if needed.

It should be three installs at one time, and if you uninstall (perhaps link it to one of those godforsaken EA download service accounts) you can get one back. It would be fine, would make people a lot more tolerant of it, and wouldn't lose any of the security they're gloating.

But really the whole thing's pointless since it hasn't prevented a lick of piracy.

Mit

And I'll just stick to RA1 & 2. If EA wants my bucks, they'll need to give this SecuROM bullshit the boot.

Lyrai

@BurgerBat: Does EA give you your bread and butter? Either that, or obvious troll is obvious.

RTW

@ShirtGuyDom: "Paying full price for what could be called a rental =/= death penalty."

I'm going to assume you're being this way because you don't understand what the word draconian means.

You've been repeating "not as bad as the death penalty" this entire time, but Draconian, when capitalized, refers to Draco's laws, but not all punishments under Draco's laws were the death penalty anyway (but I'm assuming Giz meant to use draconian [lowercase] — which is simply synonymous for cruel or unjust).

I think you were trying to be nit-picky but failed miserably.

Kymeira

@Netnavi: The people that are calling this draconian and are going to pirate games just because of DRM do need to chill out. They're not helping the situation, they're hurting it.

Yes, the internet changed all that. The Pirate Bay didn't exist when CDs were all the rage. Piracy just wasn't as...easy as it is now.

And again I feel I have to reiterate that I'm not supporting DRM here, at all. I'm just calling out those people who want to make the situation worse because they're overreacting.

The difference between TiVo and pirating is that TiVo is subscription-based. And maybe that's the way to go. I think I remember listening to this possibility on the 1UP Yours podcast: You pay a monthly fee to EA or whoever and get access to all of their "programs," or rather, games.

It would probably be better if it was a unified service (maybe through Steam or Games for Windows) so you're not paying 12 different publishers a month.

Idk, at least I'm thinking of alternatives as opposed to just making this whole mess messier.

ShirtGuyDom

I like how they claim that if you call they will be more than happy to help you if you're past the five limit, but if they're help is anything like when I purchased Battlefield 2142 its not even worth the hassle.

I picked up the DVD version of the game so I could play with a few friends, install the game no issues, go to play "Please insert play disc into drive" O_o wtf there's only one disc. Ok, contact customer support. "Sorry to hear the game won't play in your drive, maybe you need to get a new one" "No, its brand new, every thing else works in it, the game installs just fine, but it wont let me play" "Oh, you should try a new drive" "Are you going to pay for it?"

I end up rebuilding my rig 6 months later and try to install it using a brand new drive. Please insert play disc. "Hey, yeah, I tried a new drive and it still gives me the same problem, whats up with that?" "Oh, sorry to hear that, maybe you should try it in another dri *click* I just tried to install it again a week ago for laughs and it plays now and there's absolutely nothing different compared to back then. I can now play the game all my friends quit playing ages ago.

If that's the kind of quality I can expect from this and their support screw it, I'm done EA. I legitimately ran around all giddy when I heard about RA3 and you've ruined it, you've crapped in my Christmas stocking for the last time.

InfernoT

@SarcasmOD: Calling someone out on being off topic is fine, but simply attacking someone because of their opinion is no better. Just as pointless as what you and I are saying right now.

Siskoraban

@QC8472: EA does have a Steam-type service, the EA Store. I bought the Creature Creator through there and downloaded it at least 5 times, three times on one computer and once on my parents'. As long as I'm logged in, the game plays. Not as great as Steam, but functional.

Look, boycotting great games because of the DRM issue is retarded. Pirating a game because it has DRM is stealing and also, you're punishing the wrong party. Suck it up and buy, you won't regret, and really, how many installs do you need?

I bought Spore at Best Buy yesterday only because of the fact the retail disc is Mac/PC and I wanted to install it on both. So I'm down to ONE install left. Considering that it won't leave my computers unless I have another HD crash, I'm totally okay with that. And, considering I'm using it on two systems, and I enjoy the game, I'd probably buy it again if I needed to when my installs are out. It's because I have respect for the work of the developers and those who financed it. My purchase is a way of saying "thanks for making a game I enjoy" and respecting the way they want me to use it.

It's articles and comments like this that make me appalled that some people still don't realize that DRM is a reaction to serious intellectual theft, one that has nearly ruined the music industry. By doing their part in perpetuating that cycle, pirates really can't complain when stuff like this happens, and in my opinion, should ditch the entitled outlook.

BurgerBat

@ShirtGuyDom: but that's kinda the whole point of why the people are "pirating". The DRM that they have in place is horrible and if there was a better way of doing it , like some of your suggestions, then I don't think people would go to torrents. They'd buy it because they aren't feeling cheated by the company. DRM pushes people to getting the product by other means that are available to them. It just happens to be free. Most people like to reward the product makers and send a message that "we like this and want more of it". I guess if you get a game by torrents then it probably is as a last resort because they don't want to deal with the DRM or in other cases as a free rental to see if the game is any good. I have no idea how to do any of this but I can see why people do it.

I don't think they are pirating the game "just" because of the DRM but because of what it does to the system and because they should be able to legally own the game and not have to worry if the game is still playable in 10 years time. No body wants to re-purchase the same game twice because they have to.
(except for one lonely poster in here)

Netnavi

@RTW: Yeah dude. Excuse me for being the only grown-up in the playground, I'll go back to paying bills and leave the kids to throw temper tantrums over their toys.

As ineffective as SecuROM is, EA has the right to protect their intellectual property, ya fucking douche.

BurgerBat

Is it legal to buy a retail copy of the game and then install a cracked copy? C&C games have not been good since they went 3D. I paid full price for Generals and haven't been able to trust EA since.

alientoaster

LOL

dowingba

Dammit EA, you're going to lose everyone if you dont get rid of this shitty program!

mascot1063

It's not about piracy. It's about preventing resale or lending the game to your friends. That is what this DRM really does.

Asbestos_Underwear

SecruROM walks into a bar with 3 beers in one hand. The bartender asks "can I help you", ScrewROM then says "Can I get 2 beers, please?" The bartender glances at the 3 beers, and says "why not 3 more?" ScrewROM then replies "you mean I have to authenticate online?"

Momentarylogic

It has DRM? That's fine. I'll just add it to my growing list of PC games to ignore then.

If this keeps up I don't think I'll even need to bother upgrading my gaming PC later this year.

MattB

There is the EA we all know and detest.

SecuROM = No Sale in my book.

Give me a DRM-free alternative and I would gladly give you my monies even if I have to put up with Steam it is better than that SecuROM shiz that is essentially a virus.

Installs without warning?
Keeps you from removing itself?
Can cause detrimental hard to your HD partition?

If thats no virus I don't know what is.

I am not paying to essenially rent a game. With 3 installs and call home verification imagine if they had this on your SNES games and you wanna pop in that Chrono Trigger for nostalgia. Good luck verifying anything 6-10 years from now.

We all know how well Sony's other two DRMs went with both the Sony Rootkit & Sony Walkman Musicstore DRM destroying computers and leaving thousands unsupported only a couple years latter. What makes anyone think this time things will be different?

Ario Reads Kotaku, Seems Pleased

I have a pretty huge problem with someone selling me something and then telling me there's only a certain number of times I'm allowed to install it.

They (EA) don't seem to understand that it's MINE now, I should be able to do whatever I want with it. This issue is really at the heart of all piracy debates, whether you agree or not is up to you.

If they want to prevent piracy, they HAVE to come up with something that doesn't punish the people who paid for the game. They are shooting themselves in the foot SO bad.

horsekateer

It isn't pirates that are mad about this.. I can go download any of these games right now if I want to pirate.. sadly for me I am strongly against pirating.

I will still not pay full price for a game I'm not allowed to own. As a computer enthusiast I constantly change the state of my computer, reinstall, upgrade, build a new system... I still play my favorite games regardless of how old they are. If TIE Fighter had this kind of protection I'd have been screwed out of playing that anymore years ago.

Super annoyed because I really want to play SPORE and support Will Wright for being such a creative genius.. but as a matter of principal I cannot pay EA to screw me over.

Bastard11

Meh, 3, 5, what's the difference. Securerom's only there to make you buy more copies of the game later, when you run out of installations. They know it doesn't do anything for piracy.

I didn't buy Mass Effect. I didn't buy Spore. I didn't buy Merc 2. I'm not going to buy Red Alert 3, even though I have all of the previous C&C games (except that online only crappy one, what was it called?). I have boxes and boxes of PC games, but EA can go fuck themselves. I'm not buying any game they publish in the future and letting everyone I know why.

durrem

Before plunking down half a C note for Spore, I wanted to see if it lived up to its hype. So I downloaded a pirated version that would not allow online access or an EA account. I played it stand-alone, and found it brilliant. I will definitely be picking this one up.

That said, I wasn't completely sold on the game until I had a chance to play the retail version. Spore is a keeper, and has long-term payback, so it is a game that justifies a real purchase. But I would prefer a PS3 version rather than a PC version of the game. I buy a few console games, but I seldom buy a PC game.

bornonce

Honestly I think a bigger reason for this DRM stuff isn't to stop piracy. It's to stop trade-ins and hand me downs for the games. They like controlling the sales.

wcraigw

Looks like another EA game I don't play on my PC!

Boudabras

Shouldnt we all follow the first rule, and stop feeding the troll(ShirtGuyDom)?

Ponyo

@ShirtGuyDom: "pirating the game because of it doesn't help one bit."

What other reason is there to pirate but to avoid the DRM? If it didn't have it then I'm sure there would be less piracy. Why put up with something that you hate only to enforce the message that the DRM we all hate is a good thing?

I know what you are saying,that piracy would lead to more stricter DRM, but when it comes to no game to boycott DRM and free game with no DRM included then I don't know how anyone would resist that. You'd never get to play the game ever. And then if you didn't pirate then it may send a message that the DRM is working and it will never get resolved.

I say take out DRM and watch how much actual sales go up. It's just easier to go to a store and put the disc in than to DL a torrent and figure out .rars, keygens, mounting ISOs and all the techie stuff. DRM is anti consumer and I think that is the only reason why most (not all) people pirate. And the people that would pirate the game anyway would never have bought the thing anyway regardless.

Netnavi

@ShirtGuyDom: I think draconian is appropriate.

The crime is apparently paying for the good, and actually expecting to use it.

The punishment is having my DVD-RAM drive become completely useless until I spent several hours cutting the malware like SecuROM out of my system, and restoring the firmware and drivers for my DVD drive.

That's what happened when I tried to buy Bioshock. I ended up downloading an ISO and crack and using that to actually get to use the product I paid for.

I don't think I'm going to bother again, I will simply not play games that have this form of ridiculous DRM, neither through purchase, nor piracy.

The_Inquisitor

"The pirates don't need your respect EA, "

Reading comprehension FTW. This is not EA per-se, but the dev team.

Translation: if you don't like DRM, that's cool. But if you pirate my game and use your dislike of DRM as an excuse then you're a douche.

If you don't like it, don't buy it. Vote with your wallet. I am.

commentotron

From September to December there are about 12 games I want to buy, but can only afford 4. Red Alert 3 will join Spore as a no go for me. I need good reasons to buy a game, not the other way around.

Anyone who doesn't think 3-5 installs is a big deal is obviously a fool. I have two computers I game on and one has XP and Vista. Although I haven`t gone back to XP for a while and could forgo that install, but it would be nice to have the game I purchased installed in all three instances. Thats three installs right there and that's not counting the possibility of having to format my computer or run a restoration.

Definition of draconian: Exceedingly harsh; very severe. Seems very fitting to me.

okkervil

Pardon my pontification.
Frankly, DRM is here to stay in the movie, music, and games world, however, it is not simply to stop wholesale piracy operations and release groups. All of the industries have accepted that piracy will happen no matter what. This is an assumed given, and they would be stupid to not realize this.

Then, why are they still using demonized DRM? DRM of this sort still provides two very tangible benefits to the company. In any medium, whether game, music, or movie, DRM serves to prevent casual copying that reduces revenue. John Q Public won't bother trying too hard to copy his friend's game. DRM also serves to increase revenue by forcing what I call "overloading". In the case of music and movies, DRM (in theory) prevents the user from using the media in multiple devices and in multiple ways. Instead, in order to have their movie on their precious iPod's tiny screen, they must possibly purchase again. This is an overloaded purchase. In the gaming world, this isn't as much of a problem. Instead, DRM is intended to prevent the used-media market from surviving. As someone said in another post, the angel of anti-DRM crusaders, Stardock, itself does not acknowledge the right for a resale market to exist. Limited installs, phoning home, and download managers are for this purpose. After all, a publisher makes no money on the resale market. They do not desire end users, only first users.

The piracy aspect of the DRM argument is tired, annoying, and useless by now. It is too contentious on both sides, and no one is willing to compromise. Thus, it is important to look deeper into the real reasons for DRM.

I would like the public to realize the insidious purpose that DRM is used for now. Piracy is now a reality that is accepted by companies, and their focus has once again returned to resale. Personally, I feel that it is my right to resell products that I have purchased should I desire. This type of DRM seeks to strip me of this right. In this way, current DRM is far more foul than even the Starforce rootkits of the recent past, at least to me. Stop letting piracy cloud the argument and bring the focus back to anti-competitive and anti-consumer practices.

Beld

Haha Securom. That has to be the worst DRM software on the planet. It's like they couldn't think of a smarter way to protect programs so they said "Fuck it, let's just limit the number of installs they get. We have to throw [i]something[/i] out there..."

gils0n

@ShirtGuyDom: "I never said that all punishments under Draco's laws were the death penalty. In fact, I said:

'You're equating a 3 or 5-time install limit to the death penalty for minor crimes.'"

I believe you just proved my point. The only other reference anywhere near the death penalty was the Draconian reference. Either that, or you were blowing all the comments before you way out of proportion.

"I understand why you missed that tidbit, as it was a post from quite far up in the comments."

I actually read that, and that's why I had to point it out. That comment is where the trouble stems from.

Kymeira

I loved the policy Westwood Studios used to have on their games, their early games even encouraged you to share your game with your friends so you could play against them. Because of this, I can now say I own atleast 4 copies of red alert, and 2 of tiberium dawn. Had the original C&C games had this kind of DRM on them, I never would have bought all the C&C branded games I have now. I was really looking forward to this game too, put I too will have to add it to the pile along with Spore.

cirvaazny

Is it worth buying a used version of Red Alert 2 and Yuri's revenge used? I never played that one but I don't know if that has some wonky business that won't allow me to play it.

Can it play on XP.? So many questions. I'd appreciate any help.

Netnavi

So let me get this straight. How does the DRM stop the game from being pirated? It doesn't at all. The game will be on torrent sites within a week. All it does is delay it slightly and screw over the real customers who buy it.

5 installs? During my entire time owning Red Alert 2, which is about 8 years (bought the game on release). I've probably reinstall my OS 7-8 times maybe, changed PC twice, if RA2 had this DRM i wouldn't be able to ever play the game again ridiculous.

I'm all for protecting PC games from piraters but this is an awful solution and its no wonder no one likes it. People wonder why i prefer console gaming. :/

Walker

Yeah, it's a shame that we have to boycott EA's games in order to possibly get them to let go of SecuROM, but in the wake of the rebellion, the development team that spent the time and resources to make the game is making minimal profit because of the lack of sales due to the chaos and boycotting.

Oh well! That's how the cookie crumbles. Get rid of SecuROM, EA, and I might buy your games.

Ryuk

Sorry guys, I won't bother to call you on my 6th installation, especially if you don't have a french service.

I, as a end user, don't want to buy a game when in the end I get screwed because I installed the game x number of time.

I'm just thinking about a game like Diablo II, how many times did you install it on your computer? 1-2 dozen times at least? I'm pretty sure. If I had to call Blizzard every time I wanted to play with D2 I would have turned insane OR developed a friendly relationship with the customer service OR would have been labeled as a pirate.

And now, who's going to activate my copy when EA won't support RA3 in 5 years? Just imagine if I would have liked to play Red Alert 1 tomorrow with that kind of "security device" how much I would have had trouble playing with it. You're not making the things easier for the customers guys.

I say screw you EA, you always screwed us in the past, you won't change your way of thinking and you will still screw us in 10 years. We're all pirates to your eyes you paranoiac freaks then so be it. Count on me to be the first to download Red Alert 3: RELOADED Limited Edition since you don't give us the choice.

P.S.: I'm sorry for the guys (former Westwood Studios?) who worked so hard on that game. But the attitude problem coming from EA will just scare people from buying your product.

EijiKikumaru

Extra extra, read all about it....EA are shit!

ugh_the_boot

Ì dont use DRM as an excuse for piracy, but its a great excuse for not buying the game and unfortunately piracy is just the end result for a lot of people. I bought Bioshock and ending up having to crack it, to use it to my liking.

Everyone I know buys some games and steals some. Call it an excuse or bullshit, but its the truth. The pirated version of Spore was available before the game went up for sale and the free version comes with less limitations than the retail copy. Its already way to easy to steal. How about giving us incentives not too.

The publishers actions are plain stupid, they know what the response will be but they act like stubborn children. I really think they are completely clueless or they are just trying to kill off PC gaming.

okkervil

"I think it would be a shame if people decided to not play a great game simply because it came with DRM"

Yeah well, that was for YOU guys to decide, not us.
Sorry, never buying.

Cavefish

Well Beld I will have to disagree, DRM is not here to stay, at least with music its on its way out. Maybe the other industries will wake up at some point.

I`m personally ok with most DRM on games. For single player games, having to put the game in the drive to play it is ok with me. I can still install it in more than computer, but can only play it on one at a time.

Steam uses quite a bit of DRM. But I`m always connected to the net and it offers a lot of benefits, auto updates, no discs, no cd keys.

I`m fine with DRM as long as it doesn`t get in the way.

okkervil

well, no wonder, DRM is not about preventing piracy, but about killing second hand business...

meh, I orderd Spore, first and most probably the last game with SecuROM I'm buying (Mass Effect over here had SafeDisc instead of SecuROM thanks to CD Projekt, well, I still had to download a crack to make it work, cause SafeDisc obviously don't like virtual drives and few other programs... but it's still the lesser evil of the two)

pirating games became more convenient than buying them, oh the irony, when I was kid, I was pirating games (first on the diskettes) cause I couldn't afford them and now when I can afford them and am willing to buy them, they come up with DRM, oh well, I'll be missing out on Red Alert 3 I guess, probably buy something else instead of it :)

Pepek

@ShirtGuyDom: 5 installs is a joke if I look back on my older games, but you know what, that's not really the problem for me, just an annoying bug that they didn't have to put in my eye, but did anyway.

My actual problem is my external HDD failing and my Windows crashing after the first reboot of this crap installed. Ended up formatting the whole thing, and saved "most" of my stuff.

Last time I looked up the word "Game" it was supposed to be the equivalent of "Fun" or something...

Cavefish

Jesus Christ.
I would buy more fucking games if
there were no DRM.
I am terrified that one day
the activation servers will go down
and my games library will be worthless.

It's clear that EA is systematically
implementing a policy that any and all
games that they publish from here on in
are DRM'd and require online activation.

This means all these games will be DRM'd.

Dragon Age.
The Sims 3.
Mirror's Edge.
Dead Space.
Left 4 Dead.
Crysis Warhead.

Sullyville

Really, I think this whole issue is being made out to be worse than it really is.

Installations? Some of you here think that you're only allowed five installations total, but you can get your install "tickets" back simply by uninstalling the game. Malfunctions, crashes? You'd have to be extremely unlucky to have crashes that render your computer useless 5 times in a row I would say, and you can always call up tech. All the times I changed parts or needed to re-install windows was done on my own initiative and not 'cause something blew up. Not wanting to call tech isn't an excuse to go and pirate the game. Not wanting to buy or support the game even if you downloaded and liked it just for the reason that it has DRM is also not an excuse.

Here's a suggestion. You like the game? Keep the downloaded pirated copy sans DRM, and then buy the game and leave it on your shelf. Supported AND you get a non crippled version of the game (and you technically own the game as well.)

Furthermore, the CD/DVD isn't required to play the game with the above conditions. Thus for a LAN party, you could install it on 5 computers legitimately with one disc (or maybe you Hamachi your way around) and it'd all be legal. Again, I see nothing wrong with this either (in fact, it'd be nice)

There is no "phone home" (or rather, that's what they are promising). You activate on install/deactivate on uninstall and no other communications otherwise.

As for the trade-in argument, the developers don't see a dime when a used game is bought. So if EA did this intentionally to cut down on the number of trade-ins, then from a business standpoint, perhaps it'll work.

Now, don't go running around with the idea that I love DRM, but I don't think it'll pose a major interference either to the end-user. If you would not want to support a game with DRM, then don't buy it. EA mentioned as much. Just don't use it for an excuse to pirate.

Uchikoma

5 installs huh? I wonder which genius at EA might have thought that this would quell down the public.

Shijirou

Oh well, so much for becoming law obedient citizen and buying the games. I personally will either skip RA3 or then just download it from inet and play it happily without any DRM shit. Actually it is quite ironic to see that Spore was cracked before it even officially came out.

Yas

Frankly, I don't give a damn if some EA cronies don't respect the decision of some to pirate their game simply because it uses Securom. The fact is, them forcing Securom is disrespectful towards their customers, the people who they are assuming to be criminals.

Fact is, if I buy the disk, there is about a 50/50 chance that just putting it in the optical drive will lock up my explorer, because apparently, my optical drive isn't up to Securom's snuff. It happened with Mass Effect, it happened with Spore, and I see no reason for it not to happen with anything else by these clowns.

DimensionWarped

@ShirtGuyDom: Well it kind of hinders piracy, making copying and installing the disc on many machines harder for the not-so-intelligent pirate. But for the real pirates, it's not even a challenge. It's not even so much as an effort to get the game cracked and SecuROM-free.

Ryuk

I would like to get excited about a Command and Conquer game, but the series effectively ended for me with Yuri's Revenge. I can't see why I would want to be excited about Red Alert 3, even though I enjoyed the first one a lot and the second one was passable. DRM seals the deal on passing this game up. It's bad enough Spore nags you to download EA Download Manager and then has the gall to tell me the DVD isn't in my drive when it's been in there for a while. Use your imagination to figure out what happened next.

BigDragon

"Let them eat cake"

*looks at the stale piece of forgotten cake, the frosting hardening to mortar, the once golden goodness now a slightly pale not-quite-so-spongy mess, and the decorations strewn atop like a drunk clown vomiting a random array of smuggled pinata candy innards, topped off with a ribbon on top trying to fool the masses that it's still good to eat*

*passes the plate forward*

I think I'll pass, thanks, but no thanks EA.

MelodyKitn

@Katorok: I wasn't impressed either. At all. It's the first RTS I have played where someone was able to camp.

Rhaedaw

@Uchikoma: "Installations? Some of you here think that you're only allowed five installations total, but you can get your install "tickets" back simply by uninstalling the game."

You'd have a good point if you weren't completely incorrect on the way this works. The most recent EA SecuROM-bundled games do not give you any credit for uninstalling the game or disabling it. If you install it, you use one of your 3 installs and there is no way to get that back.

Rokal_LT

@ShirtGuyDom: "Again, not saying that DRM is a good idea, just that pirating the game because of it doesn't help one bit."
Of course it does, it helps to play the game without any problems.

Mayu-mayu

Isn't his last comment implying that DRM actually ENCOURAGES piracy? If they've finally realised that why do they still bother?

DRM is a complete load of crap anyway, unless they can make it foolproof to pirates it's just going to piss off the actual customers. There's been no copy protection to date that people haven't broken so it really does nothing at all to combat piracy. The DRM ends up doing nothing, the pirates still get their illegal copy and they just end up punishing those who actually paid money for it.

The biggest thing that actually presents a problem for pirates and encourages them to buy the game is online play. Since it's a staple of nearly all modern games and required for a good portion of the enjoyment for most of them it's something that actually can't be cracked. If you don't have a valid CD key you can't get on to their servers to play online and the only effective way to get one is to buy the game.

The lack of online play probably discourages piracy a whole lot more than draconic DRM solutions.

Odin

The best way for people to get their message across about the DRM is to NOT BUY THE GAME. Sadly people are too antsy, itchy, impatient, or whatever you want to call it to not do so. Therefore they buy the game and give into the DRM but still complain.

Obviously if EA is still getting your money while you complain they aren't really going to care.

Masx

Why do they think this DRM is effective? It's obviously losing them sales by people seeing how annoying and constricting it is, while people who want to pirate games have no problem at all getting around it. What is the point? I hate buying DVD's and having to sit through the same stupid warnings every time I just want to have a quick watch of my movie, so now I rarely buy DVD's. Get rid of the stupid DRM measures and I'll start buying your games again (especially when RA3 looks alright).

el_rezzo

I'll buy the game and then download a crack for it. Just like with every other PC game I've ever bought. I'm wouldn't download the full game, but I've no problem downloading a cracked exe for something I own. Fuck activations, fuck CDs in the drive, fuck DRM of any kind.

Muckley

WHAT

NO NO NO NO

I was actually looking forward to this, and they were making all the right noises, only to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory with this annoucement.

Good job, EA. You just lost a customer.

Overlord44

confirmed on the ea forums..

5 installs but when you uninstall YOU DO NOT GET A TOKEN BACK.

so you have 5 LIFETIME INSTALLS. THATS IT.

wtf.. then you have to call customer support. from Australia that costs 2.48 A MINUTE. WTF? begging them to give you an activation. Meanwhile pirates are playing the game happily. Something is simply FUNDAMENTALLY wrong with that.

I will NOT purchase RA3 (and i LOVE C&C games) if i only get 5 installs. I still install the orignal red alert occasionally now. What happens when i call up the ea customer service team for the 10th time to reactivate and they say no?

Stuff you EA.

NovaBlack

@ Rokal_LT

oh sorry just read you were saying the same thing as me in reply lol. yeah you are right

NO INSTALL tokens back. its ridiculous. 5 installs ever n thats it.

NovaBlack

@ Rokal_LT

no check the EA forums about securom on RA3

you do NOT GET A TOKEN BACK FOR UNINSTALLING.

CONFIRMED.

NovaBlack

"Like the other games, though, spare a thought for the dev team. It's not their decision to implement SecuROM, it's EAs, and the following plea from the team makes clear just how polarising a topic this has become"

Say what?
I'm being asked to install a 'virus-like' program on my PC, that has no uninstall option, gives itself admin rights and blocks other things from running? also my £40 will only allow my 5 installs ever?

And your argument is 'aww think of the poor developers, QQ, /sadface, etc'

sorry but thats not happening.
Treat me like a human being, not a criminal please.

If RTS games weren't so borked on consoles I'd pick it up for my 360... shame.

actionfitz

How many installs does Spore have? anyone know?

I'm pretty much getting to the point where I'm just going to say "get fucked" to all DRM software.

TokeYo

@Odin:

Exactly. A CD key is more than enough to protect an RTS game. If it's a good RTS game, even pirates will rush out to buy it so that they can play online. But that just goes to show you... they don't give a damn about the costs of DRM to their customers, they only care about keeping up some image that they are fighting it.

And thats really all it's about. Image. It's a lot easier to pretend you are doing something about a problem if you are pissing off customers in the process.

DimensionWarped

Well the Amazon reviews have hit 1000 most being under 1*. Geuss they dont give a shit which is dissapointing as i was really considdering buying Spore.

Cei-Iacobus

"EA's response to this? To let you eat cake."

The cake is a lie!!!

(I can't believe nobody has said this already)

So now for my two cents: I hate DRM. I really do. It makes the consumer seem like a criminal, and it's pushing away the loyal users of their software.

BUT... why not just buy the game and then crack it? This still allows you to sell the game when you're done with it, while at the same time allowing you to install on as many machines/as many times as you want. All you need to do to crack a game is copy over the executable usually. It's ridiculously easy.

Me? I just won't buy it. Maybe I'll get it on Steam or something when it's $20 or whatever, where I can download onto as many computers as I want and then just log in and play. I have no problems needing to be connected to the internet for like, 2 seconds.

KStrike155

Securom is one the most easily bypassed anti piracy systems known to man so it's pointless. Then you have the insanity of EA releasing RA as an iso file which requires a program like daemon tools to run, however if you install daemon tools no legitamate game with securom on it will work. Someone at EA wasn't thinking.

dsmx

Fuck the developer, I was one, if we can stand up to the publishers then we deserve to be ramsacked by the consumers.

Dear RA Dev, DRM is an issue, a feature, just like if pressing J followed by 2 mouse clicks the game crashes. FIX IT or DIE.

Gawd, this is frustrating, I'm willing to buy all these games & all the sudden they find a way to make me acquire them.

Arthois

DRM doesn't do anything beneficial. Pirates still crack the game, sometimes even before its official release. The consumer gets extra hurdles that are not gameplay, maybe put on hold with tech support. A few suits get some pats on their backsides, but they don't play the games and stop patting a few days before release when they find out that yes, pirates already cracked their game and from now on and forever its only paying customers that are hindered.

SeedyXX

See Steam I don't mind, it's effectively killed the second hand market for those games (which seems to be the intention here), but that game is mine. I can install it over and over. And if you're not letting me do that, I don't care. I won't pirate this game out of principal, I just won't buy it.

TearsandScreams

The only thin that securom accoplishes is making the pirate releases look SO MUCH BETER. Way to go EA.

Lider

@Hobie-wan: Exactly. SecuROM does not seem to work with my computer, which means that games with SecuROM are not compatible with my computer.

This isn't some slight annoyance, this is a BUG THAT BREAKS THE GAME for me. It's like EA is trying to sell me a "ceramic bowl" that's actually just a pile of ceramic shards. Useless.

erlik

How stupid can EA be?! SPORE CAME OUT 3-5 DAYS BEFORE RELEASE CRACKED.... Jeez. They're wasting so much money on just p**sing off legitimate consumers which loses them alot of sales, whilst pirates play trouble free before the intended release date.

CukyDoh

I can't even install Spore, my virus scanner says a "Malware.Invader" is infecting my PC. Now, my Windows installation is already fubar, but I simply refuse to deliberately allow another little sucker in there, be it from EA or not. So, no "Skip detection" for me, instead a "skip game and return it to the shop for a refund".

It really boggles the mind why exactly are EA & co still paying big bucks for these DRM's. Needless to say, the PIRATING is done online, and is stripped of DRM already. So why? You can't seriously be telling me that any substantial portion of lost sales comes from individual people making disc-to-disc copies or their original bought games?!

kryo

In Soviet Russia, DRM hates you!

--

NO SALE!!!

retronaut

"It's not their decision to implement SecuROM, it's EAs!"

So get a better publisher... Oh wait, thanks to monopolization there is no choice left. Great.

RA3's main component will be the ability to play online, right? So they got their copy protection right there. One key per user to use an essential online service that can't be "pirated". Why do they add SecuROM on top of it? To make show how stubborn they are? To be tough on pirates? The pirates are the ones laughing, cause they crack SecuROM 3 days before it's out. It's people who buy (-sorry- RENT!) the game for 50$ (or 50Euros=75$ in Europe) who are pissed.

Install limits suck.

GRRRRR

lumpi

@el_rezzo: "Why do they think this DRM is effective?"

Securom has a very convincing marketing team if you're weak-minded, not looking objectively, and are just listening for buzzwords. Unfortunately, a lot of non-technical people, such as those that manage EA, buy the marketing hook, line, and sinker because they're convinced that it'll raise profits, put a dent in "40,000,000+" pirated copies (Epic said this after being gullible enough to fall for a Securom presentation), and supposedly not have any impact on the product. Securom does not take NO for an answer. They're like your alumni association, but much MUCH worse.

BigDragon

*cancels RA3 preorder*

Rctdaemon

WTF. Thats retarded. I cant tell you how many times Ive installed Red alert 2 since 2000. Imagine if that had securom...

Fuck Sony for creating SecuROM and fuck EA for using it.

CCCombobreaker

God the bellyaching. A few points:

1) You do all realize you technically never owned any of your games. Period. Read your licensing agreements. You owned a license to said title which could be revoked at any time. It wasn't likely to happen, but that's the legal jargon scrawled on the wall.

2) Why not bitch about hardware DRM, IE the Consoles? I don't have a 360 any do to annoying deaths and now I have a huge pile of XBLA games I can't do JACK with. Unless XBLA comes to PC, I'm S.O.L.

3) Internet boycotting and ranting won't change a thing to EA. Seriously, shut the F up about it. If you want to solve the issue, send a hand written letter in or do something more productive, like actually playing Spore before "condemning" it to death...

Oh wait, it's the best selling Title in the UK, #1 on Amazon, and pretty sure flying off shelves like Hot cakes. 2000 angry whiners on Amazon = nothing in terms of the total revenue the game will bring. Sorry, the vocal minority won't be listened to when all they need to do is click the "delete post" button.

Internet = free speech? Yah, only as long as someone cares on the other end and just doesn't click the little X on the window.

Keep fighting, I'll keep playing Spore :)

Ken

And people wonder why so many gamers are saying that PC gaming is dying...

NoFunShogun

@Moonshadow101: Hahahaha my thoughts exactly.

Mister Adequate

As others have said, I'm of the opinion that Securom was meant to stop people who trade-in, and people who give/loan to friends. If they read online that people hate Securom, then they already know it's been pirated.

I almost wonder if gamers couldn't send a message to the publisher by torrenting the game, then sending cash directly to the developer along with the message that we torrented the game not to pirate, but to avoid the DRM. Done en masse, EA could see just how much money they lost, and the devs would still get their money.

I'm just musing though.

Tiber

The retail version of Left 4 Dead will probably have SecuROM as it is being published by EA, but the Steam version may very well not have it as it is being published by Valve.

We can all hope so anyway.

Sandvich

BurgerBat:

//I'd probably buy it again if I needed to when my installs are out.//

Actually, you don't have to buy the game again, you just need to call EA to reset the install limit, it's pretty much the same kind of thing that Microsoft uses for it's Office and Windows products.

That's one little but important detail that most of these folks whining leave out.

mikemil828