Spore

[Helme]

As I said, it only annoys real customers really.

[Overdriven]

GIFV review on this game. I want to know if it's worth playing (I like some sandbox games)

[Rulke]

Got a warning from EA for making my towns entertainment building look like some boobs

[Kaleii]

Originally Posted by Rulke

Got a warning from EA for making my towns entertainment building look like some boobs

Wonder what happens to the abundance of penis creatures people made then

[Helme]

Originally Posted by Overdriven

GIFV review on this game. I want to know if it's worth playing (I like some sandbox games)

Spore for PC Review - PC Spore Review

[taB]

Got to the end of the creature stage so far, will try the tribal stuff tonight.

The only thing I can really say is that it's ok Fun but not for too long. It'll keep me amused I reckon so long as there's lots to do in the later stages. It didn't seem to take very long to collect all the body bits.

[Furr]

The games is being flash mobbed on Amazon with 1 star reviews because of its DRM protection....

Amazon.com: Spore: Windows: Video Games
Amazon.com: Spore: Windows: Video Games

599x1 stars v 20x5 star reviews at the moment

[nath]

Raaahh. Fight the powah!

[Wij]

Wow - that's gotta hurt sales. People power

[Raven]

Opps they did it again. badly thought out DRM measures.

One to torrent for me I think.

[Helme]

I really liked the Mass Effect copy protection, you had 3 installs active in total - you verified your installs at installation and after it was done, you could play the game without a CD. If you needed to format your PC or whatever you just deactivated 1 of your 3 copies and you got it back. This is imo how copy protection should work, but sadly it seems easier to just buy the run of the mill fucking it up for customers versions and then blaming poor sales on piracy.

Hell, I always crack my games because having to use a CD when all the game files are on the HDD is just plain stupid.

[nath]

I completely disagree Helme. What happens if the activation servers get taken down at some point? What happens if you forget to deactivate? What happens if you don't have a net connection handy.

Fuck all of it, especially since Mass Effect was a single player game, it struck me as absurd to make paying customers jump through hoops. Why should someone pirating the game have an easier time playing the game than someone who actually paid for it.

[taB]

Originally Posted by nath

Why should someone pirating the game have an easier time playing the game than someone who actually paid for it.

On a different but mildly related note. I am getting so pissed off with DVDs these days. Every single one starts with a little story about how if you copy a DVD you also rape giraffes and commit genocide. FFS noone who pirates a film will see this. Why should I pay and have minutes of my life wasted.

Buy our stuff and be an inferior citizen...why thank you I'll bend over now shall I.

[DaGaffer]

Originally Posted by nath

I completely disagree Helme. What happens if the activation servers get taken down at some point? What happens if you forget to deactivate? What happens if you don't have a net connection handy.

Fuck all of it, especially since Mass Effect was a single player game, it struck me as absurd to make paying customers jump through hoops. Why should someone pirating the game have an easier time playing the game than someone who actually paid for it.

I agree with the sentiment (bad DRM has sent me scurrying for noCD keys for games I owned in the past, I'm looking at you UT2K3), but in this case the game is really all about the online. Yes you can play offline, but without accessing Sporepedia its only half a game anyway.

I also think that this approach is an inevitable outcome of the taking the piss levels of PC game piracy out there. Over the five years I was at GAME it went from an irritant to a bad joke; the returns rate was astronomical because almost everyone abused the returns process; it was why they stopped 10 day returns on PC games; but everyone simply took their business online and abuse the Distance Selling Regs instead (or go straight to torrents). And I know all the usual suspects will come scurrying out of their holes with the inevitable "I copy games but if I like them I buy them" line, but the numbers don't agree. If someone can come up with a non-DRM model that doesn't involve freetards ass-raping their business, I'm sure the PC game publishers will be delighted to hear from you.

[Raven]

Its not quite as bad as they will have us believe. I was reading that the devs at Crytek said for every 1 game bought 20 were copied. That would mean something like 60 million people playing it.....

Personally I have changed my opinion on PC games, I have not had a pirate copy of a game since HL2 (which I have since bought on steam) I think we should buy decent games on PC so that they make more, still don't give a shit about drivel and the lazy software houses though. I do have a problem with blanket punishment for gamers and this sort of stunt encourages piracy which can only be bad for the industry. I mean come on, 3 installs? That's 1 PC crash and a PC upgrade and you will be on your last install and have to buy it again if something goes wrong. As said above, where is the guarantee that the validation server will still be online in 2, 3, 4 years? IT will not stop the game being pirated, all it will do is force more people into getting their games from torrents

The future of the PC games industry lies in steam and similar programs, the piracy for games on steam is tiny. maybe EA should pull its head out of its arse and either compete with steam properly or come to some sort of arrangement with them. Its easy to whine about piracy to justify punishing real customers but it seems its a bit to tough to deal with the problem.