All Ubisoft games getting new DRM

[TheCorpulent1]

I haven't seen any discussion of this, but if there's already a thread, let me know and I'll close or merge this one.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=235596&site=pcg

Basically, Ubisoft's going to require you to be online to play any PC versions of their games, ever. Not really a big deal for me, since I have a cable modem/ethernet connection that's always on and has never cut out so far, but in principle I can see a lot of problems with this. The Ubisoft spokesman at least seemed to give an almost-confirmation that they'll patch the DRM out of the games if they ever decide to completely shut down their servers, though.

 

[Coca Cola Duracell Franklin.]

Ubisoft really hates PC gamers.

 

[Addendum]

Hey, a reason for me to NOT play PC games that doesn't involve MMORPGs.

Thanks Ubisoft

 

[Asteroid-Man]

There goes PC Gaming Piracy of Ubisoft games...NOT!

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Ubisoft really hates PC gamers.

"But the pirates! THE PIRATES!!!!11"

It's annoying in principle, but as long as the games are available through Steam and the DRM doesn't do funky things to my computer, I don't really care. I've always got an active internet connection anyway.

 

[Upset Spideyfan]

I've always got an active internet connection anyway.

Because you're pirating so many games.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

S'what I do.

But seriously, did everyone hear about the problems with the PC version of Assassin's Creed 2? First game to implement the new DRM and, of course, the authentication server went down, rendering the game unplayable to plenty of paying customers. And the whole world was shocked, I'm sure.

http://www.joystiq.com/2010/03/07/ubisoft-drm-authentification-server-is-down-assassins-creed-2/

What is kind of interesting, though, is that the servers apparently went down due to an attack by hackers.

http://www.gamepro.com/article/news/214315/sunday-drm-issues-plague-ubisoft/

 

[Upset Spideyfan]

LOLZORS.

Methinks Ubisoft will be hiring Bounty Hunters to deal with these hackers. Won't be pretty.

 

[Grommers]

To be honest, piracy is getting worse and worse. I can understand the need to be able to be online to play. However, I feel sorry for those that have to pay per gigabyte etc downloaded.

I have a friend in South Africa who like gets 4 gigs a month..(next to nothing really), and pays almost 50$ a month for it, and every gig he goes over is almost an extra 20$.

Maybe they'll do something different in those countries, as I'm sure the piracy is no where as bad as the Can/USA.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Piracy is getting worse, but the invasive, obnoxious DRM publishers keep coming up with tends to 1) not stop piracy for more than the short time it takes pirates to figure out how to crack it, and 2) piss off the people who've bought the game legally and gotten f***ed over by the DRM's spyware or connection requirement or whatever. Part of the reason people keep moving to consoles is convenience--you pop a disc in and the console does everything for you until it's time to hit Start and play. Some of these DRM methods are about the least convenient things you could ever do. They should be looking into things like Steam more than anything else. I was drifting toward consoles a lot more myself until Steam came around; now I buy way more on Steam than I do for my consoles.

 

[Havok83]

Its a double edge sword bc the more companies do this, the more likely someone will pirate. Why pay for the game with all this DRM hassle and restrictions when I can get it for free and avoid the trouble? Either way it sucks for developers and consumers

 

[Alistair]

TheCorpulent,

I agree with you on that, DRM sucks period. I don't mind Steams version of DRM, for I own the game, it's there when I need it, and I can go into offline mode. Too me, that's all I need and I don't mind if I needs to connect 1 week for updates. My wife and I use the same account, and she just plays offline (She likes Plants vs Zombies and such) so it's perfect.

I wish rest of the companies would jump on the ball, but the only thing that does made me kinda irked, I have to download all these different programs, say Impulse, and what not to act like steam. =( But it's still better than Starforce...Oh, man. No comment.

-Ali

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Yeah, it would be great if Steam could be adopted as a centralized direct download/DRM service, but a lot of the publishers are obviously going to want their own proprietary client programs so they don't have to split their profits with Valve. And even if they do sell the games themselves through Steam, they usually attach other stuff to them that you need to go through to get DLC or to even play the game at all. It's already pretty annoying to have to go to EA's website to download DLC for Mass Effect, which I bought on Steam, or to have Windows Live and Steam running simultaneously just so I can play Fallout 3.

You're right, though, it definitely still beats the alternative.

 

[The ?ion]

The problem with Steam is that Microsoft threw a monkey wrench into everything by spearheading their Games for Windows Live business model. Sadly, a lot of companies fell for that steaming pile, and consumers continue to suffer. Even some games bought on Steam, still require Games for Windows Live. As usual, the PC's greatest strenght, is also its greatest weakness; PC gaming is far too decentralized.

It is bad enough that people have no clue about hardware specs, now DRM is compounding everything. I already wrote Ubisoft off of my list for any future games, simply because i don't want to be bothered with more DRM. I already had save related issues simply because Games for Windows Live requires you to save three separate files from three separate locations, just to transfer a save to a new OS or system.

Honestly, the only thing that keeps me gaming on my PC, is the fact that the Xbox 360 is such an unreliable platform. The PS3 isn't bad, but I could care less for its exclusives. PC gaming has the same games as the Xbox 360, but I don't know. It is truly a rock and the hard place. You either get DRM that rapes you or you risk the Red Ring of Death. Funny how legitimate consumers are the ones who suffer. But now, it is a publishers turn. I won't be buying anymore Ubisoft games for my PC.

 

[Coca Cola Duracell Franklin.]

now I buy way more on Steam than I do for my consoles.

Let's face it, that's because of the irresistible weekend deals.

 

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

Let's face it, that's because of the irresistible weekend deals.

Even if it didn't have weekend deals pc games are generally multiplat or not, £10-15 cheaper. For the United Kingdom outside of the steams deals or even with them some of the steam prices are actually really bad, The Dawn of War II expansion costs £29.99. I can easily order it off amazon or gameplay.co.uk for £19.99 with free delivery. This is the case with a lot of games the publishers set the prices. Sometimes, like yesterday with Dragon Age, when they advertise it as 33% off (£26.99), it still cost more than uncut prices from other popular retail webites (£19.99/£15.99).

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Let's face it, that's because of the irresistible weekend deals.

I just bought both Deus Ex games at full price (which, granted, was only $10 each on Steam) this week. The weekend deals are great and all, but the convenience is what really sells Steam for me.

 

[The ?ion]

Even if it didn't have weekend deals pc games are generally multiplat or not, £10-15 cheaper. For the United Kingdom outside of the steams deals or even with them some of the steam prices are actually really bad, The Dawn of War II expansion costs £29.99. I can easily order it off amazon or gameplay.co.uk for £19.99 with free delivery. This is the case with a lot of games the publishers set the prices. Sometimes, like yesterday with Dragon Age, when they advertise it as 33% off (£26.99), it still cost more than uncut prices from other popular retail webites (£19.99/£15.99).

That is a problem that unfortunately, only affects people in Europe and Britain. Steam still has flat pricing. For instance, 19.99, will be the amount charged, regardless of the currency and exchange rates. Until they work out localized pricing, Steam will seem like a dubious choice at best, outside of the U.S.. Here in the States though, Steam offers a lot of convenience. Many times, you pay the same price for a Steam game as you do for the retail copy, but you get the benefits of the Steam Messenger, game list organizer and the fact that you can pre-order games and have them install to your hard drive before the release date (meaning you can play them instantly on launch day without having to wait for downloading or installing). It is disappointing that poor pricing strategies prevent our European counterparts from sharing in our experience with Steam.

 

[The ?ion]

I just bought both Deus Ex games at full price (which, granted, was only $10 each on Steam) this week. The weekend deals are great and all, but the convenience is what really sells Steam for me.

You must be a devoted fan. I can't get past the horribly dated graphics for Deus Ex. It looks so much like a Nintendo 64 game. I sometimes can't believe that Deus Ex was the pinnacle of graphical achievement back in the year 2000. I do make exceptions though. Max Payne seems tolerable, despite the blocky models for the heads.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

I've actually never played the first two Deus Ex games, actually. I bought them because the trailer for Deus Ex: Human Revolution looked cool and I figured I should play the previous games before it comes out. I'm not looking forward to the graphics, but there are some HD texture mods to improve them a bit if it really bugs me.

I played both Max Payne games (on Steam ) again a few months ago and they do hold up surprisingly well. The first game doesn't look great by any means, but the action is so fast-paced and the story is so good that I can overlook the crappy graphics. MP 2 actually doesn't look half-bad. Throw in some current-gen lighting effects and it'd probably look pretty good.

 

[The ?ion]

Max Payne did not age so well. The backgrounds look fine, but the character models really remind you of how dated the game is. Max Payne 2 on the other hand, can stand up to some to many of today's video games. It may not compare to Unreal Engine 3, but it certainly looks as clean as a modern Source Engine game.

^ That is a testament of true artistic skill in game design. As for Deus Ex. Don't let me scare you about the graphics. It does look obviously dated, but it isn't exactly ugly.

It just doesn't seem like the kind of visuals you would expect for a game released in the year 2000. I thought I remembered that being a better year for video games.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Eh, I've replayed Half-Life a couple times. I'm sure I can deal with Deus Ex's graphics.

 

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

http://kotaku.com/5502062/ubi-apologizes-for-asaassins-creed-2-pc-downtime-with-free-games

You get a free mediocre game if you got it in the anus.

 

[Fading]

A lot of good responses in this.

The only thing that really comes to mind tho overall is how DRM punishes the wrong person. In order to block pirates, they penalize the person who actually buys the title. If I shell out $40-60 for your finished product, I want ownership of that copy, the ability to play it when I want, where I want, and for however long I want. The thought of a developer telling me I can't play a single player game I bought from them offline, or that if I download said title 5 times I no longer own it...**** you.

It doesn't stop pirates, and probably never will. As long as there are cheap ass gamers with enough computer knowledge you'll see pirating. Plus, not everyone has online capabilities. Why should John who lives in the middle of nowhere, outside of the reach of DSL or Cable be unable to play Assasin's Creed 2 which has no multiplayer components.

All of the above is one of the major reasons I'm not all in on digital distribution. I like having a physical copy. I like knowing if my harddrive crashes that I still own that game I bought rather than being told that I can't download my purchase again. Even with my MP3's, I typically have them backed up on multiple harddrives so I always have a backup (like most of my songs are on my comp, PS3, and PSP).

 

[The ?ion]

Yeah. It is a real pain. I bought Mirror's Edge for my PC, without realizing that to install and uninstall the game, you must be online. That is, you can install and uninstall it without being online, but certain aspects will not work. For instance, an offline install is not playable until you log online at least once. If you uninstall offline, you lose an installation from your overall install list. It is so cumbersome that I just removed the game from my HDD.

Games For Windows Live is almost that cumbersome, but at least it allows you to make offline gamertags. So you are never truly that bound to going online unless you are trying to get new content. With that said, I probably won't be PC gaming for much longer. The last new games I bought were Resident Evil 5, Street Fighter IV and Batman Arkham Asylum. If this whole DRM issue isn't sorted, I may just go console only.

Steam almost seems like a solution to all of these problems, but even with Steam, I feel more like I am paying a flat rate for a long term subscription, rather than actually buying a game (since all games bought through Steam are attached to the Steam client). If PC gaming wasn't dying before, it sure is dying now.