I will make the argument that the DRM used in Mirror's Edge (internet connection required to activate and installation of securom files) reduced the value of that game. I noticed it hit the $19.99 and below price point quick.
If I had to choose between the two I would have chosen the pirated version. It's a shame because the game is so darn high quality. DICE = A+++ developer. I did a clean install of Win 7 and I'm hesitant to install this game because I don't want securom on my system. If I wanted to play it really badly I would have no choice but to go the illegitimate route...
Mirror's Edge dropped in price quickly due to horrible sales, not DRM. The console versions were discounted heavily very quickly, too.
I will make the argument that the DRM used in Mirror's Edge (internet connection required to activate and installation of securom files) reduced the value of that game. I noticed it hit the $19.99 and below price point quick.
If I had to choose between the two I would have chosen the pirated version. It's a shame because the game is so darn high quality. DICE = A+++ developer. I did a clean install of Win 7 and I'm hesitant to install this game because I don't want securom on my system. If I wanted to play it really badly I would have no choice but to go the illegitimate route...
You have every choice, just buy the freaking game and download a crack it you don't like the DRM.
I've cracked a few games with mentalist DRM, but I haven't pirated any of them.
In no way do I advocate piracy, but lets be real here... if a developer is ignorning a big section of the community wouldn't the ultimate F.U. be to steal their game and play it anyway?
That seems much more insulting than not playing it.
I would never do this (and I can't really do it since I'll be playing MW2 on the Xbox 360 and I don't cotton to the idea of getting my account banned) and I doubt most of our readers would do it... but...
I'm with you. In principal, I'm against piracy because of the negatives. But in practice, I've had more than one occasion where I had to get a crack from the internet to make my legit copy of a game work.
I can't really be sympathetic for a company that shot itself in the foot. They know they are giving a big middle finger to PC gamers, and if that isn't asking someone to go pirate your game, I don't know what is.
Understand this, as long as there is a "will", there is a "will not"...
And when dealing with the public, on a massive scale, the "will not" surfaces pretty fast.
Example: We will screw you over in DRM and lack of features - We will not accept that...
~Shela Monster
__________________
"To do with proves competence, to do without proves capability." ~Shela Monster
Steam shelamonster
XBOX Live Shela Monster
PlaystationNetwork ShelaMonster
I'm with you. In principal, I'm against piracy because of the negatives. But in practice, I've had more than one occasion where I had to get a crack from the internet to make my legit copy of a game work.
I can't really be sympathetic for a company that shot itself in the foot. They know they are giving a big middle finger to PC gamers, and if that isn't asking someone to go pirate your game, I don't know what is.
Exactly. I mean if you buy a game and it doesn't work until you crack it with a Internet hack eventually you'll decide to just use cracked versions and stop paying for it.
I never pirate any games, I have dozens and dozens of legit PC, 360, PS3, Wii, etc games. After my experience with EA support these past two days and the fact that I still can't get Dragon Age: Origins working and them basically telling me I'm shit outta luck I wish I had pirated this game now instead of bought it. I'd have $70 still in my bank account and I'd be playing the game, right now I spent the $70 and still don't have the game and they honestly don't care.
__________________
Beer: The cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems.
Exactly. I mean if you buy a game and it doesn't work until you crack it with a Internet hack eventually you'll decide to just use cracked versions and stop paying for it.
This is what publishers don't understand. When I buy a game and it won't work unless I access the darker corners of the Internet to crack it (as I detailed in my previous post), I'm just a step away from saying to myself, "Screw it. I'll just grab the thing off the net instead."
Yes, it's rationalizing, but publishers shouldn't push gamers into having to search for cracks, keys, and the like. If you make my life so difficult I have to search for a few hours online to get your game, which I paid for, to work, I may just decide to leave YOU out as an annoying middle-man and just torrent the damn thing.
I will make the argument that the DRM used in Mirror's Edge (internet connection required to activate and installation of securom files) reduced the value of that game. I noticed it hit the $19.99 and below price point quick.
If I had to choose between the two I would have chosen the pirated version. It's a shame because the game is so darn high quality. DICE = A+++ developer. I did a clean install of Win 7 and I'm hesitant to install this game because I don't want securom on my system. If I wanted to play it really badly I would have no choice but to go the illegitimate route...
That game is garbage. You're better off not playing any version.
I got my Spellforce from GOG. I love GOG. They don't treat you like an infant. Games are not copy protected, but I have yet to see one on a torrent site.
Quoted for the god damn truth. I have only once come across a GOG version of a game on a torrent site, and it was on a very limited exclusive torrent network you cant be invited to. GOG is proof that if you treat the customer right, and get rid of DRM, your products will sell and the customers will respect you enough not to distribute the EXE to the net, no matter how easy it could be. GOG is also proof of how important it is to distribute a game EASILY to the customer, with no strings and no headaches. I love being able to swiftly install the game, AND NOTHING ELSE, on all my PCs, and never have to deal with any discs.
The short of it is this: A brand new game comes out. I can either pay $50 for some DRM laden faggotry that has a high chance of having a conflict with my machine, forcing me to dig around on some support forum with no guarantee of finding any help, OR, I can just torrent the game, and it'll work perfectly, and I saved $50.
Developers need to wake up and realize that the only way to combat piracy is to make your product worth buying.
We need to start releasing clones of great games as Open Source products. I know there's one or two open source shooters out there, but they aren't much. What I'd like to see is some extremely popular but old game released as open source once its marketability is gone.
Also..not sure why people bother arguing with teecakes... I sincerely believe now that he is a bot built by Sony and unleashed on small community sites.
... OR, I can just torrent the game, and it'll work perfectly, and I saved $50.
- You also open yourself to rootkits and the like by doing that. Such a strategy is guaranteed to cost you more than $50 in the long run. I refuse to pirate games because it's just not worth it to me for this reason. I can't say I've had any recent games simply refuse to work for me, so perhaps I simply cannot relate to some of the frustrations being echoed here. The games I did have problems with, I spent maybe an hour dipping into the support forums and finding work-arounds and info and then it worked fine. If you have the technical ability to torrent and install a game like that, you have the capability to implement work-arounds same as me.
Also..not sure why people bother arguing with teecakes... I sincerely believe now that he is a bot built by Sony and unleashed on small community sites.
I bet MS wishes they'd thought of using Blu-ray copy protection for their console games like Sony did right about now
Are you suggesting it's being pirated on the 360? Is that even possible, I've not heard anything about pirating on the 360. And, if I recall correctly, Bluray copy protection's already been broken. Only thing preventing it from being copied is Bluray burners don't really exist yet in marketable fashion. Was it still worth it for Sony to put in Bluray if it meant they released a year later and lost to 360 in installed base for the entire console generation ;P I think not. In fact, most reasonable people would probably agree that had Sony launched a year earlier and the resulting $100 cheaper not putting Bluray in would garner them, they'd be in a healthy 2nd place right now, and might've even had a shot at dominance.
Also..not sure why people bother arguing with teecakes... I sincerely believe now that he is a bot built by Sony and unleashed on small community sites.
The short of it is this: A brand new game comes out. I can either pay $50 for some DRM laden faggotry that has a high chance of having a conflict with my machine, forcing me to dig around on some support forum with no guarantee of finding any help, OR, I can just torrent the game, and it'll work perfectly, and I saved $50.
Developers need to wake up and realize that the only way to combat piracy is to make your product worth buying.
Sadly, you're right. It really pisses me off when the product I purchased doesn't work and I have to actually crack it to get it to work.
