My internet connect drops at least once per hour, sometimes multiple times per hour. Playing this game for me would be like trying to watch porn on the internet in 1993.
I would have zero problem with this DRM method if broadband internet was a staple common household thing like electricity.
I have 100% problem with this because six months out of the year I'm without (personal) interwebs.
(Well, if I was on a ship I would be. I'm on shore duty right meow.)
... you enlisted anyway, you'd be a special case no matter what. :P
But anyway, it internet connectivity was widespread and available anywhere, this wouldn't be a problem because you'd be connected to the internet anyhow (which is the point I was getting at with my post).
Who's connection is honestly that solid that it remains up and running at all times? My router just messed up the other night and now won't hold a wireless connection, I'm getting a new one soon. So in this instance I wouldn't be able to play AC2 on my pc.
In one of the reviews someone mentioned that Ubisoft's servers dropped when they were playing the game, they got booted out. Now imagine 10,000 people are playing the game at that point, 10,000 people get booted out at the same time!
It's not just access to the internet, it's reliable, solid, no glitches connection to the internet that's required. And then you have to hope the ubisoft servers are having a good day.
It's madness. Madness I tell you!
Then of course less than two years down the line *Sppt*, the servers are switched off. What, you expect us to maintain this crap at our own cost when nobody's playing?
I'd be extremely surprised if Ubisoft released a patch for AC2 to allow it to play offline. Why take the extra time and resources for that?
Then again, I suppose they could always release a scene "patch" like they did before.
My internet connect drops at least once per hour, sometimes multiple times per hour. Playing this game for me would be like trying to watch porn on the internet in 1993.
Real didn't exist until 1995, but I couldn't resist that.
GrimReaper on
PSN | Steam
---
I've got a spare copy of Portal, if anyone wants it message me.
My internet connect drops at least once per hour, sometimes multiple times per hour. Playing this game for me would be like trying to watch porn on the internet in 1993.
I would have zero problem with this DRM method if broadband internet was a staple common household thing like electricity.
I have 100% problem with this because six months out of the year I'm without (personal) interwebs.
(Well, if I was on a ship I would be. I'm on shore duty right meow.)
... you enlisted anyway, you'd be a special case no matter what. :P
But anyway, it internet connectivity was widespread and available anywhere, this wouldn't be a problem because you'd be connected to the internet anyhow (which is the point I was getting at with my post).
Who's connection is honestly that solid that it remains up and running at all times? My router just messed up the other night and now won't hold a wireless connection, I'm getting a new one soon. So in this instance I wouldn't be able to play AC2 on my pc.
In one of the reviews someone mentioned that Ubisoft's servers dropped when they were playing the game, they got booted out. Now imagine 10,000 people are playing the game at that point, 10,000 people get booted out at the same time!
It's not just access to the internet, it's reliable, solid, no glitches connection to the internet that's required. And then you have to hope the ubisoft servers are having a good day.
It's madness. Madness I tell you!
I imagine in a world where internet was widely available, the spurts of on and off connection would be a rarity as well.
Again, I'm proposing a scenario that probably isn't going to happen for a long long time in which I'd be okay with it.
Speaking of the now, what we have these days, this is fucking god awful.
I would just like to point out that this type of DRM is not new at all. Way back in 2000 I bought Phantasy Star Universe for my PC. It also required internet connection for offline play, something I didn't know at the time. Since my internet was patchy at that time, the result was that I've to this day only played the first half hour of that game, after repeated drops I got sick of it and stopped trying.
http://phantasystaruniverse.com/game_intro.php
The PC version of Phantasy Star Universe uses a cheat protection program called "nProtect" which protects against any program changes and attacks from computer hackers. This system needs to check through the internet each time a user wants to play the game in order to make sure it has the most up to date information, therefore the PC version of Phantasy Star Universe needs to be played whilst connected online.
Please note, no internet connection is required to play the single player version of the Xbox 360® or PlayStation®2 version.
I'm not defending this move, I'm just saying they aren't the first ones to do it.
Elin on
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HenroidMexican kicked from Immigration ThreadCentrism is Racism :3Registered Userregular
edited February 2010
Don't you mean Phantasy Star Online for 2000?
And it was an online based game, even if it provided a singleplayer mode. It at least made sense to have an internet connection available. Phantasy Star Universe came out after, and I have it on PC as well. Yes it has the nProtect thing. No, this DRM isn't new. The absurdity is the requirement of a constant online connection for a singleplayer game. If it was a verification via the internet, like when you first install Windows, this wouldn't be anywhere near as bad.
A friend brought up Spore to me when I discussed this with her this morning, and even though it wanted you to sign online, it had a purpose. That game was built for user-generated content. The online connection served a purpose besides making sure you weren't a dirty, dirty pirate.
That theory doesn't seem to explain what use the "always online in singleplayer" method could be, however.
<paranoia> It gives them your IP address, which they can compare to the addresses of pirates who didn't stop seeding before playing the game, and since it's a continuous connection rather than a one-off thing they can make sure it's the same person. </paranoia>
maybecca on
0
HenroidMexican kicked from Immigration ThreadCentrism is Racism :3Registered Userregular
Which is why they need a continuous connection, so they can make sure the same IP is seeding and playing at the same time and hasn't been reallocated.
I'm really stretching to figure out a halfway-plausible reason for this scheme, mind. It's either that, or they're trying to steal ideas from supervillains.
maybecca on
0
HenroidMexican kicked from Immigration ThreadCentrism is Racism :3Registered Userregular
edited February 2010
Well, this is Ubisoft - France based, they likely embrace the laws regarding internet censorship. I'm sure the laws grant the empowerment to software developers to implement what they want to "stop" piracy.
With the way DRM is going, I'm imagining a future not far from Jipi and the Paranoid Chip, but with the chips being used for anti-piracy rather than anti-car theft.
oh my god. I want this. DRM that involves a half-hour logic argument with a paranoid-schizophrenic system determined that you haven't actually bought the game? It'd be better than the game itself.
Ubisoft would have a much higher rate of success if they would just give gamers reasons TO buy a game instead of constantly pushing reasons NOT to buy on us.
Anyone else find the games industry a bit full of itself? Every other industry whether it's books, cars, computer hardware etc. There is zero problem with a used market, but the software market has this really self-entitled opinion about used games that somehow they're being ripped off. To me it shows the level of their immaturity.
It's so petty, if someone wants to sell their property that's up to them.
That's the battle that publishers have been fighting against public libraries for years. Technically speaking, when you buy a book, you're buying a license to the author's intellectual property. Though, yes, you own the paper, and ink and binding that make up the book, you don't really own the book itself. The only reason why book publishers don't fight as hard as software publishers is because it is so much harder to keep track of physical books once they leave the warehouse.
Of course, this brings us to the Kindle and all the BS associated with electronic books. Like when Amazon "recalled" two George Orwell books that the customers thought they bought fairly.
DisruptedCapitalist on
"Simple, real stupidity beats artificial intelligence every time." -Mustrum Ridcully in Terry Pratchett's Hogfather p. 142 (HarperPrism 1996)
Anyone else find the games industry a bit full of itself? Every other industry whether it's books, cars, computer hardware etc. There is zero problem with a used market, but the software market has this really self-entitled opinion about used games that somehow they're being ripped off. To me it shows the level of their immaturity.
It's so petty, if someone wants to sell their property that's up to them.
That's the battle that publishers have been fighting against public libraries for years. Technically speaking, when you buy a book, you're buying a license to the author's intellectual property. Though, yes, you own the paper, and ink and binding that make up the book, you don't really own the book itself. The only reason why book publishers don't fight as hard as software publishers is because it is so much harder to keep track of physical books once they leave the warehouse.
Of course, this brings us to the Kindle and all the BS associated with electronic books. Like when Amazon "recalled" two George Orwell books that the customers thought they bought fairly.
This is what publishers of all types of media want us to get used to. It always amazes me when they don't understand why 99% of consumers laugh in their faces and tell them to get fucked afterwards.
JihadJesus on
0
Ninja Snarl PMy helmet is my burden.Ninja Snarl: Gone, but not forgotten.Registered Userregular
edited February 2010
I sympathize with game publishers about the used market thing, though. But the issue isn't the used games which get sold 5 years after release for ten bucks. The issue is that Gamestop has set up it's entire profit engine around buying back used games for dirt, then turning around and selling the exact same game for less than 10% off the original price. People then come in and, instead of buying a new game which the publisher profits from, buy a used game for slightly less but Gamestop keeps all the profit.
If the publishers had a half a brain, they would all tell Gamestop to screw itself until it stops being a parasite. As it is, Gamestop has a bunch of clout in threatening individual publishers because Gamestop is everywhere. And before people say that publishers should drop their prices, all it will mean is that Gamestop will keep up the same process. Since Gamestop keeps all the used sale profits, Gamestop could drop the prices for a lot longer than the publishers before the tactic starts losing them money.
That being said, new and ever more intrusive DRM is just going to keep shrinking the PC games market. People will still pirate the game within hours of release (if not before release) and only people who actually buy the game will be inconvenienced. And yes, it really is a mystery how publishers can still not see this. They'll either put themselves out of business or just end up removing the DRM anyway so people will actually buy the game.
This doesn't affect me negatively in any meaningful way, since I have a cable connection and I already deal with this sort of thing on Steam. Even if I have to deal with an hour or two of activation bullshit, AC2 sounds more than enjoyable enough to be worth it.
Clearly, Ubi is trying to get the same success as the MMO market with their single player games. MMOs maintain a very low piracy rate in the PC market, entirely because of their constant client/server connection. The barrier of entry for pirating an MMO is a lot higher, and it shows in the sales numbers. A lot of WoW's success is because pirating WoW gives you a lower-quality experience than paying for it, and I can't really blame Ubi for wanting to get in on that. If anything, I'm surprised its taken them so long.
Hope it works out for them and they're able to keep on making great games.
This doesn't affect me negatively in any meaningful way, since I have a cable connection and I already deal with this sort of thing on Steam. Even if I have to deal with an hour or two of activation bullshit, AC2 sounds more than enjoyable enough to be worth it.
Clearly, Ubi is trying to get the same success as the MMO market with their single player games. MMOs maintain a very low piracy rate in the PC market, entirely because of their constant client/server connection. The barrier of entry for pirating an MMO is a lot higher, and it shows in the sales numbers. A lot of WoW's success is because pirating WoW gives you a lower-quality experience than paying for it, and I can't really blame Ubi for wanting to get in on that. If anything, I'm surprised its taken them so long.
Hope it works out for them and they're able to keep on making great games.
Two things: On Steam, if your connection drops, you aren't kicked out of your game and lose all progress since you last saved. Same with WoW
Secondly, With Steam there is an offline mode, something that does not exist here
Third, this is a horrible, horrible idea.
And fourth: An MMO is a completely different beast from a single-player game. There is little pirating in an MMO not because of the constant connection, but because of the other people. Nobody wants to play an MMO by themselves.
And fourth: An MMO is a completely different beast from a single-player game. There is little pirating in an MMO not because of the constant connection, but because of the other people. Nobody wants to play an MMO by themselves.
Well, the problem is that people do want to play MMOs by themselves. There are many instances where illegal servers are created for people who don't want to use Blizzards servers. There's even been a few lawsuits over that kind of behavior. It seems bizarre to me that anyone would want to do this, but fact remains that it does happen.
DisruptedCapitalist on
"Simple, real stupidity beats artificial intelligence every time." -Mustrum Ridcully in Terry Pratchett's Hogfather p. 142 (HarperPrism 1996)
And fourth: An MMO is a completely different beast from a single-player game. There is little pirating in an MMO not because of the constant connection, but because of the other people. Nobody wants to play an MMO by themselves.
Well, the problem is that people do want to play MMOs by themselves. There are many instances where illegal servers are created for people who don't want to use Blizzards servers. There's even been a few lawsuits over that kind of behavior. It seems bizarre to me that anyone would want to do this, but fact remains that it does happen.
Ninja Snarl PMy helmet is my burden.Ninja Snarl: Gone, but not forgotten.Registered Userregular
edited February 2010
Yeah, but the problem with trying to take advantage of the low piracy rates of MMO games in a non-MMO game is that a broadband connection isn't a requisite part of a single-player game. There are laptops, outages, etc, which interfere.
I understand a publishers wanting to keep their product from being copied and redistributed, but not at the expense of making it miserable at any time for me after purchasing their product. Intrusive DRM is simply not going to prevent pirating in any meaningful way and will actively encourage it from people who would otherwise rather pay for the game. Not to mention that no consumer wants a private company to be able to constantly monitor a personal system just because they bought a game.
This scheme is just a really bad idea in every way possible. It won't prevent piracy, it won't make the game better, it won't protect profits, developing it takes resources the company could use to develop other product, it will actively create hostility towards Ubisoft, and on and on and on. Decisions like this sink companies when they're part of an ongoing theme, which they definitely are with Ubisoft.
Well, I'm sorry if not having an offline mode keeps you from enjoying AC2. I've used the offline mode a couple times on Steam myself, but I can't see missing it that much.
I'd often use WoW as a single-player experience, just running around questing and having fun. I don't remember having a problem with permanent connections there, so I don't see why I'd have a problem with it in AC2. If it turns out that Ubi's servers are awful, I can see it becoming an issue, but I don't see why that would be the case.
Again, I just hope it works out for them. If it doesn't, I'm sure they'll try something else, and I can think of several more irritating DRM methods. I'd much rather have the game check my internet connection than force me to dig up a CD, or have to deal with silly install limits.
Squidget0 on
0
TrippyJingMoses supposes his toeses are roses.But Moses supposes erroneously.Registered Userregular
edited February 2010
Not everyone has permanent connections, Squid. It is conceivable as all hell that my FIOS connection will drop for a second, in which case I would lose all my progress if I was playing a game involving such DRM.
Anyone else find the games industry a bit full of itself? Every other industry whether it's books, cars, computer hardware etc. There is zero problem with a used market, but the software market has this really self-entitled opinion about used games that somehow they're being ripped off. To me it shows the level of their immaturity.
It's so petty, if someone wants to sell their property that's up to them.
That's the battle that publishers have been fighting against public libraries for years. Technically speaking, when you buy a book, you're buying a license to the author's intellectual property. Though, yes, you own the paper, and ink and binding that make up the book, you don't really own the book itself. The only reason why book publishers don't fight as hard as software publishers is because it is so much harder to keep track of physical books once they leave the warehouse.
Of course, this brings us to the Kindle and all the BS associated with electronic books. Like when Amazon "recalled" two George Orwell books that the customers thought they bought fairly.
This is entirely bullshit, and you need to learn about the First Sale doctrine.
I guess what's so annoying about it is not just that it makes legit users have to work harder but because it is so useless. So far no DRM has been successful at keeping pirating down.
So they make us suffer in exchange for getting no benefit to their bottom-line.
DisruptedCapitalist on
"Simple, real stupidity beats artificial intelligence every time." -Mustrum Ridcully in Terry Pratchett's Hogfather p. 142 (HarperPrism 1996)
Well, I'm sorry if not having an offline mode keeps you from enjoying AC2. I've used the offline mode a couple times on Steam myself, but I can't see missing it that much.
I'd often use WoW as a single-player experience, just running around questing and having fun. I don't remember having a problem with permanent connections there, so I don't see why I'd have a problem with it in AC2. If it turns out that Ubi's servers are awful, I can see it becoming an issue, but I don't see why that would be the case.
Again, I just hope it works out for them. If it doesn't, I'm sure they'll try something else, and I can think of several more irritating DRM methods. I'd much rather have the game check my internet connection than force me to dig up a CD, or have to deal with silly install limits.
Okay, here's the thing: It doesn't just depend on Ubisoft's servers.
Your router drops suddenly? You lost your game.
Cat accidentally knocks over the modem and it unplugs? Lost your game.
ISP having some issues? Lost your game.
Windows decides now is the right time to run updates and one of those updates is for your network card? Lost your game.
Wife goes to turn off the light switch and accidentally hits the wrong switch, which turns off the outlet the router is plugged into? Lost your game.
Sorry, but sudden and unexpected network drops happen fairly often. And then because of something I can't really control happens, it causes me to lose my game that I hadn't saved in two hours because I wasn't thinking and was too engrossed in the game? No, that's shit. It's shit from a butt. And really, I don't know what kind of DRM you can dream up that's worse than that, but I can't think of any.
I mean, unless it involves them shipping a knife with the game an requiring a drop of my own blood to boot up the game.
Anyone else find the games industry a bit full of itself? Every other industry whether it's books, cars, computer hardware etc. There is zero problem with a used market, but the software market has this really self-entitled opinion about used games that somehow they're being ripped off. To me it shows the level of their immaturity.
It's so petty, if someone wants to sell their property that's up to them.
That's the battle that publishers have been fighting against public libraries for years. Technically speaking, when you buy a book, you're buying a license to the author's intellectual property. Though, yes, you own the paper, and ink and binding that make up the book, you don't really own the book itself. The only reason why book publishers don't fight as hard as software publishers is because it is so much harder to keep track of physical books once they leave the warehouse.
Of course, this brings us to the Kindle and all the BS associated with electronic books. Like when Amazon "recalled" two George Orwell books that the customers thought they bought fairly.
This is entirely bullshit, and you need to learn about the First Sale doctrine.
Oh really, are you saying that Amazon had no right to take those books back? So far no one has bothered to bring a lawsuit alleging that yet.
EDIT 2: Green text the part where the First Sale doctrine applies. The fact remains that even though I bought Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows for 15 USD doesn't mean I have rights to J.K. Rowling's multi-million IP.
DisruptedCapitalist on
"Simple, real stupidity beats artificial intelligence every time." -Mustrum Ridcully in Terry Pratchett's Hogfather p. 142 (HarperPrism 1996)
Not everyone has permanent connections, Squid. It is conceivable as all hell that my FIOS connection will drop for a second, in which case I would lose all my progress if I was playing a game involving such DRM.
I do understand that, and this definitely sucks for those without good broadband. Hopefully Ubi will come out with some kind of solution - server autosaves, maybe? I can't blame you at all for not buying the game under your circumstances.
It just feels like a lot of people here would bash on any DRM, no matter what it was. I've had enough experience having my products stolen to know how much it sucks, so I can't blame Ubi for trying to find some kind of solution. It's not like no DRM scheme has ever been effective - Bioshock went uncracked for 13 days, and MMO piracy rates remain pretty low even among people who aren't looking to group.
I mean, many of the connection-loss scenarios people are talking about apply just as much to power loss. If my power blinks in a storm or a cable gets unplugged I'm going to lose my save games, and power outages aren't any less common than network outages for me. It just doesn't seem like this DRM is going to cause me any problems that I don't already experience.
Not everyone has permanent connections, Squid. It is conceivable as all hell that my FIOS connection will drop for a second, in which case I would lose all my progress if I was playing a game involving such DRM.
I do understand that, and this definitely sucks for those without good broadband. Hopefully Ubi will come out with some kind of solution - server autosaves, maybe? I can't blame you at all for not buying the game under your circumstances.
It just feels like a lot of people here would bash on any DRM, no matter what it was. I've had enough experience having my products stolen to know how much it sucks, so I can't blame Ubi for trying to find some kind of solution. It's not like no DRM scheme has ever been effective - Bioshock went uncracked for 13 days, and MMO piracy rates remain pretty low even among people who aren't looking to group.
I mean, many of the connection-loss scenarios people are talking about apply just as much to power loss. If my power blinks in a storm or a cable gets unplugged I'm going to lose my save games, and power outages aren't any less common than network outages for me. It just doesn't seem like this DRM is going to cause me any problems that I don't already experience.
Stupid comparison.
LittleBoots on
Tofu wrote: Here be Littleboots, destroyer of threads and master of drunkposting.
There's one thing people haven't mentioned, people being dicks. You just know some idiot(s) at some point will DOS the ubisoft auth server either resulting in their servers being taken offline or the connection for players becoming intermittent resulting in people being randomly dropped out of their single player games like AC2 and Settlers.
GrimReaper on
PSN | Steam
---
I've got a spare copy of Portal, if anyone wants it message me.
Not everyone has permanent connections, Squid. It is conceivable as all hell that my FIOS connection will drop for a second, in which case I would lose all my progress if I was playing a game involving such DRM.
I do understand that, and this definitely sucks for those without good broadband. Hopefully Ubi will come out with some kind of solution - server autosaves, maybe? I can't blame you at all for not buying the game under your circumstances.
It just feels like a lot of people here would bash on any DRM, no matter what it was. I've had enough experience having my products stolen to know how much it sucks, so I can't blame Ubi for trying to find some kind of solution. It's not like no DRM scheme has ever been effective - Bioshock went uncracked for 13 days, and MMO piracy rates remain pretty low even among people who aren't looking to group.
I mean, many of the connection-loss scenarios people are talking about apply just as much to power loss. If my power blinks in a storm or a cable gets unplugged I'm going to lose my save games, and power outages aren't any less common than network outages for me. It just doesn't seem like this DRM is going to cause me any problems that I don't already experience.
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Then of course less than two years down the line *Sppt*, the servers are switched off. What, you expect us to maintain this crap at our own cost when nobody's playing?
I'd be extremely surprised if Ubisoft released a patch for AC2 to allow it to play offline. Why take the extra time and resources for that?
Then again, I suppose they could always release a scene "patch" like they did before.
---
I've got a spare copy of Portal, if anyone wants it message me.
?
Steam: Elvenshae // PSN: Elvenshae // WotC: Elvenshae
Wilds of Aladrion: [https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/comment/43159014/#Comment_43159014]Ellandryn[/url]
I imagine in a world where internet was widely available, the spurts of on and off connection would be a rarity as well.
Again, I'm proposing a scenario that probably isn't going to happen for a long long time in which I'd be okay with it.
Speaking of the now, what we have these days, this is fucking god awful.
The PC version of Phantasy Star Universe uses a cheat protection program called "nProtect" which protects against any program changes and attacks from computer hackers. This system needs to check through the internet each time a user wants to play the game in order to make sure it has the most up to date information, therefore the PC version of Phantasy Star Universe needs to be played whilst connected online.
Please note, no internet connection is required to play the single player version of the Xbox 360® or PlayStation®2 version.
I'm not defending this move, I'm just saying they aren't the first ones to do it.
PSN Hypacia
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And it was an online based game, even if it provided a singleplayer mode. It at least made sense to have an internet connection available. Phantasy Star Universe came out after, and I have it on PC as well. Yes it has the nProtect thing. No, this DRM isn't new. The absurdity is the requirement of a constant online connection for a singleplayer game. If it was a verification via the internet, like when you first install Windows, this wouldn't be anywhere near as bad.
A friend brought up Spore to me when I discussed this with her this morning, and even though it wanted you to sign online, it had a purpose. That game was built for user-generated content. The online connection served a purpose besides making sure you weren't a dirty, dirty pirate.
<paranoia> It gives them your IP address, which they can compare to the addresses of pirates who didn't stop seeding before playing the game, and since it's a continuous connection rather than a one-off thing they can make sure it's the same person. </paranoia>
I'm really stretching to figure out a halfway-plausible reason for this scheme, mind. It's either that, or they're trying to steal ideas from supervillains.
oh my god. I want this. DRM that involves a half-hour logic argument with a paranoid-schizophrenic system determined that you haven't actually bought the game? It'd be better than the game itself.
3DS: 0447-9966-6178
PSN: Beltaine-77 | Steam: beltane77 | Battle.net BadHaggis#1433
Now there will be no complaining when they get NO SAELS again.
That's the battle that publishers have been fighting against public libraries for years. Technically speaking, when you buy a book, you're buying a license to the author's intellectual property. Though, yes, you own the paper, and ink and binding that make up the book, you don't really own the book itself. The only reason why book publishers don't fight as hard as software publishers is because it is so much harder to keep track of physical books once they leave the warehouse.
Of course, this brings us to the Kindle and all the BS associated with electronic books. Like when Amazon "recalled" two George Orwell books that the customers thought they bought fairly.
This is what publishers of all types of media want us to get used to. It always amazes me when they don't understand why 99% of consumers laugh in their faces and tell them to get fucked afterwards.
If the publishers had a half a brain, they would all tell Gamestop to screw itself until it stops being a parasite. As it is, Gamestop has a bunch of clout in threatening individual publishers because Gamestop is everywhere. And before people say that publishers should drop their prices, all it will mean is that Gamestop will keep up the same process. Since Gamestop keeps all the used sale profits, Gamestop could drop the prices for a lot longer than the publishers before the tactic starts losing them money.
That being said, new and ever more intrusive DRM is just going to keep shrinking the PC games market. People will still pirate the game within hours of release (if not before release) and only people who actually buy the game will be inconvenienced. And yes, it really is a mystery how publishers can still not see this. They'll either put themselves out of business or just end up removing the DRM anyway so people will actually buy the game.
Clearly, Ubi is trying to get the same success as the MMO market with their single player games. MMOs maintain a very low piracy rate in the PC market, entirely because of their constant client/server connection. The barrier of entry for pirating an MMO is a lot higher, and it shows in the sales numbers. A lot of WoW's success is because pirating WoW gives you a lower-quality experience than paying for it, and I can't really blame Ubi for wanting to get in on that. If anything, I'm surprised its taken them so long.
Hope it works out for them and they're able to keep on making great games.
Two things: On Steam, if your connection drops, you aren't kicked out of your game and lose all progress since you last saved. Same with WoW
Secondly, With Steam there is an offline mode, something that does not exist here
Third, this is a horrible, horrible idea.
And fourth: An MMO is a completely different beast from a single-player game. There is little pirating in an MMO not because of the constant connection, but because of the other people. Nobody wants to play an MMO by themselves.
PSN/Steam/NNID: SyphonBlue | BNet: SyphonBlue#1126
Well, the problem is that people do want to play MMOs by themselves. There are many instances where illegal servers are created for people who don't want to use Blizzards servers. There's even been a few lawsuits over that kind of behavior. It seems bizarre to me that anyone would want to do this, but fact remains that it does happen.
Yeah but it is extremely few and far between.
And those people are weird and kinda smelly.
PSN/Steam/NNID: SyphonBlue | BNet: SyphonBlue#1126
I understand a publishers wanting to keep their product from being copied and redistributed, but not at the expense of making it miserable at any time for me after purchasing their product. Intrusive DRM is simply not going to prevent pirating in any meaningful way and will actively encourage it from people who would otherwise rather pay for the game. Not to mention that no consumer wants a private company to be able to constantly monitor a personal system just because they bought a game.
This scheme is just a really bad idea in every way possible. It won't prevent piracy, it won't make the game better, it won't protect profits, developing it takes resources the company could use to develop other product, it will actively create hostility towards Ubisoft, and on and on and on. Decisions like this sink companies when they're part of an ongoing theme, which they definitely are with Ubisoft.
o_O hm... Neckbeards. yes... O_o
I'd often use WoW as a single-player experience, just running around questing and having fun. I don't remember having a problem with permanent connections there, so I don't see why I'd have a problem with it in AC2. If it turns out that Ubi's servers are awful, I can see it becoming an issue, but I don't see why that would be the case.
Again, I just hope it works out for them. If it doesn't, I'm sure they'll try something else, and I can think of several more irritating DRM methods. I'd much rather have the game check my internet connection than force me to dig up a CD, or have to deal with silly install limits.
This is entirely bullshit, and you need to learn about the First Sale doctrine.
So they make us suffer in exchange for getting no benefit to their bottom-line.
Okay, here's the thing: It doesn't just depend on Ubisoft's servers.
Your router drops suddenly? You lost your game.
Cat accidentally knocks over the modem and it unplugs? Lost your game.
ISP having some issues? Lost your game.
Windows decides now is the right time to run updates and one of those updates is for your network card? Lost your game.
Wife goes to turn off the light switch and accidentally hits the wrong switch, which turns off the outlet the router is plugged into? Lost your game.
Sorry, but sudden and unexpected network drops happen fairly often. And then because of something I can't really control happens, it causes me to lose my game that I hadn't saved in two hours because I wasn't thinking and was too engrossed in the game? No, that's shit. It's shit from a butt. And really, I don't know what kind of DRM you can dream up that's worse than that, but I can't think of any.
I mean, unless it involves them shipping a knife with the game an requiring a drop of my own blood to boot up the game.
PSN/Steam/NNID: SyphonBlue | BNet: SyphonBlue#1126
Oh really, are you saying that Amazon had no right to take those books back? So far no one has bothered to bring a lawsuit alleging that yet.
EDIT: Oops, I guess someone has.
EDIT 2: Green text the part where the First Sale doctrine applies. The fact remains that even though I bought Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows for 15 USD doesn't mean I have rights to J.K. Rowling's multi-million IP.
Well...you do always have blood handy.
Don't give Kojima any ideas!
I do understand that, and this definitely sucks for those without good broadband. Hopefully Ubi will come out with some kind of solution - server autosaves, maybe? I can't blame you at all for not buying the game under your circumstances.
It just feels like a lot of people here would bash on any DRM, no matter what it was. I've had enough experience having my products stolen to know how much it sucks, so I can't blame Ubi for trying to find some kind of solution. It's not like no DRM scheme has ever been effective - Bioshock went uncracked for 13 days, and MMO piracy rates remain pretty low even among people who aren't looking to group.
I mean, many of the connection-loss scenarios people are talking about apply just as much to power loss. If my power blinks in a storm or a cable gets unplugged I'm going to lose my save games, and power outages aren't any less common than network outages for me. It just doesn't seem like this DRM is going to cause me any problems that I don't already experience.
Stupid comparison.
Tofu wrote: Here be Littleboots, destroyer of threads and master of drunkposting.
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I've got a spare copy of Portal, if anyone wants it message me.
You are not getting it in epic proportions.