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Why DRM sucks
Uselesswarrior
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Taken from Bioshock tech support forums
I have to go through all this hassle because I made the mistake of buying the game. That will never happen again 2k.
Sorry, I just want to break this god damn disc in half right now.
"To test if the required port it open for Bioshock's installer, go to this site:
https://www.grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2
Then click proceed and on the next page in the text box type 28900 and then click on the user specified port probe.
If it says open or stealthed it is good, but if it says closed then you need to unblock the port in your firewall or forward the port if you have a router.
Also try to boot into safe mode with networking (repeatedly press F8 while Windows is starting up) and install the game from there as normal. Booting into safe mode disables programs that may be interfering with the installer.
Also if you do have a router between your computer and modem you can also try connecting the computer directly to the modem.
If Firefox (or another program) is your default browser change the default browser back to Internet Explorer just for the Bioshock install.
Once you've successfully installed Bioshock it will still be version 1.0 despite the "autopatcher" so make sure to drop by: This Page to get the version 1.1 patch. Unless you live in Germany you want the worldwide patch.
If the Bioshock patcher (RTPatch) gives you an error or takes an extremely long time not appearing to do anything then place the patch in Bioshock's folder (by default):
"C:\Program Files\2K Games\Bioshock\Builds\Release"
And run it from that location. If it still does not work reboot into safe mode (as above) and rerun the patcher again in Bioshock's folder.
If you need to manually create an unlock code you can do so through the following website:
http://www.bioshockunlock.com
If you know of any other installation issues and/or solutions please post them in this thread!"
https://www.grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2
Then click proceed and on the next page in the text box type 28900 and then click on the user specified port probe.
If it says open or stealthed it is good, but if it says closed then you need to unblock the port in your firewall or forward the port if you have a router.
Also try to boot into safe mode with networking (repeatedly press F8 while Windows is starting up) and install the game from there as normal. Booting into safe mode disables programs that may be interfering with the installer.
Also if you do have a router between your computer and modem you can also try connecting the computer directly to the modem.
If Firefox (or another program) is your default browser change the default browser back to Internet Explorer just for the Bioshock install.
Once you've successfully installed Bioshock it will still be version 1.0 despite the "autopatcher" so make sure to drop by: This Page to get the version 1.1 patch. Unless you live in Germany you want the worldwide patch.
If the Bioshock patcher (RTPatch) gives you an error or takes an extremely long time not appearing to do anything then place the patch in Bioshock's folder (by default):
"C:\Program Files\2K Games\Bioshock\Builds\Release"
And run it from that location. If it still does not work reboot into safe mode (as above) and rerun the patcher again in Bioshock's folder.
If you need to manually create an unlock code you can do so through the following website:
http://www.bioshockunlock.com
If you know of any other installation issues and/or solutions please post them in this thread!"
I have to go through all this hassle because I made the mistake of buying the game. That will never happen again 2k.
Sorry, I just want to break this god damn disc in half right now.
Hey I made a game, check it out @ http://ifallingrobot.com/. (Or don't, your call)
Uselesswarrior on
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This discussion has been closed.
Posts
DRM sucks, we all get it.
Steam / Bus Blog / Goozex Referral
I did not have to do any of that.
DRM impairs how much of the user base? Not much.
I'm not a fan, but I have bought both DRM and non-DRM media. I bought PoP. I bought Bioshock. I bought Assassins Creed. I bought Mass Effect. I bought GRiD. I bought Gears of War. I bought Crysis. I bought Fallout 3. I bought Dead Space.
Ask me if I can accurately name which of those have DRM and which DRM they have based on the gameplay.
Mass Effect is worth it but that doesn't make SecuROM not dumb.
Do... Re... Mi... So... Fa.... Do... Re.... Do...
Forget it...
It's not just DRM, it is that 2k is amazingly lazy in their support. They could release an alternative installer to fix these issues, but no. On my old comp their was a well documented (by the community) bug involving the 7600's texture memory that made levels take 5 minutes or so to load. People had tracked the bug all the way back to the GPU level, essentially doing everything to diagnose what was going on. All 2k needed to do was put a few compent programers on it and they could have fixed it. But no, absolutely no support beyond the initial widescreen patch.
They are officially on my shit list.
PC ports can be an amazingly easy affair from 360. At least I assume so, from the shitty ports from 360. Without optimization they run like shit though. Add in some bullshit DRM and they run shittier.
But again. DRM is bad. No fucking duh. But stupid reactions against DRM are far, far, dumber.
If it didn't work, then you have reason to complain. Please, complain, on SecuROM and 2Ks forums. But people raising shitstorms on fucking PA forums over DRM is and always will be useless as fuck.
I'm sorry, I'm sure this comes off as "SHUT THE FUCK UP", but that's not the intent. We are a community, we can complain, I just fucking hate when people blow DRM out of proportion. Or blame the DRM when the Dev is a lazy fuck.
the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
Turns out securom (at least the bioshock version) doesn't like sysinternal's (now owned by microsoft) process explorer.
I love the bit about the autopatcher though. I mean they are activating the game online but they try and disguise it as patching the game. Why hide it? It is so shady.
Wasn't 2k also responsible for that wonderful GTA4 pc release not too long ago?
I for one have never had an Issue with DRM. I bought RA3 and Spore recently and didn't have any issues installing them, and you don't even know its registering your copy when you install it.
Hahahahahahahahahaha.
The people who haven't had problems with DRM are going to be ignored?
If that was true, DRM wouldn't happen.
He must have. It's $20 on Steam, and I think it has been for a while.
Steam / Bus Blog / Goozex Referral
We all get it, DRM sucks when it dosn't work. Making threads about it however isn't going to change anything.
I bought it at $30.
In July or August, can't remember.
I dunno what was on BF2 but I had to crack my own legit version of the game so it would play.
maybe I'm reading this wrong, but that looks more like a trouble-shooting thing than a list of "mandatory to always do all of these"
Obvi Ev you are wrong. DRM effects 100% of the customers and everyone hates it.
I just think that it's silly to knee-jerk in the complete opposite direction.
"Everyone who is capable of logical thought should be able to see why you shouldn't sell lifetime subscriptions to an MMO. Cell phone companies and drug dealers don't offer lifetime subscriptions either, guess why?" - Mugaaz
Ok, which side is being unreasonable in not seeing the other's side again?
I think he was being sarcastic.
Just a guess.
I really, really don't give a shit about DRM until it breaks something, which is probably part of the problem. I didn't even care about Spore's DRM, which practically everyone on the internet thought was horrible. Maybe it's just me, but I could never find a way to use up all my install thingymabobs. I installed it twice, once on my computer, once on my Dad's, and then never worried about it.
GM: Rusty Chains (DH Ongoing)
It's stopped me from buying three or four so far.
It's actually prevented me from playing games I've bought in the past, so that's reason enough to spend my money elsewhere as far as I'm concerned.
GM: Rusty Chains (DH Ongoing)
I don't know which have it, I forget all about it.
My only experience was when I started up FO3 and the No Disk error has a Securom logo.
It is a pretty spiffy logo
I don't hate all DRM, just certain, utterly retarded implementations of it.
The kind of stuff that takes Ring 0 access, causes my PC to blue-screen excessively, and won't even fix the problem even after I use the official uninstaller they provide (Helllooooooooo Starforce).
Oh and activation limits. Because I really feel those are a freaking ridiculous concept, and I'm glad they're being abandoned again.
I think it's valid to be concerned about not being able to install your own software after reformatting. I think it's silly, though, to want to run the same piece of software simultaniously on five different machines, and be pissed if you can't. I mean, if that is the case, by all means don't buy the software, but limiting the number of machines that can run a piece of software at one time is a valid move by manufacturers, IMO.
Try after swapping out a hard drive, or even updating your graphics drivers (yes, this is also detected as making it a "new" machine), and you might understand why I think they're a a stupid inconvenience.
However, the reason I think that they're pointless is that as measures, they don't do anything to really combat piracy. Install limits in themselves don't make the game tougher to crack and prevent zero day exploits (if that were the case, Spore would not have gone on to become the fastest pirated game in release history ), and if you're talking about casual piracy against people that don't even know how to download a crack once it's available, a simple CD-check can handle that. As such they're an extra restriction given to the legitimate purchaser with no benefit given to them, and no gain in anti-piracy measures. It's precisely that kind of logic (more DRM = better) that I don't wish to support. There is no point in adding on more restrictions without actually achieving any effect against piracy.
All this assumes however that the purpose of install limits was in order to combat piracy. If I'm honest I believe that measures such as install limits have far more to do with attempting to combat and control the second hand market, which developers and publishers have been whining about constantly lately.
It makes piracy more difficult. You can't just burn a copy of your disc and give it to a buddy (like some people used to do.) Ultimately, nothing is going to completely kill off piracy, so it is about creating a balance whereby casual piracy is made dificult, without significantly reducing functionality for legitimate users.
Sometimes DRM crosses that line, and I have ZERO interest in defending bad DRM (before anyone attacks me with examples) I am just saying that DRM, as a concept, is consumer neutral.
Pretty much exactly the point of DRM. DRM isn't supposed to stop piracy, it's just supposed to make it difficult enough for casual pirates to not bother, and just buy the game.
Also, Spore counts updating your graphic drivers as a new machine? Shit, that's kinda silly, but I still hold my point that Spore's DRM wasn't as balls-bittingly horrible as everyone portrayed it to be.
If you're talking about someone competent enough to burn a proper, cracked image onto a new CD, then I don't believe install limits make any difference. Once the game's cracked, it's cracked, and install limits don't change anything after that. But if you want let's leave that aside for the moment and agree to disagree.
With DD releases on Steam, that became a moot point for publishers anyway, and yet until now they still kept in the install limits and third party DRM on top of that. What's the rationale behind that? What actual benefit does that provide to the company? You've put in place your extra restrictions, now what have either you, or your consumer gained from it? Like I said, more =/= better, and that's something that I'm hoping studios are starting to learn.
I wouldn't necessarily say consumer neutral. But I will say there's good implementations and bad implementations. The problem is when people like John Riccitiello strawman the whole argument and say "oh we HAVE to do it this way, the only people whining are the pirates", it doesn't indicate to me any actual understanding of the topic at hand, and precisely why people get so ticked off on it when they can't play their games. When you get to the point where you're degrading consumer experience for no gain against piracy and declaring it a victory for the legitimate purchaser, it's not something that inspires confidence in me. Because the logical progression along that route leads to all kinds of crap that I really don't want to have to be dealing with in future, not when I've already had enough bad experiences so far. This isn't directed at you Evander, just the companies that actually do this, and the weird thinking that somehow creating additional restrictions each generation automatically equates to fighting piracy. It's just a simple minded and stupid way of looking at things.
No, I am talking about literally just copying files.
Anything that can be built can be deconstructed. There is no such thing as uncrackable DRM. The purpose that DRM serves is to make it more difficult to pirate, not impossible.
More tech savvy pirate may still be able to work around things, but the goal of DRM is to raise that bar somewhere above the savviness level of the average consumer.
If you're talking about just literally copying the files over, games have come with checks for years now that verify whether it's the actual disc or whether you simply tried to copy and burn the files. That is still a separate measure from install limits, which is what I was trying to get at. I don't believe it does anything additional.
I'm not arguing that the purpose of DRM is to be uncrackable. I'm arguing that if your DRM is going to be used then it should AT LEAST provide an effect for the restrictions that it creates on the user, and preferably provide them with benefits elsewhere to make up for that.
Again, if you believe that install limits in themselves are an effective measure, I can at least understand that, even if I disagree with it. However what purpose does putting install limits on Steam games provide?
You see, I keep coming back to Steam because I feel it's a genuinely good implementation from almost all standpoints. The company wants to make sure only one person can play the game at once, they've got that. They want to remove the issue of the second hand market, they've got that too. The consumer meanwhile, is no longer tied to what is effectively a physical dongle. They can have the game with them on any machine they want. It doesn't matter if they lose the disc, because they can re-download the game as much as they want, however many times, and without a retarded sixth month time limit.
Companies see that system. And they put pointless restrictions on top of that and claim they're fighting piracy. It just boggles my mind.
I hear this bit about stopping casual piracy all the time and I'm curious how accurate it is. I mean I know CD copying used to be a big deal but is that even how "casual" pirates operate these days? Downloading a torrent, unzipping an archive, and copying a cracked .exe isn't exactly rocket science. I usually crack games that require the CD to be in the drive to play (after I purchase them, of course) because if I don't, I'll eventually ruin that CD. Judging by the comments on some of these torrents, the users aren't exactly the brightest bunch but most of them figure out that the CD key is in the text file called "CD Keys here, nubs" so I have to think that even casual pirates can get a game running illegally if they have even the slightest inclination. I'm not even really sure how you would go about doing this, but are there any figures on how much piracy DRM setups actually prevent? I'd be curious to know.
Critical Failures - Havenhold Campaign • August St. Cloud (Human Ranger)
Step 2: Install Game
Step 3: Check for patches, if there are none, go to step 5.
Step 4: Install patches
Step 5: Check for a crack, if there is none, go to step 7.
Step 6: Install crack
Step 7: Play game
Really. This is how I've been doing it for like, 3 years now. I still have a few games from when securom just came out that I cannot play without a crack because it doesn't like my dvd drive.
Currently playing: GW2 and TSW
What if I own 6 computers and have a 5 activation limit? I'd be pretty pissed.
Spore was cracked before the game even released. So, how, exactly did it's DRM make piracy more difficult?
What do you do if you have to put a copy of Windows on all 6 of those computers? or an Adobe Suite?
Critical Failures - Havenhold Campaign • August St. Cloud (Human Ranger)