Assassin's Creed II's (PC) horrendous DRM detailed

[Seeking_Alpha]

Is this a joke Ubisoft?!

http://www.maximumpc.com/article/new...l_drm#comments

We love Assassin’s Creed II. It’s a fantastic game that actually lives up to all the promise its predecessor fell just short of.

Its DRM, however, manages to undo all that good will and then some.

We weren’t entirely sold on Ubisoft’s new “anti-piracy plan” when the publisher ran it by us last month, but little did we know that we were witnessing the birth of DRM so sinister that we’re now petitioning to have the guy that created SecuROM canonized.

Here’s how it works (as discovered by the fine folks at PC Gamer UK): as you’re already aware, the DRM requires an Internet connection to authenticate your game. As you weren’t already aware, it requires that Internet connection at all times. Constantly. The second you lose that connection for whatever reason, even for a second – be it a faulty wireless signal, a clumsy roommate, or a fried server on Ubisoft’s end – your game goes dark, you lose all unsaved progress, and you’re locked out of the game until you resolve your connection issue.

We’re reminded, at this point, of an old Internet saying: DO NOT WANT.

Ubisoft’s also afflicting the DRM upon Settlers 7. We weren’t actually planning on purchasing Settlers 7 in the first place, and – shockingly enough – this hasn’t done anything to change our minds.

Is this a joke, Ubisoft? Because we’re not seeing the punchline. That is, unless you burst out laughing every time hundreds of thousands of pirates cause you to lose millions of dollars.

[aramis109]

While this may be an exaggeration, Ubisoft has toyed with DRM for PC games a lot in the past. Splinter Cell series being a notable Starforce offender. Be really careful with their games if you're going to play them on PC.

The bad thing is that I'm a big fan of a lot of their games! I predominantly play them on console though.

[PrivatePixel]

The DRM story ran on at least two other sites (PC Gamer and Kotaku), so it appears to be valid. The adopted measure may seem draconian in nature, but I think it's a necessity to ensure the viability of the PC platform. Rootkits are immensely unpopular, in addition to being ineffective, and game developers need some way to protect their IP, as well as ensuring a larger ROI (often lost through software piracy). The status quo isn't working in Activision's favour at the moment, so why not pursue a different approach?

[Seeking_Alpha]

Originally Posted by PrivatePixel

The DRM story ran on at least two other sites (PC Gamer and Kotaku), so it appears to be valid. The adopted measure may seem draconian in nature, but I think it's a necessity to ensure the viability of the PC platform. Rootkits are immensely unpopular, in addition to being ineffective, and game developers need some way to protect their IP, as well as ensuring a larger ROI (often lost through software piracy). The status quo isn't working in Activision's favour at the moment, so why not pursue a different approach?

The DRM method might make sense in the way you say if they actually stop the pirates. But as it has been before, I fear it will be now: pirates will crack it in a day, perhaps a week. And customers who pay for the retail product will then have to deal with a draconian system while the option to download a cracked version is available to that same person.

I believe that the amount of piracy will fall not with heavy DRM but when publishers embrace a way for consumers to purchase games more conveniently than pirating, much the way most people would rather spend the 99 cents on iTunes than download an inferior audio qualty version that may or may not have malware.

I know that Steam itself is a form of DRM, but a very mild agreeable one to me. And aside from excellent pricing, they offer value added services such as friend support, cloud saves, instant patching, achievements, anti-cheat, DLC etc. That makes it much better value for me to buy a Valve or EA game then pirate one (which again may or may not have malware - that uncertainty is the great cost of pirating). Also Steam games can be played offline.

Finally it is not Activision that is doing it, it is Ubisoft.

[PrivatePixel]

Originally Posted by Seeking_Alpha

The DRM method might make sense in the way you say if they actually stop the pirates. But as it has been before, I fear it will be now: pirates will crack it in a day, perhaps a week. And customers who pay for the retail product will then have to deal with a draconian system while the option to download a cracked version is available to that same person.

Ubisoft's validation measures may be more effective than any other DRM implementation to this point because it requires the user to validate their copy through an online server that they (or a third-party outfit) operate. I suspect that it's something similar to what Kaspersky uses, i.e. some sort of validation key is compared to what's in their database; if it's invalid, that key is blacklisted and the program may not load/run. Developing a crack isn't as challenging if the software is meant to run offline, but because online validation is mandatory in this instance, finding and creating a loophole is a far more involved process than creating a run-of-the-mill key generator.

I believe that the amount of piracy will fall not with heavy DRM but when publishers embrace a way for consumers to purchase games more conveniently than pirating, much the way most people would rather spend the 99 cents on iTunes than download an inferior audio qualty version that may or may not have malware.

It's difficult to convince someone to pay for any virtual good if they're reluctant to, or haven't done so in the past. We have a generation of users who have benefitted tremendously through peer-to-peer file sharing without restraint or incurring a financial cost for their activities, and the mindset is a carryover from those early days. Yes, some have embraced the usage of online digital media stores for their content, but for others, the convenience factor isn't the issue; it's an ethical one. How do you convince someone that paying for a proprietarily-encoded file (in AAC format) is the right thing to do when the same song is available for free in a lossless audio file format (e.g. FLAC or Ogg Vorbis)?

I know that Steam itself is a form of DRM, but a very mild agreeable one to me. And aside from excellent pricing, they offer value added services such as friend support, cloud saves, instant patching, achievements, anti-cheat, DLC etc. That makes it much better value for me to buy a Valve or EA game then pirate one (which again may or may not have malware - that uncertainty is the great cost of pirating). Also Steam games can be played offline.

Steam is a matter of personal preference; in my case, I would prefer not to use it. There's a number of reasons why I dislike the service (part of it has to do with the parent company, VALVE) and those were disclosed in a separate thread. As wasteful as the notion may be, I like physical media because I have something tangible to show for my purchase.

Finally it is not Activision that is doing it, it is Ubisoft.

That was a brain fart on my part (I think Modern Warfare 2 was on my mind at the time).

[mikejet]

I know people hate it but what can they do? I mean piracy is just ridiculous on the PC and even when they have games that have huge multiplayer components, like MW2, they still get people pirating the game.

Other than requiring the internet connection, which in this day and age everyone has, I don't see any other way for companies to really battle piracy.

[Seeking_Alpha]

Originally Posted by PrivatePixel

Ubisoft's validation measures may be more effective than any other DRM implementation to this point because it requires the user to validate their copy through an online server that they (or a third-party outfit) operate. I suspect that it's something similar to what Kaspersky uses, i.e. some sort of validation key is compared to what's in their database; if it's invalid, that key is blacklisted and the program may not load/run. Developing a crack isn't as challenging if the software is meant to run offline, but because online validation is mandatory in this instance, finding and creating a loophole is a far more involved process than creating a run-of-the-mill key generator.

Okay, once the game is released, lets see how long it takes until you can get a DRM free version via a torrent.

Are you a betting man?

I respectfully disagree with your other point about mindset. I think most adult consumers realize the cost of piracy to artists and developers and are mature and smart enough to pick the legal way if it wasn't such a pain to use, again like iTunes.

[PrivatePixel]

Originally Posted by Seeking_Alpha

Okay, once the game is released, lets see how long it takes until you can get a DRM free version via a torrent.

Are you a betting man?

Name the wager. Of course, now that I think about it, the hacking community is a tenacious and resilient group and I'm sure that they're anticipating its launch so that they can pick it apart.

I respectfully disagree with your other point about mindset. I think most adult consumers realize the cost of piracy to artists and developers and are mature and smart enough to pick the legal way if it wasn't such a pain to use, again like iTunes.

Your faith in humanity is admirable; I, on the other hand, have lost all hope eons ago. The following article reaffirms what I have known all along: once you open the floodgates, there is no turning back.

The Globe and Mail - Download Decade: If piracy is wrong, why does it feel so right?

[PrivatePixel]

Ars Technica: Official explanation of controversial Assassin's Creed 2 DRM

[Seeking_Alpha]

Originally Posted by PrivatePixel

Name the wager. Of course, now that I think about it, the hacking community is a tenacious and resilient group and I'm sure that they're anticipating its launch so that they can pick it apart.

I wager honor and dignity

Your faith in humanity is admirable; I, on the other hand, have lost all hope eons ago. The following article reaffirms what I have known all along: once you open the floodgates, there is no turning back.

The Globe and Mail - Download Decade: If piracy is wrong, why does it feel so right?

Perhaps it is thanks to the the sort of humans I am acquainted with . I certainly hope your friends are much the same.

[Seeking_Alpha]

Ubisoft's DRM Cracked In Under 24 Hours

http://www.infoaddict.com/ubisofts-n...under-25-hours

[PrivatePixel]

Saw this on Kotaku yesterday; guess you win this round.