What UBI should have done wtih DRM

[Flying Pencil]

Originally Posted by JAMF

I've always liked the way "Fade" worked (Operation Flashpoint). If someone used a copied version, the game would start responding less and less to the user and start shutting down sooner and sooner. It made the game function like a demo and leave the user wanting more.

Still, I'm no fan of multiple DRMs, as it just adds one more thing that can fail and can be doubloe trouble if they don't play nice. Getting Dirt to play with Steam and GfWL was annoying.

The one thing that really bothers me is one has to rely on a number of 3ed parties to play CoD.

It may be a few years down the road the system/company that supports the DRM is not available, and now CoD cannot work anymore because no one is there to activate it!

[Fritz X]

^ In that case they could simply release a patch that does remove the need for the DRM, just like it was done with Wings of Prey some days ago.

[The Kraken]

Originally Posted by Fritz X

^ In that case they could simply release a patch that does remove the need for the DRM, just like it was done with Wings of Prey some days ago.

Sounds good but will probably not happen in case a company goes bankrupt. Even more so if parts of the game are running on a central server, like with Rise of Flight. So I also have some reservations, even if it's highly unlikely that Steam will run into such troubles within the next few years.

[Flying Pencil]

Originally Posted by The Kraken

Sounds good but will probably not happen in case a company goes bankrupt. Even more so if parts of the game are running on a central server, like with Rise of Flight. So I also have some reservations, even if it's highly unlikely that Steam will run into such troubles within the next few years.

Note I said "system / company", it does not specifically mean Steam.

Consider also:
Buyouts; no guarantee the new owner will keep original contracts the same (ie. might now charge)

or

Legal changes; unusual but not beyond the possibility that a legal issue may force the closure of service.

or

International Politics; equally unusual, but you never know.

4 weeks ago Gadaffi's power was seen solid and stable.
2 weeks ago every scientist and engineer in Japan would swear no nuclear powerplant will fail due to an earthquake.


What can I say, $hit happen$

[Fritz X]

Originally Posted by The Kraken

Sounds good but will probably not happen in case a company goes bankrupt. Even more so if parts of the game are running on a central server, like with Rise of Flight. So I also have some reservations, even if it's highly unlikely that Steam will run into such troubles within the next few years.

What I was talking about was the removement of the TAGES DRM via patch.

However, you're very right with what you said about Steam. Yes, there definitely is the possibility of Valve going bankrupt, even if this possibility is basically on the same level as facebook simply vanishing from the internets

The guys in charge at Valve however said in an official statement once that in case they should ever have to close their service, they'd provide people to run self created backups (already possible through Steam) of their games without having to use the Steam application itself (not possible yet). But of course, we only have their word. If they would keep it in such a situation, nobody knows. Hopefully we won't even have to find out.