UbiSoft Online Controversy

ttague2005 · Unread postby **ttague2005** » 09 Mar 2010, 13:59

I strongly agree. I ended my use of MathCAD, when they required an on-line connection. I live in a rural area with intermittent satellite service. I will not be able to use Ubisoft products in the future, unless this changes (even if I wanted to). Heroes V may have been my last purchase from Ubisoft. I have been VERY happy with the Stardock products I purchased. Copy what they do.

Kalah · Unread postby **Kalah** » 09 Mar 2010, 20:01

According to a web article from Norway's biggest newspaper, our national Consumer Bureau will have a poke into DRM matters and consumer rights when it comes to PC games this autumn. It may actually turn out that preventing buyers of games which are not intended for online gaming only (MMORPGs etc.) - is illegal in this country. In other words, that unless the game is designed to be played online, requiring web access to play it may be prevented by law.

As you may have guessed, Norwegian consumer rights are stronger than most European countries.

Roman · Unread postby **Roman** » 10 Mar 2010, 01:46

Kalah, that would be awesome. Unfortunately, I don't speak Norwegian, so I cannot get the details from the article, but I it puts an end to these kinds of nefarious Draconian DRM (DDRM) practices.

ThunderTitan · Unread postby **ThunderTitan** » 10 Mar 2010, 10:39

Kalah wrote:As you may have guessed, Norwegian consumer rights are stronger than most European countries.

Well the french said the EULA doesn't count because you only sign it after you bought the game and opened it etc. so it's just the US... hurray for corporate lobbies.

Da_Vane · Unread postby **Da_Vane** » 10 Mar 2010, 11:18

If you haven't been updated yet, not only did Assassin's Creed 2 get cracked a day after it's release despite this new DRM, but now the European servers went down, meaning all those people who actually bought the game were unable to play... This is what everybody besides Ubisoft predicted, although much earlier than even the most cynical person could have considered, so maybe this could see an early end to this DRM fiasco before it even impacts HoMM VI...

ByteBandit · Unread postby **ByteBandit** » 10 Mar 2010, 17:12

And hopefully Ubi will come to their senses and drop this whole DRM thing and put everything on CD as it should be.

ThunderTitan · Unread postby **ThunderTitan** » 10 Mar 2010, 21:12

Yeah, i'm pretty sure someone mentioned the european servers being down... or at least implied knowledge of it. That's the assumption i was under the last few posts.

astral76minor · Unread postby **astral76minor** » 15 Mar 2010, 01:22

Server based games are always inferior. I support the LAN function for any Heroes game. That way, one can set up their own server for a few players. H5 has been known to crash, but with autosave on, Hamachi loaded and a good server host, LAN mode works great for playing H5 online. ANY GAME THAT REQUIRES A DRM CANNOT BE COMPLETELY CONTROLLED AND YOU MAY LOSE YOUR SAVED GAME. This is why LAN mode is so much better....

Avonu · Unread postby **Avonu** » 16 Mar 2010, 10:54

http://www.stardock.com/about/newsitem.asp?id=1637

ThunderTitan · Unread postby **ThunderTitan** » 16 Mar 2010, 13:21

I see it doesn't actually say what it does... is it like GfWL and Steam, you have to log in to play or what?!

GreatEmerald · Unread postby **GreatEmerald** » 16 Mar 2010, 14:11

This page is a lot more clear about that:
http://www.gamersbillofrights.org/case-studies.aspx

So yea, it's like Steam, but as far as I can understand it doesn't require you to authenticate online or run an extra program each time you want to run the game, as opposed to Steam. So it's an even better idea.

Avonu · Unread postby **Avonu** » 16 Mar 2010, 15:07

Yes, besides if I read right, you will have an option to re-sell your games on this platform too.
While Steam, EA and Ubisoft want to bind games which you bought to you forever, Stardock chose another way.

Elvin · Unread postby **Elvin** » 17 Mar 2010, 09:50

I have been keeping an eye on things, here is a recent update on what has transpired so far with links to relevant articles and recent developments.

Kristo · Unread postby **Kristo** » 17 Mar 2010, 10:41

GOO still requires you to be connected to the Internet the first time you play. I think they're assuming you got your game through a digital download anyway, so that implies a broadband connection. It'll still get cracked, just like everything else. I find it interesting that a company that has eschewed DRM is trying to push the ball forward on it.

ThunderTitan · Unread postby **ThunderTitan** » 17 Mar 2010, 11:10

Watched the video after posting that and i mostly got it...

But sound like they do need you to authenticate the game, otherwise what's the point of using your e-mail (you can start steam in offline mode too, even if that capability was bugged - started working for me after the latest patch.)

But i have enough games on my PC to prove that DRM is pointless beyond protection against copying an original CD with nothing but Nero...

GreatEmerald · Unread postby **GreatEmerald** » 17 Mar 2010, 18:15

Kristo wrote:It'll still get cracked, just like everything else.

Not necessarily. Like Impulse Reactor page shows, you integrate the DLL into the game's DLLs, and since it's needed in a lot of those, the crackers would need to crack every single DLL file in the game. Needless to say that's pretty time consuming.

TheRider · Unread postby **TheRider** » 18 Mar 2010, 22:09

http://draginol.joeuser.com/article/303 ... _PC_Gaming

--Any time you spend worrying about pirates is time wasted because pirates aren't your customers.--
Edited on Thu, Mar 18 2010, 19:19 by TheRider

astral76minor · Unread postby **astral76minor** » 20 Mar 2010, 05:47

The game is called "ELEMENTAL - WAR OF MAGIC."

It is TBS but it requires an internet connection. This game is a Stardock app and welcome to server hell. That is of course, if you like to reload your game from a previous point and redo your adventure OVER AND OVER!

Like I said before, due to much ignorance, "the LAN function is an absolute requirement in this new age of 'always on internet connections'".

I assume most of you like to reload on the server and plead to it like a god. LAN IS ALWAYS BETTER!

Wolfes · Unread postby **Wolfes** » 21 Mar 2010, 20:04

Elemental -War of Magic is not a server game. In facto you only need a nec connection two times. First to register the game and to download it if you did not buy it physically, and second to patch. All stardock has always been like that. I´m playing the beta and it´s good.

astral76minor · Unread postby **astral76minor** » 22 Mar 2010, 03:37

Wolfes,

Elemental is only in beta stage til Sept 2010. If you read on the site, to really enjoy the game requires online play. So if you are playing it in single player mode, which is sad, soon it will require that "always on" connection after the beta. Haven't many people grown tired of playing alone against their own CPU? Would it not be nice to play a game against a few friends online through THEIR OWN SERVER IN LAN MODE using Hamachi as a Direct Connect app? No, you do not have to use a company server. Heroes 1-5 can be played through Direct Connect on Hamachi and ONE CAN CREATE THEIR OWN SERVER HOST for the friends that are worth playing with.

The Heroes Round Table