DRM And Limited Installs For FarCry 2

[Telefrog]

It looks like Ubisoft has joined the EA effort to fight piracy with DRM (SecuROM), limited installs, and online activation. FarCry 2 on PC has all three. From the French site (http://shop.ubi.com/Prod_ExtDesc.asp?catalogid=747&id=35):

Ce jeu vidéo est protégé par le logiciel SecuROM pour la gestion des droits numériques. Ce logiciel installe sur l'ordinateur de l'utilisateur des modules supplémentaires nécessaires pour la protection
de copie et limite le nombre d'installations possibles pour le jeu. Une connexion à Internet sera nécessaire au cours de l'installation et/ou de la première exécution pour déverrouiller le jeu.

My French may be rusty, but the bolded parts are pretty clear.

[axion]

I'm pretty sure that nowadays SecuRom = online activation, that's how it was for Warhead I believe, SecuRom did an online authentication, then never bothers you for a disc again. As for limited installs, I'm sure people will whine enough that it gets raised.

[NoName]

Why am I a big advocate of PC gaming still?

[DiBiddilyBop]

I purchased this through Steam. Pretty sure that means as long as my steam account is installed on the computer and it has an active internet connection, I can download and play Far Cry 2 wherever and whenever I want.

I have absolutely no problem with this type of copy protection. Active internet connections are ubiquitous enough in this day and age that I don't see this as a problem.

[Young Al Capone]

Bullshit, but this one won't be affecting me as I am getting it on the 360.

[biosc1]

I don't mind online activations if it means I don't need the disc in the tray.

Usually, if I can, I will stick with Steam. Rather have all my DRM in one format and in one place.

[Ancalagon]

Meh, looks I'm getting Fallout 3 after all. Thanks for making this decision easier, EA and Ubisoft.

[neutralism]

I can't remember where I read it, but I could have sworn it was said that if you properly uninstall the game, it gives you a "revoke" that gives you back your install use. If this is true, then technically you could have unlimited re-installations. Which also means, theoretically, you could always have the game installed on multiple systems, whatever the install limit might be.

It's a moot point for me as I will be getting it on the 360 eventually.

[Bingley Joe]

I can't remember where I read it, but I could have sworn it was said that if you properly uninstall the game, it gives you a "revoke" that gives you back your install use. If this is true, then technically you could have unlimited re-installations. Which also means, theoretically, you could always have the game installed on multiple systems, whatever the install limit might be.

It's a moot point for me as I will be getting it on the 360 eventually.

A Ubisoft Forum Manager made a post on their forums (http://forums.ubi.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/1521068375/m/3981062496?r=2931023496#2931023496) confirming this:


Some DRM points that will hopefully answer some of your questions and will clarify some misunderstandings about our DRM and SecuROM:

- You have 5 activations on 3 separate PCs.

- Uninstalling the game “refunds” an activation. This process is called “revoke”, so as long as you complete proper uninstall you will be able to install the game an unlimited number of times on 3 systems.

- You can upgrade your computer as many time as you want (using our revoke system)

- Ubisoft is committed to the support of our games, and additional activations can be provided.

- Ubisoft is committed to the long term support of our games: you’ll always be able to play Far Cry 2.

Sounds pretty reasonable to me as long as the 'revoke' system works as advertised (and the DRM, for that matter). I'm still getting it for the 360 though..

[Telefrog]

I purchased this through Steam. Pretty sure that means as long as my steam account is installed on the computer and it has an active internet connection, I can download and play Far Cry 2 wherever and whenever I want.

Are you sure? There are other games (third party) that are on Steam that retain their limited installs even though they are also using the frontend DRM from the service.

[LarsenNET]

Are you sure? There are other games (third party) that are on Steam that retain their limited installs even though they are also using the frontend DRM from the service.

Your right and Valve usually doesn't disclose this ahead of time. I don't think we will know until it's released.

[Young Al Capone]

Seems like overkill, one or the other should suffice. I always went with Steam cause I assumed the games only used Steam's DRM.

[bryan]

Read the story about this over at Shack, and since it has 'revokes' sounds alright to me. It might be one of those games I never uninstall.

[Telefrog]

Seems like overkill, one or the other should suffice. I always went with Steam cause I assumed the games only used Steam's DRM.

Unfortunately, this is one of those myths that Valve does nothing to actively discourage. A lot of third party games in Steam retain aspects of their own DRM. If you check the Steam forums, there are plenty of posts from people that found out the hard way.

[boratika]

I just baffles me why they'd do it. The question I wish they'd ask themselves is "Does this reduce availability of the game to pirates?"

If one person makes a pirate version available, it is infinitely available. Spore, with it's SecureROM, was infinitely available a week before it's release.

The other argument used is for casual disc copying. New question: "Is disc copying easier than snagging a torrent?" ie does it increase availability to pirates?

Let's have a race, we'll both pirate a given game, you burn a disc and I'll grab a torrent. Oh look! I win a week before the game is released. Also you have to go to the shop to buy a blank disc because that is old technology, akin to Hollywood cracking down on VCRs today to stop movie piracy.

But what I really don't get is that they tell you you can do 3 full installs on separate computers and they think that will reduce game sharing.

I know they're desperate, but they are not being logical.


Side note: Hard drive failures et al are a fact of life. Those revokes can't be counted on. (Though if they're like EA, you can just say you rented it each time and get as many installs as you want.)

[MalReynolds]

PS3 or 360 for me then

[hideouslywrinkled]

I'm not a PC gamer... but I don't understand the controversy. Adobe has used a similar system with the Creative Suite for years. And it's very easy to deactivate and reactivate with Adobe. If it works the same as Adobe system, shouldn't be that much of a hassle.

That said, you don't have to uninstall a copy of CS in order to deactivate it... and it sounds like you will have to uninstall Far Cry 2.

[Telefrog]

Side note: Hard drive failures et al are a fact of life. Those revokes can't be counted on. (Though if they're like EA, you can just say you rented it each time and get as many installs as you want.)

Which I never understood at all. Where do people rent PC games? Is it done in Europe or Asia?

[KingGorilla]

It doesn't really matter, I do not know many PC gamers who buy from Ubisoft anyway.

Most will be too busy with their DRM free versions of The Witcher and Political Machine to care.

[Smoof]

It doesn't really matter, I do not know many PC gamers who buy from Ubisoft anyway.


I desperately try not to buy from Ubi as a PC gamer. Being fucked over in the past by them, I don't wish to continue to give them my money.

It makes it hard some times though with games I want to play, Far Cry 2 being one specifically.

Maybe Gametap will put it on their service, since they're in the business of putting Ubi games on there.

[Telefrog]

Oh, by the way, not to belabor the point, but if you don't think SecuROM is a big deal, please read up on it (http://www.reclaimyourgame.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=56&Itemid=16). It is a kernal level "ring-0" driver. This may not mean much to you, but it essentially means that SecuROM has control and access to areas of your PC it shouldn't.

[KingGorilla]

You can peel back that tinfoil cap a bit. There are far more bits of software like that. It is a major security flaw in Windows. SecuRom is, in all truth, one of the more inoccuous programs with that level of access. The real issue is NOT that any one program has access, it is that too many have access. Anti-Virus, drivers, and more. Look at the latest security holes in Flash, Java, and Quicksilver.

[Widgetcraft]

Meh, do what you want because a pirate is free, you are a pirate. At least in the minds of most publishers. Ubisoft doesn't want your money, people. Give it to Bethesda instead.

I'm not sure why anyone would be buying a sequel to Far Cry to begin with.

[Hotcod]

I'm not a PC gamer... but I don't understand the controversy. Adobe has used a similar system with the Creative Suite for years. And it's very easy to deactivate and reactivate with Adobe. If it works the same as Adobe system, shouldn't be that much of a hassle.

That said, you don't have to uninstall a copy of CS in order to deactivate it... and it sounds like you will have to uninstall Far Cry 2.

I'm a design student... out of every other student i've met there has not been one with out a full working copy of at lest one adobe product and not one has ever brought it... it's just a standard fact of life that students crack it and then go to work for companies that have licences... I can crack any of there software with in a minute of downloading the free trail

So what point am i making? well given i know a few people who work freelance and have brought adobe stuff some of them have had rather major and annoying problems with adobes system to the point they used cracked versions even after buying a licence beacuse it was simply easier.

So, what you have, is like with most drm... the only people who get effected by it are the people who are paying for the product and the people who steal your stuff are getting a sometimes vastly better product... what about that makes any sense what so ever given that any kind of drm is null and void the second it's cracked and torrented?

Some people who do the right thing get screwed, all the people who do the wrong thing are not stopped and are fine... fun with logic

[Kryopsis]

I'm not sure why anyone would be buying a sequel to Far Cry to begin with.

I'm not sure why anyone would be buying a sequel to Oblivion to begin with.

See? I can also be a troll and post out of my ass.

[KingGorilla]

Elephant in the room, He just compared a 50 dollar game to several thousands worth of production software.

[Telefrog]

Elephant in the room, He just compared a 50 dollar game to several thousands worth of production software.

Also, most Adobe products get updated every three years or so. Not so with games. They typically get a couple of patches, then it's "see ya later!"

[KingGorilla]

I also think that if games were licensed the way software tools were, we would have bigger fish to fry than SecuRom.

[Disgustipated]

Meh, do what you want because a pirate is free, you are a pirate. At least in the minds of most publishers. Ubisoft doesn't want your money, people. Give it to Bethesda instead.

I'm not sure why anyone would be buying a sequel to Far Cry to begin with.

Dude, HM. I rarely see bad posts from you but have you even SEEN Far Cry 2? Holy fuck. If anything, it is easily as exciting as Fallout 3.

Also, Steam it up bitches!

[wyeast]

Having gone through two HDD crashes in the past couple of years, I have to wonder what happens to a "revoke" when you can't go through the "proper uninstallation" for whatever reason.

[SilentScreams]

This will not affect my plans to buy Far Cry 2 in the slightest.
This game was made for PCs.

[Codicier]

Well that's retarded. I was going to buy this on the PC, and if Steam ditches the front-end copy protection then I still will. Otherwise I'm getting it for my PC, but I'm certainly not going to be buying it...

To hell with DRM.

[KingGorilla]

Bioshock and CoH still had SecuRom on them from Steam. But Bully to Valve for being the ONLY PLACE that lables the games with it.

[Ghostbear]

I dunno, the revoke thing has me pacified. If its not a pain in the ass, I don't care.

[Widgetcraft]

Dude, HM. I rarely see bad posts from you but have you even SEEN Far Cry 2? Holy fuck. If anything, it is easily as exciting as Fallout 3.

Also, Steam it up bitches!

I don't know man, that whole franchise (if you include Crysis... which I do) just seemed to be one big tech demo. I could be wrong, of course, but I didn't see much in it that really placed it above most other FPS games, outside of graphics. I guess with Crytek gone, they might be doing something more here that I'm not aware of, as I haven't followed it. I mean, it's Ubisoft Montreal, and it's a big franchise, so it might be a good game... but good enough to distinguish itself from the rest of it's genre, and enough to put up with SecuROM? Plus, it seems like the console versions of Far Cry that this dev studio put out got hit with some pretty mediocre reviews.

Anyhow, my point on piracy/DRM stands. I could have just been trolling on the quality issue, but I'm not looking forward to it myself.

[ShivaX]

I don't know man, that whole franchise (if you include Crysis... which I do) just seemed to be one big tech demo.

Well they kind of were. This is the game made from all that tech (at least thats how its looking). I'm in the same boat as you. Farcry was cool for its technical aspects (being the first fps of its generation). Crysis, I never cared about, not even enough to download to try out on my new badass rig. Farcry2 looks pretty cool, though I'll wait on reviews. It has a lot of promise though.

[Smoof]

Having gone through two HDD crashes in the past couple of years, I have to wonder what happens to a "revoke" when you can't go through the "proper uninstallation" for whatever reason.

You download the crack.

Mass Effect did this to me when I put it on my laptop...so I just downloaded the crack and happily played away. It was THAT simple. Yeah, I bought the game, but hurray for uncrackable, difficult DRM which can be gotten around with a five minute google search.

[JayK47]

This will not affect my plans to buy Far Cry 2 in the slightest.
This game was made for PCs.

This is how I feel. I don't know why you would pick up the 360 version unless your PC is lacking in some way. Its not like DRM is only on PC. The 360 has it as well. DRM is here to stay. It hate it, but it won't go away unless we stop buying games that have it. And who is honestly willing to give up on gaming for DRM?

[Telefrog]

I don't know why you would pick up the 360 version unless your PC is lacking in some way.

Well, yeah. That's why a lot of people own consoles. Their PC's are either not up to snuff, and/or the owners don't want to bother or pay for the upgrade.

And who is honestly willing to give up on gaming for DRM?

Me. The day all PC games come out with limited installs or super-restrictive DRM with no benefit to me is the day I move on.

[Slack3r78]

I'm torn on whether I'll buy this still. I won't buy retail box games as a rule anymore (Fallout 3 collector's being an upcoming exception). I don't mind DRM, but I think including this activation crap on top of Steam is fucking stupid and I'm not happy about it.

On the other hand, I just bought $300 in computer hardware in anticipation of the fall gaming season, and I really have been looking forward to the title. I'm not sure what I'll do at this point.

[Kryopsis]

I just pre-ordered Far Cry 2 on Steam...

And yet I am against DRM and dislike Steam in general. I am going crazy for this game.