Ubisofts DRM servers fail -

[Hellshade 110]

Thank you OBD for not choosing this method of copy protection.

 

http://pc.ign.com/articles/107/1075124p1.html

 

Hellshade

[UK_Widowmaker 571]

Tossers!

[Von Paulus 8]

And eventually it will be cracked...

[Hasse Wind 46]

Wasn't it already cracked? I remember reading something about it on some other forum or news site a few days ago.

 

I understand why developers want to use DRM, but what Ubisoft has done goes too far, in my opinion. Customers have rights too.

[Rickitycrate 10]

I hate to speculate but I will forever be a fan of OBD and whatever measures they take in this regard I will support. I only hope my rig will run P4.

[Slartibartfast 153]

DRM has been cracked which I may suspect is the reason the Ubisoft servers have gone ahem off-line so that Ubisoft can do upgrades etc...

[UK_Widowmaker 571]

Ridiculous!...Steam games are often Cracked..Little doubt (if enough people were interested) ROF could get Cracked...and so will Ubisoft!.....the pirates still get what they want...and the rest of us suffer! (so whats new?)

Edited March 9, 2010 by UK_Widowmaker

[Von Paulus 8]

No it wasn't fully cracked.

They state that the servers are down because they are being attacked.

 

If OBD chooses to go to this Draconian DRM, I still will support them. If BIS choose this path I'll also support them. But no one else.

Edited March 9, 2010 by Von Paulus

[OvS 8]

Software protection being what it is, you have to weigh the gains versus losses. If you sell 50K units of sales and 500 of thoses units are cracked, then you have a 1% loss. It's not worth going after the hi-tech lock-down servers and DRM's over 1%. But... if your at 10 or 20% loss due to piracy, that's another story.

 

DRM's also alienate a certain percentage of users, as well as all the server protections bogging down the legal users. It's really a tough call in today's day and age. But like CoD5 shows... simply make a product that sells so much that you eat the percentage of losses... then ban the pirates on the servers by constantly updating the product with little tweaks offered to licensed/registered copies only.

 

Most pirates crack the release product... although some will follow with the updates, but many loose the 'thrill' of cracking the updates, after the main program is complete.

 

OvS

 

 

 

 

[Hasse Wind 46]

Let's hope OBD continues to do well enough in the future so that there's never need for any such DRM in OFF. But I seriously doubt the right way to fight against piracy is to punish your paying customers. All developers should rather try to make their games such that they reward their customers who actually buy their software, and not make them pay for those jerks who practice piracy.

 

When I buy a DVD and put it into the player, it always feels idiotic to watch through a couple of minutes of commercials that tell me "Piracy is bad, okay? Don't be a pirate!" Why am I forced to watch such idiocy when the guy who downloads the movie free from the net has no such problems? Do they think I bought the movie because I wan't to start making illegal copies of it?

[itifonhom 6]

   Well, I am still willing to buy AC2, just because the first part was absolutely wonderful. I will give this chance to Ubisoft but:

 

           Since I´m no longer 20 y/o, I don´t "have" to play any games, I enjoy pc games like a good wine, must be enjoyable but don´t have to get drunk! If Ubi spoil this then certainly won´t buy AC3, no matter how good it is going to be. I stopped playing the Silent Hunter series after part 3 because I was really frustrated with a half finished beta rather than a game. I find that this market is big enough to find the right games and more developers come in to fill the gaps or take advantage of the others mistakes. I don´t support piracy but I don´t care about piracy either. As I don´t care if there´s a thief in the supermarket. I just want to go there, buy my wine and enjoy it, not having a police officer over my head!

 

    And of course this battle is already lost for any developer since there is always the same pattern. A smalteam of programmers against the whole world! How do they hope they will have the perfect protection? Never happened and it´s never going to happen. 

 

 

 

    Although Ubi says only 5% of gamers was affected it seems that it was rather BIG 5%!!!!

 

 

 

 

                                           Anastasios.

Edited March 9, 2010 by itifonhom

[Siggi 10]

I hold every single big developer and publisher in the utmost contempt. There is not one...single...thing they do that isn't entirely focused on material gain (money). No morality, integrity, concern for the customer or pride in the work. It's just about the...money.

 

I find that particular species of human being quite revolting.

[Winston DoRight 3]

We as PC gamers, and above all consumers, cannot allow this form of DRM to succeed. I am not purchasing titles that require such intrusive and objectionable DRM. If I have to be logged in to any server just to play in single player....... they won't get my money. We must unite and make our voices heard. Don't let this type of DRM take seed and grow uncontrolled like a weed. If these greedy companies see the money they are losing and the customers that are not purchasing their products, they will take a more reasonable approach to copy protection.

[MikeDixonUK 5]

The funny thing is that I recently bought both Napoleon: Total War and Silent Hunter 5, and NTWs Steam has been more annoying than Ubisofts DRM, in that I haven't had a single problem with the Ubi DRM on SH5 up to now (guess I've just been lucky), but got very annoyed with NTW due to the fact that I pre ordered it, the postman delivered it the day before release, but the all mighty computer said "No playing for you petty Human, you must wait until Midnight!" (Surely part of the point of pre-ordering is that you sometimes get the game before release and get to play it early.)

 

Don't for a moment think that I in any way agree with the Ubisoft DRM, mind, they both need a good kick up the whatsit. (The annoying thing is that I've found both games highly enjoyable thus far, go figure.)

[+matt milne 5]

ovs is absolutely right. the best way to avoid or nulify the effects of piracy, is to use talent to make a great product that people will pay a lot of money to own legit.

even if piracy figures are high, you're still earning enough not to tar your customers with the same brush.

 

game production is about bringing talented people together and making something the public will enjoy (and spend their good money for the experience) it's a sustainable business model that survives any economic and industry crisis for decades.

[carrick58 23]

Just my 3 cents, In General I agree that Ubi softs DRM is a bit much. I also stay away from games with that kind of approach to security. There will always be crooks and people that are thrilled to crack a code. Additionally, there are people that are all about money which is why I dont care for lawyer s much. In conclusion, Gameing is like a fine wine or a great meal with your love ones. It is to be savored and shared.

 

 

[ConradB 0]

THat DRM is why I haven't bothered with getting Silent Hunter V. Graphically beautiful, with the water and weather and pyrotechnics, but I think I'll wait until or if they decide to drop it. If they don't, I guess I don't need the game that bad. I like pluggin' around the Pacific myself. Nicr girls on those islands in the Pacific. Ahhhhhhhhh Tahiti.

[UK_Widowmaker 571]

I agree with Siggi...it's all about Greed.

 

Whilst I appreciate the piracy concerns of Multi National HUGE corporations (do I feel sorry for Microsoft Windows being Pirated?...Not hugely if I am perfectly honest)...Would I feel sorry for the OBD guys if they suffered Piracy?...Of course I would!

 

The Music and Film Industry are the same...remember the 'Home taping is Killing Music' rant of the 80's?

Well...guess what?...the Music Industry is still alive! (and if Simon Cowell is anything to go by) doing rather well thank you very much!!!!

 

I am convinced now, that ridiculous levels of Copywrite protection, probably lose more revenue, than is lost to Piracy...the bad Kama that Ubisoft have now hoisted on themselves, and the Anti-Ubisoft lobby that is growing, both on the Net..and in PC Magazines, will damage Ubisoft's credibility far more than the money they may/may not have saved by doing what they have done (IMHO of course)

[itifonhom 6]

    Well, I am the kind of gamers that, if a title is that good, and I find lot of titles that good as my wife always complains, then it has to be on my gaming shelf, among all the other great games of the last 15 or so years. An example for me is Crysis.  I played the whole game through at a internet cafe while on vacation in Greece and was so amazed that when I got back home, I bought the game and put it on the shelf but never got it installed. I knew I´m never gonna play it again but still, it had to be in my collection! Assassins Creed 3? I don´t know yet. Maybe no, as Silent Hunter V won´t ever be.

 

 

 

 

                                 Anastasios.

 

 

[OvS 8]

I am convinced now, that ridiculous levels of Copywrite protection, probably lose more revenue, than is lost to Piracy...the bad Kama that Ubisoft have now hoisted on themselves, and the Anti-Ubisoft lobby that is growing, both on the Net..and in PC Magazines, will damage Ubisoft's credibility far more than the money they may/may not have saved by doing what they have done (IMHO of course)

 

Your point is spot on Widow, and backs what I am saying... but it's not all about greed, as much as it's now becoming a war that the designers can't win, and shouldn't even try to fight. If a game gets 'posted' (those who know, KNOW what I mean)... chances are, it's already been through the mill, and may not even work. But how many users actually get this version... not many. The 1% of people out there that even know how to do this is so small, that it's not worth the trouble of protecting the software to that extent. There are only a handful of well known pirates that produce stuff that is good quality. If these companies really want to make a statement... they could. If I know where they are, com'on... they do to.

 

With all this high-level DRM stuff.... like you said, you wind up killing your reputation as a customer friendly company, like Ubisoft used to be, and are now considerd a burden to the newbie. It's all about bringing in new players. It's not about closing them out with insanely hard, or technical securities, that bog down their connections with constant secutiry checks.

 

I do agree with keeping the servers secure though, and protecting the users that are logged on to it. But to have to be connected to a server just to play single player versions is really pathetic. Let the pirates have at the software... it's like when you were 18 (or 21 depending on your age)... the thrill of tricking that store owner to letting you buy beer underage dropped off the day you turned of age. It's no longer fun at that point.

 

Hence why no one hacks FireFox... AVG.. etc. Why bother... it's free. What the hell's the point.

 

What they should do... offer the main version at a lower price, then you pay as you play, or monthly fees to be logged on to to the MP side of the game. Like the new Star Trek... at $15 a month, that's a lot of profit rolling in with the number of active MP users well into the 1,000's. I'd be hard-pressed to stiff the few SP players if the game is really based on an MP format. Then boost the securites of the MP side, and make it robust so the odd SP player that is weary of trying MP, at least feels confident he won't get hacked when he finally makes the move to MP. The Hackers would be bored with this. Where is the pleasure in hacking a cheap SP game that needs to be logged on and paid for to play MP? The updates and security checks would come the moment you logged on to the MP side, and paid for your subscription.

 

Seems like a logical business model to me.

 

OvS

[redwolf 19]

    An example for me is Crysis.  I played the whole game through at a internet cafe while on vacation in Greece and was so amazed that when I got back home, I bought the game and put it on the shelf but never got it installed. I knew I´m never gonna play it again

 

Sorry, OT, but - I would STRONGLY recommend you reinstall it and try this new entry into the world of gaming bliss: http://www.mechlivinglegends.net/ - Wow, is this incredibly fun and very well done! Run, don't walk to reinstall Crysis!

 

Edited March 10, 2010 by redwolf

[UK_Widowmaker 571]

Sorry, OT, but - I would STRONGLY recommend you reinstall it and try this new entry into the world of gaming bliss: http://www.mechlivinglegends.net/ - Wow, is this incredibly fun and very well done! Run, don't walk to reinstall Crysis!

 

 

There's where it loses it for me!..Crysis, when fighting the Humans was fantastic!...as soon as you add daft Aliens, and big metal Robots..I'm outta there

[OvS 8]

Sorry, OT, but - I would STRONGLY recommend you reinstall it and try this new entry into the world of gaming bliss: http://www.mechlivinglegends.net/ - Wow, is this incredibly fun and very well done! Run, don't walk to reinstall Crysis!

 

 

 

WOW!!! Mechwarrior!!! Man, I used to love that game! Trudging across the land in a Mad Dog with Clan Wolf... great game!

 

Maybe I'll find the time some day (yeah right) and load this myself.

 

OvS

[Wels 2]

Hello,

i have not been able to play SH V for now 3 days due to whatever problem UBIsoft servers have - maybe DDOS attacks, too much unexpected traffic or sheer imcompetence - but you know what ? I don't give a damn because if this is the way DRM goes in the future they lose me completely. There's enough else in the world to do than fuzzing around with buggy software that is additionally rendered unusable due to DRM "models". Pirates will never buy a sim. People who like games, will. It is not even about money, but arrogance and pride. I feel sorry for the devs though.

 

I as a customer have more hazzles than someone playing the pirated offline version. It works, it is just people should at least read the readme lol. You can guess what i will do when this sim remains unplayable for two more days. And this will be my last word on that here, and the last sim i bought from UBI.

 

Greetings,

Catfish

[Winston DoRight 3]

........... and big metal Robots..I'm outta there

 

I love big metal Robots!