SimCity Burning: A Warning to Microsoft, Sony, and all publishers...

The Enigma · 03-11-13, 02:44 PM

An article that sounds familiar.

SimCity Burning: A Warning to Microsoft, Sony, and All Publishers on The Dangers of Always-Online DRM

It has been out for three days, and SimCity is broken. Seriously, unplayably
broken. As a long-time fan who's been looking forward to this week for many
years, this is a huge, frustrating disappointment. The worst part? The main
issue isn't with the game itself, but an entirely unnecessary and completely
avoidable always-online Digital Rights Management (DRM) system that's
keeping millions of fans from playing the game they paid for, when they were
told they'd be able to play it. If there is one good thing that comes of this
disaster, let it be yet another lesson to publishers like EA and
Activision/Blizzard, and platform owners Microsoft and Sony, who may be
considering always-on DRM in next-gen consoles or PC games: don't even
think about it. It's a pipe dream, and to attempt it is to invite an enthusiasm-
draining catastrophe with every single game launch.

Here's what the past 10 years of online DRM has taught anybody who's paid
the slightest bit of attention: it never works right, at least at first. And while
it might be largely successful in stopping piracy (as Diablo III effectively
has), it exacts a terrible price: the trust and enthusiasm of the most loyal
and enthusiastic gamers. These are the people who are dying to get their
hands on new games, the ones who eagerly spend on pricey collectors'
editions and DLC – all of it sight-unseen. If treated well, their word of mouth
buzz can generate more game sales than a site like IGN ever could. They are
also the ones who will always be affected most by the inevitable screwups
that always-online DRM will bring.

Read the full article here

Source: http://www.ign.com

GT182 · 03-11-13, 02:49 PM

Well, they never listen to the one's buying their products. It seems that they don't care if anything is broken or not... just push it out the door and get the money...... then let someone else fix it.

I can now understand why so many are going with console games, and walking away from the good ol pc games.

IMHO, it all boils down to greed.

August · 03-11-13, 02:53 PM

I would have loved to pick up the new Sim City game but i'm not supporting this crap. They come out with an offline version and I might change my mind but until then it's a non starter.

03-11-13, 04:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by August

I would have loved to pick up the new Sim City game but i'm not supporting this crap. They come out with an offline version and I might change my mind but until then it's a non starter.

Same here.

soopaman2 · 03-11-13, 04:56 PM

Not claiming firsthand knowledge, nor encouraging anyone...But typically on torrent sites, the DRM is busted long before the paid consumers get a patch to fix DRM issues.

Like your CD key not working, or your download not coming after buying. Having to sign into 2-3 different servers. etc..

I am not encouraging, just saying that anti piracy actions often make it less stressful to steal it.

Now the issues with the sims?

Pure EA greed.

Let steam sell it. oohh we think we are Blizzard....We wish we were starcraft, and could actually hold people hostage like they do.

Origin sucks, really bad client, really really really bad, maybe that is why EA fails.

That and the anti PC crusade they been on...

nikimcbee · 03-11-13, 04:57 PM

Quote:

They also want to dry out modding,

You are spot on with this. No name dropping here, but my experience has been modders are a thorn in a devs side

.

I don't know about it from a DRM point of view though.

nikimcbee · 03-11-13, 04:59 PM

Curious which DRM you prefer?

SSSSSSSStarforce

or

online-all-the-time DRM

or something else?

03-11-13, 05:07 PM

DRM is BS!

All they do is to make the life of paying customers harder. Pirates, usually, crack games very quickly. Just look at the SH5 DRM crap story for example. A crack was available ~3 days after release - when many customers could not even play because the Ubi servers failed.

Even the mighty Diablo III was finally cracked. You can play it on private servers, if I am nt mistaken. A friend just told me yesterday.

Also, this "must be online" thing is much more than just preventing the oh-so-bad piracy (they benefit more from it than you might think), it is a good tool to keep an eye on you. What you do, when you do it and why.

BF3 is a good example.

And personally, I find all that disgusting to the bone! This is why I totally avoid "AAA" titles nowadays and stick more and more with indie game developers for many reasons.

Usually:
- They listen to their community/develop it with the community
- They often don't punish you with DRM
- The games are waaaay cheaper than AAA titles (and better in my op.)
- They often grant quick acces (alpha/beta testing...)

Ubicrap, EA, Blizzard?
Dead meat for me!

03-11-13, 05:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nikimcbee

You are spot on with this. No name dropping here, but my experience has been modders are a thorn in a devs side

.

I don't know about it from a DRM point of view though.

I don't see why they would think that. Modding increases their sales, and most modders ask nothing for their work.

To flip the coin though, when someone mods and or shows how easy it was to fix, it does make the developers look pretty bad.

But on the flip side to that, usually its only those that mod their game that know, and for the most part, they are happy.

I honestly hate EA, the only games I've enjoyed from them in the past 2 years are BF3, Madden 13 (They actually made a really good leap this year, not looking foward to the next 5) and Sims. Other than that, they ruin every franchise, NFS used to be great, KOTOR was a great series. Deadspace 3, they turned into a crappy shooter, and they run it into the ground for the love of their precious money. It sums up their arrogance when after recieving the "Worst Company in America" award that the statement they gave was "We are just going to continue making award winning games". Screw them and their CEO.

The Enigma · 03-11-13, 02:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GT182

Well, they never listen to the one's buying their products. It seems that they don't care if anything is broken or not... just push it out the door and get the money...... then let someone else fix it.

I can now understand why so many are going with console games, and walking away from the good ol pc games.

IMHO, it all boils down to greed.

As far as I know, Console games are also moving towards online DRM.
No escape there.

Betonov · 03-11-13, 03:03 PM

I'd pay the retail price of the new Simcity for a Win7 compactibility patch for Simcity 4

Takeda Shingen · 03-11-13, 03:16 PM

I'm still hoping that EA will drop the DRM scheme in the wake of this hullabaloo, because I really want this game. Of course, this is EA that we are talking about; they're pretty much the douchiest company in gaming.

Oberon · 03-11-13, 03:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Takeda Shingen

I'm still hoping that EA will drop the DRM scheme in the wake of this hullabaloo, because I really want this game. Of course, this is EA that we are talking about; they're pretty much the douchiest company in gaming.

Same, I love the Settlers/Anno-esque situation in this game where industries supply other industries and so forth, but the DRM and the stupidly small city/town building size puts me off.

Takeda Shingen · 03-11-13, 03:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oberon

Same, I love the Settlers/Anno-esque situation in this game where industries supply other industries and so forth, but the DRM and the stupidly small city/town building size puts me off.

The plot size doesn't bother me, as I always thought the larger sizes in the previous titles were gratuitously large. I think that the point of the gameplay here is to have your regional cities supply each other, so that you don't have to have that scenario where your city is a self-contained island of humanity. So, here you can have a Las Vegas-style city that is supplied by a Los Angeles-sytle city. While they are not large, they are interconnected to a far greater degree which is, in my opinion, more realistic.

Dowly · 03-11-13, 05:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Takeda Shingen

I'm still hoping that EA will drop the DRM scheme in the wake of this hullabaloo, because I really want this game. Of course, this is EA that we are talking about; they're pretty much the douchiest company in gaming.

Sorry, not going to happen:
http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/10/ma...-not-possible/

03-11-13, 02:44 PM	#1
The Enigma Seer of visions Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Under the surface Posts: 2,315 Downloads: 31 Uploads: 0	SimCity Burning: A Warning to Microsoft, Sony, and all publishers... An article that sounds familiar. SimCity Burning: A Warning to Microsoft, Sony, and All Publishers on The Dangers of Always-Online DRM It has been out for three days, and SimCity is broken. Seriously, unplayably broken. As a long-time fan who's been looking forward to this week for many years, this is a huge, frustrating disappointment. The worst part? The main issue isn't with the game itself, but an entirely unnecessary and completely avoidable always-online Digital Rights Management (DRM) system that's keeping millions of fans from playing the game they paid for, when they were told they'd be able to play it. If there is one good thing that comes of this disaster, let it be yet another lesson to publishers like EA and Activision/Blizzard, and platform owners Microsoft and Sony, who may be considering always-on DRM in next-gen consoles or PC games: don't even think about it. It's a pipe dream, and to attempt it is to invite an enthusiasm- draining catastrophe with every single game launch. Here's what the past 10 years of online DRM has taught anybody who's paid the slightest bit of attention: it never works right, at least at first. And while it might be largely successful in stopping piracy (as Diablo III effectively has), it exacts a terrible price: the trust and enthusiasm of the most loyal and enthusiastic gamers. These are the people who are dying to get their hands on new games, the ones who eagerly spend on pricey collectors' editions and DLC – all of it sight-unseen. If treated well, their word of mouth buzz can generate more game sales than a site like IGN ever could. They are also the ones who will always be affected most by the inevitable screwups that always-online DRM will bring. Read the full article here Source: http://www.ign.com __________________

03-11-13, 02:49 PM	#2
GT182 Ocean Warrior Join Date: May 2005 Location: New Castle of Delaware Posts: 3,231 Downloads: 658 Uploads: 0	Well, they never listen to the one's buying their products. It seems that they don't care if anything is broken or not... just push it out the door and get the money...... then let someone else fix it. I can now understand why so many are going with console games, and walking away from the good ol pc games. IMHO, it all boils down to greed. __________________ Gary No Borders, No Language, No Culture =s No Country I'm a Deplorable, and proud of it.

03-11-13, 02:53 PM	#3
August Wayfaring Stranger Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 23,213 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	I would have loved to pick up the new Sim City game but i'm not supporting this crap. They come out with an offline version and I might change my mind but until then it's a non starter. __________________ Flanked by life and the funeral pyre. Putting on a show for you to see.

03-11-13, 04:56 PM	#5
soopaman2 Der Alte Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: New Jersey, USA Posts: 3,316 Downloads: 61 Uploads: 0	Not claiming firsthand knowledge, nor encouraging anyone...But typically on torrent sites, the DRM is busted long before the paid consumers get a patch to fix DRM issues. Like your CD key not working, or your download not coming after buying. Having to sign into 2-3 different servers. etc.. I am not encouraging, just saying that anti piracy actions often make it less stressful to steal it. Now the issues with the sims? Pure EA greed. Let steam sell it. oohh we think we are Blizzard....We wish we were starcraft, and could actually hold people hostage like they do. Origin sucks, really bad client, really really really bad, maybe that is why EA fails. That and the anti PC crusade they been on... __________________ If Hitler invaded Hell I would make at least a favourable reference to the devil in the House of Commons. -Winston Churchill- The most fascinating man in the world.

03-11-13, 04:59 PM	#7
nikimcbee Fleet Admiral Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Patroling the Slot. Posts: 17,952 Downloads: 90 Uploads: 0	Curious which DRM you prefer? SSSSSSSStarforce or online-all-the-time DRM or something else? __________________

03-11-13, 05:07 PM	#8
Nippelspanner Stowaway Posts: n/a Downloads: Uploads:	DRM is BS! All they do is to make the life of paying customers harder. Pirates, usually, crack games very quickly. Just look at the SH5 DRM crap story for example. A crack was available ~3 days after release - when many customers could not even play because the Ubi servers failed. Even the mighty Diablo III was finally cracked. You can play it on private servers, if I am nt mistaken. A friend just told me yesterday. Also, this "must be online" thing is much more than just preventing the oh-so-bad piracy (they benefit more from it than you might think), it is a good tool to keep an eye on you. What you do, when you do it and why. BF3 is a good example. And personally, I find all that disgusting to the bone! This is why I totally avoid "AAA" titles nowadays and stick more and more with indie game developers for many reasons. Usually: - They listen to their community/develop it with the community - They often don't punish you with DRM - The games are waaaay cheaper than AAA titles (and better in my op.) - They often grant quick acces (alpha/beta testing...) Ubicrap, EA, Blizzard? Dead meat for me!

03-11-13, 03:03 PM	#11
Betonov Navy Seal Join Date: May 2009 Location: Slovenia Posts: 8,647 Downloads: 26 Uploads: 0	I'd pay the retail price of the new Simcity for a Win7 compactibility patch for Simcity 4

03-11-13, 03:16 PM	#12
Takeda Shingen Navy Seal Join Date: Mar 2000 Posts: 8,643 Downloads: 19 Uploads: 0	I'm still hoping that EA will drop the DRM scheme in the wake of this hullabaloo, because I really want this game. Of course, this is EA that we are talking about; they're pretty much the douchiest company in gaming.