The gawd-almighty merged DRM in Silent Hunter V thread

[Rosencrantz]

And why this topic is not sticky anymore?

Things are getting too hot (which might be, of course, bad for future sell figures) or what..?


-RC-

[trenken]

Originally Posted by ParaB

Trenken, your reasoning is so naive that I'm beginning to wonder if you're some kind of viral marketing stunt.

Please list the games you've played that uses DRM, and please inform me of any bad experiences you've had. I've played 4 games that use it, not a single issue to report.

[tater]

Originally Posted by trenken

No, it allows them to create their own expansions and actually try to turn a decent profit on this franchise. When they can make more money, thats good for us too you know. Thats means we get more games.

None of us knows if this would have been the end of the road for SH, its certainly always possible in a genre like this. But if they can put a great expansion out, get a bunch of us to buy it, well that certainly helps raise the chances for SH6. Or if SH6 was going to happen either way, then it gives them some more $$ to dump into it. That works for me.

Thats how I look at things. I dont think about things in just the short term all the time, all negative about everything, hanging on to the past, only worried about myself. I actually want them to make as much money as possible, and ill give some of mine to them if I feel the expansions are good enough. Many people will regardless. You dont have to buy SH5 if you dont want.

I don't begrudge them profit, before this DRM nonsense I would have bought this AND NEVER PLAYED IT just to give some money to the devs.

Regardless, they can make add-ons, fine. The trouble is that they have a history of making ZERO games or add-ons that are even remotely accurate historically. The SH4 stock campaign is 100% rubbish. Not worth playing. It is my understanding that SH3 was no better in this regard. So that means for those of us that wish a simulation are simply SOL without mods.

So what you are saying is that this is a great idea as long as the customer wants an arcade game experience, not a sub-sim. You may be right, but in this forum, I think you'll find yourself vastly outnumbered.

Or are you making some point I'm missing?

[bigboywooly]

Spore was the biggest pirated game of 08 BECAUSE of DRM
Go figure
And you havent had much dealings with the SH series if you think no mods will mean UBI will step up and release addons

Customer support ends real quick after release even if bugs still present
Which is why modding so important on these games

[Thomen]

Originally Posted by trenken

Guild Wars, Spore, Fallout 3 (single player only by the way), just bought MAss Effect 2 (also single player only).

Works great in all of them. A slow satellite connection make no difference with a single player only DRM game, because game data from other player is not being streamed to you, its only for stat tracking, game updates and saves.

GW is a MMO. Care to share with us how you can enable the single player mode so that you can play without outside interference.

The slow, unstable and not always avalaible satellite connection does makes a different, if you can not connect to the satellite in the first place through external influences.

Mass Effect 2 DRM:

Originally Posted by Bioware

The boxed/retail PC version of Mass Effect 2 will use only a basic disk check and it will not require online authentication.

Fallout 3 DRM:

Originally Posted by Bethesda

"We do NOT limit the number of installs. We do NOT use online authentication or any other SecuROM functionality except for a disc check when you install the game and when you launch the game"

Spore DRM:

Originally Posted by Maxis

A few things we wanted you to know:

• We authenticate your game online when you install and launch it the first time.
• We'll re-authenticate when a player uses online features, downloads new content or a patch for their game.
• The new system means you don't have to play with the disc in your computer. And if you are like me, always losing discs, this will be a huge benefit.
• You'll still be able to install and play on multiple computers.
• You can play offline.

Where exactly was the DRM that requires a constant internet connection again?

When I found out about the game ending in May 1943 and there only being one U-boat I was annoyed but quickly got over it. I have been playing since SH2 and was determined to make the best of it and assumed that there would be DLC or Mods to add the extra content.

But this new Online DRM has completely ruined the game and I have not even played it yet. I understand that Ubi has to protect its self against piracy but this is too much. Why punish gamers in this way, it will not bother the pirates who will crack the game within a few days and avoid the online rubbish.

My only hope is that Ubisoft will read the backlash on this and the official forums and the Assassins Creed forums and reconsider what I can only see as a complete disaster.

This DRM has all the disadvantages of STEAM and none of the benefits.

I can imagine the complete chaos on the 4th March when thousands of gamers attempt to play SHV for the first time, I will not be one of them.

[Rosencrantz]

Tater wrote:

The trouble is that they have a history of making ZERO games or add-ons that are even remotely accurate historically. The SH4 stock campaign is 100% rubbish. Not worth playing. It is my understanding that SH3 was no better in this regard. So that means for those of us that wish a simulation are simply SOL without mods.

Exactly!

It's bad UBI is closing modders out. Because, what happened to III and IV without the mods? A sudden death?


-RC-

[karamazovnew]

Originally Posted by trenken

Guild Wars, Spore, Fallout 3 (single player only by the way), just bought MAss Effect 2 (also single player only).

Works great in all of them. A slow satellite connection make no difference with a single player only DRM game, because game data from other player is not being streamed to you, its only for stat tracking, game updates and saves.

Fallout 3:

"We do NOT limit the number of installs. We do NOT use online authentication or any other SecuROM functionality except for a disc check when you install the game and when you launch the game," reads a Bethesda blog post about the DRM.

"We do not install any other programs and we don't have anything that runs in the background while you're playing the game."

Mass Effect 2:

Digital Rights Management (DRM) - The boxed/retail PC version of Mass Effect 2 will use only a basic disk check and it will not require online authentication. This is the same method as Dragon Age: Origins. Digital versions will use the retailers protection system.

Spore:

A few things we wanted you to know:
We authenticate your game online when you install and launch it the first time.
We'll re-authenticate when a player uses online features, downloads new content or a patch for their game.
The new system means you don't have to play with the disc in your computer. And if you are like me, always losing discs, this will be a huge benefit.
You'll still be able to install and play on multiple computers.
You can play offline.

Guild Wars:

It's a bloody MMORPG!!!!


So really now... stop talking nonsense....


EDIT: roflamo... 10 seconds too late , You beat me Thomen.

[trenken]

Originally Posted by tater

I don't begrudge them profit, before this DRM nonsense I would have bought this AND NEVER PLAYED IT just to give some money to the devs.

Regardless, they can make add-ons, fine. The trouble is that they have a history of making ZERO games or add-ons that are even remotely accurate historically. The SH4 stock campaign is 100% rubbish. Not worth playing. It is my understanding that SH3 was no better in this regard. So that means for those of us that wish a simulation are simply SOL without mods.

So what you are saying is that this is a great idea as long as the customer wants an arcade game experience, not a sub-sim. You may be right, but in this forum, I think you'll find yourself vastly outnumbered.

Or are you making some point I'm missing?

Here's what im saying. We can all agree that sub sims arent exactly hugely popular correct? Well what does that mean? That their profit on these games must be fairly low, its certainly not high.

To support a game, build a great campaign, release updates and expansions, etc...you need money to get that done. Look at Halo as just 1 example, its a money making machine, and it receives constant patches, new maps, expansions, etc... all these popular games do these days.

DRM is a way for them to control what can be done with the game, which allows them to put out expansions and charge for them, release updates more easily... its done nothing but work out fine for every games ive played.

What else does it do? Allows them to release their own dev tools to the community through the server which they could charge for, such as was done with Oblivion, another DRM game, this was done with Halo as well with The Forge, although it was free in that, shipped with it.

There are plenty of upsides to DRM, you're just not willing to see them for the simple fact that its different, and people hate change. Youll see soon enough it will all be fine.

[Greg Wak]

I would be 100% for this if it stopped all piracy cold dead. But as far as I know, nothing has done that. Even Wow apparently has fake servers you can play for free, at least I have read that in other DRM threads. Was ROF pirated at all? I have no idea. So once again this will inconvienence legitimate owners and do very little for stopping piracy. I wish they could find another answer. SH3 became unusable for me as starforce would not work with Vista 64. I understand I could buy a new version without it but just the idea of having to buy it twice infuriates me. UBI has said if they want to take down the servers in the future they will release a patch so you can play offline. I have been told that that means pirates will find a way to emulate that patch now. So the DRM will not even do what it's supposed to do, stop piracy.

[Thomen]

Originally Posted by karamazovnew

EDIT: roflamo... 10 seconds too late , You beat me Thomen.

[trynnallen]

Looks like I get to keep my $60. Might have spent it for a game that didn't require full time connections, but for this. Nope. Looks like SHIV and I will be sinking ships until Microsoft screws up and decides to change a DirectX format.

[Rosencrantz]

Dear Trenken,

and what about mods? Without mods there was no continuous SH brand, I bet. Why are you so keen on DRM? Why?


-RC-

[badkarma]

Yes, listen to Trenken.
He may not even know that his games don't have this type of constantly connected DRM (nice work Thomen and karamazovnew) but he is an expert on all these matters

[trenken]

Originally Posted by Rosencrantz

Dear Trenken,

and what about mods? Without mods there was no continuous SH brand, I bet. Why are you so keen on DRM? Why?


-RC-

Because I have over 2000 total hours logged on 3 games that use it, and it works great, thats why. How many hours do you have logged on it hmmm?

I already said im well aware it kills the modding community, but if it lets me get more SH games, maybe a dev tool I can buy to make my own stuff, maybe an expansion or 2, ill take it.