The gawd-almighty merged DRM in Silent Hunter V thread

[SubV]

I'm a computer engineer. The basic rule of reliability of complex systems says: "Every system is only as reliable as its weakest link".

Speaking of standard single player game, we have two major factors that affect overall reliability: a computer hardware and game software.

In addition to that, SH5 will introduce two new factors: a stability of your internet connection AND reliability of server-side technology. And I consider these new factors as weakest part of whole system.

[JScones]

Originally Posted by Neal Stevens

You know, exactly. It's a damn shame that instead of trying to stop piracy, or at least lay the blame for the need of copy protection on pirates, so many people rally against the game company.

Yes, because game publishers certainly have no ulterior motives at all with implementing this technology...

Take-Two has said that it is getting more and more frustrated by second hand sales in stores like GameStop and GameStation, according to GI.biz.

As such, the publisher said, it is increasingly moving towards online authentication systems to try and combat second-hand sales, as well as releasing DLC that encourages players to keep hold of their games.

Second-hand sales have long been a contentious issue for the industry as although they push up sales figures and profits for the stores, the publishers and developers accrue no extra profit from them.

"GameStop continues to aggressively push their used game business, which is having a meaningful negative impact on sales of new games," noted analyst Doug Creutz after consulting with Take-Two CEO Ben Feder.

"Management is frustrated with this trend and is examining ways to ameliorate the problem, which includes strategies around online play and downloadable content which extend the lifespan of AAA titles.”

If one of the ways that the company hopes to eliminate second-hand sales is by linking games into online systems like Games for Windows Live and Rockstar Social Club however then we’ll be sorely disappointed.

Not much concern here from Take-Two about pirates, but God damn those evil game resellers...

[TarJak]

Originally Posted by JScones

Not much concern here from Take-Two about pirates, but God damn those evil game resellers...

Yep nothing worse than those people who think that because they pay for something they own it and can then sell it on to someone else.

EDIT: Oooh I "own" two copies of SH4, neither of which I paid for (both were gifts). Does that mean I can't sell it on or give it to a needy subsimmer if I so choose?

[THE_MASK]

Originally Posted by TarJak

Yep nothing worse than those people who think that because they pay for something they own it and can then sell it on to someone else.

EDIT: Oooh I "own" two copies of SH4, neither of which I paid for (both were gifts). Does that mean I can't sell it on or give it to a needy subsimmer if I so choose?

2 copies of uboat addon and a silent hunter 4 mouse pad as gifts .

[Adriatico]

Originally Posted by Steeltrap

True, but there has to be a better way than forcing constant internet connection for a 1 player game.

Periodic online verification? OK, can understand that.

No off-line play mode between repeat verifications?
Really, really stupid and insufferably intrusive (what a lovely piece of alliteration ).

+1 ... Ubi, it's time to wake up and use brain !

[martes86]

Originally Posted by Neal Stevens

You know, exactly. It's a damn shame that instead of trying to stop piracy, or at least lay the blame for the need of copy protection on pirates, so many people rally against the game company.

I won't ever blame companies for using anti-piracy measures, as long as they don't screw me up, like what happened with Starforce (overdrove one of my DVD drives, now it won't stop making noise), or like it's going to happen with OSP (which takes my right to play offline alone and anonimously off the window).

Seriously, they can put Securom or whatever they want in it. I don't care about it if it doesn't bother me or my rig. But OSP ain't good, just like Starforce wasn't either.

Cheers.

[JScones]

I remember Securom now - for that very brief period that I had SH4 installed. I remember now that every second time I tried to load SH4 I got some Securom error saying my disc was unreadable.

I remember now that it was one of the contributing factors to SH4 being removed from my hard drive so quickly.

[Stiebler]

My wife just drew to my attention the fact that, if I am continuously connected for hours to Ubisoft to play SH5, then she is not going to be able to do any internet shopping.

No one else seems to have mentioned this disadvantage anywhere.
Thinks.....

Is that an advantage or a disadvantage?

I cannot resist also noting the irony that, while browsing this very thread just two days ago (1 Feb, 10am London Time, 5am US Eastern Time), the SubSim web-site froze with a 'Database Error'. Perhaps while the server was being serviced/maintained.

That clearly is a disadvantage to the 'play always connected' theme, as others have already noted. But it's always useful to be able to cite actual examples.

Stiebler.

[Adriatico]

Keep your PC and family - yours...

[Brag]

Five stars!

Moo

[Arclight]

^

-------

Stiebler, I think playing SH5 while your wife empties your wall.. *cough* I mean, does some shopping online, is not going to be an issue. There should be very little traffic between the game and the server, same is true for the shopping.

Would be a different story if you were playing a multiplayer game, or have a download going in the background; those can definitely interfere with other connections.



But the game isn't out yet, so don't take my word for it. That's just how it should be.

For every corporate anti-piracy device there is a plenthora of willing hackers to take up the challange of showing them their Titanic is indeed sinkable.
If the trend of this DRM continous like this the next step will be that you have to pay a fee each time you start a session in your single player game.
Getting punished as a consumer under the pretence that its the piracys fault they have to do this is akin to limiting cars to not be able to go faster then 100 km/h because of all those that speed....

[urfisch]

this topic makes me...

[martes86]

Originally Posted by JScones

I remember Securom now - for that very brief period that I had SH4 installed. I remember now that every second time I tried to load SH4 I got some Securom error saying my disc was unreadable.

I remember now that it was one of the contributing factors to SH4 being removed from my hard drive so quickly.

I said Securom for it being one of the most well-known systems. Truth is, that ever since Starforce, I've lost track of what anty-copy systems are currently being used, but surely I could have used any other name, and it'd still sound right. My point was that, almost anything is preferred instead of OSP.

[Onkel Neal]

Originally Posted by Stiebler

My wife just drew to my attention the fact that, if I am continuously connected for hours to Ubisoft to play SH5, then she is not going to be able to do any internet shopping.

No one else seems to have mentioned this disadvantage anywhere.
Thinks.....

Is that an advantage or a disadvantage?

I cannot resist also noting the irony that, while browsing this very thread just two days ago (1 Feb, 10am London Time, 5am US Eastern Time), the SubSim web-site froze with a 'Database Error'. Perhaps while the server was being serviced/maintained.

That clearly is a disadvantage to the 'play always connected' theme, as others have already noted. But it's always useful to be able to cite actual examples.

Stiebler.

You're a modder, maybe you can mod the game so everytime you sink something, a popup appears with ebay sale items for your wife to choose from?