How did the OSP(-DRM) service influence your opinion on Silent Hunter V?

[janh]

How did the OSP & DRM service influence your opinion on Silent Hunter V? (I.e. how would you have rated the game had it not had this DRM?) Did it make you less or more critical towards the product of the game?

Note that this does NOT ask for the absolute rating you give, but only whether OSP-DRM added/distracted to/from the quality of the product! And this poll does not test whether you bought SHV exactly because it had OSP, nor whether you won't buy it because of it. And the purpose of this poll is neither to criticize nor to praise OSP-DRM.

Both posters that own the game and have first hand experience, and posters that have build an opinion based on facts from the reviews, previews and the user comments here in subsim are welcome to vote.

I tried to construct it in a neutral fashion. I hope this is an intersting poll and gives a few insights on the effect the OSP-DRM has on buyers and potential buyers.

(sorry Neal if this counts as another DRM thread.)

[Sailor Steve]

As far as I'm concerned it's the only factor. Everything else can be dealt with or not, in its own time.

[Nordmann]

Personally, it's a small hassle, an inconvenience that I'd rather not have. Thus far I've yet to experience any problems, but that's not to say I like it.

But to judge the game solely based on the net requirement, to my mind that is short sighted. I will judge the game based on its content, and from what I've seen, it's quite good.

[kylania]

Originally Posted by Nordmann

Personally, it's a small hassle, an inconvenience that I'd rather not have. Thus far I've yet to experience any problems, but that's not to say I like it.

But to judge the game solely based on the net requirement, to my mind that is short sighted. I will judge the game based on its content, and from what I've seen, it's quite good.

This. Though I have been unable to play the first two weekends, and I did lose a day of saves, but since the initial weekends the DRM has been quite unobtrusive, certainly not enough to explain the frothing of the anti-SH5 crowd any longer.

[Takeda Shingen]

Do we really need yet another poll to determine the public perception of DRM?

[Nordmann]

Originally Posted by Takeda Shingen

Do we really need yet another poll to determine the public perception of DRM?

Probably not, but then again, perception may well have changed since the last one was conducted. I think it's interesting to see where people currently stand, compared to a few weeks ago.

[Takeda Shingen]

Originally Posted by Nordmann

Probably not, but then again, perception may well have changed since the last one was conducted. I think it's interesting to see where people currently stand, compared to a few weeks ago.

Oh, okay. I wasn't aware that we were a data collection agency. Besides, I think that after countless polls asking exactly the same question, we have a pretty good idea of where people stand.

[janh]

Originally Posted by Takeda Shingen

Do we really need yet another poll to determine the public perception of DRM?

The previous polls tested "DRM", but if you read my description above, this one gauges something else: How DRM "skews" the perception of the original product to be sold. It does not question whether you like or dislike DRM etc. That is entirely different.

I am testing a hypothesis here: Over the past weeks I got the impression that despite the shortcomings and bugs of SHV, it would have been received at least as well as SHIV or SHIII, maybe even better, but only for the DRM on top of that most people really saw it as a much worse product. I know this would be only a tiny comfort to the developers, but if true it would indicate that this kind of "OSP" customer binding does cause significant damage to reputation, rating and sales. Many people do not support it, but may accept it as an unavoidable thing, but for those who would like to see Ubisoft change it policy, this could produce at least a result significant for this community of subsim fans. And maybe this would even be representative of a general customer basis.

[Nordmann]

Originally Posted by Takeda Shingen

Oh, okay. I wasn't aware that we were a data collection agency. Besides, I think that after countless polls asking exactly the same question, we have a pretty good idea of where people stand.

Well, if you want to split hairs, technically you are. All files, posts, pictures etc can be classed as data, collected into one place, here.

[Takeda Shingen]

Originally Posted by janh

The previous polls tested "DRM", but if you read my description above, this one gauges something else: How DRM "skews" the perception of the original product to be sold. It does not question whether you like or dislike DRM etc. That is entirely different.

I am testing a hypothesis here: Over the past weeks I got the impression that despite the shortcomings and bugs of SHV, it would have been received at least as well as SHIV or SHIII, maybe even better, but only for the DRM on top of that most people really saw it as a much worse product that it perhaps would be without the OSP-DRM. I know this would be only a tiny comfort to the developers, but if true it would indicate that this kind of "OSP" customer binding does cause significant damage to reputation, rating and sales.

Then what are your antecedent and threshold? A hypothesis must originate with a given, not an impression. Also, what will be your accepted margin of statistical error?

[Takeda Shingen]

Originally Posted by Nordmann

Well, if you want to split hairs, technically you are. All files, posts, pictures etc can be classed as data, collected into one place, here.

Polemics. We're talking about systematic data collection.

[Brag]

The game might be salvaged without OSP. OSP floats like Mafia cement shoes.

[janh]

Originally Posted by Takeda Shingen

Then what are your antecedent and threshold? A hypothesis must originate with a given, not an impression. Also, what will be your accepted margin of statistical error?

As said, my hypothesis is based on the impression that I got over the past weeks here. And a hypothesis does not have to be based on "a given", but can also be an idea etc you want to test. And for your 2nd question: statistical errors will likely be large, but this will nonetheless give you a general idea where the answer is going.
As you stated, this site does not perform systematical data gathering. But since at least one person from Ubisoft Romania visits this forum regulary, I hope that this "general idea" gets conveyed. If you wanted to do this poll in a professional manner, it wouldn't be possible here anyway as you can only have a single question per poll. You'd need to set up a combination of questions, that also cross-check the given answers on the crucial test, and give further details that can help to eliminate "false samples".

[Takeda Shingen]

Originally Posted by janh

As said, my hypothesis is based on the impression that I got over the past weeks here. And a hypothesis does not have to be based on "a given", but can also be an idea etc you want to test. And for your 2nd question: statistical errors will likely be large, but this will nonetheless give you a general idea where the answer is going.
As you stated, this site does not perform systematical data gathering. But since at least one person from Ubisoft Romania visits this forum regulary, I hope that this "general idea" gets conveyed. If you wanted to do this poll in a professional manner, it wouldn't be possible here anyway as you can only have a single question per poll. You'd need to set up a combination of questions, that also cross-check the given answers on the crucial test, and give further details that can help to eliminate "false samples".

Really, I don't want to sidetrack this, and I'll go away after this, unless there is some sort form of fisticuffs, and then I'll be back in official form. Still, it is worth noting that every hypothesis is postulated by the following statement: Given 'X', then 'Y'; where 'X' is known and proven, and 'Y' is that which is yet to be proven. It's been that way since Socrates.

[janh]

Originally Posted by Takeda Shingen

Really, I don't want to sidetrack this, and I'll go away after this, unless there is some sort form of fisticuffs, and then I'll be back in official form. Still, it is worth noting that every hypothesis is postulated by the following statement: Given 'X', then 'Y'; where 'X' is known and proven, and 'Y' is that which is yet to be proven. It's been that way since Socrates.

Well, no worries about sidetracking. It is a fun discussion. Of course I can reformulate my hypothesis in this way, too:

Given that "SHV" has OSP and a with it associated DRM, then I suspect that this leads to a significantly more negative reception of the game and even small issues induce buyers and potential buyers to criticize it much harsher than they would have without. Does this sound better now?