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News Room Contributor  Posts: 3670 Joined: 12 Nov 2002 | |
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Anonymous Source Posts: 10 Joined: 21 Jan 2008 | The 3 validation limit is still a bitch, if they provide a way of deactivating it from one computer so you get one of your 3 back then it'd be slightly less painful, but if its literally 3 installs then go beg tech support for any more then I can see a lot of people using them up very quickly and being very annoyed when they can't reinstall again. If you install on 2 machines and have one fail at any point... that's your 3 activations gone. The whole thing is enough to make me think they planned from the start to start out incredibly unreasonable, then "listen to the fans". There was furore over Bioshock's DRM when it was the first thing we were presented with, but since they started out even worse then dropped back to "only as bad as Bioshock" suddenly it was all OK I say keep up the stream of pressure and push them back to something sane. |
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Gone Gonzo  Posts: 2300 Joined: 28 Nov 2007 |
I think you're misunderstanding it. The "three installations" thing doesn't apply to reinstallations on the same machine. It only applies to installations on three different machines. |
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BANNED  Posts: 102 Joined: 1 Mar 2008 | Doesn't sound like a problem for me at least; I only have the room and the money to own one gaming PC, and anyone who for whatever reason possesses more than one, why would you want the game installed multiple times? It's single-player only isn't it? Surely you'd just install it on whichever machine has the better specs? Besides, they're not stopping you from being able to install it on more than 3 PCs if you really have to, and if you can't face up to the annoyance of getting customer services to sort it out then take some deep breaths, relax, and put the whale music on - it won't be long before the cracks come out, and you'll be able to install and run your legitimate copy of Mass Effect for the PC on 50 machines without having to make a single call. I know it's fashionable to diss the large corporate wherever possible, but criticizing them for the whole "showing us they're listening" thing is kind of grasping. That's just smart PR politics, and the fact is they do that because they're out to make money and thus they care about their image, and what is wrong with that? If they didn't give a shit what we paying customers thought they wouldn't have even bothered with any of it. User was banned for: Zero Punctuation: Mailbag Showdown. (Permanent) |
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Copy Clerk Posts: 91 Joined: 12 Oct 2006 | The problem with having a 3-install limit is that there are plenty of scenarios where you hit th ewall. I'll give myself as an example: I bought a new gaming PC six months ago, but was having major problems with it. Among other things it crashed a few times and I had to reinstall Windows. Assuming I had owned Mass Effect, since the machine crashed I couldn't de-authenticate, which would mean I'd be down to 2 installs. Disregarding the chance for another such problem and reinstall, what happens if my motherboard gets toasted? Will it take another of my precious installs? I happen to live in Israel, where the time difference and long distance phone call prices, as well as language barriers, make it difficult for me to get more installations from EA reps. Also, claiming that I should wait for cracks is stupid, as we're talking about using legitimate methods. I could just as easily download a pirated copy and absolve myself of all of this nonsense, but I don't want to... Should I therefore be punished? |
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Copy Clerk Posts: 72 Joined: 12 Sep 2007 | Oh, so they've dropped back to the Bioshock System of Complete Bollocks(tm), 'ey? That one started out with two systems, then got upgraded to five, plus a ridiculous validation tool which took months to develop and further customer support where the buyer has to pass the "2K Administrative System" so that he/she gets an extra install... maybe. I guess the boys at SecuRom tested some stats from there and found three + "EA Administrative System" to be a good compromise, no? I am sorry, Bioware, but I will not buy a game for 50-60 Euros which essentially becomes a drinks coaster after two hard disk crashes and where I have to effing contact EA to get the next fix. That is, if the game even *wants* to install or start. Example? Recently, I have bought an AOpen DVD-RW drive after my previous DVD-RW died and apparently, my two SecuRom-protected games do not like that: my - legitimate - copies of F.E.A.R. and Fable (the Lost Chapters) no longer want to start from the new DVD-RW drive. What's next? Instead of buying a Disc to install the game from, do we get a few "Game Vouchers" which are "Good for One Game Install" and a paper with EA's Customer Support coordinates? Oh, wait, that's exactly what we're getting now. Edit: oh yeah, almost forgot - this kind of Piss-Poor Protection(R) also kills the second hand market. If you install the game and then, for some reason, want to sell it as second hand via the shops, the potential buyers will be looking at a game that can only be installed on up to two more systems before they have to talk to mommy, err, EA. |
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Paperboy  Posts: 35 Joined: 5 Nov 2007 | I don't like those systems. In the end it will happens as it always happens. It will be pirated, hacked, dodged, etc. Rule number something of the internet: if exists, it will be pirated. Save money on protection, make the game cheaper and more worthy (paper manuals anyone?) and sell a proper game, not a ripoff. |
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Muckraker  Posts: 315 Joined: 22 Mar 2008 | Ah. I see. EA is being an idiot again. Now, you and 2 friends can pool for a game and share it on your computers. Nice. Jeez, STEAM is a better idea. I mean, yeah, big file, but the fact is that it's better because it's more trustworthy. Plus in-game chat. |
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Copy Clerk Posts: 72 Joined: 12 Sep 2007 |
Sure, but after that: no more game. Your 60 Euros/Dollars DVD is now officially a coaster. You and your friends better not crash their HDDs... |
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Recurring Validation Dropped for Mass Effect
Internet rage has once again carried the day as BioWare has announced they are dropping the proposed "recurring validation" scheme in the upcoming PC version of Mass Effect.
On Friday, BioWare Community Manager Jay Watamaniuk posted a message on the official Mass Effect forum saying that the game's copy protection is being changed to a one-time-only online authentication when the game is first installed. Under the new system, each game will be valid for installations on three different computers, with further authorizations handled by EA support on a case-by-case bases. Once installed, the DVD will no longer be required for gameplay, and connections to the internet for future validation will only be required if the player downloads new game content.
"There has been a lot of discussion in the past few days on how the security requirements for Mass Effect for the PC will work," the message said. "BioWare, a division of EA, wants to let fans know that Mass Effect will not require ten-day periodic re-authentication."
"BioWare has always listened very closely to its fans and we made this decision to ensure we are delivering the best possible experience to them," it continued. "To all the fans including our many friends in the armed services and internationally who expressed concerns that they would not be able to re-authenticate as often as required, EA and BioWare want you to know that your feedback is important to us."
Mass Effect and Spore were intended to be the first two games to make use of the new copy protection scheme, which EA said would be employed in all its future PC releases. No indication was given as to how this decision will effect the planned use of recurring validation in other releases. The PC version of Mass Effect is due to hit North American shelves on May 28. For more information, check out masseffect.bioware.com.
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