Spore

[PJ'l_Master]

Lets share some content! (by posting your login name)

mine is, of course, pjlmaster

[Bingo]

Due to the horrific implementation of DRM, I won't be buying this game. Which is a shame since I'd been looking forward to it for years now.

It's a damn shame that the software companies are so obsessed with keeping every nickel out of the pockets of software pirates that they feel it's acceptable to treat the legitimate customers like criminals.

[FUS1ON]

That sucks mo ass! I've been looking forward to this game and EA has messed it up ... as usual.

Here i'll save you some Google time trying to figure out what we are talking about.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/09/10/spore_drm_amazon_effect/

[EXEcution]

The fact that the DRM has been cracked (ALREADY!) should be a good testament as to why DRM only hurts the people who actually buy the game (as the above artivle states) and benefits those who are computer-savvy and can get their free version over on The Pirate Bay.

Personally I don't like any of Will Wright's games. I liked some of the speeches he has given about game development and I can respect the huge success of his former franchises but controlling little people, creatures and cities doesn't seem all that much fun to me.

However, some of the Spore-generated pr0n can be very entertaining.

[BobtheCkroach]

It'll increase, or drop altogether, after a while. Just wait.

Bioshock had the same limitation at first, but it was dropped a few months after release. IT's really to prevent the piracy right after sale. Since your game asks a server if it is OK to install, after a while they'll change it so the server always says yes.

Inconvenient, but really not that big of a deal if you ask me.

[JIMINATOR]

this isn't about piracy, some honest articles have been written about the topic, piracy is mostly a revenue neutral activity, ie people that would not have gotten the game anyway don't get it, others that like it and want to support the company, online play, get it. This instead is about killing the growing used software market, which does cut directly into their revenue stream. The DRM effectively prevents the game from being resold.

[FUS1ON]

Good point Jim, I had not even thought about the resell aspect.

The fact that it has been cracked is not really the point, the fact that you have three activations and then you are at EA's mercy as to if they give you more is what angers me. I know 'those sites' too, but we shouldn't have to go there to get what they should give us.

I had read where at one point they were going to have the game to where it would not play if you didn't log on to the server after 10 days, but they backed off that after they got slammed.

I really wanted this too, I might end up getting it ... after the price drops or if they change the DRM procedure.

[rancid monkey]

I have this game
Its amazingly adictive!
It's really hard to pry yourslef away from your PC when you're just about to take over that last city :P

[Wiper]

this isn't about piracy, some honest articles have been written about the topic, piracy is mostly a revenue neutral activity, ie people that would not have gotten the game anyway don't get it, others that like it and want to support the company, online play, get it. This instead is about killing the growing used software market, which does cut directly into their revenue stream. The DRM effectively prevents the game from being resold.

I think it's funny that people get pissed of about this while using mainly google during browsing....


If limitations ain't burned in our forehead we don't care:)


Don't get me wrong here. I do think that once you bought it it should be yours infinite including the option to online play and no stuff like "you get 3 activations etc." like Shogun said.

[Bingo]

I think it's funny that people get pissed of about this while using mainly google during browsing....


If limitations ain't burned in our forehead we don't care:)

I don't get the analogy here?

[FUS1ON]

Hopefully it's like the race sim rFactor that I use. They give you 5 installs, then you can contact them if you need more and they are really understanding.

I've not looked into how they are handling Spore other than reading the "3 installs" thing, has anyone heard what they are 'actually' doing once the 3 are up?

[Bingo]

While I can't verify directly that this is true, I read in 2 places that the process is you have to call a number at EA and they will ask you questions like how long you've had it, where you bought it and you will have to provide proof of purchase.

The part I really want to verify for sure is that it was also said that it's NOT a Toll-Free number and it's only Monday - Friday 8:00am to 5:00pm.

B

[Bingo]

Looks like Spore has finally garnered it's own Class Action Lawsuit:

According to the suit, installing Spore also installs SecuROM, a form of Digital Rights Management that is "surreptitiously operated, overseeing function and operation on the computer, preventing the computer from operating under certain circumstances and/or disrupting hardware operations."


http://www.g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/689540/Spore_Spawns_ClassAction_Suit.html

[Bingo]

Oh, and interestingly - I posted a negative review on Amazon stating that I would not buy the game due to the DRM issue. I very deliberately made it a short, concise and non-angry review.

Basically, I just said "I'm not enraged or anything. I'm just an average guy who won't buy this game due to the implementation of DRM as it stands".

My review was never printed by Amazon. Imagine that! Heh.

B

[Nitro]

Don't they realize DRM is hated by gamers? Spore is an amazing game though, my friend got it.

[FUS1ON]

EA admits to overreaching DRM in Spore, gamers still upset

EA Games president Frank Gibeau addressed anxious gamers last Friday on the touchy issue of digital rights management as it pertains to Spore, which originally allowed only three installs.

"We've received complaints from a lot of customers who we recognize and respect," Gibeau said in a statement. "And while it's easy to discount the noise from those who only want to post or transfer thousands of copies of the game on the Internet, I believe we need to adapt our policy to accommodate our legitimate consumers."

As a result, Electronic Arts expanded the number of eligible machines from three to five, promised more leniency in extending additional activations, and implemented a de-authorization system, much like the one used in BioShock for PC.

That didn't stop gamers from filing a class-action lawsuit on Tuesday, however. According to the Federal Court filing, Sony's SecuROM DRM program "is installed without notice and cannot be uninstalled, even if you uninstall Spore," and it "prevents the computer from operating under certain circumstances and/or disrupting hardware operations."

Incidentally, an EA moderator on the official Spore forums threatened to cancel accounts of still unsatisfied Spore owners. "SecuROM as been discussed and discussed so much and it causes arguments in threads," the moderator quipped. "If you want to talk about DRM SecuROM then please use another fansite forum.

"Please do not continue to post these threads or your account may be at risk of banning which in some cases would mean you would need to buy a new copy to play Spore."


http://www.macworld.com/article/135733/2008/09/spore.html

That sucks that they install software on your machine that the only way to get rid of it is to format and re-install your OS.

EDIT: There is a way to get rid of SecuROM without having to format and re-install.

[Bingo]

One thing in that statement just irritates the crap out of me:
"it's easy to discount the noise from those who only want to post or transfer thousands of copies of the game on the Internet"

First off, do they really think some random kid is out there sending out thousands of copies? Seriously?! Do you even know what kind of bandwidth and time it would take to distribute THOUSANDS of copies?

More importantly, do you think the sort of people who are organized enough to send out thousands of copies are posting on a message board about anything at all? Seriously??

And Shogun, for real man... you can go post something like that and then not give more info or a link you dork! If there's a way to get SecureRom off after an install, TELL US DAMMIT!

[He Is Legend]

yes and yes. Its where i got my copy. A week before the game even came out.

Private Forums that host apps on major upload sites ftw!

Same

[FUS1ON]

I just noticed the posts are from '06 so this might not work with the current versions of SecuROM
http://forums.tweakguides.com/showthread.php?t=4027