Electronic Arts has come under fire for its use to SecuROM, a form of DRM dubbed "draconian" by those who tore Spore to shreds in Amazon reviews. While many consumers want SecuROM to scuttle its overbearing ass out of their videogames, EA is refusing to dispose of the system, and it will be in upcoming RTS Red Alert 3.
Executive Producer Chris Corry has reached out to the EA community to address some concerns about Red Alert 3's DRM. Claiming that RA3 would be more "lenient" with its copy protection, Corry offered such compromises as one-time-only online activation and the ability to install the game on up to five computers. He also sent out this plea to the fans:
Red Alert 3 is shaping up to be a world-class RTS game that will give you many hours of enjoyment. I think it would be a shame if people decided to not play a great game simply because it came with DRM, but I understand that this is a very personal decision for many of you and I respect that. As you might imagine, I’m a lot less respectful of those people who take the position that they will illegally download a game simply because it has DRM.
What do you make of this? Is Red Alert's compromise enough to make SecuROM sound more appealing? It doesn't look like something that will appease those who savaged Spore. Ultimately, SecuROM has become a dirty word and its name is associated with oppressive copy protection that harms only the legitimate customer and does nothing to the pirate. I don't thinK EA will be able to wipe that image away any time soon.
Jim Sterling serves as reviews editor for Destructoid.com, head of the Podtoid podcast, and produces a number of news stories, original features, one-of-a-kind videos. With his passionate argumentative style, controversial opinions, harsh delivery, and dedication to brutal honesty Sterling is a name that you can't help but recognize.
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Contest:
3:24 AM on 09.09.2008
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I've never downloaded a pirated game in my life, i might just have to change that because of EA's ignorance and stupidity, they are going to make more people obtain this game illegally than if they'd just released it without the DRM
I would like to ask EA and Securom to get an answer, as I for the life of me can't think of a single reason why it should be used.
It sure as hell does not prevent copying as Spore proved last week and before it so did EVERY other game released with securom.
So why do they use it? It just seems mindless and so daft to hurt there customers that way when it does not actual good in prevention.
Can no one from Destructoid get in contact with EA and secuROM and askthem what it actualy does in the real world as opposed to what it is meant to do? I want to know what benefit it gives.
Oh well, I'm all for anything that leads to the decline of PC gaming.
@xe-cute: They hide behind the 'piracy' issue because they know that it is a legal way for them to screw the customer out of as much cash as possible. They know that in an effort to "stop piracy", they are able to abuse their customer's rights as much as possible with little to no PR repercussions. Seriously, why would you sell a product, when you can just give out glorified rentals for the same price. The PR might say it's all about the piracy, but those that know anything about how easy piracy is, and how little DRM does to prevent it can see through the thin screen of smoke.
Dare I ask why?
Of course most people still buy the games anyway and the media won't take a position on it for fear of upsetting someone so it continues. Why doesn't one of the online/print publications try to take them to task and get a discussion going about it? Fear of losing a few review copies?
Look at the interest in retro games, PC or otherwise... how many of those would you be able to play now if these conditions were applied? None.
the fact that every game using DRM is up on file sharing sites by release day at the latest, yet they still insist on using these probably expensive measures is mind boggling.
@xe-cute: I think these measures are as much about preventing resales as (failing to) stop piracy.
Dare I ask why?
I think he was touched inappropriately by Windows as a youngster.
if i did however, i would definatley be downloading this one for free and not feeling guilty about doing so.
I can understand content owners wanting to make money on the game they worked so hard on. I support that fully, and am personally happy to pay money for a game I enjoy. However, when the pirated version is in fact SUPERIOR to the legit version with it's lack of DRM, then I get conflicted. Can I just download a copy and send Will Wright a check?
I'm also sick of seeing this "if we don't limit your installs you might go to dozens of your friends houses and install the game". Who the fuck does that?
Ah fuck it, I'm just going to grab this off the pirate bay if there's nothing better to play around the time it's released. Fuck them.
IF IT HAS ANY DRM/COPYPROTECTION THAT GIVES ME PAINS OR LIMITS WHAT I CAN DO WITH MY BOUGHT GAME - NO FUCKING SALE!!!
I don't buy at Steam, I will never buy any PC game with SecuROM, I don't even buy "enhanced CDs" that won't work in my CD changer!!!
NO SALE!!!
If you respected your customers at all you wouldn't twist their arm into that position in the first place.
Yep, good one EA you stupid fucks.
What really pisses me off is that SecuRom hasnt worked in years... no copy protection has. Hell, i crack all my games; if the data is on my hard drive, why the fuck do i still need to bother with putting the cd in?
I was probably going to buy this (i loved RA 2 to death, still do in fact), but not now. I dont even know if i'll download it; i just cannot support these morons.
Because he's an angry little troll.
--
NO SALE!!! I'll never buy any game that features this kind of draconian DRM.
That they are going ahead with this when Spore was up for download and fully cracked days before its release just compounds the fact that they are either totally out of touch with the market or doing this for other reasons, like eliminating resale.
That they are going ahead with this when Spore was up for download and fully cracked days before its release just compounds the fact that they are either totally out of touch with the market or doing this for other reasons, like eliminating resale.
What pisses me off the most is that if everyone takes a stand and refuses to buy Spore, the lost sales will just be blamed on fanciful piracy by EA, thereby giving them even MORE reason to add even MORE insane copy protection into their next game.
And if it DOES sell gangbusters (like it will), EA will say that HEY, THIS SHIT WORKS, and put it in every other game they decide to put out.
Mass effect? Nope
Spore? Not now
Red Alert 3? Was iffy in the first place, but definately not now
I wouldn't even bother pirating these games now that they've got DRM. DRM shows to me that a developer views its consumers as potential criminals and doesn't respect them. People who wish to pirate games will pirate games, those who support a genre or brand will buy.
This is why I buy every stardock game that comes out. I got a free copy of Dread Lords years ago when I was still reviewing games as a job for my newspaper, and ever since I'm a faithful stardock supporter.
End Lesson, kids? Don't buy Red Alert 3, and don't buy spore (sadfaceformacfags). Buy Sins of a Solar Empire. It's just as robust a strategy game (way more robust than red alert) and you're supporting a company that cares about gamers
This is a buyer's market. We make the decisions for these companies. By buying these games, you are saying "I'm down with DRM".
Copy protection deters nobody. There are groups out there who make a hobby of obtaining games as early as possible and cracking the copy protection to see who does it first and best. This is their pastime like ours is gaming.
These games then make their way out onto file sharing sites complete with the cracked files and they are there for anyone to download, no determination needed. It's not like Joe Bloggs has to reverse engineer the software and figure out where the copy protection is himself. It's worthless.
We still have torrentz and usenet and sneakernet and rapidshit and ipfilters and firewalls... EA's got nothing on pirates.
Now, I'm going out to buy another copy of Sins of a solar empire, out of spite. Just don't know if my girlfriend is going to like the game, but that's her goddamn problem.
When a pirate forum gives you a better game and support than the company, that company has some major business restructuring to do.
Enjoy.
I forgot what version (and games) that was with the constant checks that bricked the disk drives, but they should of been sued over it.
Also does anyone else remember the employee of theres who got sacked for file sharing a cracked game on there own company forums which used a rival software protection? That was simply crazy.
Both the above happened about two years ago.... Does anyone else remember all the stuff that went on?
...some time later.........
Oops, just realised after some research that it was starforce (not secuROM).......
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/StarForce
^ Look under controversy section.
Did you note that mr. Reeves already knows that Red Alert 3 will be cracked? What's the point then in use SecuROM?
Wouldn't games be cheaper t produce if they don't pay for a crap service like SecuROM, implying that they could release their games at a lower price and of course, this would increase sales over piracy, isn't that really hard to have common sense on bussiness world?
I have had my Diablo II copy on like 6 computers (ALL mine), so what if it had that DRM? I would have to buy another game?
No deal.
".......I’m a lot less respectful of those people who take the position that they will illegally download a game simply because it has DRM."
He's trying to look like the good guy here as if you don't like DRM's you are a pirate, he's a douche bag. I pay for my PC games and I have downloaded a game to try it out to see if I like it, first game was portal, but I then deleted it when out and bought Orange Box and there aint no DRM on that :)