We got a tip today from an outraged gamer calling Bethesda liars for their use of SecuROM in the newly released Fallout 3. In case you forgot, Bethesda's Pete Hines mentioned a while ago that they didn't use DRM in their games -- or at the very least used the mildest form possible:
[Fallout 3 will be] pretty similar to what we did for Oblivion, which was -- we basically don't do any -- we do the mildest form possible. I actually don't know if I even want to get into what it is that we exactly do, but we try to be really noninvasive when it comes to that stuff.
The above quote is currently being thrown at Bethesda after the alleged discovery of SecuROM -- arguably the most hated and invasive DRM software available -- in the PC version of Fallout 3. According to reports, Fallout 3 won't run on a PC with "recognized" piracy tools installed -- that includes Daemon Tools, Sonic, Roxio and similar software.
So, some people are having trouble playing Fallout 3, and the blame is being put upon SecuROM. According to another post, the SecuROM in this case doesn't install, it only runs from the disc, but it is still causing problems for some people.
The situation appears somewhat muddy, and we have contacted Pete Hines directly. We're awaiting some form of response before we go as far as to call Bethesda dirty liars along with the other pitchfork wielders. All I'll say is that it's amusing to see one particular Bethesda moderator demanding sources for Pete Hines' quotes as if he never said it. Even funnier was the fact that our own post was used as evidence.
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Contest:
5:44 PM on 10.29.2008
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WHAT THE FUCK!
can no one FINISH THEIR GOD DAMN FUCKING JOB BEFORE THEY PUT THIS SHIT ON THE MARKET? AAARRRRGGGHHHHH
Ahhhh yeah
The games industry: Alienating everyone since whenever.
I have a bundle version of Nero, I have virtual daemon installed, and can play crysis without problems (I have the original, not the pirated version for those who wonder) I use Virtual Daemon for a couple of games I own, but don't want to risk scratching the disk everytime I play the game)
What are the said bugs/glitches for this game on consoles?
1) Click on Setup.exe in the disc instead of letting it auto-run.
2) Replace the game-launcher with the one downloaded from the link provided by the SecuROM warning.
In all, it was more troublesome than just pirating the game.
Too bad. I was really looking forward to getting it.
Steam usually (I say usually - because there have been a few games where they didn't do it right away) indicates which games have 3rd Party DRM. If you look on the Crysis Warhead page it clearly says "SecuROM™
5 machine activation limit," while the Fallout 3 page has no 3rd Party DRM.
I'm pretty sure the SecuROM version bethesda used is just the one with a cd check => no DRM on the Steam version.
And YAY DRM, good thing I don't bother with PC gaming.
Activision at least didnt use that crap w/ CoD4.
DRM sucks. I can't believe game companies actually think it is going to prevent piracy.
Thanks!
I've had mine turned off for a while now.
I just wish you could turn that feature off on LBP as I don't really care that one of my friends just played a level and got a such and such score....lame
lolol
That makes me a saaaaad panda.
And the Windows Live integration is great, so I don't mind punching in a CD key for that.
I get so sick of this harping. A few years ago we didn't even call a CD check DRM.
Can we get a "exclude stories about DRM" checkbox on the Dtoid main page for those of us who are sick of the bitching and posturing and complaining and justifications from both sides? While we're at it, an "exclude media-parents-celebrities blaming games for crime or moral corruption/rather tepid quote from popular developer taken out of context/complaining about others complaining about review scores/drumming up controversy over nothing/bitching about anything not related to actual game play and features" checkbox would be great.
Or we could just have a "No stories by Jim Sterling" checkbox.
Bah-zing!
Also, the dark side is immune to DRM.
Better bring the supersize Waaaaambulance.
Some people...
This is bullshit.
Incorrect. DRM now exists to prevent the sale of second hand games, as opposed to preventing piracy.
You cannot sell your non-physical game, thus they have won.
My specs: 60 GB HD, 256 MB XDR DRAM - Integrated, 256 MB Nvidia RSX, IBM Cell 3.2 GHz...
Okay, so I don't even know how to spit specs like a PC gamer enough to make fun of PC gamers, so my attempt will now die in vain.
Whatever the case, the console makers need to get it through their heads that the reason why next-gen PC gaming isn't 'dead' is because they've refused to tighten their footgrip on its throat.
/unnecessarily violent analogies
If consoles started offering keyboard/mouse interface across the board, wining and dining developers to make versions of their MMOs available, and maybe even offering a friendlier/more affordable version of their toolset to the grassroots development community, I guarantee we'd all be happier people. Because that's what the PC industry has: interface flexibility, MMOs, and a user-driven corner of the games development. Hardware customization is expensive and alienating, while hardware uniformity is convenient and inclusive -- you could buy all three next-gen consoles, plus a handheld for the price it costs to build a PC with similar capabilities.
Obviously, what I'm arguing is partly that consoles adopt what make PC gaming preferable -- that consoles in a way become PCs themselves. So maybe I'm not at all anti-PC gaming, just a poor individual who would rather spend <$1000 on a console and not have to miss out on a handful of experiences for twice the price.
And, to make this all topical, it's ironic that console software is 100X (note: obviously an empirical value) more protected than PC software, with none of the hassle.
Bethesda has the right to protect their property and didn't lie by including this particular form of Sony's InSecuROM. It does a disc check to make sure you have the physical copy in the DVD tray and not mounted in a virtual drive.
What's the difference between this and Oblivion which also used DRM?
"Fallout 3 has stopped working.
Windows can look online to find a solution to the problem.
[rape/rape some more]