Spore and Mass Effect copyright protection discussion

[Zenicetus]

I have Mass Effect on the 360, so I don't need it for the PC anyway. And as for Spore, why not? The only people who should really worry are those without legitimate copies. After all, Spore does use an internet connection anyway, so it's not like you're making an extra effort to validate.

It's not about the idea in the abstract, it's about the exact mechanics of how they implement this. If the game "phones home" every ten days, and it only does that when I boot up the game, and there's no appreciable delay in loading, and there is no other impact on the integrity of my computer or personal data, then I can live with that. As you point out, it looks like Spore will need a live 'Net connection anyway.

Here's what I can't live with, and it's all about the implementation details:

• Does the game phone home and transfer any marketing data in the background?
  
• Does the game place hidden files on my system that won't be removed when the game is un-installed, and that can't be removed in any easy way by the user, and that cause problems with other programs or leave possible back doors open for hackers? This, of course, is what CA did with the Kingdoms expansion that uses SecureROM, and why a lot of us didn't buy it.
  
• If there is an arbitrary number of limited activations, is the number fewer than would be reasonable for the average gamer?

Until those questions are answered, I don't think I could consider buying these games, as much as I'm interested in them.

There is another issue too... the question of long-term replayability. A really good game is something I might finish and then come back to, a year or more down the road. Will the game company still be around then? Are they making any kind of committment to release a patch that removes the activation if, at some point, they're not able to keep their activation servers online? I don't usually keep shooters like Mass Effect on the hard drive that long, but it's a relevant question with something that has the potential to be a "classic" like Spore, if it lives up to the hype.

[drone]

You fire Mass Effect up on Monday, it checks in and does it's thing. You then take your laptop with you and go on a vacation the next week to, say, Alaska, and have no connection. Then the snows pile in, and you are stuck inside. So on Thursday, you decide to fight off the cabin fever with a little Mass Effect. Rescue workers find you and the bodies of your family members a few days later.

[Zenicetus]

Something else occurred to me... if I understand this right, Spore populates worlds with AI-driven creature designs created by other players. So why doesn't EA just use the Blizzard/WoW model, and store those on a company server that can only be logged into if you have a legit copy and user account? With the WoW client, Blizzard does use some low-level code to check for cheating (bots, etc.), but it's nowhere near as intrusive and nasty as SecureRom, or limited activations.

I suppose that wouldn't work if they're planning on saving money and distributing alien creatures via direct P2P between players or something. But it seems like a golden opportunity to use a very relaxed and non-invasive CP method. You don't pay for a legit copy, you don't get creatures to run your designs against as opponents.

[Spino]

This kind of copy protection will probably wind up being yet another useless gesture in the face of a determined, high IQ pirate/hacker community.

I'm a very naughty boy.

The phrase "The best defense is a good offense" holds true here and I'm not talking about DRM, Congressional lobbies or heavy handed legal recriminations against offenders. Make an effort to publish a better game and the people will fork over their beloved cash so they can play it. Clearly the 'quality content' argument is lost to money people who couldn't draw, sing, compose or animate to save their lives, let alone recognize such talent.

[Alexander the Pretty Good]

People who pirate a game probably wouldn't buy it if they couldn't copy it. Stop worrying about piracy and sell to the people who will buy.

Also, release more demos before releasing the actual game. It's a huge turn-off for me at least to see that the demo will come after the game's release.

[Xiahou]

I have somewhat less a problem with this for Spore, as it's an online game anyhow- although I still don't like it. For Mass Effect, on the other hand, it's completely unnecessary and unjustifiable, imo. I didn't buy Bioshock because of this nonsense and won't be buying Mass Effect either for the same reason.

I've got too many games anyhow, this is one less to worry about getting.

[ElectricEel]

That's two games I won't be buying, then. I'm not going to support the use of hare-brained copy-protection schemes that inconvenience only legit customers.