Game Protection: Where do you draw the line?

[CrossLOPER]

***Mods, please move this to the Arena if it belongs there. Thanks.***

Since the Starforce fiasco, I've been wary of what I buy. In 2006 I came the conclusion that purchasing games with Starforce is not worth it. This decision has removed only a handful of games that I would have otherwise potentially played.

For a time, I tolerated games with SecuROM, SafeDisk and other similar protections. Now I think I might just add SecuROM to my list of implemented game protections that I will be avoiding. Obviously, this strikes out quite a few games that have been release in the past eight years or so.

Why SecuROM? It is generally agreed that SecuROM is no where near as bad as Starforce. However, like other protection software, SecuROM has the potential to severely mess with your computer. Fallout 3's implementation, for instance, somewhat dictates what you can and can't have on your HD. I find this unreasonable.

I just wanted to know where others draw the line. Steam? Starforce? LaserLock?

I might not be buying Fallout 3...

[caravel]

I'd draw the line at anything more than an alphanumeric key and perhaps a CDROM that needs to be in the drive in order for the game to start.

[TevashSzat]

I am fine with anything that will discourage "casual" pirates, ie borrowing a friend's disc to install it on your comp and then try to either burn the DVD or something like that. So, CD keys, CD checks, and measures to prevent simple copying of the CD/DVD is fine by me.

Anything more complicated than that is just too much trouble. The fact is, the reason why PC gaming is so distinct from console gaming is because the PC is an open platform. Fans can create mods and change content with or without the blessing of the developer (ie developer released mod tools). That same manner also makes it easy for any determined cracker to get out a cdkey generator, a cd check bypasser, or anything else like that. Unless game companies somehow find a way to make it impossible for you to alter the game files or the files on the CD (which then, I will promptly finally buy a console for the first time), all anti-piracy measures will fail.

There are absolutely NO games out there, regardless of how stringent their copy protection is, that doesn't get released by the pirates in a week after the release. Odds are, the pirates will release the game before the official release simply because they may get access to reviewer copies or have inside sources at the fabrication factories or somewhat (which was how Fallout 3 for XBOX 360 got leaked like 2 weeks before its release)

Just to throw it out there. Apparently, the games released by Valve which have to use Steam have some of the lowest piracy rates out there even though they're hugely popular. Maybe some form of Steam would be the way to go?

[Spartan198]

I am fine with anything that will discourage "casual" pirates, ie borrowing a friend's disc to install it on your comp and then try to either burn the DVD or something like that. So, CD keys, CD checks, and measures to prevent simple copying of the CD/DVD is fine by me.

Yeah, that's pretty much my answer right there.

[Martok]

I'd draw the line at anything more than an alphanumeric key and perhaps a CDROM that needs to be in the drive in order for the game to start.

That's more or less what I've always gone with....at least up to this point.

With the announcement that Empire Total War is using Steam, however, I'm not quite sure what to think. I've never used Steam before, and so I don't really know what to expect if I were to purchase ETW. On paper it sounds okay, but I've also heard complaints about Steam going back since its inception. Are these complaints legitimate? I honestly have no idea, and unfortunately I have no real frame of reference against which to compare it.

[TevashSzat]

I've never used Steam before, and so I don't really know what to expect if I were to purchase ETW. On paper it sounds okay, but I've also heard complaints about Steam going back since its inception. Are these complaints legitimate? I honestly have no idea, and unfortunately I have no real frame of reference against which to compare it.

What do you mean when it says going back since its inception?

Anyways, steam is basically you need an internet connection to initially play the game. Afterwards, though, you can go into offline mode unless you want to get a patch or something like that, which requires you to go online again with Steam.

The great thing about Steam is that your game is tied to your account, not to your computer. That means, you can install any of your games that you have bought on any computer as long as you have your steam account logged in

[PBI]

As I understand it the main criticism of Steam when it was first implemented in Half-Life 2 was the fact that it was not made sufficiently clear that you would need an internet connection to play a singleplayer game (and that game stores would not refund people who had bought the game not realizing this because the need for an internet connection was buried in the small print).

But surely so long as the need for an internet connection is written on the front in big letters, it's not such a problem? Unless there are some more fundamental issues with Steam itself that I am not aware of; if there are any, they certainly aren't as well publicized as the problems with SecuROM or Starforce.

Personally, I'm not aware of any reason to avoid Steam since, well, I clearly do have an internet connection. I don't much like SecuROM (especially the increasingly Draconian versions we have seen recently) and I doubt I will buy another game with it included.

[CrossLOPER]

That's more or less what I've always gone with....at least up to this point.

With the announcement that Empire Total War is using Steam, however, I'm not quite sure what to think. I've never used Steam before, and so I don't really know what to expect if I were to purchase ETW. On paper it sounds okay, but I've also heard complaints about Steam going back since its inception. Are these complaints legitimate? I honestly have no idea, and unfortunately I have no real frame of reference against which to compare it.

I've been using Steam for about two years. Really, there are very few complaints that I have about it. Valve has been good with its users. Occasionally, though, Valve has crossed the line and done things like insert ads into the multiplayer games and shutdown service to certain users for a bit. Steam also malfunctions about once or twice a year and decides to take a nap, leaving you with time to catch up on your reading.

However, I fear that I will never play any Steam game again if Valve goes under and takes Steam with it. I heard Yahoo music left its users with a raw deal, and I think Valve could do the same. That being said, I doubt my future Steam purchases will go beyond Empire and Half-Life 2: Ep. 3 in the future.

[naut]

Well, reading that extract it's not so much the SecuROM component they added as the fact that they lied.

[pevergreen]

Various quotes from my assignment:

The use of SecuROM is highly controversial because certain aspects of the protection are similar to functions of malware. So, you may ask, what does secuROM actually do? Some versions of SecuROM, particularly older 2.x versions, may silently install a shell extension that prevents Windows Explorer from deleting 16-bit executables. secuROM 7.x also prevents any of the games running if certain Microsoft programs have been run since reboot.

"This low-level access to the operating system has led to an accusation that SecuROM has access to Ring 0, providing direct access to the kernel. EA is currently being taken to court over the use of this DRM system in Spore. However, officially SecuROM only has access to Ring 3 of Windows, which contains normal applications.”


I have been against steam since it was introduced, but was forced to use it to play Portal. And it is actually ok. It seems to have changed much over the years, I will still get ETW. secuROM, i've never had a problem with, so I will continue to use products which contain it, until I do have a problem.