Topic: Ubisofts new horrible DRM

[idolminds]

ITS SO AWESOME!

Unlimited installs! No need for a disc in the drive!

Oh yeah, and your save games are all stored online. And you must be connected to the internet to play, even for singleplayer. Lets try to ignore the scenario when Ubi.com is down thereby disabling your ability to play.

Looks like I'm pirating Assassins Creed 2. Or buying the PS3 version when its dirt cheap. Maybe even used so Ubisoft doesn't see a dime. Fuck you, Ubisoft.

[Pugnate]

Yea I heard about this. I was waiting for a thread on OW.

D is slowing down.

Hmmm... it seems that if you pirate the game you won't be able to save the game since there is no mechanism for offline saving.

edit:

I hadn't been to gamespy in years!

[iPPi]

Think MMO implementation.  Everything is stored online and you need an internet connection to play.  

I've given up on PC gaming.  I think the last PC game I bought was Spore.

[Pugnate]

I think the last PC game I bought was Spore.

haha...

Anyway, I bet a lot of other companies will start doing this soon... at least for a little while.

[iPPi]

To be quite honest I don't think it's that bad.  I know idol is still on 56k so it sucks for him that he doesn't have a persistent connection, but most people do indeed have a constant connection.  Hell, whenever I play on my PS3 or Xbox I'm connected to their respective service anyway.

The only thing I can see as detrimental to the service is if Ubi.com goes down for an extended period of time.  Generally speaking I don't think that's really too much of a worry though.  Once the service is launched it should be stable after the initial influx of users passes.

Gaming while traveling can be a problem if you don't have an internet connection, but if you're staying at a hotel you should have one, and while traveling I don't think your focus would be to game anyway.

[Cobra951]

My disconnect from PC gaming gets wider game by game.  If it isn't high hardware cost, it's deal-breaking copy protection.  At this point I want a PS3 much more than a new game PC.

Edit:  No, it *is* that bad.  I want full control over everything I buy, and I can't control the quality of my ISP, or Ubisoft's servers, or Ubisoft's maintenance, or Ubisoft's future existence.  It is that bad.

[idolminds]

Heh, my connection is pretty persistent, its just slow. I've downloaded nearly 1GB since the last time I redialed. And at 3K/sec, you can calculate how long thats been.

Shacknews has some more info, taken from a Ubi FAQ:

    What are the key elements of this platform for PC gamers?
    Although a permanent online connection is required, this means that a CD/DVD is not required to play the game after installation. The protected game can be installed as many times and on as many computers as you like. Saved games are also synchronized online so the user can continue playing from any location with the game installed.

    How many players can the server system support?
    There is no limit to how many players can play at the same time. For each title, we carefully study the demand and allocate servers accordingly. We will also of course allocate back-up servers in order to be able to respond to fluctuations in demand. Ubisoft provides 24/7 monitoring of its servers.

    How many computers can I install the game on?
    There is no limit to the number of computers on which you can install the game. However you can only play with your individual Ubisoft account on one computer at a time.

    Can I play my game from another computer?
    Yes. As long as the game is installed on the PC, you can play from any computer and your Ubisoft account will recognise your last saved position as well as automatically save any updates.

    I am in a strict environment with lots of firewall rules etc. Can I still play the game?
    If you can access the Internet from the computer, you can play the game.

Blah blah, usual crap...

    What if Ubisoft decides not run these online services in the future? Will my game stop working?
    If any service is stopped, we will create a patch for the game so that the core game play will not be affected.

Well now thats interesting. I imagine patching in saving to the local disk from scratch would be some effort, so perhaps local saving is built in and simply disabled? That could get cracked...

    What will happen if I lose my Internet connection when I play the game?
    If you lose your Internet connection the game will pause while it tries to reconnect. If the Internet Connection is unable to resume you can continue the game from where you left off or from the last saved game.

    Will I need to be online the whole time when I play the game? Including for single player?
    Yes. You will need to have an active Internet connection to play the game, for all game modes.

So its not just a check at the start, you have to be online the whole time you play. Man, what the fuck?

    Will this platform use unique keys?
    Yes. Unique keys are verified throughout this system.

    Will this affect the performance of my PC?
    No. The services that we offer run only when you start the game and there are no background services.

    Do you have to be a member of Uplay to use this service platform?
    This system requires you to have a Ubi.com account. A Uplay and a Ubi.com account are the same. You don't need to use Uplay to use this service platform, but if you wish to do so, it's very simple.

    Do you plan to implement this system on home consoles?
    This system is for PCs only.

    Will this system be available for every Ubisoft game?
    Most upcoming Ubisoft PC games will make use of this system.

Blah blah, fuck you.

[Ghandi]

This was pretty much inevitable. It's pretty shitty, but you can't blame them given how rampant pirating is. 

[Pugnate]

Well now thats interesting. I imagine patching in saving to the local disk from scratch would be some effort, so perhaps local saving is built in and simply disabled? That could get cracked...

Yea, that's what it means, which sorta disappoints me because this experiment will be pointless.

This was pretty much inevitable. It's pretty shitty, but you can't blame them given how rampant pirating is. 

Yea especially after what happened with the first AC game on PC.

You can tell they were willing to give no DRM a chance by having PoP sold without any DRM, but that game was pirated like nuts.

[scottws]

Wow, this is pretty bad.

[MysterD]

Yea I heard about this. I was waiting for a thread on OW.

D is slowing down.

D was at work.

[W7RE]

Think MMO implementation.  Everything is stored online and you need an internet connection to play.  

I've given up on PC gaming.  I think the last PC game I bought was Spore.

I've done the same. I just buy my games on Xbox now, unless it's a PC only title (recently bought STALKER, Crysis, and Dawn of War 2 on the Steam sale).

[scottws]

I am the opposite.  I've even started buying console-type games on PC and use the Xbox 360 pad for those.  That said, I stay away from games with horrible DRM, so my purchases have definitely thinned out.

[MysterD]

I'm growing really tired of this DRM bullshit. Pirates and companies using over-protective DRM are fucking-up my platform of choice.

EDIT:

Well now thats interesting. I imagine patching in saving to the local disk from scratch would be some effort, so perhaps local saving is built in and simply disabled? That could get cracked...

Even though this "must be online to save" shit shouldn't be instituted in the first place - especially for SP games...

As soon as the game's dirt-cheap most places - i.e. $20 or less - there's no damn reason for gamers to have to be able to be online to save a SP game. It's pointless now - as likely, everybody and their cousin might actually go buy a copy of your PC game, if they haven't already...

And guess what? By that time your company's game is in the bargain bin, pirates are already looking at the next $50-60 full game to pirate the living fuck out of - especially if it has retarded DRM.

[Quemaqua]

Valve
Ubisoft
2K

Ironically, I'm more inclined to support EA these days than a lot of other companies.  And that's really weird.

[MysterD]

Ironically, I'm more inclined to support EA these days than a lot of other companies.  And that's really weird.

Few years ago, I felt the same way - EA w/ its Securom and limited installs was the freakin' devil. Thankfully, they wisened-up w/ DRM, in recent memories. Though, the way they been doing DLC is pretty shitty with all the nickle and diming. That's nickle and diming is more forgivable than what the hell UbiSoft is planning to do.

2K is really aggravating me w/ the Bioshock 2 DRM and lacing every piece of Borderlands PC DLC w/ their own Securom install limits DRM. I mean really - WTF?

The day I started saying Valve has one of the weaker DRM's out there w/ Steam, I really knew PC gaming was starting to get FUBAR'ed.

[idolminds]

Fuck, neogaf just reminded me of something.

[Cobra951]

This was pretty much inevitable. It's pretty shitty, but you can't blame them given how rampant pirating is. 

Yes, yes I blame them.  They are fucking PC gamers in the ass; therefore, I blame them.  Their profits are their problem.  Mine is spending my money on products that stay away from my rectum.  This is not one of them, not on PC anyway.

[Ghandi]

Yes, yes I blame them.  They are fucking PC gamers in the ass; therefore, I blame them.  Their profits are their problem.  Mine is spending my money on products that stay away from my rectum.  This is not one of them, not on PC anyway.

But the product is based on these companies being financially viable enough to put them in the market. Pirating is fucking PC gamers in the ass, and that is why there are so many measures like this to deal with it - measures that end up hurting the customer.

[Quemaqua]

Just because an organization screams about something doesn't mean they're losing as much money over it as they want you to think.  Remember the RIAA, when we found out most people still buy CDs and they really weren't hurting that badly after all?

But either way, the ends don't justify the means.

[idolminds]

I didnt look at the full FAQ before, but I saw this just now:

Will all my saved games be stored online?
Yes! They will be stored both online and on your PC.

Yeah, this is so going to be cracked in a couple days.

[idolminds]

I thought that looked funny...

Since my paranoia radar is up and fully functioning today, here's one little section that no one is talking about yet:
Will this platform use Uniquekeys?
Yes. Uniquekeys are verified throughout this system.

Wait a minute. What is this question even doing in here? WTF is "Uniquekeys", anyway? It's not "unique keys", because that would only make sense if they're talking about a database, plus it's capitalized.

This question 100% looks like a plant. No one would even know to ask this question, because no one has any idea what "Uniquekeys" even is, so why would they plant this unless it's the name for some kind of additional DRM scheme?

Adding to my suspicions: "Uniqekeys" doesn't exist in Google in any context other than a database field. Well, except in relation to this FAQ Ubisoft just issued.

I could be totally wrong here--hell, I usually am. But wouldn't it be so "Ubisoft" of Ubisoft to pull a sleight-of-hand like this? Announce a controversial policy, but hide the real controversy in language so vague that no one will notice.

[MysterD]

I just lost my Internet connection (from 4:30-4:45pm or so, my Time Zone). That's a good 15 minutes. If I had an UbiSoft U-Play game, I'd be screwed-over for 15 minutes.

Dad left me a message saying the Net connection been out most of the morning.

UbiSoft, you're freakin' nuts to go this route...

[Ghandi]

Just because an organization screams about something doesn't mean they're losing as much money over it as they want you to think.  Remember the RIAA, when we found out most people still buy CDs and they really weren't hurting that badly after all?

But either way, the ends don't justify the means.

True. Still, we've all seen the numbers posted here of copies sold vs pirated for certain games. It has to be disheartening as a developer to see the vast majority of people playing your game getting it for free. You can't expect them to do nothing about it.

But having said that, it's fucked that they can't find a solution that doesn't screw over the customer.

[Pugnate]

Let's see how this works out.

The only thing is that they have to go all the way with this or not at all. There should be absolutely no way to save offline which can exploited by pirates, otherwise paying customers will feel like dicks jumping through hoops and all.

[MysterD]

And from 5:15pm to like....now (8:28pm), my Verizon Internet's been out. Under Ubi's current scheme, I'd be screwed. So, unless the game's cheap as hell or they change their DRM policy, no sale.

[gpw11]

To be quite honest I don't think it's that bad.  I know idol is still on 56k so it sucks for him that he doesn't have a persistent connection, but most people do indeed have a constant connection.  Hell, whenever I play on my PS3 or Xbox I'm connected to their respective service anyway.

I don't know man, I'd say I have a stable connection, but that doesn't mean that occasionally there won't be a hiccup or connection error while playing TF2 or DoD.  It doesn't happen often, and it doesn't get all that annoying, but that's just because it's the nature of the game. With shit like Windows Live! though, I remember times when it wouldn't connect and I couldn't play a fucking game offline because of it.  Fuck that noise.  This is total bullshit.

[iPPi]

Granted, I haven't really done any gaming on the PC over the last 4 years aside from World of Warcraft.  The DRM has gotten kind of crazy in the last year or two, and I've blissfully ignored it since I was engrossed into WoW.  There, all I needed was a persistent connection and for their servers to be online.  When the servers went down, it was annoying as hell, but it's the nature of the game.  Also, everything is stored online for WoW (and Diablo II if you play on Battle.net). 

I guess from my perspective it's just not that big of a deal because I'm so used to the structure of MMO design that it doesn't strike me as something too bad. 

[scottws]

Granted, I haven't really done any gaming on the PC over the last 4 years aside from World of Warcraft.  The DRM has gotten kind of crazy in the last year or two, and I've blissfully ignored it since I was engrossed into WoW.  There, all I needed was a persistent connection and for their servers to be online.  When the servers went down, it was annoying as hell, but it's the nature of the game.  Also, everything is stored online for WoW (and Diablo II if you play on Battle.net). 

I guess from my perspective it's just not that big of a deal because I'm so used to the structure of MMO design that it doesn't strike me as something too bad. 

Yeah that could be it because MMO ≠ single player game.

[MysterD]

Here's a bunch of vets of the game industry speaking on the rights and wrongs of DRM.

Some of the people talking here: Dmitry Guseff from StarForce; Nihal de Silva of Direct2Drive UK;  Richard Wilson of TIGA; and Cliff Harris of Positech Games.

[MysterD]

It gets worse w/ UbiSioft's DRM, guys.

If you get disconnected from the Net while playing a UbiSoft U-Play Connected Game, the game WILL shut down on you.

Ubisoft wasn't kidding when it said that its new digital rights management technique mandates "an active Internet connection to play the game, for all game modes."

Advance copies of the first two games to embrace the new solution--Assassin's Creed II PC and The Settlers 7 PC--recently arrived at PC Gamer, leading to the discovery that the games automatically shut down if temporarily disconnected from the Internet.

[idolminds]

Ubisoft games on PC are basically guaranteed to be nothing but pirated copies now.

[Quemaqua]

Pretty much.  Who the hell would pay money for that?

[scottws]

Of course when no one buys it, they will bitch about rampant PC piracy and make their next games even worse.  You will have to scan your receipt each time you want to play and if you don't, an implant they put in your heart while you are sleeping will explode.  To prevent receipt forgeries, they will force retailers to buy new receipt printers that imprint a holographic image and magnetic strip.  If you try to scan the receipt with a regular scanner instead of the special Ubiscanner you have to also buy that can read the holograph and magnetic strip -- you guessed it -- your heart explodes.

[MysterD]

Of course when no one buys it, they will bitch about rampant PC piracy and make their next games even worse. 

I'd rather every PC gamer boycott the game than crack it and play it. I just don't want to hear the usual fall-back excuse publishers say of "Well...Piracy killed our sales on the PC version."

I'd like to hear them NOT be able to do the "piracy" fallback. I want to hear them say, "We shot ourselves in the foot w/ our Draconian DRM." Though, they'd probably be quicker to say something along the lines of this kind of PR statement - "PC gamers just didn't buy our game."

EDIT:
Here's the PCG article, in nice detail of how UbiSoft's New DRM Works.

[idolminds]

Ars clarifies further

"As long as you do not quit the game, the game will continue to try to reconnect for an unlimited time. Once the game is able to reconnect, you will immediately be returned to your game," Ars was told. What about your progress?

"Where exactly you are reconnected in the game may differ from title to title. Settlers 7 reconnects at the exact point where the connection was lost, AC2 reconnects you at the last checkpoint (and not the last auto save, as indicated in the CVG article). There are many checkpoints so you're back to the point where you got disconnected in no time."

We were assured that only happens if the disconnection is lengthy. If you're cut off for just a second or two, the game simply pauses and continues on. Ars was also told that nothing will happen if your connection slows down. "Our online services platform will require a maximum of 50kbps of available bandwidth, so even with the slowest connection, gameplay won’t be affected."

They say pausing the game if you're disconnected for even a second or two as if thats like...a good thing. How about you go fuck yourself instead, Ubisoft?

[MysterD]

UbiSoft should just lessen their DRM scheme to something more normal.
End of story.

[scottws]

Ars clarifies further
 They say pausing the game if you're disconnected for even a second or two as if thats like...a good thing. How about you go fuck yourself instead, Ubisoft?

Yeah, that's ridiculous.  I've already sworn of EA and a few of their games I'm sort of interested in like Mass Effect and Mirror's Edge.  Ubisoft has no chance as far as I'm concerned.  There won't be the slightest feeling of temptation, I promise you that.

[idolminds]

I hope people keep pounding on this. Ubisoft needs to take as large a beating and PR disaster as we can throw at them.

Get a load of this.

What happens if Ubisoft take the DRM servers offline for maintenance, or suffer a technical breakdown?
In the case of a server failure their games will be taken offline, and you'll be unable to play them. "The idea is to avoid that point as much as possible, but we have been clear from the beginning that the game does need an internet connection for you to play. So if it goes down for real for a little while, then yeah, you can't play.

"

So they control when you can play. Even if its a technical problem on THEIR end, then you will be unable to play the game you paid $60 for. How great.

Will Ubi make a firm commitment to removing the DRM if the servers are to be taken offline?

We'll paste the straight transcript here:



PCG: What I think a lot of us would really like is a firm commitment that you understand our worries that the servers are going to go down and suddenly we've just got some trash data on our hard drives that we've paid for.



Ubisoft: The system is made by guys who love PC games. They play PC games, they are your friends.



PCG: So you can commit to saying that those systems will be patched out?



Ubisoft: That's the plan.



PCG: It's the plan, or it's definitely going to happen?



Ubisoft: That's written into the goal of the overall plan of the thing. But we don't plan on shutting down the servers, we really don't."

Translation: "No, we will not be held responsible for providing a patch."

Is there something stronger than "Fuck you, Ubisoft!"? Like...involving anal rape with chainsaws covered in acid soaked sandpaper?

[Cobra951]

Sure.  Don't give them any money.  As a for-profit corporation, they'd rather see their employees raped and burned by acid.