Overwritten.net
Games => General Gaming => Topic started by: ScaryTooth on Tuesday, September 02, 2008, 07:54:48 PM
-
I reserved it the other day. Kind of excited about it. But I'm looking to hear more about it. I like the idea, and it was fun creating your own creature with the creature creator. So, I guess we'll see.
-
Right here...except I'm really broke. Like, not really any more broke than I used to be when paying tuition at the start of a semester, but now all of a sudden I realize how it sucks more.
-
My misgivings with the game and the company are pretty well documented in the other thread already.
-
I'm going to wait until it's out for awhile to decide. It seems too sandboxy and less of an actual game to me right now.
-
I'll have to see how it turns out. I'm a little wary of buying EA games right off the bat.
-
I'm waiting and seeing. Let the initial love-fest die down and then get people real reactions to it. The creature creator was cool, but after a while it was kind of like "Ok, I can make any weird blobby creature I want. Now what?" So hopefully the actual gameplay parts of Spore are good.
-
You know, I think it's kind of interesting. They leaked the creature creator out there to sort of bring that excitement to a head but I think it kind of did the opposite like you said. Instead of drumming up interest it killed it.
-
Agreed. Or at least, there shouldn't have been such a huge gap between the creator release and retail game. They never should have pushed the retail Creature Creator. Download only, and push it out maybe a month before the game hits. Then you create this wave of excitement for the tools and then just ride it into the games release.
I need a job in marketing. This stuff should be obvious to people.
-
Actually, I don't know about all that. For people like us that may be the case, but for Joe and Jane consumer I don't think the editor was anything other than positive.
-
Yeah, it really seems on sites like digg.com and somethingawful.com (which both have very video game friendly demographics) that the editor probably even created more interest.
-
I'm probably gonna wait. There are quite a few games coming out in the next few weeks that I am interested in, so I'm gonna see if Spore lives up to the hype.
-
Until Spore gets at least revokes to be allowed for its Securom activation crap, no sale until it at least hit the Bargain Bin.
EDIT:
REVIEW:
9.2 from IGN Australia (http://pc.ign.com/articles/907/907287p1.html)
-
well it's already available through certain channels... might give it a whirl.
here's some more reviews (ganked from joystiq (http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/04/metareview-spore-pc/)).
PC Gamer UK (91/100): "Spore falls a little short of its promise at every stage, but bear in mind that its concept is as close as we've come to a game incarnation of the Lord our God."
IGN (88/100): "In fact, Spore is essentially five distinct games woven together. And here, Maxis demonstrates a weakness, as a number of these games come off as lightweight or limited. However, Spore is a prime example of something that is much more than the sum of its many parts."
Gamespot (80/100): "Taken on their own, its pieces are nothing special. As parts of a singular ambitious vision, they work far better. Throw in the best customization tools seen in years and an enthusiastic community brimming with creativity, and you have a legitimately great game that will deliver hours of quality entertainment."
certainly not bad - good even, but maybe not quite as great as all the hype has led us to believe.
-
I was really excited about Spore back when I was first hearing info about it, but now not so much. I bought the creature creature and I honestly only made like 3 creatures, only 1 of which I felt like uploading. The thing is just way too limited for the things I wanted it to do. Then I think about the fact that the game itself will be way different and I'm not sure I'd really spend time on it.
Plus, it's released on the same day that Warhammer Online starts it's open beta, so I'd probably never touch it lol.
-
Many users w/ the UK Version of this game are having issues trying to log into the game online -- whether to simply activate it or to try to access the online community features that game has going on.
EA is aware of this and is working on trying to fix the problem. (http://forums.electronicarts.co.uk/spore-technical-support/334814-cannot-login-login-errors-server-problems.html)
-
Seems like every game that has some sort of online activation is having this trouble lately. The authentication servers must not be able to cope with the traffic that hits with a new release.
-
Seems like every game that has some sort of online activation is having this trouble lately. The authentication servers must not be able to cope with the traffic that hits with a new release.
I think that's exactly what it is.
Though, I don't know what was up, but it took me a few times to authenticate Alone in the Dark 2008 -- and this game's been out for a bit. And I don't think it sold too many PC game copies, either. It just would not connect, even if the code inputted correctly, the first few tries. But then, then it decided when I clicked "retry" to go through.
I think Securom's shoddy, myself.
-
Trogdor!!!! (http://www.flabber.nl/archief/025052.php)
That alone makes me want to play.
Ahh. Homestarrunner
-
Oh, here's more on Spore issues.
Looks like there's a discrepancy b/t what the Spore manual says about having multiple online accounts per each allowed installation and what EA themselves are saying (you can have one account per activation code). (http://forums.electronicarts.co.uk/spore-technical-support/335416-you-may-have-multiple-spore-accounts-each-installation-game.html)
-
Maxis needs to really break away from EA. They are ruining their awesome name by being partnered/owned by them. I have been playing spore and its a fun game but EA is really starting to ruin it all.
-
But EA has all the money in the world, and Maxis isn't going anywhere because they like money. Even if EA ruins stuff, it only smells like success to those bathing in greenbacks.
-
Whats sucks is Spore itself is a really fun game. After playing it all day yesterday It's really really fun. The first stages in the game go by pretty fast sadly. but the space stage I notice is where all the hours of game play is.
-
Maxis should partner-up with Stardock.
-
Has Maxis ever published anything outside of EA?
-
Has Maxis ever published anything outside of EA?
I believe most of the original Sim City games were published way before EA bought them.
-
I believe you can go to hell.
Anyways, it seems that some people are complaining about being let down by this. While I haven't played it, I also haven't heard of any missing features or anything like that. This leads me to believe that once again, people got themselves hyped up into thinking a game was going to change their world and offer free intercourse and turned around and blamed the developers and press when they found out it was just a game.
-
They did take out the swimming phase but that's the only thing I saw that was different. Otherwise the game is fun and plenty of replay value.
-
According to GameSpy, looks like many Amazon.con users are bashing Spore with poor users reviews to basically site the game's vicious Securom DRM and picket the game online.
Hilarious! (http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/spore/908638p1.html)
Oh, and here's the link to all them user reviews on Spore on Amazon. (http://www.amazon.com/review/product/B000FKBCX4/ref=cm_cr_pr_link_1)
-
I saw a Spore billboard on my way to work today, towering above the freeway. It was... weird.
-
Oh, here's more on Spore issues.
Looks like there's a discrepancy b/t what the Spore manual says about having multiple online accounts per each allowed installation and what EA themselves are saying (you can have one account per activation code). (http://forums.electronicarts.co.uk/spore-technical-support/335416-you-may-have-multiple-spore-accounts-each-installation-game.html)
This is all over the game news sites today, looks like EA confirmed it. What this means is, say you and your wife want to play Spore. Since only one account per key is allowed, you can't have separate Spore accounts. All your creates will be tagged as being made by the same person, and I believe there is only one save game per account so...you're kinda stuck. According to a poster on Evil Avatar, even if you bought another copy of the game you'd still need to install it on a different system!
-
According to a poster on Evil Avatar, even if you bought another copy of the game you'd still need to install it on a different system!
That's crazy.
You'd figure as long as you bought another game copy, you could have another game account, at least.
-
I found the SPORE Prototype Program Pack (http://www.fileplanet.com/191605/190000/fileinfo/Spore---Prototype-Program-Pack) up on Fileplanet.
Here's a description:
Spore has been a huge undertaking. Along the way the developers ended up exploring countless design directions in gameplay, simulation and user interface.
One of the ways in which we explore possible design directions is by building simple, playable prototypes that we can play around with to get a sense for a particular system.
Usually these prototypes are never seen by the public, but we thought some of the more intrepid players out there might enjoy playing around with a few of our early Spore prototypes. Keep in mind these are not tested, supported or even easily explained.
-
So I picked the game up at the Magical Underworld Store, and I think the Gametrailers.com review I watched is pretty spot on. There's a sense of wonder and joy at every turn, and also a sense of disappointment. The game is a magical thing, and amazingly well done in many small ways, particularly in relation to the creatures themselves (who definitely take center stage), but there's a huge, huge sense of wasted potential for me, even as early as the first stage, the cell stage. It's really neat in a lot of ways, fun to play, and gorgeous to look at... but they did virtually nothing with it. It's so paper-thin it's disgusting, and not because it's terrible, but just because the system they set up could have been built upon almost effortlessly. They could have made some interesting little mechanical choices and come up with a much deeper, longer little experience, and it would have required practically no major changes to the system that's there. It's the grandest example of wasted potential I've ever seen, and because of that lasts you maybe 10 minutes. What a shame! I haven't explored the next stage much, but I hear all the stages barring the last are very short, and while some are cool, the shortness is unsatisfying because you just don't get to revel in the quirks of that particular stage for long enough.
So I'll maybe post more impressions later, but I think a lot of what's been said about this one is true.
-
This is all over the game news sites today, looks like EA confirmed it. What this means is, say you and your wife want to play Spore. Since only one account per key is allowed, you can't have separate Spore accounts. All your creates will be tagged as being made by the same person, and I believe there is only one save game per account so...you're kinda stuck. According to a poster on Evil Avatar, even if you bought another copy of the game you'd still need to install it on a different system!
That is absolutely ridiculous. I am aghast. If this was done on purpose, then EA has just hit an all-time low.
-
Yeah, I didn't really chime in on that, but I agree that it's totally ridiculous. If there was little likelihood of me supporting them before, that possibility is now entirely in the toilet.
-
All we need is Stardock to publish a (hopefully better) Spore-like clone...
-
So I picked the game up at the Magical Underworld Store, and I think the Gametrailers.com review I watched is pretty spot on. There's a sense of wonder and joy at every turn, and also a sense of disappointment. The game is a magical thing, and amazingly well done in many small ways, particularly in relation to the creatures themselves (who definitely take center stage), but there's a huge, huge sense of wasted potential for me, even as early as the first stage, the cell stage. It's really neat in a lot of ways, fun to play, and gorgeous to look at... but they did virtually nothing with it. It's so paper-thin it's disgusting, and not because it's terrible, but just because the system they set up could have been built upon almost effortlessly. They could have made some interesting little mechanical choices and come up with a much deeper, longer little experience, and it would have required practically no major changes to the system that's there. It's the grandest example of wasted potential I've ever seen, and because of that lasts you maybe 10 minutes. What a shame! I haven't explored the next stage much, but I hear all the stages barring the last are very short, and while some are cool, the shortness is unsatisfying because you just don't get to revel in the quirks of that particular stage for long enough.
So I'll maybe post more impressions later, but I think a lot of what's been said about this one is true.
That's the sort of thing I've been hearing. I guess the game is good for this who are more casual and are trying to get into things.
-
Forbes.com has an article on Spore about how many copies have been pirated online (so far); some reactions from EA and Stardock on this ordeal; etc etc. (http://www.forbes.com/technology/2008/09/12/spore-drm-piracy-tech-security-cx_ag_mji_0912spore.html)
As of Thursday afternoon, "Spore" had been illegally downloaded on file-sharing networks using BitTorrent peer-to-peer transfer 171,402 times since Sept. 1, according to Big Champagne, a peer-to-peer research firm. That's hardly a record: a popular game often hits those kinds of six-figure piracy numbers, says Big Champagne Chief Executive Eric Garland.
But not usually so quickly. In just the 24-hour period between Wednesday and Thursday, illegal downloaders snagged more than 35,000 copies, and, as of Thursday evening, that rate of downloads was still accelerating. "The numbers are extraordinary," Garland says. "This is a very high level of torrent activity even for an immensely popular game title."
-
I think it's especially logical here as EA has not only fucked people over with their account scheme, the DRM is also heavy, and the game itself, while extremely interesting, is far, far, far from a sure thing, and people aren't comfortable spending their money on this thing without knowing what kind of beast it truly is. I'm sure lots of bullshit will be thrown around about the piracy, but what it comes down to is that this game is a great concept with an execution absolutely nobody is sure about, and they didn't give us a demo of any kind, they gave us a creature creator. Granted, it was amazing to see it work, but it fundamentally has nothing to do with the game at all in any capacity! I mean not as a game, not as something mechanical when it comes to what you'll be doing. It's merely a foundational element, like releasing an amazing character creator for an RPG. It may be cool, but... so what? It doesn't really tell you anything of substance at all. I think there are lots of reasons people are pirating this, and I think they're all completely legitimate. The only one that isn't legit is if you really love the game and feel it's worth more than the downsides, and pirate it anyway. Otherwise, regardless of how I feel about piracy fundamentally, I can understand the reasons people are skeptical and unwilling to just hand money over (yet remain too curious to deny themselves the chance to see what it truly is).
-
For me, the DRM is the biggest thing keeping me away from buying Spore. Same goes for Mass Effect PC, too.
I don't think it helps that EA announces they plan to expand Spore like they did w/ The Sims, either. I mean, how much keeping up with this is EA gonna make Spore fans go through every 5-6 months for a number of years?
A part of me is also saying, "Maybe with some expansions behind it, the game could live up to its potential." From what I've read, Spore seems to be one of those games that the sum of its many parts add up to something special somehow. Fable TLC PC is one of those games, which has a bunch of really cool ideas in there, even though they ain't fully fleshed-out (depth-wise) to its possible potential -- but all of its small different pieces thrown into one game add up to something entirely unique, when taken in as a whole.
-
For me, the DRM is the biggest thing keeping me away from buying Spore. Same goes for Mass Effect PC, too.
I know what's the deal with DRM?
I don't think it helps that EA announces they plan to expand Spore like they did w/ The Sims, either. I mean, how much keeping up with this is EA gonna make Spore fans go through every 5-6 months for a number of years?
Every few months it seems like they release something else and it seems like it's the same thing over and over and over and over again....
A part of me is also saying, "Maybe with some expansions behind it, the game could live up to its potential." From what I've read, Spore seems to be one of those games that the sum of its many parts add up to something special somehow. Fable TLC PC is one of those games, which has a bunch of really cool ideas in there, even though they ain't fully fleshed-out (depth-wise) to its possible potential -- but all of its small different pieces thrown into one game add up to something entirely unique, when taken in as a whole.
It seems like with Spore they had the potential to create something great but everything didn't quite add up. They really could have added a few things here and there to make it great but it's almost like they didn't do that.
-
ahaha... oh jeezus...
make it stop... my lungs hurt...
-
ahaha... oh jeezus...
make it stop... my lungs hurt...
Do you smoke (cigs), Que?
-
Gandhi delivered a fatal blow. It was poetic.
-
Gandhi delivered a fatal blow. It was poetic.
Sure, let's all gang up on MyD.
Hell, I'll even join in on the (Internet) beat-down!
EDIT:
More on Spore and Amazon reviews.
From ArsTechnica. (http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080912-amazon-gags-spore-critics-deletes-all-customer-reviews.html)
-
I see nothing has changed in my absence. :P :P
-
Oh man... that was fucking epic. I love you Ghandi. I am now your bitch.
-
I see nothing has changed in my absence. :P :P
Surprised?
-
Nice.
Even some of the in-game creatures users are making are DRM protests. (http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/15/spore-creatures-join-anti-drm-protest/)
-
Amusing.
I have to say, this game is pretty hard not to like. I can see all the flaws, but... the experience is just so endearing. If you get far enough to get attached to your creature, you're fucked. No matter your thoughts on the game, you can't hate it because your little guy there is relying on you to help him grow and expand his world. It's pretty brilliant on that level, missed opportunities aside. And the game isn't terrible or anything... what's there is fun, just limited.
-
I'm still kind of torn. On one hand I really want to pick it up, but on the other, I fear it will be the end of productivity for me.
-
I'd sort of doubt that. This isn't what I'd classify as an addictive game. Endearing, but it's pretty easy to put down.
-
And the game isn't terrible or anything... what's there is fun, just limited.
It's almost like EA consciously limited the experience, leaving the door open for many expansions in the future.
-
It's almost like EA consciously limited the experience, leaving the door open for many expansions in the future.
Not like that's any new terrain there for EA...
-
It's almost like EA consciously limited the experience, leaving the door open for many expansions in the future.
Hmm, good point. The bastards.
-
I don't know if that's true or not. Just saying I wouldn't put it past them.
-
I think its absolutely true. I mean, as much as we all think Will Wright is a cool guy, I'm sure he also likes money. So why would he do anything but design a game that was expansion-friendly when he knew his audience would be fucking humongous and EA would be throwing money at him and making sure his game did well no matter what was in it? So I highly doubt his viewpoint is so far from EA's in that respect. And I don't mean to imply that this isn't a complete game, because there's enough here to go on... it just could have been much more, and in that respect fails sort of miserably when compared to other games that aren't built like this, but feel more than merely complete right from the start.
-
ArsTechnica puts Spore's DRM to the test (http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080916-ars-puts-spore-drm-to-the-testwith-a-surprising-result.html)
Dealing with the EA DRM juggernaut
With all the sound and the fury, we wondered if anyone had even yet dealt with this install limit? Mark DeSanto, who reviewed the game, installed his review copy of Spore on his main gaming PC twice, once on his laptop, and then again on the gaming PC. Four installs, across two systems. The fourth installation received an authentication error when he tried to log into the game. A quick call to EA's customer support brought an oddly-happy voice on the line, and once informed of the issue, he quickly determined that there was a network issue on their side; Spore's authentication servers were down. So it was DRM in general that was causing the problem, not an issue specific to EA or Spore.
With no authentication, this problem would've never been had.
We hung up the phone and waited roughly fifteen minutes to call EA tech support once more; we were hoping to get someone else to get a different opinion, as we were sure we had used up all our installation attempts. Calling back, another happy voice—female this time—checked into the account and determined that we had only registered the game twice—not four times. Spore was only registering installs on new machines. The game booted with no issue soon after; it seems to have truly been a network issue.
With installing the game four times between two machines, and still no issues, we decided to remove the game and installed it a fifth time on the gaming PC, and still had no issues with playing the game. Next we decided to move over to a completely different, so far unused, machine, installing it on an antiquated test system... no issues. Finally, the game was installed onto a Mac Pro, and we struck gold with the pictured error message.
(http://media.arstechnica.com/news.media/DRM-1.jpg)
A call to EA brought us to the same help person as the first call. We informed him of the error message and gave him his Spore account information as well as the product key. A few minutes later the rep determined that we had, in fact, used up all our "key activations." As friendly as can be, our EA employee inferred that it was probably some kind of printing error on the manual. Here's the catch: we decided to tell him that we had rented the game.
LOL @ them saying they rented it.
He assured us he could resolve the situation and did—issuing me another CD key for the game. We wanted to make it clear we understood the DRM restrictions and asked about the install limitations and he informed me that "you could install the game all day long on the same machine—it was limited to installations on three separate machines." The only catch: the game had to be reinstalled after the new key was issued.
Bleh @ having to reinstall.
What a pain.
While the issue of the install limit is a touchy one, it doesn't look like a normal install will do much to use up your limit, and in fact we surpassed the install limit by a few times before running into an issue. Even after being told that we were "renting" the game, EA was happy to give us a new key to run the game. In this case, customer service wins, and we left wondering if the DRM controversy might be more philosophical in nature than rooted in any real-world inconveniences.
If EA doesn't patch-out the DRM some years down the road, gamers will have to look for unofficial cracks to play this thing if EA goes out of business.
All this calling to EA customer support to get their game reactivated and then have to reinstall, that's just down-right annoying.
-
Like EA is ever going to go out of business.
I think what it comes down to is what this guy said at the end there. By and large this is entirely a philosophical issue... for now. Nobody's generally arguing about how much this stuff has inconvenienced them, since more often than not it doesn't. Sometimes, yes, but those folks are usually the minority, usually by large margin. What everyone is steamed about is all the potential pitfalls of future use and the moral/legal inconsistencies, which are all more or less fact.
I've only had a few hiccups with DRM in my life (most of them were actually with Steam), and even my experiences with most of the horrible ones were unremarkable, but that doesn't mean the issue isn't important to me from other standpoints. Just because I wasn't a person directly affected by the holocaust doesn't mean I'm going to stand by and say it was fine for such crimes to have been committed. And yes, that's a totally extreme comparison, but it came to mind. So... shut up.
-
I've had annoyances w/ activating Bioshock and AITD 2008, but I got through them -- after a handful of tries or so.
I've had StarForce protected games like Broken Sword 3 not want to boot up for like 2 mins, fail and then decide to reboot my PC.
I've had Diablo 2: LOD never want to boot period, despite putting in correct CD-key and the CD in the drive and everything; if I recall, it was something that got corrupt when doing the upgrade to LOD. Though, D2: Original worked fine every time. Had to resort to a crack for D2: LOD, for a while. But, thanks for the No-CD patch y'all released later, Blizz -- needed that! :)
Just a few things coming to mind here.
-
My concern is how long are they going to keep these activation servers running and support the reissuances of licenses for old games? What if say 10 years down the road I break out some old game and it doesn't work at all on Windows Shitsta SE but I still have this machine and break it out and install the game. Will I be able to do that?
-
Official EA response: Talk to us 10 years down the road and we will work something out.
-
As long as we still have pirates, we'll be okay. God bless 'em. Nobody gives a shit what EA's official word will be since we'll still just be able to go download a crack anyway.
At least for most things. Smaller games... who knows. And there are times now when I wish something had a crack or something and it doesn't, and that really does suck.
-
He assured us he could resolve the situation and did—issuing me another CD key for the game. We wanted to make it clear we understood the DRM restrictions and asked about the install limitations and he informed me that "you could install the game all day long on the same machine—it was limited to installations on three separate machines." The only catch: the game had to be reinstalled after the new key was issued.
Now thats interesting. Having to reinstall the game sounds to me like they simply terminate the old CD key and issue a new one, as opposed to upping the install limit on the original key. So...which key do you need to remember in the future to get even more installs? If the original is deactivated, and you happen to lose the scrap of paper the new one is written on...are you boned?
-
You're boned regardless because it's all fucking bullshit.
-
EA talks about Spore, DRM, and other stuff w/ MTV Multiplayer.
(I remember when MTV stood for Music....) (http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2008/09/16/spore-drm-update-ea-loosening-one-restriction/)
‘Spore’ DRM Update - EA Loosening One Restriction In ‘Near Future,’ Offers Defense
Posted by Stephen Totilo on 9/16/08 at 8:29 pm.
'Spore'Since “Spore” launched on PC earlier this month it’s been the subject of thousands of complaints about the Digital Rights Management (DRM) measures implemented by EA to stave off piracy of the blockbuster game.
With so many issues swirling about restrictions and spyware and whatnot, I checked in with EA about the big ones and got several updates.
The bottom line shared to me by EA spokesperson Mariam Sughayer today is that “EA has no intentions — nor will they ever — to make it easier for people to play a pirated game… than to play an authentic retail copy.”
Specifically, here’s how the company replies to four major DRM and ownership issues surrounding the game:
* Complaint: A legitimately bought copy of “Spore” can’t be activated on more than three different computers — ever.
EA Response: That will be changed, according to the EA spokesperson, who told Multiplayer that the current limit on the number of computers that can be associated with a single copy of “Spore” is “very similar to a solution that iTunes has. The difference is that with iTunes you can de-authorize a computer [that you no longer want associated with your iTunes content]. Right now, with our solution, you can’t. But there is a patch coming for that.” The official timeframe for that patch is “near future.”
If they start allowing for revokes, that'll be a more acceptable solution than what they have currently.
It's still annoying, but not as bad.
*Some stats regarding this issue — EA provided Multiplayer with updated information indicating that it is rare for consumers to perform installations of recent EA PC games on more than one PC, let alone three (these figures, incidentally, offer a window into “Spore”’s current rate of sale):
Mass Effect
• Total activations: 183313
• Users activating on only 1 machine: 77%
• Users activating on more than 1 machine: 23%
• User trying to activate on more than 3 machines: 0.9%
Spore Creature Creator
• Total activations: 453048
• Users activating on only 1 machine: 77%
• Users activating on more than 1 machine: 23%
• Users trying to activate on more than 3 machines: 1%
Spore (main game)
• Total activations: 437138
• Users activating on only 1 machine: 86%
• Users activating on more than 1 machine: 14%
• User trying to activate on more than 3 machines: 0.4%
Interesting stats.
UPDATE - An EA representative has clarified that the above numbers cover a sampling of the people who have bought “Spore” and should not be interpreted as a representation of sales data for the game.
Okay.
* Complaint: Consumers fear there is spyware being installed by the SecurROM copy-protection software incorporated into the game.
EA Response: “There’s no viruses, no spyware and no malware…We have located a download off of one of the Torrent sites that is a virus. The thing I would say to the consumer audience is that, if you’re concerned with a virus on your computer, the chances of that are infinitely higher when you’re downloading off of a hacked version than it would be downloading the authentic game. We would never put any spyware on anyone’s computers. That’s not going to happen.”
Okay...
* Complaint: The “Spore” instruction manual claims that a purchaser of “Spore” can allow multiple users to create online accounts with a single copy of the game. The game does not allow this.
EA Response: The company has already stated this is a misprint in the manual and referred Multiplayer back to a statement issued by “Spore” executive producer Lucy Bradshaw apologizing for “the confusion.” But EA has not replied to Multiplayer follow-up questions regarding why the company implemented this restriction and what EA makes of complaints from households that include multiple people who want to have separate “Spore” accounts associated with a single copy of the game.
Okay.
* Complaint: The requirement for a “Spore” user to have their ownership of the game automatically authenticated every time they access the game’s online features threatens to render the game useless if EA someday turns the “Spore” servers off.
EA Response: “If we were to ever turn off the servers on the game, we would put through a patch before that to basically make the DRM null and void. We’re never walking away from the game and making it into a situation where people aren’t going to be able to play it.”
I hope they stick to their guns with what they are saying here...
***
EA declined to address more general questions about the company’s views on all the DRM complaints — are they legit or mostly from pirates? The company is also passing on talking about why the DRM restrictions for “Spore” appear to differ from other EA PC titles, a distinction that some have viewed as a sign of EA considering modifying its policies. If and when EA addresses those questions, we’ll let you know.
-
D, you don't have to quote the entire article and then say "okay" after little sections like that.
I think the interesting part is this:
Spore (main game)
• Total activations: 437138
• User trying to activate on more than 3 machines: 0.4%
That translates to 1,748 that have hit the install limit and had to call. In the first week.
-
That's still complete bs about the single account "feature." I'm not happy that EA refuses to talk about it.
-
Zero Punctuation (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/218-Spore)
-
Zero Punctuation (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/218-Spore)
Finally! been waiting on that one ;D
Thanks Ghandi!
-
LOL @ all the long "No" answers Yahtzee gives off.
-
Patch 1.01 released for Spore. (http://www.spore.com/patch)
-
Call me, e-mail me, or instant message me when EA releases this revoke tool for their Securom games.
Interview with EA on the evolution of Spore's DRM. (http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2008/09/19/ea-relents-on-spore-drm-we-need-to-adapt-our-policy-to-accommodate-our-legitimate-consumers/)
Going forward, we will amend the DRM policy on Spore to:
· Expand the number of eligible machines from three to five.
· Continue to offer channels to request additional activations where warranted.
· Expedite our development of a system that will allow consumers to de-authorize machines and move authorizations to new machines. When this system goes online, it will effectively give players direct control to manage their authorizations between an unlimited number of machines.
-
I still think the main concern is that only one person can really play the game on a given computer. That's either a glaring oversight or sheer stupidity.
-
I still think the main concern is that only one person can really play the game on a given computer. That's either a glaring oversight or sheer stupidity.
Whoa, whoa -- so, if you have multiple-users for one PC, only ONE of those Users can actually play it?
If say you have multiple-users on one PC, you can't use an activation for each Windows user (even if it's on the same PC)?
-
I thought it would just be a matter of a profile or a save file. For some retarded reason they opted for 1 user per purchase.
-
I actually think Spore will sell 5 million copies regardless of the comments on Amazon.
-
I actually think Spore will sell 5 million copies regardless of the comments on Amazon.
I think that might happen when the DRM gets loosened a bit -- and when the price drops altogether, too.
It's already on track to become possibly the most pirated game ever, thanks to the outrage of its DRM.....and that is NOT going to help sales anytime soon.
-
The people who make games like The Sims a mega hit aren't the folks who even understand DRM.
Go to the forums on the hardcore gaming websites, and ask how many people play The Sims, and buy the expansions. I doubt you will find anything more than a minute percentage. Yet at the same time, every week, five of the top ten games on the NPD charts are The Sims. Hardcore titles like Crysis hardly feature, yet always top the lists of most torrented titles.
In fact, I was looking at some most torrented games 2007 list on the GFW forums and found it populated by games like Crysis, COD4, C&C, World in Conflict, Company of Heroes, Titan Quest: Expansion, Unreal Tournament 2007 etc... all the titles that were torrented more than The Sims (which wasn't even on), yet didn't come near in sales. The funny thing is that while Titan Quest and World in Conflict were high on that list, neither franchise managed to survive.
So what does that tell you? Here are some simple facts:
1. On the most popular titles of 2007 list, you had all the hardcore PC games with none of games from The Sims franchise in sight...
2. On the NPD lists (which obviously showed actual sales), The Sims + expansions owned over half the top 10 of 2007.
3. Hardcore gamers freely admit to hating The Sims.
I am sure you can draw your own conclusions.
As for Spore, the fact is that it was designed to appeal to the sort of people who would love games like The Sims.
And when it came to hype, Spore was like The Dark Knight of PC games. It was featured on tons of mainstream magazines, radio shows, tv shows, talk shows, comedy shows etc. It was marketed to the sort of people who would actually pay money for a game, and wouldn't be able to pirate it even if they wanted to.
I am not saying that Spore's DRM had no affect on sales. I am sure the game lost a few hundred thousand customers purely because of its DRM. But, I bet, when EA looks at the fact that the game has nearly three thousand negative comments on Amazon.... all it thinks is WELL FUCK 'EM.
You know why?
Because Spore was still the best selling game on Amazon, despite the negativity.
edit:
I am in no way defending the crazy DRM of Spore or anything. It has been pretty much the reason why I haven't bought the game. But I can list three friends who are casual gamers at best and loving the title.
-
The people who make games like The Sims a mega hit aren't the folks who even understand DRM.
Go to the forums on the hardcore gaming websites, and ask how many people play The Sims, and buy the expansions. I doubt you will find anything more than a minute percentage. Yet at the same time, every week, five of the top ten games on the NPD charts are The Sims. Hardcore titles like Crysis hardly feature, yet always top the lists of most torrented titles.
That's a shame about Crysis -- being torrented to holy hell. Especially with it often going for now $19.99 or $29.99. Crysis is a great shooter.
I wonder how well Crysis and Crysis: Warhead are selling over Steam now. B/c of the whole DRM fiasco with that, suddenly, Crysis and Crysis: Warhead began to sell like crazy over there. Though from what I know, like Bioshock over Steam did, the same exact install limits are still intact in The Steam Version.
In fact, I was looking at some most torrented games 2007 list on the GFW forums and found it populated by games like Crysis, COD4, C&C, World in Conflict, Company of Heroes, Titan Quest: Expansion, Unreal Tournament 2007 etc... all the titles that were torrented more than The Sims (which wasn't even on), yet didn't come near in sales. The funny thing is that while Titan Quest and World in Conflict were high on that list, neither franchise managed to survive.
Are you saying none of The Sims games even been torrented? :o
So what does that tell you? Here are some simple facts:
1. On the most popular titles of 2007 list, you had all the hardcore PC games with none of games from The Sims franchise in sight...
2. On the NPD lists (which obviously showed actual sales), The Sims + expansions owned over half the top 10 of 2007.
3. Hardcore gamers freely admit to hating The Sims.
I wouldn't say I hate The Sims; I actually loved The Sims.
Never bought Sims 2; waiting for a Complete Pack.
I am sure you can draw your own conclusions.
As for Spore, the fact is that it was designed to appeal to the sort of people who would love games like The Sims.
It also has space strategy games and civilization building elements, too -- which could get the hardcore strategy gamers involved. Though, many have complained how those game pieces in Spore are not nearly as complex as say games that have one of Spore's pieces for the whole game (Civ represents the civ builder; Homeworld, Starcraft and Sins represent locking down the space-strategy game; etc etc).
Spore seems to try to be a jack of all trades, but master of none. I ain't played Spore, but I can think of one game that was a jack of all trades and somehow managed to do it very well -- Fable: TLC. It was a RPG; action game; Sims game all rolled in one.
Of course, if Spore wants its elements to get deeper, expansion packs seem like they way EA should go with that. And knowing EA and that they probably will go that way (like they did with The Sims), Spore could be incredible when it has a Complete Collection Box put out for it.
And when it came to hype, Spore was like The Dark Knight of PC games. It was featured on tons of mainstream magazines, radio shows, tv shows, talk shows, comedy shows etc. It was marketed to the sort of people who would actually pay money for a game, and wouldn't be able to pirate it even if they wanted to.
Very true.
Though, there were still many hardcore gamers ready to pony up for Spore...until they heard about the DRM.
I am not saying that Spore's DRM had no affect on sales. I am sure the game lost a few hundred thousand customers purely because of its DRM. But, I bet, when EA looks at the fact that the game has nearly three thousand negative comments on Amazon.... all it thinks is WELL FUCK 'EM.
You know why?
Because Spore was still the best selling game on Amazon, despite the negativity.
Keyword here is "was." Do you really think it'll still sell well (like it did upon its release), once the word keeps spreading about its nasty DRM? B/c really, the DRM just seems to keep on escalating more and more; not dieing down when we talk about this game's DRM and its one user per PC limit.
How will your casual Joe runs into issues b/c of the game's DRM?? Will he join the parades of those against the DRM and boycott EA until they do something about the DRM that is a little bit more acceptable? Will he turn into a pirate, eventually?
EA says they will -- and I hope for their sake, they live up to it; and throw revokes in, at the least. Do that, they might get sales from gamers like myself. And I hope like they say they will, way down the line, remove the protection completely
edit:
I am in no way defending the crazy DRM of Spore or anything. It has been pretty much the reason why I haven't bought the game.
Right, I understand that.
But I can list three friends who are casual gamers at best and loving the title.
That's cool.
But, I wonder how they'll react when the DRM gets in their way, for some reason...
-
That's a shame about Crysis -- being torrented to holy hell. Especially with it often going for now $19.99 or $29.99. Crysis is a great shooter.
In a recent podcast with PCG, Cevat Yerli said Crysis has now sold 1.5 million. Again with 8 million 8800 series cards sold alone, he has reason to be disappointed. He said on IGN that he was happy people were playing it heh.
Are you saying none of The Sims games even been torrented?
Ummm no. I am saying that from the ten most torrented games, they didn't make the list. I am sure they are torrented lots... but not enough to beat any of the others. Again this is what I saw for 2007...
I wouldn't say I hate The Sims; I actually loved The Sims.
Never bought Sims 2; waiting for a Complete Pack.
Sure... but most of us, the interest in The Sims lasts around the first in every new iteration. None of the core gamers seem to give a rat's ass about the expansions, yet they sell like hotcakes.
Keyword here is "was." Do you really think it'll still sell well (like it did upon its release), once the word keeps spreading about its nasty DRM? B/c really, the DRM just seems to keep on escalating more and more; not dieing down when we talk about this game's DRM and its one user per PC limit
Actually it is still in the top 5 still. The games ahead are your Wows and the new Sims games... plus the flavor of the month... Dawn of War. I feel Spore will be in the top 5 for a while. Again this is only on Amazon.
On NPD, that counts full retail, Spore is still at no1.
How will your casual Joe runs into issues b/c of the game's DRM?? Will he join the parades of those against the DRM and boycott EA until they do something about the DRM that is a little bit more acceptable? Will he turn into a pirate, eventually?
That's cool.
But, I wonder how they'll react when the DRM gets in their way, for some reason...
As for when the DRM gets in their way, I don't know... but it should be a while before they need to go past that third install. By the time they run into trouble -- if any -- their cash would have been long gone.
Again, the DRM is shit, and I won't buy the game because of it... but I don't think average Joe will get it. (as in average Joe won't see the DRM as an obstacle)
-
The average Joe doesn't know what DRM is or even has any idea that it's on Spore or any other game for that matter.
-
The average Joe doesn't know what DRM is or even has any idea that it's on Spore or any other game for that matter.
Haha makes the average PC gamer feel gifted! ;D
-
The average Joe doesn't know what DRM is or even has any idea that it's on Spore or any other game for that matter.
Yup, which is why I roll my eyes at people thinking that the Amazon protest will make a significant impact on sales.
-
They'll know what DRM is when they let family members install the game on their PC and -- oh, no! We're out of installs!
Should we call EA?
Or buy another copy of Spore?
-
We already talked about this a page ago. The average Joe gamer isn't likely to be impacted by this as much, at least immediately. This will affect the core gamers more -- if they don't crack their copy -- who are more likely to format their systems regularly, or change pieces of hardware.
-
Has anyone tried Spore:Origins?
-
We already talked about this a page ago. The average Joe gamer isn't likely to be impacted by this as much, at least immediately.
Exactly, Pug, that's my point -- what will they do, if they do run into this pain-in-the-ass issue sometime way down the line? Of course, that's if EA hasn't changed things via a patch.
Do you think they'll start to try and learn more about computers and become more like us "core gamers" (who know stuff about PC's)? Maybe learn on his own on how to become a pirate? Maybe even turn into one? Or just stay Casual Joe, doing what EA probably hopes for and Joe goes out to buy another copy (if it's still expensive)?
This will affect the core gamers more -- if they don't crack their copy -- who are more likely to format their systems regularly, or change pieces of hardware.
Of course.
But, w/ things like CC's Firedog and BB's Geek Squad, Casual Joe Gamer could get his PC upgraded by them. Maybe he asks the worker why his PC ain't running said game, and the guy tells him he'll upgrade his RAM and Vid Card. Then, oh no -- Casual Joe might run into an issue with DRM b/c he changed significant hardware -- go back to my second paragraph now, as those questions can be asked again.
(I don't feel like copy and pasting them; too lazy.)
EA doesn't represent a lot of the companies that treat PC gamers right like CD Projekt and Stardock, for starters. Even Valve (of all companies with STEAM and their limitations) is more fair than EA now.
-
Has anyone tried Spore:Origins?
No, but it's basically just the cell stage of Spore, which I can't imagine being amused by for long. You swim around and eat food pellets, and... that's basically it. One of the guys on the Gamers With Jobs podcast said he'd put several hours into it on his iPhone because you tilt it sort of the way flOw works on PS3 with the sixaxis, which is kind of cool, but I have no idea how you could have an attention span so vast that the cell stage would remain interesting for more than an hour. Even that's pushing it. Like I said, it's the greatest case of wasted potential I've ever seen, just because the setup itself is extremely compelling and would be so ridiculously easy to build upon. Give it to an indie developer and you'd see something totally awesome come out of it, maybe a hybrid thing like Starscape (http://www.moonpod.com/English/about_ss.php).
-
The same average Joe who is blissfully ignorant of the DRM evil is likely to be ignorant about how to use bittorrents. If it's more complicated than a download link, it will go over his head.
-
Sounds like Spore Patch 1.1 is causing lots of stability issues w/ the game. A lot of people get frequent crashes, only after installing this patch. (http://bluesnews.com/cgi-bin/board.pl?action=viewthread&threadid=91590)
Spore Patch Issues [September 21, 2008, 1:33 pm ET] - Viewing Comments
Spore Patch Thread Problems & Solutions on the Spore Forum (the Sporum) outlines problems users are having with the newly released version 1.1 patch for Spore (story) along with possible solutions and workarounds. There seems to be reason for concern based on this Stability Poll on the Sporum, as a very limited sampling (100 votes as of this writing) indicates 36% of all respondents and 42% of those who have installed the patch are having stability issues after patching. Thanks James.
-
Brad Wardell of Stardock opens up on Spore DRM (http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3170117)
Brad Wardell on Spore DRM and the Gamer's Bill of Rights
Stardock CEO seeks a middle ground where DRM can thrive without being intrusive.
By Robert Ashley, 09/23/2008
The latest DRM scandal is upon us. It seems that every few months now, PC gamers take up their pitchforks and storm the Internet with anti-anti-piracy furor. DRM, short for digital rights management, has been unpopular with a certain tech-savvy crowd for years, but the outcry over the limitations placed on this year's biggest PC game, Spore, is unprecedented. The game continues to receive a downpour of one-star ratings by Amazon.com users (average current rating: one-and-one-half stars), and many online pundits speculate that the game, which hit file sharing sites before the game's release, is well on its way to becoming the most pirated game in history. Already, two separate concessions have been made to the angry mob: Electronic Arts, the game's publisher, upgraded the number of installs customers get per disc from three (installed on different machines) to five. Later, they added the ability to allow multiple players to have their own accounts on a single copy, since in its original form, Spore wouldn't allow different members of the same household to play their own games on one disc.
It's not like EA is out to rip their customers off. When it comes to DRM, PC gaming is stuck between a rock and a hard place. Facing a piracy challenge far worse than game consoles, which require mod chips and a certain amount of know-how to cheat the system, PC game publishers are increasingly unwilling to invest in the kind of big budget, top-of-the-line technology games that have always been the platform's focus, only to have the product of that investment zapped around the world for free in an instant. Meanwhile, the core constituency of the PC gaming market uses any infraction or inconvenience associated with DRM as an excuse to hit the torrent sites.
When Stardock, publisher of Sins of Solar Empire and operator of the new-kid-on-the-block digital distribution network, Impulse, released their "Gamer's Bill of Rights" last month, they may have hit upon a compromise. A list of principles Stardock (and anyone else who wants the label on their box) will adhere to, the GBR promises, among other things, to never install hidden drivers or programs that control aspects of your computer without your permission (a major point of contention with many forms of DRM). It also promises that after purchasing a game, a customer will always be allowed to re-download and install that game as many times as they like.
"I think most consumers understand that developers need to protect their intellectual property," says Brad Wardell, CEO of Stardock. "What I think consumers are getting tired of is seeing lazy, ineffective, and intrusive methods used." Wardell doesn't oppose piracy protection measures, only sloppy, vague implementations of those measures. He thinks that Spore's online activation, which has caused so much consternation, could have been much smarter. "The whole activation thing could be relatively painless if even a minor amount of effort was put into it," says Wardell. "There's a big difference between three activations coming from the same IP address in a week and three activations coming from different parts of the world. Our non-game software takes that into account which is why you so rarely see complaints -- most of our non-game customers don't even know there is an activation because it's handled during installation seamlessly."
That's the rub in this ongoing Spore saga. The game calls home to make sure you bought it, much the same way Impulse or Valve's ubiquitous Steam platform do. Only, you never hear mass complaints about Valve's last big offering, The Orange Box. That's because Steam stays out of your way, gives you the freedom to install anywhere you play games, and on top of it all adds value to your experience with automatic updating, easy installing, and the best social gaming tools around.
"What it takes is in each game trying to find ways to reward people for buying the product," says Wardell. "In EA's case, I think they could have beefed up the online component of the game further. They already have quite a bit of that in, but they could have taken it further so that more of the 'good stuff' is obtained online, and then they could have had the account validation occur then."
Right. That's why Stardock does so well -- you can play their game, as is, out the box. Ain't got to dial-up or anything. But, if you want the patch, you'll have to get it from them online, nobody else AND verify your copy's legit. Sounds fair to me.
An that is what the Witcher did, if you wanted the free update to Witcher: EE -- and it works just fine, as a gimmick. You want to use your offline product without the new stuff? Fine. Nothing forced on you.
But, do you want the new extra content? Only one place to get that -- online. That's how most of us get the updates. Get online, verify you own the copy -- and then it's all yours.
So, is all of this drama -- the din of a million nerds hyperventilating at their keyboard -- justified? "I hate to say it but yes, to a large extent it is justified," says Wardell. "EA has every right to protect their intellectual property. But what exactly is their objective? The super-casual pirate who gives the game to their neighbor or coworker isn't affected because it allows five activations. The torrent pirates were probably never going to buy it anyway and had the game day one. So in this particular case, the DRM seems to be the worst of all possible worlds."
Exactly, Brad.
-
Well it's good to see that they are allowing multiple players on one copy now. That was completely retarded, since there was no way at all to have more than one player account on a computer even if you purchased Spore a hundred times over.
-
Teh funnay (http://xkcd.com/480/)
-
I guess I don't get it, because it doesn't seem funny to me at all.
-
I lolled.
-
EA being sued over Securom being used for Spore DRM without any warning.
Class-action lawsuit. (http://www.actiontrip.com/rei/comments_news.phtml?id=092408_5)
EA Sued Over Spore DRM
[Ure "Vader" Paul]
11:14 am EDT @ September 24th, 2008
Filed under: EA, MYTHIC, SPORE
Courthouse News Service reports that a class action lawsuit has been filed in U.S. District Court. Maryland resident Melissa Thomas has filed a class action lawsuit against publisher Electronic Arts, accusing the company of unlawful and deceptive conduct. The lawsuit refers to the automatic SecuROM installation, which occurs without asking confirmation, when the user installs Spore, the latest "virtual reality simulation game." Also, the user isn't provided with the means to remove it, even after uninstalling the game, as stated in the lawsuit.
The report continues:
Consumers are not warned about the program, which is installed without notice and cannot be uninstalled, even if the uninstall Spore, the complaint states. The secret SecuROM program is "secretly installed to the command and control center of the computer (Ring 0, or the Kernel), and surreptitiously operated, overseeing function and operation on the computer, preventing the computer from operating under certain circumstances and/or disrupting hardware operations," the complaint states.
Right now, EA's invincible super-clone lawyers are plotting away... I wouldn't want to be in Melissa's shoes when they're done.
Isn't it stated somewhere in the EULA, actually?
They usually are.
-
<Newsradio reference>Godspeed, fair wizard.</Newsradio reference>
-
Despite everything, EA announces Spore has sold one million copies for PC/Mac and Nintendo DS. (http://www.ea.com/read/20080924-sporemillion.xml)
-
Like I said D, the game will easily sell 5 million... at least. It is projected to sell two million in one month...
-
Wow, so I kind of thought everyone had overhyped the game in their heads and then were just being bitches when they found out it was a game like every other. I bought it today, and am sad to say I was kind of wrong. Like, it's not really even fun. Sure, I'm just at the creature stage, but so far it's really boring.
-
Wow, so I kind of thought everyone had overhyped the game in their heads and then were just being bitches when they found out it was a game like every other. I bought it today, and am sad to say I was kind of wrong. Like, it's not really even fun. Sure, I'm just at the creature stage, but so far it's really boring.
Just played it a short while ago. I made it to the SPace-fairing stage. It is boring as fook. I agree with Que that some stages pass by too quickly without letting really enjoy their meat. The rest of this game os so dull and lacking (clearly for expansion plans).
I'm glad I tried it out at a friend's place and didn't waste any cash on it.
-
Xessive has a friend named Azureus.
-
He's related to my friend ABC. Even he couldn't motivate me to get this game. I just don't see the huge appeal.
-
I picked this up 2 weeks ago and made it to the space stage a couple days ago.
It's definitely way too short and way too easy. Each phase is far too simplistic and too brief for you to really get you to enjoy each phase. The Cell phase lasts 10 minutes. The creature phase lasts 1 hour. The tribal phase lasts about 1-2 hours. The civilization stage lasts less than 1 hour. The space stage is endless, but isn't as fun as it appears to be.
Still there is a certain charm to it when making your own creatures, vehicles, and buildings.
-
Xessive has a friend named Azureus.
Haha I woulda donwloaded it but I'd rather not waste my time or bother with the EA DRM crap. My dear froggy friend is an excellent provider of certain flicks and sing-a-long songs though.
P.S. uTorrent kicks ass.
-
Fuck, so basically I have nothing to look forward to. Damn they just made the presentations for this game waaaay too good.
-
Fuck, so basically I have nothing to look forward to. Damn they just made the presentations for this game waaaay too good.
It has a lot of good ideas, it just doesn't take full advantage of them.
The best function so far is the creature creator but even that is lacking.
-
So I got this game yesterday. I'm on the creature stage. I don't see what's do appealing about this game.
-
What I think is cool about it is how you can build your creature and it will use the limbs and it will move accordingly to how you build your creature.
Beyond that the game isn't anything special.
-
Yeah, I haven't gone back to the game and doubt I will. Much ado about nothing, I say.
-
I am just dumbfounded by how publishers get to pick which reviewer reviews their game. This game was reviewed by Kristen Salvator of PC GAMER and given a 92%. Her review read like a love letter to Will Wright -- I am not kidding.
Dan Stapleton, theie strategy resident was allowed to weigh in at the end of the review, and tore the game apart.
I guess it would have been a disaster for them had they allowed him to give it a negative review.
-
It's very interesting reading the metacritic stuff for the game. The critic scores are generally high, but if you read the blurbs, a lot of them are kind of "this is awesome, but..." or "despite the flaws, this is great" or "there's this major issue here, but we don't really care". It's weird. And the user response from people who regularly play games has been generally quite bad. Not everyone dislikes it... I know a couple guys that dig it, and Julia played it a little bit and thought it was quite fun, but it all comes back to how much you love the "this is a toy" aspect of it, because the actual game part just really isn't there.
-
Well, in the end it begs the question: what constitutes a game? Is it the money spent on it?
I haven't played Spore so I can't comment on it but I see these games come out for $10 or $20 that are every bit as enjoyable as the big budget games.
-
This to me kind of smacks of Black & White. Innovative game that's highly anticipated and is very well received critically upon release, yet a lot of users are like WTF after they play it for a bit, and later on down the road most critics don't know what the hell they were smoking when they wrote their reviews.
-
Interesting comparison.
I remember Black & White becoming much less fun after a portal (or whirlpool, or something weird). In any case, it didn't have enough of whatever it was before that point. It seems like Spore suffers from the some of the same symptoms.
-
It's very interesting reading the metacritic stuff for the game. The critic scores are generally high, but if you read the blurbs, a lot of them are kind of "this is awesome, but..." or "despite the flaws, this is great" or "there's this major issue here, but we don't really care". It's weird. And the user response from people who regularly play games has been generally quite bad. Not everyone dislikes it... I know a couple guys that dig it, and Julia played it a little bit and thought it was quite fun, but it all comes back to how much you love the "this is a toy" aspect of it, because the actual game part just really isn't there.
That's exactly how I've seen it during the past week, and like yourself, I have found it really odd. I actually haven't played the game yet as I am not willing to throw $50 its way, but the core gamers have been quite disappointed.
The weird thing is that from every publication/website, I noticed most of the staff being vocal about their disappointments with game either on their podcasts, or their forums, yet they weren't the ones to review the game.
The funniest thing for me was PC GAMER, which by every right should have allowed Dan Stapleton to review the game, but handed it over to Kristen Salvatore instead. Well I guess she took it since she is the EiC.
Here is the review: (they post their reviews online almost immediately now)
http://www.gamesradar.com/pc/spore/review/spore/a-20080903161719295065/g-2006022417441549006
It starts with:
"DEAR WILL WRIGHT,
May I call you Will?"
It is actually a decent review from Kristen, but the 91% score seems very undeserved to me, and the whole "I love Will" thing was nauseating.
Here is what Dan Stapleton had to say at the end of the review:
P.S.: A Note From Our RTS Guru
In the process of creating a form of real-time strategy gameplay accessible to even RTS-averse gamers like Kristen, Spore’s Civilization phase is infuriatingly simplistic to anyone who’s accessed an RTS in the past decade. There are only three units to choose from (land, air, and sea), reducing it to a near-literal game of Rock-Paper-Scissors (in fact, someone’s probably already made units that strongly resemble rocks, paper, and scissors). Standard interface features like control groups are completely absent, and balance-wise, there isn’t even a hint of how religious or industrious societies are supposed to knock down swarms of militaristic societies’ air units. And of course, the lack of multiplayer is really going to hurt replayability, especially once you figure out that even in hard mode, the AI doesn’t bother to defend its resources. This is definitely a strategy game built for people who don’t like the things that are generally considered to make strategy games interesting. -Dan Stapleton
a) Why the hell wasn't he allowed to review, when he reviewed every other RTSish title during the past two years?
b) Why was this the same at most publications, where the RTS "experts" only vented on the forums etc, and weren't allowed near the review.
I guess it could have to do with the appeal of the game, where it is less about the strategy, and more about the charm.
This to me kind of smacks of Black & White. Innovative game that's highly anticipated and is very well received critically upon release, yet a lot of users are like WTF after they play it for a bit, and later on down the road most critics don't know what the hell they were smoking when they wrote their reviews.
haha right... Black & White had a lot of fantastic extras on top, but an hour later it turned out to be just another strategy game... minus the strategy. But its reviews were crazy positive initially, and lol most of those very reviewers are extremely sheepish about it now.
-
I kind of forced myself to play a bit more last night and started liking it a slightly more, but still have mixed feelings. I'll probably play more before I throw down total judgement.
-
Apparently it picks up at the space stage...
-
Yeah I play this game. It's all about the space stage really. Theres so much to do and you are constantly busy defending yourself and allies.
-
I am just dumbfounded by how publishers get to pick which reviewer reviews their game. This game was reviewed by Kristen Salvator of PC GAMER and given a 92%. Her review read like a love letter to Will Wright -- I am not kidding.
Dan Stapleton, theie strategy resident was allowed to weigh in at the end of the review, and tore the game apart.
I guess it would have been a disaster for them had they allowed him to give it a negative review.
Yeah, I do wonder how much strongarming goes on behind the scenes. The Gamespot fiasco may be just one exposure of a much wider problem with professional reviewing. If the critic and user scores are far apart at places like Metacritic, you can at least suspect that something funny is going on.
Edit: Wow! 85% vs 45%. (http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/pc/spore) Yep. There's something decomposing in a Nordic country.
-
Woah, that is an enormous gap! Red flag!
-
People are giving it a low review because of the DRM and securom. Other wise the game itself is actually quite fun in my opinion. I suggest "getting a hold" of the game and trying it yourself. I really try not to look at reviews for a game I at least try it out myself first. becasue what the masses dislike I still might like.
-
There's something decomposing in a Nordic country.
Haha... I have to wonder how many people actually got that.
-
People are giving it a low review because of the DRM and securom.
That's true. I forgot for a minute that it's the target of angry mobs because of the unacceptable copy protection. So while I sympathize with them, I have to agree that they invalidate the popular ratings of the game itself (if not the overall EA-distributed package).
Does anyone even use that expression anymore? I'm a bit surprised anyone got it. :)
-
There was an interesting conversation on the PC Gamer podcast about that. You can really view it either way. Technically, people that give it a rating like that aren't rating the actual game itself, which seems counterproductive and misleading about the game's content... but at the same time, if you're reviewing the actual product itself, it's absolutely valid to give it an abysmal rating if you think the copy protection is criminal. Because that's as much a part of the product as the game itself, and an important one which affects the rest of the experience.
-
Hm, that's a very interesting perspective, Que. Do we rate the game on its merits alone, or do we rate the product as a whole? It's a fine line and I'd say that mostly it's just the game that gets rated because usually you don't see people rating games based on their lack of a useful manual.
But I think it's also very fair to try to wake up the general public to what's happening.
-
Yeah, I do wonder how much strongarming goes on behind the scenes. The Gamespot fiasco may be just one exposure of a much wider problem with professional reviewing. If the critic and user scores are far apart at places like Metacritic, you can at least suspect that something funny is going on.
Edit: Wow! 85% vs 45%. (http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/pc/spore) Yep. There's something decomposing in a Nordic country.
That seemed alarming until I realized it was because of the DRM thing, similar to what happened on Amazon.
Haha... I have to wonder how many people actually got that.
:(
GOOOOOGLE... IT DOES NOTHING!
-
I'm kind of split on the issue, and it's something I've kind of thought about for a while regarding system requirements. On one hand, I think it's reasonable to dock points for a game that doesn't run well for no real reason (I'm not really talking about bugs, just unrealistic min. requirements). Yet, on the other, you're kind of rating the game itself, and the requirements are kind of irrelevant variable as long as something out there can run it. The DRM issue is a bit more interesting.
I haven't had a problem with the DRM in Spore so far, and I don't know much about it. I'm glad people are pissed and doing something, because that's how things change, but I do kind of think they're going about it the wrong way because of the issues outlined previously in this thread.
Either way, I've kind of come to realize the game is one giant Tamagochi, and I'm having fun with it (a little bit into the tribal stage). I don't have a problem with the RTS expert not reviewing it, because I didn't buy it to fulfill an RTS fix. I think it's kind of similar to car reviews; enthusiast reviewers generally view cars like the Fit and Yaris as jokes, citing poor acceleration, cheap interiors, and lack of features. At the same time, consumer reviewers and broad spectrum reviewers praise the cars for reliability, lack of depreciation, and fuel economy.
Gamers and game reviewers are stupidly cynical about their hobby a lot of the time, and you don't get the RTS reviewer on this game because that guy is going to compare this to Company of Heroes, which it doesn't hold a candle to from a strategy perspective. At the end of the day though, that's not what the game sets out to do and everyone should know that going in.
-
I think it's kind of similar to car reviews; enthusiast reviewers generally view cars like the Fit and Yaris as jokes, citing poor acceleration, cheap interiors, and lack of features. At the same time, consumer reviewers and broad spectrum reviewers praise the cars for reliability, lack of depreciation, and fuel economy.
All good points GPW.
Yeah, I do wonder how much strongarming goes on behind the scenes. The Gamespot fiasco may be just one exposure of a much wider problem with professional reviewing. If the critic and user scores are far apart at places like Metacritic, you can at least suspect that something funny is going on.
Edit: Wow! 85% vs 45%. (http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/pc/spore) Yep. There's something decomposing in a Nordic country.
I think it is a fact that publishers can normally pick which person from a reviewing staff gets their game, especially if it is an exclusive look. From PCG, it was Greg Vederman given the Hellgate reivew, and even though the game was poor, he gave it an 89%, well above the meta average (which I think was 70%). Thing is, he was a hack and slash enthusiast, and had given similar scores to games like Titan Quest, Sacred etc. So while there was a lot of finger waving going on, I can't say he was being disingenuous.
Guys from IGN, 1Up and Shacknews have stated on their respective podcasts that publishers being allowed to pick their reviewers in exchange for exclusive reviews, is common practice.
The only guys who never got into that crap were GFW/CGW... and now they don't exist.
-
Like you gpw, I have had no issues with the DRM. While yes, reading about it makes me angry, I have played Spore all the way to the space phase and have encountered no issues at all. The DRM is completely transparent to the user and really doesn't seem to hinder the experience of an average user.
-
Like you gpw, I have had no issues with the DRM. While yes, reading about it makes me angry, I have played Spore all the way to the space phase and have encountered no issues at all. The DRM is completely transparent to the user and really doesn't seem to hinder the experience of an average user.
It won't be transparent to someone who places the game on 5 different PC's at once. :P
I know, not many plan to do that currently, but I'm sure some 10 years or more down the line, if that DRM thing ain't patched out of the game, everyone will have to find a crack for the game or buy a new copy of Spore (which probably will be relatively cheap. by then -- but still, you will be double-dipped on).
I mean, sure, it's EA -- and likely, in 10-20 years, the company probably will still be here. But, look at Black Isle, Troika, Ion Storm, and even Iron Lore. These companies went under -- and if their games were protected by such measures, we'd be current pretty much screwed if there was no patch for the Net-style DRM.
I'm sure it's nice to not have the disc in the drive to play w/ Securom-based games from EA -- but, Impulse-sold games and GOG-sold games beat that by having no DRM-period.
-
Molyneux takes on Spore's DRM.
He understands why EA uses DRM, but he really hates DRM. (http://www.videogamer.com/news/02-10-2008-9538.html)
Molyneux was speaking on the subject of restrictions put in place in recent high profile PC games, like Spore, that limit the number of PCs the title can be authorised on. Currently EA has set that limit to three, although it has announced it intends to increase that amount in the future.
Molyneux, mastermind of upcoming Xbox 360 exclusive RPG Fable II, said that he understood EA's position, but personally "hates" any form of copy protection.
"I would say while me as a player hates any restrictions, I can understand that publishers need to do something to give them the confidence to make games for the PC, to spend the huge amounts of money necessary to spend on development and to get their return," he said. "Anything that may give them more confidence on the PC means that ultimately we as gamers will come out better off because they will invest more in the game.
"I don't think three (Spore PC authorisations per game) sounds that bad. I'd prefer it not to be there but if it is going to be there then I think three is OK, but I can understand people being very upset. Personally I hate any copy protection. I hate typing in that number. I loathe it as a gamer. It just makes me feel insulted. And I always lose the blasted manual anyway. So if we can get away from that password protected side which is a waste of time then that would be great."
You can check out the first part of our mammoth interview with Peter Molyneux right here. Be sure to check the site tomorrow for the second part.
EDIT:
Here's an interesting take on Spore and the DRM controversy, from a company called Arxan Technology, who does security and protection for IPs (http://gameinformer.com/News/Story/200810/N08.1001.1532.23011.htm?Page=1)
-
Well, I hit the Space stage today, and I'm liking it a lot more. I still have the same opinion that (for at least the previous stages), the game is like a giant Tamagochi. The first four phases really seem like nothing more than a prolonged character creater for the final stage, which is cool or lame depending on how you look at it. I also still feel there's no problem not letting the RTS "expert" review. To be honest, I think it'd be a mistake TO let him do it.
-
BORED. I think I'm done with it.
-
It begins. (http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/11/ea-store-reveal-spore-creepy-and-cute-parts-pack/)
-
Every time EA release an expansion pack, a fairy dies of a broken heart.
-
It's funny because it will sell.
-
Releasing an expansion that fast will alienate the core gamers even further. They will be suspicious -- with all right -- that the original game was deliberately nerfed in order to make way for easy expansions.
Why the hell didn't EA wait? It is like they see a goose with the golden eggs.
-
Releasing an expansion that fast will alienate the core gamers even further. They will be suspicious -- with all right -- that the original game was deliberately nerfed in order to make way for easy expansions.
Why the hell didn't EA wait? It is like they see a goose with the golden eggs.
If EA sells it, casual gamers will come...
The Sims and its 50000 expansions proved this.
This is why I will often wait on EA's complete boxes for Sims games.
-
Was anybody really surprised? Sure EA has broken its own record by bringing it out so soon, but is anyone shocked?
-
Was anybody really surprised? Sure EA has broken its own record by bringing it out so soon, but is anyone shocked?
Not me.
-
Will Wright speaks on Spore's DRM (http://kotaku.com/5064405/what-will-wright-thinks-about-spores-drm)
Will Wright attended the Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Awards ceremony at the Hearst Tower in New York City last night where he saw Spore pick up an award for Setting Benchmarks in Design, Creativity and Engineering. I caught up with him afterward for a bit to find out his take on the whole DRM situation. EA's John Riccitiello said a few days prior that he isn't a fan of DRM, but something had to be done to stop those pirates. I asked Wright how involved he was in the decision process to include DRM for Spore or if it was mostly EA's doing.
"It was something I probably should have tuned into more. It was a corporate decision to go with DRM on Spore. They had a plan and the parameters, but now we’re allowing more authentications and working with players to de-authenticate which makes it more in line like an iTunes. I think one of the most valid concerns about it was you could only install it so many times. For most players it’s not an issue, it’s a pretty small percentage, but some people do like wiping their hard disk and installing it 20 times or they want to play it 10 years later."
I’m not sure if I totally agree it’s a non-issue only involving a smaller percentage, why else would EA care so much to go back and alleviate some of the complaints? Clearly, DRM is not the best way to go to help prevent piracy, so I asked Wright if he thinks the DRM model is here to stay or if it’s only temporary.
"I think it’s an interim solution to an interim problem. You have games like Battlefield Heroes coming out where the idea is you give away the game and sell upgrades, which works more in the Asian markets where you need to monetize it over the Internet. I think we’re in this uncomfortable spot in going from what’s primarily a brick and mortar shrink-wrapped product to what eventually will become more of an online monetization model."
-
I think we’re in this uncomfortable spot in going from what’s primarily a brick and mortar shrink-wrapped product to what eventually will become more of an online monetization model
And that will be when I stop playing PC games.
-
That'll be when I start looking for my own personal supply of plutonium.
-
I think we’re in this uncomfortable spot in going from what’s primarily a brick and mortar shrink-wrapped product to what eventually will become more of an online monetization model
And that will be when I stop playing PC games.
I still think until we get much faster connections, I won't be fully into the online downloading thing -- b/c I'm sorry, but some of these games that are 15 GB, I just don't want to take forever to download.
Putting up with doing all the Witcher: EE Upgrade downloads was enough! :P
Also, I would like to be able to back-up the full game and all of its files OR the whole installer EXE, too -- a la what Steam and GOG allow for.
About online monetizing models, ugh -- unless I'm buying say mini-expansions or full-sized expansions for their usual going rate or cheaper, I dunno' how interested I'd be in a such a thing.
I definitely would NOT be into buying content by the item -- like buying armor, weapons, game maps/levels, etc etc. No, skip that crap.
EDIT:
For Spore-renters, Version 1.02 is out now. I'm sure you'll be able to find it.
-
I think people are getting too lazy. What happened to the excitement of going down to the game's store, picking up the box, standing in line whilst admiring the boxart, and rushing home. For me, that was part of the fun.
-
I think people are getting too lazy. What happened to the excitement of going down to the game's store, picking up the box, standing in line whilst admiring the boxart, and rushing home. For me, that was part of the fun.
I like doing all of that above -- except for standing in line. :P
I don't mind digital distribution, as long as I can make a back-up to disc my entire game-folder AND/OR a full game installer EXE.
-
That pretty much expresses all of my fears for the future of PC gaming.
I will always go for the physical copy of a game if I can, even if it costs a little more than a digitally distributed counterpart.
Exclusive digital distribution basically acknowledges and approves of the "Draconian" DRM system.
The world is getting smaller and scarier for me.
-
There's very few that actually I really like for DRM when it comes to digital distribution -- Stardock and GOG come to mind.
Sure, I buy from Steam now and again, but that's when a game's dirt cheap and I can't find a physical copy of the thing -- like say the game is $10 or less.
-
Please internet, don't say "Draconian" anymore. :P
-
Please internet, don't say "Draconian" anymore. :P
Draco will always live on in infamy.
So will the word Draconian when it comes to harsh-DRM.
-
Please internet, don't say "Draconian" anymore. :P
Hehe I was gonna make a reference to Orwell's 1984 (what with all the monitoring and borderline thought-crime conviction) but "Craconian" was the buzz word this month ;D
I can refer to Piracy as "Machiavellian" if you prefer? :P
-
I can't speak for anyone else, but as a pretty big fan of the political philosophy behind "The Prince", I would like you to go ahead and do that.
-
Spore has no sold nearly 2 mil.:
http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/55652
-
If you can't fucking figure out how to turn a profit when selling anywhere from 2 to 4 million copies of your popular titles, there's something sincerely wrong with the way you do business. Fucking Madden should cost about five dollars to make. It should be practically development-free. It's the same fucking game every year, yet you still sell jillions of copies, and it still looks and plays like ass every time. How can you not swing a profit with 4.5 million in sales of a lousy and kind of broken (as I understand it) version of the same game you put out last year?
I'd say that they'd make up for it in Spore expansions, which will follow the same formula of being worthless and costing nothing, yet they'll charge full price and sell millions of copies, but maybe it won't work as well as they think if the same isn't paying off with Madden. Maybe John Riccitello should stop wiping his ass with toilet paper made of silk extracted from ancient silkworms in Madagascar that are farmed through slaver labor. Or whatever it is he does that I'm sure is grossly disproportionate to what he does for gaming, which is nothing at best, and at worst, helping to fuck it up even more.
-
I think the problem was that while those titles sold well, everything else did miserably. It is like how well TDK did, yet the film industry didn't do as well as previous years. I am impressed by 1.2 million for Warhammer Online though.
-
New Spore Class-Action lawsuit is taking on Spore, EA, and aiming to also shut down Securom. (http://www.gamecyte.com/new-spore-class-action-targets-ea-securom-as-a-whole)
And here's that class-action lawsuit document, in PDF format right here. (http://www.gamecyte.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/mcquown-v-electronic-arts-complaint.pdf)
-
I GOT IT I GOT IT
HAMLET
-
Spore might be going to Steam. (http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/56404)
Oh, yeah -- EULA Posted for Spore's Steam version already (http://storefront.steampowered.com/eula_testapp17390/english.html)
-
Spore De-Authorization Tool released (revoke tool) for Windows users only. (http://www.spore.com/patch/deauthorization)
Overview
By running the de-deauthorization tool, a machine "slot" will be freed up on the online Product Authorization server and can then be re-used by another machine.
You can de-authorize at any time, even without uninstalling Spore, and free up that machine authorization. If you re-launch Spore on the same machine, the game will attempt to re-authorize.
If you have not reached the machine limitation, the game will authorize and the machine will be re-authorized using up one of the five available machines.
Running the Tool
* Download and extract the zip file to a directory of your choice.
* Launch the exe
* The tool will need to update 3 important files in order to complete the de-authorization process.
Notes about Vista and UAC
Please ensure that UAC (User Account Control) is turned off if you are running Windows® Vista.
This setting can be changed by going to th Control Panel and choosing the User Account tab.
At this time the tool is only available on the PC, Mac users will need to check back at a later date.
-
So is it worth 40 bucks for the Galactic edition?
-
My guess is no. You get some nice extra crap, but I don't imagine the core game is any less anemic.
-
I think a Spore expansion comes out tomorrow...
-
EA confirms that there have been lay-offs taking place at Maxis now. (http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/60211)
-
There's a shocker.
-
I've put in a few hours into this game and it is quite awful.
-
I've put in a few hours into this game and it is quite awful.
And what makes it all so awful...?