Ubisofts crazy mental DRM cracked within 24 hours of release

[Oskuro]

I think that's a load of bullshit. Someone technologically knowledgable is perfectly capable of pirating console games too. It is a matter of convenience, it's easier for a lot of people (mostly parents) to get a console rather than a PC they have to set up just for gaming. As for developers, it is easier to have a static set of specs to develop for rather than have to make the software compatible to whatever the user has on its system. And, of course, for console manufacturers, it is more convenient to have full control over the platform, and to charge outrageous entry fees to developers, as well as imposing varying restrictions on content, thus making it so most games released on their system have AAA-level economic backing.

Who does this benefit? Obviously big developers who keep churning out big franchises and take no risks, as well as players who like said games and care nothing for the industry or the medium (wich is a majority). Or in other words, it benefits the consumerist approach to entertainment (not new at all, and actually a consequence of videogames taking the Hollywood approach to bussiness).

Who does this hurt? Mainly, small & indie developers, who are shut out of the more profitable markets, as well as players who are fed up with the drivel being churned out by the mainstream devs. Although small devs have always been at a disadvantage when faced with the hyper-funded hype machines the big ones have.

Is this good? Is this bad? Not sure. On one hand it feels unfair, and it might lead to eventual stagnation as new developers and ideas are essentially shot down before they even take off. On the other hand, and here I'm doing some wishful thinking as an aspiring indie game developer, having the big guys move on to consoles completely might leave the dev friendly PC market open for new developers, who won't have to compete with the big boys, nor will they have to worry about bars to entry, wich could lead to a proper environment for them.

The again, if despite all the whinning about how the big guys are ruining gaming, audiences keep buying their products and do not pay attention to new ideas that might crop up (that is, they choose convenience) then there's little anyone can do. In the battle to sway users through convenience, it is funding that wins the day, not creativity or innovation (Ironic, since DRM has been massively funded, but since it decreases convenience, it is doomed to fail).

</rant>

[Edward Yee]

Hey, I didn't specify that it was PC-exclusive; it's just the particular platform where it seems to me to be the most convenient one to pirate games for.

In retrospect though, this makes me glad for the older games from earlier this decade that still remain moddable to the point that they can be taken quite far. Heck, Jagged Alliance 2 v1.13 is still revised and worked on to this day, and its vanilla counterpart is from 1999! (This mod actually managed to get multiplayer into a previously single-player-only game.)

[Stark]

I don't miss the PC as a gaming platform. While being seriously technically superior it seldom delivered better games for many years. I still play games on PC, but I'm not sure I'll buy any more, especially not multiplayer.

I'm curious to see how sexual Just Cause 2 looks on PC though.

[Oskuro]

There's nothing to prevent games on consoles to be ported to PC, save sales. That's something that saddens me, the closest I've got to God of War goodness on PC was the godawful X-Blades. Now, I understand there's no incentive in developing for a platform your main audience doesn't use, what ticks me off is retard players somehow linking lack of titles to platform quality, to the poin that they fail to understand that even different consoles are simply compact computers with different hardware (I mean, console wars? LOL). Guess they associate their egos to their chosen platform, and must defend it at all costs or something.


As for Just Cause 2, *sigh*, I'll repeat myself, the first one did not deliver on its promises. Heck, I fucking own it on PC, and didn't find it engaging enough for a single playthrough (on the list, though), Mercs 2 got me hooked faster (and thus I played it through). Let's hope the second one does better.

Hey, I didn't specify that it was PC-exclusive

Hey, I know, it's game publishers who like to claim that. The only true PC exclusive is obnoxious DRM

Actually, older games is something I like about the PC. I loathe the idea of buying a game and it eventually becoming unplayable, and on PC you get dedicated people who work out solutions, like DOSBox. On the console front, we've already seen how quickly backwards compatibility is dropped, and Nintendo is making quite a profit reselling old games on their new consoles. It bothers me since I kind of collect games and like to be able to replay them, but that's me, of course. People who play the game and then resell or otherwise get rid of it won't mind, so good for them.

[Edward Yee]

Actually, older games is something I like about the PC. I loathe the idea of buying a game and it eventually becoming unplayable, and on PC you get dedicated people who work out solutions, like DOSBox.

One nice tidbit I've found -- at Steam, the X-COM games come with their own preconfigured DOSBox, so they work even on Windows 7.

On the console front, we've already seen how quickly backwards compatibility is dropped, and Nintendo is making quite a profit reselling old games on their new consoles.

Heh, we've actually several customers at our store who are into "retro" gaming and will publically wax long about it, one of them today waxed long about the TurboGrafx (sic?), and at one point I had to help out a customer who hoped that there was a current-gen remake of Tecmo Bowl. A shame I didn't know (or hear) about an apparently coming new Tecmo Bowl game for home consoles.

It could be me, but while backwards compatibility is dropped... it seems as if the only ones who tend to be concerned with this are those who have enough "give a damn" about those games to be willing to something about it other than just buy "current gen" remakes.

I'm not one of those backwards-compatible-PS3 obsessed people anymore, thanks to having both a slim PS2 and a PS3 Slim, understanding the limitations of the backwards-compatible PS3s (namely, the PS2 games were still region-locked), and overall finding the PS3 Slim so well-fitting my desires that I don't feel inconvenienced by having two separate sets of controllers/power cables. (After this past Sunday, I feel more validated. )

[Oskuro]

Well, of course backwards compatibility and lack of thereof only bothers those who give a damn, and we are a minority, I mean, if we weren't, the gaming landscape would be drastically different

One thing I like, for example, are the Taito Legends compilations, PC playable versions of classic Taito games, bundled in a single box. Of course, the price tag is a bit outrageous for such ancient titles, but at least they make the effort to make those games available again. Weren't there plans to publish a God of War compilation on the PS3, including the PS2 titles? After seeing how Microsoft is trying to appease Halo 2 fans after shutting down the game's servers, I'm getting the feeling that game companies are thinking ahead and getting ready to satisfy the needs bound to arise when yesterday's kids become today's nostalgic adults.

Of course, it would be awesome if eventually emulators for the different consoles were made available, or tolerated, on the PC, but seeing Nintendo's scheme of reselling old games, I very much doubt it. A pity. Heck, if they released an USB cartridge reader and a Nintendo licensed emulator, I might consider buying their games

As for remakes, just as it usually happens with movies, they are rarely sucessful, since even when they don't outright suck, fans of the original will be extremely critical of any and all deviations, and they can be pretty anal about what a deviation is (OMG! It's not at its original 300x420 resolution! HERESY!)

[Stark]

Did you really just say you'd buy a console if they repacked it to use a PC for no reason? You need to take a good hard look at yourself.

[Oskuro]

What? No, what I mean is I'd consider buying the games if I knew I could run them on any PC I own from today to the end of days, rather than have to pray that my old console doesn't burst up in flames and takes all those games with it. Wich, incidentally, was the notion behind backwards-compatible console titles, until devs realized it wasn't worth their time.

But, of course, this doesn't even apply to PC games, community developments like DOSBox help, but a lot of titles will eventually die because the OS they were developed for is no longer compatible with modern technology.

[starfury]

Seeing this thread move to this direction, I think of sean malstorm, who hated the current gaming industry and was ready to dance at it's grave, here is his blog I actually found his thoughts on gaming even more then the twenty sided blog/Samus Young site some of the rest of people here frequent.

Sean Malstorm blog

[Edward Yee]

After seeing how Microsoft is trying to appease Halo 2 fans after shutting down the game's servers, I'm getting the feeling that game companies are thinking ahead and getting ready to satisfy the needs bound to arise when yesterday's kids become today's nostalgic adults.

Sadly, this is more forward-thinking than most stereotypical video game companies.

The God of War Collection does indeed exist for PS3 -- it's just 1 and 2, but on a single disc with redone graphics and trophies; I don't think it was announced though until the hype got rolling for God of War 3, and it was a relatively recent release. Still, I think it's a fair deal for those who never got on board with the PS2 ones.

The God of War Collection and Super Street Fighter IV, and to some extent Resident Evil 5 Gold Edition, are priced more appropriately than Halo 3: ODST (aka LIES). Possibly too much content to justify as "mere" DLC, but definitely not different enough to merit a "full" game; RE5 Gold seems to be more of "re-release but with goodies."

The story about King's Quest at that blog is unfortunate, considering all the mods that I've gotten interested in. v1.13 for Jagged Alliance 2, Blue Sun for 7.62 - High Calibre (wonder if it works for 7.62 Reloaded?), would probably try a "total realism" conversion mod for SH4 for kicks... would try DarthMod for Empire: Total War if he hadn't come down on Napoleon to the point of refusing to mod for it... hell, just look at things as simple as people's created skins for Batman: Arkham Asylum or Street Fighter IV!

[Oskuro]

That cancellation of the King's Quest fan game is really sad. So Activision gets its hands on Sierra and decides to shut the project down (and by shut down I mean sending a Cease and Desist), even when Sierra had allowed the project to continue. What for? What damage could it cause them? It's not like King's Quest is a profitable franchise right now, and it is very doubtful they are planning on making related games, particularly seeing how they are scaling back PC development.

Oh well, Activision proving, once again, that they are pretty much what they accuse their rival, EA, of being. Wonder how'll they react when they realize the amount of hatred they are garnering from the gaming world.

[Edward Yee]

Oh well, Activision proving, once again, that they are pretty much what they accuse their rival, EA, of being. Wonder how'll they react when they realize the amount of hatred they are garnering from the gaming world.

Simple: "Find a different market." Sounds like Yahweh to me...

By the way, the guess over at that blog as for the why -- because of "free gaming" becoming too good (compared to what you have to pay $59.99 or get nickel-and-dimed for) -- is interesting, again, in light of mods. v1.13 added goddamned multiplayer to a game that probably was never meant to have it, game balance or not, and dramatically extended the life of the game to this day... (In fairness, v1.13 didn't just add multiplayer, so that wouldn't be the issue.) Fortunately Strategy First as the publisher seems to "get it" and hasn't done anything about this. Ironically their boards are also actually the go-to place for talk about 1C's 7.62.

[Artemas]

Where the fuck did you get 7.62mm?

For some reason, it has been incredibly elusive. And how does it stack up to JA2, with 1.13

[Edward Yee]

Mind if I answer in PM so as not to drag the thread too off-topic?

[Artemas]

Yeah, go ahead.

[General Zod]

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

That didn't take long. Ubisoft DRM authentication server is down.

Earlier today, our tips inbox and the official Assassin's Creed 2 forum were set ablaze by incensed owners of the PC version of the aforementioned Italian revenge epic. According to numerous reports from prospective players of the game, Ubisoft's DRM authentification servers have crashed, forcing some players to suffer lengthy login periods when booting up Assassin's Creed 2, and locking some folks out of the game entirely.

A Ubisoft representative responded to a particularly rage-filled forum thread, stating "clearly the extended downtime and lengthy login issues are unacceptable, particularly as I've been told these servers are constantly monitored." The representative added "I'll do what I can to get more information on what the issue is here first thing tomorrow and push for a resolution and assurance this won't happen in the future." We've got a really great suggestion for how to make such an assurance: Find a less abominable DRM policy.

[Starglider]

Who does this hurt? Mainly, small & indie developers, who are shut out of the more profitable markets, as well as players who are fed up with the drivel being churned out by the mainstream devs.

Are you aware of Xbox Live Indie Games? It's been going for about 18 months now, and technically it's quite good. You get access to about 50% of the raw power of the console (maybe 70% if you optimise obsessively) in a very easy to use platform, plus all publishing and billing is handled for you. The entry cost is $8/month for the dev tools and 30% of the gross revenues. IMHO that's a pretty good deal for very small developers, and a good prototyping tool for slightly larger developers targeting Xbox Live Arcade. So I would say the X360 market is very easy for indie developers and even bedroom coders to target. The PS3 isn't, but that's Sony for you, they only accept the necessity of third-party developers with barely concealed contempt.

As for profit, there's plenty in web flash games, mobile apps and MMORPGs.

[Oskuro]

Yeah, I'm aware of that, I hope you are aware that Microsoft has a final say on what content shows up on their console? You never have total creative freedom, and, furthermore, you are restricted to their development environment and limitations, as well as their distribution scheme.

I'm not saying it's all bad, a lot of people are perfectly fine with that, particularly people who aspire to publish their games exclusively on the Xbox, but for everyone else it is far from ideal.

For example, in my case, all game development is done with 100% free tools, simply because I don't want to spend money in what right now is a hobby that might not get anywhere. On my PC I can set up Ubuntu, with Code:Blocks, using Ogre 3d, Blender, Gimp and whatever free app I want, and not need to worry about paying a dime or limitations to my creativity. On an Xbox, on the other hand, I wouldn't, wich, for me, is not fine.
It's all a matter of perspective, and it cannot be denied that the PC, by virtue of being far more customizable to the user's needs than a closed system like consoles, is then more versatile for development projects.

[MKSheppard]

Who could have predicted this? NO ONE!

Earlier today, our tips inbox and the official Assassin's Creed 2 forum were set ablaze by incensed owners of the PC version of the aforementioned Italian revenge epic. According to numerous reports from prospective players of the game, Ubisoft's DRM authentification servers have crashed, forcing some players to suffer lengthy login periods when booting up Assassin's Creed 2, and locking some folks out of the game entirely.

A Ubisoft representative responded to a particularly rage-filled forum thread, stating "clearly the extended downtime and lengthy login issues are unacceptable, particularly as I've been told these servers are constantly monitored." The representative added "I'll do what I can to get more information on what the issue is here first thing tomorrow and push for a resolution and assurance this won't happen in the future." We've got a really great suggestion for how to make such an assurance: Find a less abominable DRM policy.

[Thanks, Marc!]

[Stark]

LOL Shep that was posted already, try reading the thread.

It'll be pretty funny if the failure was a result of a deliberate attack. Can Ubisoft really be so incompetent as to let such a contraversial system fail immediately?

[MKSheppard]

Mah brain no worky

[General Zod]

LOL Shep that was posted already, try reading the thread.

It'll be pretty funny if the failure was a result of a deliberate attack. Can Ubisoft really be so incompetent as to let such a contraversial system fail immediately?

I think it'd be even more hilarious is if it were from the servers simply being overloaded by so many user requests because Ubisoft was too incompetent to properly anticipate such a heavy load.

[Starglider]

Yeah, I'm aware of that, I hope you are aware that Microsoft has a final say on what content shows up on their console?

XBLIG aren't reviewed by Microsoft staff actually, but the peer review standards do rule out some extreme content. Irrelevant for >90% of developers and frankly I couldn't give a shit about hardcore porn game developers being marginalised.

You never have total creative freedom, and, furthermore, you are restricted to their development environment and limitations, as well as their distribution scheme.

What do you expect on a games console? Tiny developers are never going to get their game into shops, and most of the games on that service don't push the hardware anyway (e.g. most of them are 2D). None of these restrictions are worthy of complaint.

a lot of people are perfectly fine with that, particularly people who aspire to publish their games exclusively on the Xbox, but for everyone else it is far from ideal.

XNA works fine for producing stand-alone Windows games, however it is limited to DirectX 9. Again, this is a non-issue for people making 2D platformers and shooters, which is what most tiny dev studios make. There are plenty of other solutions available for people who don't care about consoles and want to make a DX10/11 game.

On my PC I can set up Ubuntu, with Code:Blocks, using Ogre 3d, Blender, Gimp and whatever free app I want, and not need to worry about paying a dime or limitations to my creativity.

By all means, go ahead and make niche zero-budget games for Linux. Just don't complain when hardly anyone plays them and none of them pay for it (oh, and expect them to bitch and whine if you fail to release your source code).

It's all a matter of perspective, and it cannot be denied that the PC, by virtue of being far more customizable to the user's needs than a closed system like consoles, is then more versatile for development projects.

What? As a /development/ platform, everyone uses PCs of course, as it would make no sense to develop directly on a console or an Iphone. As a /games/ platform, the PC is not 'more versatile'. PC users have mice and keyboards, as a developer you cannot count on them having gamepads - which is good for some games (RTS) and crappy for others (racing, flying). PC specs vary wildly, which is an utter nightmare for QA / testing. Having to write separate render paths for different shader versions is a nightmare - trying to release on multiple operating systems is even worse (another reason to make Flash games where possible). Having to make a 3D game run on netbooks is annoying, but you can bet there will be people bitching if it doesn't.

[Stark]

I think it'd be even more hilarious is if it were from the servers simply being overloaded by so many user requests because Ubisoft was too incompetent to properly anticipate such a heavy load.

You mean like how every digital distribution/authentication system always underestimates demand and crashes?

[Oskuro]

<snip>

Work on your reading skills, Starglider, I'm agreeing with you that XNA is fine for all those developers, I'm just postulating that the PC per se offers more flexibility just because you can configure it however you like. Even if it only provides output for niche markets, or it is hell to configure for different settings, it still offers more flexibility by virtue of offering a larger number of options.

If you want to misconstrue that as an attack on XNA, or as a claim that all devs should embrace my particular development choices, by all means, go ahead.