Ubisoft DRM

[Patters]

I think it's just the perception of why it's there. In the case of C&C it give the player a whole bunch of stats and stuff (I guess), and you can argue that you need to be online to prevent cheating, etc. In the case of Ubisoft, it's explicitly stated to be a form of DRM, which gamerz hate.

With C&C you can of course make a case for why it should also work offline (with reduced functionality), but they can also say "well, we wanted it to be a completely connected experience" or something, and people will sort of buy it.

I think C&C4 is heading for a cloud gaming system in a slightly different direction to that which Valve are approaching from. I think Ubisoft offers the ability to keep your save games online, which at this point is not enough for me to accept that I need a constant internet connection. I personally have never had a problem with any sort of DRM, which is probably due to not using, hence not having, any conflicting programs. I know that others have legitimate problems with it.

My main gripe with the Ubisoft system is that it seems particularly vulnerable to DOS attacks. Something such as this allows those commiting the attack preventing legitimate players from playing the game. Obviously with C&C4 it is unclear whether it will be subject to a torrent of such attacks. Ideally I would like PC gaming to head towards one unified system, such as Steam. Though keeping the system open to any and all developers. Though with the PC being a far smaller market that consoles, I doubt that publishers will accept this.

I reckon Ubisoft have only implemented this is as a form of damage control, with the amount of money they have lost this financial year.

[Chuckpebble]

I don't want to start a riot here, I'm asking for honest opinions with this, but how is this DRM scheme different from Steam's.

Case in point, one day, for some reason, my work's internet cock blocker was mysteriously down, so I went nuts doing bad stuff I shouldn't do at work.

I downloaded steam and installed Portal and worked on some of the medal challenges.

A few days later, when I tried to launch Portal again, I found I couldn't because Steam was getting blocked and it desperately wanted to update itself. OK, fine, I can't update Steam, but that's also preventing me from launching Portal, at all.

Isn't this sort of the same thing? I appreciate your answers as I'm a relative computer gaming newby. I stopped playing computer games around the time when you still had to boot into DOS to launch a game.

[toblix]

Yes, if you're prevented from playing the game due to being disconnected it's basically the same thing. The question is why being disconnected prevents you from playing a given game. If there are some essential services that you need to have access to online, of course you can't play, and people will likely accept that. The most extreme case of this is a MMORPG, obviously. If it's just a DRM thing, people will hate it, the most extreme case being the Ubisoft DRM (the cloud save game thing is just something they came up with in order to "defend" the DRM).

I guess that the connection requirement is okay if the developers would have to go out of their way to allow you to play offline, but not okay if the developers went out of their way to prevent you from playing offline. Of course, this is all very subjective, and I know my own views are not entirely consistent. It's easier to rage against something when it's explicitly labeled as DRM.

[SoulChicken]

I'm sure this will all be worked out before today's US release.

[brkl]

If you set Steam to offline mode (which will require you to log in once to set it so, but not after that), you can play Portal offline to your heart's content. Also I don't think Steam ever kicks you out of an offline game if your connection fails while you're playing.

[elmuerte]

If you set Steam to offline mode (which will require you to log in once to set it so, but not after that), you can play Portal offline to your heart's content. Also I don't think Steam ever kicks you out of an offline game if your connection fails while you're playing.

When steam doesn't detect a working internet connection (which could take up to 5 minutes) at startup it will automatically prompt to start in offline mode. After that you can play all your "offline" games, but only if they are fully updated (according to the client). Once every few days steam will try again to connect to the internet when you start a game, which could take up to 5 minutes. As long as you keep the steam client running you only get this delay once in a few days (I think). This worked for at least 2 weeks without any issues. After that they finally fixed my internet connection again. Of course I couldn't configure steam to use the internet connection I made through my mobile phone.

If the steam client has a pending update you cannot use it in offline mode. If a game has a pending update you cannot use it in offline mode. You can "computer shift" games with steam. I used that to get Serious Sam HD to my workstation from my work laptop.

How is this different from the Ubisoft DRM? When during the whole part above you cannot play a game with the Ubisoft DRM.

[miffy495]

Yeah, when I said I play PC games at work without an internet connection, I meant that I do it in Steam. I set my client to offline mode before I leave the house, and all is well. You don't get achievements in offline mode, and your play doesn't count towards your steam rating, but everything else works just fine. If I take a ubisoft game to work though, I just don't get to play it.

[juv3nal]

Wouldn't a more appropriate metaphor be a store that, if your router reset while you were shopping, removed all your groceries and moved you back to the entrance?

Maybe a more appropriate metaphor would be a store that, if your router reset while you were eating your already-paid-for foodz would send out a swat team to bust into your house and pump your stomach to remove any foodz already consumed and then prevent you from eating any of your purchased foodz. And then once your connection was restored, they'd make you eat the stomach-pumped foodz first before letting you get to any of the rest of it.

Ok that got a little gross.

[elmuerte]

Wouldn't a more appropriate metaphor be a store that, if your router reset while you were shopping, removed all your groceries and moved you back to the entrance?

I wasn't describing the functioning of the DRM, but rather how the company treats its customers.

[Roderick]

fuck it im pirating this shit..

Well actually, I'm playing the games on consoles, so for most of them nothing will change for me. But the DRM is draconian and in both the short and long run extremely counterproductive for both Ubisoft, the consumer and the success of the game.

[Scratch]

So apparently Ubisoft has sent out emails to AC2 owners offering them free addons or games for all the downtime with their servers. Essentially a peace offering...

My question to Ubisoft, where is MY EMAIL?!?! Not that I care about those free games (a choice of Prince of Persia or HAWX), but I demand compensation.