Comments on: DRM = Dumb, Rude, and Mean http://stroppsworld.com/2008/09/15/drm-dumb-rude-and-mean/ Slapping Dragons for Fun and Profit Tue, 16 Mar 2010 03:35:33 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Stropp http://stroppsworld.com/2008/09/15/drm-dumb-rude-and-mean/#comment-40790 Stropp Fri, 17 Oct 2008 10:30:15 +0000 http://stroppsworld.com/2008/09/15/drm-dumb-rude-and-mean/#comment-40790 Hi Dan. The problem with using the 'manual' method is what happens if you lose or misplace the manual. It's not that hard to do. I'm not sure where all the manuals I've collected over the years are. I'm not even sure it would help forcing people to read the manual. They'd just go to the page/para/line and ignore the rest. And honestly, I haven't needed to read a game manual for years now. If I have a problem, I just skip to the section and read that. I did hear about the class action. It will be interesting to see what happens. Hopefully it will force companies to at least inform their customers of what they are doing on the box. Hi Dan. The problem with using the ‘manual’ method is what happens if you lose or misplace the manual. It’s not that hard to do. I’m not sure where all the manuals I’ve collected over the years are.

I’m not even sure it would help forcing people to read the manual. They’d just go to the page/para/line and ignore the rest. And honestly, I haven’t needed to read a game manual for years now. If I have a problem, I just skip to the section and read that.

I did hear about the class action. It will be interesting to see what happens. Hopefully it will force companies to at least inform their customers of what they are doing on the box.

]]> By: Stropp’s World » Blog Archive » EA’s John Riccitiello Thinks You Are A Pirate or Stupid http://stroppsworld.com/2008/09/15/drm-dumb-rude-and-mean/#comment-40785 Stropp’s World » Blog Archive » EA’s John Riccitiello Thinks You Are A Pirate or Stupid Fri, 17 Oct 2008 04:28:32 +0000 http://stroppsworld.com/2008/09/15/drm-dumb-rude-and-mean/#comment-40785 [...] Dan Rosenthal - GamesLaw.net: Funny you brought up the manuals; I just got into an argument on the ECA forums about it. I actually read more... [...] [...] Dan Rosenthal – GamesLaw.net: Funny you brought up the manuals; I just got into an argument on the ECA forums about it. I actually read more… [...]

]]> By: Dan Rosenthal - GamesLaw.net http://stroppsworld.com/2008/09/15/drm-dumb-rude-and-mean/#comment-40776 Dan Rosenthal - GamesLaw.net Sat, 04 Oct 2008 11:57:24 +0000 http://stroppsworld.com/2008/09/15/drm-dumb-rude-and-mean/#comment-40776 Funny you brought up the manuals; I just got into an argument on the ECA forums about it. I actually support the manual argument. It's really not much of a hassle to do (and if done in the style of certain games, like some of the Xwing series, you can actually remember many of the answers anyway). It's not mean, it is a way of actually getting people to read the manual, which cuts down on tech support calls for the game companies (at least, ones that write sufficient manuals, as people used to do back in the 90s). By the way, I noted on my site the Google ads advertising for a law firm doing a class action lawsuit over Spore. As I write this, its on your site too, on the side. Funny you brought up the manuals; I just got into an argument on the ECA forums about it. I actually support the manual argument. It’s really not much of a hassle to do (and if done in the style of certain games, like some of the Xwing series, you can actually remember many of the answers anyway). It’s not mean, it is a way of actually getting people to read the manual, which cuts down on tech support calls for the game companies (at least, ones that write sufficient manuals, as people used to do back in the 90s).

By the way, I noted on my site the Google ads advertising for a law firm doing a class action lawsuit over Spore. As I write this, its on your site too, on the side.

]]> By: Aaron http://stroppsworld.com/2008/09/15/drm-dumb-rude-and-mean/#comment-40773 Aaron Tue, 30 Sep 2008 00:59:39 +0000 http://stroppsworld.com/2008/09/15/drm-dumb-rude-and-mean/#comment-40773 As I've said elsewhere, the DRM is nonsense, but Spore will be a bestseller in spite of it. Spore is a franchise in the fullest sense of the word... multiple versions, expansions, merchandising. Hell, they even sold the demo! Spore will become a blockbuster series like The Sims. Most of the folks upset about the DRM are tech savvy folks, and most gamers aren't that tech savvy. The bad publicity will hurt them in the short term, but not so much in the long term. Sadly, that means EA will probably continue to use DRM. As I’ve said elsewhere, the DRM is nonsense, but Spore will be a bestseller in spite of it. Spore is a franchise in the fullest sense of the word… multiple versions, expansions, merchandising. Hell, they even sold the demo! Spore will become a blockbuster series like The Sims.

Most of the folks upset about the DRM are tech savvy folks, and most gamers aren’t that tech savvy. The bad publicity will hurt them in the short term, but not so much in the long term. Sadly, that means EA will probably continue to use DRM.

]]> By: 1909 - reading through the wires « Construed http://stroppsworld.com/2008/09/15/drm-dumb-rude-and-mean/#comment-40756 1909 - reading through the wires « Construed Fri, 19 Sep 2008 00:54:45 +0000 http://stroppsworld.com/2008/09/15/drm-dumb-rude-and-mean/#comment-40756 [...] a fair bit of discussion over the whole DRM/Spore issue. I bored of hearing about it fairly quickly which is not to say that the [...] [...] a fair bit of discussion over the whole DRM/Spore issue. I bored of hearing about it fairly quickly which is not to say that the [...]

]]> By: Christian Olsson http://stroppsworld.com/2008/09/15/drm-dumb-rude-and-mean/#comment-40746 Christian Olsson Mon, 15 Sep 2008 20:12:43 +0000 http://stroppsworld.com/2008/09/15/drm-dumb-rude-and-mean/#comment-40746 This is a terrible story for 2 parties - legitimate users who simply wanted to play Spore and couldn't because the activation servers went down and EA because Spore was cracked even before it was released. Often developers walk a tightrope with the tradeoff between protection strength and the degree of impact on legitimate users but this was a failure on both dimensions! Is this really what the publisher wants to 'accomplish'? Why not use a solution which is friendly to honest users, has no impact on development time and the strongest available protection against crackers - see the whitepaper "Is Anti-Piracy/DRM the Cure or the Disease for PC Games?" which can be downloaded here http://www.byteshield.net/byteshield_whitepaper_0005.pdf This is a terrible story for 2 parties – legitimate users who simply wanted to play Spore and couldn’t because the activation servers went down and EA because Spore was cracked even before it was released.

Often developers walk a tightrope with the tradeoff between protection strength and the degree of impact on legitimate users but this was a failure on both dimensions! Is this really what the publisher wants to ‘accomplish’? Why not use a solution which is friendly to honest users, has no impact on development time and the strongest available protection against crackers – see the whitepaper “Is Anti-Piracy/DRM the Cure or the Disease for PC Games?” which can be downloaded here http://www.byteshield.net/byteshield_whitepaper_0005.pdf

]]> By: DM Osbon http://stroppsworld.com/2008/09/15/drm-dumb-rude-and-mean/#comment-40745 DM Osbon Mon, 15 Sep 2008 10:57:29 +0000 http://stroppsworld.com/2008/09/15/drm-dumb-rude-and-mean/#comment-40745 Ha! Been talking with mbp over on his blog about DRM - it sure is unpopular with a few gamers that could care less. Bioshock also had this issue on the PC release but I think I remember reading somewhere that 2K removed it in a patch? Ha! Been talking with mbp over on his blog about DRM – it sure is unpopular with a few gamers that could care less.

Bioshock also had this issue on the PC release but I think I remember reading somewhere that 2K removed it in a patch?

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