Sacred 2 - Copy Protection Revealed

[Toothpaste]

You won't NEED an online connection during installation. You can manually activate it by getting a manual acivation key from their website (Using a computer with an internet connection.) So you will need access to one computer with internet, but it doesn't need to be the one you are installing S2 on.

 

[Gorath]

Ok, I didn't realise that - but that doesn't make they idea of authenticating online (repeatedly) any less palatable. I'm pretty sure Sony is not obliged to keep these servers up in perpetuity - if their business interests shift, they could simply shut them down - Sony is sufficiently large and diverse to weather the outrage of some disgruntled people. I just think it's an unnecessary restriction that has limited effectiveness and aggravates the hell out of many people and means that I may not be able to play games N years done the line (even if I have an emulator) because they sold/'rented' a product to me that was in a sense incomplete. But this is a tired old theme and no one in corporate la-la land ever listens to what people say anyway.

Official word (paraphrased) is that Sony hosts the servers as long as they get the money from Ascaron. The system is prepared to be deactivated with a small patch. The contractual things between Ascaron and Sony concerning this are already finalized. So Ascaron does have the right to kill off the DRM.
Of course they will issue a patch if it´s necessary. What else should they say?
That´s as much safety as you can get. Not perfect, but you can´t ignore the realities. Wait two years and every game will have online activation.

I can't believe they're forging ahead with secureRom after the Mass Effect (and now Spore) outrage. No one imagined that Spore would suffer any loss of sales - and it seems a fair number of people are not buying the game because of the bad publicity. I can only assume that the publishers have some pre-existing arrangement with secureROM which locks them into using this increasingly loathed piece of software.

I have no problem playing with a DVD in the drive - but I do want to install the game I paid for when/where I want without faffing about installations/revocations and other nonsense. And I simply don't believe they would every "patch out" the DRM if they went belly up (since they'd be erm...gone?) I won't rehash the same old arguments but I will say that I'm disappointed that they've gone this route - not that they (or their publishers) give a toss about that I'm sure.

The big difference between Mass Effect & Spore and Sacred 2 is that EA's games only allow a few activations combined with no revokation. Sacred 2 allows unlimited revokations and activations. (Unlimited as in "a few per day", I assume. Of course they will react if 500 users have your key.) That´s a fundamental difference. As long as the servers are running you can transfer the game to every new PC. Spore is finished after the 3rd. Then EA may give you more activations - or not.

 

[Lobotomist]

Its a shame.

Just another game that people will prefer to play pirated version over the original.

When will game companies realise that treathing their customers as criminals is not a good way to ensure mutual trust ?

Battle piracy , yes

But battle it trough price reduction. Added value for original game.

EASE AND SAFETY OF ORIGINAL VERSION

Not ROOTKIT potentialy harmfull software.

Are we punished for BUYING the game instead using easier to use pirated version ?

 

[Gorath]

You won't NEED an online connection during installation. You can manually activate it by getting a manual acivation key from their website (Using a computer with an internet connection.) So you will need access to one computer with internet, but it doesn't need to be the one you are installing S2 on.

Correct. But that´t too complicated to explain on the box. The writing on it will probably along the lines of "An active internet conncetion is needed during the installation."

 

[Gorath]

Its a shame.

Just another game that people will prefer to play pirated version over the original.

When will game companies realise that treathing their customers as criminals is not a good way to ensure mutual trust ?

Battle piracy , yes

But battle it trough price reduction. Added value for original game.

EASE AND SAFETY OF ORIGINAL VERSION

Not ROOTKIT potentialy harmfull software.

Are we punished for BUYING the game instead using easier to use pirated version ?

Please post only messages directly related to Sacred 2 in this thread. The general discussion about piracy can be found in this thread.

 

[Hedek]

And there is the assumption - that whatever would cause the servers to go dark would allow the resources to create and distribute a patch ...

Should this happen, I am certain no one will blame you for downloading a crack.

As for me I'll keep on doing the same thing I always do: buy my copy of Sacred 2 legally and immediately apply a crack. I hate secuROM and everything they've ever done.
I don't care whether it's legal or not, all I know is I'm giving the same amount of money to developers as any other costumer so they can continue developing more games and that's all I care about.
The survival of secuROM as a business is the least of my concerns.

 

[Toothpaste]

Few would want to pirate this game because they won't be able to play online, which is a big part of the game.

O.O I think one of the biggest selling points of ARPGs with a multiplayer aspect is the multiplayer.

 

[rbtroj]

Keep in mind that most consumers do not think like us. DRM and copy protection solutions are not going to be show-stoppers for most of the game buying public. Spore is not going to suffer for EA's choice in DRM. Hell, they probably hit their sales numbers LONG before the title even shipped.

That said, I am not going to give SecuROM a FOURTH opportunity to brick my DVD-drive and/or entire PC.

What's the saying? "Thrice bitten, ... uh ... fourthce shy?" Something like that. Or maybe it was, "fool me three times, shame on you ..."

Edit: So, sorry, Sacred 2, I guess we just weren't meant to be together.

 

[Toothpaste]

Did you even read how lenient this system is compared to the other previous implementations in EA's games? o.o This is actually pretty lenient... And I don't think SecurRome would destroy your DVD-drive or PC. DVD drive especially because you only need the disk in at install-time. Please, read everything before hasty judgments. :O (Yes, "judgment" is the proper way to spell "judgement." That is one thing I learned from Yu-Gi-Oh! and confirmed with a dictionary. And I thought that card was a typo hahahhaha)

IMO, this copy protection is pretty painless sounding. Locks keep honest people honest, you know?

 

[Umbragen]

While this Draconian DRM crap is certainly galling...

peoples willingness to go along with it is just stupefying. What is wrong with you people?

 

[BlackHarmo]

"Pretty Lenient" ?!
I'd say it's still very strongly give me the impression that we actually loan the game, not buy it. :-(

 

[Barghest]

I've just had to return Spore because the DRM means I can't play it on my PC. Now they announce this?

DRM is the cancer which is killing PC gaming.

 

[xSamhainx]

Good Lord of the Tigers, i dont like all this bullshit.

Just give me a serial # authentication, i dont care if I have to leave the disk in the drive!

 

[Elwro]

BTW, the unlock page says "Revoking the activation is important to reset the full activation rights and allow you to install the game on another computer or sell it." So maybe transferring the licence to a third party will be permited after all.

 

[Toothpaste]

"Pretty Lenient" ?!
I'd say it's still very strongly give me the impression that we actually loan the game, not buy it. :-(

How so? You can activate it unlimited times.... Besides, you have never bought a game unless you are filthy rich.

I don't believe you read the details carefully and just panicked when you read SecuRom.

Releasing your liscense (one of the methods) is as easy as double clicking a .exe file.

 

[txa1265]

The servers will not go down. SecuROM (= Sony) hosts them. They cannot afford to create a precedent everybody would use against them. It would kill their DRM business.

As I said elsewhere, I'm currently playing games that are 5, 10, 15, 20 even 25 years old. Most of those games have no company that exists anymore. My concern isn't for 1, 2 or even 5 years ... but for as long as I have a PC that would run the game I should be able to install and run it. Anything else is inadequate.

 

[Toothpaste]

Digital Distribution- Maybe no SecuRom

The game will also be available for Digital Distribution soon after it is released. Those versions of the game may not have SecuROM. Keep in mind, the non-German versions may not have SecuROM either. It is up to each individual publisher.

 

[Gorath]

The newsbit has been updated again. Especially the last bullet point.

 

[Gorath]

It´s confirmed now for the international versions. A statement of the MD, with lots of explanations can be found in the official forum.

 

[Toothpaste]

Official info!

http://forum.sacredeng.ascaron-net.com/showthread.php?p=434370#post434370