BioShock - DRM Removed (kinda)

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2K Elizabeth announces Bioshock's DRM has been removed.
Good news! As promised, all activation restrictions, including install limits, have been removed from BioShock PC as of today. You don’t have to patch or install anything for this to go into effect for your copy of BioShock – it’s already done!

Enjoy your time in Rapture, and thank you for supporting BioShock and the 2K teams
More information.
 
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2K Elizabeth said:
Our other methods of copy protection remain. You will still have to activate your copy, and you will still need to keep the disc in the drive. SecuROM has not been removed -- just the activation limits on number of installs and number of computers you can install BioShock on simultaneously.

As I promised that the activation limits would go away, I can promise that if we ever stop supporting BioShock in the ways you speak of, we will release a patch so that the game is still playable. I believe, as you seem to, that BioShock will be the kind of game we will want to revisit 5, 10, 15 or more years from now. I want my copy to be playable, just as you do, and so does 2K.

I don't think this is the same as "DRM Removed".
 
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Well the .exe has to be downloaded from SecuRom does in not? I'll edit the headline a bit.
 
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Well, seems like reason and customer friendlyness finally won.

More like the financial circumstances. Most of the profit is made, so nobody really cares if the game is pirated.

BTW, what is problem with the Mass Effect copy protection? I like it. You don't even have to put the DVD in the drive to play. One of the best copy protections to date (if you ignore my favorite: none).
 
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The problem is that the number of allowed activations is exactly 3. And it´s not confirmed you'll get more if you ask.

So it´s a no buy for me until this issue is solved.
 
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The problem is that the number of allowed activations is exactly 3. And it´s not confirmed you'll get more if you ask.

So it´s a no buy for me until this issue is solved.

Didn't the announcement just solve that? There are effectively unlimited activations now.
 
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I believe Gorath is referring to activation limit of Mass Effect, not BioShock.
 
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The convo slipped over to the MEPC DRM debate and not Bioshock.

Let's not lead ourself's down that Heart of Darkness though.
 
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Let's not lead ourself's down that Heart of Darkness though.
But I still have so much unspent ire on the subject, with more to come when Dragon Age and Spore debut. :D Okay, okay, I'll be good.
 
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DA and Sp(B)ore are bound to get this debate rolling once more. I think I'm almost immune now from all the venomous injections.
 
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The problem is that the number of allowed activations is exactly 3. And it´s not confirmed you'll get more if you ask.

So it´s a no buy for me until this issue is solved.

Has that been tested? They said the same thing about Two Worlds, yet I have used up about 8 activations (hardware change, laptop, second PC).

When I have time, I'm going to test that with my copy of Mass Effect.
 
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Perhaps I'm just being gullible but it seems pretty obvious to me that the reason they removed the activation limit on Bioshock is that the game has had its' run in the stores. It is no longer a "hot" title so to speak, so the benefit vs. the cost of keeping the restrictions in is no longer a positive number.

I see no reason whatsoever why EA and Bioware would act any different with Mass Effect, Dragon Age etc. While the title is "hot" the DRM/restriction (whatever you want to call it) stays in and once the title cools off and starts to hit the bargin bin, the restriction is removed with a huge fanfare in the press. The publishers gets publicity, all the purist can buy the game while still staying true to their principles, the "replayers" need no longer worry about whether or not they can install and play the game in 50 years and the rest of us will shrug and think back (fondly or not) on the game we finished months ago ... it's a win-win-win-win (1,2,3,4 yes that's all of them) situation.

Or I might be wrong and there really is some conspiracy at work (possibly involving aliens and the Men in Black) only I'm too stupid to notice:biggrin:

P.S. Read this in the spirit it is intended, as friendly jab in the "nudge nudge know what I mean" kind of way ;)
 
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I wasn't expecting this to happen at all, and I was exoecting it to happen, it wouldn't have been before August 22nd when Bioshock had been out for a year.
Removing the activation and install limits are indeed a great thing, I find. You will still need to activate the game over the net, though. I can live with that but would have preferred a method for activating over the phone, too. Just like in TWo Worlds...

As for MEPC's current drm scheme pleae look here:

http://forums.bioware.com/forums/viewtopic.html?topic=636239&forum=22&sp=15

and here:

http://masseffect.bioware.com/forums/viewtopic.html?topic=636299&forum=127

Apparently, EA etc. are now working a way to empower the people on the phones to give more activations on their own instead of having to always ask a supervisor.
Interesting enough, the US EA persons didn't want to deal out activations while 2-3 people from Europe got more activations without any hesitation at all from EA.

It seems that Ken Levine and 2K did come through with their promise; I haven't headr any such promise from Bioware & EA --- yet.
 
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Has that been tested? They said the same thing about Two Worlds, yet I have used up about 8 activations (hardware change, laptop, second PC).

When I have time, I'm going to test that with my copy of Mass Effect.

I´m not sure about the current status. A thread on SlashDot has screenshots of an error window basically saying: "Your 3 activations are through. Buy a new copy if you want to play it again. Greetings, EA."

If that´s true - and I´m not saying it is - it´s completely unacceptable. Period.

So my position is: EA has to prove the player can activate it as often as he wants. Otherwise no sale. If EA doesn´t trust the players the players have no reason to trust EA.
 
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[...]Apparently, EA etc. are now working a way to empower the people on the phones to give more activations on their own instead of having to always ask a supervisor.
The fact that EA is "working" on it instead of having it prepared sounds fishy to me. It makes me think EA doesn´t really want to give their customers more activations.

Interesting enough, the US EA persons didn't want to deal out activations while 2-3 people from Europe got more activations without any hesitation at all from EA.
Differences in consumer rights.
IANAL, but I guess EA can´t afford to go to court in Europe because the law here assumes contract are signed between equals. It´s more than doubtful a court would consider it fair that one side has to pay full price while the other can decide to disable the software. Furthermore games are usually treated like books and DVDs in (at least parts of) Europe. This means you are buying product, not a license. Exception: You print it clearly visible on the box, for example Norton Internet Security (12 month license).
If one judge per country decides the activation limit constitutes a latent (here: used in lack of a better word ;) ) defect the consumer would automatically get all the rights defined by law. This could go as far as the right to return the product for a full cash refund, if EA refuses to solve the issue. The typical warranty period is 24 months.
That´s risky business. It´s possible the their lawyers told them to keep the ball low in Europe.
 
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The problem is that the number of allowed activations is exactly 3. And it´s not confirmed you'll get more if you ask.

So it´s a no buy for me until this issue is solved.

Are you really going to play it on more than 3 machines?
 
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Are you really going to play it on more than 3 machines?
Just think of classic games like Might and Magic (e.g. IV and V). I paid for them once and played them on numerous pc configurations over the last years. I think that it's my right as customer to play the game any time and anywhere I want. Every restriction is just plain silly from my point of view. That's why I never played anything from Valve's Steam thingy ...
 
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