Sacred 2 - DRM Treats Copies as Trials

Readers in Europe and Australia where Sacred 2 has already been released may already know this but US distie cdv sent out this press release on the built-in 24 hour trial feature:

Sacred 2: Fallen Angel Introduces a Unique New "Try Before You Buy" Option

Innovative option allows consumers to share copies of the game with friends and family

November 7, 2008, Cary, NC - Looking to give consumers the most flexibility with their purchases of the Windows PC version of Sacred 2: Fallen Angel, cdv Software Entertainment USA and Ascaron Entertainment are pleased to announce the inclusion of an innovative "Try Before You Buy" system for their upcoming RPG game.

Using this innovative new feature, downloaded or purchased copies of the full game can be shared with friends and family, with these shared copies acting as full-featured demos for the duration of one calendar day. During the demo period the game is completely unlocked for single-player and LAN multiplayer modes. After the demo install expires the consumer has the option of purchasing the full game online, or simply uninstalling it. This, for example, allows consumers who purchased the full game in stores or via digital distribution channels, to share their game with friends, with those subsequent installs acting as time-limited "try before you buy" versions that allow gamers to enjoy almost all features found in the full game.

"We feel that consumers should have a right to choose, and this innovative system offers the perfect purchasing option for gamers," said Heiko tom Felde, Managing Director of ASCARON. "It's a great system for family and friends, allowing everyone the opportunity to try out the game and play together, then making a purchase decision."

"This innovative digital rights management solution raises the bar on how consumers can sample games before they buy them," added Mario Kroll, Director of Marketing and PR for cdv Software Entertainment USA. "Rather than showcasing only a limited character or content selection, as most traditional demos do, gamers can share and enjoy the full game experience, trying out the features that most appeal to them, and getting a true sense of the full game."

While we're talking Sacred 2, Shacknews has a new intro trailer.
More information.

with these shared copies acting as full-featured demos for the duration of one calendar day

One year? wouldn't anyone be tired of sacred after one year of playing?

Er, it says one day, not one year.

It's not a full day. It works until midnight. So you get almost 24 hours if you install it immediately after midnight.

Somehow, I don't think very many people will want to stay up after midnight and into the small hours in the morning just to play Sacred 2.

ehhr what happend with my post, I did suspect it was a typo though.

"Try Before You Buy"

Umm… Is it innovative?

Name another full price retail game which allows you access to its whole content before the purchase.

I like. These are encouraging signs that the industry is realizing that waging war against your customers isn't the best possible business model.

Originally Posted by The Name
"Try Before You Buy"

Umm… Is it innovative?

No. This is just the Shareware concept.

Originally Posted by Gorath
Name another full price retail game which allows you access to its whole content before the purchase.

That's not the point. They MAY be the first to do this with the huge game like S2, but they say that this SHAREWARE -like feature is innovative. But it's not…

Unique New "Try Before You Buy" Option

Innovative option

innovative new feature

And so on…

Sounds a bit silly. Maybe it's just me lol…


But I like this Shareware-like idea aftera ll.

The title of this post had me thinking that Sacred full versions were shipping w/ a bug that had the DRM limiting them to demo play.

It's a nice gesture by Ascaron, instead of limiting someone to the confines of a crappy demo, they get to see the finished product and dont have the gate slammed on them when they hit a certain point in it. Except for when the clock strikes midnight of course, muaaaaahhhhhhahahahahahahhaaaa

yeah, but how many registered installs does the original buyer get? Just one and the rest are trials?

Originally Posted by GothicGothicness
ehhr what happend with my post, I did suspect it was a typo though.

I am curious myself. What happened to the original quote? I always liked these forums, but if the moderators start changing other people's posts without comment, this is kinda foul play, would you not agree?

Regarding Sacred 2, it is somewhat innovative to include a free demo in the commercial game release. Unlike conventional releases, this should curb the bandwidth required for demo downloads to a degree, which has become more and more significant with game demo sizes having increased to several gigabytes in the last few years.

This is probably the main reason for doing it, other than possibly a lack of interest in Sacred 2, now that Fable 2 and Fallout 3 are relevant competitors.

Originally Posted by GothicGothicness
ehhr what happend with my post, I did suspect it was a typo though.

The system doesn't show an edit. It's exactly as you typed it. The only one who could possibbly change it without being noticed is Myrthos, and he wouldn't do such thing.

Just to echo Gorath; there has been no edit at all.

I didn't edit the post, nor is there any reference of a modification in the database.

What did GothicGothicness' original post contain—or what she thinks it contains—anyway, that it'd be such an issue? "Day" instead of "year"?

Thanks for the quick replies and my apologies for jumping to conclusions.

Given GothicGothicness two posts, it seemed very unlikely that "calendar day" was the original wording, but on the other hand I know from having read over mistakes in my own papers that what we read and what is actually written can sometimes differ, especially if the difference is only in a few letters or part of an established phrase. I guess this is what must have happened here.

I also looked up the press release, and in every version I could find, they speak of one day and not one year. I do not believe that cut & paste is capable of switching words like that and the issue is not big enough for a grand internet conspiracy

In any case, I am glad that this was cleared up, even if I had to make a fool of myself