Almost a month later, Ubisoft's DRM servers are still down

[newtekie1]

More than three weeks after the release of The Settlers 7, with the controversial "always on-line" DRM, a lot of people still can't connect to Ubisoft's DRM servers. The forum threads where people can post if they are unable to connect keeps growing daily. The reason for the lack of fixes or responses from support seems to be that the people responsible were on vacation during the Easter holiday, despite the promise of 24/7 monitoring of the servers. The moral of this story seems to be that it is a bad idea to buy a game just before a major holiday.

Good work Ubisoft!

 

[qubit]

This is why I boycott stuff with DRM. Of course, it's everywhere, so the only DRM I accept into my PC life is Microsoft's product activation (kinda hard to avoid) and Steam for games. That's it. Everything else I boycott.

This is one of the most ridiculous DRM schemes I've ever seen and the way Ubisoft have let down their customers here just shows the contempt they have for them. I won't give them a penny and I don't download dodgy copies either, so they can't claim "piracy" is allegedly killing them.

Asshats.

 

[newtekie1]

I said this in the last thread:

You know, I'm probably one of the few that is actually fine with most DRM in games. I'm fine with CD checks, serial numbers, and even some of the more invasive stuff like Starforce. I'm even fine with online activation, provided it is handled properly(think Windows activation, where I can call a 800 number quickly and get the copy re-activated if need).

However, in this isntance, I think the DRM has gone too far, and am glad it was cracked so quickly.

I probably would have even accepted this DRM if it was just a matter of needing to re-authenticate every few hours of game play. But saving the game on their servers, and needing a 100% constant internet connection is way too far for even me.

 

[Phxprovost]

they dont care, but really i do think they are doing it on purpose, until this shit is removed i never plan on buying anything from them.

 

[TheMailMan78]

If this is true I smell an epic class action lawsuit!

 

[qubit]

I said this in the last thread:

You are very forgiving of DRM my friend! And look how they repay their customers...

I'm glad it's pissed you off too though, as your more liberal view adds weight that this is a totally unacceptable way to treat your customers; you'd expect anti-DRM people like me to automatically hate it, after all.

 

[TheMailMan78]

You are very forgiving of DRM my friend! And look how they repay their customers...

I'm glad it's pissed you off too though, as your more liberal view adds weight that this is a totally unacceptable way to treat your customers; you'd expect anti-DRM people like me to automatically hate it, after all.

Well I'm also not against DRM and I have been against this from the start. Ubisoft is going to have an epic fail on this one.

 

[qubit]

Well I'm also not against DRM and I have been against this from the start. Ubisoft is going to have an epic fail on this one.

There you go, even more weight added.

 

[kid41212003]

Customers: Struggling to play the game.
Pirates: Relaxing waiting for the crack while playing other cracked games.

 

[reverze]

Customers: Struggling to play the game.
Pirates: Relaxing waiting for the crack while playing other cracked games.

Hard decision..

 

[D007]

I will not ever buy a ubisoft game again. This latest load of crap was the last straw.
I'm not buying ubisoft or EA games until they get rid of their ridiculous and intrusive DRM.
They should be sued for this bullshit.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

I see DRM as a virus so I hate it in all its incarnations. I don't see serial numbers as a form of DRM because it is like the serial number on any product. The iffy part is their software demanding it. Just like hardware, the serial number should only be required for rebates and proof of ownership for returns and the like. Ever since the industry has been using serial numbers as a form of DRM, they triggered a whole new market for pirated software: key generators. Now, pirates are using their own technology against them by using up keys that would otherwise appear on legitimate products causing legitimate customers to have problems.

Morale of the story: serial numbers by themselves aren't DRM--it becomes DRM when software requires it to run/install the program. That, I am against.


I still think we should petition Ubisoft to release a DRM-free version of a Splinter Cell: Conviction game for $60 assuming the DRM riddled version sells for $50. The sales figures should speak for itself.

 

[exodusprime1337]

to me, shit like this makes the xbox 360 seem all the more enticing. Most if not all games i play are multiplayer online games, and so drm/account logins/passwords are all normal to me. But a single player game with ridiculous drm makes me just want to wait or pray for a console port or console version of it to avoid the issues

 

[JATownes]

I went to look for a retail game at Wal-Mart the other day, and I couldn't find a single game that did not require an active internet connection for at least activation (Steam). I don't mind Steam since they have managed to fix off-line mode (It works great now BTW), but this other junk is exactly that JUNK. Screw Ubi and they make one of my favorite games (R6Vegas & R6Vegas2). This is ridiculous.

 

[niko084]

Eh these stupid corporations..

BRING ON THE DRM BABY!

More cracks, less people will buy, more people will steal, you will go out of business, sorry sucks to be you.

Sure that maybe means less games for us, but oh well, we can live with less games, you can't profit without a business.

 

[KainXS]

At this point I am sad to say it but DRM is killing PC gaming its not killing it, its just murdering it.

DRM is useless, all it does it give crackers a challenge and all thats all they want and it gets more robust and complex for customers and publishers, with this being the ultimate form, its bad for the custmoer, bad for the developer, bad for the publisher the only ones who are getting something from this are the company they are paying for the activation servers and pirates. You don't own these games you get from ubisoft, its like buying a house and you can't get in your house everytime you want to get in without calling your morgage company and saying can i go in my house, you don't own it. its ridiculous, its just a useless hinder now and its gonna get worst and worst and worst until customers who otherwise would buy a game say fuck it and pirate it or stop buying PC games completely and go get a 360 or PS3 instead, I think its inevitable at this point PC gaming will die and the only games you will see are mmo's and indie games and whatnot.

you can't fight pirates and crackers, you will never win, never nevar nevvvvaaaarrrrrrr

AS A MATTER OF FACT, cracks are helping people play legit games that should work out of the box more and more and its really fuckin sad when you have to use a crack meaning you might as well have pirated it because the game did not even work out of the box its just sad.

 

[HalfAHertz]

Something else that got me thinking is game production costs. Most new AAA titles have surpassed Hollywood movies in costs...Let's compare today's games to the games from 10 years ago
10y ago | Today
Production time | 1-2 years | 2-3 years
Software costs | <100k | >1mil
Hardware costs | <50k | <200k
production team | 10-20 people | 40-60 people
game lenght | 20+ hours | <10 hours
GFX complexity | low | very high
Gameplay value | High | medium
Replay value | yes | rarely
Overall costs | -4 ml | >50mil
innovation | great | minimal

Ok the GFX quality and complexity has greatly increased, the added workload can be easily assimilated by: a) the much better software and hardware we have today that speeds up production b) the increased size of development teams c) shorter games
But at the same time the basic game quality has decreased across the board, there's less innovation, shorter games, poorer gameplay and game story etc. and no replay value

Why the funk are we paying more and why are the games so expensive to produce, when the quality is on the decline?

The only logical reasons:
e
-The CEOs of Publishing companies like to play "Uncle Scrooge"
-They like to snort powder off of the junk of teenage prostitutes in the jacuzzi of their multimillion yachts parked 24/7/365 in the Monte Carlo Marina
- The old private Jet got dirty...
The above costs are regularly to a game's production budget.

Please EA, Ubisoft or anyone else that might stumble on this, release one of your AAA title budgets and prove me wrong!

-Edit: I didn't add licensing or advertising costs because those are easily avoided or reduced if you're smart.
-Double edit: Oh ze noez I forgot to add DRM costs...silly me

 

[FordGT90Concept]

I made a petition with specific requirements. Please sign it and pass it around. We have less than a year to get 1,000,000 signatures:
http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/bgae2drm

 

[HalfAHertz]

I made a petition with specific requirements. Please sign it and pass it around. We have less than a year to get 1,000,000 signatures:
http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/bgae2drm

Signed

 

[EastCoasthandle]

to me, shit like this makes the xbox 360 seem all the more enticing. Most if not all games i play are multiplayer online games, and so drm/account logins/passwords are all normal to me. But a single player game with ridiculous drm makes me just want to wait or pray for a console port or console version of it to avoid the issues

If someone would be so kind as to create a list of future Ubisoft games. That way people will know what games are coming out that will have this (perhaps create a new thread). I plan on buying Ruse but after reading this I'm not so sure.

 

[HalfAHertz]

Unfortunately ubisoft owns the rights to two of my favorite titles: DeusEx and Thief and I'm sure they'll be DRM protected

 

[dinjo_jo]

I think they should come up with a patch to run the game in offline mode connect to internet and then offline , just like steam

 

[MadClown]

At least with a virus-like DRM you can play your games offline once activated..........but Any DRM other than a CD-check/key, is just wrong. I would like to see how long Ubi will stay in business once people start realizing that their DRM is ruining their gaming experience and they stop buying.

 

[RejZoR]

I bought few games with online activation even though i hated it. But i'll never buy one of these Ubi's rotten DRM scheme protected games. Never. I'm not gonna support this kind of shit.
I don't care how good the game will be, i'm not gonna buy it, i'm not gonna warez it and i'll trash them wherever i'll be able to online. Lame morons, we pay more for less quality these days and with far more restrictions than we ever did 10 years ago.

 

[Polarman]

Like i said before, if they want to cut down on illegal download, they (game publishers) have to force the ISP's to maintain a list of these "warez" sites and just block them out.

This way, we (legit buyers) would not have to get this stupid drm crap up our asses.