Spore Copy Protection Q&A - Page 2

necromancerking · 25-06-2008, 06:41 PM

i do not like this idea. but i just want to say. YOU all know every one of you will buy this game.

THUS EA has already won. it jsut means you wont buy i a second time.

Asmayus · 25-06-2008, 11:39 PM

I'm not buying this game until I know everything about the copy protection. I've no doubt its an inspired game; but I'm not buying a game that I can only install 3 times. I'm running XP. That means crashes, reformats, clean outs, backups, upgrades, optimisations -the works. so, shortly, it's bye bye spore.
*kicks back, checks date, time, and pours himself a cuppa tea* >

<- thats grim determination, by the way :P

ShadowCypher · 26-06-2008, 02:44 PM

Look at BioShock for example... When it was released, the publisher had a "3 activations" thing on it, which led to such a public outcry that they had to change it. It didn't help either that their verification servers couldn't handle the stress and went down.

It was intended to be an "uncrackable" game to prevent illegal copies via overzealous copy-protection, but in the end it took under 2 weeks for someone to make a perfect crack, and they scared alot of their player-base off with the copy-protection.
I know EA isn't the best of companies for being pro-customer, but hopefully they wont trip themselves up with this too.

I for one like to be able to play the game I own, when I like... not when the verification server lets me!

EntropicLqd · 26-06-2008, 08:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by necromancerking

..YOU all know every one of you will buy this game...

No I won't actually. I won't be buying this game unless they do something about the activations.

I'm old enough to realise that there is no such thing as a "must have" game.

If EA take out the activations then I'll buy the game. If that means I wait a year or two, or, I never play the game then so be it. In the overall scheme of things it really does not matter. There are loads of other games to play with the limited time I have available to me.

I refuse to "bend over and take it up the ****" just because some corporate suit has decided that ****ty and/or buggy games don't sell because of "piracy" and not due to the game's own failings.

BFalcon · 26-06-2008, 10:01 PM

Sadly, although I had planned on getting two copies of this game (one for myself and one for a present for my mother) I shall not be - due to this 3-activation limitation. I like to revisit games (heck... we have two copies of Transport Tycoon that are still used on old computers even now, on occasion) and I really dislike games that insist on you going online to activate.

I tolerate it from Windows, because 1) it's a primary OS and 2) I've yet to have problems despite activating our own installs on numerous occasions. I've never installed pirated games and resent being treated like a criminal just because, as someone else says, EA cannot recognise that their software is usually bugged due to pressurising the developers, instead of letting them polish the game as it needs to be.

I will not be tolerating it any more - I bought all the BF games, starting with 1942 and going through vietnam to 2 and 2142... (I would hope that the main server would be written out of their programs before they close it down). The line has to be written somewhere and I'm afraid this is where I'm drawing it. I refuse to rent software - I will only buy it, even if that purchase is only for the current version. I understand that I don't own the rights, but I do own the right to use that install as many times as I like.

I really feel sorry for anyone who suffers more than 2 hardware failures in their machine, because it sounds like it'll stop them playing.

I would ask EA to reconsider what, in my opinion, will be a public relations nightmare if they don't reconsider.

Asmayus · 26-06-2008, 10:29 PM

I've just realized something else -- With three activations, the second hand games market, of which the game companies get no cut due to legalness (I don't know the details), has been crippled.

No shop will want to buy a game they'll sell to customers who'll rapidly want their money back.

I'm impressed. Annoyed, but impressed.

Velox · 27-06-2008, 11:09 PM

EA are totally brainless. They try and copy Valve's excellent steam and make such a total hash of it by way of this stupid 3 installs system. I love steam as I know if I wreck my PC I can simply re-install steam then install any game associated with it.

Its so incredibly ironic that their idea to reduce piracy will have the exact opposite effect. Should someone pay £35 for a game they can install 3 times or pay nothing to have a copy they can install as many times as they need. Tough decision! And this will be pirated. If they think they have somehow devised a game that cannot be copied they are on planet cuckoo. No it won't have the MMO features but hey nothing is perfect!

I don't agree with piracy so I just won't buy this. Never been a great fan of EA anyway due to past business practices and this makes me like them even less. I quite liked the demo and liked it enough to buy the full creature creator but I won't be buying the full version.

Poor show EA

clawsywp · 28-06-2008, 11:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EntropicLqd

No I won't actually. I won't be buying this game unless they do something about the activations.

I'm old enough to realise that there is no such thing as a "must have" game.

If EA take out the activations then I'll buy the game. If that means I wait a year or two, or, I never play the game then so be it. In the overall scheme of things it really does not matter. There are loads of other games to play with the limited time I have available to me.

I refuse to "bend over and take it up the ****" just because some corporate suit has decided that ****ty and/or buggy games don't sell because of "piracy" and not due to the game's own failings.

oh well said!
Its not a 'msut have' for me
that is what amazes me. I am a fan of the Sims... however new games for this are ALWAYS buggy. If they spent as much as time and energy on bug fixing as they do on treating customers like criminals i reckon we might be able to play the sims, without bugs.
Geesh I mean right now, i cant use the graphics card i want to - sim societies doesnt like it! Other games handle it well but not Sim Society... before this The Sims had to have more RAM to stop it crashing. Other games did not and do not. I mean lalala not doing that no more!

My point is, i can wait and go withouth playing this game if its not up to scratch...its not like the end of the world and there are a bunch of other games competing for my limited time. Ones that are a lot less buggy and jsut as much fun. I do not trust SecuROM.

pogolizard · 28-06-2008, 02:01 PM

This is turning into a rants thread.... I know i'm going to buy Spore, even if EA are being stupid. The people who have made this game have put hard work in, and this game does look good anyway. If, on my fourth installation, I have to get a crack/keygen for it, then so be it. They can't sue me for paying, but not recieving what was promised to me.

Dracken · 01-07-2008, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pogolizard

This is turning into a rants thread.... I know i'm going to buy Spore, even if EA are being stupid. The people who have made this game have put hard work in, and this game does look good anyway. If, on my fourth installation, I have to get a crack/keygen for it, then so be it. They can't sue me for paying, but not recieving what was promised to me.

Likewise, im pretty sure will buy this game however i do agree its not a must have for me, being that WoLk is just around the corner acording to some places so i would just play that, or Starcraft 2.

I made a big mistake is Black and White 2. Got it about 2 hours after release
But on that note, if Black and White 2 had this protection i really would been screwed, because the first install i did said my system wasnt up for it, so i upgraded, then when tried again it wouldnt open, so reinstall and all that and then i reformateed to see if that would help it (was due) so theres my 3 in a space of about 3 days

I DEEPLY hope this game isnt like Black and white 2, in the sence of - the build up of it / Previews / what was told you could do (which actual couldnt) was mindblowing and soon as release came out, bugged to help the main features werent actived cause your computer had to be god like (mainly fur) constant crashes and so on. So i hope Spore delievers on what it says it will.

But atm, i think looks very very nice.

orifice · 01-07-2008, 03:13 PM

If this thing goes the same way as some other online games have gone, there will be cracked copies and cracked servers up and running within a month of release

. Said servers will also provide cracked updates, So EA should be real careful about alienating their customers like this.

I have an Internet connection so the online activation thing doesn't really bug me(unless the relevant server is down or worse no longer in existence). But this limited number of times that I can activate my disc using my profile really REALLY sucks. SO EA DON'T SAY WE DIDN'T TRY TO TELL YOU!!!

TheAesthete · 01-07-2008, 04:32 PM

i think it must be because i'm poor, but i can't afford to update my computer more than once every couple of years... and i've never had to reformat my harddrive with xp and it still runs fast and efficently. So tbh i dont really care i can only install it 3times because i'm gonna use it once, then have 2 times left over for emergencies. I;m just waiting for the £20 addon pack that EA will undoubtbly release, forcing people to by it by closing down most of the non-addon servers and giving you lalalala all in the actual pack. *sighs* ea really really annoy me sometimes, but thats capatalism for you, the customer is only write, as long as he's willing to pay for the privillege. And of course once you've payed, your no longer a customer.

Marcolon · 02-07-2008, 06:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EAUK_Baker011

Will I be able to play on more than one computer?

Yes, you'll still be able to install and play on multiple computers.

Will I be able to play offline?

Yes, you’ll be able to play Spore offline.

Thanks alot for this!

Gobbob · 02-07-2008, 07:07 PM

Incase people hadn't noticed, nowhere have EA said that Spore will have only 3 activations.

-Gobbob

BenVdd · 02-07-2008, 07:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gobbob

Incase people hadn't noticed, nowhere have EA said that Spore will have only 3 activations.

-Gobbob

exactly what i was thinking after reading this.....

Marcolon · 02-07-2008, 07:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BenVdd

exactly what i was thinking after reading this.....

Yes

Cyberfrog · 02-07-2008, 09:00 PM

You could easily claim that they would prefer that the majority of people find out the hard way. Hence the silent treatment instead of addressing the concerns of... quite a few people.

I know it may sound a bit paranoid, but everyone who's seen the "You wouldn't steal a car" clip on a DVD they've purchased know how absurd anti-piracy schemes can be.

But most importantly - Mass Effect, another EA-published title, uses this activation+online authentication scheme (read Bioware's official FAQ on it: Mass Effect Community - Mass Effect for PC Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)) and "everyone" therefore believes the same will be used for Spore. EDIT: In additon, a couple people over at the US EA forums claim to have run out of SCC activations. If even the SCC actually has activations, what are the chances that Spore won't?

Anto103 · 02-07-2008, 10:21 PM

I have a question for EA can I put the Creature Creator on two seperate computers and create two seperate sporpedia accounts for my younger sister?

BenVdd · 02-07-2008, 10:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anto103

I have a question for EA can I put the Creature Creator on two seperate computers and create two seperate sporpedia accounts for my younger sister?

for the demo : yes , for the full scc : no

orifice · 03-07-2008, 12:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anto103

I have a question for EA can I put the Creature Creator on two seperate computers and create two seperate sporpedia accounts for my younger sister?

You will have three installations per disk. you can put it on two machines simultaeously, as for profiles, not sure, it's not possible to put two profiles on one machine, But it may be possible to have a profile per machine. (you'll have to ask one of the EA staff, good luck with that they're very tight lipped and run away at slightest hint of a difficult question)!!!!!

Gobbob · 03-07-2008, 12:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cyberfrog

You could easily claim that they would prefer that the majority of people find out the hard way. Hence the silent treatment instead of addressing the concerns of... quite a few people.

I know it may sound a bit paranoid, but everyone who's seen the "You wouldn't steal a car" clip on a DVD they've purchased know how absurd anti-piracy schemes can be.

But most importantly - Mass Effect, another EA-published title, uses this activation+online authentication scheme (read Bioware's official FAQ on it: Mass Effect Community - Mass Effect for PC Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)) and "everyone" therefore believes the same will be used for Spore. EDIT: In additon, a couple people over at the US EA forums claim to have run out of SCC activations. If even the SCC actually has activations, what are the chances that Spore won't?

I'd advise delaying judgement until they actually announce it has a limited number of activations. I do think this would be a good time for an admin to say something about it though.

-Gobbob

Lazytim · 03-07-2008, 04:49 PM

I have a suggestion that there should be a safe system for the game, like the authentication check should still be there but you need to insert the disc everytime it checks and the authentication can only check if your online but could still be every 10 days like it said, there could also be a online tracker for only 1 game at a time, When you install it registers the game onto an account by first logging in on the auto play and then the install option is available and if you want to change the computer you can delete the game again needed online so you can verify the deletion and then you can repeat the installation again but on a different computer. If any one has other good ideas it could be useful to stop piracy and keep both us and EA happy.

I know this is not the place to post this but anyway is EA going to release it with 3 computers only?

orifice · 03-07-2008, 08:00 PM

I don't think it's possible to come up with an idea that will keep us and EA happy.
All current measures to combat piracy only really inconvenience legitimate customers, so thats us not happy. To have none of these measures would make us happy but is unlikely to go down well with EA who understandably don't want be ripped off. A compromise will make neither side happy. And for every security idea that can be conceived, A work around can be found.

Having said this, EA have pretty much forced anyone without an internet connection that wants to play the game, to use the pirated version that will inevitabley appear within a week of the games release. And as more and more people are "influenced" towards pirated games or simply become dissaffected by the way they are being treated, the worse the problem will get. That and some people who use pirated games would never pay for a game anyway, so its not really lost sales, it's sales they would never have had.
So EA are making a rod for their own back with this securom fiasco.

DoubleU · 03-07-2008, 10:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gobbob

Incase people hadn't noticed, nowhere have EA said that Spore will have only 3 activations.

-Gobbob

And nowhere have EA said that Spore will NOT have only 3 activations.

This is the copy protection Q&A.
We are asking questions but EA doesn't give us answers. That should ring alarm bells.

An installation limit is a big No No, it means a defect. EA will be selling damaged goods and if they don't make this very clear during the sale then it is a lawsuit waiting to happen.

Again, I have been waiting for this game since 2006 but with this copy protection I will not buy it (nor download it).
EA will have less sales with this copy protection.
Online activation + CD Key is fine with me, anything else NO.

Lazytim · 03-07-2008, 11:15 PM

There is a company called valve, They have an online activation the program they use is called, Steam they have all kinds of games on it you need to download it first then you have to put the disc and CD key in you dont have to download steam but if you want regularly updated games then ok, If other companys use how steam does it can stop piracy but not completely, But i haven't seen one person pirate the games on steam.

But they are still able to hack on the game, But that is differnt to the subjet to what we are talking about.

If there is any activation limits it would stop sale by a small margin and because of microsofts new windows e.g windows 7 people might want to change differnt windows they might have to reformat it all, Which would be painful to watch themselves waste an activation and waste money.

I just dont like vista to much XP is more for me, Most games dont work on vista until acouple years which again is painful.

01-07-2008, 03:13 PM	#36 (permalink)
orifice Forum Regular Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: West Midlands England Age: 36 Posts: 727	If this thing goes the same way as some other online games have gone, there will be cracked copies and cracked servers up and running within a month of release. Said servers will also provide cracked updates, So EA should be real careful about alienating their customers like this. I have an Internet connection so the online activation thing doesn't really bug me(unless the relevant server is down or worse no longer in existence). But this limited number of times that I can activate my disc using my profile really REALLY sucks. SO EA DON'T SAY WE DIDN'T TRY TO TELL YOU!!! __________________ Here's my beasts! Plant pack Link!

02-07-2008, 09:00 PM	#42 (permalink)
Cyberfrog Forum Regular Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Norway Age: 28 Posts: 516	You could easily claim that they would prefer that the majority of people find out the hard way. Hence the silent treatment instead of addressing the concerns of... quite a few people. I know it may sound a bit paranoid, but everyone who's seen the "You wouldn't steal a car" clip on a DVD they've purchased know how absurd anti-piracy schemes can be. But most importantly - Mass Effect, another EA-published title, uses this activation+online authentication scheme (read Bioware's official FAQ on it: Mass Effect Community - Mass Effect for PC Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)) and "everyone" therefore believes the same will be used for Spore. EDIT: In additon, a couple people over at the US EA forums claim to have run out of SCC activations. If even the SCC actually has activations, what are the chances that Spore won't? __________________ Froggie's Spore Creations Last edited by Cyberfrog; 03-07-2008 at 12:05 PM..

03-07-2008, 08:00 PM	#48 (permalink)
orifice Forum Regular Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: West Midlands England Age: 36 Posts: 727	I don't think it's possible to come up with an idea that will keep us and EA happy. All current measures to combat piracy only really inconvenience legitimate customers, so thats us not happy. To have none of these measures would make us happy but is unlikely to go down well with EA who understandably don't want be ripped off. A compromise will make neither side happy. And for every security idea that can be conceived, A work around can be found. Having said this, EA have pretty much forced anyone without an internet connection that wants to play the game, to use the pirated version that will inevitabley appear within a week of the games release. And as more and more people are "influenced" towards pirated games or simply become dissaffected by the way they are being treated, the worse the problem will get. That and some people who use pirated games would never pay for a game anyway, so its not really lost sales, it's sales they would never have had. So EA are making a rod for their own back with this securom fiasco. __________________ Here's my beasts! Plant pack Link!

25-06-2008, 06:41 PM	#26 (permalink)
necromancerking Elite Join Date: May 2005 Location: the throne of souls Age: 19 Gender: Male Posts: 6,219	i do not like this idea. but i just want to say. YOU all know every one of you will buy this game. THUS EA has already won. it jsut means you wont buy i a second time.

25-06-2008, 11:39 PM	#27 (permalink)
Asmayus Rookie Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 11	I'm not buying this game until I know everything about the copy protection. I've no doubt its an inspired game; but I'm not buying a game that I can only install 3 times. I'm running XP. That means crashes, reformats, clean outs, backups, upgrades, optimisations -the works. so, shortly, it's bye bye spore. kicks back, checks date, time, and pours himself a cuppa tea > <- thats grim determination, by the way :P

26-06-2008, 02:44 PM	#28 (permalink)
ShadowCypher Rookie Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: England, UK Posts: 6	Look at BioShock for example... When it was released, the publisher had a "3 activations" thing on it, which led to such a public outcry that they had to change it. It didn't help either that their verification servers couldn't handle the stress and went down. It was intended to be an "uncrackable" game to prevent illegal copies via overzealous copy-protection, but in the end it took under 2 weeks for someone to make a perfect crack, and they scared alot of their player-base off with the copy-protection. I know EA isn't the best of companies for being pro-customer, but hopefully they wont trip themselves up with this too. I for one like to be able to play the game I own, when I like... not when the verification server lets me!

26-06-2008, 10:01 PM	#30 (permalink)
BFalcon Rookie Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 6	Sadly, although I had planned on getting two copies of this game (one for myself and one for a present for my mother) I shall not be - due to this 3-activation limitation. I like to revisit games (heck... we have two copies of Transport Tycoon that are still used on old computers even now, on occasion) and I really dislike games that insist on you going online to activate. I tolerate it from Windows, because 1) it's a primary OS and 2) I've yet to have problems despite activating our own installs on numerous occasions. I've never installed pirated games and resent being treated like a criminal just because, as someone else says, EA cannot recognise that their software is usually bugged due to pressurising the developers, instead of letting them polish the game as it needs to be. I will not be tolerating it any more - I bought all the BF games, starting with 1942 and going through vietnam to 2 and 2142... (I would hope that the main server would be written out of their programs before they close it down). The line has to be written somewhere and I'm afraid this is where I'm drawing it. I refuse to rent software - I will only buy it, even if that purchase is only for the current version. I understand that I don't own the rights, but I do own the right to use that install as many times as I like. I really feel sorry for anyone who suffers more than 2 hardware failures in their machine, because it sounds like it'll stop them playing. I would ask EA to reconsider what, in my opinion, will be a public relations nightmare if they don't reconsider.

26-06-2008, 10:29 PM	#31 (permalink)
Asmayus Rookie Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 11	I've just realized something else -- With three activations, the second hand games market, of which the game companies get no cut due to legalness (I don't know the details), has been crippled. No shop will want to buy a game they'll sell to customers who'll rapidly want their money back. I'm impressed. Annoyed, but impressed.

27-06-2008, 11:09 PM	#32 (permalink)
Velox Hi, I'm New! Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 1	EA are totally brainless. They try and copy Valve's excellent steam and make such a total hash of it by way of this stupid 3 installs system. I love steam as I know if I wreck my PC I can simply re-install steam then install any game associated with it. Its so incredibly ironic that their idea to reduce piracy will have the exact opposite effect. Should someone pay £35 for a game they can install 3 times or pay nothing to have a copy they can install as many times as they need. Tough decision! And this will be pirated. If they think they have somehow devised a game that cannot be copied they are on planet cuckoo. No it won't have the MMO features but hey nothing is perfect! I don't agree with piracy so I just won't buy this. Never been a great fan of EA anyway due to past business practices and this makes me like them even less. I quite liked the demo and liked it enough to buy the full creature creator but I won't be buying the full version. Poor show EA

28-06-2008, 02:01 PM	#34 (permalink)
pogolizard Rookie Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 4	This is turning into a rants thread.... I know i'm going to buy Spore, even if EA are being stupid. The people who have made this game have put hard work in, and this game does look good anyway. If, on my fourth installation, I have to get a crack/keygen for it, then so be it. They can't sue me for paying, but not recieving what was promised to me.

01-07-2008, 04:32 PM	#37 (permalink)
TheAesthete Forum Guru Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 2,044	i think it must be because i'm poor, but i can't afford to update my computer more than once every couple of years... and i've never had to reformat my harddrive with xp and it still runs fast and efficently. So tbh i dont really care i can only install it 3times because i'm gonna use it once, then have 2 times left over for emergencies. I;m just waiting for the £20 addon pack that EA will undoubtbly release, forcing people to by it by closing down most of the non-addon servers and giving you lalalala all in the actual pack. sighs ea really really annoy me sometimes, but thats capatalism for you, the customer is only write, as long as he's willing to pay for the privillege. And of course once you've payed, your no longer a customer.

02-07-2008, 07:07 PM	#39 (permalink)
Gobbob Rookie Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 17	Incase people hadn't noticed, nowhere have EA said that Spore will have only 3 activations. -Gobbob

02-07-2008, 10:21 PM	#43 (permalink)
Anto103 Rookie Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Ireland Age: 23 Posts: 47	I have a question for EA can I put the Creature Creator on two seperate computers and create two seperate sporpedia accounts for my younger sister?

03-07-2008, 04:49 PM	#47 (permalink)
Lazytim Rookie Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Cambridge,England Posts: 2	I have a suggestion that there should be a safe system for the game, like the authentication check should still be there but you need to insert the disc everytime it checks and the authentication can only check if your online but could still be every 10 days like it said, there could also be a online tracker for only 1 game at a time, When you install it registers the game onto an account by first logging in on the auto play and then the install option is available and if you want to change the computer you can delete the game again needed online so you can verify the deletion and then you can repeat the installation again but on a different computer. If any one has other good ideas it could be useful to stop piracy and keep both us and EA happy. I know this is not the place to post this but anyway is EA going to release it with 3 computers only?

03-07-2008, 11:15 PM	#50 (permalink)
Lazytim Rookie Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Cambridge,England Posts: 2	There is a company called valve, They have an online activation the program they use is called, Steam they have all kinds of games on it you need to download it first then you have to put the disc and CD key in you dont have to download steam but if you want regularly updated games then ok, If other companys use how steam does it can stop piracy but not completely, But i haven't seen one person pirate the games on steam. But they are still able to hack on the game, But that is differnt to the subjet to what we are talking about. If there is any activation limits it would stop sale by a small margin and because of microsofts new windows e.g windows 7 people might want to change differnt windows they might have to reformat it all, Which would be painful to watch themselves waste an activation and waste money. I just dont like vista to much XP is more for me, Most games dont work on vista until acouple years which again is painful.