Shouldn't you be outraged by bioshock?

[spuddyt]

I used to get annoyed by DRM etc. Then I just realised. You don't like it. Don't buy it. It's their product, they can do what the **** they want with it.

It's really as easy as that.

the trouble is, bioshock IS AN AWESOME GAME and so I do want it, it just comes with the DRM that won't be uninstalled (I wonder if that means if you had a deal whereby you had the game for a while and then gave it back, could you be sued for not removing it all? - just a random thought :?) thats the only thing that really annoys me about this, if you get the game, you should be allowed to get rid of it at your own discretion and not be forced to retain it when you don't want to.
and while they CAN do whatever they want with it, its not good business to include something that puts more customers off than it does pirates

 

[Wolfy]

Totally off topic but I love your avatar. I'm nicking it for another forum 😀

 

[spuddyt]

its a gif, normally it moves.... (assuming you are talking to me) and its fair enough you nicking it off me, I nicked it off someone else (maybe in the bungie forum...., can't remember)

 

[bash007]

...Abusing the lack of knowlegde of your customers should be punished (and it is). Only too bad the punishment is mostly going to 2k instead of Sony.

No one put a gun to 2K's head and forced them to use Sony's SecuRom, they could've opted for a Safedisc protection, or an older, less invasive version of SecuRom (or better yet: none at all).
The fact that they agreed to put something like that in their product, to "protect" their work, and along the way screw as many people as possible, just shows how much they care for their customers. And to make things worse, they actually lied to customers about the DRM limitations.
That's not to say Sony should be let off the hook... Hell no! But it is most certainly not the only one to blame.
However, the blame should mostly fall on 2K rather than Sony, and any other game developers/publishers that inject that crapware in their games.

 

[Wolfy]

and along the way screw as many people as possible, .

Just curious about how they are screwing their customers?

 

[bash007]

Just curious about how they are screwing their customers?

One example would be not mentioning the DRM limitations upon launch, or even on the box of the game, so people only found out after buying the game that they could only install it twice (increased to five installations as a band-aid fix after so much outraged customers were complaining).
That's called screwing customers, as I'm sure many people would not have bought the game had they known, and 2K was well aware of that.

 

[Wolfy]

One example would be not mentioning the DRM limitations upon launch, or even on the box of the game, so people only found out after buying the game that they could only install it twice (increased to five installations as a band-aid fix after so much outraged customers were complaining).
That's called screwing customers, as I'm sure many people would not have bought the game had they known, and 2K was well aware of that.

Yup, fair enough. Haven't bought this game so haven't really been all that bothered by the furore. I'm seeing that multiple installs on one machine can bjork it which is a bit silly.

 

[Sengoku]

Check my rough notes on the DRM. The thing also monitors your hardware configuration. Change in hardware, can call for a new key, for every user.

 

[BigMac]

Check my rough notes on the DRM. The thing also monitors your hardware configuration. Change in hardware, can call for a new key, for every user.

It's kind of obvious that it has to do that, if it is meant to guard to limit the nr of installs on different computers. No need to create additional fuzz about this. The restriction on the number of times you can install the game is bad enough by itself. What where they thinking when they came up with that one? (or should I write "smoking")?

 

[llama_man]

I think they saw Microsoft doing it and thought that people were probably used to it by now.

 

[spuddyt]

gotta hate corporations, all they care about is money (at least the ones running them care only about that) and no I'm not a hippy!

 

[sojrner]

all secular (and many religious) companies, regardless of magnanimous/humanitarian efforts are concerned with the bottom line. They are a company only because they make money. If they did not make money they would not be in business, and in the context here we would not be getting games if they did not make money at it. (at least the quality of game that bioshock is minus the DRM... no offense meant to the free games devs out there)

we would all be hypocritical if we say we want all companies to not make money, but still want the results to be as if they WERE making money.

I understand what you were meaning there, that they just don't care about who they step on. Yes, I agree that is bad... just thought I would interject the thought above to temper our crusade to lynch all corporate execs. 😉

 

[Ananan]

We're probably getting to the "closing arguments" phase of this (unless something else pops up).

I can only hope that the honest outrage shown by PC gamers has caused the industry to take note. I guess I can dream.

And for all of those who basically said "just STFU. DRMs are no big deal. Companies should be allowed to make a profit. why do you want to install on mutiple PCs anyway? Quit your whining."(have I forgotten anything?)

Well.. I was going to type something but I changed my mind. You're allowed to have your own opinion. I just hope it doesn't accelerate the demise of PC gaming as a viable form of entertainment.

 

[spuddyt]

meh, IMO once the games get just a little better (photorealistic), then the only way forward is random guys getting bored and making their own games, because random ppl have more innovation between them than any company, and once you attain photorealism, you the upgrade then is to make it possible for ordinary people to make things

 

[BigMac]

because random ppl have more innovation between them than any company,

If I apply your reasoning to making television shows, then I'd say that YouTube and realitity tv prove you are wrong. The vast majority of material on YouTube, and every single bit of so called reality tv is pure crap. I think there's more to making good tv or making good games than what average Joe can come up with, sorry.

 

[sojrner]

He did say "random"... and with that in mind I would agree w/ spuddyt. At random times a mod/game/concept comes out of the unwashed masses that blows the doors off of anything the commercial machine can come up with. Counterstrike and Day of Defeat being fine examples.

True... most of it IS crap, but the random factor is awesome. 😉

 

[werepossum]

This is not IMO aimed so much at combatting piracy as combating loans and used game sales. In one stroke Take 2 has eliminated any resale value for this game. Who would buy a game without knowing if you could actually activate it? What retailer would buy it not knowing if it were activatable? If you pay $50 and you can sell it for $20 after beating it (or growing bored of it), your net cost is $30. Remove that resell ability and your net cost is the full $50. Limits the appeal of the game for people who aren't certain they want it - which of course is why they don't tell you that up front, and why in my opinion it is fraud, pure and simple. Which is why I am not buying it. (I'm not illegally downloading it because that is wrong; my stealing it is not justified just by believing it is fraud, and certainly not just because I really, really want it as some have suggested.)

That being said, imagine if this catches on beyond games. Imagine buying a CD and then learning you can play it in the living room and the bedroom but not in the den. Imagine buying a movie and finding out that only two people can watch it, and you have to register online, and if you buy another DVD player that counts as one of your two installs. Want to have some friends over? Buy another copy. Want to watch it with the family at Thanksgiving? Buy another copy.

They can keep their game, and I'll keep my money.

 

[spuddyt]

If I apply your reasoning to making television shows, then I'd say that YouTube and realitity tv prove you are wrong. The vast majority of material on YouTube, and every single bit of so called reality tv is pure crap. I think there's more to making good tv or making good games than what average Joe can come up with, sorry.

well, the better part of it IS crap, (actually, thinking about it so is the better part of commercial tv) but there can be gems, wasn't counterstrike originally a mod?

 

[Mcracker]

The video game world is changing in a way that violates your rights to privacy requires you to spend more money and bullies you into a payment plan (mmos)just to play a video game that is suppose to be fun. GTA4 requires a 2 hour(16meg connection) update and a online registration that is completely ridiculous, If I only have two hours in a day to enjoy some gaming the last thing I want to do is watch MS live waste my freak-in time for two hours updating a game that totally sucked anyway.

Further more the actions of these game makers are pushing me to look at stolen software which all current games come with hacks and yes including MS live that by-passes the reg,and updates and tricks the game into believing its online which you can download and play yes I said PLAY in 15 minutes without any BS from game makers.

So it seams the harder they squeeze the consumer the more will turn to pirates to save money and time and to keep the anger level down returning games to the level of FUN they were meant to be.

 

[Mcracker]

Snyderm, interesting post. I'll chime in here: I don't have any problem whatsoever registering a game online, even if it is a single player game. To me, it doesn't bother me (even though it did take me a while to activate BioShock for whatever reason). It comes with the territory, sadly, because we live in a time where software piracy is pretty common. If people have an issue with registering a PC game online, then I humbly suggest looking at consoles instead of PC games.

That said, I 100 percent agree with you about the install limit for BioShock. I think it's absurd. If I buy the game, I should be allowed to install it on all three of my computers, but I can't. If I habe problems with just one of my machines and need to unistall and reinstall mutliple times, I should be able to. But again, I can't. Now THAT really sucks. And if someone wants to start a petition to change that policy, then by all means, I'll support it.

The video game world is changing in a way that violates your rights to privacy requires you to spend more money and bullies you into a payment plan (mmos)just to play a video game that is suppose to be fun. GTA4 requires a 2 hour(16meg connection) update and a online registration that is completely ridiculous, If I only have two hours in a day to enjoy some gaming the last thing I want to do is watch MS live waste my freak-in time for two hours updating a game that totally sucked anyway.

Further more the actions of these game makers are pushing me to look at stolen software which all current games come with hacks and yes including MS live that by-passes the reg,and updates and tricks the game into believing its online which you can download and play yes I said PLAY in 15 minutes without any BS from game makers.

So it seams the harder they squeeze the consumer the more will turn to pirates to save money and time and to keep the anger level down returning games to the level of FUN they were meant to be.

 

[Mcracker]

I did that recently at "Game" in the UK, so it shows it can still be done - you just have to check the store policy before you buy.



True. That's why, despite having looked forward to the game for ages, I waited until there were some reviews before rushing out to buy. If you're so impatient that you can't wait for a review or demo, then you take your chances. I also avoided the disappointment of Caesar 4 this way!

You don't get your money back from the cinema if the movie sucks, do you?

Yes you do if you leave early ask for your cover and say that was just an inappropriate opening and I did not come here for 30 minutes of advertising!

 

[randomizer]