Ubi PC Titles To Require Online Authentication

[calius]

if you'd messed up the save yourself you'd kick yourself but if someone else is taking responsibility for the data

Its simple dont "let" them (don't purchase).

Not the only data either. When we got GR1 in 2001 and someone said "in 10 years time game corporations will withhold your save data via the internet" how would you have reacted?

I will NEVER purchase any poxy game with this "feature" .. and if that ends gaming for me so be it, they are not worth that much hoop jumping, I have enough of that with recycling rubbish (symbolic pun intended).

I think that little Johny + Mummy and Daddy are getting mugged off big time, about time they saw it and boycotted the whole thing.

A crap and O.T.T analogy but if you bought a car and then had to ring the dealer for them to start the ignition or open the doors because of car crime what would you think?

[=warcloud=]

Well, at least ubisoft allow you to install their newer games as many times as you like without the need to request activations, from what i read anyway. I'm having a battle with EA uk at the moment over Crysis Warhead activation, this game only had three activations from new. I had to reformat my hard drive because i had a serious problem with ati's infinite driver loop which will not let you get to the desktop to sign in an de-authorize. Unfortunatley i forgot to de-authorize a second and third time because of testing new windows vista and seven and so therfore windows re-installs. So i contacted them some weeks ago and never got anywhere with them, no progress was made. I recentley re-installed warhead (a legal purchased copy by the way) and have asked for one more activation. They sent me an email asking for certain information as well as the key code on the back of the game manual, so i did. I received another reply from EA Support, and now they want me to send them a scanned copy of the back of Crysis Warhead game manual . An always on connection does not really bother me but this kind of treatment from EA really irks me big time, EA avit. I don't have a scanner at home, and why should i have to even take a photograph of the back of the game manual as proof. Crysis on the other hand does not suffer this kind of nonesense, i can install crysis as many times as i want without the headaches of activation requests, sheesh, EA avit . I'm all headbuts tonight .

[NoQuarter]

The one thing that those who find this (OSP) exceptable -or at least the lesser of the mryiad of evils the publisher can and will pimp out- is the precedent that constant connection verification sets. The more people fall in line with this the more likely the day will come that Ubi rolls out OSP II...which will require a monthly fee for the previlege of downloading additional content, perks, unlocks, etc., not to mention accessing their servers in order to play the game in the first place.

[WhiteKnight77]

This blog post by Stephen Burch is interesting. The Law Developer, Where Software Meets Law, Ubi DRM delves into the possible legal implications of Ubi's new DRM and possible customer recourse or lack thereof.

[TRC]

WK, very nice read, author did a good job of looking at issue from both angles. See he mirrors the sentiments of many here--don't buy and developers will have to change and online drm only hurts legitmate consumers.

[firefly2442]

http://games.slashdot.org/story/10/04/18/1452221/Ubisoft-DRM-Problems-Remain-Unsolved?art_pos=1

Another post on Slashdot. Same news mostly.

[WhiteKnight77]

One 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.

[thales100]

Well AC2 was cracked, there is a "scene" release fully working now, it took almost 45 days but they did it, maybe UBI can improve the DRM, otherwise the future titles using this DRM will be probably cracked much faster since the crackers know how to make it.

[kleaneasy]

Well AC2 was cracked, there is a "scene" release fully working now, it took almost 45 days but they did it, maybe UBI can improve the DRM, otherwise the future titles using this DRM will be probably cracked much faster since the crackers know how to make it.

As I understand it the code is totally different for each game so cracking won't improve chances of improving another

[thales100]

Well AC2 was cracked, there is a "scene" release fully working now, it took almost 45 days but they did it, maybe UBI can improve the DRM, otherwise the future titles using this DRM will be probably cracked much faster since the crackers know how to make it.

As I understand it the code is totally different for each game so cracking won't improve chances of improving another

Mmm, so it was like i said, it has taken 45 days till AC2 got cracked, and Splinter Cell :Conviction what ? 1 or 2 days, and by the same "group".

The DRM has failed miserably, and i say unfortunately, btw make no mistake, i support UBI and all game producers / publishers, all my games are original.

[Malleus]

Ubi DRM double fail? I just spotted what appears to be a multiplayer crack for SCC. Yes, one that allows you to play on ubi's service and use Uplay (whatever that is). People say it works. I mean this is ... wow. Ubi will likely do something about it, so it probably won't last long, but still... serious fail.

[Rocky]

Ubi have a massive investment in Uplay, if people can use Upoints from cracked games, ouch.

[Tinker]

Now back to shutting down sites that hosts links to simple, easy, free stuff??

[Malleus]

Hardly reliable source, though entirely plausible scenario:

What the next step will be in the DRM, the ramp-up, is gameplay code that is run from the server. So in order to crack that one the pirates will have to fully emulate the server side code. Not the whole of the gameplay code mind you, just a small, but necessary and essential, portion. This should be in effect for the coming summer releases.

http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1630600&cid=31975686

[thales100]

I hope UBI really improves the DRM, cause the way its now = nothing.

[Janekx]

I say you what is for that all DRM ....

I buy Splinter Cell Conviction at friday, and find out that there is [Thing that should not be spoken of here IAW Forum Rule 3.7] key to successfully run game. In my country there was first release distributed to 30 April without CDkey in box and in count of houndred mabey thousand boxes this way affected. So now I must my game send back, and they change for new. So I and many others as paying customers that had priority to play game before others that wait for crack will wait about week to get game back. That is not first time.

For me now is crack the only solution now.

All is badly started, high prices that make space to crack games.

I know how to DL game, apply crack and play, but I buy game to thanks developers for good work and have original to collection.

[petsfed]

Now back to shutting down sites that hosts links to simple, easy, free stuff??

Again, how do you make a court order from the US (or France, or anywhere else that UBI has offices in) stick in Nigeria, or Russia? If the problem was isolated to simply the states, it would be easy. But the hackers aren't American.

[Deadpreacher]

I been planning on buying a new Laptop for work on 3rd shift to mess around with games like the new R.U.S.E. and maybe the new GR coming out. I got some posts here at GR.net asking about the laptops for advise so you can see I'm telling the truth here about getting a new laptop. How ever internet ain't something we got where am at at work. If UBI stays with this route where i have to be on the internet, not only do i have to rethink if getting a new laptop is worth it, but i also have to rethink if getting anything from UBI on PC is worth getting. More and more as much as i love PC gaming, consoles are just so much easier and can go anywhere, heck i can even take a console into my vehicle and play on the road now adays. I bring my consoles into work alot and it may just stay this way if the laptop wont work there in a gaming form offline!

After this blow if they don't work on a way to play offline. I may just throw away the towel on PC gaming for good and stick with PCs as only internet surfing and music DLs at home! And Consoles as my only gaming platform since they can play just about anywhere internet or not.

[firefly2442]

I bet this DRM technology makes it into the next round of consoles too.

[Sgt. Atoa]

I bet this DRM technology makes it into the next round of consoles too.

I don't think so

PS3 = Blueray not craked yet

xbox= craked but MS take cares of business =hammer ban

I'm not saying is going to happen but I don't think is going to happen this or next gen

I'm so sad that PC is so cripple nowdays and actually is not worth the trouble

[kleaneasy]

I bet this DRM technology makes it into the next round of consoles too.

I don't think so

PS3 = Blueray not craked yet

xbox= craked but MS take cares of business =hammer ban

I'm not saying is going to happen but I don't think is going to happen this or next gen

I'm so sad that PC is so cripple nowdays and actually is not worth the trouble

The level of piracy on console is much lower also

[101459]

As a paying Customer that has paid full-boat for every Clancy title at release (some purchased for more then one platform) what galls me is the general decline in Clancy 'franchise' game quality since Rogue Spear. Just recall how many features, game modes, maps, missions, the squad control and planning capability that was part and parel of the 'franchise' -- not to mention mod tools, dedicated servers, and patches that were at least an honest attempt to fix issues; and scabby/poxy DRM has only made the decline worse where people stealing the games actually have a better 'product experience'...

Sure the new games have new pretty render candy, fantastic art assets, and questionably clever marketing motifs; but they're being rolled with ever more ridiculous derivative feature(s) re-badged as 'fantastic new ip' that offer exciting 'new features & benefits' -- which is all a pedantic steaming load of marketing fluff, as when you get a good look it's not hard to see how these dumbed down game's play-share tanks so fast in comparison to titles like Rogue Spear, Ghost Recon, and rough around the edges BI games that still sustain Fan interest and even sales. If this ugly new DRM rolls on the new Clancy game(s) as described it is going to be the last straw for a lot of fed-up Fans; one for sure anyway...

[=warcloud=]

people stealing the games actually have a better 'product experience'.

I doubt that very much, they, the criminals, might think they have by their ill gotten games, but actualy they don't. What they and the like do have though, is a rather pathetic profile, they are just low life scum bags, idiots with stupid attitudes, but they might eventualy grow up and become better people with better minds?.

[petsfed]

people stealing the games actually have a better 'product experience'.

I doubt that very much, they, the criminals, might think they have by their ill gotten games, but actualy they don't. What they and the like do have though, is a rather pathetic profile, they are just low life scum bags, idiots with stupid attitudes, but they might eventualy grow up and become better people with better minds?.

But if they have access to all of the features of the product and don't have to jump through any hoops outside of procuring the product and the crack, I'd say that that's a better product experience. Not a better life, but if we're just comparing their time playing a game vs. a paying customer's time with the same game, clearly a better product experience.

[CR6]

As a paying Customer that has paid full-boat for every Clancy title at release (some purchased for more then one platform) what galls me is the general decline in Clancy 'franchise' game quality since Rogue Spear.

[...]

If this ugly new DRM rolls on the new Clancy game(s) as described it is going to be the last straw for a lot of fed-up Fans; one for sure anyway...

I and many others on this forum can relate. I found a simple solution ... I am no longer buying any Ubi games (on any platform) until they get rid of DRM that requires you to be online for single player.