Electronic Arts Responds to Copy Protection Outcry, Removes 10-day SecuROM Check for the Troops
In the face of increasing pressure, BioWare and publisher Electronic Arts today relented, updating the official Mass Effect PC FAQ to note that validation will now only be required when the player downloads new game content.
Q: If the game isn't going to require an authentication every 10 days, will it ever require re-authentication?Electronic Arts also released a statement mentioning that Spore's copy protection will be similarly changed to allow for offline play, only requiring validation on a patch or game content update.A: Only if the player chooses to download new game content.
The publisher further noted that the protection will still only allow users to authenticate each game on up to three computers. Approval of further authorizations will be handled by EA customer support on a case-by-case basis. Neither game will require players to have the disc in their computer in order to play or validate them.
BioWare community manager Jay Watamaniuk broke the news on the company's official forums.
"To all the fans including our many friends in the armed services and internationally who expressed concerns that they would not be able re-authenticate as often as required, EA and BioWare want you to know that your feedback is important to us," said Watamaniuk.
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boarder2
replyThis seems much more reasonable.
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Yeah, this seems fine to me.
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5 imbeciles agree with you! What you said was true but you are also implying that you are now satisfied... which is I think more than a little foolish.
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Online activation for video games is a bad idea because game publishers apparently don't have enough incentive to reliably maintain their servers. Look at Blizzard, Valve, and EA for proof of this. All of them have been happy to inflict serious downtime on their customers.
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And in almost every case, the final patch removes the protection (or a patch long before the final). The argument that the servers go away is valid for DRM that will never be removed (music, movies, and other content made by a third party with hardons for strict licensing), but not so for games when there is precedent for protection being removed via patching.
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Wow, way to make a stellar argument as to why you think it's foolish, I can't believe how friendly and smart you are! Obviously since I’m an “imbecile” I’m sure I’d never understand…
At any rate, I'm more than implying that I'm satisfied, I am saying that I’m satisfied. This is exactly what I asked for, it's all I requested of them, I didn't want an offline game, forced to be played online, they fixed that, now I AM completely SATISFIED, since all my requests have been granted; that’s how I generally think of "satisfied", when I get everything I wished for.
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