Always Online DRM

The bottom line of DRM, so eloquently put

DRM is an attempt to repeal the laws of nature

 

But the real question is -> Does it result in higher sales! Im sure they have some projections for sales on various platforms already, so for PC are they constantly coming up above their own projections with this DRM or is it making no difference at all?

 

Since most publishers don't make their own DRM, so they have to pay for it. By the fact that they are still using it, I'd say that they think it results in higher sales (otherwise they won't pay for it at all).

 

If you plan you make different projections for different DRM Systems. As different DRM Systems have different price points (always on is the most expensive) you take that one that gives you the most bang for the bucks. Sometime you might choose another to check if your way to project for a DRM System is correct or total off. This is preferable done with titles were you haven’t high expectations at all.

 

Isn't there also an emotional side of this as well? Its not just a pure business decision it also relates back to the passions of the people making those decisions and that would automatically favour DRM over no DRM somewhat if only to satisfy the desire for the games to not be 'stolen'.

 

This is actually very interesting as I see people saying "I would have bought it if it wasn't DRMed" all the time. Do you have a link to info on this? I'd love to see the numbers.

 

They can't point to that cell-shaded PoP with no DRM as proof that people still pirate non-DRMed games. Different games will have different sales numbers DRM nonwithstanding. Perhaps that PoP was crap, the PC port was crap, perhaps people had just bought a new CoD the week before, or perhaps the cover art offended them, who knows. What we do know that without a control sample there's no intelligent conclusions to be drawn from that example.

But even if one considers that game's piracy numbers as some sort of evidence let's see if Ubisoft followed through with their reasoning:

1. Hipothesis: Piracy numbers are too high so you decide to experiment with a no-DRM game.
2. Test Result: non-DRM game still has too high piracy numbers.
3. Conclusion: DRM has no significant influence on piracy.
4. Course of Action: drum roll... continue using DRM?

Here's a proper test: release Ass. Creed 2 with permanent internet connection for 40 bucks and a separate SKU with just single time internet activation for full price. See which edition sells more and that should tell you what your paying customers want.

 

Of course, such experiments would be pretty hard business-wise. However, if we have large enough numbers for both DRM-ed game sales and non-DRM-ed game sales, the differences between individual games should be smoothed out (i.e. suppose that you have sales and piracy numbers for 100 different games, half being DRM-ed and half being non-DRM-ed).

Unfortunately, although sales numbers should be accurate enough, game publishers rarely publish them unless it's a huge success (like "Game ABC sold 1 million copies in the first week!"). Piracy numbers are even more illusive as there's no proper way of counting piracy.

A better (business-wise) test would be to release several similarly budgeted games (with similar projected sales), some with DRM and some without. Then compare their collective sales. This way, you don't have to count piracy at all, because, after all, it's the sales you are after, not reducing piracy (reducing piracy is just one way to increase sales).

 

This is the main reason why DRM exists. Media corporations see consumers as faceless ATM machines to be squeezed for extra cash.

http://www.eff.org/issues/drm

http://www.defectivebydesign.org/what_is_drm

http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Digital_Rights_Management

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...ous-to-expect-drmed-music-to-work-forever.ars

etc.

 

OKay so Ubisoft servers are down and so I can't play the game (Assassins Creed 2) that I legally paid for and that I want to play right now.

Complete shower of sh1t! Totally out of order that they don't have backup servers if they are going to force me to be online to play their game. Frankly, its out of order forcing me to be online anyway. What if I want to play on a laptop while on the move? Or I move house and don't get the net back for a few weeks? Or I want to play on my other, none net connected PC?

I'm pretty annoyed by this and I can see why people use it as an excuse to pirate games which implement this kind of DRM.

 

How long before ubi shut down the servers completely, weve already seen it with E.A for games that are only a year old they try to put positive spin on it "we are moving resources to more popular games to make them even better" lets face it its a cost cutting measure, how long will ubi be willing to fund the server? we know that revenue from games mostly comes in the first few weeks after release

 

Yeah they do that and I'll be more than willing to pirate Assassins Creed 3. I'll consider it reparation for the game they stole off me.

 

While UbiSoft's DRM bullshit is inexcusable, I don't think pirating AC3 is the right answer...

 

Not for one outage. But if they were to shut down the server altogether meaning I can never play my legitimate copy of AS2, then I think pirating AS3 is completely justifyable. Especially since I haven't even played AS2 yet.

Realistically of course they aren't going to do that any time soon and I don't condone piracy under normal circumstaces.

 

Me, every once in a while I get so angry at a game company I decide to pirate their stuff regardless of whatever. I did this back early last year with Activision's X-Men Origins. Got the PC version(WHICH DOES NOT SUPPORT GAMEPADS FOR FUCK'S SAKES), as I haven't modded my X360 in any way. My original plan was to take screenshots of various scenes in the game, me torrenting the game, and post them on their forum as a gigantic fuck you to them.

I later calmed down and did not post or even take the screenshots, but after I beat the game, I realized I'd fucked up, and deleted it off of my HD. I still feel guilty over that.

I try not to do stuff like that, really, but I have a temper. It gets the best of me sometimes.

 

I bought mercenaries 2 world in flames tried to play multiplayer it didnt work. I did some research and i discovered e.a had shut down the server

People have bought a lifetime license, they should run the server indefinitely

 

Agreed, or better yet (for all involved) release a patch making online authentication no longer needed once the server is shut down.