How would you implement DRM?

[Void(null)]

A modern day version of the code wheel.

I would sell a dongle [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dongle] with every copy of the game. Your USB Dongle would store your CD Key along with encrypted data. They are becoming cheaper to produce and more secure with greater functionality with every passing year.

You could install the game on as many computers as you wished, but you would be locked to only playing one at a time because of the dongle.

This sort of copy protection is already used by big business for software that costs in the $5000 and up price range. If it works for them, it can certainly work for PC games.

If you put it on a flash drive, you could also use the dongle to replace the DVD for installing the game. No more scratched or damaged disks and people could carry their entire game library in their pocket.

Dongle Requirements:

1: Plug and play driverless system
2: Smart card Technology
3: Data Encryption required to play
4: Act as a replacement for both the Installation DVD, The DVD Check and the DRM.

Thus you are providing security, functionality and convenience all in one.

I would also cut the cost of games in half.

People are far more willing to pay $20-$30 for a brand new game, than they are $50-$80.

It doesn't work for them though, it's entirely possible to just write an emulator that simulates the actions of the dongle. Yes, it takes a bit more time to crack but it can still be done. DRM will never be 100% hack proof simply because of the nature of the hardware we use today. It doesn't matter how much you encrypt your data, at some point the decrypted data will have to be processed by the CPU and you cannot stop people getting access to it without a fundamental redesign of hardware (See trusted computing).

yes but that specific DRM doesn't fuck over paying customers in any way.

That was pretty much the idea. It would take time to emulate a crack, giving software publishers those critical first months sales. DRM is not supposed to kill piracy dead in its tracks, its supposed to slow it down to give big business time to enjoy the most crucial and lucrative part of a games launch.

If DRM can give a Developer/Publisher 2-3 months of uninterrupted sales, then it has done its job gloriously. The problem with current DRM is that its broken on day 1 and publishers are pushing for tighter and more restrictive control over the product in a vain effort to protect that.

That's honestly the means I would use to try and implement DRM, but I have to say that as a consumer I am very partial to the way EA is going about things these days. Day one DLC for buying the game and some form of online component that requires a CD key.

But the question asked wasn't what DRM do i like, but what would I use if the shoe was on the other foot, my answer is still dongles.

 

[Kagim]

Force register your games. You need to register your game for it to work at all. If someone registers your cd key basically make a system where if you send in your manual with the cd key on it the person who used a key gen is sued and the rightful purchaser gets the game for free.

In other words.

Tommy steals the game and key gens to register it.
Billy buys the game and finds he can't register his game.
Billy sends in his Manual and proof of purchase to company X.
Tommy gets fined X amount of dollars.
Billy gets sent a cheque for a full refund of the game, his manual back and his game already registered.
Billies account is now marked as confirmed. The next time someone tries to use his CD key upon registering they will be fined and Billy will receive another cheque from the company.

After a game is registered you need only to state your account next install. yes an internet connection is required, but only on install. As well if you lose all your disks you get free Downloads of the game infinitely from your account.

There will still be pirates, but loyal fans will not only get rewarded for there loyalty, but given money off the backs of pirates.

 

[Plurralbles]

Force register your games. You need to register your game for it to work at all. If someone registers your cd key basically make a system where if you send in your manual with the cd key on it the person who used a key gen is sued and the rightful purchaser gets the game for free.

In other words.

Tommy steals the game and key gens to register it.
Billy buys the game and finds he can't register his game.
Billy sends in his Manual and proof of purchase to company X.
Tommy gets fined X amount of dollars.
Billy gets sent a cheque for a full refund of the game, his manual back and his game already registered.
Billies account is now marked as confirmed. The next time someone tries to use his CD key upon registering they will be fined and Billy will receive another cheque from the company.

After a game is registered you need only to state your account next install. yes an internet connection is required, but only on install. As well if you lose all your disks you get free Downloads of the game infinitely from your account.
There will still be pirates, but loyal fans will not only get rewarded for there loyalty, but given money off the backs of pirates.

What happens when you are registering the game but accidentally put in the wrong digit and it happens to be the key of someone else?


Yah... that hassle is a hell of a lot of fun.

Even for that 1 person, it's an unnecessary idea.

 

[Flames66]

CD keys. Make it easy to use the game legally and don't bother with anything else. Have an optional function to register online and reward players in game for doing so.

Have a service such as Steam to allow downloading games bought online or to play retail games without the CD, but if the person has the disk then they don't need to use steam.

 

[Ninjamedic]

Right, go to the ISPs & tell them, "Tell us who's pirating!", they give me their address, & I go in & fuck their shit up.

You have my support.

 

[Ninjamedic]

CD keys. Make it easy to use the game legally and don't bother with anything else. Have an optional function to register online and reward players in game for doing so.

Have a service such as Steam to allow downloading games bought online or to play retail games without the CD, but if the person has the disk then they don't need to use steam.

That is perfect also.

 

[Hashime]

The way steam does it. It gives you drm and adds conveinence to the customer

 

[ma55ter_fett]

I would employ a could of computer geeks to track down about a dozen or so hackers that had cracked my modest DRM, then I would have them brutally murdered and there bodies left on display where many people would see them before the police could remove them. There would of course be no way to connect me to the crimes.

Then I would casually let it be known that I aproved of this sort treatment for hacks and end it all with an eveil laugh.

Pretty much scare the shit out of people who might hack the DRM.

 

[Plurralbles]

CD keys. Make it easy to use the game legally and don't bother with anything else. Have an optional function to register online and reward players in game for doing so.

Have a service such as Steam to allow downloading games bought online or to play retail games without the CD, but if the person has the disk then they don't need to use steam.

Yeah, I have never pirated a game but now I'm downloading CD cracks because of the convenience of doing such a thing.

It makes no sense to use a CD when we have to wait an hour for the damn thing to be installed. I'ts on the harddrive, the CD should be your backup.

I love Sins of a Solar Empire for not having me jump through a small hoop to get the convenience everyone should enjoy on every game.

 

[rembrandtqeinstein]

DRM doesn't and never will work. The people writing it are doing it for a paycheck, the people cracking it are doing it for fun. Fun always beats money because joy is without limit and money is always finite.

1. The Stardock route is the best, ignore pirates and concentrate on making a good experience for your paying customers.

2. If you absolutely must use some kind of DRM then the chains of Steam rest the most lightly on the customers.

3. T-Shirts. Sell your game with a T-shirt. If the game is good then the fans will represent, if it sucks then the hipsters will wear it ironically. Any in any case it is free advertising for your studio/publisher.

4. High quality cloth maps, coins, figurines, posters, etc. Little things that aren't digital and can't be easily duplicated and help immerse the player in the game world.

5. Fanclub, website, whatever points. Give the player something for registering with your site. Bioware gives its forum members badges for each game they register. Maybe include a coupon for $2 off your next game, or even a voucher that if you collect 5 you get one game free or something like that. Add value to the new purchase.

 

[Kagim]

Force register your games. You need to register your game for it to work at all. If someone registers your cd key basically make a system where if you send in your manual with the cd key on it the person who used a key gen is sued and the rightful purchaser gets the game for free.

In other words.

Tommy steals the game and key gens to register it.
Billy buys the game and finds he can't register his game.
Billy sends in his Manual and proof of purchase to company X.
Tommy gets fined X amount of dollars.
Billy gets sent a cheque for a full refund of the game, his manual back and his game already registered.
Billies account is now marked as confirmed. The next time someone tries to use his CD key upon registering they will be fined and Billy will receive another cheque from the company.

After a game is registered you need only to state your account next install. yes an internet connection is required, but only on install. As well if you lose all your disks you get free Downloads of the game infinitely from your account.
There will still be pirates, but loyal fans will not only get rewarded for there loyalty, but given money off the backs of pirates.

What happens when you are registering the game but accidentally put in the wrong digit and it happens to be the key of someone else?


Yah... that hassle is a hell of a lot of fun.

Even for that 1 person, it's an unnecessary idea.

Right... I didn't say that if its an incorrect cd key you do not get a chance to correct it.

Unless you suffer from dyslexia what are the odds your going to screw up your cd key ten times in a row.

 

[Plurralbles]

Force register your games. You need to register your game for it to work at all. If someone registers your cd key basically make a system where if you send in your manual with the cd key on it the person who used a key gen is sued and the rightful purchaser gets the game for free.

In other words.

Tommy steals the game and key gens to register it.
Billy buys the game and finds he can't register his game.
Billy sends in his Manual and proof of purchase to company X.
Tommy gets fined X amount of dollars.
Billy gets sent a cheque for a full refund of the game, his manual back and his game already registered.
Billies account is now marked as confirmed. The next time someone tries to use his CD key upon registering they will be fined and Billy will receive another cheque from the company.

After a game is registered you need only to state your account next install. yes an internet connection is required, but only on install. As well if you lose all your disks you get free Downloads of the game infinitely from your account.
There will still be pirates, but loyal fans will not only get rewarded for there loyalty, but given money off the backs of pirates.

What happens when you are registering the game but accidentally put in the wrong digit and it happens to be the key of someone else?


Yah... that hassle is a hell of a lot of fun.

Even for that 1 person, it's an unnecessary idea.

Right... I didn't say that if its an incorrect cd key you do not get a chance to correct it.

Unless you suffer from dyslexia what are the odds your going to screw up your cd key ten times in a row.

it's sometimes really diffcult to read the key.
BIoshock had a pain in the ass cd key.

 

[Dublin Solo]

I wouldn't implement DRM at all. Then again, I would stop developing PC version altogether. Problem (almost) solved!

 

[AVeryDrunkPanda]

Hmm.. Probably something like steam, where there are other features (like SDKs, dedicated server programs, store, massive community service) integrated. People are most likely turned off by SecuROM because of the massive computer breaking scare it created back when Spore was released.. and Ubisoft's DRM is more likely to turn people off from buying it.. and simultaneously frustrate buyers with shaky internet connections (like myself) then it is to prevent piracy.

Since from my experience, steam works when it is offline, even during random disconnections, I'm inclined to say that if Ubisoft did what EA did and abandon the DRM when they put it up on steam.. they'd probably see a lot less backlash, more sales, and less piracy.

 

[Booze Zombie]

I would implement DRM in a similar format to Arkham Asylum.

"Hey, why does my character suddenly stop, shout 'I'm so guilty, waaaaa' and shoot himself in the head?"

"It's our DRM, all pirates have a main character who commits suicide because he feels so filthy for helping you have fun.
Also, you can't remove it because it's hardcoded into the save system and if the save system is replaced the game just stops working."

The save lock thing is my own little possibly-too-complex idea, but you know what I mean.

 

[Plurralbles]

I wouldn't implement DRM at all. Then again, I would stop developing PC version altogether. Problem (almost) solved!

I am terrified by the fact that deves are thinking that more and more as the solution.


Douche bags. I would dedicate my life to hacking consoles and their games from that moment forth.


Oh and develop my own games and sell them with the model I summarized about a halfpage ago.

 

[Kagim]

Force register your games. You need to register your game for it to work at all. If someone registers your cd key basically make a system where if you send in your manual with the cd key on it the person who used a key gen is sued and the rightful purchaser gets the game for free.

In other words.

Tommy steals the game and key gens to register it.
Billy buys the game and finds he can't register his game.
Billy sends in his Manual and proof of purchase to company X.
Tommy gets fined X amount of dollars.
Billy gets sent a cheque for a full refund of the game, his manual back and his game already registered.
Billies account is now marked as confirmed. The next time someone tries to use his CD key upon registering they will be fined and Billy will receive another cheque from the company.

After a game is registered you need only to state your account next install. yes an internet connection is required, but only on install. As well if you lose all your disks you get free Downloads of the game infinitely from your account.
There will still be pirates, but loyal fans will not only get rewarded for there loyalty, but given money off the backs of pirates.

What happens when you are registering the game but accidentally put in the wrong digit and it happens to be the key of someone else?


Yah... that hassle is a hell of a lot of fun.

Even for that 1 person, it's an unnecessary idea.

Right... I didn't say that if its an incorrect cd key you do not get a chance to correct it.

Unless you suffer from dyslexia what are the odds your going to screw up your cd key ten times in a row.

it's sometimes really diffcult to read the key.
BIoshock had a pain in the ass cd key.

I never had any issue with it.

I wouldn't implement DRM at all. Then again, I would stop developing PC version altogether. Problem (almost) solved!

As of late I am agreeing with you. Consoles don't suffer from these issues and generally are less buggy then the PC version. I loved reading about bugs for the PC version of bioshock 2 since i didn't have a single one. Piracy has been hammering the nails in the coffin of PC gaming for awhile. DRM is really just finishing the job. Why bother developing for a medium that can be buggy due to not knowing everyone's software/hardware and is ripe for piracy when you can just stick it on a console and have it run the way you want because you know the specs of every PS3 and 360.

 

[Markgraf]

I'd use a variation of Steamworks, where you can, if need be, activate a game by phone if internet is not available at the time and sell your games to other people, with the publisher obtaining a 10% commission from said sale.

 

[Hawgh]

Give up on software solutions and hire a squad of bounty hunters, to flush the pirates from their nests.

 

[MasTerHacK]

We don't need DRM. In fact what we should actually get rid of is capitalism not pirates.That's our real problem. Share the wealth. The world is for everyone to enjoy. We need socialism.