In Another Castle: The Only DRM That Works

[SavingPrincess]

-Snip-

The missing variable is the percentage of people that would buy instead of pirate if piracy was too troublesome to bother with. If you have a game like a Mass Effect 2, even all its downloadable content has been cracked and is easy to do. If a system like this were implemented on that game with NO standard retail version available TO crack, I wager that a LOT of people who pirated would have purchased instead. That of course isn't the same across the board, so maybe the system could be selective to releases like a Modern Warfare 2 where that type of version and maybe an effectively DRM'd Steam version were the only available.

I can guarantee you this, if a system like this were in place, we'd have Madden on the PC again. This kind of system, if implemented on a high profile game would definitely fall under the "publisher eating the cost" scenario and would provide a much larger (though diminishing) return. Plus if that "swag" aspect were integrated into the idea, like the dongle WAS a cool little keychain or WAS the plastic trinket, wouldn't that work in your mind as well?

 

[UnusualStranger]

I understand where companies (and you) are sometimes coming from. They want to stop "casual" pirates, who do a simple google search, and find a full version of the game for free. However, I'm thinking they are going the wrong way about it.

Saying you have DRM is like saying in a bar if anyone starts anything, you got a gun. While it may ward off some lower people, it will attract smarter, and bigger, individuals who will take your gun, or bring in their own. You may avoid smaller problems, but you also bring in bigger ones.

My thoughts on security? Perhaps if everyone was a little more truthful, things could turn out better. Companies claim they lose so much to piracy, yet continue to bring in impressive profits, which is what it comes down to. People don't like paying $60+ for a game that either hasn't changed, or gotten worse (looking at you Modern Shooter), so they try to steal it. Both sides need to come to an understanding.

Companies need to realize that there will always be pirates. They also need to realize that over hyping and releasing a generic (or bad) game for $60+ can lead to more of an illegal element, as some people lose faith in companies when they start releasing generic or bad games.

Consumers are not blameless, however. If you liked that game you just pirated, you should damn well buy it new so you show your appreciation to the company. Also, you need to control your damn selves. While the company can overhype a game, it is your job to judge it before buying. If you don't buy the game, you are sending a message that the game wasn't worth your money.

Or, Companies can continue to complain and put far worse protection than Ubisoft (Though its hard to imagine), and more people will turn to "casual" Pirating so they don't spend $60+ on a game they find they don't like.

Either way is fine with me. I'm content with what I got.

 

[Plurralbles]

Given the time I started gaming I feel that is one of my rights as owner of the game, basically I own that information/intellectual property for my personal use. I have the right to do what I need to in order to maintain that access.

Well that's just it, with the dongle method, you could make as many backups as you want and install as many places as you want, but unlike the Faxanadu cart, you'd just plug in your profile/savegame (think PlayStation memory card) in order to play the game on any PC it's installed on. You could have thousands of copies of the install media, but your "right to own" is represented by "owning" the USB dongle.

And the dongle breaks or gets corrupted and...

Oh, FUN TIMES. Buy a new one to gain access to information you already paid for. AWESOME! Watch as billions of fans become ENDEARED to you.

The guy you quoted has what i was thinking earlier.

 

[squid5580]

-Snip-

The missing variable is the percentage of people that would buy instead of pirate if piracy was too troublesome to bother with. If you have a game like a Mass Effect 2, even all its downloadable content has been cracked and is easy to do. If a system like this were implemented on that game with NO standard retail version available TO crack, I wager that a LOT of people who pirated would have purchased instead. That of course isn't the same across the board, so maybe the system could be selective to releases like a Modern Warfare 2 where that type of version and maybe an effectively DRM'd Steam version were the only available.

I can guarantee you this, if a system like this were in place, we'd have Madden on the PC again. This kind of system, if implemented on a high profile game would definitely fall under the "publisher eating the cost" scenario and would provide a much larger (though diminishing) return. Plus if that "swag" aspect were integrated into the idea, like the dongle WAS a cool little keychain or WAS the plastic trinket, wouldn't that work in your mind as well?

See you are talking would or wouldn't. I am talking can or can't. Can the vast majority of pirates casual or otherwise afford to buy the game? And will they drop the 60 bucks to do it? I know when I walk into GS or EB I look at the title then I look at the pricetag. Then I ask myself is it worth paying full price for or should I wait? I have been waiting for Legendary to drop to 20 bucks. To me that is all the game is worth (ya I know it prolly ain't worth that). A reformed pirate will most likely have the same mindset.

Now about Madden. I think your logic is a bit flawed as to why it doesn't show up on the PC. If EA had said screw you PC gamers we are sick of you stealing our stuff so we no longer will make PC games! then yes you would have a valid point. The fact that BF 2 is on the PC is proof that piracy wasn't the only issue as to why Madden isn't on the PC. iwould hazard a guess and say the low sales also had something to do with it (since the Madden sales have been in decline for a couple years now across all platforms) which I think has less to do with piracy and more to do with people buying the same game year after year. And getting sick of it.

I also think that the big companies don't need to be protected as much as the little guys. They are the ones hurt by piracy the most (other than PC gamers themselves). Ubi, EA and Activision can afford to lose copies to pirates potential sales or not. It is the smaller companies that are going to feel the pain of piracy more than them. And they won't be able to eat the cost of developing a dongle. Which is essentially going to pave the way for the 3 biggies to take over and rule us all.

 

[SavingPrincess]

And the dongle breaks or gets corrupted and...

Oh, FUN TIMES. Buy a new one to gain access to information you already paid for. AWESOME! Watch as billions of fans become ENDEARED to you.

The guy you quoted has what i was thinking earlier.

Have you ever had a game cartridge break or get corrupted before? Yeah it happens, then you buy a new one or call the company to send you a warranty replacement if you have the patience. This isn't exactly a foreign concept, I just think years of setting up the business model in a way that is no longer working as effectively has spoiled people.

 

[SavingPrincess]

See you are talking would or wouldn't. I am talking can or can't. Can the vast majority of pirates casual or otherwise afford to buy the game? And will they drop the 60 bucks to do it? I know when I walk into GS or EB I look at the title then I look at the pricetag. Then I ask myself is it worth paying full price for or should I wait? I have been waiting for Legendary to drop to 20 bucks. To me that is all the game is worth (ya I know it prolly ain't worth that). A reformed pirate will most likely have the same mindset.

... and if DRM were effective and unobtrusive, then we'd go back to the days when you couldn't afford to buy the NES game, you didn't get to play the NES game. Is that so bad?

Now about Madden. I think your logic is a bit flawed as to why it doesn't show up on the PC. If EA had said screw you PC gamers we are sick of you stealing our stuff so we no longer will make PC games! then yes you would have a valid point.

Okay:

"If [a] consumer wants to buy sports games and they don't want to play on their televisions-I recognize that. We need to find different and innovate ways to be able to do that... and I need to protect my intellectual property. Piracy's a big issue on the PC. I can't turn a blind eye to the fact that it's very difficult for us... and we lose money making a game. At some point, I have an obligation not to bring out products that lose money."

So you're saying I have a point?

I also think that the big companies don't need to be protected as much as the little guys. They are the ones hurt by piracy the most (other than PC gamers themselves). Ubi, EA and Activision can afford to lose copies to pirates potential sales or not. It is the smaller companies that are going to feel the pain of piracy more than them. And they won't be able to eat the cost of developing a dongle. Which is essentially going to pave the way for the 3 biggies to take over and rule us all.

How would the system I describe not help smaller companies?

 

[Therumancer]

Given the time I started gaming I feel that is one of my rights as owner of the game, basically I own that information/intellectual property for my personal use. I have the right to do what I need to in order to maintain that access.

Well that's just it, with the dongle method, you could make as many backups as you want and install as many places as you want, but unlike the Faxanadu cart, you'd just plug in your profile/savegame (think PlayStation memory card) in order to play the game on any PC it's installed on. You could have thousands of copies of the install media, but your "right to own" is represented by "owning" the USB dongle.

The copies of the media would be worthless because I'd still need the dongle to run them and I can't copy that for a backup copy. That is the same thing as not being able to backup the software. What's more it basically means that for all intents and purposes I need to keep track of *Two* items for the program instead of just the discs.

Basically I hold to the idea that there is no point to copy protection at all. Piracy might not be right, but the industry has always thrived despite it. All these schemes do is mess with those who buy the programs legitimatly. The fundemental assumption behind the protection: that it will result in more legitimate sales, is flawed.

Truthfully it would be nice if they just knocked it off. One of the big arguements against piracy, and one of the things that prevents it from being even bigger, is that it's dangerous. Pirates can (and do) fry people's computers for fun. With all of this intrusive copy protection and multi-site registration processes, and bloody "always online" check in processes and such it's becoming just as annoying as viruses and malware. I find it ironic on a lot of levels that the industry wants to squander some of it's biggest advantages in safety and conveinene over pirated alternatives, in search of what amounts to a quick buck. When your already looking at multi-million dollar paydays, and a multi-billion dollar industry, it's hard to feel much sympathy. It's not like they can justify this by saying the industry is on the verge of collapse, or these guys can't feed their families because their being robbed.

In the end I'd like it if both pirates and the game industry would knock it off, but that isn't going to happen.

 

[Nurb]

I've beenn in studios during internships that needed the USB dongle for their software, it was such an annoyance they had the IT guy crack their own legitimately bought apps so they could use it without looking for the damn key lol, so I don't see it being THAT much of a help considering there's aready cracks for things that use them already.

 

[SavingPrincess]

The copies of the media would be worthless because I'd still need the dongle to run them and I can't copy that for a backup copy. That is the same thing as not being able to backup the software. What's more it basically means that for all intents and purposes I need to keep track of *Two* items for the program instead of just the discs.

Which would make it just like a console game. Could you back up your NES carts? I couldn't.

Basically I hold to the idea that there is no point to copy protection at all. Piracy might not be right, but the industry has always thrived despite it.

This logic is kind of flawed, because it does not take into account the rise of things like peer-to-peer/torrent based file sharing, sites like Megaupload and such. The industry has "always thrived" but that does not mean it will continue to do so as means for pirating becomes so accessible it's ridiculous. I know people that don't know how to install their own video card or the POP/IMAP/SMTP settings for their e-mail address that can easily pirate games. THAT'S a problem; THAT'S what's different and hurting the industry. That's what's causing "online verification" DRM's etc.

I'm trying to come up with a "cooler" more "consumer-oriented" approach. Let's not call it a "USB DRM Dongle" and look at it as a "Game Cartridge" that requires a "one time install" JUST like Xbox and PS3 games. If you "lose" or "damage" your copy of Fable II or Metal Gear Solid IV, what do you do? Like I said, PC users have been spoiled by an antiquated business model that does not balance out favor of consumer and creator.

 

[Wolfram23]

Pretty interesting. I think it's a fairly good idea, but I don't know what's so wrong about CD (or DVD/BluRay) keys. I think they've been implemented poorly in the past, as they weren't actually that unique. Having casually pirated several games many years ago, I know that a lot of them come with a list of 5-10 keys to try. Well clearly they aren't that unique. If a key was paired to a specific CD, or better yet simply that by inputting your unique key there's a check with servers as to it's veracity, then you get only as many people playing as CDs printed. The key would become 'used' and no longer work. You wouldn't even need install CDs anymore, really, because the company could sell unique keys online - you buy one, it gets registered, then you can play. Even if you illegally download the game, you still would need to do the server check to run it and that means you would need to buy a key. I know it's sort of how current DRM works, but having to download some unique game-launching software for different games sucks. Steam, Impulse, and how many others need not exist.

 

[SavingPrincess]

I've beenn in studios during internships that needed the USB dongle for their software, it was such an annoyance they had the IT guy crack their own legitimately bought apps so they could use it without looking for the damn key lol, so I don't see it being THAT much of a help considering there's aready cracks for things that use them already.

This is such a different mentailty than game playing though. If you're multi-tasking I can definitely see the idea being a pain, but we're talking about the PC as a gaming platform. You can't multi-task BioShock while you work on a project in Photoshop. You're not moving information from one program to another, you're dedicating the platform to a single operation much like you do your televsion when you play your Wii game.

 

[squid5580]

See you are talking would or wouldn't. I am talking can or can't. Can the vast majority of pirates casual or otherwise afford to buy the game? And will they drop the 60 bucks to do it? I know when I walk into GS or EB I look at the title then I look at the pricetag. Then I ask myself is it worth paying full price for or should I wait? I have been waiting for Legendary to drop to 20 bucks. To me that is all the game is worth (ya I know it prolly ain't worth that). A reformed pirate will most likely have the same mindset.

... and if DRM were effective and unobtrusive, then we'd go back to the days when you couldn't afford to buy the NES game, you didn't get to play the NES game. Is that so bad?

Now about Madden. I think your logic is a bit flawed as to why it doesn't show up on the PC. If EA had said screw you PC gamers we are sick of you stealing our stuff so we no longer will make PC games! then yes you would have a valid point.

Okay:

"If [a] consumer wants to buy sports games and they don't want to play on their televisions-I recognize that. We need to find different and innovate ways to be able to do that... and I need to protect my intellectual property. Piracy's a big issue on the PC. I can't turn a blind eye to the fact that it's very difficult for us... and we lose money making a game. At some point, I have an obligation not to bring out products that lose money."

So you're saying I have a point?

I also think that the big companies don't need to be protected as much as the little guys. They are the ones hurt by piracy the most (other than PC gamers themselves). Ubi, EA and Activision can afford to lose copies to pirates potential sales or not. It is the smaller companies that are going to feel the pain of piracy more than them. And they won't be able to eat the cost of developing a dongle. Which is essentially going to pave the way for the 3 biggies to take over and rule us all.

How would the system I describe not help smaller companies?

You see Moore's statement is where it gets muddy. Yes I do agree with the fact that they need to protect thier property. That piracy is a huge issue on the PC. I do not agree with the "oh we didn't sell as many copies as we hoped so lets blame pirates." That is an easy cop out and not the entire picture. Sure piracy may have had something to do with it but not all. When was your title released? Was it good? Was thier any other titles that were more appealing to consumers released at the same time? Blaming piracy for all your woes is an easy cop out for making a mediocore game. And with a it's them not me mentality the industry is screwed.

Your first line has nothing to do with the arguement at hand. I would love to see an unobtrusive DRM that stopped all piracy. The fact that you expect them to fork out $$$$ to create one that has no guarantee of boosting actual sales and then they eat the cost is not logical. Since there is no guarantee that the pirates will actually buy the game. It only works if everyone who pirates games can afford to buy the game in the first place. Since I am sure we can agree that it would be an impossibility. Although it would take away thier piracy excuse for bad sales and force them to look inside instead of out.

As for the small companies being effected they would have to pass the cost onto us. Lets say the manufacturing cost of the dongle is a buck. They want to make a million copies of the game. That is another million bucks on top of the cost to make the acual game. A million bucks they have to make above and beyond what they would have made with piracy running rampant to cover the cost otherwise they just flushed it down the drain. And where an EA/Ubi/Acti can eat those costs that could kill a smaller company quite easily.

I am all for stopping piracy. I just think there has to be a way that won't hurt the devs or the paying customer. And forcing them to pay more for development is hurting them. Which will hurt us.

 

[GloatingSwine]

As to USB dongle keys, they're more expensive for publishers to produce and ship than the cost to them of pirate games, and hardware ID can be spoofed quite easily, not to mention the program can simply be patched not to perform the check, the same as any other copy protection check.

Except that the dongle stores vital profile information and saves from the game itself, so even if you can emulate the hardware, you'd literally have to have an emulation for each game you pirate (as addressed in the OP). If you disable the hardware check entirely, the game has no where to pull save info from. Like I said, for all that's being said about the ability to pirate something, the game I highlighted in the OP has yet to be successfully cracked to the point of usability.

It doesn't require an emulator, it just requires the storage function of the dongle to be redirected elsewhere.

The reason it hasn't been cracked for the game you mention is likely because it's a limited market title with little incentive to actually do so. Release this type of copy protection for a game like Modern Warfare and it'll be cracked within a week, because there will be far more people actually trying to do so.

 

[SavingPrincess]

As for the small companies being effected they would have to pass the cost onto us. Lets say the manufacturing cost of the dongle is a buck. They want to make a million copies of the game. That is another million bucks on top of the cost to make the acual game. A million bucks they have to make above and beyond what they would have made with piracy running rampant to cover the cost otherwise they just flushed it down the drain. And where an EA/Ubi/Acti can eat those costs that could kill a smaller company quite easily.

If it cost a buck to make, then the Dev's of DJ Max: Trilogy wouldn't have done it. The fact is if you're making a million, and you ordered a million of them, you would probably pay more like $0.05-$0.10 if that. So even at $0.10/per item you're looking at a hundred grand more than you would have spent initially. If they charged $1.00 more (which most people would accept) for said game, they would only have to sell 10% of their shipped stock to 'recoup' that cost, and everything beyond that would actually be profit.

Plus, if you can build in features, bells and/or whistles into this system that would make people WANT the little USB thing (like the swag aspect you mentioned earler with Atlus), then they could justify charging even MORE for it and the smaller developers would greatly benefit from it.

But I like this, the idea is already molding into something better than it started out as, and it's not even real. Yay intelligent debate.

 

[SavingPrincess]

It doesn't require an emulator, it just requires the storage function of the dongle to be redirected elsewhere.

The reason it hasn't been cracked for the game you mention is likely because it's a limited market title with little incentive to actually do so. Release this type of copy protection for a game like Modern Warfare and it'll be cracked within a week, because there will be far more people actually trying to do so.

Hah by this statement you might not know much about the Korean video game market I can see.

I would suggest researching it for yourself (Google DJ Max: Trilogy USB Crack). It hasn't been done to success and has certainly been tried.

That being said, "redirecting" the storage call of a game's code is quite an undertaking.

 

[Athinira]

I'll tell you why your idea doesn't work in the long run.


You see, your entire argument is that DJ Max Trilogy hasn't been cracked, and therefore this form of DRM is effective.

The problem is the DJ Max Trilogy is "unknown". Metacritic doesn't have it listed. Gamespot has it listed, but doesn't have a review for it. On gamespot, 17 users have given the game a "vote" for a score, and only one have written a "user review" for it (compared to, say, Crysis 17255 votes and 1164 user reviews). I browse gaming websites quite often, and subscribe to 2 different gaming magazines and i never heard about the game before this thread.

Pirate groups that crack games can only work on so many titles, and they prefer the well-known popular games. Same can be said for Software, because there is ALOT of software out there that isn't cracked (although even relatively unknown software sometimes gets cracked if it is a very useful piece of software).


Bottom line is that the only reason DJ Max Trilogy isn't cracked is because it's an unknown game most people don't know about. I can guarentee you that if Blizzard implemented the same DRM in the upcoming StarCraft 2, it would be cracked within a week, if not before.

 

[squid5580]

See you are talking would or wouldn't. I am talking can or can't. Can the vast majority of pirates casual or otherwise afford to buy the game? And will they drop the 60 bucks to do it? I know when I walk into GS or EB I look at the title then I look at the pricetag. Then I ask myself is it worth paying full price for or should I wait? I have been waiting for Legendary to drop to 20 bucks. To me that is all the game is worth (ya I know it prolly ain't worth that). A reformed pirate will most likely have the same mindset.

... and if DRM were effective and unobtrusive, then we'd go back to the days when you couldn't afford to buy the NES game, you didn't get to play the NES game. Is that so bad?

Now about Madden. I think your logic is a bit flawed as to why it doesn't show up on the PC. If EA had said screw you PC gamers we are sick of you stealing our stuff so we no longer will make PC games! then yes you would have a valid point.

Okay:

"If [a] consumer wants to buy sports games and they don't want to play on their televisions-I recognize that. We need to find different and innovate ways to be able to do that... and I need to protect my intellectual property. Piracy's a big issue on the PC. I can't turn a blind eye to the fact that it's very difficult for us... and we lose money making a game. At some point, I have an obligation not to bring out products that lose money."

So you're saying I have a point?

I also think that the big companies don't need to be protected as much as the little guys. They are the ones hurt by piracy the most (other than PC gamers themselves). Ubi, EA and Activision can afford to lose copies to pirates potential sales or not. It is the smaller companies that are going to feel the pain of piracy more than them. And they won't be able to eat the cost of developing a dongle. Which is essentially going to pave the way for the 3 biggies to take over and rule us all.

How would the system I describe not help smaller companies?

You see Moore's statement is where it gets muddy. Yes I do agree with the fact that they need to protect thier property. That piracy is a huge issue on the PC. I do not agree with the "oh we didn't sell as many copies as we hoped so lets blame pirates." That is an easy cop out and not the entire picture. Sure piracy may have had something to do with it but not all. When was your title released? Was it good? Was thier any other titles that were more appealing to consumers released at the same time? Blaming piracy for all your woes is an easy cop out for making a mediocore game. And with a it's them not me mentality the industry is screwed.

Your first line has nothing to do with the arguement at hand. I would love to see an unobtrusive DRM that stopped all piracy. The fact that you expect them to fork out $$$$ to create one that has no guarantee of boosting actual sales and then they eat the cost is not logical. Since there is no guarantee that the pirates will actually buy the game. It only works if everyone who pirates games can afford to buy the game in the first place. Since I am sure we can agree that it would be an impossibility. Although it would take away thier piracy excuse for bad sales and force them to look inside instead of out.

As for the small companies being effected they would have to pass the cost onto us. Lets say the manufacturing cost of the dongle is a buck. They want to make a million copies of the game. That is another million bucks on top of the cost to make the acual game. A million bucks they have to make above and beyond what they would have made with piracy running rampant to cover the cost otherwise they just flushed it down the drain. And where an EA/Ubi/Acti can eat those costs that could kill a smaller company quite easily.

I am all for stopping piracy. I just think there has to be a way that won't hurt the devs or the paying customer. And forcing them to pay more for development is hurting them. Which will hurt us.

There is one other problem you need to consider. What are we supposed to do with all the dongles? If every game has a dongle and your average gamer buys 12 games a year what are we supposed to do with the 12 dongles? Lose them you are screwed. Make them look like toys and any parent gamer is in trouble. As I said before a DRM should be pain free. Like the Batman DRM. Honest customers weren't effected by it. And if it wasn't for the pirate asking on their forums about it and the classic response we probably wouldn't know it existed. That is how a drm should work. Even though it was cracked it is a good start.

I also think you are underestimating hackers. Putting it on 1 game that is a pretty obscure title is one thing. Putting it on all future titles is throwing down the gauntlet. And it will fall just like all the other uncrackable DRMs pretty quickly. You seem to be all hooked up on the profile thing. But the profile has to be made on a blank template. I don't see why that template would be so hard to copy and upload before making your profile.

 

[Flour]

Even if you illegally download the game, you still would need to do the server check to run it and that means you would need to buy a key.

You mean like photoshop? The installer calls 'home' to ask if the CD-key entered is an official one. Torrents are either a full installation compressed with the required registry files or they include a program that sends a fake "this is real" signal when the installer asks for it.

On-Topic: To stop piracy it has to be more trouble than simply installing the game. Then the game has to be actually worth the price asked for it, which, for me in the last year is exactly one game, Dragon Age. While my standards might have increased since I started gaming, well... it's been 15 years, and we're still getting the same shit. It's a bit prettier than ten years ago, but production costs have gone up while gameplay value has decreased or stayed roughly the same. What the fuck am I saying... gameplay value is nearly halved from ten years ago. Console games require more patches than the average PC game which are often left in a broken state and this ignores the fact that while characters become more realistic, the quality of the acting is often worse than what you see in an Uwe Boll movie.

 

[Therumancer]

The copies of the media would be worthless because I'd still need the dongle to run them and I can't copy that for a backup copy. That is the same thing as not being able to backup the software. What's more it basically means that for all intents and purposes I need to keep track of *Two* items for the program instead of just the discs.

Which would make it just like a console game. Could you back up your NES carts? I couldn't.

Basically I hold to the idea that there is no point to copy protection at all. Piracy might not be right, but the industry has always thrived despite it.

This logic is kind of flawed, because it does not take into account the rise of things like peer-to-peer/torrent based file sharing, sites like Megaupload and such. The industry has "always thrived" but that does not mean it will continue to do so as means for pirating becomes so accessible it's ridiculous. I know people that don't know how to install their own video card or the POP/IMAP/SMTP settings for their e-mail address that can easily pirate games. THAT'S a problem; THAT'S what's different and hurting the industry. That's what's causing "online verification" DRM's etc.

I'm trying to come up with a "cooler" more "consumer-oriented" approach. Let's not call it a "USB DRM Dongle" and look at it as a "Game Cartridge" that requires a "one time install" JUST like Xbox and PS3 games. If you "lose" or "damage" your copy of Fable II or Metal Gear Solid IV, what do you do? Like I said, PC users have been spoiled by an antiquated business model that does not balance out favor of consumer and creator.

We're discussing computer games, not console games. Again as I said, the abillity to back up your software is one of the big advantages the PC has touted over consoles going back many years.

As far as the idea of P2P transfers go, that's irrelevent. Truthfully, the ease of piracy has never really changed. Back in "the day" before The Internet was what it is now people used to call BBS systems. To DL the latest games all you had to do was know a pirate board, login, and nab it from their file sections. That's all there was to it.


Oh sure, technically there are more pirates today, but there are also a lot more gamers. Proportionatly it evens out. In the end though the profits have increased as well, and again your looking at a multi-billion dollar industry, where people are willing to sink half a billion dollars into a single project (Modern Warfare 2). I'm sorry but that is not the sign of an industry in trouble that can sit here and convince me that I should suffer massive inconveinence on their behalf. *IF* the industry was genuinely in any danger of dying due to piracy, I might agree with some of these measures, however it is not, and it simply gets bigger and more profitable every year. I see no reason why I should have to deal with DRM, copy protection schemes, and all kinds of online gimmicks to play games or use software I purchused. I'm not even entirely sure that they are losing money off of piracy and that those pirates would be buying the software otherwise, and even if they were I can understand the moral princoples involved, but the thing is they are directly inconveinencing me. Basically it's hard for me to have sympathy for a bunch of guys swimming around in giant Scrooge Mcduck type money bins, because they aren't happy with their billions, and want to construct a second money bin for their pets to swim in or whatever.

In today's world with transit what it is, I can feel sympathy for someone who has a car, or even a couple with two seperated jobs and one car that spend all day trying to get both of them to and from work on time. On the other hand I feel no sympathy for some dude who is all upset because he only has one Bently, or merely drives a Lamborgini when Masiradi's are more stylish at the moment and all his friend has them. It's like some spoiled girl crying because she has to go to school without the right labels on a couple pieces of her clothing "OMG, it's not Versace, how can I be seen in this?" (plays sad violin music).

 

[Jandau]

Have you ever found a "Steam Rip" of a game or the like on the internet and gotten it to load correctly; and if so, do you consider yourself the "average pirate" or someone that will "find a way around anything ever?"

Yes, I have seen several cracked Steam versions of games. Last one I can recall was a pirated copy of Dawn of War 2. The cracking process is the same as for any other pirated game: Download, install, copy crack into game directory. Worst case, you have to run Steam in the background, but it has no effect on the game being played. Any other holes in your post you'd like me to punch?