Is this a good anti-piracy system?

[ph0b0s123]

From: Take On Helicopters hides smart anti-piracy tech

"ArmA developer Bohemia Interactive has included some impressive anti-piracy measures in its new flight sim Take On Helicopters.

Users running an illicit copy of the game will find that its visuals degrade and blur as it's played.

One such player complained of the issue on the game's official forum earlier this week, posting a screen grab (reproduced below) and asking Bohemia for advice on how to fix the problem. He was duly asked to email proof of purchase by CEO Marek Spanel, and then banned."
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-11-04-take-on-helicopters-includes-smart-anti-piracy-trick

I like it. Apparently uses the FADE system they have been using in ARMA II for a while which relies on manufactured scratches in the original CD to show the game is legit.

 

[DasDestroyer]

Meh, it may be original, but it's not like it's going to work any better. The pirates will just find whatever causes the degradation and remove it.

 

[HerbertTheHamster]

It's gonna be cracked in a week or so.

would be even less if more people played ARMA

 

[DazZ.]

Batman did this where you couldn't glide or something on pirated versions, with someone posting about it on the forums then getting told they're a pirate and banned. (edit: fecking ninjas)

But that got patched out pretty quickly just as this will, it won't last any longer than other CD checks or anything so it makes no difference really.

 

[ph0b0s123]

Wow, pretty negative response for an anti-piracy system that is not as draconian as some others. Just cannot please some people....

 

[craftomega]

The best anti piracy protection is none.

By spending money on it you are increasing your costs.

So if you decrease the release price, and your game is not shit; PEOPLE WILL BUY IT.

Yes I know its a shocking concept. Good games sell better? Really?

The people Pirating are people who will either:
A). Cant afford it.
B). Wont buy it period. (As in they rarly buy games if at all)
C). Want to test it. ( As in if its good they buy it)

Thats 90% of all piracy right there. So I ask why bother do more then have a CD key with maybe a ONE TIME online activation.

Oh wait I know Publishers are chimps with down syndrom who spend all there time drinking each others piss!

PS: Wow iv been having alot of nerd rage today >.>

 

[Dreiko_v1legacy]

They'd only do that with a low profile game like that. Nobody would give a damn about their game otherwise, it'd just be lost in the pile of army vehicle sims out there but now it's the anti-piracy game so it stands out a tiny bit more. Pathetic.

 

[Mekado]

Wow, pretty negative response for an anti-piracy system that is not as draconian as some others. Just cannot please some people....

It's not that it's bad, it's definitely better than the infernal Securom or others, what we're saying is that determined, talented pirates cracks everything within a very short time, leaving mostly legit customers with strange problems resulting from the DRM...

 

[Radeonx]

Wow, pretty negative response for an anti-piracy system that is not as draconian as some others. Just cannot please some people....

That's probably because being slightly better than a steaming pile of shit doesn't make you amazing.

Arkham Asylum's pirating system was something similar, and it was cracked. This will be cracked too.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

They'd only do that with a low profile game like that. Nobody would give a damn about their game otherwise, it'd just be lost in the pile of army vehicle sims out there but now it's the anti-piracy game so it stands out a tiny bit more. Pathetic.

How do you lose a civilian helicopter simulator in a pile of military vehicle sims?

Also, what bloody pile?

 

[Bostur]

It's probably just standard copy protection with a more creative payload. Since the actual check needs to be in the game, it is probably as easy to remove as any other copy protection.

These kinds of hidden payloads are a bit worrying because of the chance of false positives. Manufactured scratches is a notoriously unreliable form of protection, and in some countries it's actually legal to make backup copies.

Maybe Bohemia should keep that in mind before they start banning people.

 

[TheDooD]

The best anti piracy protection is none.

By spending money on it you are increasing your costs.

So if you decrease the release price, and your game is not shit; PEOPLE WILL BUY IT.

Yes I know its a shocking concept. Good games sell better? Really?

The people Pirating are people who will either:
A). Cant afford it.
B). Wont buy it period. (As in they rarly buy games if at all)
C). Want to test it. ( As in if its good they buy it)

Thats 90% of all piracy right there. So I ask why bother do more then have a CD key with maybe a ONE TIME online activation.

Oh wait I know Publishers are chimps with down syndrom who spend all there time drinking each others piss!

PS: Wow iv been having alot of nerd rage today >.>

I had to laugh because it makes perfect sense....

 

[joeman098]

Only way to beat piracy: every game is encoded with your DNA.

only way to beat piracy is to make the people want to buy your product. not by punishing the people who do buy it i bought assassins creed 2 and ended up using a crack because that DRM was complete and utter horse shit.

 

[Eggbert]

Wow, pretty negative response for an anti-piracy system that is not as draconian as some others. Just cannot please some people....

Because it'll go wrong. They all go wrong. Every time.

 

[evilneko]

It's not exactly a unique or original idea.

A better way for companies to approach piracy is to produce better games, release a demo that accurately reflects actual gameplay, and treat their customers like customers instead of criminals. Just accept that it's gonna happen and try to benefit from it. Pirates quite commonly buy the stuff they like. Obviously you can't please everyone, but someone who illegally obtains a game and then decides they don't like it would never have bought it in the first place anyway, so don't worry about them.

I mean hell. Why do you think Adobe and Microsoft's anti-piracy measures are so pathetic? They're token efforts to please shareholders--they know how much piracy benefits them. Think they wanna make it impossible? Think again.

 

[aprildog18]

I think this was tried before.
I believe in a pirated version of Mirror's Edge, in a certain level, you will start moving in slow-mo. But of course that didn't stop the people from patching it. Same with pirated Arkham Asylum's flying cape. According to internet, if you tried to fly with the cape, you would epically fail with it.

I kind of liked Battlefield's piracy protection. If you torrent the game oh well, but you need to pay $10 to make an online account and play online (I would think that this would make trade-ins beneficial to the devs too).

 

[Focksbot]

It's gonna be cracked in a week or so.

would be even less if more people played ARMA

*like*