Poll: What sort of piracy protection would you choose?

[joshthor]

A code on the back of the CD case that you had to enter during installation. Screw every other system out there.

this

 

[stone0042]

If they want something to really work, all pc game developers need to come together and adopt some type of standard, preferably in collaboration with Microsoft, Apple, and perhaps other OS developers

 

[Pompey71]

Well people LIKE owning things. If games were actually CHEAPER, more people might buy them! The same as music! £13.99 for an album is a rip! but something like £6 for an album and the pirates will wonder if it's better to just buy it. However ALL the companies need to come together to do it at once. If a game came out for £20 I would buy it without breaking stride! £40 makes me wanna pirate it.

 

[himemiya1650]

I'd probably go with the steam method connecting once to the internet to do a check and nothing else... it also saves me the problem of finding those 30 digit alpha-numeric cd keys everytime i have to nuke my comp.

 

[Delusibeta]

To be perfectly frank, Steamworks/Impulse Reactor for multiplayer games and a serial number and/or CD check for single player games. Plus frequent patches and free DLC. And some trinkets in the box would be nice.

 

[Skinny Razor]

"Pay a 10-25% premium on every game (the usual retailer method)"

Huh?

OT: I'd just use Steam, or I'd do that thing where the pirated copy "degrades" as you play - basically where you prevent weapons from doing any damage, or stop the character from being able to jump, etc. so the pirate can't play past a certain point.

Like I said in the original post, this is how most retailers deal with piracy/shoplifting: raise the price on payin' customers to cover the presumed losses.

So far the consensus seems to be in the end, the pirates will win, which is pretty much what I think, unless they decide that we have to play the game in the store or at the developers HQ.

 

[Woodsey]

"Pay a 10-25% premium on every game (the usual retailer method)"

Huh?

OT: I'd just use Steam, or I'd do that thing where the pirated copy "degrades" as you play - basically where you prevent weapons from doing any damage, or stop the character from being able to jump, etc. so the pirate can't play past a certain point.

Like I said in the original post, this is how most retailers deal with piracy/shoplifting: raise the price on payin' customers to cover the presumed losses.

Huh, I never knew that - the only price rise I've ever seen is on console games.

 

[Skinny Razor]

"Pay a 10-25% premium on every game (the usual retailer method)"

Huh?

OT: I'd just use Steam, or I'd do that thing where the pirated copy "degrades" as you play - basically where you prevent weapons from doing any damage, or stop the character from being able to jump, etc. so the pirate can't play past a certain point.

Like I said in the original post, this is how most retailers deal with piracy/shoplifting: raise the price on payin' customers to cover the presumed losses.

Huh, I never knew that - the only price rise I've ever seen is on console games.

I can't prove game developers do this, but every other retail store does just this sort of thing, so I wouldn't be surprised if its included in the accounting.

If your going to call yourself a pirate, i'm going to make you walk the plank...

Where I come from, pirates are hanged, drawn and quartered.

What about keelhauling or dropping from the yardarm?

 

[Omegatronacles]

well the only one that worked properly so far ofcourse... Steam

Steam is not effective DRM. Steam is simply an effective distribution source.

I would be willing to put money on 95%+ of games available on Steam being available for piracy. Steam just offers a service that theoretically makes it easier to obtain the game legitimately than pirate it.

 

[Glademaster_v1legacy]

Cd key, 1 time activation or Steam something like those are great as with others you just use it once and forget about it. With Steam you have an offline if you can't go on web, install as much as you like and download it onto other computers.

 

[Daedalus1942]

A code on the back of the CD case that you had to enter during installation. Screw every other system out there.

Yup. That seemed to work quite well for online games to keep pirates out. Not so well on offline games, but oh well.

 

[Daedalus1942]

well the only one that worked properly so far ofcourse... Steam

Which is fine for DD but doesn't help the retailer versions of the game.

The only effective DRM you will ever find is not on a disc. Make the packaging attractive to the customers. Give us a trinket and a cool looking box for our shelves. Project 10 is a good start. The unfortunate side effect is this stuff can be pirated as well.

people buy games from retailers unless theyre importing it? thats news to me honestly.. thought retailers was for old people and uninformed individuals

I used to buy retail, god I was a sucker. I got FFXIII from Hong Kong for $53. It's $120 retail here, that's just fucked.

 

[Citrus]

Steam seems to be both effective at stopping piracy and well-liked by most consumers (myself included).

 

[Rancid0ffspring]

Piracy protection?

I would get a stronger fleet, some bigger cannons, and better men.

That damned Jack Sparrow ain't getting my ship! Blow them to hell I say!

Some cannons, a faster shi.... Ninja'd.... by pirates DAMN.

 

[TheHoboHunter]

why is "no security to make it easier to pirate" not an option?

 

[Ridonculous_Ninja]

After reading about how Arkham Asylum disabled your jumping if you pirated, I thought about how to make it meaner to pirates.

Random inconsequential things you do all the time at various points throughout the game cause your game to crash and delete all the save file on that character.

It can be anything from jumping inside a certain city, to walking over a certain coordinate to opening a door to beating a boss.

Space them out throughout the game to make it really annoying to go through and crack. Unless the code is really obvious and they just delete that...

 

[squid5580]

well the only one that worked properly so far ofcourse... Steam

Which is fine for DD but doesn't help the retailer versions of the game.

The only effective DRM you will ever find is not on a disc. Make the packaging attractive to the customers. Give us a trinket and a cool looking box for our shelves. Project 10 is a good start. The unfortunate side effect is this stuff can be pirated as well.

people buy games from retailers unless theyre importing it? thats news to me honestly.. thought retailers was for old people and uninformed individuals

Well then you might want to put in an effort to making sure you are informed first since even the CEOs of the DD sites are saying that DD is still a small percentage of the overall sales.

 

[technoted]

That every game can be traced online and if found to be a fake a small Viking army is dispatched to your home to do what they will. Though in reality I'm fine with option B, paying a bit more.