haha EA are funny..

the funny thing is they CANT STOP games from being pirated, today you have spacial groups that releasing the games even before there official release date.

that's means that pirates gets game for free before it is even released!

so i can honestly say that you cant stop games from being pirated you can only delay it, in days months but eventually it will be cracked...

so my point is the only people that are getting punished are the paying customer, they should have a law against the 3 times cd check! i mean if you paid for the game and you gets to play every few weeks you can only reactivates the game 3 times and then the game is disabled! and you need to pay for another game!?!?

that is stupid! so all we can say is that the people that will suffer will be the paying customer...

I was under the impression that game companies had learned their lesson. I can't remember who it was specifically, all I can come up with is Stardock (Someone correct me if I'm wrong), that had a cd encryption program that worked nearly perfectly in detecting piracy, but it caused problems with the host computer and ALL operation of the CD drive. I think there were even problems in uninstalling it. This caused even more problems with their sales than the piracy, not to mention the investment into it in the first place. I think this was maybe 2-3 years ago, to help anyone in correcting me.

If it was Stardock, they've come full circle now with Sins of a Solar Empire having absolutly no protection. I believe that has worked to their advantage. I don't know specifically what EA is doing this time, but if they're going to lock a game after 3 unsuccessful key entries, or something like that, they're an even worse plague on the PC gaming industry than I previously though...

I was under the impression that game companies had learned their lesson. I can't remember who it was specifically, all I can come up with is Stardock (Someone correct me if I'm wrong), that had a cd encryption program that worked nearly perfectly in detecting piracy, but it caused problems with the host computer and ALL operation of the CD drive. I think there were even problems in uninstalling it. This caused even more problems with their sales than the piracy, not to mention the investment into it in the first place. I think this was maybe 2-3 years ago, to help anyone in correcting me.

If it was Stardock, they've come full circle now with Sins of a Solar Empire having absolutly no protection. I believe that has worked to their advantage. I don't know specifically what EA is doing this time, but if they're going to lock a game after 3 unsuccessful key entries, or something like that, they're an even worse plague on the PC gaming industry than I previously though...

KillOBKilled

I've never heard about that story in the top. You sure you aren't talking about Starforce? Starforce was cracked by the way. I've only played Galactic Civilization 2 and Sins of a Solar Empire and both games didn't use any form of anti piracy protection.

that is stupid! so all we can say is that the people that will suffer will be the paying customer...kingeliran

Agreed. That is why I have decided to boycott all their future titles, and any other publisher who tries a similar activation scheme.

So far I've struck the following games off my watch list:

Mass Effect PC
Spore
Codename Panzers: Cold War
Tiberium

I'm hoping other games in my watch list don't end up being published by EA. If 2K games continue with the policy they introduced with Bioshock, I'll be boycotting them as well.

As a paying customer, I've simply had enough.

EA is not FUNNY, EA IS STUPID.

Why is EA stupid?

EA is stupid because they say to us that they are dumb and have no taste in good games and don't care for customers?

When did they say that?

Well they said that they are stupid and don't care for the customers when they released this "funny" protection that possibly violates some rights and other rights that I the buyer should have had.

Why don't they have good taste in games and why their games are not good?

Because they have only a "few" series that they redo year after year and they usually make some new and maybe original games from 2 to 2 years + for them making a game in 8 moths or more is way to long and exaggerated.

Why are they dumb and a bunch of liers?

Well after "going" multiplatform because of PIRACY, they announced an exclusive console game that is one of the most known games of EA, for PC, Burnout Paradise. I'm thinking, hey, if piracy f'ed them up and if sales on PC are soo bad + they said they can make 4 or 5 times more cash on consoles, why would they want to make an exculusive, known and very profitable console game on PC? Why would they bother? piracy would just kill it and they would make no money out of it.(NOT)

We can thank EA for showing us what they really think about PC and the fact that all they can come up for bad sales because of their stupid, pointless, games, is piracy.

Piracy is an extremely bad factor for any game dev but EA has many disadvantages like don't giving a f about customers, bad games, pointless ones that nobody gives a f about them, supid ports and the most important thing, they whine too much about piracy when clearly their main problem is that they make bad games that people refuse more and more to buy. Piracy is a big problem but if EA whines about sales (when they have the largest income per year)and blame it on piracy and people actually believe their lies, then PC gaming is doomed. A good example of people who support EA way too much is some of BF players, they are tacking way too much of EA sht and would eat anything EA serves just because they make that "great" game. (I personally think BF is sht just like counter strike an over hyped mediocre game, but that's only my opinion, I know many people like the game and if they like it they should but don't accept everything EA does just because they created BF)

[QUOTE="KillOBKilled"]

I can't remember who it was specifically, all I can come up with is Stardock (Someone correct me if I'm wrong).

BlackAlpha666

I've never heard about that story in the top. You sure you aren't talking about Starforce? Starforce was cracked by the way. I've only played Galactic Civilization 2 and Sins of a Solar Empire and both games didn't use any form of anti piracy protection.

Yep, you got it, it was Starforce. I know it was cracked, but it took quite a long time, and if I recall correctly required a great deal of effort to crack sucessfully. The most glaring problem was that it caused problems with non pirate operations as well. I just quickly ran across this site, just to prove our point here http://www.glop.org/starforce/

EA, I beg of you DON'T DO THIS!!! :P

Yup all these fancy ways of stopping piracy just ends up hurting the people who paid for it. Bioshock is a good example, the phone check stuff pissed off alot of people but people who had pirated versions had 0 copy protection to deal with.

Its best for them just use standard ones to stop regular people from copying it but hackers forget about it they can bypass anything.

But if a company will Do the most retarded thing possible to piss off the most people you can bet EA will step up.

To be honest, I was looking forward to Mass Effect but after I read about the activation scenario I really don't think I'm gonna get it. Not just to prove a point but because I know I'm struggle to keep my game activated at all times.

I don't know what EA's idea is with "everyone is always online" crap. I don't have a decent internet line and getting one on my country is a mission and damn costly. And why did they stop taking LAN connection out of their games for multiplayer?!?

Great goin EA, your just gonna boost the pirate industry with this stunt as more people would rather pirate the game than go through with you activation crap. All this while the people who did pay for the game gets all the hassles.

To be honest, I was looking forward to Mass Effect but after I read about the activation scenario I really don't think I'm gonna get it. Not just to prove a point but because I know I'm struggle to keep my game activated at all times.

I don't know what EA's idea is with "everyone is always online" crap. I don't have a decent internet line and getting one on my country is a mission and damn costly. And why did they stop taking LAN connection out of their games for multiplayer?!?

Great goin EA, your just gonna boost the pirate industry with this stunt as more people would rather pirate the game than go through with you activation crap. All this while the people who did pay for the game gets all the hassles.

Oom_Gert

EA is planning on doing this with all future games, not just Mass Effect.

the developers of mass effect and spore said they would get rid of this activation thing.

http://www.megagames.com/news/html/pc/sporeandmasseffectditchperiodiconlineauthentication.shtml

the developers of mass effect and spore said they would get rid of this activation thing.

http://www.megagames.com/news/html/pc/sporeandmasseffectditchperiodiconlineauthentication.shtml

supertrooper23

But all the other restrictions still remain. The 10 day activation thing hardly makes a difference because you still need internet to be able to register the game, which is mandatory.

[QUOTE="supertrooper23"]

the developers of mass effect and spore said they would get rid of this activation thing.

http://www.megagames.com/news/html/pc/sporeandmasseffectditchperiodiconlineauthentication.shtml

BlackAlpha666

But all the other restrictions still remain. The 10 day activation thing hardly makes a difference because you still need internet to be able to register the game, which is mandatory.

If anything, they should keep the 10-Day activation and get rid of the activation limit. Though I'm sure people here are taking this a little too far. I'm not sure if most developers actually care about the activation things. On Direct2Drive, many of my games ran out of activations so I just sent in an email and they supplied me with more CD-Keys. As long as you have proper proof of purchase I'm sure EA/Bioware would gladly send you another your way.

[QUOTE="supertrooper23"]

the developers of mass effect and spore said they would get rid of this activation thing.

http://www.megagames.com/news/html/pc/sporeandmasseffectditchperiodiconlineauthentication.shtml

BlackAlpha666

But all the other restrictions still remain. The 10 day activation thing hardly makes a difference because you still need internet to be able to register the game, which is mandatory.

oh snap! damn EA!