I hate EA but I love their games.

Electronic Arts have always been my enemy, I hate them for a couple reasons to start, they buyout all the good, smaller gaming business, example, Bioware, makers of the KOTOR series, now that EA has bought Bioware, I really don't see another KOTOR coming out just because EA has never worked on a star wars game ever. The second reason why I hate EA is because there have been times where they have bought out a small gaming company and remade one of their games and it was just plain poop! And the third reason why I hate EA is because of their DRM, Secu-ROM has got to be my worst enemy ever....They totally ruin the games by making you activate your games online, only letting you install it like 2,3 times. Like the fact that you can only install a game 2,3 times must really show how little they care for their games, because it's as if their saying, we don't think people are going to want to play our games again because we only let them install the game twice. Like how has it come to this....

Now here's the next thing, I've just recently realized that EA is releasing 3 of the games I want this year:
Red Alert 3, Mass effect and Miror's edge.

To me these are going to be big games for me because I'm really looking forward to them.

But one MAJOR issue with mass effect is the DRM. How the activation and registration for that game is going to be is the following. You buy the game, activate it online and there you have it, it's over with!... NOT! The game requires you to activate your game once every WEEK !!. That means if you buy mass effect and decide to go on vacation and it's been over a week, well sir, you are out of luck because EA has just terminated your cd key and you have wasted your money. I mean how does EA possibly think they're going to get away with this!

But one MAJOR issue with mass effect is the DRM. How the activation and registration for that game is going to be is the following. You buy the game, activate it online and there you have it, it's over with!... NOT! The game requires you to activate your game once every WEEK !!. That means if you buy mass effect and decide to go on vacation and it's been over a week, well sir, you are out of luck because EA has just terminated your cd key and you have wasted your money. I mean how does EA possibly think they're going to get away with this!

-Origin-

Wow they outdid themselves

You know it was like that at first, but then the next guy, one of the guys at Bioware said that they were going to take out the one week part cuz everyone hated it so muchnevereathim

What he said. Shortly after announcing how this DRM works, bioware took out the 10 days validation thing. Instead, what will happen is that everytime you download a patch, it will validate your cd-key if it's legal great. if not........

And where has gone the "EA's offer for R*" thingy.

I hope they dont buy out R* or we wont see anymore GTAs...

Oh also they make you buy the sims expansions with stuff that could have always been there in the real game...Anyway thats just a little aspect but I agree with ya OP.

But one MAJOR issue with mass effect is the DRM. How the activation and registration for that game is going to be is the following. You buy the game, activate it online and there you have it, it's over with!... NOT! The game requires you to activate your game once every WEEK !!. That means if you buy mass effect and decide to go on vacation and it's been over a week, well sir, you are out of luck because EA has just terminated your cd key and you have wasted your money. I mean how does EA possibly think they're going to get away with this!

-Origin-

That is incorrect. The way it works is this:

1. You need an internet connection, because when you install the game you have to authenticate it online. If you do not have access to an internet connection you cannot play the game. Period.
2. You have a limit of 3 activations. You can install the game on 3 different PCs, or make 2 'significant hardware' changes on the same PC before you use up your activations. Note that the developer has said you can install/uninstall the game on the SAME hardware as many times as you like, as long as you have not changed any hardware or reformatted your hard disk. Changing your OS will also probably trigger using another activation.
3. If you need a fourth activation, you have to contact EA customer support. EA will deal with requests for further activations on a 'case-by-case' basis and will require proof of purchase. They may say 'no', in which case you have yourself a shiny coaster.
4. There is no information on what constitutes a 'significant hardware' change.
5. SecureROM copy protection software will be installed in the background. There will probably be no information whatsoever telling you about this. This software is similar to a virus in that it buries itself deep in your system, putting null values in your registry, hidden files and directories on your hard disk, and it is difficult to remove. SecureROM is NOT uninstalled when you uninstall a game using it. If you use a Limited account to play games, you will probably trigger UAService7.exe which is a SecureROM file intended to give Admin rights access to Limited accounts so that the game can be played. This opens a potential back-door for hackers to exploit. SecureROM also does not like monitoring/debugging software running in the background, and is believed to interfere with totally legal CD burning software (including Nero), and virtual disk software (Alcohol, Daemon Tools etc). Because it does not like 'virtual disk' functions, it is also reported to have an issue with SCSI drives, and some RAID setups. If your CD/DVD drive has problems reading the game disk, SecureROM is directly to blame for that.
6. There will be no revoke tool to buy back activations (it is not in the FAQ on the official forums).
7. All future EA PC games will be using the same DRM scheme, including Spore, Mirror's Edge, Dragon Age and many others.
8. People on dial-up connections will be paying a telephone call every time they activate a game using this DRM.
9. If you telephone customer support for new activations, you will be paying for the calls, hence incur 'hidden costs' to play your game. For those with no local EA offices in their country, they will be charged international call rates when trying to get an additional activation. You can, of course, opt to use Email - and will probably have to at some point to send EA a digital photograph of your game CD, manual, case or receipt and send that as proof of purchase.

Enjoy playing your future EA games (and probably games from 2K as well which use a similar system). Personally, I will be avoiding them like the plague.

I don't like EA at the best of times, I think their tech support is laughable and I hate SecureROM. I have a brand new SATA DVD-RW and I can't play Rainbox Six Las Vegas 2 because SecureROM won't detect the disk (even though it's a UBISoft game I still hate SecureROM).

This new activation crap really makes my blood boil, what gives EA the right to dictate to me how many times I can install it on my own PC. This whole idea of we simply lease the content is a complete load of **** I buy it and it becomes mine end of story.

[QUOTE="-Origin-"]

But one MAJOR issue with mass effect is the DRM. How the activation and registration for that game is going to be is the following. You buy the game, activate it online and there you have it, it's over with!... NOT! The game requires you to activate your game once every WEEK !!. That means if you buy mass effect and decide to go on vacation and it's been over a week, well sir, you are out of luck because EA has just terminated your cd key and you have wasted your money. I mean how does EA possibly think they're going to get away with this!

RobertBowen

That is incorrect. The way it works is this:

1. You need an internet connection, because when you install the game you have to authenticate it online. If you do not have access to an internet connection you cannot play the game. Period.
2. You have a limit of 3 activations. You can install the game on 3 different PCs, or make 2 'significant hardware' changes on the same PC before you use up your activations. Note that the developer has said you can install/uninstall the game on the SAME hardware as many times as you like, as long as you have not changed any hardware or reformatted your hard disk. Changing your OS will also probably trigger using another activation.
3. If you need a fourth activation, you have to contact EA customer support. EA will deal with requests for further activations on a 'case-by-case' basis and will require proof of purchase. They may say 'no', in which case you have yourself a shiny coaster.
4. There is no information on what constitutes a 'significant hardware' change.
5. SecureROM copy protection software will be installed in the background. There will probably be no information whatsoever telling you about this. This software is similar to a virus in that it buries itself deep in your system, putting null values in your registry, hidden files and directories on your hard disk, and it is difficult to remove. SecureROM is NOT uninstalled when you uninstall a game using it. If you use a Limited account to play games, you will probably trigger UAService7.exe which is a SecureROM file intended to give Admin rights access to Limited accounts so that the game can be played. This opens a potential back-door for hackers to exploit. SecureROM also does not like monitoring/debugging software running in the background, and is believed to interfere with totally legal CD burning software (including Nero), and virtual disk software (Alcohol, Daemon Tools etc). Because it does not like 'virtual disk' functions, it is also reported to have an issue with SCSI drives, and some RAID setups. If your CD/DVD drive has problems reading the game disk, SecureROM is directly to blame for that.
6. There will be no revoke tool to buy back activations (it is not in the FAQ on the official forums).
7. All future EA PC games will be using the same DRM scheme, including Spore, Mirror's Edge, Dragon Age and many others.
8. People on dial-up connections will be paying a telephone call every time they activate a game using this DRM.
9. If you telephone customer support for new activations, you will be paying for the calls, hence incur 'hidden costs' to play your game. For those with no local EA offices in their country, they will be charged international call rates when trying to get an additional activation. You can, of course, opt to use Email - and will probably have to at some point to send EA a digital photograph of your game CD, manual, case or receipt and send that as proof of purchase.

Enjoy playing your future EA games (and probably games from 2K as well which use a similar system). Personally, I will be avoiding them like the plague.

Thank you. Someone has stated the truth. Everyone keeps thinking you can only install the game 3 times, and that is clearly bs. The whole concept of activation binding to a specific hardware profile is not new. Win XP with a non-corporate key does this only you get 1 activation, not the 3 this game will provide.

I was unaware that this game did #5 you listed above. That sux. I don't want games messing with low level parts of my OS because I don't know what they are doing and I don't know how to revert back aside from reformatting which is bs. If something starts randomly failing I may have no way of fixing it. Well... I wasn't so against SecureROM before, but now I guess I am...

Yeah, well, the whole Windows activation process is automatized. You are guaranteed to be able to activate your Windows copy, unless you used a banned/illegal serial when you installed Windows. If you don't got internet for whatever reason you can call MS in YOUR OWN country and do the AUTOMATIZED process over the phone. Whether you do it over the internet or by phone, it won't take any longer then 15 minutes and that's if you are very slow.

With EA you must send them an e-mail and wait for a very long time until they reply. You could also contact them by phone and if you are unlucky you'll have to make an international call. Ontop of that, EA can refuse your request and then you'll have to buy another copy or you can tell them to bugger of and you don't buy another copy. I bet that will be the point at which many people will put on their pirate hat and say "ARRR".

Everyone keeps thinking you can only install the game 3 times, and that is clearly bs. The whole concept of activation binding to a specific hardware profile is not new. Win XP with a non-corporate key does this only you get 1 activation, not the 3 this game will provide. df853

Which means nothing in terms of making it more acceptable, 3 lifetime activations is meager -- for a game!

I know you mean well, but comparing a game to an OS is not a good comparison IMO. A game is more of a personal purchase, something you are proud of, something you add to your collection and fully expect to use it as often and as many times into the future as you want.

Although many people don't like OS activations, operating systems are in general more easily accepted as disposable software once they have become obsolete. Frequently when I build a new machine ground-up, I buy another operating system for it, but....on the other hand, backwards compatibility notwithstanding (has been quite good actually + utils such as DOSBox), I also certainly expect to be able to play all my games I've purchased in the past on the new machine(s) going forward.

In addition, operating systems (Windows) are sold in retail and OEM flavors, retail grants you the license to transfer your copy of the OS to other machines, OEM licenses the OS to the initial machine.

Yeah, well, the whole Windows activation process is automatized. You are guaranteed to be able to activate your Windows copy, unless you used a banned/illegal serial when you installed Windows. If you don't got internet for whatever reason you can call MS in YOUR OWN country and do the AUTOMATIZED process over the phone.BlackAlpha666

[QUOTE="BlackAlpha666"]Yeah, well, the whole Windows activation process is automatized. You are guaranteed to be able to activate your Windows copy, unless you used a banned/illegal serial when you installed Windows. If you don't got internet for whatever reason you can call MS in YOUR OWN country and do the AUTOMATIZED process over the phone.Makari

I thought the phone call was how you tell them that you "deserve" to get a new activation. I've done loads of Windows activations. With many of them I had to call MS and choose the option that I had replaced the motherboard or another "significant hardware component". If the whole process is automated, I don't see how they can refuse. They could ban your serial if you activate it too many times but they never did that to me, ever. Even when I reinstalled Windows a few times in a row, on the same day, on the same PC with the same hardware, it still worked fine.

I've never had a problem with OEM installations unless I had to use a special installation that would only work on specific hardware combinations/PCs. But not all OEM installations are like that. I believe it's up to the PC manufacturer to choose for that option. OEM is basically a customized Windows installation. But I don't think this has anything to do with activations, you just can't install Windows. I could bypass this with a "special" Windows installation DVD to install it. Once I got into Windows I could activate it just fine.

By the way, you can't buy OEM installations. Atleast, the regular customers are not allowed to buy them. They are meant purely for PC manufacturers and system builders.

But to be honest, I don't see how you can compare a simple game, an extremely simple singleplayer game, with an operating system.

I agree with you so much, Although Ive heard that the 10 day thing is out. I love teh games, and hate the publisher. like somebody said, if Rockstar is bought by EA, expect to see either no GTA V or GTA V then GTA V: Luxury Vehicles, then GTA V: pimpin GANSTA! AND SO ON

*sorry caps

[QUOTE="RobertBowen"][QUOTE="-Origin-"]

But one MAJOR issue with mass effect is the DRM. How the activation and registration for that game is going to be is the following. You buy the game, activate it online and there you have it, it's over with!... NOT! The game requires you to activate your game once every WEEK !!. That means if you buy mass effect and decide to go on vacation and it's been over a week, well sir, you are out of luck because EA has just terminated your cd key and you have wasted your money. I mean how does EA possibly think they're going to get away with this!

df853

That is incorrect. The way it works is this:

1. You need an internet connection, because when you install the game you have to authenticate it online. If you do not have access to an internet connection you cannot play the game. Period.
2. You have a limit of 3 activations. You can install the game on 3 different PCs, or make 2 'significant hardware' changes on the same PC before you use up your activations. Note that the developer has said you can install/uninstall the game on the SAME hardware as many times as you like, as long as you have not changed any hardware or reformatted your hard disk. Changing your OS will also probably trigger using another activation.
3. If you need a fourth activation, you have to contact EA customer support. EA will deal with requests for further activations on a 'case-by-case' basis and will require proof of purchase. They may say 'no', in which case you have yourself a shiny coaster.
4. There is no information on what constitutes a 'significant hardware' change.
5. SecureROM copy protection software will be installed in the background. There will probably be no information whatsoever telling you about this. This software is similar to a virus in that it buries itself deep in your system, putting null values in your registry, hidden files and directories on your hard disk, and it is difficult to remove. SecureROM is NOT uninstalled when you uninstall a game using it. If you use a Limited account to play games, you will probably trigger UAService7.exe which is a SecureROM file intended to give Admin rights access to Limited accounts so that the game can be played. This opens a potential back-door for hackers to exploit. SecureROM also does not like monitoring/debugging software running in the background, and is believed to interfere with totally legal CD burning software (including Nero), and virtual disk software (Alcohol, Daemon Tools etc). Because it does not like 'virtual disk' functions, it is also reported to have an issue with SCSI drives, and some RAID setups. If your CD/DVD drive has problems reading the game disk, SecureROM is directly to blame for that.
6. There will be no revoke tool to buy back activations (it is not in the FAQ on the official forums).
7. All future EA PC games will be using the same DRM scheme, including Spore, Mirror's Edge, Dragon Age and many others.
8. People on dial-up connections will be paying a telephone call every time they activate a game using this DRM.
9. If you telephone customer support for new activations, you will be paying for the calls, hence incur 'hidden costs' to play your game. For those with no local EA offices in their country, they will be charged international call rates when trying to get an additional activation. You can, of course, opt to use Email - and will probably have to at some point to send EA a digital photograph of your game CD, manual, case or receipt and send that as proof of purchase.

Enjoy playing your future EA games (and probably games from 2K as well which use a similar system). Personally, I will be avoiding them like the plague.

Thank you. Someone has stated the truth. Everyone keeps thinking you can only install the game 3 times, and that is clearly bs. The whole concept of activation binding to a specific hardware profile is not new. Win XP with a non-corporate key does this only you get 1 activation, not the 3 this game will provide.

I was unaware that this game did #5 you listed above. That sux. I don't want games messing with low level parts of my OS because I don't know what they are doing and I don't know how to revert back aside from reformatting which is bs. If something starts randomly failing I may have no way of fixing it. Well... I wasn't so against SecureROM before, but now I guess I am...

#5 makes me upset, too. I will still probably buy Mass Effect, but I'll wait until Gogamer has a big sale. Still, I'm apprehensive. Similar protection programs have previsously screwed up other software I've run on my pc, and I had to go to a computer shop to have them remedy the situation. Those programs do truly get deeply ingrained in your system and it's pretty hard for the average guy to troubleshoot and fix them.

For those who like irony, Sony BMG (Sony are the makers of SecureROM) are now in hot water with French authorities who discovered that 47% of the software being used on one of their servers was pirated. That was back in March this year.

Meanwhile, last October a representative of Sony BMG giving testimony in court reckons each time you rip a CD or make a backup copy (like backing up music you have downloaded onto your hard disk in case it crashes) you are stealing.

So just remember when SecureROM is installing itself on your PC in future, that the company making it 'to combat piracy' have used pirated software themselves. Can we say 'hypocrisy'?

For those who like irony, Sony BMG (Sony are the makers of SecureROM) are now in hot water with French authorities who discovered that 47% of the software being used on one of their servers was pirated. That was back in March this year.

Meanwhile, last October a representative of Sony BMG giving testimony in court reckons each time you rip a CD or make a backup copy (like backing up music you have downloaded onto your hard disk in case it crashes) you are stealing.

So just remember when SecureROM is installing itself on your PC in future, that the company making it 'to combat piracy' have used pirated software themselves. Can we say 'hypocrisy'?

RobertBowen

I have to say, the more talk about SecureRom, the more I feel apprehensive about installing a game with it on my PC. I'm almost regretting pre-ordering it instead of waiting a little while after it comes out. I really hope it doesn't interfere with any programs that I have.

I used to love their games when i was younger.. however they have been releasing some huge dissapointments over the last few years.

C&C Generals, C&C3 and the upcoming RA3 have all dissapointed me hugely.. the upcoming RA3 i dont have high hopes for. They've gone even more into the sillyness that RA2 went to only they've taken it way to far. Look at the bear cannon and you'll see what im talking about.

As far as the Mass Effect activation.. there is no way it would be like that. They wouldn't terminate cd keys for those people that havn't logged in for it to activate in over a week. Obviously people go on holidays and people dont get time to play one particular game every week.. or what if they want to reinstall it later on in say 6-12 months time.. They wont release a game with such a ridiculous method of activation because no one will buy the game and they would have complaints from everyone that did.

How ironic that your username is Origin.

R.I.P. Origin Systems! :cry:

5. SecureROM copy protection software will be installed in the background. There will probably be no information whatsoever telling you about this. This software is similar to a virus in that it buries itself deep in your system, putting null values in your registry, hidden files and directories on your hard disk, and it is difficult to remove. SecureROM is NOT uninstalled when you uninstall a game using it. If you use a Limited account to play games, you will probably trigger UAService7.exe which is a SecureROM file intended to give Admin rights access to Limited accounts so that the game can be played. This opens a potential back-door for hackers to exploit. SecureROM also does not like monitoring/debugging software running in the background, and is believed to interfere with totally legal CD burning software (including Nero), and virtual disk software (Alcohol, Daemon Tools etc). Because it does not like 'virtual disk' functions, it is also reported to have an issue with SCSI drives, and some RAID setups. If your CD/DVD drive has problems reading the game disk, SecureROM is directly to blame for that.RobertBowen

[QUOTE="-Origin-"]

But one MAJOR issue with mass effect is the DRM. How the activation and registration for that game is going to be is the following. You buy the game, activate it online and there you have it, it's over with!... NOT! The game requires you to activate your game once every WEEK !!. That means if you buy mass effect and decide to go on vacation and it's been over a week, well sir, you are out of luck because EA has just terminated your cd key and you have wasted your money. I mean how does EA possibly think they're going to get away with this!

RobertBowen

That is incorrect. The way it works is this:

1. You need an internet connection, because when you install the game you have to authenticate it online. If you do not have access to an internet connection you cannot play the game. Period.
2. You have a limit of 3 activations. You can install the game on 3 different PCs, or make 2 'significant hardware' changes on the same PC before you use up your activations. Note that the developer has said you can install/uninstall the game on the SAME hardware as many times as you like, as long as you have not changed any hardware or reformatted your hard disk. Changing your OS will also probably trigger using another activation.
3. If you need a fourth activation, you have to contact EA customer support. EA will deal with requests for further activations on a 'case-by-case' basis and will require proof of purchase. They may say 'no', in which case you have yourself a shiny coaster.
4. There is no information on what constitutes a 'significant hardware' change.
5. SecureROM copy protection software will be installed in the background. There will probably be no information whatsoever telling you about this. This software is similar to a virus in that it buries itself deep in your system, putting null values in your registry, hidden files and directories on your hard disk, and it is difficult to remove. SecureROM is NOT uninstalled when you uninstall a game using it. If you use a Limited account to play games, you will probably trigger UAService7.exe which is a SecureROM file intended to give Admin rights access to Limited accounts so that the game can be played. This opens a potential back-door for hackers to exploit. SecureROM also does not like monitoring/debugging software running in the background, and is believed to interfere with totally legal CD burning software (including Nero), and virtual disk software (Alcohol, Daemon Tools etc). Because it does not like 'virtual disk' functions, it is also reported to have an issue with SCSI drives, and some RAID setups. If your CD/DVD drive has problems reading the game disk, SecureROM is directly to blame for that.
6. There will be no revoke tool to buy back activations (it is not in the FAQ on the official forums).
7. All future EA PC games will be using the same DRM scheme, including Spore, Mirror's Edge, Dragon Age and many others.
8. People on dial-up connections will be paying a telephone call every time they activate a game using this DRM.
9. If you telephone customer support for new activations, you will be paying for the calls, hence incur 'hidden costs' to play your game. For those with no local EA offices in their country, they will be charged international call rates when trying to get an additional activation. You can, of course, opt to use Email - and will probably have to at some point to send EA a digital photograph of your game CD, manual, case or receipt and send that as proof of purchase.

Enjoy playing your future EA games (and probably games from 2K as well which use a similar system). Personally, I will be avoiding them like the plague.

thank you, I had never known that. i am one of the few people who actually don't HATE EA, and now they have let me down

This part's going to suck, but Safedisc does the same thing re: dropping files on your hard drive without asking, and late last year was singled out by MS as being a security vulnerability under XP (not Vista).

Makari

Punkbuster does the same thing, running a service in the background to give itself admin rights.

Makari

Most of the copy protection programs are switching to that method for Vista compatibility, basically. Older versions of SecuROM that supposedly caused less problem in the past worked by directly modifying your CD drive, IIRC.

Makari

But yeah, boycotting #5 out of a game currently leads to boycotting Activision, 2K, EA, Ubisoft, Blizzard, and god knows how many other publishers, further including the ones that use PunkBuster. And it is, again, something that these guys have been doing since 1999 or 2000 or so.

Makari

EA is changing their ways though. They came out and said they were going to adjust their work environments, give developers more creative freedom, and generally put more time and money into their games. They sold some profitable but mediocre IPs. And really, it shows - it's an improved EA, and they did it because we persistently told them we wanted them to. So we should pat ourselves on the back, but also give them credit for their recent efforts.

EA has bought Mythic Entertainment, who is making Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning, and I love it! They are helping a not-so-big company making the greatest mmo ever (imo ofc), and I dont see why people hate EA so much..

After all, they've made a vast majority of my favorite games ever, like the Battlefield series an so on

[QUOTE="RobertBowen"]

For those who like irony, Sony BMG (Sony are the makers of SecureROM) are now in hot water with French authorities who discovered that 47% of the software being used on one of their servers was pirated. That was back in March this year.

Meanwhile, last October a representative of Sony BMG giving testimony in court reckons each time you rip a CD or make a backup copy (like backing up music you have downloaded onto your hard disk in case it crashes) you are stealing.

So just remember when SecureROM is installing itself on your PC in future, that the company making it 'to combat piracy' have used pirated software themselves. Can we say 'hypocrisy'?

dahwnpapaya

I have to say, the more talk about SecureRom, the more I feel apprehensive about installing a game with it on my PC. I'm almost regretting pre-ordering it instead of waiting a little while after it comes out. I really hope it doesn't interfere with any programs that I have.

i was apprehensive when i heard about it being with Bioshock, but in the event i was so keen to get the game i did so, and to be honest if you've a broadband connection it takes a few seconds, and doesn't seem to affect anything else - i've got pro malware and anti-virus stuff on my machine, and it didn't suddenly start telling me i was connecting to EA all the time or anything

2. You have a limit of 3 activations. You can install the game on 3 different PCs, or make 2 'significant hardware' changes on the same PC before you use up your activations. Note that the developer has said you can install/uninstall the game on the SAME hardware as many times as you like, as long as you have not changed any hardware or reformatted your hard disk. Changing your OS will also probably trigger using another activation.

5. SecureROM copy protection software will be installed in the background. There will probably be no information whatsoever telling you about this. This software is similar to a virus in that it buries itself deep in your system, putting null values in your registry, hidden files and directories on your hard disk, and it is difficult to remove. SecureROM is NOT uninstalled when you uninstall a game using it. If you use a Limited account to play games, you will probably trigger UAService7.exe which is a SecureROM file intended to give Admin rights access to Limited accounts so that the game can be played. This opens a potential back-door for hackers to exploit. SecureROM also does not like monitoring/debugging software running in the background, and is believed to interfere with totally legal CD burning software (including Nero), and virtual disk software (Alcohol, Daemon Tools etc). Because it does not like 'virtual disk' functions, it is also reported to have an issue with SCSI drives, and some RAID setups. If your CD/DVD drive has problems reading the game disk, SecureROM is directly to blame for that.RobertBowen

From what I understand, you are limited at 3 simultaneous activations, not 3 activations period. If you uninstall all 3, you are back at 0 activations. That's how it worked with BioShock, if I'm not mistaken.

Also, going by what BioWare said, SecuROM does not install any software on your PC. SecuROM's authentication call is part of masseffect.exe file and it serves to establish a connection with their server. There are no SecuROM files being installed on your hard drive.

[QUOTE="RobertBowen"][QUOTE="-Origin-"]

But one MAJOR issue with mass effect is the DRM. How the activation and registration for that game is going to be is the following. You buy the game, activate it online and there you have it, it's over with!... NOT! The game requires you to activate your game once every WEEK !!. That means if you buy mass effect and decide to go on vacation and it's been over a week, well sir, you are out of luck because EA has just terminated your cd key and you have wasted your money. I mean how does EA possibly think they're going to get away with this!

df853

That is incorrect. The way it works is this:

1. You need an internet connection, because when you install the game you have to authenticate it online. If you do not have access to an internet connection you cannot play the game. Period.
2. You have a limit of 3 activations. You can install the game on 3 different PCs, or make 2 'significant hardware' changes on the same PC before you use up your activations. Note that the developer has said you can install/uninstall the game on the SAME hardware as many times as you like, as long as you have not changed any hardware or reformatted your hard disk. Changing your OS will also probably trigger using another activation.
3. If you need a fourth activation, you have to contact EA customer support. EA will deal with requests for further activations on a 'case-by-case' basis and will require proof of purchase. They may say 'no', in which case you have yourself a shiny coaster.
4. There is no information on what constitutes a 'significant hardware' change.
5. SecureROM copy protection software will be installed in the background. There will probably be no information whatsoever telling you about this. This software is similar to a virus in that it buries itself deep in your system, putting null values in your registry, hidden files and directories on your hard disk, and it is difficult to remove. SecureROM is NOT uninstalled when you uninstall a game using it. If you use a Limited account to play games, you will probably trigger UAService7.exe which is a SecureROM file intended to give Admin rights access to Limited accounts so that the game can be played. This opens a potential back-door for hackers to exploit. SecureROM also does not like monitoring/debugging software running in the background, and is believed to interfere with totally legal CD burning software (including Nero), and virtual disk software (Alcohol, Daemon Tools etc). Because it does not like 'virtual disk' functions, it is also reported to have an issue with SCSI drives, and some RAID setups. If your CD/DVD drive has problems reading the game disk, SecureROM is directly to blame for that.
6. There will be no revoke tool to buy back activations (it is not in the FAQ on the official forums).
7. All future EA PC games will be using the same DRM scheme, including Spore, Mirror's Edge, Dragon Age and many others.
8. People on dial-up connections will be paying a telephone call every time they activate a game using this DRM.
9. If you telephone customer support for new activations, you will be paying for the calls, hence incur 'hidden costs' to play your game. For those with no local EA offices in their country, they will be charged international call rates when trying to get an additional activation. You can, of course, opt to use Email - and will probably have to at some point to send EA a digital photograph of your game CD, manual, case or receipt and send that as proof of purchase.

Enjoy playing your future EA games (and probably games from 2K as well which use a similar system). Personally, I will be avoiding them like the plague.

Thank you. Someone has stated the truth. Everyone keeps thinking you can only install the game 3 times, and that is clearly bs. The whole concept of activation binding to a specific hardware profile is not new. Win XP with a non-corporate key does this only you get 1 activation, not the 3 this game will provide.

I was unaware that this game did #5 you listed above. That sux. I don't want games messing with low level parts of my OS because I don't know what they are doing and I don't know how to revert back aside from reformatting which is bs. If something starts randomly failing I may have no way of fixing it. Well... I wasn't so against SecureROM before, but now I guess I am...

3 installations for your current Hardware is UNACCEPTABLE. I will not support a game that won't be able to play in a year or two. EA is completely disregarding the fact that PC Gamers upgrade, it's part of the deal. I'm getting a new motherboard in the next couple of months, and then I will get a new Video Card probably in the Fall, guess what, If I want to continue playing after that, I'm screwed. People should not support this garbage and send a message of abysmal sales. They are asking for $39 dollars to basically have no game in a year or two.

[QUOTE="RobertBowen"]

For those who like irony, Sony BMG (Sony are the makers of SecureROM) are now in hot water with French authorities who discovered that 47% of the software being used on one of their servers was pirated. That was back in March this year.

Meanwhile, last October a representative of Sony BMG giving testimony in court reckons each time you rip a CD or make a backup copy (like backing up music you have downloaded onto your hard disk in case it crashes) you are stealing.

So just remember when SecureROM is installing itself on your PC in future, that the company making it 'to combat piracy' have used pirated software themselves. Can we say 'hypocrisy'?

dahwnpapaya

I have to say, the more talk about SecureRom, the more I feel apprehensive about installing a game with it on my PC. I'm almost regretting pre-ordering it instead of waiting a little while after it comes out. I really hope it doesn't interfere with any programs that I have.

You can still cancel your pre-order, I did. I'll wait for a better version to come out, if at all.

From what I understand, you are limited at 3 simultaneous activations, not 3 activations period. If you uninstall all 3, you are back at 0 activations. That's how it worked with BioShock, if I'm not mistaken.

UpInFlames

Also, going by what BioWare said, SecuROM does not install any software on your PC. SecuROM's authentication call is part of masseffect.exe file and it serves to establish a connection with their server. There are no SecuROM files being installed on your hard drive.

UpInFlames

The question has been asked many times on the Bioware Mass Effect forums, and the answer is always that you have only 3 activations tied to your hardware, and must contact EA for further activations beyond that. You do not 'buy back' an activation by uninstalling the game, and that is carefully avoided in the FAQ.RobertBowen

That's not good, then. But even so, I think the measure will be removed within a year from the game's release, perhaps even sooner. Publishers are mostly concerned about the launch, as time goes by, such measures become increasingly irrelevant. I don't think EA has any plans to deal with Mass Effect's activations several years down the line. It's just not worth it.

The question has been asked many times on the Bioware Mass Effect forums, and the answer is always that you have only 3 activations tied to your hardware, and must contact EA for further activations beyond that. You do not 'buy back' an activation by uninstalling the game, and that is carefully avoided in the FAQ.RobertBowen

Indeed, "We wrote the installer and it has nothing to do with SecuROM or activations" according to Derek French

Suits at EA have come out and said they aren't proud of what's transpired over the years with the smaller companies they've consumed. Publishing contracts are one thing, but buying out smaller devs and neutering them is certainly cause for concern, from a gamer's point of view.. I don't think this will happen with Bioware right away, but it will eventually. I'll never forget Origin or Westwood studios, as that flat out sucked when they were bought and closed down. Two of the best devs for their time that could have easily continued, and were a huge part of what made PC Gaming great. Don't forget about Bullfrog either, though Molyneux was able to continue his work. EA has pretty much treated DICE like a piece of dirt, been firing moving and throwing around, and haven't made a quality title in years. When it's all about profit margins and appeasing shareholders, you can pretty much throw out the creativity and art that's been a big part of what makes games great.

I don't think EA should be singled out though, 2k isn't anything to brag about either.

You know it was like that at first, but then the next guy, one of the guys at Bioware said that they were going to take out the one week part cuz everyone hated it so muchnevereathim

I actually found this out about 3 hours after I posted this lol.

[QUOTE="df853"][QUOTE="RobertBowen"][QUOTE="-Origin-"]

But one MAJOR issue with mass effect is the DRM. How the activation and registration for that game is going to be is the following. You buy the game, activate it online and there you have it, it's over with!... NOT! The game requires you to activate your game once every WEEK !!. That means if you buy mass effect and decide to go on vacation and it's been over a week, well sir, you are out of luck because EA has just terminated your cd key and you have wasted your money. I mean how does EA possibly think they're going to get away with this!

mismajor99

That is incorrect. The way it works is this:

1. You need an internet connection, because when you install the game you have to authenticate it online. If you do not have access to an internet connection you cannot play the game. Period.
2. You have a limit of 3 activations. You can install the game on 3 different PCs, or make 2 'significant hardware' changes on the same PC before you use up your activations. Note that the developer has said you can install/uninstall the game on the SAME hardware as many times as you like, as long as you have not changed any hardware or reformatted your hard disk. Changing your OS will also probably trigger using another activation.
3. If you need a fourth activation, you have to contact EA customer support. EA will deal with requests for further activations on a 'case-by-case' basis and will require proof of purchase. They may say 'no', in which case you have yourself a shiny coaster.
4. There is no information on what constitutes a 'significant hardware' change.
5. SecureROM copy protection software will be installed in the background. There will probably be no information whatsoever telling you about this. This software is similar to a virus in that it buries itself deep in your system, putting null values in your registry, hidden files and directories on your hard disk, and it is difficult to remove. SecureROM is NOT uninstalled when you uninstall a game using it. If you use a Limited account to play games, you will probably trigger UAService7.exe which is a SecureROM file intended to give Admin rights access to Limited accounts so that the game can be played. This opens a potential back-door for hackers to exploit. SecureROM also does not like monitoring/debugging software running in the background, and is believed to interfere with totally legal CD burning software (including Nero), and virtual disk software (Alcohol, Daemon Tools etc). Because it does not like 'virtual disk' functions, it is also reported to have an issue with SCSI drives, and some RAID setups. If your CD/DVD drive has problems reading the game disk, SecureROM is directly to blame for that.
6. There will be no revoke tool to buy back activations (it is not in the FAQ on the official forums).
7. All future EA PC games will be using the same DRM scheme, including Spore, Mirror's Edge, Dragon Age and many others.
8. People on dial-up connections will be paying a telephone call every time they activate a game using this DRM.
9. If you telephone customer support for new activations, you will be paying for the calls, hence incur 'hidden costs' to play your game. For those with no local EA offices in their country, they will be charged international call rates when trying to get an additional activation. You can, of course, opt to use Email - and will probably have to at some point to send EA a digital photograph of your game CD, manual, case or receipt and send that as proof of purchase.

Enjoy playing your future EA games (and probably games from 2K as well which use a similar system). Personally, I will be avoiding them like the plague.

Thank you. Someone has stated the truth. Everyone keeps thinking you can only install the game 3 times, and that is clearly bs. The whole concept of activation binding to a specific hardware profile is not new. Win XP with a non-corporate key does this only you get 1 activation, not the 3 this game will provide.

I was unaware that this game did #5 you listed above. That sux. I don't want games messing with low level parts of my OS because I don't know what they are doing and I don't know how to revert back aside from reformatting which is bs. If something starts randomly failing I may have no way of fixing it. Well... I wasn't so against SecureROM before, but now I guess I am...

3 installations for your current Hardware is UNACCEPTABLE. I will not support a game that won't be able to play in a year or two. EA is completely disregarding the fact that PC Gamers upgrade, it's part of the deal. I'm getting a new motherboard in the next couple of months, and then I will get a new Video Card probably in the Fall, guess what, If I want to continue playing after that, I'm screwed. People should not support this garbage and send a message of abysmal sales. They are asking for $39 dollars to basically have no game in a year or two.

Exactly... I agree completely, what happened when you were able to install it as many times as you want, where ever you want to. There goes the days of loving a game and then bringing it over to a friends to show them!!

However, I think it is a good idea for everyone to educate themselves about how SecuROM, SafeDisc and other copy protection schemes operate, and how they may impact the performance or operation of their PCs. The problem until recent years has been that there was little information available, but now that is no longer the case.RobertBowen

Suits at EA have come out and said they aren't proud of what's transpired over the years with the smaller companies they've consumed. Publishing contracts are one thing, but buying out smaller devs and neutering them is certainly cause for concern, from a gamer's point of view.. I don't think this will happen with Bioware right away, but it will eventually. I'll never forget Origin or Westwood studios, as that flat out sucked when they were bought and closed down. Two of the best devs for their time that could have easily continued, and were a huge part of what made PC Gaming great. Don't forget about Bullfrog either, though Molyneux was able to continue his work. EA has pretty much treated DICE like a piece of dirt, been firing moving and throwing around, and haven't made a quality title in years. When it's all about profit margins and appeasing shareholders, you can pretty much throw out the creativity and art that's been a big part of what makes games great.

I don't think EA should be singled out though, 2k isn't anything to brag about either.

mismajor99

[QUOTE="mismajor99"]

Suits at EA have come out and said they aren't proud of what's transpired over the years with the smaller companies they've consumed. Publishing contracts are one thing, but buying out smaller devs and neutering them is certainly cause for concern, from a gamer's point of view.. I don't think this will happen with Bioware right away, but it will eventually. I'll never forget Origin or Westwood studios, as that flat out sucked when they were bought and closed down. Two of the best devs for their time that could have easily continued, and were a huge part of what made PC Gaming great. Don't forget about Bullfrog either, though Molyneux was able to continue his work. EA has pretty much treated DICE like a piece of dirt, been firing moving and throwing around, and haven't made a quality title in years. When it's all about profit margins and appeasing shareholders, you can pretty much throw out the creativity and art that's been a big part of what makes games great.

I don't think EA should be singled out though, 2k isn't anything to brag about either.

Makari

First off, When I'm talking DICE I'm refferring to existing IP that we can gauge, not hype and previews with zero evidence of a great game. The BF series is nothing but a shell and rehashed BS from the original. BF 2142 was nothing but a reskin of BF2 with titan mode slapped on. That's creativity down the drain for such a once talented company. Are you really trying to tell me they've been on the upswing since EA aquired them? Please, keep those thoughts to yourself. That's a ridiculous notion. With Mirror's Edge, we don't have a clue as to how that game is going to turn out or what the limitations are that EA is imposing on them. It's been YEARS since DICE has done something worthwhile and the burden is on them to do otherwise. Until that happens, i'll be waiting. Maybe Mirror's Edge is their new standout game, who knows. All I know is that EA has them churning out games under the BF name, another generic game coming soon, and I really don't think there's an argument there.

I don't trust previews for a second anymore, been burned getting excited for games far too much over the years.

Many people in the BF community would disagree with you, 2142 was more of the same and offered nothing substantially new or exciting. Looking at the reviews across the board, and just the overall popularity of 2142 vs. BF2 would tell you that. It's easily regarded as the worst in the series by clans across the board. Right now as I type, 2142 has less then half the players of BF2, check out game-monitor.com to see for yourself.

DICE hasn't put a game out since BF2 that's been the same or equal quality. I don't see how that's a far out idea either. That's not to say they aren't capable of doing so, but I think it's safe to assume they have an endless budget so long they tow the line and keep churning out a BF title, which is exactly what's going on. There isn't an ounce of proof suggesting EA is the reason Mirror's Edge is in development. In fact, I would bet it was a tough sell to attain the funds to develop, especially since it's an original IP. They could have easily developed whatever game they had planned or wanted to without EA. What I want to know is, what other projects have been denied funding since they've been under EA's umbrella?

There's pros and cons of being swallowed whole, I just don't see the overall benefit in DICE'S case from a gamer's point of view. EA didn't technically "own" them until 2005, they simpy owned a majority of their stock, and a year later in 2006 owned them outright. Since then, I don't see anyone or anything to point out that it is regarded as a great thing for the industry. There are many people that will tell you that DICE put out 2142 to ramp up revenue and build their worth since EA was actively seeking them the year prior after owning just about half of DICE's shares, and it fits perfectly with the timeline. Who knows, but looking at that game, it makes sense. Consolidation is usually rarely a good thing for the consumer.

There's pros and cons of being swallowed whole, I just don't see the overall benefit in DICE'S case from a gamer's point of view.mismajor99

Sorry, but I just don't buy the notion that a company like DICE needed to be bought out to fund their projects, They sold multiple millions of copies of 1942 all the way up to BF2, and was the very reason EA set their sites on them. They were purchased through buying a majority of their stock, and at that point, haven't released a quality title since. I think you would be hard pressed to find anyone that would tell you DICE would have struggled to make games without EA dictating to them. DICE could have very well become the next Valve.

Blizzard is a rare example in the industry, they've said it many times that they're extremely lucky to be able to have the creative freedom to do what they like with almost no interference. There's an obvious balancing act that's required, where creativity can thrive while still being in a stringent corporate environment.

Valve is the perfect example of what this industry should look like in a perfect world. Take Left4Dead for instance. The game has been playable and ready to go for quite sometime, but Valve wants to put the extra time into it, adding more and more features, instead of being under the gun to release a product to boost that particular quarter's profits. They've been afforded that luxury for staying independent, and pretty much the biggest gaming community on PC has embraced them for it. Something needs to be said for that behavior, and why that's better for gamers than DICE's situation with EA. Just look at the difference between the two Developers, one is far ahead of the other in terms of quality products. I don't think it's all because Valve has smarter and more creative people, it's the path they have chosen to take.

If Iron Lore was under EA, they would have been closed down long ago, especially if they weren't turning a profit for their parent company.

quote!mismajor99

And where has gone the "EA's offer for R*" thingy.

I hope they dont buy out R* or we wont see anymore GTAs...

Oh also they make you buy the sims expansions with stuff that could have always been there in the real game...Anyway thats just a little aspect but I agree with ya OP.

IamGrunt