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Life Is Strange: Before The Storm PC uses Denuvo

S

SE Toby

Neo Member
Hey folks,

Community Manager for Life is Strange here. As mentioned in the OP (not sure if everyone read it), but just to highlight it again:

- We have done extensive testing with the software and its implementation with Before the Storm has no impact on PC resources.

- Denuvo will not require an “always-on” connection. You will be able to enjoy Life is Strange: Before the Storm offline.

Hope that clears things up regarding the implementation.
 
R

Rizific

Member
Zero-ELEC said:
So you read the other thread but somehow managed to miss the part where the game couldn't run off-line?
Click to expand...
I remember the first page or two of the sonic mania thread just being filled with "ok then I'm not buying it" posts. But no, I didn't see that. Is that all with denuvo? That you just need to be online to play?
 
holygeesus

holygeesus

Banned
If Denuvo didn't help initial sales then no publisher would use it. Even if they get a weeks grace out of it, it is worth it to them, rather than having the games leak even before retail, as used to be the case.
 
P

PhantomThief

Banned
SE Toby said:
Hey folks,

Community Manager for Life is Strange here. As mentioned in the OP (not sure if everyone read it), but just to highlight it again:

- We have done extensive testing with the software and its implementation with Before the Storm has no impact on PC resources.

- Denuvo will not require an “always-on” connection. You will be able to enjoy Life is Strange: Before the Storm offline.

Hope that clears things up regarding the implementation.
Click to expand...

Why do pirates get a better version if I don't want third party software like Denuvo on my pc?
 
B

Budi

Member
SE Toby said:
Hey folks,

Community Manager for Life is Strange here. As mentioned in the OP (not sure if everyone read it), but just to highlight it again:

- We have done extensive testing with the software and its implementation with Before the Storm has no impact on PC resources.

- Denuvo will not require an “always-on” connection. You will be able to enjoy Life is Strange: Before the Storm offline.

Hope that clears things up regarding the implementation.
Click to expand...
Good luck with the game, looking forward to picking it up myself too. And good to see some presence in GAF from you guys.
PhantomThief said:
Why do pirates get a better version if I don't want third party software like Denuvo on my pc?
Click to expand...
PhantomThief
Member
(Today, 07:38 PM)
 
W

Wowfunhappy

Member
kami_sama said:
I think the RiME thing was debunked,at least partially. It had an horrendous implementation, but removing denuvo didn't make it run better.
Click to expand...

iirc it actually seems to be the opposite in this particular case. The performance improved a lot when they patched out Denuvo.

Mind you, there are many other cases where this didn't happen. It just depends on the implementation. Rime's implementation was stupid.
 
Plumpbiscuit

Plumpbiscuit

Member
SE Toby said:
Hope that clears things up regarding the implementation.
Click to expand...

You're hurting us paying customers by implementing a DRM solution that doesn't work, Denuvo is crackable in a day now. Why should pirates get a free, better, moddable version of the game and we paying customers get a paid-for, worse, unoddable version? I ain't attacking you, I'm just wondering why you think it's a good idea to use Denuvo when time and time again it's proven not to prevent piracy when in fact it just encourages crack teams to try and "beat it"?

Also, what guarantee is there Denuvo won't slow not-as-powerful computers and laptops down? What are the specs of the computer used in question was used to test Denuvo's performance? The DRM is known, at times, to cause CPU resource hog and not allow true offline mode.
 
F

Fat_Caddis

Member
PhantomThief said:
Why do pirates get a better version if I don't want third party software like Denuvo on my pc?
Click to expand...

Thieves generally get better deals on the products they steal then paying customers do. My god, the level of contempt for basic anti-piracy measures on this forum is insufferable.
 
adamsapple

adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
And that's why I'm getting it on a PS4 even though I can get it for cheaper on PC and my PC meets the game's requirements.
 
B

Budi

Member
Lagamorph said:
So anti-consumer DRM + locking an episode behind the Deluxe edition.

Why should anybody even consider buying this?
Click to expand...
It's separate from the story right? It's additionl episode, just like many story DLC:s are. You are getting a full game without the deluxe edition. And you can buy it as an upgrade later on, you don't need the deluxe edition out of the gate to play it.
Plumpbiscuit said:
You're hurting us paying customers by implementing a DRM solution that doesn't work, Denuvo is crackable in a day now. Why should pirates get a free, better, moddable version of the game and we paying customers get a paid-for, worse, unoddable version? I ain't attacking you, I'm just wondering why you think it's a good idea to use Denuvo when time and time again it's proven not to prevent piracy when in fact it just encourages crack teams to try and "beat it"?

Also, what guarantee is there Denuvo won't slow not-as-powerful computers and laptops down? What are the specs of the computer used in question was used to test Denuvo's performance? The DRM is known, at times, to cause CPU resource hog and not allow true offline mode.
Click to expand...
You really think that Toby got to decide?
 
C

carlsojo

Member
Budi said:
It's separate from the story right? It's additionl episode, just like many story DLC:s are.
You really think that Toby got to decide?
Click to expand...

Better yet, do you think the developers got to decide at all? This is probably a publisher/Square decision/policy.
 
C

CecilRousso

Member
SE Toby said:
Hey folks,

Community Manager for Life is Strange here. As mentioned in the OP (not sure if everyone read it), but just to highlight it again:

- We have done extensive testing with the software and its implementation with Before the Storm has no impact on PC resources.

- Denuvo will not require an ”always-on" connection. You will be able to enjoy Life is Strange: Before the Storm offline.

Hope that clears things up regarding the implementation.
Click to expand...

Clears it up, sure. Some credit should be given for you guys actually announcing it before release, and not doing a Sonic Mania with your game.

But requiring additional server depencies for a purchased single player game is stil a shitty thing, that devaluates your product.

Rizific said:
What exactly makes denuvo "excessive"? Genuine question. I saw the table flipping in the sonic mania thread and didn't understand.
Click to expand...

Make your purchased singleplayer game dependent on both the Steam servers/client, and then also on Denuvos servers, is excessive. One of them should be enough for the customer.

Data West said:
Steam is DRM too and I dont see people crying about it
Click to expand...

So if the customer accepts one server depency and set of limitations on the ownership, he/she should accept any number of them?
 
P

prudislav

Member
SE Toby said:
Hey folks,

Community Manager for Life is Strange here.
Click to expand...
Great to know such info before release to make informed decisions ... also i could be good to include the usual yellow box on storepage aswell...
... i guess i should do some extensive testing of denuvo titles i won again :-D Last time i was on boat trip all denuvo games became unusable in week 2 of offline play
 
O

old manatee

Banned
Every time I see marketing for this game it feels less like someone selling me something and more like someone delivering me some hard news about the state of things. "It's a prequel...made by a different team...with different voice actors...and Denuvo..." Goddamn throw some new levels or some power ups in there. Something to get excited about.
 
H

hiryu64

Member
Data West said:
Steam is DRM too and I dont see people crying about it
Click to expand...
I'm going to assume you're being sincere and are actually wondering why people are okay with Steam and not Denuvo. Here are the key differences:
  • Steam is a distribution platform through which games are purchased (or perhaps more accurately "leased"). Denuvo is a piece of software that is distributed within games' files.
  • Steam provides useful, value-adding services such as friends lists, matchmaking, and content management. Denuvo provides the consumer with no value -- at best, hampering game and computer performance at worst.
  • Steam has an offline mode that allows users to play games without an internet connection (even though activation must be done online). Denuvo runs periodic checks (EDIT: during gameplay) to ensure that the game is online in order to verify the game's legitimacy.
  • Steam, theoretically, will remove all the DRM from its games if it ever shuts down (Valve has stated this, but only time will tell if this promise is upheld). If Denuvo's servers ever shut down, your games are inoperable.
  • There is also an ideological component in that explicit anti-piracy measures are generally inherently anti-consumer and only hurt paying consumers while pirates will simply circumvent the DRM. Steam has so much goodwill because it's a value-added service, but that's not to say that it doesn't have its share of opponents and critics.
  • EDIT: As a final note, with services such as Steam and other online-only games, consumers, for the most part, know exactly what they're signing up for and voluntarily make these transactions. Too many times, like most recently with Sonic Mania (and, indeed, LiS: BTS), Denuvo is forced upon consumers against their will, sometimes unknowingly. This may be due to last-minute decisions by upper management, but regardless of the circumstances, it is effectively deceptive marketing, as many consumers would not make these purchases with advanced knowledge of Denuvo's existence (and that's without getting into the logistics of refunds).
Comparing Steam to Denuvo is an apples-to-oranges scenario. They are both technically a form of DRM (more accurately, Steam provides a form of DRM that is apparently optional -- thanks Stump and BernardoOne!), but that's where the similarities end.
chronic_archaic said:
I never got this

Fuck DRM... but oh wait the game isn't on Steam so I'm not buying it.

If you really hate DRM so much just crack your games after you buy them or get DRM free versions if you want to make a statement.
Click to expand...
You should take note of my response as well.
carlsojo said:
I'm okay with this because I don't overreact over trivial shit.
Click to expand...
Oh, hang on. Actually, disregard everything I said. Apparently it's trivial and I shouldn't actually care about this. Glad we have people like carlsojo to rein us in when we start to get out of control.
 
S

spineduke

Unconfirmed Member
Hella no am I buying this. The people who don't have a problem with this practice have a severe lack of optics of what they're leading this industry to. This shite is anti consumer to the dot.
 
H

Human Trashcan

Banned
Would love to hear how it's anti-consumer if it has no impact on the performance and lets you play offline. Would just love to. Please give me your best arguments.
 
M

MayMay

Banned
And another thread full of ppl whining about Denuvo saying they won't buy the game now incoming :eek:k_hand:

Human Trashcan said:
Would love to hear how it's anti-consumer if it has no impact on the performance and lets you play offline. Would just love to. Please give me your best arguments.
Click to expand...

People love to cry on here.
 
holygeesus

holygeesus

Banned
It is highly amusing to me that people complain about Denuvo hurting performance then proclaim to be buying the console version instead because of it. Mind. Blown.
 
M

MUnited83

For you.
Fat_Caddis said:
Thieves generally get better deals on the products they steal then paying customers do. My god, the level of contempt for basic anti-piracy measures on this forum is insufferable.
Click to expand...
The product that the pirates get is not just a "better deal", it's literally a better product. That's inexcusable
carlsojo said:
TBH I think they just want an excuse to pirate and steal.
Click to expand...

dumbass shitposts like this should be a autoban.
gameskesw8.png

Yeah bruh i only want a excuse to pirate and steal.
Human Trashcan said:
Would love to hear how it's anti-consumer if it has no impact on the performance and lets you play offline. Would just love to. Please give me your best arguments.
Click to expand...
Limits modding, relies on server checks. You lose access to your legit game the second Denuvo servers go down.
Data West said:
Steam is DRM too and I dont see people crying about it
Click to expand...
Categorically false. Steam isn't and hasn't ever been DRM. Steam CEG is a optional DRM that Steam offers, but isn't included by default on anything.
 
R

RionaaM

Unconfirmed Member
Fuck this, I don't want Before the Storm to have an expiration date. Wish I was stronger so I could cancel my preorder and avoid supporting this shit, but I need more LiS in my life so I won't :(


(and that was no emoji)

BernardoOne said:
The product that the pirates get is not just a "better deal", it's literally a better product. That's inexcusable

dumbass shitposts like this should be a autoban.
gameskesw8.png

Yeah bruh i only want a excuse to pirate and steal.
Click to expand...
You know what, I agree. At this point they have to be shitposting on purpose, no way someone could manage to avoid reading every criticism against DRM and keep claiming ignorance, when that criticism has been posted countless times in the same thread.
 
C

CheesecakeRecipe

Stormy Grey
Fat_Caddis said:
Thieves generally get better deals on the products they steal then paying customers do. My god, the level of contempt for basic anti-piracy measures on this forum is insufferable.
Click to expand...

It doesn't serve any purpose as an anti-piracy measure if it's cracked within a day. There's zero reason for it to exist. That's not insufferable - that's just people not wanting extra, potentially harmful code added to the products they purchase. GOG.com's entire selling point is that their games won't have any sort of code that could render a game useless like older DRM methods have done in the past.

carlsojo said:
TBH I think they just want an excuse to pirate and steal.
Click to expand...

The people I see most vocal over being anti-denuvo often have hundreds to thousands of games on their Steam account. Can't exactly pirate those numbers. Also, much like emulation = piracy, I think accusing people of being pirates off of baseless assumptions is a bannable offense. Might want to hold off on flinging accusations.
 
K

Kthulhu

Member
Human Trashcan said:
Would love to hear how it's anti-consumer if it has no impact on the performance and lets you play offline. Would just love to. Please give me your best arguments.
Click to expand...

Principle.

Edit: no offense to the devs, but of course they're going to say Denuvo doesn't affect performance on their. We have no proof of that currently.
 
S

Stumpokapow

listen to the mad man
Uh, Steam isn't DRM. By default, a game on Steam will be completely DRM free (you can download it, copy the files, paste them on a computer that doesn't have Steam installed on it, and run them). Many developers do choose CEG, the minimally intrusive form of DRM Valve makes available with Steam, but many also do not.
 
H

Human Trashcan

Banned
BernardoOne said:
Limits modding, relies on server checks. You lose access to your legit game the second Denuvo servers go down.
Click to expand...

Modding Life is Strange is a thing? I doubt it, but okay.

Server checks - it says it lets you play offline. If you have to sign in online once for a game that you'll most likely purchase digitally, I don't see the big deal.

Developers can patch out Denuvo so that isn't true.

This all seems ridiculously out of proportion. I've played several games with denuvo and I would never have known it was even there if I didn't read about it. It isn't the least bit intrusive. If it lets you play offline I don't see the issue unless it's actually preventing modding and not just in a theoretical sense. No one's out there modding LiS.
 
R

Relaxed Muscle

Member
It was an easy pass before, now is even easier. I guess the notification of this just before launch is a clear response to Sonic Mania debacle.
 
F

flaxknuckles

Member
Human Trashcan said:
Modding Life is Strange is a thing? I doubt it, but okay.

Server checks - it says it lets you play offline. If you have to sign in online once for a game that you'll most likely purchase digitally, I don't see the big deal.

Developers can patch out Denuvo so that isn't true.

This all seems ridiculously out of proportion. I've played several games with denuvo and I would never have known it was even there if I didn't read about it. It isn't the least bit intrusive. If it lets you play offline I don't see the issue unless it's actually preventing modding and not just in a theoretical sense. No one's out there modding LiS.
Click to expand...

The online authentication isn't just once. And lol there are still games with Securom, TAGES, and Games for Windows Live dependencies to this day. Publishers can't be trusted to patch their games.
 
C

Chainsawkitten

Member
Data West said:
Steam is DRM too and I dont see people crying about it
Click to expand...

No, it's not.

I'm releasing a completely DRM free game on Steam in a while. The only time you need to access Steam's servers is to download the game (and there's no way around that, you need a server to distribute files, they can't just come from thin air). After that you can uninstall Steam, get the game removed from your account, whatever. You can share it with your friends, or upload it for others to pirate without the need for any crack. Steam is not DRM. There certainly are games on Steam that use DRM, but there are also those that don't.
 
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