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Driver PC Requires Always On Internet Connection (Ubisoft's PC DRM Returns)

Wario64

works for Gamestop (lol)
So online pass for consoles and online DRM for PC....bahahahaha. Didn't think Driver was that big of a game for this kind of DRM!
 

1-D_FTW

Member
LiquidMetal14 said:
From Dust too? Damn, I can't buy that on PC now if that's true.


I won't boycott them, but I also won't pay full price. Guess From Dust is no longer Day 1. I'll wait till it's on sale for sub-5.00 dollars. Shame.

SmokyDave said:
Me :(

If this happens with Trackmania 2, I'm naming a kitten 'Ubisoft' and then drowning it in a canal.


I don't know but if someone were to crack it so that I could play it while Steam is in offline mode, I'd consider that person an (unethical, illegal, immoral) hero.

You had to log into Trackmania United anyways to play. I'm not defending this, but it's not a whole lot different from what the old game was. It's the one UBI game I'll except from Sale or No Buy.
 

Suairyu

Banned
Crunched said:
Are no cd cracks against the law? Also, I'd certainly consider the guy ethical and moral.
It's a murky grey area where no exact legal precedent has been set yet.

The obvious conclusion is "I'm modifying the software I bought and own"

The unfortunate, more like to be chosen by (USA) courts conclusion is "You don't own the game, you own a temporary license that allows you to play it which precludes you from modifying it"

NeoGAF moderation policy has always been "you are free to do what you want with what you own and you most definitely do own the damn game you paid for"
 

Easy_D

never left the stone age
Permanent? So it's the extreme shit version of the DRM they used for AC2 at first and not the slightly less horrible but still completely dumb version?
 
TheVampire said:
Does this crap ever stop piracy?
It took weeks to crack the protection in Assassin's Creed 2. They even DDoS'd the DRM servers out of frustration because they wanted to show how bad it is for the customers.

But now that it is cracked, I doubt Ubi will have that much success with it.

Suairyu said:
It's a murky grey area where no exact legal precedent has been set yet.

The obvious conclusion is "I'm modifying the software I bought and own"

The unfortunate, more like to be chosen by (USA) courts conclusion is "You don't own the game, you own a temporary license that allows you to play it which precludes you from modifying it"

NeoGAF moderation policy has always been "you are free to do what you want with what you own and you most definitely do own the damn game you paid for"
It really depends on the country. I think it's illegal to circumvent the copy protection in France and Germany.
 

derFeef

Member
Looks like companies never learn and it make me wonder why they removed/changed the DRM of AC2, but put that stuff in this again. It's a shame really.
 

mxgt

Banned
These ridiculous measures doesn't even stop piracy.

Fuck off Ubi. I swear if Trackmania 2 has this I will be pissed.
 

Suairyu

Banned
Nirolak said:
Ubisoft views the series in the same light as Assassin's Creed, which is interestingly one of the major titles they first introduced this with: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=428829
Back in my day, you were allowed to make "middle tier" games, sales wise. You budgeted accordingly. They were lower risk, were profitable enough, were able to be experimental in their design choices and helped raise the reputation of your company as a maker of quality goods - an important thing, as it meant people would be willing to pick your new game up on your company's name alone. Make enough of these mildly-profitable games and you actually have quite a bit of money. It all adds up.

I don't understand why every game/series has to be some mega-profitable tentpole title these days. It just seems to opposite of good business to me.
 

scitek

Member
derFeef said:
Looks like companies never learn and it make me wonder why they removed/changed the DRM of AC2, but put that stuff in this again. It's a shame really.

That's what I don't get. The only thing I can think is that maybe they just want it in the games for a short window of time after release, and then they'll stealthily patch it out months later.
 
I had a feeling Ubisoft was going to pull this with Driver which is why I held off buying it. I am glad I did now, I really don't understand why good ole Ubi doesn't get the message. If you are going to release a game that needs and always on connection then save your money and don't release the game at all.
 

Fersis

It is illegal to Tag Fish in Tag Fishing Sanctuaries by law 38.36 of the GAF Wildlife Act
Stumpokapow said:
Wait, you think Driver is going to sell well?
Hey Debby Downer! Driver San Francisco is going to be awesome! AWESOME I SAY!
The game has Take A Ride mode so its already better than Bioshock Infinte,FFXIII -2,Portal 2 ,BF3,Uncharted 3 and Half Life 3.

* No hyperbole was harmed during the making of this post *
 

BobsRevenge

I do not avoid women, GAF, but I do deny them my essence.
Why would you bother putting DRM on a product no one even wants to pirate? What's the point in that?
 

derFeef

Member
Recent Driver videos, especially those from TeamVVV sold me on that game so I am not getting those negative comments. The DRM is a different story, though.
 
After the hellish time I had even trying to find my PC key for Assassins Creed II that I bought from Ubisoft directly (because it was on sale) I have ZERO trust in them in regards to anything online/account related.

also lulz Driver :lol
 
Wait, so they're implication is all future PC games will be DRMed to hell and back if they release it day one but if it's heavily delayed after the console version it will have less DRM? Or am I reading too much into it?
 
I haven't had interest in any Ubisoft games since the DRM procedures were announced. Stick to a DRM that requires you to connect to the registration server the first time, then let it go. Piracy is unfortunately something that can not be defeated since there are always certain ways to go around everything.
 

sk3tch

Member
This DRM is almost better in some ways than the whole "you have 3 activations" DRM. My problem is when I move computers or reinstall my OS I typically don't remember to de-activate the 5-10+ games that use this scheme. I just recently ran out of activations for Crysis 2 - and even though EA's customer support was helpful - it was still a huge inconvenience for me to have to undertake as a legitimate purchaser of the game. I should not be treated this way. There has to be a better way.
 

(._.)

Banned
DRM isn't an issue for me when it is with a game that I wont be purchasing until it is $7.50 during a steam sale.
 

NE1WeKnow

Neo Member
I can tell those who are slamming the Driver name are not up to date on the new game and the incredibly warm reception it has received from the gaming press.

But, as a console gamer, can someone explain to me why "always online DRM" is such a huge deal breaker? Aside from the obvious like "when my connection breaks I can't play"... and I get the whole "fight against DRM" thing. It bugs me that gamers will piss all over the Driver name because of the DRM it comes with.
 
Stumpokapow said:
The implication here makes no sense; a simultaneous release on PC needs less onerous DRM since it's 100% guaranteed that the 360 copy will be pirated at/before release so the "benefit" of the DRM in terms of preventing PC version piracy will be lessened by that.

Then they will always pull out shit quote about "PC piracy being way bigger" ignoring the fact that "comfortable" PC piracy requires P2P, cracks, etc., etc., while in Poland you can flash X360 drive in 5 minutes and never bother with it again.

Sucks for From Dust though, they could've skipped their shitty PC-hating attitude for small DD titles.

NE1WeKnow said:
But, as a console gamer, can someone explain to me why "always online DRM" is such a huge deal breaker?

It decreases your enjoyment of the title if you do not have a stable connection. In case of Driver - you have a thrilling missions, driving fast somewhere, didn't notice your modem light blinks - paused in the middle of the turn or (God forbid) booted to main menu. It all takes away from the experience.
 

PaulLFC

Member
NE1WeKnow said:
I can tell those who are slamming the Driver name are not up to date on the new game and the incredibly warm reception it has received from the gaming press.

But, as a console gamer, can someone explain to me why "always online DRM" is such a huge deal breaker? Aside from the obvious like "when my connection breaks I can't play"... and I get the whole "fight against DRM" thing. It bugs me that gamers will piss all over the Driver name because of the DRM it comes with.

The problem is with *any* game which comes with this ridiculous DRM, not just Driver. Especially since Ubisoft removed it from their titles only to put it back again with this game. I would say they should think of their paying customers, but judging by the way they've treated the PC community up to now, I don't think they'd understand what I meant.
 

Kintaro

Worships the porcelain goddess
You know what would be nice? If Valve banned this type of DRM off Steam (and other stores followed suit). Nah, gotta make dat DLC money. =)
 

Stitch

Gold Member
NE1WeKnow said:
I can tell those who are slamming the Driver name are not up to date on the new game and the incredibly warm reception it has received from the gaming press.

But, as a console gamer, can someone explain to me why "always online DRM" is such a huge deal breaker? Aside from the obvious like "when my connection breaks I can't play"... and I get the whole "fight against DRM" thing. It bugs me that gamers will piss all over the Driver name because of the DRM it comes with.
most connections should be pretty stable so always being online isn't so bad but if the ubi servers goes down or if Ubi shuts the server down you can't play your game.
 

cyberheater

PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 Xbone PS4 PS4
Are there patches that can remove this shite from legit games?
 
cyberheater said:
Are there patches that can remove this shite from legit games?
it will depend on the popularity of the game how fast the crack groups can get it done, I think. but I have no idea how popular driver is, as the series has never interested me.. well except for driv3r bugs
 
SmokyDave said:
Me :(

If this happens with Trackmania 2, I'm naming a kitten 'Ubisoft' and then drowning it in a canal.

I wouldn't really mind always-on DRM for trackmania 2, as I would never feel compelled to play that game offline.
 

TheSeks

Blinded by the luminous glory that is David Bowie's physical manifestation.
Foliorum Viridum said:
As if they need to make a Driver game any more unappealing.

:lol

Sucks for those five buyers of the PC version of Driver. I guess they'll have to join the five buyers of the 360 version if they want to play it offline.
 

Saty

Member
It's not going to happen, but it would be interesting seeing Ubi internal data on sales\pirating of their games that use the DRM and those which don't.
 
And so ubisoft continues their 4+ year trend of not selling me a single game, good job guys.

Driver up n died after driver 1 on psx anyhow. (a game which I thorougly enjoyed, haven't played it in like 13 years yet I still remember driving around in the multistory parking garage in the tutorial)
 
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