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[vocab]

Considering the DLC of Dragon Age was torrented the same day as the game... I say good luck to you EA.

 

[Archie]

You can't stop piracy. Plain and simple. People will ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS find away around things.

Pretty much. And DRM just pisses off legitimate customers who don't want to be treated like criminals.

 

[-PXG-]

Pretty much. And DRM just pisses off legitimate customers who don't want to be treated like criminals.

Exactly.

If they implemented a system where physical and digital content was a much cheaper, easier to access and distributed among devices and friends, fewer people would pirate games. Piracy is not just about obtaining something for free. It's easy to get, plus, there is nothing holding one back to giving the content to someone else, or using it on multiple platforms or devices. There are very few restrictions on pirated content, than there is legitimately purchased content. Again, what you said, honest people, legit customers are getting fucked over, with things like DRM and content exclusive to new copies of games.

Adding restrictions and implementing digital only content and other forms of DLC are only going to encourage people to pirate more, not stop it.

 

[andycapps]

I remember a year or so ago when EA was publishing stuff like Dead Space and Mirror's Edge and everyone thought it was the second coming and that EA had turned over a new leaf. These days with EA shutting down studios left and right and saying stuff like this, it's apparent that gamer's attitudes have changed towards them.

And I agree with what SmokyDave said above, this shouldn't affect PS3 games as there is no piracy. But I'm sure that it will because this is all about them finding ways to bring more money in. Piracy is just a convenient excuse for more paid DLC.

 

[Jaded Alyx]

- Spirit Tracks let pirates play up until getting the train, and then removed the controls to actually pilot the thing

:lol

 

[Durante]

You can't stop piracy. Plain and simple. People will ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS find away around things.

On PC you're right. On closed platforms? No.

 

[scitek]

Every game on the Wii Shop channel has been pirated. You just install it from an SD card. It's crazy these guys think just because the content is on their servers it's safe. :lol

 

[GaryD]

Too bad Microsoft just banned all those 360's from live :lol Legit gamers are being screwed again.

 

[Archie]

On PC you're right. On closed platforms? No.

Wii games, Xbox 360 games and even recently XBLA games have been hacked by pirates. Even closed platforms aren't safe.

 

[Darkpen]

gosh, no one posted the penny arcade comic?

 

[TunaLover]

Good luck selling DLC to pirates lol

 

[MikeE21286]

maybe a small subset of the pirating community, but hardly a large percentage of them.

 

[Why For?]

IGN posted a hypothetical about Microsoft making Halo Reach free, and making money off of DLC.

Looking at the Facebook gaming model, where the game is free, but you're given the bare bones in terms of content, and then you pay to add what you want.

Could be a way to combat piracy I guess.

 

[Speevy]

They can steal the game, but they can't steal the DLC.

Are you challenging them? Good grief.

 

[T Ghost]

I hate when some developers have this attitude that they are doing us paying consumers (aka gamers) a huge favor by releasing they PAID DLC.

 

[SapientWolf]

I always thought DLC was a response to piracy. Making the honest consumer pay more for the game to cover the pirate's end of things.

Because, really, some DLC is a fucking joke.

The DLC in Crackdown was actually pretty awesome, and clearly created after release.

 

[Diablohead]

Watch all this become unlock keys.

I hate it when someone has been held back from retail just to sell it for a few allards after the game has gone live, fuck that.

 

[user_nat]

The Sims 3 or a nudity option

When I first read that I completely miss the "or a" and thought to myself "Wow EA has gotten desperate".

 

[Kitschkraft]

That's basically DLC. A hidden price hike for the full game unless you want an incomplete game.

Pretty much how I feel. I don't understand why people keep cheering for DLC's especially ones that come out like a week after the game is out.

Next gen is going to be a bunch of chopped up 65 dollar games with half the content being day 1 dlc.

 

[Link Man]

I think a good idea is to perfect the kind of copy protection in some Square-Enix and Nintendo titles -- I think its provided by a third party software security provider... they make the security a part of the game code. It gets cracked in the end, but if it can last long enough past the release date to frustrate people, you might get more sales out of people that would have completely avoided buying otherwise. For example:

- A couple of Square-Enix DS titles actually let you get to a certain point on copied games, then spit out a "buy the game plz" message.
- NSMB Wii glitched and quit, but not before giving pirates a taste of an awesome game
- Spirit Tracks let pirates play up until getting the train, and then removed the controls to actually pilot the thing

I think copy protection methods like this are pretty awesome + hilarious! I don't know how cost effective they are, or if they're working, but they just seem like good ideas.

This is awesome.

 

[Mr_Furious]

Using DLC to combat or capitalize on the used market is a good idea but trying to spin that same tactic as if it would work against pirates is just stupid.

The people that actively pirate (ie steal) do so because they want stuff for FREE. It's as simple as that.

 

[nyong]

I think developers need to leak "cracked" versions of games to the internet that unleash system-destroying viruses on pirates' computers.

 

[Fragamemnon]

I think developers need to leak "cracked" versions of games to the internet that unleash system-destroying viruses on pirates' computers.

What happens then is that people on forums give negative early impressions of the game (since they are invariably the ones with their hands on it first), and then developers have to do damage control when the pirates don't fess up to stealing their copy and insist that the retail version is doing it. For an example, see Titan Quest, which would crash if you were using a pirated copy and then got multiple dings in actual web reviews for stability.

 

[Fredescu]

Pros:
- was free

Cons:
- is a virus

5/10

 

[Slavik81]

The DLC in Crackdown was actually pretty awesome, and clearly created after release.

They also patched the game such that it's filled with prompts that ask you to buy the DLC. I don't care how awesome the DLC is; they shouldn't be trying to upsell me while I'm enjoying my purchase.

Let me make my decision once and respect it. Don't accost me with DLC prompts.

 

[CounterSeal]

IGN posted a hypothetical about Microsoft making Halo Reach free, and making money off of DLC.

Looking at the Facebook gaming model, where the game is free, but you're given the bare bones in terms of content, and then you pay to add what you want.

Could be a way to combat piracy I guess.

You just might be onto something there!

Spoiler

Then again, I'm probably only saying that because I work for one of the largest Facebook game companies right now.

Seriously though, it would be a drastic change in direction for the existing business model for the console and AAA games that we're all used to. In my opinion, there certainly is room for experimentation at least. EA's purchase of Playfish is an example, but the question is how it would pan out if it was done not just for social games, but for console and AAA games.

Just imagine downloading The Sims 4 for free, but all you have access to are introductory furniture sets, limited amount of hairstyles, one house, etc. Revenue could be generated by allowing players to purchase individual items such as a single couch, and have the option to save money by buy "packs" similar to Rock Band's model for songs and albums. Stuff like that...

A model like that would be good because a game then becomes more of a platform as opposed to a game that is released and forgotten. Constantly feeding bits of content to players over a long period of time could prove more profitable compared to the current model of releasing a game and moving onto the next thing.

 

[-PXG-]

On PC you're right. On closed platforms? No.

Uhh, the 360, Wii, DS and PSP have all been hacked. Shit, everything but the PS3 (for now *). Sure, Microsoft comes out with updates, which attempt to thwart hackers and pirates, but they always find a way around it.

Spoiler

* Since the PS3 was so expensive, and able to run Linux, hackers and pirates had no reason to put the effort or time to crack the PS3. Plus, the PS3 is a complex piece of machinery. Getting familiar with the hardware is probably a colossal undertaking. Now that the systems are cheaper, and Slims unable to run Linux, they have more of an incentive to hack it. It's only a matter of time.

 

[DR2K]

Spoiler

* Since the PS3 was so expensive, and able to run Linux, hackers and pirates had no reason to put the effort or time to crack the PS3. Plus, the PS3 is a complex piece of machinery. Getting familiar with the hardware is probably a colossal undertaking. Now that the systems are cheaper, and Slims unable to run Linux, they have more of an incentive to hack it. It's only a matter of time.

At this rate by the time it does get hacked it won't be relevant anymore, lol.

 

[TheExodu5]

I've been saying this for a very long time.

The goal is not to punish the legit customers, but to try to convert pirates into customers.

Now, we'll see how they go about doing this, and whether they'll still hold the first part true.

 

[-PXG-]

At this rate by the time it does get hacked it won't be relevant anymore, lol.

Perhaps. But then again, do you expect the PS4 to come out anytime soon?

I've been saying this for a very long time.

The goal is not to punish the legit customers, but to try to convert pirates into customers.

Now, we'll see how they go about doing this, and whether they'll still hold the first part true.

Well, so far, they've done a shitty job. DRM and all of this DLC nonsense has only caused more people to pirate stuff. It's anti-consumer, not anti-pirate.

 

[Fredescu]

EA has removed DRM from most (all?) of their games. The only "DLC nonsense" was an overreaction to a module being available on Day 1.