Ubisoft fights Stingy Pete.

[Sceptic]

Option D: DRM is just ineffective and easy to hack for those with programming knowledge.

You think decompiling c++ shit is just a walk through the park?

Might want to contribute to scummvm if so.

Option D: DRM is just ineffective and easy to hack for those with programming knowledge.

 

[Xor]

Modern DRM is not easy to crack unless it's poorly implemented. Calling it easy just shows your ignorance.

 

[lefthandblack]

Heheh.

This made my day. The general consensus on the subsim forums is that the game is a uboatload of fail regardless of the drm issue.

Let's see, the game:

1. Is buggy.

2. Dumbed down.

3. Has excessive drm which has now been rendered useless unless you count pissing off your customers to be useful.

4. Is more expensive than all of the previous games ($59.99)

Nah, I'm not missing anything.

 

[Overweight Manatee]

Meh, I wouldn't say cracking is either hard or easy. It simply requires a knowledgeable person and time. It's not magic, its work. The same as constructing a building. We wouldn't say that anyone who could build me a house is particularly smart nor dumb, but they know how to build buildings and they are competent individuals within their own field.

That said, when many games implement the exact same version of the same DRM method, I'm sure crackers find it quite simple.

 

[Sceptic]

The real joke here is that Ubisoft's DRM is something that they newly came up with and Silent Hunter 5 and Assassin's Creed 2 are supposedly the first games to use it. Didn't stop hackers from patching it out in less than a day.

So yeah, cracking is work and the people who release cracks are obviously good at what they do. Good for us, too bad for Ubisoft and the idiots who pay to have shit DRM forced on them.

 

[ScottishMartialArts]

Responding to numerous reports that their online DRM has been cracked, Ubisoft informs Edge Online that the digital rights management in Assassin’s Creed II and Silent Hunter 5 has not actually been cracked. Word is: "Please know that this rumor is false and while a pirated version may seem to be complete at start up, any gamer who downloads and plays a cracked version will find that their version is not complete."

 

[MetalCraze]

too bad for Ubisoft and the idiots who pay to have shit DRM forced on them.

Why for the latter? They won't even notice. Even on the Codex lots of sheeple give away money to help develop Steam DRM.

 

[ever]

Man videogame companies are going to self destruct and fast cause their whole business model is based on the fact that software is a scarce good which it isn't. Its abundant.

Till those dumbass old people who think a videogame is no different from I dunno a bottle of milk are replaced I can just see these old giants falling and for the better.

 

[Azrael the cat]

Man videogame companies are going to self destruct and fast cause their whole business model is based on the fact that software is a scarce good which it isn't. Its abundant.

Till those dumbass old people who think a videogame is no different from I dunno a bottle of milk are replaced I can just see these old giants falling and for the better.

In fairness, many videogame companies ARE moving away from a business model based on software being a scarce good. They are moving away from it by:
(1) phasing out 'take-home' software, so that everything has to be played via an online connection;
(2) ditching single-player games in favour of subscription-based mmorpgs and online gaming.

If you're arguing that game companies should ditch the traditional 'take a disc home and play the game' single player rpg, then that's fine. But a major part of any business model is the product, and the 'play offline' crpg is a product that is based entirely on the fact that software is a scarce good. I'd be interested in seeing your alternative business model if you think that you can keep single player offline crpgs while ditching the 'software is a scarce good' idea.

Thing is, you're probably right. So don't go whining when in 10 years time all the major companies are focussing entirely on online mmorpgs, with maybe a few console single player games for rental value, so as to adapt to software no longer being scarce. Subscription-based gaming, here we come

 

[DraQ]

Responding to numerous reports that their online DRM has been cracked, Ubisoft informs Edge Online that the digital rights management in Assassin’s Creed II and Silent Hunter 5 has not actually been cracked. Word is: "Please know that this rumor is false and while a pirated version may seem to be complete at start up, any gamer who downloads and plays a cracked version will find that their version is not complete."

Now shop the ubi logo somewhere, like in one of his medals, and it will be perfect.

 

[WhiskeyWolf]

Responding to numerous reports that their online DRM has been cracked, Ubisoft informs Edge Online that the digital rights management in Assassin’s Creed II and Silent Hunter 5 has not actually been cracked. Word is: "Please know that this rumor is false and while a pirated version may seem to be complete at start up, any gamer who downloads and plays a cracked version will find that their version is not complete."

Now shop the ubi logo somewhere, like in one of his medals, and it will be perfect.

...and a pirate ship in the background.

 

[Shannow]

Responding to numerous reports that their online DRM has been cracked, Ubisoft informs Edge Online that the digital rights management in Assassin’s Creed II and Silent Hunter 5 has not actually been cracked. Word is: "Please know that this rumor is false and while a pirated version may seem to be complete at start up, any gamer who downloads and plays a cracked version will find that their version is not complete."

Now shop the ubi logo somewhere, like in one of his medals, and it will be perfect.

...and a pirate ship in the background.

And Rumsfeld pointings out the WMDs.

 

[Grunker]

This is fucking lulzy. They make the most horrid version of DRM ever concieved, and it's cracked before the customers start playing.

One would think a capitalist's sole interest is maximizing profits. Guess the retardedness of the current gaming industry proves that thesis very, very wrong. That or the guys at Ubisoft has a very muddy concept of "maximized profits."

 

[SCO]

I think that when they move real game computation into the servers instead of moronic "checks", the pirates will be more stumped.

What if they do it with savegames?

:returnoftheironman:

 

[Awor Szurkrarz]

Man videogame companies are going to self destruct and fast cause their whole business model is based on the fact that software is a scarce good which it isn't. Its abundant.

Till those dumbass old people who think a videogame is no different from I dunno a bottle of milk are replaced I can just see these old giants falling and for the better.

It seems to be more based on the idea that customers are a scarce good and are willing to work a lot to get their games than that the software itself is a scarce good.
If customers were abundant it would be possible to simply swamp the market with cheap copies of software instead of inventing more and more DRM.

 

[Zed]

Eh... You don't even have to insert a fucking DVD/CD playing pirated.

 

[Darth Roxor]

 

[WhiskeyWolf]

 

[Sceptic]

I think that when they move real game computation into the servers instead of moronic "checks", the pirates will be more stumped.

What if they do it with savegames?

They're already doing it (not Ubi, someone else. Can't remember who now). So far it's been as effective as any other DRM.

 

[Overweight Manatee]

I think that when they move real game computation into the servers instead of moronic "checks", the pirates will be more stumped.

What if they do it with savegames?

They're already doing it (not Ubi, someone else. Can't remember who now). So far it's been as effective as any other DRM.

Nope, that was ubisoft. I specifically remember it being mentioned for assassin's creed 2, dunno if it was in Silent Hunter. I assume so, though.

 

[spekkio]

AssCreed2 PC also lost it's virginity today (?).

 

[Sceptic]

I think that when they move real game computation into the servers instead of moronic "checks", the pirates will be more stumped.

What if they do it with savegames?

They're already doing it (not Ubi, someone else. Can't remember who now). So far it's been as effective as any other DRM.

Nope, that was ubisoft. I specifically remember it being mentioned for assassin's creed 2, dunno if it was in Silent Hunter. I assume so, though.

*checks sources*

Yep both of them. Same system to be used in all upcoming Ubisoft games.

That answers SCO's question then: it didn't stump the pirates for very long.

 

[PlanHex]

I think he meant pirates will be stumped in regard to cracking services like OnLive?

Not really relevant unless any exclusives come out for them, and to get exclusives such services would have to actually work, which won't happen any time soon anyway.


EDIT:
Looks like ubisoft might be right?
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2010/03 ... after-all/

Probably just means a few more days until a fully working torrent is up.

 

[spekkio]

Having spent the better partof the last 20 hours with this game i'd like to clarify some things : Even after the patch there are still some bugs but asinde from the initial "the missions don't work" thing it's nothing world shaking or gamestopping., expect a patch within the nxet few days.

"The missions don't work! / I can't reenter my ship in dock!"
That's something I've read/heard quite often and the documentation/ingame help don't really adress this so here's what I did:
After docking at Kiel and saying good bye to your old commander you'll notice 2 guys standing around you can talk to (press ALT to outline them with a yellowish frame). THe one on the left lets you upgrade your sub for prestige, the one on the right (dressed in a uniform) let's you a) choose a mission and b) make a sortie. That's how you get back on your ship and out there.

Now choosing a will bring up the mission briefing but you won't see any icons to choose and accept anything, that's what most people report as the dreaded DRM kicking in or having to download stuff. Now thta's a complete pile of steaming bull...
It's juxt another bug in the game, simply quit the game after the tutorial, restart the campaign and click "skip tutorial" when prompted, you're standing in the dock in front of the flotilla captain and voilà, miraculously the missions work.

This release still wasn't nuked.

 

[DraQ]

It seems to be more based on the idea that customers are a scarce good and are willing to work a lot to get their games than that the software itself is a scarce good.
If customers were abundant it would be possible to simply swamp the market with cheap copies of software instead of inventing more and more DRM.

Well, customers willing to pay for the right to bend over and receive are indeed scarce good.
And that's good.