Your thoughts on DRM.

General Discussions
#21

Pirates again. Shiver me timbers…

DRM is just very interesting. I mean, I know the reason behind it is to protect the software developers from pirates. I also know that it somewhat alienates the user base. At the end of the day, those who want to get a hold of your content, will get a hold of it, so what is the point?

To be honest, there is no such thing as a perfect DRM. At least, I feel there isn’t ever going to be any. If there is any evidence behind that, I’d point directly to movies. Movies are very one dimensional, and yet… can easily be pirated. Looking at the solutions given to games, I can see where this will just be a huge problem.

1) Encrypt the movies: To be honest, I have to admit it is the best way. People have to go through more effort to grab the data off the disk and it’ll ward off the simple hackers from attempting to get the data. User base is pretty much unaffected because the disc works as intended. The only problem is the more persistent hackers will find a way to get through it.

2) Free Online service: This is where users who do not have an internet connection will be irritated. Yes, they do own the movie, but now, the only way you’ll watch the movie is through the service. If the service shuts down… well, tough rocks. It is hard for hackers to steal it, but that doesn’t stop them from making fake accounts…

3) Paid Online service: Now we can track down and close those fake accounts, but now people are paying even more for a service…

4) Build all new Hardware/Software for the movie: Really… that is just ridiculous.

I think leaving the code out there is going to be the best method. Pirating, sadly, can’t be stopped. I, for one, enjoy owning physical copies of things I own. When DRM starts getting in the way of that, then it completely turns me off.

Here is the deal…

If a game is well-made and priced fairly, the majority of the people will purchase your game. People who are pirating the game are usually the ones who don’t have the means to get it, want a free trial of it, or want the challenge of cracking it. These are people who, at the moment, don’t feel your game is worth their support anyway. The extra time and resources it takes companies to make a very solid DRM is probably biting them just as hard in sales. This goes in double for indie developers.

In my opinion, there has been a gradual decrease in game quality (feature wise), because a lot of gaming companies are not being honest and are trying to milk the system. Especially in console gaming, where some games have taken the liberty of shutting out of features you already own on the disc. These are the kinds of things that infuriate users, and turn loyal people into pirates. It creates a snowball effect, in where developers are trying to protect against the horde of pirates they are creating.

In the end though… it all comes down to the game. That is where the focus should be.

Developers should take the time and effort to make a solid game with a good control scheme, game play that’ll occupy you for hours, and costs a decent price. The rest of those resources, instead of putting them into DRM, should be pushed into marketing. Let the people know about your game. (Word of mouth marketing is still extremely powerful, sadly.) Those are the developers that’ll be making money, while the rest is working on decryption methods…

But alas…

I guess we live in a time now where developers can’t trust the users. Just as well, I can’t depend on developers to create a game that I’d be happy with the purchase. I’ll just sit back and watch the DRM methods increase…

#22

No. Simple. One game that sums up the absolute worse way to try and go all online in a game meant for single player. Diablo III. Another game on how to do the transition right and not screw over those who have bad internet or no access. Starcraft II.

At this point, never do DRM. If you want to protect a game, make it an mmo or pure multiplayer. D3 = mmo. SC2 = pure multiplayer. I absolutely love sc2. Because I can still play it when school or public networks block internet games.

#23

Some people would argue that when you’re playing games in school, something is wrong :wink: I certainly hardly had any time at all to do that!

#24

During break I want my daily dose of brain numbing. Also, most public wifi do not allow games. At least, the ones where I am from. I must say short of a VPN I have yet to get much going on the wifi at my school and asking around it seems I am no the only one.

#25

This is a simplistic view of the issues. What if I want to make a single-player game? I can’t make MMOs or multiplayer games anyway. It’s exceptionally hard.

Cas :slight_smile:

#26

In my humble opinion, DRMs are useless, they encourage piracy. We need a sustainable business model for the digital world, not something that expects from a software to behave like a physical product. Repression is not a solution, let us treat social and political causes. That’s why I defend the collectivist cooperative global patronage.

#27

well princec if you look at games today they are all on console with a crap port to computer or mmo types. You really don’t get any more single player as piracy has killed the market. But if you want to still make a single player game, I would go with CD Projekts model. (if that is spelled right) The Witcher games were great. They had no DLC crap and they are making a third. The probably lost around a million from piracy. It is bad but you really cannot stop it. So, the best strategy is to ignore it. Let it happen as it will and try to make a game so damn good the even the pirates well be like “damn this game is great!” At least, thats what I want to do. (probably will end up doing some boring DB programing but hey we can dream)

#28

Hopefully the ports will better since there are no more consoles.

#29

No they didn’t. If you can prevent piracy, the people who used to play the pirated stuff still won’t buy your stuff. We’re talking about people that will download games that cost a couple of bucks; its not about being poor, its about not wanting to pay - ever. So you don’t lose business there, the only thing is that you feel kicked in the nuts because people play your stuff illegally.

Any way you slice it - people who play pirated games cannot be counted towards your customer pool and thus cannot be calculated into your losses. You lose creating a game that is not good enough so people only buy it when it is discounted, if at all.

#30

See I couldnt think of a game where this exact situation had occured, thats why I asked. Also with Steam the point is you won’t be able to download the games, so you lose them if you format or w/eso still a different situation

#31

Its no different for downloadable stuff you buy on your consoles, or in iTunes / Google Play. IF the service ends, you’re stuffed. But by the time the service ends the platform itself is probably also dead and replaced with another one, so do you still care? I used to own a lot of Commodore Amiga software, I can’t run any of those discs (without emulator) on any of my current machines. Big whoop, I don’t have an Amiga anymore. Alternatively, I don’t think many people will be bothered they can’t play Fifa 11 online anymore when there is Fifa 12.

#32

@gimbal - quite. It is irrelevant posturing. In the real world, Blizzard gets away with it, EA gets away with it, because 99% of the world don’t actually care.

Cas :slight_smile:

#33

Thats just bullshit.
In related news BioShock Infinite is coming…

#34

BioShock is a console game. I am talking more PC.

#35

News to me, seeing as how I have both on Steam.

#36

There are a crap ton of games that were big on consoles and are made for consoles but still released on PC as there is still some market. You do not see very many PC only single player games as the market is harsh.

I forgot Dragon Age. That games was good. It was made for PC and ported to console. Then DA 2 was well…

#37

Bioshock was a PC game first. DA was a simultaneous release.

#38

No it was a simultaneous release. Even then the game controls where really meant for a controller. Dragon Age was not very control friendly. Point is, things are moving towards consoles/handheld/casual and not single player. I guess Mass Effect was ok well…the first one was.

#39

I can’t imagine playing Bioshock with a controller. Or any FPS for that matter.

Cas :slight_smile:

#40

Ehh I am used to PC controls for most games as that is all I have but you can tell if a game was thought out for a particular setup. I think quite a few people on here never got into the newer consoles that much. Looking at the favorite games topics most liked old school or multi release games which means they could have played it on console but probably not.

On topic though, DRM is a horrid topic to be talking about when basically all of us (except you princec) have yet to create a game that is even some what presentable. So lets try getting DRM down when you can’t and have nothing to protect with the hackable DRM. :-\