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Join Date 06/2003

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CNN: New strategy game sheds unpopular anti-piracy system

CNN Tech has an article out today about Elemental: War of Magic, and the lack of DRM in it. Check out the article on CNN!

(CNN) -- Digital Rights Management, or DRM, has been touted as a piracy preventer by entertainment and gaming manufacturers. But it's been blasted by end users as restrictive and ineffective against illegal downloading and copying of electronic media.

One gaming company says its heard the cries of its players and plans to release its latest title Tuesday without the dreaded DRM.

Stardock, makers of the "Galactic Civilizations" series, say they aren't inviting pirates to copy their game, but that they think they've found a way to keep their customers happy and still put a dent in the counterfeit gaming process.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/gaming.gadgets/08/24/digital.rights.games/index.html

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Hehehehehe..no need to do "controversy" with stories about killing civilians or playing as Taliban to get free publicity after all...

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Now that is good press. Reaching non-traditional games. A lot of people who read that article would never have known the game existed before.

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Good I hate DRMs why hurt the consumer they still crak them!?

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I hope the industry follows Stardock. Seems they know what they are doing!

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I can go pirate this game and I can go pirate any game with DRM as easily.

The only difference is one company was stupid enough to put effort and money into trying to stop me.

And to an extent, given that the games behind the DRM are equal, this is the better product, since there's no 'treat everyone as a criminal until proven otherwise' attitude.

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It is a good thing when non-drm software gets press. So often, it's the "we've got this new thing and it will stop all piracy" crowd that gets news.

Somebody should try to get that story on slashdot.

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CNN News Update:

In the case of Elemental they walked a new an clever path. The released a version of the game that is so bug ridden that it's no use trying to play it. Only through downloading patches for which you need to register and hence legitimize your copy do you get an enjoyable game over time, which leaves pirates with squat.

An before the die-hard fanbois jumpstart: I bit of sarcasm should be allowed here... I'm gonna buy it nevertheless.

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Isn't online authentication considered a form of DRM? Mind, I'm fine with it, and prefer it much over the conventional methods like SecuROM, Starforce (I won't buy games with it), etc., but it's more DRM-y than, say, a plain DVD that can be freely copied.

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Quoting Mivo,

reply 8

I think so. Any system that ties your game to an account that either requires online authentication (thus dependence on a server) or kills resale value is DRM in my opinion.

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Quoting Star Adder,

reply 7

CNN News Update:

In the case of Elemental they walked a new an clever path. The released a version of the game that is so bug ridden that it's no use trying to play it. Only through downloading patches for which you need to register and hence legitimize your copy do you get an enjoyable game over time, which leaves pirates with squat.

An before the die-hard fanbois jumpstart: I bit of sarcasm should be allowed here... I'm gonna buy it nevertheless.

I think Creative Assembly was there first with the Total War series, especially Empire.

Though, the updates got cracked and released too.

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Quoting the_hunger,

reply 9

I think so. Any system that ties your game to an account that either requires online authentication (thus dependence on a server) or kills resale value is DRM in my opinion.

Yep. While it's true that stardock makes good games, it is a complete marketing myth that they make DRM-free games. Impulse might support my right to back up games, but it infringes on my right to resale games. It also uses needed updates as an incentive to lock you into a certain distribution platform.

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