Ah, I'd forgotten how much I hate DRMs and online-activations.

[DontSayBanana]

Quick summary: Bought a copy of Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit just after last Christmas.  Was too broke to get on Xbox Live.

Fast forward: I've finally gotten myself on Xbox Live, attempt to boot up NFS, and receive a nastygram saying that "you need an online pass to access online features of the game."  No prob, I bought it new, it's got the card still in it, I put the code in.  Already activated.  My options are 1) pay another $10, effectively as a penalty for not activating my game right away, or 2) use a gimped 2-day trial pass.

Fuck you, EA.  Fuck you.

[Grey Fox]

You bought it at EB games?

[garbon]

DRM and online-activations are important. They help keep the gaming industry viable.

[Valmy]

I am curious as to how it will work when these online activation and DRM games stop being supported and/or their publisher goes out of business.  Is there some mechanism that will turn off the OA and DRM when they go "out of print" so to speak?

[Grey Fox]

I am curious as to how it will work when these online activation and DRM games stop being supported and/or their publisher goes out of business.  Is there some mechanism that will turn off the OA and DRM when they go "out of print" so to speak?

Steam said if they ever go out of business they would release the DRMs keys/code/server. Other then that we will be fuck until GoG takes it up.

[DontSayBanana]

You bought it at EB games?

GameStop.  Same company, same reputation for cycling codes.

[Grey Fox]

Sue.

[DontSayBanana]

DRM and online-activations are important. They help keep the gaming industry viable.

When they fit the gameplay, sure, but requiring a player with a boxed copy to go online to activate an offline single-player campaign, no good.

I'm actually still biased against Steam for what they pulled with the Counter-Strike collection, for example.  Online activation for a game with no online features at all.

[Grey Fox]

Online pass code don't exist to stop piracy or as DRM. It's to counteur Gamestop's business model fucking them up the ass.

[garbon]

DRM and online-activations are important. They help keep the gaming industry viable.

When they fit the gameplay, sure, but requiring a player with a boxed copy to go online to activate an offline single-player campaign, no good.

I'm actually still biased against Steam for what they pulled with the Counter-Strike collection, for example.  Online activation for a game with no online features at all.

Lalalala. I'm not listening.

[Josephus]

I'm actually still biased against Steam for what they pulled with the Counter-Strike collection, for example.  Online activation for a game with no online features at all.

They did that with Football Manager and other games. It's the way they're heading. Kind of sucks.

[Razgovory]

I am curious as to how it will work when these online activation and DRM games stop being supported and/or their publisher goes out of business.  Is there some mechanism that will turn off the OA and DRM when they go "out of print" so to speak?

I've noticed that Developers have been removing that kind of stuff about a year after release.

[sbr]

I am curious as to how it will work when these online activation and DRM games stop being supported and/or their publisher goes out of business.  Is there some mechanism that will turn off the OA and DRM when they go "out of print" so to speak?

I've noticed that Developers have been removing that kind of stuff about a year after release.

What game other than The Witcher 2 had it removed?

[Josquius]

My one experience with online activation was with Alpha Protocol- where guess what, the online activation system completely didn't work!
Th eonly way to play the game was to crack it.

[Razgovory]

I am curious as to how it will work when these online activation and DRM games stop being supported and/or their publisher goes out of business.  Is there some mechanism that will turn off the OA and DRM when they go "out of print" so to speak?

I've noticed that Developers have been removing that kind of stuff about a year after release.

What game other than The Witcher 2 had it removed?

Anno 1404.  There were others, but I can't recall off the top of my head.