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To say that Ubisoft’s in the doghouse with every PC gamer on earth right now is a bit of an understatement. “But wait!” says Ubisoft, its Adam’s apple bobbing as a pitchfork hovers just above its throat. “We can explain!”
Ok, we’re listening.
"As long as you do not quit the game, the game will continue to try to reconnect for an unlimited time. Once the game is able to reconnect, you will immediately be returned to your game," Ubisoft told Ars Technica.
"Where exactly you are reconnected in the game may differ from title to title. Settlers 7 reconnects at the exact point where the connection was lost, AC2 reconnects you at the last checkpoint (and not the last auto save, as indicated in the CVG article). There are many checkpoints so you're back to the point where you got disconnected in no time."
Apparently, DRMed games also won’t miss a beat if your connection goes MIA for a couple seconds. Only “lengthy” disconnects send you hurtling back to the starting line.
As you might have surmised from the title, though, we’re still not sold on this. Not by a long shot. The fact that we can be locked out of our game at all is a head-scratcher, and it really doesn’t help anyone. After all, what’ll happen? Will our legal copy suddenly transform into a pirated copy when Ubisoft stops looking?
Piracy needs to stop – no doubt. But publishers don’t need to treat PC gamers like second class citizens to do it. Shocking, we know, since it’s worked so well in the past.
Comments are closed on this article
Haze Ryder
August 26, 2010 at 10:24pm
most of you might have known this by now.the assassing creed 2 has been cracked and you could get it.just by googling it.just try searching it (skidrow crack for assasins creed 2)...so much for a new system.but i liked that system even though sometimes my internet connection just breaks but it was a measure against piracy.
no matter what they do every thing "Digital" would get cracked eventually
-_-
damn it i bought a copy of that game for nothing............
Baer
March 04, 2010 at 1:36pm
Lately I look at the DRM or activation needed before buying. I have never pirated a game, I can pay for any game I want but after a really bad experience with SecuRom where it took me two hours to clean it out before I could get operational again, I NEVER bring any of this kind of DRM anywhere near my computers. This Ubisoft sceme is as draconian as SecuRom. Not only do I not buy the P C versions, my family does not buy either the P C versions or even the console versions for the kids.
I am honest, I pay the price and it is me that is being punished. There are many great games without all this extreme DRM to choose from.
Nyarlathotep
February 22, 2010 at 2:53pm
I bought an A-List title last year with SecuRom knowing all of the bad press associated with it. After installing the game it would not run. My DVD drive would not recognize the disc. I then found out that my DVD drive would no longer recognize any discs. Windows still sees the drive though. After going back and forth with SecuRom tech support they gave me an uninstall tool to "completely" remove their software from my machine. It made no difference. It was time for a fresh install of Windows anyways so I formatted and reinstalled. After the fresh install the drive was recognized by Windows but still would not read discs. I even tried new firmware for the drive. I guess the drive just coincidentally failed right after I installed the DRM....
In any case I will not buy another game with SecuRom.
nekollx
February 22, 2010 at 3:14pm
That's what you get for being a filty, dirty, lieing Pira....er Costomer....
Stupid Paying Costomers, who needs um
------------------------------
Coming soon to Lulu.com --Tokusatsu Heroes--
Five teenagers, one alien ghost, a robot, and the fate of the world.
Nyarlathotep
February 22, 2010 at 3:26pm
I have actually downloaded a couple cracked games over the years but they have been older titles I couldn't find for sale anywhere. This was before GOG and sites like it.
I actually buy most of my games through Steam. IMHO Steam has come the closest to doing digital distribution right. I can't really think of any instance where they have let me down. I certainly can't say the same for EA's system. If I can buy content cheaper online without the wasteful packaging and with no real problem when it comes to playing the game, why not?
Pyrophorics
February 22, 2010 at 8:24am
The thing that really annoys me is that they keep adding all this DRM protection and it only hurts the paying customers. Guarantee you that when a hacked copy is posted it will not require internet or will trick the drm into thinking it is connected.
madmocasin
February 21, 2010 at 11:43pm
The main reason i buy pc games is because i work out of town and have no internet connection. I recently started making more money then i have in the past and i could now afford to buy pc games instead of downloading them and play them for free. While i was out of town on buisness about a year ago i stopped into Walmart to buy a game. The game i bought was warhammer (something) . It was a newer game so was more expensive then the others but i decided to buy it anyway. Well i load it to my pc and ofcoarse this game requires an internet connection to load...but its not even a mmog. So for two weeks i was away from any store car tv or worst of all the internet and could not play my 50 dollar game i paid for. Now if i went download this game for free im sure the hacked version worked without internet. Needless to say it was the last game i bought and i am happily downloading hacked games for free again.
snapple00
February 22, 2010 at 12:22am
It is clear that you are below average intelligence.
If you downloaded the hacked version, you would need an internet connection to download it. Or if you bought the game, you would also need the internet connection to load it.
So before you went on your trip to the middle of no where, you would have to steal the game before you left. Why not buy and load the game before you leave? And so you complain?
If you are wondering why publishers put these restrictions on games, go look in the mirror.
nekollx
February 22, 2010 at 11:24am
downloading once isn't a problem it's the "always connect" the hack needs to be downloaded once.
Once
The legit needs to be online always, which drive him to pirate, "why did i pay $50 bucks for something i can't play"
------------------------------
Coming soon to Lulu.com --Tokusatsu Heroes--
Five teenagers, one alien ghost, a robot, and the fate of the world.
snapple00
February 22, 2010 at 11:47am
He wasn't talking about Assassins Creed. He was talking about another game which he didn't even know the name (smell BS?), and just said "it requires the internet to load".
Do you see?
To0nces
February 21, 2010 at 7:08pm
People advocating buying the game then downloading a cracked copy really aren't doing anything to help this situation. Do you think Ubisoft and other publishers will really rethink their DRM if you give them your money anyway? The only way is to not buy it, and if that means you can't play the game then so be it. Or just live with the fact you pirated the game without paying.
dcblues355
February 21, 2010 at 2:32pm
LewTeNantDan...I'm not buying,not with that much hassle.All my games are purchased I don't have any pirated material.I don't buy the ones with wonky DRM,they're just not worth it.If Ubisoft does this with the new Ghost they will have lost me forever(I own all past Ghost titles).
R01010100
February 21, 2010 at 10:11am
going to play this game for sure. loved the first. definitely not paying for a "legit" copy riddled with DRM(more like malware).
________________________________
Intel core i7-860
8 GB of DDR3-1333
Nvidia GTX 275 -896 MB
80 GB Intel SSD
Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit, Windows E.I. score 7.4(limited by video card)
CentiZen
February 20, 2010 at 8:57pm
You are absolutly correct. I'll admit that I download games all the time. But usually, I only download them to see if I like them at first, and then buy them on payday if I do. Otherwise they just sit there untill I delete them for space on my hard drive. If a game impresses me (which happens alot), I'll buy it. I've got a pretty big collection of games myself, most, if not all were downloaded before they were purchased.
But hearing about DRM like this just makes me want to spend the 60 bucks for this game on something else. It's totally counterproductive, and I hope they realize that very soon.
SHEILA: AMD X4 965 3.2GHZ ; 4 GB G.SKILL GAMING RAM ; RADEON HD 5770 1GB
Retnil
February 20, 2010 at 6:06pm
I was considering giving ACII a shot but Ubi's made that decision easy for me. Required internet connection to play = no purchase by me.
Sonickid101
February 20, 2010 at 5:09pm
Do not buy games with restrictive DRM like this, Take your money and buy a game from a developer and publisher that don't do this. Notable games without heavy handed DRM include Galactic Civilizations II,
Warhammer 40k Dawn of War: Dark Crusade,
Company of Heroe, Sins of a Solar Empire, Dragon Age origins, morrowind, oblivion, Halo 2. i'm sure theres others but i'm just beating a dead horse that way developers and publishers will see that people are still buying video games on the PC, they're just buying the ones without DRM and pirating the ones that come with it to avoid it. Why can't the video game industry just treat the issue like the music industry now does and recognize that the problem is systemic and the best way to sell games is to have a quality product with a robust multiplayer component that requires purchasing the game while at the same time not requiring us to login to 3 or 4 different services at once Steam->GFWL->Ubisoft.com->Impulse->Rockstar Social club->ironclad online->Gamespy provide the game to the people in a convenient and easy to access way that only uses one of these services at a time maybe 2 in the case of steam and impulse. Don't require the disk to be in the drive, and provide adequate technical support to those who actually buy the game. Such that people are not really buying the game data (which is usually easily accessible online) they're buying everything peripheral the game manual, customer and technical support, and maybe throw in a few extra goodies like posters and a map or something tangeble that can't be downloaded through a cable. And if people do buy the game online they should be able to download the program and have all that stuff sent to them afterwards including the install disk. It would never happen but thats what should happen think utopian.
Cooketh
February 20, 2010 at 12:41pm
The End all be all is that gamers will feel bad about pirating a game
they know has a lot of passion and work in it. Sometimes people just
don't have the money or want to spend it. But rest assured if this is
the case then people will buy it when money comes, or when prices drop,
or even when theres some really nice new content. But the second you
take away that guilt by adding crazy DRM, broken aspects of the game, hostile franchise or series take overs, or
just generally act as selfish stubborn developers and producers, then
gamers will have no problem pirating software. Make yourself look like a
dick, and no one is ganna buy your stuff, if anything they'll steal it.
But act respectfully, and you'll find yourself with a cult following of
loyal appreciative enthusiasts.
couger
February 20, 2010 at 11:23am
What really bothers me about this internet connection is what DRM they will add later on. Letting a gamming company have full control over my computer that i have spent thousands of dollers on,and work hard to keep free of the latest internet viruses and so on, just won't work for me. As someone said earlier,after installing a game they couldn't even rip a CD. I ran into the same prob with Crysis, but i wasn't even able to burn a CD after one of there patches and it took a fresh install of my OS to fix it. I payed for Assassin's Creed but that's the last Ubisoft game i will ever buy (consle or pc) till they change there policies on computer gamming.
WindowsXP
February 20, 2010 at 10:22am
So what if I bought Assasins Creed II, kept the reciepts and everything, then pirated the game to avoid the crippling DRM, and play the cracked version personally?
Could I get in trouble with that?
snapple00
February 20, 2010 at 10:36am
Nope! If you get caught, simply show the authorities your receipt! Problem solved!
No matter that you now have 2 different copies of the game instead of 1.
X2brute
February 20, 2010 at 9:43am
i personally wish they could make one that would only require a connection to the internet like once a week or every 20 plays or something, i rarely have internet axcess more than that (if that often) and if i wanted to need a connection i'd play a mmorpg or something
If a bear tries to dump in the woods but a tree falls on him with no one around, is the pope's hat still funny?
HeartBurnKid
February 20, 2010 at 9:42am
Only paying customers will have to deal with this. The pirates, I'm sure, will have a DRM-lockup-free experience.
Way to combat piracy, Ubisoft.
enigma1978
February 20, 2010 at 8:25am
Wow,,,wtf...this is supposed 2 work...LOLOLOL...was gonna buy but i'll hold off until they take it out in the future...got alot more quality games 2 play until then. They must think they're valve and I'm playing L4d. yeah ppl will pirate gamesbut I've seen those sme ppl after playing those games turn around and buy the game becuz it was sooo good and continue buying game after that...spo ubi just build good stuff and we'll buy from u.
plain and simple....
To0nces
February 21, 2010 at 7:00pm
Only problem with buying a copy to sit on your shelf is that you didn't let your money do the talking. They still got cash for a game with terrible DRM. The smart thing to do would not be reward them with your hard earned dollars. The only way publishers will stop is if people stop buying games with DRM.
dedgar
February 20, 2010 at 6:41am
With all the problems I had with the last Ubisoft game I bought and the continuing Draconian DRM that they seem set on foisting on us, I have begun a personal boycott on anything Ubisoft. I have told Ubisoft tech support about my boycott during the last batch of emails back and forth trying to reinstall a game that locked me out due to changing a video card.
I am protesting their DRM with my wallet. Continue with this DRM and I buy elsewhere.
pcmaximus
February 20, 2010 at 6:12am
legit pc gamers who buy their games could snap a photo of their pc collection and send it off to game companies to show that they support their work. therefore, proving that every game is bought and not pirated allowing only those people who honestly buy their games to be sent a version that is not so drm ridden.
i don't know if the above idea will work, but it's a thought.
i DO NOT want the pc game industry to go away mainly because i've been gaming on them for about 2.5 decades and i want to continue on them for a few more decades. heck i even remember the first pc game i bought, fountain of dreams.
thank you
ThunderBolt
February 20, 2010 at 5:50am
it doesn't work at all. quite the opposite, it promotes bad behavior
nekollx
February 20, 2010 at 12:25pm
Yup, all different, now i have to buy Dragon Age...
Thanks for the heads up Ubisoft!
------------------------------
Coming soon to Lulu.com --Tokusatsu Heroes--
Five teenagers, one alien ghost, a robot, and the fate of the world.
Psychic51
February 19, 2010 at 11:31pm
The new DRM won't stop pirates at all. Someone will crack it and post a copy EVERYWHERE. it's only a matter of time.
When it comes down to it a game, ANY GAME, is only software. It's a set of instructions that tells the CPU and Video Card what to do, that's it. As it's name implies SOFTware is vulnerable. For someone with the right knowledge It can be easily changed.
Sure, it'll stop the casual cracker but, come on now, HOW MANY PIRATES actually crack their own game? The VAST majority of pirates just download a copy of the game that's already cracked.
Only thing this new method is going to do is upset the people who bought the game legitimately.
JMG760
February 19, 2010 at 10:46pm
Focus more in developing more good games instead of making a person feel against its will. Some good examples of good games would be Call of Duty series made by Infinity Award, Command and Conquer Series, Half Life series, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War series, and Starcraft series just to name a few. These games I never hesitated to think twice before purchasing if they had any security issues like DRM or SecuROM. If they did, I still enjoyed them without any issues. The first assassins creed was awesome also did not hesitated to purchase it, I know some would say it was repetitive but the combat was awesome I have never played any game like it before. But now that Ubisoft has this DRM issue which you are required to be connected to the internet for authentication or retrieve your game progress is pathetic.
==============================================================================
Let the chips fall where they may.
But that's me, and I could be wrong.
Tenhawk
February 19, 2010 at 10:08pm
Outlaw Gamers rights and only outlaws will have the rights to play, is that it?
Cause, I'm just guessing here... but I'm pretty sure the pirated version that will appear within a few days of the game being released (if not sooner), will *probably* not require a net connection to play.
Umm... so my motivation to pay for this game is what exactly??
And, No, I'm not advocating piracy here... though I have been known to do just that from time to time, depending on the circumstances. (I don't believe games should be pirated, however I don't hold the same belief concerning certain other types of software, depending on the situation.) What I'm asking is whether it's really smart business to actively kick your paying customers in the balls at every opportunity when, by definition, thieves DON'T STAND IN LINE TO RECEIVE THE KICK!?
I mean, come on guys! a Pirate, by *definition* is going to be using a cracked version of your software. And what, pray tell, is the first thing a crack will kill? Duh! The Online Checking!
The sad part here is how much they probably paid for this brain storm, and how much it's impacted the sticker price. Look, I agree, you need some basic anti copying tech on your discs... but it only has to be JUST enough to discourage casual copiers. Anything more is just a waste. The guys who crack your games don't do it cause they want to play them, they crack them for the CHALLENGE and the bragging rights. Fighting those guys is a losing proposition, so don't bother. Just make it hard enough to copy the game to keep joe schmoe from making copies for all his friends and call it a day. That will let you lower the price of the games cause you're not investing millions in DRM that doesn't work, and thus you'll sell more games at the same profit margin.
This idiotic battle of one upsmanship with the hackers is just going to kill PC gaming because no one is going to buy crippled software like this. And before anyone says anything about consoles being the future, trust me, if the hackers can't find PC games to Hack... do you REALLY think they're going to give up and pack away their toys? Hell No. Console games will just be targeted that much more and that much sooner.
This idiocy is like watching someone play russian roulette with himself. Even if you win... you lose.
johnny3144
February 19, 2010 at 11:55pm
i agree with you 100%.
a simple CD key and anti-copy protection would server the propose. if they cut the cost by 10 dollar, surely the demand will rise.
ghost6007
February 19, 2010 at 10:38pm
I agree with you, I have gotten so pissed off with some games in the past because although I had a legal copy of it I was forced to get a pirated version because I could not play the legal version. It feels like I am better off just getting the illegal DRM stripped version then paying for a DRM equiped one which will actually prevent me from playing.
DBsantos77
February 20, 2010 at 12:34am
The Sims 2 had a protection where if the game was pirated, you couldn't build a house, set a kitchen on fire, etc. Sort of breaks the game.
Just throwing it out there.
-Santos
zNelson24
February 19, 2010 at 9:45pm
I respect the need to protect games from internet pirates, which is why is best if some sort of authority actually cracked down on it. They need to figure out how to penalize people who steal the product, because the industry have no leverage agianst internet pirates. We all know piracy is bad, but I think it could be reduced if the law said, "Don't steal games, or else".
I'm working towards being a game developer, and it is tough work. I don't buy my stuff just because it's the right thing to do, but because I recognize all the effort put into the awesome games I play today. People make up a bunch of cruddy excuses saying "how is one person downloading warez gonna negatively effect the industry", and "corporate fatcats are making all the money off of this". None of that changes that fact that your stealing from hundreds of honest workers and their families by stealing software.
To0nces
February 21, 2010 at 7:05pm
It's pretty much impossible to enforce the laws though, when you take into account piracy is global. Someone hosting torretns could be in a country where they don't give a crap what US and other countries want. The only way would be to destroy net neutrality even further than it already is in the US, and that's an awfully slipper slope.
M-ManLA
February 19, 2010 at 9:23pm
I don't play a huge amount of PC games, most reserved for my PSP and PS3, but I feel this is overboard. to me this will feel like people will be more likely to pirate a game. I think this is too far. Why not let the game register with a pieace of hardware or something. Don't let it have to be checking consistently on the net to say it is a legit copy.
Electronically charged
johnny3144
February 19, 2010 at 11:48pm
so you are saying, you are ok with getting a game and install it, then can't install it again on a different computer? that's secuROM. lots of flaws with that. what if i change computer often? what if i have multiple computers? for example, i bought mass effect and paid good 49 dollars for it. i finished it, and lend it to few of my friend. perfectly legal and good, but i ran out of installationwith my third computer. yes there is the removal tool, but i shouldn't have to go through that if i paid for the game.
futhermore, these things never work, there is always a crack. so the pirates can play the game just fine, while paying user jump through all the hoops.
Mighty BOB!
February 20, 2010 at 9:50am
I'm not entirely sure if he meant validating it with you computer's hardware profile, or if he may have meant using a hardware USB dongle that has to be plugged in.
Mighty BOB!
February 19, 2010 at 9:04pm
I'm not buying it. This doesn't solve anything. What incentive do I have to install my legal copy instead of just paying for it and then pirating a copy that isn't going to screw me over?
