Why put a time limit on games.

Submitted by averageGrod on Mon, 10/20/2008 - 9:12am

"or they want to play it 10 years later."

 

Great! I guess I just rented Spore not bought it. I don't have a problem with installing it on a limited number of machines. Doing an uninstall usually gives back an activation but Wright makes is sound like after a set amount of years we shouldn't be playing Spore. I am not a game developer but if I was I would be honored and proud of my game if people were still playing it after ten years. Look at all the people playing through Fallout 1 and 2 right now. They are pretty rough around the edges but the story still holds up. It may be five to ten years before Spore 2 or Wright's next project is released. It would take me ten years just to accomplish all the achievments in Spore.  My wife enjoys the Sims but she doesn't want me to spend any money upgrading to Sims 2 or 3. She is comfortable with the Sims, doesn't care about graphics, and doesn't want to spend any time learning a new or different game. This is an eight year old game and the best selling game ever. Imagine the backlash if it was suddenly "turned off." I am sure people will be playing both the sims and Spore in ten years. I all of my games work down the road or I will quit buying and switch to pirating. If not at launch then once my game stops working. After all, the pirates can play anything. Anytime. Including pre launch sometimes so why should I, a loyal consumer, get the screw?

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Partly to blame.

Submitted by Rltyg on Mon, 10/20/2008 - 5:25am

This guy is like a rock star in the gaming industry.  Just the fact he chose to go with EA as his publisher says alot to me.  EA is a franchise killer as far as I'm concerned.  Will Wright could have laid down demands that would have been met.  It's alright Will, success seems to get the better of everyone in your line of work.

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yeah

Submitted by visibly_stealthy on Mon, 10/20/2008 - 2:03am

that was exactly what i was thinking..........

In the hands of a master, anything can become a field improvised, lethal object.

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God, what is he WEARING?!

Submitted by Vegan on Sun, 10/19/2008 - 5:50pm

God, what is he WEARING?!

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The market focus

Submitted by Cache on Sun, 10/19/2008 - 3:48pm

A decade ago when I bought a game--it was mine, all mine.  I could play it, delete it, reinstall it--over and over without end.  However, now the market has shifted so that I don't buy the game, I purchase the rights to enjoy limited play at the discretion of the company that owns the game.  They can cut me off at will, they can determine an 'end point' to the playbility of their product.

DRM is one of those things that sounds good in a company boardroom, despite the fact that it makes no difference to the people who fully intend to pirate the product anyways.  Whether Wright thinks he is less at fault than EA is immaterial.  The only real way to fight DRM schemes is to use the DRM process against companies that use it.

Call them up, ask for assistance because their DRM scheme is interfering with the game play.  The money they spend in manpower will be far more expensive than the assumed losses of a few pirated copies.  Remember, companies implement DRM because they assume it will save them money--the second those numbers turn against them and DRM costs money--they will quickly disown it.  Whether or not that means an even more hairbrained scheme remains to be seen.

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I really don't mind as much......

Submitted by knexkid on Sun, 10/19/2008 - 3:26pm

The number of installations thing doesn't bother me too much, as long as they release the restriction down the road.  I believe that is what they did in Bioshock.  Initially they had only a few installs per CD key, but down the road when the game had "come and gone" they took off that restriction.  I can live with only three installs for my key, but I expect that limit to be released within 1-2 year(s).  That way when I'm old and need a trip down memory lane, I can play my game without having to worry about how many times I have already installed the game back in the day of its prime time.

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when i start my car i dont

Submitted by dankers on Sun, 10/19/2008 - 3:03pm

when i start my car i dont have to call honda and ask them if its okay if i go to work today. shame on anyone who is in bed with drm. btw someone mentioned in an earlier article that spore was supposedly the most pirated game yet it sold more than microsoft office. hmmmmm. same with crysis, they said it was a highly pirated game yet still made a profit considering it cost so much to make what are they whining about. the tighter you sqeeuze the more will slip through your fingers - princess leia

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