Considering there's a thread that's 123 pages long, it's highly unlikely they're trying to quiet people.

-HM

Actually that thread was locked, diverted to another thread, then that thread was locked and diverted to a topic regarding just on Mass Effect and SecuROM, which was split into two parts, locked, then diverted again into the "Off Topic" section.

Then of course you have the announcement that Mass Effect has gone gold, which again sparked massive amounts of 'Edit: Please keep this on topic" as people expressed unhappiness that SecuROM would STILL be in the game.

Bioware is not owned by EA. They are just deveolping ME for them. BW has been working for alot of other Publishers in the past like Atari(NWN) and Lucas Arts(KOTOR).

Actually, EA did buy VG Holding Corp, Bioware and Pandemic a few months back. Bioware is owned by EA now.

Here is one of many articles on the subject:

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/826/826662p1.html

Ouch, EA spreading like a plague.

As Verkinix noted, BioWare is most certainly owned by EA. It was big news not that long ago when they were bought by EA and there was a huge uproar on the BioWare boards after the news was announced. Many people were predicting the downfall/demise of BioWare at that time. I was skeptical, but recent events re the Mass Effect DRM crap has made me think all the doomsayers were right.

a real pity... i was really hoping to get these games...

ironicly, copy protection that is as invasive as this might drive me to pirate games for the first time in my life

this seriously makes me consider DLing a cracked version W/O the copy protection system

if i am to buy a game, i want it to be one that is worth buying; i WILL NOT sponsor this sort of treatment
if EA reads this, i would like you to know: it is not piracy that is costing you sales, it is the lack of quality support, over zealous copy protection, and bad quality in your games

Remind me again what's invasive about not being required to have the CD in your drive and a one-time internet activation.

I'll wait.

Having a limit on how many times you can install the game you legally bought perhaps? As opposed to simply getting the pirate version with no such restrictions?

Fortunately they've toned it down just enough for me to consider buying the game, but I can tell you if they'd kept that 'connect online every 5-10 days' check in there I'd have been looking to download my first ever pirate version of a game. It's why it's so ridiculous that all this copy protection is used supposedly to fight piracy - it doesn't, it simply encourages it (since you're offering an inferior product to customers who pay for it compared with what they could get for free via piracy).

It's why I don't pay for downloaded music - I tried to once, and when I got the track was informed that not only was it in a strange format that restricted how I could play it, but I was only allowed to copy it x times, and I think I had to be connected to the internet to play it as well.

I just can't understand the mentality where you decide to punish all your loyal legitimately paying customers, and encourage them to resort to piracy to play your game.

How about having the game keyed to your hardware profile? Too much change (not yet defined by EA/BioWare) and you have to reactivate.

How about only 3 activations before you have to phone Big Brother EA and ask if they pretty please would let you install the game again?

How about the use of SecuROM 7 which can allow them to collect information about your hardware and software (and will refuse to let you have some programs installed)?

I think they will remove the copy protection sooner or later. NWN had the copy protection too (NeverWinter is a Bioware game) and now it was removed in the official patch. I believe Mass Effect will be the same case.

here are some of your answer.
alot of game company really don't fixed their games after they release it by thinking it's over and done with.
some game developers don't have the money to do it and their not paid to do it unlike stardock, so why should they do it? even if they did get a patch for it, it would be the usually patch" help pervent crush, help stablize the game, fix some critical bugs and problems otherwish their customer will kick their "ass" these patch shouldn't even be needed if they didn't send out unfinished games.
I buys a lot of games and I really mean A Lots. Most of the games I got their patch won't even appear for months when they was release. the game's sever is a problems causing games not able for online play.




I honors those programmers that slaves over months working on their games and really put alot of efforts on them like those here in SD, but why should we honor those game companys trying rip off our money by selling unfinished game with tons of bugs or sells part of their new games and than sell the other parts as expensions? to make things worst they keep adding junk programs to run in the background, prevent other software to run normally, causing internet and computer speed to go down. (I don't want to feel like I'm in house arrest just from buying a game)


blame on piracy? lol they need a life. who would someone spend $40-$60 dollars on a lowly rated unfinish games with junks and than get soo mad and couldn't even get a refund because the box is open? now days more people can afford internet and can simply check the game's rating on game websit like gamespot.




you make it sound like it's all black and white.
do those companies feel sad for their customers when they wasted $50 hard earn cash on their poorly rated, full of bugs, and unfinished games? if they do feel sad about it, shouldn't they at least do somethings about it and make their customers happy instead of making them runnning away. Customers are more important than those scapegoat piracy they been chasing and blaming. The companies treds are becoming more and more apparent evey year it's not suprising to see they are losing sell because they keep scaring their customers away after using those lame excrise over and over again than keep selling unfinish and partial games and never or don't do much to enhance it.




Oh before I forgot
to all those who pirated games and software please buy them after you finished testing them out and found out you like it. Hackers put virus in cracks and keygens and normally your updated virus scanner not able to pick them up, than you end up paying more lol. hackers don't normally do their service for free, there usually a string or two attach. hacker won't call themselves hackers if they aren't smart unless their wanna be hackers

they have gone back on the 10 day thing


WWW Link

another link here from the offical spore Q and A

spore.WWW Link

im glad they have gone back on this BS as i was going to cancel my pre order of

They don't care Delta. This topic has long since gone from legitimate concerns over an intrusive anti-piracy methodology to whining that any form of protection whatsoever is not only forcing their hand into stealing the game, but also that anyone who buys the game legitimately will be playing into the hands of those that want to steal your precious secrets.

Or, in other words, classic internet discussion on piracy. 'I didn't want to steal the game, they made me with their horrible attempt to coerce money from me for it!'