Vapourware LOL ELECTRONIC ARTS: The EA Thread

[DalekFlay]

Hey, Valve insist Steam is not DRM at all. They even have a whole sales pitch for developers that talks about how DRM is stupid and Steam has no DRM.

http://www.steampowered.com/steamworks/publishingservices.php

 

[Angthoron]

EA: "DRM is a failed dead-end strategy"

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2013-03-27-ea-drm-is-a-failed-dead-end-strategy

In English: "Our DRM wasn't draconian enough, so we found a better way to screw over our customers."

 

[DalekFlay]

Knowing they just mean "hey make them services that just happen to require the internet" I say they should still put their money where their mouth is and patch-out the useless SecuROM activation bullshit from games like Mass Effect and Mirror's Edge.

 

[Blaine]

Hey, Valve insist Steam is not DRM at all. They even have a whole sales pitch for developers that talks about how DRM is stupid and Steam has no DRM.

http://www.steampowered.com/steamworks/publishingservices.php

You need to actually read that page before you blindly link it. It details Steam's anti-piracy features and offers no opinion on DRM one way or the other.

In fact, I read each page on that table of contents just to be sure, and none of it supports your statement in any way. Are you high?

 

[Angthoron]

Knowing they just mean "hey make them services that just happen to require the internet" I say they should still put their money where their mouth is and patch-out the useless SecuROM activation bullshit from games like Mass Effect and Mirror's Edge.

And add online service for these titles! Mirror's Edge neighbourhood, where you see someone jumping around on inaccessable buildings in the distance! Or saving a parallel universe that you can see on a Picture-in-Picture wristwatch.

 

[DalekFlay]

You need to actually read that page before you blindly link it. It details Steam's anti-piracy features and offers no opinion on DRM one way or the other.

In fact, I read that entire table of contents just to be sure, and none of it supports your statement in any way.

Try looking at the big ass fucking picture at the top next time.

 

[Blaine]

Try looking at the big ass fucking picture at the top next time.

What, this?

I don't see "DRM is stupid" (or anything of the sort) on there anywhere. I do see them depicting that Steam doesn't have activation limits, always-on requirements and so on (a specific aspect of most DRM schemes) parceled with Steam releases, which is actually true.

Whatever. I suppose you have an exaggerated and hyperbolic point. Not sure why you're making it.

 

[DalekFlay]

I don't see "DRM is stupid" (or anything of the sort) on there anywhere. I do see them stressing that Steam doesn't have activation limits, always-on requirements and so on (a specific aspect of most DRM schemes), which is actually true.

Dude, it says we are not DRM, we are CEG, then explains why CEG is so much better. It's not rocket science you tit, and do I really have to explain I used the word stupid as a forum-slang summary for fuck's sake?

I've been wrong on the internet countless times but this sure isn't one of them. Stop embarrassing yourself.

 

[Blaine]

Dude, it says we are not DRM, we are CEG, then explains why CEG is so much better.

It doesn't say so explicitly, only implies it.

This is a semantics issue, really. I admit defeat, you're totally right! I fucked up, I'm not worthy! Satisfied?

You brought Steam's DRM (or not-really-DRM-but-still-DRM) up out of the blue, because... why, exactly? What the fuck does that have to do with EA or the topic at hand? What's your point?

 

[Zewp]

Woah there Dalekflay. Who shat in your cornflakes this morning?

 

[Jick Magger]

The Muslims.

 

[DalekFlay]

You brought Steam's DRM (or not-really-DRM-but-still-DRM) up out of the blue, because... why, exactly? What the fuck does that have to do with EA or the topic at hand? What's your point?

That all these companies act like making games an online service is not the same as DRM. Which could be true, really, despite functional fuckery. EA is not the only one was my core point.

 

[DalekFlay]

Woah there Dalekflay. Who shat in your cornflakes this morning?

Blaine.



(I come here to vent and be angry man, not to pussy-foot around! Codex ANGER RAWR!).

 

[Blaine]

That all these companies act like making games an online service is not the same as DRM. Which could be true, really, despite functional fuckery. EA is not the only one was my core point.

Fundamentally, you're absolutely correct. I'm not arguing the point, because I agree with you—I've been anti-DRM/copy protection for years, and always-online games are some of the most infuriating offenders.

But (of course there's a "but"), I feel that you're conflating Steam with SimCity and with EA's likely business practices moving forward. Steam isn't always-online. It has an offline mode that works well (although there used to be problems with it), and you can use offline mode for 30 days before needing to connect to the Internet again. I would agree with you that Steam is DRM, but Steam's baseline DRM is very mild, non-intrusive, and extremely forgiving to the end user in comparison to all other DRM schemes, with the exception of no DRM at all. I don't think Steam could even function as a profitable business without having at least minimal DRM. GoG does, but GoG obviously doesn't tend to carry a lot of new/mainstream titles.

In return for that little bit of baseline DRM, Steam really has a lot to offer in the form of discounts and convenient features. Valve has proven their worth over the years, despite everyone hating Steam years ago when it was in its infancy.

And perhaps most crucially, the ability to rely on Steam for DRM prevents (some) publishers from loading their products with far worse DRM. No DRM at all would be best, but you should really pick your battles rather than lumping Steam in with the true offenders.

 

[DraQ]

Comparing a video or entertainment franchise to a household cleaning product is fucking stupid. The latter has limited competition and is given little thought beyond, did it work well? Yes? Continue using. There's no "franchise fatigue" for such a thing.

Great look into their mindset, though.

 

[Grimlorn]

" It's not DRM. Always online servers make it a MMO."

 

[DraQ]

Wait,

What the fuck is this shit?

 

[Turisas]

EA: "DRM is a failed dead-end strategy"

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2013-03-27-ea-drm-is-a-failed-dead-end-strategy

 

[DraQ]

EA: "DRM is a failed dead-end strategy"

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2013-03-27-ea-drm-is-a-failed-dead-end-strategy

Deploy on official forums.

 

[J1M]

Yeah EA is bleeding money, the CEO has resigned, and their stock price is down 60% because they make decisions for the "money".

The resigned ceo made money. And they're bleeding money longer than some companies in the idnustry even exists, thats not a sign of dying quickly.

CEOs typically gets bonuses in stock options, which are more valuable the higher the stock is.

Anyways it should be mentioned that Riticello actually tried innovation. Well, relative to what EA wants to continue doing. He introduced quite a lot of new franchises like bad company, army of two, mirrors edge, Dante's Inferno and shits. Now the new guy won't even do that. I wonder which few couple of games he will focus on - Mass Effect perhaps?

I'm so tired of seeing people repeat this.

Greenlighting a game that your developers have been trying to make for years, that if you continue to say no to will result in your talent leaving, is not being innovative or risk taking. That was Mirror's Edge. Dante was a God of War ripoff. Also not innovative or a risk when you see stuff like Darksiders doing well.

If he was actually interested in pushing innovation he would have done something different or actually risky, like creating a reality TV show where small teams compete with each other and the audience decides which games get cancelled each month or something. The remaining teams get to pick that team's corpse for team members.

Or maybe he would have pushed a couple of Mirror's Edge sequels, let it build up a following. Expecting something to sell 5 million copies when it is brand new is to decide it is a failure before it is launched.

Finally, a Call of Duty Black Ops ripoff branded as Battlefield Bad Company is taking a risk? What the fuck.

 

[Turisas]

Deploy on official forums.

Go right ahead, I'll never go there voluntarily.

 

[DalekFlay]

But (of course there's a "but"), I feel that you're conflating Steam with SimCity and with EA's likely business practices moving forward.

I'm only comparing them in the sense that both are saying online features and games as a service is not DRM, even when they require some kind of authorization online. Yes, always online is worse. I buy Steam games but refuse to ever support an always online game, so I agree with you about those differences. I'm just saying it's obviously rooted in the same "make them services" ideology that, oops!, just happens to also have DRM as part of it.

 

[Zewp]

But Valve's DRM adds value to the games I'm purchasing. I actually prefer to get games through Steam simply because it's just so much more convenient than retail or most of the other digital distributors.

 

[Grimlorn]

But Valve's DRM adds value to the games I'm purchasing. I actually prefer to get games through Steam simply because it's just so much more convenient than retail or most of the other digital distributors.

Better than GOG?

 

[FeelTheRads]

DRM adds value to the games

Don't they all say that?