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Spore to remove SecuROM!

kotaku.com — "Despite some hand-wringing by fans, EA today announced that their hugely anticipated Will Wright game Spore will not make use of SecuROM's 10-day periodic re-authentication and instead use a modified version to require online authentication." Hurray!

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  • carlj133, on 05/10/2008, -22/+76Finally!!, a developer gets the message and provides the perfect solution to copy protection.
    • Kingoftherings, on 05/10/2008, -6/+100Actually I think Steam is better copy protection, but whatever :P
      • Raptor007, on 05/10/2008, -26/+4I prefer Direct2Drive myself.
        • Myonosken, on 05/10/2008, -1/+18Serious? Jesus.
          • Drahkar, on 05/10/2008, -2/+4That is what I was thinking. Not only is it a nightmarish system, but even worse the multiplayer games on it are not compatible with other ones out there. I ran into this when I bought Shadows of Chernobyl through it. Never will buy through them again.
        • pwnerofnoobs, on 05/10/2008, -1/+16I ***** hate Direct2Drive. Once you use up all your 'install permissions' thats it. Your game is gone. That is a big deal if youre constantly upgrading your system. With steam you just log into your account and you'll always have access to the games you've bought.
        • Nevarius, on 05/11/2008, -0/+2Kinda depends on the game. Thou i agree how they handle multi player games is retarded. If its just a solo player game, its no big deal..just download and burn to DVD. (and pray to your favorite deity that its not full of bugs and cant patch since there's no Direct2Drive patch for that game). Thou i must say Steam does have a decent selection too and its one of the first places i look, then D2D if Steam doesn't have it.
          I live pretty far from a decent sized town or city so I'm pretty much stuck with the selection at Wal-mart, order on-line, or direct download...
      • dsmx, on 05/10/2008, -4/+16Both don't stop piracy so they both don't work in that regard.
        • Myonosken, on 05/10/2008, -1/+38I think Steam has worked well for multiplayer games.
          • antdude, on 05/10/2008, -1/+5Or any games (and non-games) that phone home to master server and checking keys.
          • Nevarius, on 05/11/2008, -0/+3Pretty much every game that has online multi player capacity is well protected in terms of its multi player function. Steam in no way has cornered the market in that way... It's basically a default standard for a online multiplayer games to phone home like antdude said.
          • Drahkar, on 05/11/2008, -1/+3Yea, I don't understand why he's giving credit to Steam for that system. Steam has nothing to do with it. The power of systems like Steam and Stardock is that they tie a serial number to a login thus making the ability to pirate the software very difficult because the software connects to steam and confirms that the user's login has a valid serial number tied to it. The strength of Steam is against offline single player game piracy. Not Multiplayer ones.
        • Ahnteis, on 05/10/2008, -2/+6Steam does stop 0-day piracy. The wankers who pirate it anyway, wouldn't be customers under any circumstances and deserve no say in anything.
          • dsmx, on 05/10/2008, -0/+3Which is exactly the point as to why anti piracy programs don't work, pirates won't pay anything regardless so all you do is inconvenience the legitimate purchaser.
          • Ahnteis, on 05/11/2008, -0/+7Apparently we've hit the limit of comment nesting. Anyway, I agree completely with it being wrong to inconvenience the legitimate purchaser. I do like steam though because I can download and install the game as many times as I want, on as many computers as I want. I just have to log in to play. I'm ok with that. I trade a CD-only install for not having to carry the CD around. But things like "3 installs and then you have to phone us" are horrible.
        • Genma, on 05/11/2008, -0/+1I don't know where your "0-day" info comes from but the facts are steam has been cracked and emulated just as easily as any other protection for both on and offline titles. ie. tf2 can be played online with cracked servers, which there are plenty of, and the offline releases just strip it out entirely. same as sins from stardock. the point is that they have good value where people would gladly pay a sane price to buy the game and join the community, who wouldn't pay $20 for ongoing support and new content.
      • counterplex, on 05/10/2008, -1/+62Steam is more than just copy protection - it's peace of mind. Finally I don't have to worry about keeping my game CDs around!
        • alittleroy101, on 05/10/2008, -0/+12Hit the nail on the head.
        • AussieFox, on 05/11/2008, -0/+4One login
          All of their games, no fiddling with CD-keys or authentication
          Love it.
        • AzureRise, on 05/11/2008, -5/+9Get your account banned, can't play any games you bought in the last 4 years. Bans are irreversible. Whether you deserved it or not. And don't gimmie that bs that only cheaters get banned.
        • Neo829, on 05/12/2008, -2/+4Only cheaters get banned.
      • benitojuarez, on 05/10/2008, -14/+5Steam is a buggy piece of ***** that randomly erases my savegames, ill pass.
        • robzthird, on 05/10/2008, -0/+11lol
        • HueytheFreeman, on 05/11/2008, -0/+12Maybe 130 iterations ago, when it first came out. It's true that in the beginning of its life-cycle, Steam was poorly done and would often cause many more problems than a standard (disk) installation. They've improved tremendously in that respect; the newer versions of Steam are well-conceived.
          • benitojuarez, on 05/11/2008, -2/+1that must be why my orange box version of halflife 2 (aka recent iteration) has had the savegames disappear twice now after downloading an update.
          • RunnyBabbit, on 05/11/2008, -1/+2Which updates?
          • benitojuarez, on 05/12/2008, -0/+3the ones that came down a few months ago.
        • KGtheway2B, on 05/11/2008, -3/+1Just beat the game already, it's not that hard...

          or just unlock the levels and play from there
        • hybridcreation, on 05/14/2008, -0/+1Sucks for you...never happened to me.
    • Step1Mark, on 05/10/2008, -2/+23I wouldn't say perfect but at least it is a step in the right direction.
    • DigitAl56K, on 05/10/2008, -5/+51That's not a perfect solution. A "perfect solution" is not to use "copy protection".

      We all know that if you want to pirate a game it's going to be cracked and posted on bittorrent within a week of it's release. Sometimes it's even posted before the release, e.g. GTA.

      Copy protection = Annoyance for people who pay for the game and means nothing to those who pirate it.
      • dark2025, on 05/10/2008, -5/+5Do you think game companies could make more money by removing copy protection all together then? I've always wondered about that. With the cost of implementing the copy protection and having people be unwilling to buy games because they could install random drivers on their computers maybe software companies lose more money with heavy copy protection, especially since most likely that copy protection will be cracked and the game pirated within days of release anyway. If people aren't going to buy it, they're not going to buy it. I think all that money that software companies invest in copy protection could be better invested in making the games better, so that more people will want to buy it.
        • Risingashes, on 05/11/2008, -1/+4They check the cdkey every time you access online content. That means that pirates will be kept from a significant section of the game.
          This rewards people who buy the game and prevents authorisation issues from locking people out.
          It's the perfect solution. Anything less simply discourages people who purchase the game due to people who arn't paying recieving the exact same product.
          • dark2025, on 05/11/2008, -2/+0Yes, online authorization allows for this, but I'm just talking about conventional copy protection techniques, such as SecuROM and StarForce. When done right, online authorization is actually quite useful, such as the way Steam or Stardock Central operate, although both could still be better. The need for CD-checking (a pain in the ass process) is gone in both cases, so no more CD switching or obtaining cracks. Plus lost discs is no longer a problem, provided you have an internet connection.
        • thirteenthcor, on 05/11/2008, -0/+2Sins of a Solar Empire.... Absolutely NO copy protection, and they STILL sell, and they were on the PC game TOP SELL list for like 2 weeks
          • dark2025, on 05/11/2008, -0/+1Same with Galactic Civilizations II. The moral is, if you invest your time and money into making a game fun, people will buy it. Piracy will occur regardless, there is no cure for that, but the damage is nowhere near the estimation that anti-piracy groups release. Like I said, if you're not going to buy it, you're not going to buy it.
      • deadbaby, on 05/11/2008, -1/+6The number of people who have the skill to bypass copy protection (even if it's as easy as installing a crack) is very small compared to the number of people who would pirate the game if there were no restrictions at all. Physical copying of CD/DVD is the biggest piracy medium. SecuROM and other techniques make this much harder. That's the only reason they exist -- not to be 100% perfect but just to make it harder to pirate.
        • thirteenthcor, on 05/11/2008, -5/+350 guys working on a Dev Team, Plus 10 guys writing security software.. GAME RELEASE! 6.5 BILLION People (minus 60) all have the inherent capability to hack, crack, and pirate.

          Never underestimate one's ability to learn how. Not saying that everyone knows how to do these things, just that everyone has the ability to learn how.

          Now, to get on to finer things, out of those 6.5 BILLION people, how many do you imagine use a computer a few times a week? lets say Half that number, so 3.25 BILLION. Now, out of those who uses their computer everyday for things more than just checking news ans emails? lets quarter that number, so 812 MILLION. Now how about the amount of people who know more than absolutely basic knowledge about computers (i.e,. turning it on and using internet explorer) Basically anyone that uses Firefox can be considering to know a little more than Basic Knowledge, because they are aware of quality and security levels that differ between software. Lets say that this in the entire world is about half this again 406 MILLION. Now, how about people who are aware that data can exist solidly as ones and zeros, and doesn't have to be pinned to a physical format (i.e. CD's DVD's) to work or be useful. This counts for people who understand Streaming video, IPOD's, MP3 players, and Flash Drives. for these people, lets cut the previous number by, oh say a quarter, so your down to about 300 MILLION. Now out of those 300 MILLION, you come down to people who are aware that OTHER people design hack, crack, and pirated software, and occasionally dabble in the downloaded file or two, and maybe an occasionally hacked/packaged game (Crimsonland) and that these people know how to move a few files around. half this number again and you get 150 MILLION. Lets quickly half this number again just for people who know how to read simple code like HTML, JAVA, or use things like DreamWeaver, with amateur success, so 75 MILLION. Now, lets count for the people who know how to go in and change simple lines of code, specifically in .exe files, through intructions of others, and this number drops to 30 MILLION. now, lets consider that less than a third again of this number, 10 MILLION, actually know how to program enough to make simple programs like flash run a stickman across the screen. Now, for the Coup De Grace, lets half this number AGAIN and consider that 5 MILLION people in the world know how to decently code and maker programs, I.E. have the ability to hack, crack, and create pirated software.

          This implies that for a 50, even 100 man dev team plus security guys, you have the very HIGH possibly of at least 5 MILLION people in the world working to simply crack, and hack software, for no other reason than that it may be a challenge. A lot of people who know how to do these things like to crack and hack for the simple enjoyment the challenge brings, even if they mean to cause nothing malicious.

          Your basically assuming that a 50 man team working around the clock to design security can beat the combined attempts of possibly hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people, all trying to beat them back! its basically pitting two fundamentally different sized processors against each other, and seeing which one will beat the other.

          It's mathematically, and statistically impossible, for ANYONE to make a indecipherable code, or 100% FOOLPROOF security program. I remember when, what was it? Windows 95, or the prior, NT i think it was. Microsoft included a back door into their software that the devs didn't feel they needed to close, because they assumed no one in the world knew how to program, and if they did they worked for Microsoft, within DAYS people had already gotten inside and hacked and cracked it.

          Think about it, and I'll see you at the Bay.
        • lime148, on 05/11/2008, -0/+2...
    • Myonosken, on 05/10/2008, -15/+9No the Orange Box was the perfect solution- making an amazing product that lives up to the hype.

      Will Wright is nearly as bad as Molyneux in that respect.
      • asspants, on 05/10/2008, -0/+16When did Will make something that didnt deliver?
        • AndrewDB, on 05/10/2008, -0/+8Sim Earth, but even he agrees it wasn't the best of the best.
    • acdcfanbill, on 05/10/2008, -1/+19And yet, a few months ago, everyone was up in arms because of Bioshock's online activation. Spore is announced with lots of activation, outrage ensues, they scale it back to what Bioshock had and everyone rejoices. Of course, a lot of Bioshock's anger was directed at the fact the activation servers were overloaded and un-installing didn't free up one of your activation credits, but they are still quite similar. If the activation servers go down when Spore launches, I'm going to laugh. I got along fine without playing Bioshock, I suppose I can miss Spore too.
      • Gryph1, on 05/11/2008, -8/+2Right! Steam is worse not even remotely better. From what I understand, any game you play has to be authenticated every time you play, unless you go into offline mode which if you lose internet connection without setting it you're ***** out of luck. Screw Steam, I'll go without playing those games. Spore is a one-time activation, which isn't bad to me at all. Once it's running and my crappy internet provider goes down I can fight the boredom playing Spore if I want to. Can't do that with Steam games as far as I know. If I'm wrong correct me because I've kinda wanted the orange box.

        Though I hear you on the activation credits.. Why do we have to put up with such hassle when we pay!?
    • tech42er, on 05/11/2008, -0/+13"Despite some hand-wringing by fans"
      Who are these fans who WANT SecuRom?
      • hybridcreation, on 05/14/2008, -0/+2None...EA just doesn't want say "It was a horrible, ill-conceived idea in the first place, so we switched".
    • kukiweed, on 05/11/2008, -4/+3Well I'm one of those who wants securom, or anything that's gonna stop piracy. It puzzles me how I can spend my hard earned money on games even though I live in a poor country and I have a ***** salary, while people in western Europe and the US, where a unemployment check is bigger than a medium income over here, pirate all their games. I have no respect for pirates, and anything to annoy them is good in my book.
      Now digg me down.
      • xino, on 05/12/2008, -0/+4Pirates aren't annoyed because they don't have copy protection on their games and so the only people it does annoy are the ones who paid for them
      • hybridcreation, on 05/14/2008, -0/+3News Flash!!! Copy protection doesn't stop piracy. Take a look at your nearest Bit Torrent website for proof.
  • Raptor007, on 05/10/2008, -4/+127Sweet! Finally no disc-in-drive checking!

    It's not that I "lose my discs", I just don't want to deal with the hassle of swapping them.
    • JBmtk, on 05/10/2008, -0/+13have you not heard:
      http://copybase.org/yasu/
      • thirteenthcor, on 05/11/2008, -1/+3Downloaded it. Thanks.

        See you at the Bay.
      • Raptor007, on 05/21/2008, -0/+1Oh yeah, I love the Daemon Tools + YASU combination. But it's even better when the game doesn't have a disc check at all.
    • L4WL3RS34L, on 05/11/2008, -0/+9No disc-in-drive checking is nothing new...several games have had it for a while now. And for the ones that don't:
      http://gamecopyworld.com/
      • Raptor007, on 05/21/2008, -0/+1Yeah, I use cracks and mini images from GCW for just about every game I purchase. It would be nice to avoid the cat-and-mouse game of "new patch, new crack" though, and not have to risk getting my CD key banned from playing online.
    • ControlcChris, on 05/11/2008, -5/+6
      im just going to illegally download it.
    • BearinG, on 05/12/2008, -0/+1I thought this news happened last week with Bioware or something.. sounds alot like exactly the same news.. SecuROM vs less invasive SecuROM
  • goldenhearted, on 05/10/2008, -12/+77When I heard about SecuROM being implemented on Spore, I felt this sudden but brief rage of a bull in a rodeo but in light of this news, I am now a cow... grazing in the greenest pastures, enjoying the grass.

    Now bring in Spore.
    • Gutterpunk, on 05/10/2008, -1/+45Hmmm from the article, SecureROM will still be in use, only they won't enable the periodic call home function. Although better, I fail to see why people rejoice that much
    • Lynx34, on 05/10/2008, -1/+27So.... you had a sex change, or what?
      • Earthacis, on 05/11/2008, -0/+3At least she seems happier now right?
    • antiorblkflag9, on 05/10/2008, -0/+34 I stomp the ground, and snort, to alert you that you are in my breeding territory.
  • refreshers, on 05/10/2008, -3/+20Wow, first Mass Effect then this. A great week for gamers!
    • ortucis, on 05/10/2008, -0/+5Actually they announced it the same day, for both games.. but yeah, great week for PC gamers.
    • leetdood, on 05/10/2008, -0/+17Not exactly a great week, they shouldn't have even tried this crap in the first place.
    • smek2, on 05/10/2008, -1/+11Wow, you are very naive. I guess you're a youngster because there was a time, you could actually buy and enjoy a single player game without being forced to go online and "authenticate" it.
      • otros, on 05/11/2008, -1/+4but you had to look a stupid code in the manual.

        Which, by the way worked GREAT in international editions with translated manuals.
    • Cyborg326, on 05/12/2008, -0/+1is it just me or does the quote from the site look suspiciously similar to what BioWare posted, as in almost exact wording in some places.
  • TR41NWR3CK, on 05/10/2008, -10/+3Projected US release date according to GameFaqs.com - 09/07/08
    • TomPhoolery, on 05/10/2008, -2/+4Actual release date: 08/07/09
      • SteveMax, on 05/12/2008, -0/+2Now we only need to know whether it's 2109 or 2209.
  • alanr19, on 05/10/2008, -23/+79That still sucks. Online auth is annoying and creepy.


    Not putting the 10 day re-auth on is clever though. This way they can put the other invasive activation on their games but yet look like the good guys. I'll pass on this game.
    • bbqsalad, on 05/10/2008, -4/+18Yeah, Like you were going to pay for it anyways..
    • Risingashes, on 05/11/2008, -3/+11If you kick up a fuss about a simple cdcheck when you access online content then you're really putting yourself outside the reasonable target demographic for games in general.
      Automatic checks are invasive, pinging a server when you are already contacting an external server anyway through user choice is the fairest method you could possibly implement.
      • thirteenthcor, on 05/11/2008, -2/+4Doesn't Matter how secure anything is, wait a few months, and someone will crack it, besides, its for online ***** anyway, and spore doesn't seem like the "Counter-Strike" style of gameplay anyways
        • RunnyBabbit, on 05/11/2008, -1/+4The online portion is a significant aspect of the game. Read up a bit more on it.
        • thirteenthcor, on 05/26/2008, -0/+1See, never been into online though.... I don't like rating myself against others, because I am the ones who tends to suck at everything... So I just don't bother.

          Ill play free CRACKED games online... but that's cause I didn't pay for it.
  • cl2yp71c, on 05/10/2008, -15/+31If it's easier to crack.....kudos.
    • yugiohdan6, on 05/11/2008, -1/+8i would imagine when it is cracked the online features won't work though... which is kind of a big part of this game
      • cl2yp71c, on 05/11/2008, -6/+4Shared user content is a big part of the game?

        ...doubt it
        • thirteenthcor, on 05/11/2008, -2/+2YEah >_> same here.
        • DforSpiD, on 05/11/2008, -1/+3Have you even seen the game?
          Shared user content is one of the main features...
        • lamiaconfitor, on 05/11/2008, -1/+3ugh, the point of playing the game is to make your own creatures and then mix and mingle them with other peoples... its one of the games major selling points.
    • Radica1Faith, on 05/11/2008, -1/+1shhhhhhh
    • Culyt, on 05/11/2008, -1/+1Chances are its easier to crack than deal with the DRM anyway.
      This is very badly titled, there not removing SecuROM, there just reducing it to be slightly less annoying. Its in fact its still the same old SecuROM.
      And it will be cracked within a week of release regardless of how often it calls home.
  • Sepeteus, on 05/10/2008, -8/+21Woohooo!!! I will buy Spore now!
    • bumcheekcity, on 05/10/2008, -11/+8I'm totally still going to pirate it. Go me :D
      • gkwillie, on 05/10/2008, -0/+5If a game was ever worth buying, it will be spore. Even if it is only 1/10th as good as it looks in the previews and in all the hype, it will still be worth it.
      • Risingashes, on 05/11/2008, -0/+1You should consider buying it simply due to the online content that will be a significant boon to your gaming experience.
      • thirteenthcor, on 05/11/2008, -0/+3See you at The Bay. ::arrgh::
    • Tazmaster, on 05/11/2008, -0/+1I had previously said (in a previous story's comment section) that I wasn't going to support the copy protection scheme they had decided to use by buying the game. I will now be happy to buy this game! I can't wait to play Spore.
    • Radica1Faith, on 05/11/2008, -0/+1Don't even act like you weren't going to in the first place
  • WCL23, on 05/10/2008, -2/+141A step in the right direction, but I would still like to see secuROM wiped from existence.
    • alanr19, on 05/10/2008, -3/+38Amen to that bro. I've noticed that anti-secuROM comment are getting dugg down very quickly. (at least to begin with)

      Do we have secuROM digg spammers on our midst? hmm
      • lamiaconfitor, on 05/11/2008, -2/+2look, there are some problems that secuROM present to legit gamers as well as actual pirates. hell, Ive had to crack a game I legitimately purchased, registered and contacted customer support numerous times just to get to work correctly. however, alot of the people who are against secuROM are obviously opposing it so they can play roms they download off of bittorrent sites. Piracy hurts the gaming industry, therefore hurts gamers. Most diggers who are digging pirates down know this.
        • dylantp20, on 06/12/2008, -0/+1WRONG! I had every intention of buying this game before hearing that securom was in it I've got a friend who is an avid sims player and that crap screwed his computer up so bad he had to reinstall, plus I know for a fact EA games tend to be buggy as hell and need reinstalling periodicly.....and after 3 times you have to call their number (which is not toll free) and get them to reactivate it which is done on a case by case basis which means they can just say F'you and move on to the next customer....
          No thanks EA....you've already lost my vote by ruining the nascar and nfl gamming scene I'll pass on this one.....
  • slyzxx, on 05/10/2008, -5/+7when does spore come out ?..
    • yugiohdan6, on 05/11/2008, -0/+7EU September 5, 2008
      NA September 7, 2008
  • DroidBlender, on 09/18/2008, -1/+20I can't wait for spore! They're supposed to be releasing the creature creator as a demo in June, right?
  • Wronghead, on 05/10/2008, -1/+7Awesome. They are also releasing a creature editor in June, but I don't know if they still plan on charging for it or not. I heard that they were. That sort of sucks.
    • Azriel7, on 05/10/2008, -0/+16Yes, but they are releasing a gimped version, BUT you can PAY for the full version of the editor...you know, the editor you can't do anything else with besides create creatures. EA's nickel and dime practices again.
      • Ymeg, on 05/10/2008, -0/+1The gimped version is something like 25% of the complete version...
  • doubledowndan, on 05/10/2008, -12/+5Playing games with the rom loaded into my macbook pro leads to burn marks on my upper thighs. Hoorah for more gaming and less burning!
  • jlebrech, on 05/10/2008, -16/+6Things like secuRom are the reason people move to Mac or use linux and get a console.
    • Raptor007, on 05/21/2008, -0/+1You're right about the console part. I'll wade the muddy waters of SecuROM to enjoy games on a PC (gamecopyworld.com helps), but I sympathize with those who get fed up and switch to consoles.

      I don't think SecuROM has anything to do with me using a Mac though... I think "x has encountered a problem and needs to close" + BSOD are more responsible. :¬)
  • str3ama, on 05/10/2008, -5/+24Honestly secuROM was a deal-breaker for me, I'm willingly to actually buy the game is without DRM type technology, glad that they submitted to the pressure and got rid of it. I'd bet it was EA's decision to put secuROM on it, it seems to go again what Wright has said before in previous interviews about piracy.
    • leetdood, on 05/10/2008, -1/+20secuROM is still there, just a modified version of it.
  • RomanThommassen, on 05/10/2008, -14/+4so, i need to pay for this game?
    • Raptor007, on 05/21/2008, -0/+1If you keep pirating PC games, pretty soon there will be none to pirate.
  • airwalkery2k, on 05/10/2008, -5/+55From another website: "The publisher further noted that the protection will still only allow users to authenticate each game on up to three computers. Approval of further authorizations will be handled by EA customer support on a case-by-case basis. "

    This still sucks ass. Those things usually also count simple changes like changing the video card, the ram, or even the bios drivers. Even if they don't, I'd hate to have to call EA down the road just to use the product I paid for.

    If this is the future of computer gaming, I think I'll be switching to consoles primarily.

    Source: http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/52618
    • Azriel7, on 05/10/2008, -1/+31Don't forget that after a couple of years and you want to play again. If EA turns the servers off or goes out of business, you will will be screwed.
      • apmtt, on 05/10/2008, -1/+17You can only hope that if that happened, they'd release one final patch which disables the authentication
        • HueytheFreeman, on 05/11/2008, -0/+6There's already been a case where this happened: Prey when it was on Triton (a content delivery system like Steam). They sent a new boxed copy of Prey to each customer who purchased the game via that service.
      • Raptor007, on 05/21/2008, -0/+1If EA turns off the servers for Spore, that alone will detract from the gameplay quite a bit. Remember, one of Spore's big features is content sharing.
    • meinhookah, on 05/10/2008, -1/+9all the more reason to just pirate the *****
    • ExRe, on 05/10/2008, -5/+6I think you are thinking about it too much. When somebody says on 3 computers, that would imply 3 _different_ computers at the _same_ time.
      • bokep, on 05/10/2008, -0/+11Wrong. You can install it a maximum of three times. If you reformat your computers once in a while then after the third install you can't play anymore.
      • orangedude, on 05/11/2008, -6/+2Then just uninstall the game before you reformat, genius. If you're stupid enough to ***** up on THREE separate occasions, you deserve to have $50 taken away from you.
    • TheG2, on 05/10/2008, -8/+5Actually, I delt with EA on a problem similar to this a few weeks back, I called and the game was running again in under a minute, I wouldn't call that life ending.
      • KMartSheriff, on 05/10/2008, -2/+10That changes nothing from the fact it's still a ***** move. With thinking like yours, it's just getting easier to take it in the ass from stuff like this, kinda like $4 gas.
        • bjornski, on 05/10/2008, -8/+5Yeah, and it's the type of thinking that let Hitler take over Germany, too.

          Over-react much?
          • PolarBearCa, on 05/10/2008, -1/+2You actually went there?

            What, you never heard of Godwin?
          • bjornski, on 05/10/2008, -2/+2What about Godwin? It merely states that the probability of someone mentioning Hitler eventually reaches 1:1.

            That's all. No point won, no argument lost. Merely that it will eventually get mentioned.
          • tech42er, on 05/11/2008, -1/+2Actually, yeah it is. People just don't care, they just go with the flow, and look what happens.
          • KMartSheriff, on 05/11/2008, -1/+1Bjornski, what the hell are you talking about?
    • Gizza, on 05/12/2008, -0/+2Gorram it, looks like I'm still not buying the game. ***** this *****.
  • keepinithamsta, on 05/10/2008, -1/+17I just hope the authentication servers survive the onslaught of the first day...
  • xm1014, on 05/10/2008, -1/+17And this is better how? I'm sure the "modified version" will be cracked days later anyways..
  • Radkon1, on 05/10/2008, -3/+11haha thats funny...as long as there is a will there is a way, the game will be cracked and ppl will pirate it there is no stopping it, just making it a little more difficult
    • yugiohdan6, on 05/11/2008, -0/+1and i think at this point that's all companies are trying/can do
  • AzraDarkness, on 05/10/2008, -7/+3wasnt this reported on yesterday??? when EA said it was going to be removed as military people do not have a reliable internet access every 10 days.
  • TastyCookie, on 05/10/2008, -2/+6Well done, internets.
  • mamboboy, on 05/10/2008, -11/+3Not news worthy as Spore will constantly be delayed and only see the light of day when a majority of us are 6-feet under
  • RoboHobo, on 05/10/2008, -1/+90This headline sucks ass. No, SecuROM hasn't been removed. They're still using the same online activation system provided by SecuROM with the same three activation limit. The only difference is that it won't automatically re-authenticate every 10 days now. Sounds like the same system Bioshock used. Offline games requiring online authentication = games I won't ever buy.
    • gencha, on 05/10/2008, -0/+16Indeed. Buried inaccurate.
    • JackHarkness, on 05/10/2008, -3/+9except that spore has online fuctionalirty
      • RoboHobo, on 05/10/2008, -1/+5Right, but it's not like multiplayer. IMO, it's nothing that even warrants the hassle of a serial number.
        • Risingashes, on 05/11/2008, -2/+3If you're not willing to enter a serial number from a box in to your computer then you are an unreasonable consumer and no effort by any company would be likely to cause a purchase.
          • RoboHobo, on 05/11/2008, -0/+5I'm just talking about the online junk. It's like having to register a serial number to download a patch or mod. Seems dumb. And pointless. In less than a week after the game is released, any 10 year old with access to google will be able to play the game without paying. Really, what the hell is the point? People who weren't going to pay for Spore still won't be paying for Spore, and people who did pay will have to deal with the assortment of problems and inconveniences that comes with the copy protection. I was planning on buying the game, but now I'll just find something else to play. I buy all my games, but I also try not to reward stupidity.
      • snareguy17, on 05/11/2008, -2/+2function what now?
    • cnot3, on 05/11/2008, -0/+4and yet bioshock was cracked and on bittorrent the day it came out... GL curbing piracy EA.
      • Culyt, on 05/11/2008, -0/+1No it took a week, I remember waiting. I think the 360 version was out though.
    • mkoo, on 05/14/2008, -0/+0Indeed Indeed. (duh) Nevertheless it will be cracked. I too dont buy games require activation and ***** like that. That's why I hate Steam so much. It makes pirates life easier and legit gamers' life harder
  • fearlessfrog, on 05/10/2008, -2/+11The description is wrong - they're still using SecureROM, and I think it's lame people are sayings it's great that they aren't doing the 10 day thing. Wow - how nice of them - it's still phones home and 'can only be install 3 times' - It all still sucks - not good enough...
  • Djarum, on 05/10/2008, -3/+21Online authentication is a terrible idea. Everyone has said it. The best way to deal with piracy is give things to the paying customers that you can not get for free. Online play is one, I think support and the like is another.

    I have stopped PC gaming in the last year because I am tired of buying a game and being treated like a criminal. All the Starforce nonsense was bad enough but Bioshock was honestly the last straw for me. The sooner companies figure out that piracy is not the problem and stop treating the people who pay for software like ***** is when PC gaming will rebound. Sadly I think they have ***** on the fanbase for far too long and I don't think there is too much they can do to get folks back.
    • Risingashes, on 05/11/2008, -0/+4Really? I'd think the major way for PC gaming to make a comeback would be for developers to ditch the high end graphics and aim at the midrange again.
      $100 for a game is doable for the majority of people. $600+ for a new topend graphics card and $100 for a game is not.
      How is it that no one at a game developer paid attention in product design 101? Maximise your consumer base.
      I'm yet to talk to someone that actually plays or buys games that rate graphics as anywhere near gameplay in terms of importance. Isn't that 2D ball matching puzzlegame one of the most often purchased PC games nowadays? Shouldn't that be a clue?
    • orangedude, on 05/11/2008, -1/+1Hey, guess what? Consoles have anti-piracy measures too! You can't play any "backup" discs without a modded 360, and you can't play on XBOX Live if you modded it due to online authentication.

      Oh noes! They're treating us console users as criminals, and won't even let us backup our own legit purchased discs just because we don't want to scratch our originals.

      ***** Microsoft/Sony/Nintendo!
  • pigfister, on 05/10/2008, -4/+4sonys screwUrom as anti consumer as only sony can be!

    http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=son ...

    FT Link: Sony'd = To be totally screwed over without warning.
  • DracoFlameus, on 05/10/2008, -3/+2so glad to read that... now I can buy the game again.
  • AzureRise, on 05/10/2008, -0/+5I went from being happy about this great game, to being pissed and refusing to buy it because of DRM, to being happy again at this announcement. EA, why must you take me on this emotional digital roller coaster? Glad they made the right decision in the end.
    • Gizza, on 05/12/2008, -0/+2To being unhappy again when I realised that hadn't changed *****. Got rid of the 10 day activation, but the rest is still there.
  • novask, on 05/10/2008, -2/+17They dint remove Securom, they removed the every 10 day online activation requirement. The game will still have a limited amount of installs (3 I believe) and it will take a hardware fingerprint, so if you upgrade in the future you will have to call EA to activate your game.
  • eis271828, on 05/10/2008, -0/+8Will running Process Explorer still cause it to refuse to play? I hate having to reboot to play a game just because I've used my version of Task Manager.
  • Planets, on 05/10/2008, -6/+3EA did something good twice in the same week. WHAT'S GOING ON?!

    /looks to see if a giant asteroid is about to hit Earth
    • PolarBearCa, on 05/10/2008, -2/+3I am sure this is one of the signs of the a apocalypse. Lets see, plagues, check. Floods, check. GWB as president, check.

      When Hillary gives up her bid for nomination, WE'RE DOOMED!
  • matt.rubin, on 05/10/2008, -5/+2does this mean i am have to buy the game?
  • PolarBearCa, on 05/10/2008, -2/+2Oh, thank you merciful gods of the internets and gaming...
  • Lyph5, on 05/10/2008, -3/+3Because of this, I have re-placed the pre-order I had canceled. Thank you, EA. (never thought I'd be saying that)
  • alittleroy101, on 05/10/2008, -0/+20For everyone that skips the previous 50 damn comments and posts "Yay no more secuROM!!!!" please read the following:
    THEY DID NOT REMOVE SECUROM, JUST THE REPEATED 10 DAY VERIFICATION.
  • xyllar, on 05/10/2008, -1/+4Well it's a start. It says "you will still be able to install the game on multiple systems" but I'd like to know, is "multiple" still limited to three?
    • zc456, on 05/10/2008, -0/+1Good point. You can already install Sims on multiple computers as it is.
    • masterthiefster, on 05/11/2008, -0/+2At this point in time it is still limited to three activations.
  • sleepbox, on 05/10/2008, -0/+5DOWN WITH SONY'S MEASURES OF BS!!!
  • tama00, on 05/10/2008, -0/+5man digg has some misleading titles.
  • smek2, on 05/10/2008, -0/+7***** em. Maybe it's just me, but during the last couple of years i gradually lost interest in gaming. The industry is proud to become a multi-billion dollar mini hollywood and yet, they are continue to annoy users like crazy with with things like SecuROM and whatnot. Re-Authentification every 10 days? That's the stuff people would have been laughed at a couple of years ago. But in these times, where Sony gets away clean with secretly installing rootkits...
  • CrazyDave303, on 05/10/2008, -1/+15I have sampled a lot of software, and It's easy to get what ever I want. So in reality copy protection only hurts those that paid for the software. Even though I plan to buy Spore the day it comes out on the market, I know I'll end up getting a hacked copy as well or some thing just to make it easier for me to run it.

    The worse is when games need the original disk to be played. If I'm on a laptop, I do not want to bring about extra items just to run the machine. I don't want to bring out disks that can get lost or easily scratched. I also don't want copy protection that install utilities which run in the back ground all the time, regardless if I'm using the software title at the time or not.

    As most people that get a bit older, I have more money to pay for the tools I want to use, I still need to pay for Nero, ACDsee and WinRar. I might put out some coin for Fruity Loops because I'm thinking about getting back in to sound mashing(and I've installed that program on 100's of peoples computers for people that wanted to start learning a bit about making electronic music). I also moved to OpenOffice, from MSWord because I don't want to feel guilty about refusing to pay for it. I don't know what to do about apps companies refuse to sell, I don't want the newest bloatware copy of some tools, I don't know what to do about programs that cost WAY WAY to much for regular home user, that only some times use said programs.

    If companies make it easy for you pay a fair price for software I think a lot more people will be up for it. Just look at how many Classic Roms people are buying for the Wii.
  • shawnanigans, on 05/10/2008, -1/+4In the end does it really matter? It's going to be cracked.
  • username484767, on 05/10/2008, -1/+1good
  • bbliss17, on 05/10/2008, -1/+7It will be hacked and you will be able to download it via torrent anyway.
    • kukiweed, on 05/11/2008, -1/+1And PC gaming will die. Nice work pirates.
  • bbqsalad, on 05/10/2008, -3/+3they should just stop making pc games all together. I guess this is why so many devs are aiming for console releases mainly. good job guys.
  • brutalsponge, on 05/10/2008, -0/+5The title is incredibly misleading, they're not "removing" it. They're only removing the 10-day activation.
  • HappyScrappy, on 05/11/2008, -0/+7Incorrect. It's just using a different version of SecurROM.
  • hab21, on 05/11/2008, -2/+2Finally!! now maybe it will install and run under LINUX let us hope it does
  • JasonCox, on 05/11/2008, -2/+2Why did I switch from PC gaming to Xbox 360? This crap is why.
    • TheLichKing, on 05/11/2008, -1/+3Have fun playing MMORPGs on Xbox ^_^
      • Niffer, on 05/11/2008, -1/+5Fun playing MMORPGs? I didn't know it was possible.
      • Cossa, on 05/12/2008, -0/+1You mean like Final Fantasy XI? Or the upcoming Age of Conan, or Huxley, or Champions Online....
    • eedok, on 05/13/2008, -0/+0You'd rather go back to disk checking protection? TBH it doesn't make sense to move away from PC gaming as they're adding DRM to a game, when the destination is a DRM machine, I guess all I'm going to say to you is have fun swapping your disks, as I'll be on my PC playing the game with the disk filed away somewhere I could care less about(unless it is released on steam, then I won't have a disk at all).
  • Zonghui, on 05/11/2008, -0/+3Buried.

    Title is inaccurate. They did NOT remove SecuROM. They are merely using an alternative version of it.
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