DRM

[norb]

Flanyboy, it was certainly not directed at you at all. It was directed at the proposal that I follow the DRM schemes of the most successful games.

This is all a tough decision to make, but once it's made we'll stick with it and support it. There is no way to please everyone, but we want to try and please most.

I do consulting for Strat-O-Matic games. They have been using the one use activation for years. Their users seem happy with it. You can activate/deactivate your one code as many times as you want. I am using the same company because I've worked with the people there and know them well. I trust what he says and I've see their stuff in action. Strat is independent like us. They've sold this for years, so this is a tried and tested method.

Right now I am leaning towards 39/49 using the one machine activation. It seems the most fair for all and makes sure that we can sell our games. The demo will have MP, so people will be able to play with their friends for free.

[Hancock the Superb]

If I may sum up the spirit of this lively discussion:

Norb: We don't intend to disrespect you. You've come a long ways in producing a great game and you've put in many hours. Maybe we are a little overoptimistic, but, we all would like the best for your game. If that means paying a little extra, most of us would be more than willing (I can't speak for all of us on that, though). I believe most of our ideas are perhaps, hoping that the game will be an award winner, and could have the features that the popular games have. In that sense, we want you to get the most out of your time well spent, by attempting to copy the big-league games. However, since you have been in this industry the longest of the majority of us, you would probably know what is best.

I hope that this satisfies everyone, to the best of my abilities.

[Exoddus]

I'm usally silent at forums, like to listen and se what hapens you know?
But this subject made me really want to throw my two cents in.

Let me tell you guys a story:
Jim is an avarage citizen white-pirate, he downloads games and play them.
If he likes them he buys them. Tim is a guy whom has never heard of Razor1911,
Reloded or DRM.

Both these guys would like to play the new game Gettysburg. Tim buy's the
game and is having a wonderful time. As time goes by he get's a new harddrive
(reinstall), he messed up the game files (reinstall), he formats his harddrive
to clean it up (reinstall). Now after five times Tim discovers something is
wrong, the game won't install anymore! He discovers that he needs to buy the
game AGAIN to play on. Poor Tim...
Jim on the other hand downloads the game, cracks it and starts playing. Jim
is also having a wonderful time and decides it's time to make a purchase!
But Jim finds out about the DRM and does not like to be "cheated" so he get's
irritated and choose to not buy at all and simply keeps his cracked version wich
he can play on forever without worry...

What have you learned from this story? I have learned that the option 2 of
DRM protection only punishes the "honest" people whom buy the game. All while
doing nothing about the "dishonest" people. I loved and buyed TC2M, still enjoying
it today. Please don't do what EA did with Spore, it pissed a lot of people of.

Finally i would like to say thank you Norb and everyone involved in SoWGettysburg,
your doing some heavenly work here! And sorry for the long read

[norb]

That's why I think I'm going with option 1. Although I think the concept of option 2 makes more sense as time goes on. With today you don't really buy software, you lease it or rent it. We continue to support it and release patches. But I don't think most of the public is there yet. They don't want to buy 5 more installs.

I personally feel that the group of people that are going to have any problems are very small. Most people install once and never have any issues at all. I believe that the DRM will hardware lock to the disk. So if you install on a separate drive, or even a usb drive, you can move the game from box to box. I THINK.

I do not hear anyone with a major product to sell that champions the idea of no protection. It's like stores removing the security devices because of the few false positives some people get. They spend a ton on security because no one wants people to take their product for free. If all the file sharing and torrent sites were taken down, then it wouldn't be an issue. Or if they monitored their content to not allow illegal content. But they don't. Software is just too easy to copy.

Your story is possible, but rare. We have always supported our customers in any way possible. We will certainly try our best to clear up any issues with the DRM. And anyone that enjoys this game and wants to see more of them will certainly understand.

[UglyElmo]

With the recent surge of piracy in the gaming industry, Norbsoft has decided to make the step up to an unheard of level of copy protection. If you think Starforce, SecureRom, and server authentication methods were invasive, just wait until you purchase the new Gettysburg! Scourge of War game!

Working in conjunction with the FBI, CIA, INTERPOL, SCOTLAND YARD, and several other internationally known security agencies, Norb is contracting his copy protection work to secret service agency-sponsored independent contractors (aka. former LA Gang-Bangers which Norb affectionately refers to as GB's and former mafia enforcers: ME's). When you download yo' new game, the next day you will be personally visited at you's home by two Norb-selected GB's or ME's (depending on location) and observed installing yo' one legal copy onto the PC of you's choice, whereby said agents will then fingerprint and obtain a DNA sample from you's, which will be stored in an undetermined secure facility (Fort Knox perhaps? Without all that gold, there must be quite a bit of room there.).

So don't be fooled by the nice touchy/feely logo to be found on each Gettysburg: Scourge of War advertisement . . . Norbsoft is serious this time!





This is an old spoof I did awhile back, at another forum, but have remade to reflect the current discussions. So now you know: It could be worse!

[norb]

Someone is going to take that seriously and post it in some forum. Just you wait and see

[Hancock the Superb]

I tell you UE - it is gonna be a laugh during MP battles with you!

[UglyElmo]

And I look forward to the fun to be had playing with/against you Mr. Hancock sir!

That is my goal. When it stops being fun for me and my MP friends, I stop playing. I enjoy the pre/during/post-game banter as much as I do playing. Though if you play with me much, you will notice I have a tendency to forget who I've told what and repeat my old jokes a few times. Though now I can blame it on old age! :laugh:

Norb: Now that you mention it, I did have something like that happen at the old Total War forums, during the Pre-Rome days: I said I had proof of how the new RTW game was going to be "console-ified" and wrote up a fake interview with the Creative Assembly devs with a supposed "screenshot" of the game's interface and features. Apparently, I made it look a bit too real, since the next day there were several threads discussing my "interview" and screenie. After that, I made sure I went so far over-the-top with my spoofs that even my drunken Kentucky "good ole boy" relatives could figure out it was a joke.

[Ephrum]

UglyElmo wrote:

With the recent surge of piracy in the gaming industry, Norbsoft has decided to make the step up to an unheard of level of copy protection. If you think Starforce, SecureRom, and server authentication methods were invasive, just wait until you purchase the new Gettysburg! Scourge of War game!

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :silly: :woohoo:

UglyElmo, that is priceless! Thank you for a good laugh!

[Hancock the Superb]

Next you'll be joking that Stuart will be in our rear on Day 2! And we'll all believe you!