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sweenish: that's the main reason i registered here. i could have pirated the fallouts and used the MODs to get it working in vista, but i support the basic principle of this site. the idea that we own what we purchase, no strings attached.

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I think if you are not happy with EA's DRM scheme, the best way to send them a message is to support alternative game distributors.
EA have the right to riddle their games with DRM. Just as you have the right to boycott EA, not buy games with these schemes and warn others about them. EA have already agreed to relax the Spore DRM based on all of the people who are already doing this.
I wouldn't say they have the right to riddle games with DRM as a blanket statement. Sony already found out that is not the case when trying that with Starforce. SecuROM can be very intrusive in ways that pertain not at all to a particular game install, is installed surreptitiously and cannot be removed(at least by ordinary users). This is where DRM oversteps its bounds in numerous ways.
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sweenish: that's the main reason i registered here. i could have pirated the fallouts and used the MODs to get it working in vista, but i support the basic principle of this site. the idea that we own what we purchase, no strings attached.
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DrStoopid: +1
I think if you are not happy with EA's DRM scheme, the best way to send them a message is to support alternative game distributors.
EA have the right to riddle their games with DRM. Just as you have the right to boycott EA, not buy games with these schemes and warn others about them. EA have already agreed to relax the Spore DRM based on all of the people who are already doing this.

EA doesn't have the right to do this, not in the United States at least. According to the Right of Final Sale and the FTC guidelines, installing software without telling you is illegal, along with preventing second hand sales. Sure, EA would like to destroy the second hand market and is trying to, but the consumer is SUPPOSED to be entitled to sell their copy of the game at a later date. Limited Installs prevents this.
This is why the law suits and class action law suits are actually going through, because they have a legal argument.
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SkullCowboy: Online activation I could handle. Even an online check to d/l patches, etc. Lotta folks don't like it because, contrary to what some folks think, not everyone has 24/7 reliable WWW access, even among us spoiled Americans... ;)
What really gets me is limited installs. Say what you want, I will never support a publisher that uses that scheme.
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illegalyouth: skullcowboy, there's a better method than online activation -- online registration. stardock does this. you don't need the internet to launch the game, even for the first launch; however, if you want to receive updates, patches, new content, etc., you have to register your CD key with stardock. online registration serves the same purpose as online activation without adding an additional burden on the user.

Yup, been a Stardock customer since GalCivII. Their TS is top notch as well, they actually give a damn.
I was just pointing out that I could live with an online activation if I had to. I never minded CD keys or even having to keep the disk in the drive at game start (not a continual pounding of the drive like certain versions of StarForce did).
Also, some of you might be interested in an interview EA's CEO gave to Gamasutra:
http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=20655
I love the line where he says, in reference to the uproar about Spores DRM: I'm guessing that half of them were pirates, and the other half were people caught up in something that they didn’t understand.
I so love being either a pirate or too stupid to understand the facts. EA is SOOOOOOOOOOO not getting any more of my money.
I doubt that EA would put up any of its games here on GOG. Didn't they have their own digital distribution system... If I recall correctly, I think it was called EALink or something along those lines?
The way EA is dealing with its piracy is definitely spiraling out of control. They need to rethink how they use their DRM.
EA is scum.
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SkullCowboy: Yup, been a Stardock customer since GalCivII. Their TS is top notch as well, they actually give a damn.
I was just pointing out that I could live with an online activation if I had to. I never minded CD keys or even having to keep the disk in the drive at game start (not a continual pounding of the drive like certain versions of StarForce did).
Also, some of you might be interested in an interview EA's CEO gave to Gamasutra:
http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=20655
I love the line where he says, in reference to the uproar about Spores DRM: I'm guessing that half of them were pirates, and the other half were people caught up in something that they didn’t understand.
I so love being either a pirate or too stupid to understand the facts. EA is SOOOOOOOOOOO not getting any more of my money.

thanks for the gamasutra link; very interesting read. just when i thought that someone at EA understood why gamers reacted negatively to spore's DRM model when they admitted that downloads don't necessarily equal lost sales, riccitiello goes and says something stupid like that.