Hey guys,
I'm wondering what extremes the Wolfenstein DRM takes.
MehBrett states on the g4tv forums that "it has SecuRom on the disc, but it doesn't install anything on your PC. The SecuRom on it is pretty light.."
On other forums, I've also found that it uses SecuROM v7.x which I'm a bit iffy about letting anywhere near my PC.
So to all those who have the latest Wolfenstein, are there any activation limits? Does the Australian version contain SecuROM v7? Is v7 REALLY that bad?
Thanks! =)

GCW says SecuROM v7 and they're usually accurate.
As for how bad it is, it honestly depends on how well the developer knows how to code it. I buy games with SecuROM from devs I know know their way around it, and my experiences have been flawless. On the other end you have games like Neverwinter Nights 2 which have just been a disaster because of it, to the point of showstopping bugs and whatnot (SecuROM has been patched out of that one recently though, thankfully).
Anyway. I don't have the game so I can't tell you, but in the meantime best bet is to search forums for user experiences...hopefully a few people here can offer some.

What WERE those anyway? I never had a problem with the game even when I was running v1.0 from the disc.
Well I never had a problem that wasn't "your computer is too crap to run this game properly"
Maybe the industry as a whole is still smarting from the arse raping that the community gave Spore...

Well I suppose they couldn't have happened to everyone, but Obsidian acknowledged in the new patch blue screens were caused by it. I think there were other issues but I cant recall precisely. I know in at least one of the expansions there was a showstopper. Umm, I'll quote a guy from here:
"It sure would be nice if they'd fix the actual PROBLEMS. Namely a huge game destroying bug with the Mask of the Betrayer expansion that makes the final boss fight take place in the wrong scenery, and when the fight is over, instead of getting the ending sequence, you see a glowing red portal. If you go into the portal, you get a loading sequence that never ends. And you never get to see the ending. I had to look them up on youtube."
And yep, definitely Spore. And Mass Effect. And BioShock. And a bunch of other games, though with smaller "campaigns."

I think you do not understand how SecuROM actually works. Game developers do not "code" SecuROM, they are simply provided with the SecuROM package by Sony DADC to be included in their software. In the case of SecuROM 7, that package is configurable so that the "protection" it offers can be as little as a simple disk check at game launch, or as complex as online activation and multiple "call home" checks while running the game, or anything in between. They do not have to write any custom code to make that happen, it is already part of the SecuROM package.
Additionally, the majority of the bugs that NWN2 had were not in any way related to SecuROM. The only one I know of that was clearly SecuROM was a problem that prevented the launch of the game (blue screen), but again, that had nothing to do with anything Obsidian "coded" into SecuROM, it was a problem inherent to SecuROM.
As for the subject at hand, all modern SecuROM protected games are SecuROM v7; no other versions of the product are available anymore. The only real question is what features of v7 are implemented in Wolfenstein. Based on what I have read, it would appear that the game uses the most basic version of SecuROM v7, which is the simple disk check built into the game executable. No additional device drivers or activations are present.

Well I bought it at retail when I was in the UK and have it installed (with a no DVD crack applied) and have no troubles with it. Mind you, I always apply no DVD/CD cracks to retail bought games as I don't like the hassel of sorting out the external DVD drive every time I want to play something.

Wolfenstein is meant to only have a disc check for single player. However, multiplayer requires that you use your provided key to create an online account, making resale of the game impossible once you've created that account. But then that's no worse than any digital distribution service, including GOG, if we're honest.
The only real problem with SecuROM v7 over the previous versions is the possibilities it provides publishers to 'help protect' their games from their paying customers.
Many games use it for the disc check only. Which is fair enough. Fallout 3 used it and there weren't any activations or even any real need for the disc for that matter. GTA 4. however has you jumping through hoops like a trained Golden Retriever.

Thanks for all of the replies.
I found it hard to figure out which post to mark as the solution, so chautemoc got it. First in, and all that.. (even though I marked chautemoc's second post)
I'm glad it's only a disc check.. I haven't had any trouble with previous versions of SecuROM, but I've read a lot of people complaining about it, claims about optical drives stuffing up, security vulnerabilities and so on.. It started sounding a lot like StarForce.
Are you trolling? ;P

Nah just being less than subtle about my slightly lower than rabid level of enthusiasm for the game...

Yes, I misspoke. I didn't mean they code SecuROM, I mean how they implement SecuROM into their game. What I should've said is it depends on how well the developer is familiar with SecuROM and how to implement it, and how much testing they're willing to do with it.

lol
Just as long as you don't resort to photoshopping the rainbows out of the game screens.

Err Rainbows? We are talking about this wolfenstein aren't we?
I'm open to the possibility of it not sucking but the trailers have given me the impression of a generic nazi killfest with magic and that desperately wants to be FEAR

Fallout 3 can fully bypass the CD check just by using the game exe and not the launcher. Bethesda did it that way on purpose. The way DRM is handled now is really how it should have been from the start. Non invasive... the NWN2 thing i experienced first hand, the community basically bashed Atari over the head repeatedly until they finally wised up and fixed the issue.