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DRM for online functions

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zespri:
Sorry, for bringing up beaten and dead topic again, but I'm wondering why AI Wars and AVWW do not have DRM for online functionality. This one seems like a no brainer, everyone is doing this and it does not seem to be harmful for legitimate customers. What I mean here is that Online Updater can refused to work (server side check) if a correct serial is not provided. Currently you can update even demo/unregistered version just fine, I'm assuming you'll be able to do this with a fake key too. It's easy auto-ban a serial on the server if it starts to be using for downloading updates from zillion IPs over and over again. This check won't prevent normal game functionality, it will still work like it is now, but since new versions are not published anywhere else but via the update, it will deter pirates. Who wants to be N versions behind?

I'm guessing that the answer to this question is that for developers the effort is not worth the benefit AND saying that the game has no DRM is a good selling point. However I'd like to know why the extra sales generated from pirates who wants to keep their game updated is not worth it?

tigersfan:
I won't speak for Chris here, this is my take. But, IMO, there are basically two types of PC game players, there are paying gamers and there are pirates. Pirates don't normally become paying gamers, and the people paying typically don't pirate (some may grab a game off of a torrent site to try it out, then buy it if they like it.) So, why bother the folks that pay with the potential for issues and problems for what is likely to be very little return?

Yeah, I know my view is an oversimplification, but, really most people that go out of their way to pirate a game really aren't likely to come back and buy a game. Especially when the game has an extensive demo like ours.

x4000:
Being able to demo the latest beta is a useful sales tool.

Banning keygenned serials from updates would catch legitimate consumers (see what happened on that score with steam registrations -- that's not an idle fear).

And that's pretty much it.

doctorfrog:
OP, your argument assumes that it would stop piracy. The questions here are:

- would it really stop piracy? (no)
- would a significant number of pirates actually become paying customers at that point? Or would they just move on to some other video game they could easily pirate?
- how many paying customers would even a moderate stance on DRM alienate? (Esp. given that Arcen's reputation as being simple-serial-only has been established for years now.)

IMO, the act of taking a "stolen" serial and using it to activate a game you haven't paid for is about as weighty on a conscience as using just about any other anti-DRM measure.

eRe4s3r:
All you really need to do is link an account / email / pw to a serial and just base updates on the requirement to login, allow offline playing when the account was logged in and authorized at least once. Like.. basically all the big games do it just more lenient.

That way, pirates get offline game and no updates unless they pirate them as well (and believe me, they will)
Customers get updates and can play online or offline however much they want. If the account/email/pw is made so that it "remembers" properly this would be 0 hassle. But it would be DRM.

Imo this is an acceptable trade-off... I guess some would disagree, but it would save you a lot of bandwidth because pirates would need to download the updates elsewhere ;p

Obviously Steam would subvert that idea though, most cracked games and all cracked updates come straight from steam.

It would also require you to at least keep logs how many computers/ip's log in  serial bound account.. and some servers are needed too ;P

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