LiveJournal users (and others!) against SecuROM

Sourced from Big Download

Stardock and its CEO Brad Wardell have always been champions of PC gaming and the belief that the platform is as viable as the console industry. Today the publisher released what their are calling the "Gamer's Bill of Rights". They are 10 statements that they believe PC gaming consumers should get for their purchases. Stardock intends to follow its own statements; it has announced that anyone that can't run their recent strategy game The Political Machine 2008 on their PC can get their money back from Stardock if they purchased the game in retail stores.

Here is the full list:
1) Gamers shall have the right to return games that don't work with their computers for a full refund.
2) Gamers shall have the right to demand that games be released in a finished state.
3) Gamers shall have the right to expect meaningful updates after a game's release.
4) Gamers shall have the right to demand that download managers and updaters not force themselves to run or be forced to load in order to play a game.
5) Gamers shall have the right to expect that the minimum requirements for a game will mean that the game will play adequately on that computer.
6) Gamers shall have the right to expect that games won't install hidden drivers or other potentially harmful software without their consent.
7) Gamers shall have the right to re-download the latest versions of the games they own at any time.
8) Gamers shall have the right to not be treated as potential criminals by developers or publishers.
9) Gamers shall have the right to demand that a single-player game not force them to be connected to the Internet every time they wish to play.
10) Gamers shall have the right that games which are installed to the hard drive shall not require a CD/DVD to remain in the drive to play.

Article on the reasoning that created DRM issues:

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/ne…

The post I made earlier about games with securom was irrespective of what version they had. It was to show how widespread the usage of the DRM is. These are the games with the version that will mess up your computer, so if that the only issue you care about, these are the games to boycott (though there may be more). This is information I've found elsewhere, rather than checked out for myself.

Advent Rising (7.00.00.0011)
ARMA: Armed Assault (7.00.00.0054)
Battlestations Midway (7.30.0014)
Bioshock (7.xx.xxxx)
BloodRayne 2 (7.00.00.0001)
Boiling Point: Road to Hell (7.00.00.0022)
Broken Sword 4 (7.26.0007)
Broken Sword: The Angel Of Death (7.26.0007)
Caesar IV (7.27.0007)
Call of Juarez (7.24.0009)
Clive Barker's Jericho (7.xx.xxxx)
Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars (7.00.00.0074)
Commandos: Strike Force (7.00.00.0001)
Company Of Heroes (Gold) (7.33.0014)
Constantine (7.00.00.0018)
Crashday (7.00.00.0006)
Crime Life: Gang Wars (7.00.00.0008)
Crysis 1.1.1.5767 (7.xx.xxxx)
Dark Messiah of Might and Magic (7.28.0011)
Destination: Treasure Island (7.00.00.0001)
Dreamfall: The Longest Journey (7.20.0010)
Driver (4) - Parallel Lines (7.00.00.0047)
Driver (4) (7.00.00.0047)
El Matador (7.26.0007)
Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles (7.30.0015)
Empire Earth 2: The Art of Supremacy (7.12.xxxx)
Empire Earth 3 (7.xx.xxxx)
F.E.A.R. (7.00.00.0001)
F.E.A.R. (7.00.00.0149)
Fifa 2008 PC (7.xx.xxxx)
Frontlines: Fuel Of War (7.00.00.0074)
Gears of War original (7.30.0015)
Gothic 2 - The Night of the Raven (7.00.00.0004)
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (7.00.00.0037)
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (7.00.00.0096)
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (7.00.00.0096)
GTR 2 (7.29.0009)
Guitar Hero III (7.35.0007)
Happy Feet (7.27.0016)
Heroes of Might & Magic V: Hammers of Fate (7.00.00.0001)
Heroes of The Pacific (7.00.00.0022)
Hitman: Blood Money (7.00.00.0018)
Hoyle Card games 2008 (7.xx.xxxx)
Jade Empire: Special Edition (7.30.0015)
Juiced (7.00.00.0037)
Lego Indiana Jones (7.xx.xxxx)
Lego Star Wars (7.00.00.0012)
lilos lernwelt (7.000.000.32)
Madden NFL 08 (7.33.0011)
Mass Effect (7.35.xxxx)
Medal Of Honor: Airborne (7.00.00.0885)
Monopoly Here And Now (7.30.0014)
MotoGP URT 3 (7.00.00.0005)
Myst V - End of Ages (7.00.00.0029)
Need For Speed: Pro Street (7.34.0017)
Neverwinter Nights 2 (7.27.0016)
Prey (7.27.0007)
Pro Evolution Soccer 6 (7.27.0007)
Project: Snowblind (7.000.000.32)
Psychonauts (7.00.00.0009)
Rainbow Six: Vegas (7.29.0012)
Rainbow Six: Vegas 1.02 (7.30.0013)
Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 Expansion (7.00.00.0115)
Roller Coaster Tycoon 3: Wild! (7.00.00.0137)
Serious Sam 2 (7.00.00.0172)
Serious Sam 2 (7.21.0009)
Sid Meier's Railroads 1.1 (7.xx.xxxx)
Silent Hunter - Wolves of the Pacific (7.21.0009)
Splinter Cell: Double Agent (7.27.0014)
Stacked Poker (7.27.0012)
Stalker (7.21.0009)
Star Wars Battlefront 2 (7.00.00.0068)
Star Wars: Empire At War (7.xx.xxxx)
Stronghold 2 (7.00.00.0021)
Stronghold Legends (7.27.0012)
Stubbs the Zombie (7.00.00.0002)
Supreme Commander (7.30.0014)
The DaVinci Code (7.24.0009)
The Guild 2 (7.27.0012)
The Matrix: Path of Neo (7.00.00.0014)
The Matrix: Path of Neo (7.00.00.0017)
Tomb Raider: Anniversary (7.xx.xxxx)
Tomb Raider: Legend Version (7.20.0010)
Total Overdose (7.00.00.0067)
Turning Point: Fall Of Liberty (7.xx.xxxx)
Vietcong 2 (7.00.00.0043)
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War: Soulstorm (7.21.0009)
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War: Winter Assault (7.00.00.0074)
World in Conflict (7.00..00.57-63-71-74)
World in Conflict (7.34.0017)

Here's a useful link detailing what securom is, what Sony says it does (which is not necessarily true, its a PR answer, after all) and how to attempt to remove it from your system. This is in no way related to piracy or encouraging games cracks, it assumes that you've already uninstalled the securom afflicted games from your system.

http://forums.anandtech.com/messag…

Some companies have only recently started using Securom on their games. This means sometimes the original game may not have it, but the expansion pack does.

The following are some popular PC games that do not have Securom, but may still have copy protection that can cripple your PC (STARFORCE and the like):

Assassins Creed
Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal
Civilization III
Dungeon Siege 2
Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (standard)
Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion: Knights of the Nine
Fable - The Lost Chapters
Fahrenheit (DVD)
The Sims 2
The Sims 2 - Open for Business Expansion
The Sims 2 - Pets
The Sims 2 - Seasons
The Sims 2 Nightlife Expansion
The Sims 2 University Expansion
The Sims 2 Stuff Packs (so far anyway)

These games or expansion packs do have Securom of some kind, or have had it in the past (sometimes it has been later removed by the company with a patch):

Arx Fatalis
Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn (don't know if TOB removes securom or not, this is my personal calamity with securom, it's my favourite game)
Bioshock
BloodRayne
BloodRayne 2
Broken Sword 3: The Sleeping Dragon (UK version has Securom, US has the dreaded STARFORCE)
Civilization III Complete (US)
Civilization III - Play The World Expansion
Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars
Deus Ex: Invisible War
Devil May Cry 3
Dungeon Siege 2 Broken World
Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion: Game of the Year Edition
Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion: Shivering Isles
Evil Genius
F.E.A.R.
Gothic 2
GTA 3: Vice City
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Half-Life 2 (only some versions)
Star Wars: Jedi Knight - Jedi Academy
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
The Sims 2 Bon Voyage
The Sims 2 Free Time
SPORE Labour Creature Designer
STALKER
Thief 3: Deadly Shadows
Tomb Raider Anniversary
Tomb Raider: Legend

Please note, this list is by no means universal (or complete), especially as there are many different editions of games in many different languages. Editions of games aimed at the Eastern European and Asian Market tend not to have any copy protection at all.

And people really shouldn't fall into the trap of thinking the publishers don't know what Securom can do (the actual game developers may not want this draconian stuff on their products, but speaking up about it would destroy their already precarious careers). Publishers are using because they choose to, that means they value money in their pockets more than their consumers' rights.

Dear Mr. Wright.

I would like to first thank you for the development of the Sim series, ever since I first discovered SimCity on the Mac Plus, your games have managed to achieve a remarkable mesh of "edutainment" into something that is truly unique. SimEarth, Sim Tower, SimCity, SimFarm, SimLife, those games were an integral part of why I am the person I am today.

I also commend you on the development of Spore. Your speech at TED 2007 of trying to recalibrate the current short-term thinking paradigm, and through the use of Spore, teaching us to think further on into the future, and how our actions today wield an incredible amount of change for the good or bad in the later years to come. It is integral for the development of a better tomorrow that we hold this as true to heart as possible, and for that I am thankful that you have used your talents to help bring this to the world. I know how much hard work you must put into your games, to bring out such achievements is no small task, and you have my respect. I also understand the need to protect your intellectual property, because without these protections, there would be nothing to stop people from simply taking without paying.

However, it is with regret I must report that I will not be buying Spore if SecuROM is packaged with it. Please understand that as a consumer who wants the maximum amount of control over my own hardware, it is extremely difficult to maintain control when SecuROM is installed in the registry, and will not uninstall without a third-party application. This program also consumes valuable system resources, which I would rather have dedicated towards great works such as yours.

There are a great many gamers out there who are very unhappy with the current implementation of DRM, these include people who have had problems with BioShock (both demo and full version), Neverwinter Nights 2, The Sims 2 Expansion Packs, and Mass Effect gamers. As a gamer, I am writing an open letter in hopes that you will understand the concerns we have, and that if is possible, we can play a great game such as Spore without a need for SecuROM.

Source:

In a new Q&A for their upcoming first person shooter Crysis Warhead, Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli is once again raging against piracy in the PC games industry. Yerli states that the industry is the "most intensely pirated market ever." As far as sales of their PC products, he claims that in terms of their 2007 shooter Crysis, "the ratio between sales to piracy is probably 1 to 15 to 1 to 20 right now."

That's a pretty brutal opinion and while Yerli states that they will try to stop piracy in some way with Crysis Warhead (he doesn't announce specific plans at this point but it's likely to involve some kind of online DRM) he does say, " . . . if you're a PC gamer, and you really want to respect the platform, then you should stop pirating. We will see less and less games appearing on the PC, or less and less games pushing the boundaries of PC gaming." While he has already stated that they are moving into console game development, Yerli did say they would "only consider PC exclusive titles that are either online or multiplayer and no more single-player."

I would really... really like to see some statistical data that backs up his claims. I really think that these game companies have lost a sense of perspective. If a game looks lame, nobody will buy it, plain and simple. They've been in "the biz" for a while to realize and understand that the public is a finicky bunch. If you put out a product that is seen as inferior, or beyond the means of the mainstream, do not expect mainstream sales figures. Crysis was marketed to those with extraordinary gaming rigs, and they charged $60 for a the game itself. I wouldn't be surprised if people gave up on it because of the insanely huge system requirements of this game.

There's no limit to what game developers will do to protect their product from piracy, but a recent interview with Brad Wardell proves that you can still make awesome games and make money off of them without intrusive DRM.

Of primary importance is this question presented by Big Download

Sins (of a Solar Empire), like other Stardock games, ship without any DRM copyright protection. Do you think that's one of the keys to the game's success?

Definitely. Piracy is a major issue for the PC game industry. But the issue has to be kept in perspective – the people who actually buy games don't want to be inconvenienced or treated like a criminal. Everyone who buys games knows they could easily have gone out and stolen it if they wanted to. Customers expect to be treated with respect.


Well said Brad, well said.

So my fiance and I were talking games this evening, and a thought occurred to me, one that has bothered me greatly. In light of the EA/SecuROM partnership, I really have to wonder just how much knowledge EA has of what this program can do.

It really isn't a huge deal to type "SecuROM" or "SecuROM problems" into a Google search and see what pops up. Especially not when Simmers Against SecuROM is one of the first to pop up. So it really makes me wonder what the bigwigs in EA's Executive Suite really know about SecuROM and the damage it can do.

It seems somewhat strange to me that EA would allow SecuROM to be put onto its games when doing the aforementioned Google search(es) shows the magnitude of the problems the program is causing. This isn't just a graphics glitch here and there; these are pretty significant problems people are having. And even if EA was in the dark about these issues in the beginning, one would think they would wise up as the complaints started mounting on the forums for their games.

What gets me is their willful silence and non-explanation on the matter. Surely they have to know the extent of the problems this is causing; yet they're burying their heads in the sand and refusing to listen to any sort of debate or discussion on the topic. And it isn't just EA from what I've seen; Bioware is also doing this. They're giving people short, condescending non-explanations that essentially amount to "stop whining, at least you guys are getting the game" and not even making an attempt to work with people.

Another thing I'm wondering. If EA knows the extent of harm that SecuROM causes on peoples' computers, yet is still putting it on their games, could a case be made for malicious intent or anything along that line? The fact they would know about the potential for damage, yet still allow it to be included, strikes me as greedy and malicious.

I'll be upfront about this. I want this to be a community where differing opinions are welcome. In a nutshell, if you feel that SecuROM has gotten a bad rap from those of us who are against it, you are welcome to post your opinion here for everyone to debate. As long as things remain mature and respectful, I have no issue with this.

Also, in case I didn't make it clear on this community's User Info page, currently anonymous posts and comments are allowed. My reason for permitting them is because of how people may be finding this community. Maybe it's being found via SAS, or the Bioware forums, or even a link from a friend. I want this to be a place where folks can contribute without the requirement of a LiveJournal account in order to post your opinions.

HOWEVER, there is one caveat to the anonymous posting/commenting allowance. I have little patience for trolls and flamebaiting in communities I am active in. If I find that someone anonymous is engaging in trolling or flamebaiting, and there is no way to ban the user themselves, I will NOT hesitate to limit posting and commenting to LiveJournal users only. I admit, I will feel terrible about doing so if it's ever necessary, considering where many people would be coming from to find this community, but I will not have members be attacked by douchebags looking for their jollies.

But let's not think about that happening. Come on in, relax, and enjoy the discussions here. :)