

DRM authentication servers stop Dragon Age: Origins from working - martey
http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2011/04/drm-run-amok-how-bioware-and-ea-are-screwing-users-right-now.ars

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martey
I think the author's description of the failed troubleshooting he did is as
interesting as the issues surrounding DRM:

 _The overwhelming impression that a user gets from a Google search for this
error message is that this is a known, solved problem, and that one needs only
to apply the right mix of hacks and tweaks (plus maybe a complete reinstall or
two) in order to set things right and get back to playing. So hacking and
tweaking is exactly what many of us set about doing. And doing. And doing. And
doing. None of it worked. Or, when it did work, it had nasty side-effects like
naked party members with no access to their gear. Again, we were vainly trying
to fix a new server problem that had the symptoms of an old client problem._

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warrenwilkinson
I'll bet the version off pirate bay works fine. I know this is kind of snarky,
but if they want to successfully combat piracy they need to make the pay-and-
play experience better than the pirate one. DRM only affects those who play
the unmodified game.

~~~
Shamiq
I bought the mac version from Gametreemac -- when I have periods of dropped
connections, my game doesn't give me a warning, it completely dies. This has
forced me to save nearly every minute or so. Terrible UX :(

Almost makes me wish I torrented a copy.

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bsiemon
Do these companies host and maintain their own DRM systems? If they do it
seems like they would fall in love with anyone ready to provide a bullet proof
99.99999% uptime DRM solution.

~~~
Hipchan
Steam?

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stonemetal
_Note: we've contacted Bioware and EA PR for comments, and as of press time
have received no reply._

Last time I checked they didn't have a press time(not being a print
organization and all), so what does this mean? Did they wait twenty minuets
for a return phone call then publish?

~~~
Hipchan
They probably do have some kind of publishing schedule to space out their
articles evenly.

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hartror
Sounds like no one was at the wheel over the weekend so the problem went
unnoticed for a couple of days. Or if there was someone they didn't monitor
the forums.

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taws
The emotionally charged nature of the article was presumably intended to
provoke a sense of outrage/injustice in readers, however it only made me feel
pity for the author. He shows signs of being an addict--one whose life has
become so narrow that such interruptions in game playing take on monumental
importance.

"..spent my free time this past weekend needlessly trapped in troubleshooting
hell." You're damn right, it was needless. Here's an idea: when something
doesn't work, chill the fuck out. Do something else with your time while the
problem is resolved.

"Malicious neglect"? Really? Only an addict could become convinced of that.

~~~
getsat
Addict? It seems to me that he's merely someone extremely passionate about
something.

This is also a case of one of the worst DRM-related fears coming to fruition.
You no longer have (legal) access to a product you purchased. You're now
essentially _licencing_ games from the publisher and they get to decide when
that licencing expires.

