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Spore, Mass Effect PC to Require Online Validation Every Ten Days to Function
by Nick Breckon, May 06, 2008 1:28pm PDTUpdate: Electronic Arts has relented to the pressure.
Original story: BioWare technical producer Derek French has said that the PC versions of both Mass Effect and Spore will make use of copy protection that will require online validation every ten days in order for the games to continue working.
"After the first activation, SecuROM requires that [Mass Effect PC] re-check with the server within ten days (in case the CD Key has become public/warez'd and gets banned)," said French in a post on the BioWare forums.
If customers do not come online after ten days, the game will cease to function.
"After 10 days a re-check is required before the game can run," added French. "..An internet connection is not required to install, just to activate the first time, and every 10 days after."
The check is run when users activate the game's executable file, with the first re-check coming within "5 days remaining in the 10 day window."
According to French, Maxis' Spore will also make use of the same scheme: "[Electronic Arts] is ready for us and getting ready for Spore, which will use the same system."
French also noted that the online requirement will be clearly labeled on the games' packaging.
Comments
so in the end it will only screw the people who buy the game lolol
funny.. they used to think hardware dongle would protect things too..
sad.. I am betting the money spent on copy protections amounts to the same actual loss of revenue from piracy. ( keeping in mind the avg theme that 85% of people who pirate softare would not have purchased the software to start with had they had to pay for it so that isnt lost revenue )
lol poor folks will never win
Thread Truncated. Click to see all 11 replies.
I guess that about 90% of all with the console probably has a pc aswell and i for one will settle with one version of the game.
So if you release it to both console and pc most copies sold to the console is one lost pc copy.
And if i have on console and want to try it how it is on pc i would not be that keen on buying another version of the same game.
Figures before with sales beetween consoles and pc was much more different because then titles for PC didn´t come out on consoles and vice vers. It´s it not a single console market and a single pc market anymore, they are both connected, and if the companies cannot see that please help them with a kick in the behind or something.
Years ago you had either a pc or a console, not like today when people tend to have both.
Just because the sold say 5 million just for pc doesn´t meen that the sequal released both to pc and console will sell 10 millions copies.
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