Ubisoft's 'You Must Be Connected To This Server' Annoying DRM Servers Go Down
from the but-of-course dept
Sometimes you have to wonder if folks like Ubisoft, who keep insisting that it needs to use DRM, are just messing with everyone. As you certainly know, Ubisoft decided to go with some incredibly annoying DRM for some new games, requiring you to be online at all times, even for single-player games. So, what happens? The servers that you must be connected to crashed, making those games completely unplayable for many, while creating lengthy login delays for others. That basically makes the game useless for many. Well, unless you downloaded the cracked version. Once again, DRM is shown to harm buyers, but do nothing to stop unauthorized use.Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Found this
I stumbled upon this video a few days ago. I think it illustrates the problem well.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Found this
When I entered the key to play the game it came up with a message saying that the key had already been registered to someone else.
After several fairly fruitless emails to customer support I tossed the DVD and I've never bought a PC game using Steam again.
My small non-contribution to support DRM.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Found this
I didn't know about the steam thing until after I got the Orange Box. I probably won't be buying anything else on it ether. I know it can be easily cracked, I just never got around to doing it.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Found this
None of that makes any sense.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Found this
Regardless of whether you get it off the shelf or online, it uses Steam. Steam is itself a prerequisite to being able to play any of Valves games on PC.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re: Found this
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Found this
While you can try and avoid thieves by buying from reputable shops and getting shrink wrapped products, it seems that wasn't sufficient in this case.
The alternative is to dodge the other side of the combination and avoid buying single player games where server activation is required.
I agree he can still buy from Steam, but that requires a good cheap internet connection to download the game. Something not everyone has.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re:
But they wouldn't be THAT stupid.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
@ Jim
It is funny, however, when I visit a game store like GameStop and ask the Clerk for the PC version of a game and I get asked why I want the PC version because PC gamers are a dying breed.
Anyway, all this talk about people boycotting and what not is almost always FUD. People talk about not buying while they are ordering the game in another tab.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: @ Jim
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: @ Jim
Or they think they have reached the happy medium through buying and cracking. 'Cause it always gets cracked, right?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: @ Jim
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: @ Jim
Instead, for people who encourages companies to make products with known flaws such as DRM, I'll start asking if they are Michael Bay fans.
Strike that, we may have to check if they're Uwe Boll fans.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: @ Jim
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
And now they're saying to themselves, "Hmm, I guess playability is maybe a little more important than counter-piracy measures."
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
Every gamer in the world knows that DRM doesn't even slow down piracy; Most gamers even know that DRM usually makes pirated copies more valuable!
When you're told "It needs connect to the server at all times to stop piracy or it doesn't get made," well, what would *you* do? Quit? No, you suck it up and do as they say.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re:
...By people whose home internet connections are the best that money can buy and who therefore aren't accustomed to connection failures. Yeah, it fits.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re:
I've got to eat you know. I'm already underweight. Food costs money, money needs a job, game design is a good job that lets me live the lifestyle that I want to live (Like a pauper, but at least I have a roof and food, and internet)
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re:
I never met a developer who thought digital rights management was a good idea.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re:
Hrm... I talked to him a year ago and perhaps he changed his mind as it now appears to be free. Go figure.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Works for me
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
DRM uses "management" in the same way...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Damnit
So I got my copy of AC2 for PC in the mail today. Pre-ordered the damn thing last year. Popped it in, installed to the hard drive. First thing that happens is it installs a patch, after that's done it asks me to create an account, which I try and then it hangs while trying to download the TOS from the Ubisoft servers. So I look around to find out what the hell is going on and sure enough:
http://www.geek.com/articles/games/assassins-creed-2-unplayable-as-ubisoft-drm-servers-go -down-2010037/
The servers are down, more than a day now. Seriously wtf. I'm returning my copy today, its faulty in my opinion. If I had known about the crap Ubi was going to pull I would never have pre-ordered the damn thing.
The fucked up thing is I actually predicted this would happen in the comments section here on techdirt.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Damnit
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
There are already a couple of other companies that make games that I will never buy from, now Ubisoft is on that list. Before long I won't be able to buy any game out of principal (that includes no downloading/cracking).
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re:
The Register is reporting a ddos attack. Even still, it shows why this type of DRM is anti-customer and will never work in the long (or short) run.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re:
General server overload is NOT the same thing as a DDoS attack.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Timebomb waiting to fail
Also, it makes the game a timebomb to go off. What happens when ubisoft decides they don't want to upkeep their servers anymore now no one can play their legitimate copy again. Or even worse what happens when AC3 comes out and they decide that you are done with AC2 you should buy AC3 and they shut off the servers on purpose?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Timebomb waiting to fail
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Timebomb waiting to fail
Oh... Oh, riiiiiiiight.....
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Timebomb waiting to fail
So...anyone with a quarter of a brain who deals with IT...or has internet...sorry, I don't have the brainhalf that does math.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Timebomb waiting to fail
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Let them eat Cake
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Driving the trend
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Affects even casual gamers
When casual gamers are affected, they'll put pressure on the retailers. When the retailers are affected, they'll put pressure on the publishers. Only when the pressure on the publishers gets high enough will there start to be change around the attitudes on DRM.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
So, rejoyce. It's GREAT news. ;)
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
I KNEW this day would come..
People shouldnt be REQUIRED to stay connected 100% of the time just to use the thing AT ALL. It different for things like online games of course, since that IS the reason for them, but for anything else, you shouldnt have to be connected all the time.
Funny that now this is somehow a viable method. It was just unworkable in any way that seemed like anyone would accept it as reasonable.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: I KNEW this day would come..
Looks to me like it's *not* a viable method. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that, even in theory, it wasn't a viable method and therefore should have never been implemented in the first place.
Does this same functionality exist with the Xbox 360? I own the XBox version and never had a problem playing, but my connection is pretty solid. Maybe I'll go home and see if it will let me play it with the wifi off.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: I KNEW this day would come..
What if this is a push to move PC gamers to consoles by making the console version more consumer friendly?
Okay, tin foil hat off.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
The whole idea is to kill the PC gaming market so they don't have to support all the different hardware. In this day and age of the $300 PC, no one has the hardware to run current games anyway. They want everyone to move to consoles made by Microsoft and Sony. Coincidence? I think not.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Correction
=====
Once again, DRM is shown to harm buyers, WHILE ENCOURAGING USE OF PIRATED COPIES.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
And what happens when UbiSoft is gone?
This is a brain dead idea for DRM, and I hope UbiSoft realizes that this is not the way to make people buy their games.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
It also boggles my mind that the shareholders in this company don't call out management on this whole situation seeing its been making news for several weeks now.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
And they will blame the dimise of PC games on Piracy, NOT thier F*ed up DRM practices
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
DDoS attack
http://kotaku.com/5488372/denial-of-service-attack-kills-ubisoft-drm-your-assassins-creed-i i-playtime
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Locks...
My point is, DRM will never achieve the desired effect without harming the legitimate end user. And it will only get worse until we stop paying them to treat us like criminals.
I agree with an earlier post here. Buy these games with your credit card. The first time you get denied through DRM, return the game or call your credit card company and tell them you got ripped off. Then email the game publisher and tell them you got your money back. "Money talks" is the only language that will get their attention, and outside of boycott (which won't happen), this is the only other way. IMHO
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Disclosure?
They love DRM so much? Let 'em broadcast it on the box!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
On a side note, I'm all for killing the stupid people by chopping off heads, if necessary. Oh, did I just say that out loud? Anyway, REVOLT!!!!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Thank you so much for providing the demonstration we'll be using for the next 10 years as to why people should reject any form of DRM.
Sincerely,
A gamer who will *never* buy any of your products
[ link to this | view in chronology ]