EA's Origin Service Wants To Exchange Games For Your Personal Data [Updated]
from the plus-full-retail-price,-if-possible dept
Just when you thought no one would be able to top the various levels of DRM insanity plied by Ubisoft in its quixotic quest to end piracy as we know it, something else comes along that's bigger and badder than the nuisances that preceded it.Electronic Arts' new game service, Origin, has hidden some rather disturbing language inside its EULA. Rock, Paper, Shotgun notes that in order to play Battlefield 3, or any other game that requires Origin to run, you're going to have to let EA root around inside your computer. Here's the gory details, straight from Origin's EULA:
2. Consent to Collection and Use of Data.Now, as RPS notes, some of this wording is not that unusual. Many software companies collect system data and several will even tell you that they plan on distributing this to third parties. This includes Steam, whose EULA states that it will:
You agree that EA may collect, use, store and transmit technical and related information that identifies your computer (including the Internet Protocol Address), operating system, Application usage (including but not limited to successful installation and/or removal), software, software usage and peripheral hardware, that may be gathered periodically to facilitate the provision of software updates, dynamically served content, product support and other services to you, including online services. EA may also use this information combined with personal information for marketing purposes and to improve our products and services. We may also share that data with our third party service providers in a form that does not personally identify you. IF YOU DO NOT WANT EA TO COLLECT, USE, STORE, TRANSMIT OR DISPLAY THE DATA DESCRIBED IN THIS SECTION, PLEASE DO NOT INSTALL OR USE THE APPLICATION. This and all other data provided to EA and/or collected by EA in connection with your installation and use of this Application is collected, used, stored and transmitted in accordance with EA's Privacy Policy located at www.ea.com. To the extent that anything in this section conflicts with the terms of EA's Privacy Policy, the terms of the Privacy Policy shall control.
... store information on a user's hard drive that is used in conjunction with online play of Valve products. This includes a unique authorization key or CD-Key that is either entered by the user or downloaded automatically during product registration. This authorization key is used to identify a user as valid and allow access to Valve's products. Information regarding Steam billing, your Steam account, your Internet connection and the Valve software installed on your computer are uploaded to the server in connection with your use of Steam and Valve software.But, as RPS points out, there's a big difference between Valve's policy and EA's policy:
Valve's policy is self-restricted to anything on your PC directly relating to its own products. EA's is so broad that it gives the publisher permission to scan your entire hard drive, and report back absolutely anything you may have installed, and indeed when you may use it, and then pass that information on the third parties.Now, this data collection may be used in a neutral fashion, heading directly back to EA for dissection and analysis. But there are two aspects that are particularly troublesome: A.) the wording in the EULA is very unspecific and B.) you have to "AGREE" to the terms in order to install your purchased software. In other words, before you can even start playing, EA wants to start digging.
It gets better:
And then even more creepily, they say they intend to take such information, combine it with personal information about you, and use it to advertise directly to you. However, when selling on this free-for-all on your computer's contents, they'll at least remove personally identifying information. Gosh, thanks.Perhaps you're thinking to yourself: screw this online delivery system and its unseemly urge to dig into my hard drive and operating system. I'll just buy one off the shelf, thank you very much. Not. So. Fast.
It strikes us as beyond acceptable. And so much more serious now that EA has made its intentions clear to make so many of their games exclusively delivered through Origin. Were there a choice about what you'd use to play Battlefield 3, Mass Effect 3, etc, then gamers could opt out of allowing Origin on their systems while such a policy is in place. But instead it's a case of agree to such remarkable terms, or don't play their games at all.So, it comes down to this: EA wants what's in your hard drive and any other info it can pick up from your usage habits. Sure, EA has probably always wanted this information but now it's deciding that you, the customer, will only play its games if you give up your information. Apparently, $50+ for a game just isn't payment enough anymore.
Update: Looks like all this attention has gotten EA to back down a little. Not fully, mind you. They now say they can still collect the data. Just not give it to marketing partners.
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Filed Under: eula, personal info
Companies: ea
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Clean
(Actually this is a good idea for PC gameplay generally as otherwise you can be clobbered by popups).
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I have no issues with it
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No more
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Re: I have no issues with it
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punkbuster
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Re: I have no issues with it
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It gets even better!
According to a disclaimer on EA�s website, users who purchase any game from EA Origins may only download or access the game for a limit of one year before they might need to repurchase the title again to keep�.unlike Steam�s system where the game stays on your account for good without the need of a repurchase.
Like the new Madden? Guess what, you can now repurchase it next year at no additional value to you? Want to trade it in? Well, it's going to disappear anyway... Tough shit dude.
Meanwhile, on Valve, you can now trade gift games. Honestly, is there ANY reason to use Origin? Why put yourself through such torture?
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EA - what are you thinking??
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Re: punkbuster
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Re: punkbuster
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Re: punkbuster
I guess EA thinks they're covered if they tell you up front now, which they did not when they inflicted Securom on their paying customers. But they only tell you after you've purchased.
EA is incapable of learning. Caveat emptor.
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Re: Clean
Use 'PlayOnLinux' and every Windoze game on your rocking Linux box gets its very own virtual-ish environment with is completely untouched by anything other than said game.
So, not a problem they'll get exactly el zilcho about me.
;-P
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Re:
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My main reason for avoiding the Origin store is that I really don't want to have to sign up at another site or remember another user name and password. The broad terms of the EULA really turns me off to this and many new EA offerings. I might buy ME 3 but not download it and simply find a pirate copy so I don't have to deal with this Origin's silliness.
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Re: It gets even better!
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Re: punkbuster
I'm really looking forward to Battlefield 3. I didn't care about having to install Origin until I read that article. I don't care if I need Steam + a bunch of other online distribution systems installed (you can easily stop them from running when you don't want them on). But the deliberately unspecific and overly broad language really bugs me. This could stop me from buying BF3 - just like I won't buy Ubisoft games and didn't bother with Spore.
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Backlash...
Is this even legal? It's like buying an appliance with the requirement that they get to search the house it's installed in and sell any information they come up with.
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Or there's door #3.
New Vegas became unplayable for most of the day Thursday. Turned out that Bethesda made it so that you had to connect to Steam Servers every time you start the game. Ubi, EA, and now Bethesda. My choices are
a) deal with this bullshit
b) give up pc gaming
c) use door #3
I'll still pay for Valve games. I tried, I really tried, to give other publishers a chance to sell me what I want. They failed, so I'll just go back to taking it.
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What!
Just because they hide some clause in their EULA that says they can break into my house, and rape my computer, doesn't make it right! When does "gathering information" become cyber stalking or E-trespassing?
I hope they are happy! They just gave every game pirate on the planet validation, and fucked it up for the people that were doing it right. Fucking idiots....
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Re: What!
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Re: Backlash...
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Re:
Have you read MS' for "7?"
MS owns your computer if you install it. Or at least they have more rights to it than you do.
But, I don't consider them legally binding.
You give me product, I give you money. If there are any further stipulations, then I wish to know about them before we make our transaction/agreement. Returning my money does not compensate me for my time of two trips to store nor the research/time to acquire alternative product.
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So don't pay or play! -- But I know you'll pirate it,
All this piece does is repeat yet again the same old complaints of nuisance, excuses for pirating, and bragging of pirating. Games for topic generates page views and comments because so many of you kids PLAY GAMES. I suppose you're dimly aware that Masnick uses you EXACTLY the same as EA proposes to: eyeballs on advertisements, but you excuse that because he promotes a pro-piracy forum.
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Re:
If you give them money, you encourage this kind of behavior. Don't feed the animals.
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Re: So don't pay or play! -- But I know you'll pirate it,
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Re: So don't pay or play! -- But I know you'll pirate it,
You may have a point, but has anyone really been far even as decided to use even go want to do look more like?
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Re: Re:
why would I care what some idiot thinks I've agreed to because my 5 year old may or may not have pushed a button, clicked a mouse or sneezed while oprah was on?
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Re: Re:
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Re: Re: I have no issues with it
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Re: So don't pay or play! -- But I know you'll pirate it,
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Re:
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Re: Re: Re:
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Re: Re:
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Re: Re: punkbuster
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Re: So don't pay or play! -- But I know you'll pirate it,
That way they aren't offering what customers want - a spyware free game.
Got it yet?
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Re: Re: So don't pay or play! -- But I know you'll pirate it,
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Re: So don't pay or play! -- But I know you'll pirate it,
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Re: Re: Re: I have no issues with it
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Damn
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Re: Re: Re: I have no issues with it
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Re: Re: Re: I have no issues with it
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Screw EA. Screw Ubisoft.
Hold on a second, I just got a notice on my 360...
*no, I don't give a damn about ESPN, the Disney-owned piece of sh...
As I was saying, it's a good thing these consoles don't have such crap. I'd be lost if I couldn't...
...yes, I'd like to download the latest update because the game was shipped incomplete for some reason...
...simply play games.
*takes wallet out of back pocket and fondly remembers his father's words "Here, take it all. No one needs to eat."
It's what I feel like saying to every entertainment business out there.
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Re: Re: Re: Re: I have no issues with it
,' `.
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Re: Re: Re: Re: I have no issues with it
Changing this data collection is as simple as changing the IP address it tries to connect to back to 192.168.0.1 and setting up a second program that gives the right return data. Now, if teenagers were doing this back in the 80's . . .
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That's what cracks do.
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I have no issues with it
I do apologize, here is the correct one:
http://i405.photobucket.com/albums/pp140/Mayo07J/picard-facepalm.jpg
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Re:
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Re: Re: Re: I have no issues with it
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Re:
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Re: That's what cracks do.
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I have no issues with it
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I have no issues with it
��▲
▲�▲
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I have no issues with it
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Re: Re: punkbuster
As for the main article I am confident it is not maliciousness. I think it is the corporate lawyer arm being overly cautious and inclusive because they misinterpreted some of the requests from the Origin Development arm's request to allow telemetry tracking data around the Origin application and the games it runs. Plus to allow the requirements around apps like punkbuster and Metafortress. There is some marketing data collected but that is more around what Origin games you own so they can promote deals (like paid extra content).
In a lot of ways it is the same thing as what Google+, Facebook, Android Market place, Amazon, Costco and any supermarket cards do. They look at what you have and buy so they market to you to get you to buy more. (I am not saying it is always done in a fair balanced way).
With EA you have a company that is trying to change from being a "Sell boxes with disks' to a digital company. And it is not trying to do it by litigating to keep old business models afloat.
But at the same time it is a creative company that is willing to make mistakes and learn from them. I think their lawyers 'learned' from past lawsuits against EA. Once again the lawyers win.
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The Old Republic
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Translation: don't bother paying for our games, download them for free and be free of our utterly intrusive DRM.
I've been avoiding EA games for a while now (no, not even bothering to download them) so it's all cool.
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Re:
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Re: Damn
I love the series, And in 2142 i was a top 10 player... AND (I HOPE YOUR LISTENING EA) I HAVE CANCELLED MY PRE-ORDER... I play by the rules and buy the games i play even the turds, and I WILL NOT BE TREATED LIKE A CRIMINAL BECAUSE YOU CANT FIGURE OUT A BUSINESS PLAN...and before you apologize fuck you schills... I run my own business I know what customer service is and Schills and apologist for anti-customer behavior does not change that its anti-customer....
I will keep playing games like DOTA, HON, and my fav. League of Legends, They ARE FREAKING FREE, NO DMA, NO WORRIES and they make MONEY with no worry piracy of milking the last dimes out of people.
FUCK EA, FUCK UBI... I AM VOTING WITH MY DOLLARS AND I VOTE FOR YOU TO GO AWAY!!!!
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The Only Option I Would Agree To
Of course, I haven't purchased an EA game since the Securom fiasco blocking my DVD burner from working. And I don't buy UBISoft stuff anymore either.
I think more and more people are going to go the way of the early comment makers here and have specially isolated environments to run their games in on their PC. I'm certainly looking into it.
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Re: Re: Re: punkbuster
So until someone over at EA pulls its head from the lawyers ass, i will not have anything at all to do with them.... PERIOD..
YOUR LAWYERS ARE COSTING YOU MONEY!! FIGURE IT OUT...
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Re: Re: It gets even better!
"The products and services that we make available on the Websites may be downloaded or accessed for at least one year after you have completed your purchase."
Years ago EA had a download limit and 'insurance' for download availablitly later. But that 'service' was removed long ago due to customer feedback. Since then I have not heard of EA removing the ability to download something after a year.
I do know that occasionally EA will sunset online game servers that are not heavily used. So if you try to play Rugby 08 online you will have to use one of the independent 3rd parties that found the opportunity to support you.
What is Amazon's and Valve's TOS for downloads?
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Re: Re: Re: Re: punkbuster
In most cases I have trouble seeing the value add for civil lawyers.
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Piraters
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Re: The Only Option I Would Agree To
They look at what you have and buy so they market to you to get you to buy more. (I am not saying it is always done in a fair balanced way).
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Re: Re:
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Re: Re: Re: punkbuster
It's been a while, but last I thought to look, they were still selling older games with Securom DRM, and that was a year or two after those lawsuits. To me it seems they obviously haven't learned much if they put these overbroad terms in their Origin EULA, off-the-leash lawyers be damned.
I would love to be able to trust them again, but to this day they keep giving me reasons not to do that.
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Re: Re: Re: Re: punkbuster
I am actual lost sales, and it's solely because of EA actions or inactions.
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Re: Re: Re:
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Re: Re: Re: I have no issues with it
https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Software_cracking
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Re: Re: Re: Re: I have no issues with it
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: punkbuster
I wish I'd had presence of mind to screenshot at the time, since it was deleted not long after (something that was done quite a bit in those couple of months) but early on in the Securom blowup, there was a post on an official EA website from an EA employee that stated (paraphrasing): "We cannot tell you anything more about Securom as it would violate the US DMCA anti-circumvention clause."
Swear to gawd.
Never heard of the DMCA and thought the whole thing stank, so I started googling, followed a link in a comment at ShackNews and wound up at TechDirt. Been lurking here ever since. :)
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what did richard DO?
EA trashes all their well-loved franchises
EA develops "ORIGIN" which will go down in history as an evil pile of spyware crap.....
Question is, what the HELL did Richard Garriot do to EA that pissed them off so much?
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Re: So don't pay or play! -- But I know you'll pirate it,
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Re: Piraters
PCs have the highest specs available in any gaming platform and the least restrictions. ANYONE can make a mind-bogglingly awesome game for the PC with freely available tools. Not so in the console.
But because of this, PC gamers are also a lot more demanding. While console gamers would put up with a half-assed game, with no modding support or something as simple as the ability to managing your own key bindings (for example), PC gamers are much more vocal and express their distaste violently.
You see, PC gamers are used to being able to configure every little bit of their games. They also like to tweak things in .ini files and hack the game code. They also enjoy modding the game to make it more awesome.
Now, game makers hate this with a fury that burns with the heat of a thousand suns. I mean, why the heck should I, big shot programmer, take 2 minutes to make a menu where you can setup the key bindings. Or take 10 minutes to make a dedicated server? That stuff is hard work!
Also, they don't very much like people modding their games because (in their puny minds), allowing mods is like admitting that you were wrong the first time around, and someone had to come by and make your game better.
So, no, piracy is not destroying the PC games. It's just a convenient excuse. They'll come around. Like Mr. "We won't make a PC version of Super Street Fighter IV for the PC because of the pirates" Capcom did. They always do.
Signed: AC, proud PC games and PWNER of console players since 19XX.
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Re: Re: So don't pay or play! -- But I know you'll pirate it,
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Re: Re: punkbuster
I used to play BF2142 before he started using the cheats and he was pretty good.. the cheats just level the playing field, since it is/was apparent that most of the players later on in the games lifespan were using cheats and hacks.
I wouldn't buy an EA game to save my life (except Dragon Age which was a gift) and this makes me more leery. I wish game companies would understand that DRM is not a value add, like the some of the music industry has, but since DRM has been around since early days of gaming (hello? Looking at page 5 in the manual for the first word on the page? codewheels? WTF?) it probably isn't going to go away, unfortunately :(
Pirates don't have to enter CD keys, or keep copies of their game CD's in perfect condition, or worry about their internet connection, or keep their game manuals close by, or worry if their codewheel got eaten by the dog.
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Re: Piraters
It's a self-perpetuating cycle.
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Re: Re: Piraters
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Re: Re: Re: Piraters
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Re: Re: The Only Option I Would Agree To
Origin here though is different from Steam. Steam will look at my computer components and in Valve's offices, someone will write up a report that at the end of fiscal year 2011, X% of people used a Nvidia graphics card, so we should do more deals with Nvidia, so to speak. But Origin doesn't just limit itself to components, the EULA allows it to look at my browsing history, what other programs I have installed, whether or not I use password programs. In other words, it looks at things it has no business looking at. It sees things that have no relation to Origin. It will see that I and millions of others use OpenOffice and sell that information to Microsoft.
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These gaming companies are out of hand with their belief that they can just invade your privacy to make more money selling your info to 3rd parties.
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Re: EA - what are you thinking??
That's it... Origin is off my system and will not be retuning. I'm a huge bc2 fan but I will not be getting battlefield 3 or any other Origin exclusive titles. I play with 6 other guys who are also big bc2 fans. They are going to do the same. Convince your friends not to get any Origin exclusive titles and it will eventually go away...
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Re: Re:
Also, can you please reply using a larger font? One of my eyes was a payment, not my ear.
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Re: So don't pay or play! -- But I know you'll pirate it,
Yep. I'm a 44 yr old kid. And I still play games.
OOB, you still don't get it. I doubt you ever will.
Most of us are willing to pay for the games we want to play, but when companies like EA, Ubisoft, et al., come along and put these kinds of demands on their potential customers, the word "potential" is changed to "lost."
And since the cracked copy will not have those restrictions on it, a lot of those lost customers will download the game.
These companies will never learn that copy protection/DRM will not stop piracy. And as they get more restrictive, or want to collect more data from your PC, the more potential customers they are going turn into lost customers.
All the DRM says to me is "Mr. Consumer, we at [Big Software Company] just don't trust you. You have to let us snoop around on your computer and collect all sorts of information on you in order to use our software. And if you do that, we also own your computer since our software is now installed on it. And by the way, you don't own this software, you are only licensing it, and we can shut down our DRM servers without notice, at which time the software will automatically be uninstalled from your computer, and you must return the physical copy of the DVD with all documentation it the original packaging... at your expense.
And cookies. Make sure you send cookies."
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Re: Re: EA - what are you thinking??
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Re: Re: Re: It gets even better!
Amazon
I'm not seeing a limit on an account, where EA has also had a deactivation limit, if you don't use your account in two years.
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Re: what did richard DO?
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Re: Re: Re: Re: It gets even better!
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Re: Piraters
You've happily died since 1985
Continue to resurrect and die in peace...
Oooh, new sale!
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Thanks, EA, for making it easy.
I have been stashing cash all summer to buy a new video card when BF3 is released. Looks like this bit of news has just saved me not only $60 bucks for the game, but another $300 or so on top of that for new gear. Perhaps instead of complaining to EA, there should be some "constructive criticism" directed towards nVidia, ATI, AMD, Intel, etc. When I don't buy new games, I don't buy new gaming gear. After all, out in the back yard on a nice autumn day with a good book and a cold brew is certainly NOT "the way it is meant to be played."
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Re: Re: what did richard DO?
How'd they get dissed?
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Guess I'll just have to wait for the new, improved pirate version...
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I have no issues with it
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Re: Re: Re: So don't pay or play! -- But I know you'll pirate it,
TLDR; Please stop clicking "report" for non-spam comments, regardless of trollism.
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I value games for their replay value. If a game does the same thing and has you play exactly the same game again, it isn't a game I want.
If it requires an internet connection just to play, then it isn't for me either. I don't always have a place where there is a net connection 100% of the time.
Sounds to me like EA is wanting it's games pirated because the pirates have the better model. If I really want to try it out, I can always go that route. Thing is most of them aren't worth the trouble to download.
Lastly, if I play a game, it's always on a computer without internet connected. I'll transfer the game to the machine that will play it by other means than LAN. But the game machine never, ever, sees the internet.
Good luck on harvesting the data on that one.
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I have no issues with it
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I have no issues with it
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Re: punkbuster
the FQDNs for their harvester servers should be easy enough to spoof without affecting account functionality or gameplay. Alternately, watch for whats being scanned, and when, and by what process. Change shit up on your gaming rig so they receive polluted 'data'. For scheduled "scan and deliver" methods, simply drop your nic during that time - collect all they want, but if they can't deliver it what good will it do them? drop a linux box on your network and do some man in the middle stuiff, rewriting the data on the fly...
Too many easy ways to screw with them.
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My Prediction
A year later, EA goes out of business because no one trusts them or is willing to purchase their games anymore.
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Re: My Prediction
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EA knows that you care how information about you is collected, used and shared, and we appreciate your trust that we will do so carefully and sensibly. Information about our customers is an important part of our business, and EA would never sell your personally identifiable information to anyone, nor would it ever use spyware or install spyware on users� machines. We and agents acting 37683v1 on our behalf do not share information that personally identifies you without your consent, except in rare instances where disclosure is required by law or to enforce EA�s legal rights."
"EA collects nonpersonally identifiable (or anonymous) information for purposes of improving our products and services, providing services to you, facilitating the provision of software updates, dynamically served content and product support as well as communicating with you. The non-personally identifiable information that EA collects includes technical and related information that identifies your computer (including the Internet Protocol Address) and operating system, as well as information about your Application usage (including but not limited to successful installation and/or removal), software, software usage and peripheral hardware. As noted above, this information is gathered periodically for purposes such as improving our products and services, troubleshooting bugs, and otherwise enhancing your user experience."
News about:
http://www.joystiq.com/2011/08/26/ea-revises-origin-eula-data-collection-is-still-in-collect ion/
New EULA:
http://eacom.s3.amazonaws.com/EULA_Origin_8.24.11.pdf
EA privacy policy:
http://www.ea.com/1/privacy-policy
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Re:
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Re: Re: Re: what did richard DO?
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I was putting money aside to upgrade my computer ready for Skyrim and Mass Effect 3 but if they both have dodgy DRM then I might just give up on the whole thing. I'm busy and the time I devote to gaming has to be worth it. It no longer seems to be.
So as someone above points out its not just the gaming companies who will lose out on my money. Its also the hardware companies because I simply don't need anything more powerful then I already have... browsing and dvds is just not that demanding.
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Re: Re: Re: Re: what did richard DO?
http://ultima.w ikia.com/wiki/Cube_Generator
http://ultima.wikia.com/wiki/Sphere_Generator
http://ultima.wikia .com/wiki/Tetrahedron_Generator
"However, as early as 1988, the relationship between these companies was strained, as proven in Ultima V, where one curse word was "Electronic Arts." Richard Garriott felt that EA's policies were destructive, and the relationship worsened over time.
1990, Origin openly based several bloodthirsty pirates in Ultima VI on senior EA employees Trip Hawkins (Captain Hawkins), Joe Ybarra (Old Ybarra), Bing Gordon (Alastor Gordon) and Steward Bonn (Bonn). Richard Garriott also named a morgue after Hawkins. The practice continued in Ultima VII wherein three generators formed the EA logo, the initials of the "bad guys" Elizabeth and Abraham were "EA," and the Guardian was the "Destroyer of Worlds" (Origin's motto was "We Create Worlds")."
Source: http://ultima.wikia.com/wiki/Electronic_Arts
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Re: Re:
Tim usually handles the game writeups nowadays.
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Re: Re: Re:
Can Mike just change his name to Tim, or both the Tims change their name to mike? That really is the simplest solution.
Old news is old C.Li.T.
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Maur flaur.
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Re: Re: Re: Re: So don't pay or play! -- But I know you'll pirate it,
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Re:
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Re: Re: Piraters
People are moving away from PC gaming for good reasons (not because of piracy):
- It's hard as to develop for, you have like 1000 variables to account for for every 1 variable on a console gaming. You test on a PS3, it works, your golden. You test on a PC and it works, it's a fluke. Plus antivirus programs suck and wreck everything
- it's expensive to maintain a rig.
- hard to get games setup (same problems as why it's hard to develop)
- Games could work 1 day, you install another app and it breaks
- for the most part the same game is released on console and is just as good (or close enough most people don't care).
- etc etc
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Re: Re:
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Re:
Particularly since, in the first place, the new & improved statements still say they will root around your system to find information they have no business accessing (what apps you've installed, what peripherals you have, etc.)
In the second place, they have not even defined what they mean by "personally identifiable information" -- and as Apple's EULAs aptly demonstrate, there can and often is peronally identifiable information that is not considered such by the company making such promises. In Apple's case, MAC addresses & location information isn't included even though they clearly identify you personally.
Does EA have a more realistic definition? Who knows?
All in all, the new & improved statements aren't really. Any EULA and privacy statement can only be trusted to the same extent as the entity issuing them can be trusted.
EA has shown they deserve exactly no trust whatsoever.
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: punkbuster
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Re: Re: Re: Re:
I know this is the internet and all, but... man. That stings a little. (BTW, if EA updated its EULA two days ago, maybe it should have tried to leak the info a little faster.)
(And yes, the petitions are filling up to have all writers at Techdirt change their names to "Mike." Mr. Ho and Mr. Costanza have taken the lead. I think Nina's up next.)
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But really I just installed MAME and got the Crash (Exidy, 1979) game, I think I will stick with that.
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Re: Re: Re: Piraters
Doubt?
http://mamedev.org/
http://www.mess.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of _video_game_console_emulators
Virtual machines are for games what Mono is for programming.
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Piraters
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Ah, well.
Thanks for the free game EA/Origin!
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I have no issues with it
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I have no issues with it
Shift+Ctrl+Alt+u+[hexadecimal code]
䷽䷷! ䷽䷷! ䷽䷷!
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Re:
and next week on TPB !!!! EA GAME
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Re: Re:
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As many times it has come out, it's tryout time. If it is worth the money, I'll go buy it. Just did that tonight with a worthwhile game. But I am tired of wasting my money on games that the programmers and the software house rushed into print without adequate testing time and without fixing the bugs first. Mostly they want to rush it to market, unfixed, and have you connect and download their software in order to get the patches to fix it; if you are lucky. If you aren't lucky, maybe an patch will be out in a year or maybe never.
I won't buy a car with the understanding the tires for it will come next year. Why would I buy a game with a problem built in it, at the start, without a care about fixing it before selling it?
Hardware? Yeah, just bought a new computer just to game and do graphics on. High end computers carry high end prices. However they are what you need to game on the computer if you are going to do the up to date good stuff with decent graphics.
I'll be darn if I am going to agree to either EA, Ubisoft, nor any other gaming makers idea of ripping off the customer more than they already have with some of the defected software sold as completed products. To turn around and add intrusive DRM and spyware at the same time is adding insult to injury when you figure the customer is paying for the game.
EA and Ubisoft have long been off the radar as far as gaming goes because of their actions tell you where their interests are. It's not to make great games as much as it is to rip off the paying customer. I don't support products and companies I disagree with their practices over.
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Re: Re: Re:
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Re:
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: It gets even better!
They link to: http://tos.ea.com/legalapp/WEBTERMS/US/en/PC/#section5
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: It gets even better!
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Re: Re: Re: Re: So don't pay or play! -- But I know you'll pirate it,
I generally agree with you, but don't overstate things. Nobody's comments are being "removed".
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Why I pirated Brink
I just hope someone can get ME3 on TPB before it's a month old. I love the Mass Effect series and fully intend to pay good money for ME3, just as I did for ME2 and all the DLC so far. But I'd rather leave the internet outright than have software spying on portions of my system that don't pertain to it.
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DANMIT!!!
...I wonder if I can get my money back.
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Pirated versions were always faster,lighter,smoother. They don't scratch up, they don't force me to update.
And now you can add they don't wanna log my keystrokes,browse my porn, and redirect my browser to battlefield 22 sales page because I drunkenly googled peppermint flavored ammo on the 22nd of last yr and their bots thought it a wise sales move.
So fuck you EA. You made a socialist musketeer out of me. Yeaargh, all for one and one for all. I will turn that 70$ into bitcoin and donate it to random commando comrades.
When someone hands you money - you dont slap them. I hope enough people all stand together and we can paper cut the fuckers to death.
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Re: Re: Re: Re: punkbuster
Your comment was from 2011, just curious if you've still held off on ever buying anything from EA?
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: punkbuster
Lol I just realized they say anonymous coward and it's cause i didn't add a email or name... I'll never even know if u... Another anonymous coward lol... answer my question. Ugh dammit
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