Game Maker Studio DRM Misfires; Permanently Replaces Created Game Resources With Pirate Symbols
from the time-to-craft-a-pirate-themed-roguelike dept
Another day, another story of DRM gone wrong. Just recently, Tim Geigner posted a story about a rather expensive dictionary app that hijacked users' Twitter accounts to shame them as pirates -- even if the inadvertent tweeters had shelled out $25 for the program.Fortunately, this situation didn't result in a bunch of paying customers outing themselves as pirates. Instead, the program in question, Game Maker Studio, permanently overwrote user-created game resources with the internationally accepted pirate symbol -- the skull and crossbones.
A recent update to Game Maker Studio has left many developers confused and frustrated after an anti-piracy system went haywire.
Those who use a legally obtained version of Studio have had game resources, such as sprites, overlayed with an image of a skull and crossbones. The resources are permanently edited, rendered useless.
While the result wasn't as publicly embarrassing, the unlucky users who had dumped hours into creating their games saw their work swiftly -- and permanently -- undone. At first, YoYo Games staff indicated affected users should run a virus scan to make sure the program hadn't been tampered with. As more bug reports poured in, it became clear that the issue wasn't on the end users' computers. Unlike some other companies whose DRM has gone wonky, YoYo Games has been proactive about fixing the issue.
Mike Dailly of Yoyo Games showed up at the original post, as well as in the Yoyo Games forums, with advice for affected users, as well as providing updates on the efforts to track the issue down. He also went the extra step of talking down a few zealous pitchfork bearers who attacked the poster reporting the problem.
Please don't ASSUME folk are using pirated copies, sometimes a virus or something can effect an exe and gives some issue like this.Unfortunately, YoYo Games isn't looking to remove its DRM scheme, despite this bug's permanent defacing of users' games. In a longer post, Dailly offers an apology, but states that Game Maker will likely never be DRM-free.
The current solution is to uninstall, delete both %appdata%\GameMaker-Studio and %localappdata%\GameMaker-Studio, delete the GameMaker-Studio registry key, scan your machine in case its a virus, and then reinstall.
The program assumes a modded .exe is a crack, but this isn't always the case as a virus can also change it. I also have a feeling theres something else changing exe's.....
If your still having issues, get in touch with the help desk, let them know your key...and we'll see what we can do to help.
I totally understand that those who have paid for GameMaker and are getting this are feeling very upset by the whole matter, and I can only apologise for the problems. As to why it's in there should be reasonably clear. GameMaker has traditionally been one of the most pirated programs around, and it's simply not right that some pay good money for it, while others simply pirate it. We try hard to make it as smooth an experience as possible for paying users, but are constantly fighting pirates understanding of the protection systems.This won't be much comfort to affected users and it doesn't bode well for those looking to purchase the pro version of Game Maker Studio. Moving towards a more "passive" DRM just pushes the problem to the background, rather than remove it. As in the situation mentioned at the beginning of this post, even passive DRM has its flaws -- especially when it takes it upon itself to treat paying customers as thieves.
We'd LOVE to be able to remove the protection completely, but we know that vast numbers would simply copy it if it was that easy. There are many levels to the current protection system, and while many are visible like this, there are also many hidden so that we can always tell when a final game was created with a crack.
We expect an update to go out tomorrow to remove this protection, and will move away from the “destructive” protection like this, to more passive methods to help protect innocent users who through no fault of their own, somehow trigger it.
Dailly also suggests that Game Maker might move towards some sort of "internet connection required" DRM, which is never a welcome development, no matter how inevitable.
So yes.... we can never "win". Hardware dongles can be cracked and removed, all software can be "fixed". Only "online" can reduce piracy properly, and even that can be removed by some dedicated hacker. That said, the more the world moves online, the easier it gets to block, but we're not there yet, so we do what we can.All of this unpleasantness aside, at least this situation has altered YoYo Games' anti-piracy tactics going forward, taking it in a more pragmatic direction -- which should result in fewer paying customers being adversely affected.
Remember the goal is to drive pirates to buy, and if they think a copy will destroy their game, that's a pretty strong incentive. However, we'll make sure our concern for paying customers now takes precedence over trying to force a sale from a pirate - which will probably not happen anyway.
We've become blinkered a little in trying to stay one step ahead, and for that I totally apologise, there are certainly other ways of doing this.As long as DRM exists, collateral damage is to be expected. Mike Dailly is to be commended for tackling this head-on, rather than shunting it off to customer service or refusing to discuss the negative impact on YoYo's customers. The only way YoYo can promise this sort of thing won't happen again is to go DRM-free, but if it's not willing to do that, an open discussion with its current (and potential) customers is at least a step in the right direction.
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Filed Under: drm, video games
Companies: game maker studio
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That's why you should only use DRM free games
In Righthaven style, the game companies are just making clear to customers the advantages of pirated, cracked games.
Similar to how release windows, and unskippable commercials are intended to clarify for movie audiences how torrented movies are superior.
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Re: That's why you should only use DRM free games
- If you try to be the nice guy, you get FUCKED by DRM or some other senseless crap;
- If you, instead, opt by being a douche, at least you get what you (didn't) pay for, no strings attached (other than the unlikely situation where if you get caught, you have to pay huge fines).
I guess that is always the third option: only buy things that fit into whatever criteria for DRM you find acceptable - no DRM, some DRM (steam), etc...
Kinda reminds me of the old days where you had to carefully pick your computer parts to be able to run Linux. It's the price of freedom, I guess...
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Re: Re: That's why you should only use DRM free games
Why someone would want to support a company pushing out broken products is beyond me, and you do run the risk of stunts like this being pulled, which can end up totaling your working program(which you can just re-download I suppose), but the option to get the best of both worlds by supporting the company and getting a working product is there, should people care for it.
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Re: That's why you should only use DRM free games
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Meanwhile, Microsoft's forced registering (DRM), works.
Point is you prove nothing with yet another isolated software screw-up when the trend is clearly the other way.
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Re: Meanwhile, Microsoft's forced registering (DRM), works.
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Re: Meanwhile, Microsoft's forced registering (DRM), works.
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Re: Meanwhile, Microsoft's forced registering (DRM), works.
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Re: Meanwhile, Microsoft's forced registering (DRM), works.
I have 2 laptops each with a purchaesed copy of win 7. One was upgraded from Vista... It thinks it was purchased with Win7 (again I bought the upgrade but why go through the hastle). It's been running and taking updates pretty much since win7 came out (couldn't wait to get vista off the laptop).
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Re: Re: Meanwhile, Microsoft's forced registering (DRM), works.
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Re: Meanwhile, Microsoft's forced registering (DRM), works.
No, it doesn't, you moron. There are still many millions of pirated copies in use (thus, defeating the object of DRM in the first place since it's not stopping piracy) while there have been numerous mistakes that have left users unable to use their legally purchased OS in the past (e.g. http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2007/08/windows-genuine-advantage-suffers-worldwide-ou tage-problems-galore/).
How does something whose only purpose is to prevent piracy while not affecting legitimate customers "work" when it demonstrably does neither? Guess what does work? The lowering of prices and competition forcing MS to create a better, more secure and stable product. Not the time wasting crap you love.
"it's near 100%."
Bullshit.
Why do your attacks always have to be full of so many easily disproven lies?
"Like the DRM called UEFI (?) secure boot of new PCs, seems likely to give Linux big trouble SOON."
Aren't you the one in other threads whining that Google has a monopoly in search and should be blocked from having more power? Yet, you support Linux being destroyed by Microsoft's demands even though they're doing nothing illegal or immoral? At least get your own position straight. Attacking everything this site says without though just makes you look like a tool.
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Re: Re: Meanwhile, Microsoft's forced registering (DRM), works.
In out-of-their-brain's defense, the system is 100% more successful then their old DRM, which involved typing 111-1111111 as the product key.
Still, 100% of 0 is still 0.
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Re: Meanwhile, Microsoft's forced registering (DRM), works.
Seriously! I recognize all the words as English, but they're strung together in some incomprehensible slurry of nonsense.
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Re: Meanwhile, Microsoft's forced registering (DRM), works.
And don't go throwing your religion at me either. I believe Matthew chapter 7 has something to say about false prophets like you, something about God declaring, "I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!"
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Re: Meanwhile, Microsoft's forced registering (DRM), works.
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"Remember the goal is to drive pirates to buy"
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Re: "Remember the goal is to drive pirates to buy"
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Re: Re: "Remember the goal is to drive pirates to buy"
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Re: "Remember the goal is to drive pirates to buy"
It seems like the better educated you are, the less intelligent you are.
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Re: Re: "Remember the goal is to drive pirates to buy"
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Re: "Remember the goal is to drive pirates to buy"
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It may not be right, or fair, but it is significantly less right or fair for people who shell out hard earned cash to see their works completely screwed up by useless DRM, which does little or nothing to stop pirating anyways.
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"and it's simply not right that some pay good money for it, and have to suffer the DRM because others simply pirate it. In fact, those would not have suffered DRM because they are removed by cracks"
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"GameMaker has traditionally been one of the most pirated programs around,"
And that had no effect on those who paid good money for the game, a situation that cannot stand.
" and it's simply not right that some pay good money for it, while others simply pirate it."
So let's go with DRM to give people the ineffable comfort that we make an attempt that some others mightn't be able to enjoy the game without having paid for it as well as giving those same people the undoubted and special experience of having their paid for game ruined in that attempt.
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I think the legit users who had this should be teamed up and sue the company for damages, because this actually damaged their property. Imagine crashing a car because some stupid DRM on the brake misfired and stopped it from working. Shouldn't the brake manufacturer be on the hook? If you are using this application to create an actual product, wouldn't your release schedule be impacted and you might need to remake all the graphics? (a good time to remind people to use source control)
Maybe only when this kind of financial hurt will make them realized that putting a DRM on will actually cost them money, instead of just affected users sucking it up.
Alternatively, most companies have no supporting data on how their DRM is preventing pirated copies and increasing their bottom line. Dailly probably DON'T have any evidence on how this DRM is making them more money, but just think that it "logically should" increase their revenue.
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Preach on brother! I still remember the bad old days of Starforce... lost two CD-ROM drives to that crapola!
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Read the EULA. Every single piece of software in existence, which includes an EULA, has a paragraph stating that the software company is not responsible for any damages caused by their program. Nor do they warranty it to actually work, or that it will serve any particular purpose you might need it for.
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So DRM is supposed to make you want to buy? Especially when it goes horribly wrong? Looks to me like the pirates have the better model in that it just works...all the time. Those that pay are the ones having to suffer punishment and I guess in their eyes that's a reward for having spent the money?
Yah, right. Is it any wonder piracy exists at the levels it does when looking at this idea applied to an official version? Doesn't look like the management can even own up to why it doesn't work. They throw darts at the board hoping some reason will stick that their paying customers will believe.
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"open discussion" won't help
Please move me from the "potential customer" column to the "will die in my tracks before buying from them" column.
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Is it greed? The company is quite profitable and making good profits, so the potential for even greater profits drives them to inconvienence or even harm their present customers while they try to squeeze even more from 'pirates' of which no-one has done successfully.
Is it hubris? Their work is just that damn amazing and there is no way anyone could do better. The only thing standing in their way of success is those damn pirates.
Is it laziness? Advertising takes to much money and effort, while they have pirates that already know about the product, so they merely have to convert them.
Whatever these business's problem is, they are ignoring the significant benefits that come with the piracy. Do you see Autodesk fighting tooth and nail willing do destroy all the manhours of work their customers created with their products just so someone doesn't pirate Autocad? Yet, that autocad pirate is not likely using the product in commercial business, so the benefit is that they are learning their product instead of a competitor's, so when that user does go into the business world, they have the skills and the desire for that product instead of a competitor's product, which for Autodesk is a sale they would have lost otherwise.
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There is also FreeCAD for design work. It still needs some refinement but is usable and "feels" more like AutoCAD then Blender to me. There is also Inkscape to compete with Illustrator. The biggest problem I've had with any open source graphics programs is dealing with CMYK color spaces, which none seem to do very well yet.
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Actually, I work in IT and have had to deal with Autodesk and their attempts to stop piracy. It is fucking ridiculous the lengths they go through to determine if you are pirating their software and the lengths and insinuations they'll make if you are anything but 100% willing to bend over and let them do as they please to monitor you.
I was having issues installing a legitimately purchased copy of AutoCAD on a company laptop for a new employee. We also had in addition to the standalone license a subscription for 5 seats, of which 2 were free. So after trying and trying to install and correctly license AutoCAD, I received a phone call from a lady working for them who said that we were now up for a "compliance check" due to the fact that they registered us as having issues licensing their product which we paid for. I explained that the license wasn't being accepted and she said that wasn't her problem/concern and any delaying on my part of the compliance check would be seen as non-compliance, at which point she would contact the BSA and they could/would proceed with filing a suit against the company I work for. Needless to say I informed my boss who told me to just do whatever I needed to to get them off our back and straighten things out. Which led to Autodesk's compliance representative sending me a file which you must run from the domain server which then checks all computers on the network and determines which if any have EVER had Autodesk software on them, which still have software on them and what if any licenses/subscription are they licensed with. I did so. The lady then called me after I emailed me with the results and accused me of shutting down computers because there were more entries on the domain for computers than there were actual results, I explained that before I came on computers either died or were outright replaced and that explained the "missing" entries. She then accused me again of cheating, at which point I kind of lost it and told her she was welcome to fly down and personally watch me run said software on each and every single machine in the building and we could go over the results together, with me questioning her every step of the way, and getting this whole thing done face to face to ensure no cheating on my part or misunderstandings on hers. At which point she backed down and had me run it again and when the results were the same she chilled out. (Of course, just to be a dick, I manually ran the scan on each machine anyway and sent her all the results. Thus ruining her day and forcing her to perform additional work. But hey, if you're going to accuse me of something you better be ready for me to prove you wrong and make your life just as miserable.)
We came out clean at the end of things, and they still refused to help settle the licensing issue. I eventually had to get help from the subscription reseller to get everything going and have loathed/hated ALL Autodesk software ever since. That was in January of this year.
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It's hubris because they cannot comprehend that the quality of their work is suspect (and may be what drives some to piracy in order to preview before paying). They simply believe that if somehow piracy were to disappear, their work is so great that money would naturally flood in.
It's laziness because they opt for the "easy" choice (lawsuits and DRM) rather than the "hard" option (changing business models, constant two way communication with customers, R&D that keeps them ahead of competition, competitive pricing and no regional restrictions, etc.). One road requires real thought and effort, the other means they can just whine about piracy when it doesn't work and ask the government to do their work for them.
I'm not sure that the company being discussed in the article above necessarily fits all these criteria, but it's almost guaranteed that the fallout from this will have lost them more sales than a non-DRM approach could have lost from piracy.
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Game Maker has ensured that I will NEVER use their software.
However, this DRM has now ensured that I will never use their software even if it become cross platform. I will not use software that treats me like a pirate after I had already paid for it.
Of course, I don't really understand why anyone would want to use this when there are so many free and open source game development libraries. I guess the idea of being able to create a 2d game without having to program is a promising one. However, having to deal with crap like this should turn anyone off.
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Re: Game Maker has ensured that I will NEVER use their software.
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Game Maker has ensured that I will NEVER use their software.
Setting aside whether or not DRM works, their logic is:
1) Pirate obtains copy of program
2) Pirate creates game
3) Program defaces their game
4) They'll get so irritated by this that they'll purchase the product.
#4 is absolutely wrong. The pirate will do one of two things: either stop using the program entirely or find a better crack. This is not a path to monetizing them. Thinking that it is is their real error.
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Game Maker has ensured that I will NEVER use their software.
However, if I sell you lawn gnome that you place in your yard, then I run over and smash the gnome in the middle of the night thinking you stole the gnome from me and apologize the next day talking about how such measures are necessary in this age of lawn gnome theft... I really don't think you'd care too much.
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Re: Game Maker has ensured that I will NEVER use their software.
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Re: Game Maker has ensured that I will NEVER use their software.
They have a pretty solid system there, and even have an app designer module.
In my opinion, they should just give the basic software away or sell it cheap, but monetize support services (like hosting, advanced training, special modules, etc). Or maybe have a subsidized version of the software which puts ads in the games.
In any case, this is disappointing, and I'll probably look elsewhere. I've created sprites before, and I'd be pretty choked if all of mine were wiped out.
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DRM operates on the theory that it's better to insult, defame and falsely accuse your paying customers than it is to take a chance that a person who may or may not actually exist might get something for free.
I don't do business with people who don't respect me. I often wonder what's wrong with people, that causes them to not care about such things.
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hmm
If a hidden "feature" of my car was to detect if someone tried to modify the logo on the grill, then had a false positive and decided to cause damage to property, I would think one could sue.
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Re: hmm
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The problem is that this was not an "accident" or a misuse of the product. This was a false positive, where they willfully and deliberately destroyed user property.
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The license agreement of virtually all software explicitly says that the company cannot be held liable for any damages arising out of the use of their program.
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Note to self
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At one point I used Game Maker, but it DRM was crap...
IE: I bought 3 licenses for my team, and it refused to launch in two computers of the team (including my own), after some lengthy discussion with YoYo, I did a test.
I went to google, and typed: "game maker free"
I downloaded the first link... And whooray! It worked fine!
I reported this to YoYo.
Their reply was: "you are a filthy pirate that pirated our software" (note: like I said, I paid 3 licenses of Game Maker), and they deleted all my support tickets and stealthbanned me from the foruns after I complained there (ie: since banning would be obvious to other forum members, they instead removed ALL my permissions, even permission to see the forum list, but do not banned my username).
Now I not only avoid Game Maker, but I actively campaign for other indies to not use it, I already convinced a bunch of studios to stop using it.
This recent DRM problem only helps me in my "quest" to further free people from that DRM-riddled thing.
I wish Overmars moved away from YoYo, his ideas were actually good :/
note: I once sent a e-mail to Overmars complaining of the situation, his reply was: "say sorry to them".
I was like: WTF, they fail to help me, and I am the one that have to say sorry?
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just ... wow
these people don't deserve to make a single cent, they're obviously too incompetent to do business
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I would send them Paul Ruben to say "sorry".
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Hello, any software better than Game Maker?
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Huh?
Except that it's only the paid copies that destroy their games. They claim to be "one of the most pirated programs around," so how exactly is their DRM being effective?
The strategy seems to be that building in these gotchas makes the game harder to crack, thus reducing piracy. But they admit that any DRM scheme can be broken. What they seem to miss is that it only has to be done once per release, and then copied ad infinitum. Meanwhile all those DRM timebombs are ticking away in the paid versions....
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Did I read this correctly?
The goal is to get pirates to buy, but that's probably not going to happen anyway? He admits this, but he's still going to spend the money to implement DRM???
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Er....
Obviously not.
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not a huge deal, but it's the kind of detail that's likely to cause blowback.
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All this potentially does is to make the program usable again. The program you probably have walked away from in disgust. The program that you cannot trust, so why waste your valuable time using it?
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Just do without
Problem solved.
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What I don't understand is why they don't make Game Maker free for personal use, and licenced for commercial use. Any games made using Game Maker will have coding in the files the studio can easily check to identify if the game is uses their software. Then check suspected commercial releases of games against their licence list, and TADAA! you know who your licence breakers are with the additional benefit, this is a group with money that is worth the effort to shake down.
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Very Simple.
No DRM in my home.
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Chasing "lost" imaginary dollars, just cost them anything more than they lost from people pirating their program.
- Paying users were screwed. Oooh blame viruses and malware. No blame a company who thought if you fail a check we screw up all of your work.
- Pirates... still unaffected. More than likely they saw this code, wrote around it, and laughed at the company.
- The budget for this DRM code would have been better spent making the program better. That is the best way to convert "pirates" to customers.
A majority of software pirates, often to do because there is no way to try the program before you buy. This died off a long time ago. Now we have perfectly rendered game "play" samples that are generated on machines well beyond system spec showing lovely details... but nothing about how it really plays. You hear what a program can do, but can't try it for your own needs first. They expect you to hand them money and pray you get anything near what they promised.
How many products now are released because of the deadline... not because they are done.
Software now seems to include the notion of until the first 3 patches are out, don't bother.
Companies are blind to the consumers who pay them now, focused more on the dollars they imagine they lost. They are actively antagonizing people who pay them, carrying on a lost battle against pirates.
Pirates want to watch a movie, click a button and watch.
Customers are forced to watch 5 warnings telling them don't even THINK about making a copy of this, followed by 5 minutes of ads for other movies they might not give a crap about. Then 2 minutes of finding the right settings and waiting for fancy menus to draw... and then the movie starts. And lets not even cover what happened with early adopter bluray owners who were left with movies they could not play because it was to expensive to get the new keys for the older players.
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THEN PIRATES WILL BE OUR LEGITIMATE USERS!
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using drm to achieve that is just a pipe dream though. all drm strategies are good at is scaring legitimate users away and turning them into pirates.
someone who pirates the game isn't going to buy it in the first place, because either the price is unfair, or the program is not worth the price in his opinion. no matter how much you'll try to change his mind through underhanded tactics like drm, he won't buy it.
there's also no such thing as "sales lost to piracy", since those people would simply not get the product at all otherwise. it's more of "interest generated by piracy" and "potential pirates becoming legitimate customers".
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This is why backups are important. And why the types of DRM that make backups difficult or impossible add yet another layer of "don't buy me" to such products.
The company certainly responded reasonably in communication, which is nice, but not so much in practice, which still leaves their product highly suspect.
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Remember, the effect is to drive buyers to piracy.
Have fun with that.
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YoYo Huh?
So I never upgraded.
It's good to see I was right.
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Wow, thanks for the heads up!
Just wanted to show that those kind of reports are enough to chase away honest customers. I've not tried this Gamemaker thing yet, and reading this I don't think I ever will either. I'll try to find another way to make games instead, even if it might be harder.
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Re: Wow, thanks for the heads up!
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DRM
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Final Solution
1. Buy legal copy
2. Download and install pirated copy
3. Bask in my WORKING software
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Yet another reason I'm leaving GM
File I/O is broken, very few new features, way overpriced, a mishmash of old and new features that are half-implemented and poorly documented, the driving away of the hobbyists of the community, the addition of the Marketplace, and now the broken DRM that targets users and the planned addition of a store in place of the free games currently available.
The execs at Yoyo only seem to care about cash these days, and it shows. f*** you yoyo, I had a good run with your old wares, but now I'm switching to LWJGL since it's free and won't f*** me like you have. Have fun fleecing people and sleeping in a gold bathtub full of swans and cocaine.
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Wowza!
What a giant steaming pile of misguided, greed soaked jack-assery. It really makes me wish I hadn't forked over money to buy Studio Pro a a while back, and I'm glad as hell that this "bug" has never happened to me. Yoyo should be glad too since if it had, I would have made it my mission in life to take them down by every legal means at my disposal. I'm not even kidding. Someone needs to stand up and fight back against shit like this.
On a side note, the reason I came across this page was because I currently have a different DRM-related Game Maker cluster-fuck going on that I'm trying to sort out. I've made close to 20 games over the years in GM8 Pro, but the old Softwrap DRM no longer works so its not possible to re-install GM8. This shouldn't be an issue since I have a licensed copy of GM Studio Pro, but Studio's import function for GMK files is complete garbage. I can't import a single old game file that's not fucked up somehow.
According to the half-page dialog that pops up during import, they changed how Studio works but were too fucking lazy to write an importer that can update old files so they'll still work correctly... Of course, they did have plenty of time to spend writing the code for this elaborate, pirate-themed booby trap bullshit (oh, and the infamous PSP game runner, anyone remember that little gem?)
Yep, Yoyo games took something that was genuinely good (GM7/8) and have spent the last several years furiously jerking off at their own delusions of greatness and wiping their disgusting cum all over a once great program.
Ever wonder WHY Game Maker has so many users? Most were from the good old days before Yoyo when it was a great way to make games for beginners through to advanced indies. But if this group of incompetent man-turds had started from scratch and done everything exactly the same, right now they would have the single worst piece of software ever written, and exactly ZERO users. This is a fact.
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