GTA IV On PC TO Use SecuROM

[TV-VCR 14]

Rockstar

GTA IV On PC TO Use SecuROM

By Stuart Houghton, 6:40 PM on Fri Nov 28 2008, 11,344 views

I'll say this for Rockstar - they do like a controversy. Usually, though, they go in for cool controversies like sexy mini games or the sensationalised depiction of car crime and bullying.

Lame kerfuffles about copy protection schemes just seem a bit off-message, somehow. C'mon chaps, you'll not get many tabloid headlines with this nonsense! Get back to the prostitute murder and leave the customer-punishing DRM nonsense to your competitors.

Yes, another high profile PC release - GTA IV this time - will be shipping with SecuROM. The usual arguments are being trotted out - on the one hand it is the publisher's best defence against piracy (the copyright infringement kind, not the Somali kidnappy variety) while on the other it is a horrible mess of code that will taint the PCs of legitimate consumers like digital scar tissue.

C'est la vie.

quote>

Argh!

[Godzillaman 21]

Another reason for a console...

[ilikehotdogsalot 308]

This is probably because it was bought by EA games.

[toxicpiano 125]

Originally posted by: Godzillaman Another reason for a console...quote>

yeah and there's a bunch of better stuff and new features for the pc version, not forgetting modding.

[SimRabbit 48]

I don't see the problem with Securom. I have tons of games with this thing and never had any OS crash or anything.

[Muck308 55]

EA bought rocksatr? huh.

[GMT 389]

first, EA didn't buy Rockstar (unless there's a recent change of events not yet covered in any related magazines), and second:

the securom in GTA 4 won't have an installation limit.

[Godzillaman 21]

Originally posted by: toxicpiano  yeah and there's a bunch of better stuff and new features for the pc version, not forgetting modding.quote>

Yeah...but from the looks of it, that's if you can get passed securom...

But hopefully it's a newer, friendlier kind...

[toxicpiano 125]

Originally posted by: Godzillaman

Originally posted by: toxicpiano  yeah and there's a bunch of better stuff and new features for the pc version, not forgetting modding.quote>

Yeah...but from the looks of it, that's if you can get passed securom...

But hopefully it's a newer, friendlier kind...quote>

it just checks for the cd in the drive, no  need to go mental about it

[GMT 389]

Originally posted by: toxicpiano

Originally posted by: Godzillaman

Originally posted by: toxicpiano  yeah and there's a bunch of better stuff and new features for the pc version, not forgetting modding.quote>

Yeah...but from the looks of it, that's if you can get passed securom...

But hopefully it's a newer, friendlier kind...quote>

it just checks for the cd in the drive, no  need to go mental about itquote>

and you have to be online while installing the game so you can verify your copy.

that's about it.

no installation limits, no techno-mumbo-jumbo-crap to be able to activate the game, no nothing. just the common piracy protection.

[TV-VCR 14]

lol, funny how with spore everyone was freaking out about the SecuROM DRM.

As long as it's not horribly intrusive like it usually is I'm fine. Although, I imagine it still wouldn't let me a play a game until I closed out my CD/DVD emulator (Alcohol). Ugh.

[masochist 111]

What about causing problems with other games? I've heard that some people had a few problems when trying to play games like Civ4 installing SecuROM, and that would be a big problem for me (especially since I've been waiting for GTA IV for a good long while now...).

[GMT 389]

Originally posted by: TV-VCR lol, funny how with spore everyone was freaking out about the SecuROM DRM.

As long as it's not horribly intrusive like it usually is I'm fine. Although, I imagine it still wouldn't let me a play a game until I closed out my CD/DVD emulator (Alcohol). Ugh.quote>

yeah, because when spore came, securom was more or less an open beta that even got into conflict with juristication because it wasn't declared as it should be in the manuals and stuff (you can read it in the related thread here)

plus it was, like every time, another legit-user-harming act in EA's vulture-politics. I mean, seriously, how can you go an limit the installation to 3???? that's SO EA-Games

now, after all the big protests because of Securom (after all, it kinda ruined spore which is, without a doubt, one of the most highly anticipated games) things changed and now, last but not least because GTA is not an EA title, there's a brighter future for games with a securom lable on them

[Shadow Assassin 336]

Sadly, SecuROM was controversial because of how it could be abused. The events with Spore definitely showed that.

EA abused the rights of the consumer. Of course, it didn't work very well for them - after all, Spore was the most-pirated game in quite a while.

And SecuROM had some security issues, too - a DRM program should not have the rights to access ring 0 in your operating system - which equals a major security hole that can easily be harnessed by people with malicious intent.

The problem with DRM is that often the weakest point is the program itself. The best kind of DRM is one that can be integrated into the CD itself - if it's not a legitimate copy, it cannot be read. If it's a legit copy, it's fine. Consoles (particularly Nintendo) use something similar... using proprietary technology (the Big N, for instance, use custom-made DVD discs from Matsush.ita - DVD discs that can only be read by the GameCube or Wii - even though they look similar to normal DVDs)

The issue I have with many games is that games publishers do not even tell the consumer what CD protection they use so they can better learn about the implications. I know I read up on DRM so I know what effects it could have on my computer - for instance, when I bought 'The Witcher', it had Tages copy-protection software - which was known for quietly sabotaging save games so that you couldn't complete the game because key components had been altered in the game. DRM should not do that. It should simply be a check that a) the CD is legit, b) that the software is the correct version on the disc.

If DRM was integrated into the hardware itself, it'd eliminate the need for such restrictions, it'd be the end of CD keys. Of course the CD could be copied (including the hardware DRM)... but it would take a lot of effort... and reduce piracy.

first, EA didn't buy Rockstar (unless there's a recent change of events not yet covered in any related magazines)quote>

Of course... Take Two wouldn't give Rockstar up without a fight. After all, it's one of their best developers. Why would they give away a cash cow such as Rockstar, anyway?

[edit] Oh, come on. Word censor is most definitely over-zealous.

[panthersimcity4 162]

SecuRom? NOO! It seems Rockstar Games has been possessed as well.

[Xyloxadoria 1,099]

EA seems to have made everyone hate DRM becsue of how they used it in spore. It was made alot more restrictive.  Most copy protection only has the key and online athentication. That seems to be what GTAIV is using.  Its when it goes past that when people get mad.  Im in game devlopment and animation and i support anti piracy measeres. But not stuff like altering unnessary files, or limiting installation.

[Duke87 1,070]

Irony: a game that centers around committing crimes and has "theft" in the name involves anti-piracy protection.

Well, congratulations Rockstar. You can join EA on the blacklist of companies which I will never be buying anything from ever again.

[Rymac91 15]

Yet another game I can't use with my gaming computer because of a lack of a internet connection. Way to go game developers, you've lost another customer.

[masochist 111]

Originally posted by: Duke87 Irony: a game that centers around committing crimes and has "theft" in the name involves anti-piracy protection. quote>

HA!