Aww Ubi, UB so crazy

[[Don_T_Shoot]]

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=235290&site=pcg

We've just received Assassin's Creed 2 and Settlers VII for review, and verified with Ubisoft that the DRM is the same as the boxed product. If you get disconnected while playing, you're booted out of the game. All your progress since the last checkpoint or savegame is lost, and your only options are to quit to Windows or wait until you're reconnected.

The game first starts the Ubisoft Game Launcher, which checks for updates. If you try to launch the game when you're not online, you hit an error message right away. So I tried a different test: start the game while online, play a little, then unplug my net cable. This is the same as what happens if your net connection drops momentarily, your router is rebooted, or the game loses its connection to Ubisoft's 'Master servers'. The game stopped, and I was dumped back to a menu screen - all my progress since it last autosaved was lost.

You can set the Ubisoft Game Launcher not to upload your saves, and even if you permit it, it seems the saves are made locally first and then uploaded when you exit the game. Whichever setting you choose, you still need to be online to launch or play the game.

Two predictions.  Cracked within two weeks, max.  Someone DDoSing the master server for lulz.

[[furrycat]]

http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2010/02/ubisoft-details-drm.ars

As long as you do not quit the game, the game will continue to try to reconnect for an unlimited time. Once the game is able to reconnect, you will immediately be returned to your game

[[NorthStar]]

Reconnect or no, it's still utterly horrible. Internet service, like all services is not reliable, and has a nasty habit of cutting out at the exact time when you want to play the game that requires Internet service. Meanwhile the pirates play on.

[[DoubleTap]]

[[furrycat]]

It happened: http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2010/03/ubisoft-on-drm-snafu-servers-attacked-pirates-locked-out.ars

"This 'failure' was due to a massive DDoS attack on our servers," an Ubisoft spokesperson told Ars.

[[Don_T_Shoot]]

So far the cracks have been incomplete because parts of the game have to be downloaded as you play it, but that means it only takes one pirate with a legit copy and a completed game.  I think my two weeks prediction was overly generous towards Ubi.

[[_PhoeniX_]]

They've done research that suggests that if game manufacturers cut their prices 50%, sales would triple. But instead they keep prices high and do stupid shit like implement flawed DRM crap.

[[NorthStar]]

If I have any difficulty playing AC2 I'm skipping SC:C until they patch the DRM out of it. I might skip it anyway if they pull the same $60 nonsense.

[[furrycat]]

You are a sucker if you buy - sorry, rent - AC2 knowing full well the state it is in.

[[NorthStar]]

A dagger through my heart, Mr. Cat... a dagger through my heart.

[-Dick]

50$ for a game, that I will instantly throw the box and instructions away is insane.  Why have they not done a reduced price via download or USB distribution model yet for the people who MUUUUSt  buy from a store.  Can't you buy a 10 gig SD card for under 20 bucks?

[[Don_T_Shoot]]

The complete solution took longer than I thought but it did happen.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-27076_3-20003120-248.html

[[NorthStar]]

So the crack for this DRM is no more difficult to apply than any other crack. What I don't understand is how someone seemingly so adept at cracking games can be so poor at using English.

[[_PhoeniX_]]

So the crack for this DRM is no more difficult to apply than any other crack. What I don't understand is how someone seemingly so adept at cracking games can be so poor at using English.

Ask the Chinese dudes who routinely attack government computers.

On second thought... you probably won't get a well worded answer.

[[NorthStar]]

I break down your shitty firewall!