Every bloody time I ATTEMPT to start up this game, and I get this error EVERY. MEEPING. TIME!

"This game can not start

This game needs access to the internet in order to verify ownership of this game. Please ensure that your computer is online and try again"

I have posted this topic, meaning I'm ONLINE! WHAT THE HECK!

Are you behind a firewall? Sometimes Firewall programs can screw up games that rely on the internet to operate (Spore, Steam (though The Steam Content delivery system can be set to offline mode), etc)

With a million people trying to register Spore today, the server's probably died. :p

Apparently only the first thirty thousand got through. T_T

I managed on a 56k connection! (only Vista default firewall stuff was on)

The online requirement makes me weary. What if my Internet goes down and it wants Internet verification? What if someone has it on a laptop they took on vacation where there's no Internet access?

As far as I know, you only need to 'verify' the game once, then that's it. So far, I can play offline without problems, and can download selected creatures that I want for the short time that I can get online.

You need to verify it every time you install an expansion. That's the official response in the EA forums.

And the three install thing with the DRM only comes into play if the hardware is different. If you simply re-install it on the same computer then it doesn't take up one of your 3 installs. But if you change the video card, you have to re-install it and it takes up one of your three.

Which of course is . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .!

It forces you to reinstall the whole thing, even if you are just upgrading your graphics card? Sux. I was planning to do that in a few months...

I trust there is a way to keep all your creations and planets etc? :(

Yeah just copy out your Spore directory in Docs&Settings and copy back after installation. :)

EA says that you can call them and they can give you more installs on a case-by-case basis, but they also said that they would give me Spore when it released in exchange for preordering.

About backing up your saved stuff - where are the actual save games, the 'planets'? I can't see them in the Spore game folder, nor anywhere in My Spore Creations.

And about installing a new graphics card - are you really forced to re-install the game? Won't it let you just re-validate it?

EDIT: I guess you have to uninstall to get one of your 3 installs back or something? You have to go online for that too?

This DRM stuff is so depressing :cry: And it clearly hasn't stopped piracy of the game at all.