DRM Tolerance

What DRM do you find acceptable? Pick one or more options.

  • No DRM (Open Source, Donationware, et cetera)

    Votes: 151 62.9%

  • CD-Check (CD-Key, CD in drive, the majority of CD games)

    Votes: 173 72.1%

  • One-Time Registration (Impulse, many Indie games)

    Votes: 133 55.4%

  • Login-Based (Steam, GameTap)

    Votes: 85 35.4%

  • Registry-Based (SecuROM, Starforce)

    Votes: 15 6.3%

  • DRM not listed here, including user ideas (Post)

    Votes: 8 3.3%
  • Total voters
    240
  • Poll closed .
V

Vordrax

Chieftain
Joined
May 14, 2010
Messages
65
As I'm sure most people realize, the discussion regarding Steam is flawed because the two sides are arguing two different concepts. Most Steam users on this board are arguing that it is not a form of DRM, but a service; most anti-Steam users are arguing against the concept of DRM (to a degree, I don't mean to put words into the mouths of other users, but I also don't want to get into a lengthy debate about "what exactly we mean" sort of thing.)

So just as an exercise, I think we should describe what DRM we feel is "proper." I don't intend for this thread to become a flame war, so try to point out what YOU define DRM as, and how much is "excessive." Don't argue with others and try to "prove" that your opinion is superior. All opinions are valid here, and there is no need to justify yourselves to others, or respond to someone who wants you to justify your views.

EDIT: For this poll, to avoid conflict, this ONLY APPLIES TO SINGLE-PLAYER COMPONENTS OF GAMES.
 
qwerty25 said:
You know, you didn't need the first option, everyone is going accept no drm.
Click to expand...

There are people who believe that having no DRM is potentially a bad thing. Even if everyone checks it, I feel that people should be able to express their opinion.
 
Can't vote.

I would vote for no DRM but unfortunatly for some very odd reason you seem to think that the lack of a DRM forces the game to be open source, shareware or free.

No DRM does not mean any of those have to be true. There are many games that make tons of money without having a DRM. GalCiv and almost everything released by Stardock pre-GOO, are good examples. Paradox titles are another.
 
kayapo said:
Can't vote.

I would vote for no DRM but unfortunatly for some very odd reason you seem to think that the lack of a DRM forces the game to be open source, shareware or free.

No DRM does not mean any of those have to be true. There are many games that make tons of money without having a DRM. GalCiv and almost everything released by Stardock pre-GOO, are good examples. Paradox titles are another.
Click to expand...

He was only citing those as examples. I'm pretty sure he comprehends that you can sell something without DRM. Its just not a choice that is usually made by publishers.
 
kayapo said:
Can't vote.

I would vote for no DRM but unfortunatly for some very odd reason you seem to think that the lack of a DRM forces the game to be open source, shareware or free.

No DRM does not mean any of those have to be true. There are many games that make tons of money without having a DRM. GalCiv and almost everything released by Stardock pre-GOO, are good examples. Paradox titles are another.
Click to expand...

GalCiv to patch had a registration requirement- that to me is a one-time requirement.
Which I'm perfectly fine with. It's pretty much the only DRM I'll tolerate anymore.

CD-check DRM I'll tolerate if I can crack it, which sounds like an oxymoron.

Steam DRM and beyond is too much for a SP game.
 
kayapo said:
Can't vote.

I would vote for no DRM but unfortunatly for some very odd reason you seem to think that the lack of a DRM forces the game to be open source, shareware or free.

No DRM does not mean any of those have to be true. There are many games that make tons of money without having a DRM. GalCiv and almost everything released by Stardock pre-GOO, are good examples. Paradox titles are another.
Click to expand...

I agree with the other poster, I filed GalCiv under "One-Time Registration," since you can't patch without it. That's why I listed Stardock under one-time registration. For a good example of a game that has no DRM, look at "Dwarf Fortress." It survives on donations (Donationware). A good set of examples, too, are the indie games in the Humble Indie Bundle, including one of my favorites: Aquaria.
 
I'm not familiar with all of the options . I didn't vote.

I appreciate and accept the need for a DRM of some sort to discourage widespread piracy, although I feel it's as much about discouraging resales of used games.

I suppose I'd prefer a one-time registration, with the options of free online and automated telephone toll call.

Ideally I would buy games on dedicated thumb drives that would solve much of the memory requirements, allow me to carry my game with me and play it on different machines, and trade it in if I so desired.
Oh well.
 
I also didn't vote, because my opinion is a bit complicated. I guess you could say that my opinion is: I'll accept whatever DRM scheme Civ uses as long as it is within reason. This will probably infuriate some people here, but there you have it. DRM does not exist in a vacuum for me, and I'm more willing to make concessions for Civ than I would be for just about any other game.
 
Paradox developed games I'd lump under DRM-free though. No need to register to get patches for them (at least official patches)

A forum registration is required for unofficial patches though.
 
I didn't vote, but I am fine with Steam - as long as the game works in offline mode. Unless it's a game which is inherently an online game anyway. . .

I actually find Steam much less annoying than the old "must have the cd in the drive" to play route.

I am not familiar with SecuROM or Starforce.
 
I believe the developers can do whatever they want, and it is up to me to see how far I would go. In that light it seems that neither of the options provided here is really much to ask for. That is, all of the options provided here seem reasonable to me, although some are more annoying than others. All of the alternatives here are acceptable to me though.
 
securom is by far the worst I have encountered so far, since on my system I always get the message that I did not insert the original CD. I can then manually select the detecting method of my DVD-player to auto and DMA when available - so basically I change it to something else, then change it back - and then it works sometimes, but sometimes I need to do this several times in order to make it work. This is a hellofalot of more trouble than any of the other methods is.

Steam is like free candy compared to securom, that is how bad securom is.
 
Thyrwyn said:
I didn't vote, but I am fine with Steam - as long as the game works in offline mode. Unless it's a game which is inherently an online game anyway. . .

I actually find Steam much less annoying than the old "must have the cd in the drive" to play route.

I am not familiar with SecuROM or Starforce.
Click to expand...

Whether I find the CD in the drive annoying or not depends 100% on whether it's cracked or not.

I've never been tolerant of DRM, not until Gamersgate/Impulse did I find a commercial service that made me not want to crack my titles.
 
Lately I prefer to digitally purchase games since CD in the drive is so absolutely annoying and barbaric. There are many quality outlets to digitally purchase games. Just as securom and some other CD-based DRM are completely obnoxious and unacceptable for paying customers, the way DRM is done online/digital can vary in levels of suck too.

I prefer something like Impulse or Direct2Drive.
 
arstal said:
Whether I find the CD in the drive annoying or not depends 100% on whether it's cracked or not.

I've never been tolerant of DRM, not until Gamersgate/Impulse did I find a commercial service that made me not want to crack my titles.
Click to expand...
While I understand the love for Impulse I do not get the negativity that you seem to display towards steam. Basically steam does what impulse does, except that impulse needs to be ran for updating only and not in order to play a game. Steam needs to run in the background in order to play a game, but the differences one may be concerned about end there imo.

That being said, you seem to post on a regular basis both here and on the emelental forum, so you seem to have access to the internet on a regular basis. If so, then the one thing that might make steam slightly annoying - that is that it logs in when you run a game - makes it moot since you are connected to teh interwebz anyway. From there on end it makes the anti-steam sentiments a matter of principle and not pragmatism.

I can see principles as being a good thing, up to the point where it does not interfere with pragmatism. Once principles hinder being rational about things like allowing steam when using steam is not really an issue to begin with, then it boggles my mind that one finds impulse good and steam intrusive. I just cannot grasp that.
 
The_J said:
CD-Check and registry based checks.
I can live with securom. If needed, i can hack into the registry on my own.
Click to expand...

That's how I'd liked this issue to be seen handled as well-
 
I have checked the first three options under the assumption that the online registration stands for something like a counter how many people actually are going to make use of the game.
Under that context the third option should be seen.

If such registration would restrict me from selling my copy of the game later, or would be needed for later services like patches, activation of add-ons and whatnotever, I wouldn't do so.
 
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