Since no one likes Steam, what type of DRM would you prefer?

Which DRM do you prefer?

  • Steam

    Votes: 124 55.1%
  • Disk Check

    Votes: 83 36.9%
  • SecuROM

    Votes: 4 1.8%
  • Draconian Ubisoftesque DRM

    Votes: 5 2.2%
  • 1 computer, single installation

    Votes: 9 4.0%

  • Total voters
    225
  • Poll closed .
And your standards of security are sure to make it impossible to trust your computer. Just because some people care about their computers doesn't give you the right to bash them. And there are those of us that don't use multiple PCs. My "gaming computer" is also my college laptop, my random Internet browsing computer, and my everything else computer. There are very few times of the year where I have the time necessary to do a reinstall of Windows, and with the amount that I use the computer, with your standards I'd have to reinstall Windows three times per year since I like the machine to run perfectly. I've already run system restore twice in the last few months on cosmetic issues.

The fact that steam doesn't run in a sandbox means it does some deep integration with Windows somewhere. Not surprising, since it needs to be able to prevent the launch of games if you haven't purchased them or if they haven't been authenticated.

Most programs run sandboxed just fine, without changes necessary. If steam didn't infect your computer, there would be no need for them to cater to the small group of people that is conscious about security. I'll have you know that I also run web browsers in sandboxes too. They're also useful for testing out software you aren't sure you want, since virtually nothing uninstalls cleanly from Windows.
 
I'm pretty sure the simple answer to dean's problem is simply to not buy the game if you're not willing to trust widely-used software. I don't think 2K/Firaxis will miss your sale.
 
None of the above?

Actually, some companies go with no DRM. Not all devs are psycho about treating paying customers like criminals.

I prefer a one-time unlock type of thing, like an online registration/unlock or something.

CD in the drive is terrible. Any type of active DRM (driver running, app running, etc) is terrible. The idiocy ubisoft is doing with wanting fulltime internet connective as "DRM" is beyond idiotic - I won't buy a game with that going on, period.

The lame thing is that it's the people who pirate and otherwise steal intellectual property that should get punished, not the paying customers. All the people that illegally download movies, music, cracked games, etc - need to get shredded. But, it takes a LOT of effort to catch the scumbags. That effort would cost money, and apparently the intellectual property industries have decided it'd cost too much to do something about thieves and would rather inflict punishment on customers.

So instead, we paying customers get to put up with intrusive and obnoxious DRM that doesn't do a damned thing to stop determined scum anyways.

So basically what the companies do is put DRM on games, which prevents you, someone who actually paid a nice chunk for the game from maybe installing it for a friend or family member. It's not like any given gamer is gonna start burning and selling copies of a game they buy. And maybe installing a copy for your mom or something is despicably evil. But hey, at least they got money out of you.

So instead you can only use it yourself even though you bought it, while knowing that a lot of scumbags are getting cracked copies with the menacing DRM removed and doing whatever they want with it.

It's a great system.

You know what else is amazing? I'm a programmer. Intellectual property is my existence. And I know a LOT of people who work in technology, where their economic existence is tied to intellectual property, and lots of them illegally download music, games, software, movies, everything as if it's some god given right to steal anything you can get away with stealing. So basically they're ruining their own economic lives.

There is no logic at all in the DRM setup or in the minds of the thieves that cause DRM to be thought to be necessary.

Life is not about steal everything you can get away with stealing. :/
 
I'm pretty sure the simple answer to dean's problem is simply to not buy the game if you're not willing to trust widely-used software. I don't think 2K/Firaxis will miss your sale.

They may or may not miss it but I'll still be eating.
 
sandboxed

Most people don't expect a hammer to do a spanners job.

My computer is more trustworthy than yours as you refuse to use a security package.

How about you either make your standards more flexible or stop this griping and whinging that as its root cause is brought on by a single bad experience with some substandard software. You look really bitter saying Steam infects computers because you have decided you won't play Civ5.
 
My computer is more trustworthy than yours as you refuse to use a security package.

If you're referring to my AV software post earlier, it's only Symatec and McAfee that I won't use. I use Microsoft Security Essentials, which in concert with sandboxie has kept my system safe. You honestly can't trust anti-virus software on its own because the first thing a virus will do is hack your AV software and quietly make it not work anymore. My computer is my life, and I use an individual machine far longer than most people (4-5 years rather than 2-3), so I can't afford to just wipe everything and re-install Windows when things start acting funny. An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure anyways.

SecuROM on another computer caused to randomly have BSODs. I learned my lesson then. Now I trust very few pieces of software to change the Windows kernel. Maybe you've been lucky, but that doesn't make you an authority on the matter. I would recommend that you listen to a bunch of episodes of Security Now first before posting on security matters again.
 
I use Microsoft Security Essentials, which in concert with sandboxie has kept my system safe.
So safe that its useless for some stuff.

You honestly can't trust anti-virus software on its own because the first thing a virus will do is hack your AV software and quietly make it not work anymore.
"You shouldn't do something because it might not work." Yeah, great idea.

My computer is my life, and I use an individual machine far longer than most people (4-5 years rather than 2-3), so I can't afford to just wipe everything and re-install Windows when things start acting funny.
Yes you can, because I'm sure a sensible fellow like you has everything backed up onto two separate media. I use an external drive and online storage.

SecuROM on another computer caused to randomly have BSODs.
Thats not quite what you said last time. You /suspected/ that SecurRom caused the BSODs when you didn't sound fully convinced or had taken the time to prove it, it had only happened afterwards and you simply decided that was the cause.

I learned my lesson then. Now I trust very few pieces of software to change the Windows kernel. Maybe you've been lucky, but that doesn't make you an authority on the matter.
Maybe you've been unlucky but that... etc

I would recommend that you listen to a bunch of episodes of Security Now first before posting on security matters again.
No thank you, I like to use my games computer to play games and not post about how I can't play games.
 
So safe that its useless for some stuff.
You don't get more security without sacrificing some convenience. But most of the time I don't even notice it. Sure, I have to save files before opening them (something I believe every browser except IE forces anyways) and occassionally I need to disable forced programs (such as when Flash needs to be updated). Actually I don't have any experience with steam on my system; I might have one it works flawlessly on (or I might have one it fails on).
Yes you can, because I'm sure a sensible fellow like you has everything backed up onto two separate media. I use an external drive and online storage.
It still takes time to get everything installed again and whatnot. I'm a full time student; right now, I easily have the time to take on a reinstall. I don't during the semester. Between classes, homework, and activities, I don't even have time for civ.
You /suspected/ that SecurRom caused the BSODs when you didn't sound fully convinced or had taken the time to prove it, it had only happened afterwards and you simply decided that was the cause.
It happened after installation of a SecuROM-infected game; around the same time my DVD drive started its decline into not working. Too bad I didn't learn about SecuROM for a few more months. Regardless, after years of listening to Security Now, I don't trust most software with the kernel.
 
Steam is the worst form of DRM except for all those others that have been tried.
Blizzard's DRM >>>>>>>>>> Steam.

Just saying. No DRM except attaching the game to your BNet account (which requires no software, mind) is way better than having-to-log-in-every-third-week-Steam.
 
and it really doesn't cripple legitimate players unless they are living in some prehistoric apartment without internet. I mean why the hell do so many people not have internet on thier "gaming PC" I have seen a few such arguements. lol.
.

@12agnar0k & Senethro - thanks for the replies to my question. I think i understand what it is now and it doesn't sound like too much of a problem. I'll probably install it on my 'gaming' pc (that's my only pc!) and give it a try.

the scenario I was depicting is pretty rare and I'm sure the place we went will have superfast broadband by now so no issues. normally when i'm playing it's at home when i have an internet connection always on so again no problem.

however, off-topic, i can thoroughly recommend a civ fest in the middle of nowhere. we hired a cottage miles from civilisation in rural scotland, stocked up on supplies and had a great weekend. it was like an unholy cabal of leaders holed up deciding the fates of the world ;)
 
Does this steam thing require an Inet connection to play?
If that's the case, it'd suck.

Also, i want no crap service running in the background.
 
Does this steam thing require an Inet connection to play?
If that's the case, it'd suck.

Also, i want no crap service running in the background.

Steam requires an internet connection for each computer intended to play Steam games. Source.

There is an Offline Mode that allows you to play games through Steam without reconnecting to the Steam Network every time you wish to play. Source.

You can stop Steam from running automatically when you start your computer. Source.
 
Apparently dumb question:
What's the sense of DRM anyway? Are not all the DRM-protected games immediately cracked and put on torrent websites?
Perhaps DRM is just to annoy legal customers while pirates play happily without cd-checks, accounts, codes, etc...?? :confused:
 
Apparently dumb question:
What's the sense of DRM anyway? Are not all the DRM-protected games immediately cracked and put on torrent websites?
No. Thats why they use it.
Perhaps DRM is just to annoy legal customers while pirates play happily without cd-checks, accounts, codes, etc...?? :confused:
Which is the idea behind Steam. Pirates lose access to Steam's other features.
 
None.

Because it only hurts paying customers.

Anyone who wants an illegal download will easily find it on the net.

DRM is pointless as is all protection.

Criminals don't play your game, they bypass it.
 
Actually what the poles really need is a "what is DRM" I dont actually know what it stands for but I do know what your talking about :p.
 
None.

Because it only hurts paying customers.

Anyone who wants an illegal download will easily find it on the net.

DRM is pointless as is all protection.

Criminals don't play your game, they bypass it.

People keep repeating this idiotic idea like it was some kind of mantra.

I lock my doors. This won't stop a dedicated burglar from breaking in, of course, and houses with locked doors are robbed all the time.

But locking the door will deter *some* criminals, will make it more difficult for others, and will generally make the process more of a pain.

The same is true of DRMs - they probably won't stop a dedicated band of crackers, but they will stop *some* people from cracking (or just copying) the program...and they will at least delay even organized crackers somewhat.

I mean, it's almost like arguing that we shouldn't have laws against murder because people are going to commit murder anyway.
 
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