Yeah, great, 2% of the X86 market, sure we'll port our software to OSX - Samo Korosec
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Ubisoft's DRM system is shot to pieces
GAMES PUBLISHER Ubisoft has suffered the inevitable embarrassment of having not only its anti-piracy measures cracked but the ignominy of its servers at the heart of the policy brought down.
Ubisoft's latest anti-piracy measures caused a barrage of complaints when it was revealed that the system required gamers to login via the publisher's website prior to playing and required users to have a constant Internet connection. The firm then issued a rallying call to crackers worldwide when it said that should the servers be taken offline a patch would be released to circumnavigate the authentication servers.
Sure enough a crack was published and the world witnessed another feeble attempt at DRM fall by the wayside. Ubisoft was keen to play down the release saying that the cracked versions of games were "not complete", perhaps referring to the absence of DRM in them. In a surprising move, the PR flunkies seemingly overcompensated by putting out in Twitter updates that they had confirmed that no cracked versions of Assasins Creed II or Silent Hunter 5 existed.
While it seems most were having more than a healthy dose of schadenfreude at Ubisoft's expense, a few thought it would be more appropriate to take their fight directly to Ubisoft by attacking the servers that validate an install. As expected the servers gave up the ghost leaving thousands of gamers with legitimate Ubisoft titles unable to play.
Ubisoft's servers were running with "reduced service" between 2:30pm and 9:00pm CET yesterday and were only fully restored at 1:00am. In a bid to downplay the situation, Ubisoft said that only people trying to login were affected. Given that you need to login in order to play the game, Ubisoft was essentially saying that only those who tried to play their games were affected.
As expected this left gamers irate, with many venting their anger on the publisher's forums. Parsing the 570 posts and the growing thread, it's hard to see any of the PR flunkies who were so keen to tweet responding directly to those who actually paid for the game. It has left hundreds to attack Ubisoft with vitriol filled forum messages, not packets.
Ubisoft isn't the first company to get its DRM cracked, and in fact firm's past attempts at imposing DRM have been met with failure. However what this sorry saga has gone to show is Ubisoft's inability to understand what its customers want. As a further slap in the face to those consumers who chose the moral high ground and purchase Ubisoft's products, its half baked anti-piracy solution represents a failure to understand basic network service provisioning.
One must wonder what was being consumed when the decision to deploy a system that depends on two vital technologies to work was given the green light. Leaving aside the requirement of an Internet connection, the policy relies on the expectation that Ubisoft can keep its authentication servers up and able to answer queries. It beggars belief that no one at Ubisoft realised that its authentication servers would become targets for various attacks.
The irony for Ubisoft is that it is the very peer-to-peer networks that publishers such as Ubisoft vilify could be the only way it might implement such a system to provide the characteristics required. The smartest course of action for Ubisoft will be to look inwardly rather than casting a judgmental eye over its customers.
However, those who believe that all in the games industry maintain the same views as Ubisoft might be surprised to learn that Valve, the developer of Half Life and CounterStrike and the content delivery platform Steam, doesn't list piracy as a top priority. In an interview, co-founder Gabe Newell said the misconception within the industry was that copyright infringement was conducted by those who wanted to steal material. Newell believes that it is in fact "bad service" that leads people down the illegal route.
Even though Steam itself has been cracked, the platform has gained traction with many developers using the delivery platform to release new and back catalogue titles. With frequent special offers, gamers are able to purchase titles for a few dollars which makes going to the trouble of acquiring illegitimate copies hardly worth the effort.
What Ubisoft has managed to do is present the case, very succinctly, for other publishers not to pursue draconian and ill-conceived measures to fight piracy. For the French publisher, its actions might mobilise those who are honest to either avoid its game titles or worse still, turn to alternative means to acquire them. µ
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I'm not gonna lie... I own pirated games... I also own legit games...
I only buy legit games if I think the game is worth it and the company deserves it. If I bought a game that made me felt like I wasted my money cause of the lack of support/testing. Then they loose my sale forever..
Last game bought from UBI : R6V2 (UBI let me down on this one)..yes Ubi I have pirated most of your games since then. Based on the last Splinter Cell release. UBI gave me more reason to pirate their products.
Still a loyal fan of Bioware. Last game bought: Mass Effect 2 and all free/payed DLCs. First game bought from Bioware: Baldur's Gate. Kudos on Bioware for not applying DRM. You can count on my money on Mass Effect 3.
Next Buy: Starcraft 2 (Blizzard dont f* this up or I swear I'll pirate the rest of the Starcraft 3 part series)
I also pirate then buy so screw the people who think we're liars. I pirated Bioware's NWN to see if it's any good. After playing it, I bought all the NWN series + expansions to support them.
Did the same thing with Mass Effect 1. Mass Effect 2 thought didn't need to pirate it first. Straight up
To sum up... DRMs are useless. All you have to do is deliver a good product and we'll buy. Deliver a crap product, I'll pirate your products forever.
The fact is, developers don't release demos like they used to. If a game has a demo, i play it, and if i like it, i buy it.
If it doesn't have a demo, i pirate it. I play some of it, if I like it, i buy it. If not, i never finish it, and i delete it.
I would be less inclined to create my own demo of the game if the developers would release their own. I also support DRM. Piracy is bad for the industry, there is absolutely no doubt about that.
But punishing paying customers, when the pirates will only crack it in days, and play without problems? It's BS. I was going to buy AC2 outright (No self made demo needed, loved the first one to death.), until I found out about the DRM on it. I support DRM, but this is just a ludicrous system, pure and simple.
Ubisoft's DRM scheme is bad, and they've proven poor judgement before by using StarForce (which I think is even worse, since it may damage the user's hardware).
I think it's better to test legal demo versions of games rather than running a cracked version. The big problem is that an increasing number of major titles don't have any demos available!
The official reason for this is that a demo is expected to help would be pirates to crack the DRM of the full version. I'm not qualified to evaluate if such a statement holds true. In any case the lack of a demo will also, most of the time, result in me not even consider buying the game.
DaveyK wrote:
"DRM is supposed to reduce piracy. But if it also reduces customers (regardless of what it does to piracy rates), then from a commercial point of view, it's a failure."
I agree. The key issues are to...
a) not lose too many customers because of hurdles caused by the DRM,
b) reduce piracy sufficiently to attract some of those that would otherwise use a pirate copy to instead pay for the real thing, and
c) have the cost of the used DRM not exceed the net profit resulting from a) and b).
EsimGames were very smart when they planned the launch of Steel Beasts Pro PE. They asked their future customers what method of DRM to use, providing a few options. As a result, by request from the customers, the most expensive and secure option (an USB dongle) is used. In the poll it was even implied that the dongle would add $10 to the price, but it was chosen none the less because it was the least user intrusive.
Before the actual launch eSimGames recalculated their sales predictions, and predicted the use of dongle would pretty much eliminate piracy, providing a better sales number resulting in the dongle being added without the extra $10.
As of today I have no info claiming there's a functional cracked version of SB Pro PE around, but I haven't looked specifically for that info either.
I'm sorry, but for those who say that those who pirate games are the consumers, that is a load of BS...
I live in a country that donwtown you walk and there are tons of people selling pirated games/software on the street. Most of the money they get go to two sources already mapped here in South America: drug local mafia and Hezbollah.
Don't be naive in saying that someone who pirates a game will buy. He won't. If it was a matter of checking out the game he could download a demo of the game and decide if it was any good (I do this).
At least, around here, people who buy pirated games/software says that they are too expensive (the same goes to music albums). Which may be true in the case of PS3 and Xbox games (releases can be almost half the country minimum wage), but in reality, they just don't want to pay for their games. Period.
This is how people are...give them the choice to act "smarter" than the rest, get something for free, even if illegally and they will. Only the fear of consequences stop people (don't start with human kindness...the world is harsh and people are extremely selfish). An example of this is petty crimes in middle east: as the consequences can include having a hand chopped, crime levels are very low (not that I'm in favour of these kind of punishment), in contrast, the western society punishments for petty crimes is light, which encourages crimes (it's a matter of risk assessment - if I steal all I'll get is a couple of months in jail against if I steal I'll have my hand cut and won't be able to ever do anything).
"
There isn't one - which I guess is the reason for the childish DDOS attacks on Ubisoft servers. Lowlifes who always expect to get their PC games for free got owned... " posted by : J, 10 March 2010
Listen to this cum Quat. Are you for real ? Can you please present the FACTS of who you are talking about since you already fully have this info at your finger tips. Either you are just making a general statement about people OR you actually have data to prove you actually know who you are talking about instead of generalizing.
Contrary to what you say many people purchased the game and NOW having woken up to the fact that they will never be able to play a game they have right fully purchased and paif for Offline or not unless they are connect to the Internet. While i agree they should have researched this before they bought it, that still doesnt give UBIsoft the right to whatever it pleases. This has and will end not well for UBIsoft, they will slowly bleed away all that investment and money from the intial sales as more and more people figure out that what you expected is not what they are getting. The other Alternative is to apply the Crack of which if not OUT now will eventually come out. Like it or not. That's reality.
Yeah, I cheered for the pirates on this one. I feel sorry for the uniformed gamers out there that got shafted but if the gamer knew and accepted this draconian DRM then I have no sympathy for him. Maybe more of these companies will wake up and smell the roses one day, EA games did but some will not. Some are just as stubborn as the Government and think everything they do is right and we should just lay down and take it.
Not FULLY cracked yet, but soon will be i'm sure.
They already defeated the launch check bullshit already - just need to re-write the online saves crap to store locally.
http://fileforums.com/showthread.php?t=89153
When available the fix will be on GameCopyWorld and pretty much everywhere similar
Yes, I am quite capable of doing google searches. Every single one that comes up in google with "Assassins Creed II Crack" (or variations of it) are either...
- related Assassins Creed (not the sequel)
- One of the known bad cracks that do not work
- Fakes, most likely containing malware
If you do not know, roughly 80-90% of hits you get on Google searching cracks to games are sites full of crap. For example, try searching for any number of upcoming games that have not yet been released (and will not be released for several months) - you'll find plenty of hits on them too. Search engine gaming, driving hits to ad-filled sites serving all kinds of toxic goo.
For better results, I suggest you refine your search methods - in which case you'd find out that no, there is no "scene" release of Assassins Creed II available. There is a "clonedvd" - an uncracked copy that is useless and there exists cracks that are widely reported to be non-working. For Silent Hunter 5 there exists a Skid Row release, but it is widely reported to be non-working after the tutorial, even after the cracked 1.1 update. No-one has been able to play the campaign properly using a cracked copy.
So, I'm still waiting. I'm sure you can provide me a set of search terms that will find that mythical crack.
There isn't one - which I guess is the reason for the childish DDOS attacks on Ubisoft servers. Lowlifes who always expect to get their PC games for free got owned...
If you ignore something, does it change the facts?
The simple fact is all forms of DRM and anti-piracy have been cracked. I do not understand why media companies refuse to embrace this?
My issue is that I have to pay for the worthless failed attempts these idiots put into developing the next generation of anti-piracy/DRM. Do you think that the DRM is developed for free? Do you think it is free for the publishers to implement support and maintain internet servers for single player games? No, that goes directly to the cost of rising game prices.
So now I can afford less of the games published in a failed attempt to prevent something that has been proven unpreventable in single player games.
Answer me this. Which is hurting the game industry more, failed attempts to prevent piracy, or piracy?
I say the failed attempts.
Unfortunately this is not limited to games, but software across the spectrum.
Ever heard of Google? Search yourself.
Could The Inquirer point out where you can find the crack that has shot this DRM system "to pieces"?
There isn't one. Do some research next time, perhaps?
Sure, servers not being able to take the DDOSing is just fail - it is something a service like this should be prepared to handle - and I agree that tethering a game to constant online connection is draconian, but you shouldn't go around saying that the DRM is cracked when it isn't.
Silent Hunter 5 "cracked" version has no working campaign and no way to progress in the game.
Assassins Creed II "cracked" version gets stuck the moment you enter the Animus (perhaps 10 minutes into the game) and the "crackfix" to it that involves replacing your profile with one that is past the point in the game fails minutes later when you find out that you can't start any missions in the first city.
To me it seems that the protection has moved key bits of game code related to starting missions and mapping progress to server side, which is probably impossible to just trivially "crack away". Sure, in theory, you could emulate the tasks the server does, but reverse-engineering all that and providing a "cracked server", so to speak, is far more complicated than just removing a bunch of disc/CD-key checks that most games employ.
At this point, I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for a functional crack. Could there be one? Sure, I guess anything is possible. Will there be one soon? Doubtful - games are either cracked pretty much on the release day (or even before that, if there is a leaked copy), or if that doesn't happen, there usually isn't a crack, or it arrives only when everyone has already either bought the game or skipped it.
I think that PS3 net 'outage' showed how f**ked up this whole situation is. You can't do squat with your black brick without net functionality, and no, it is not normal.
I would really like to hear someone tell me face to face that this is the right way for games from now on :)
And for the piracy bit... that story is so old it isn't even funny anymore. The percentage is low, or at least was low because nowdays there are no demos so You can check the game out and then decide. So of course people get it any way they can before they buy.
So now, wierdly, piracy is becoming a legal way to test games before buying.
ROTFLMAO!
This isn't about cheering anyone. It's about criticising Ubisoft. Those who DDOSd Ubis servers were wrong to do it, but then Ubisoft were also wrong to deliberately implement such a weak link into their software that allowed all their customers to be kicked out of their games just because of a few disgruntled hackers.
Piracy is bad and I'm not arguing otherwise. But Ubi's DRM is an absolute monstrosity. It's badly conceived, badly implemented and shockingly anti-customer. I've already refused to spend any of my hard earned money on games with such draconian protection and I'm not alone.
DRM is supposed to reduce piracy. But if it also reduces customers (regardless of what it does to piracy rates), then from a commercial point of view, it's a failure.
Well well...here we are with another DRM "feature" biting dust.
These "pirates" all these game company are fighting...they *are* your customer.
Sure, there is a die hard precentrage that wants to steal & never pay for anything...the rest, are they pirates?
I know quite a few gamers...they ALL have cracked/pirated games. Wii games, Xbox games, PC games & yes, soon they will have PS3 games too.
Personally I own a PS3, had for a couple of years now. It's pretty expensive, but it's worth it. Wanna know which game I last bought? none.
I own 4 games. 4 in two years. I am a hardcore gamer.
Do you think if I had access to pirted games I would have BOUGHT more games?
Yes, I would have. Why? you think about that, hard.
I have probably played every single major PC games in the past 10 years. How many do I legally own? 56.
Let's do some math, 4 PS3 games in 2 years, 56 games in 10 years. So in 10 years, of the PS3 as it is now (without "pirated games") I would have theoretically bought 5 times more, 20.
20 PS3 games versus 56 PC games & the PC is the cracked/pirated/insecure platform.
I will not pay for a shit game, I will not pay if it's not up to my standards & I will not bother to buy it, play it a bit & return to the store to get funny faces from the cashier for the 7th time.
I play, I decide, I pay.
All these starving executives & big game studios are looking at numbers...counting beans. They count 4 million beans have gotten their game illegally! they think "If they could not get our precious game, thye would all pay! we would be bizillionaires!!!"
Uhm...yeah. Anyone see some holes in that theory?
So...more EXPOSURE to games, more CHOICE = more PROFIT.
Your games will be cracked, like it or not, I will play many of your games & not pay a cent.
How many of the games I have not payed for I actually still play or have played a very long time? none.
If it's not to my liking I don;t play it & that means I do not buy it either.
Quick! the river is flowing, let's all swim upstream! - DRM motto
What's the latest game I bought? Mass Effect 2
What's my next purchase? Star Craft 2
Have I/will I get those and play them PRIOR to buying? oui
cest la vie
Wow, the DRM champions are out in full force. Obviously for the sake of the industry that we all enjoy, we don't want the pirates to win, but adding "cripple-ware" to your software to discourage those who most likely wouldn't buy it anyway isn't exactly a "winning strategy." Also, to require authentication to a few authentication servers in order to play the game and not expect/plan for some sort of DDOS attack is certainly not the most ingenious move on the developer/publisher's part. A certain amount of Piracy is always likely to happen, but bad DRM schemes only encourage more piracy and lower legitimate sales. Unfortunately it seems in the case of Assassin's Creed 2 and Ubisoft, there is no one to cheer for - pirates are bad for the industry and we all lose, Bad DRM schemes depress sales and only encourage piracy (developer/publisher lose), and of course the legitimate customers (or those who otherwise would be) are the ones who lose the most. As to the quality of this article, I don't really see it as being overtly "out of line" compared to other articles published in the past.
Well that's how to not worry about the implications of piracy on developing software. Don't do it anymore, just develop middleware to sell to other developers.
Then again, not everyone can do that.
Who am I supposed to be cheering for here? The fucking pirates, the fuckers DDOSing Ubis servers so legitimate owners cant play - stay classy INQ.