Comments on: The Most Important Factor in Digital Rights Management http://www.gameproducer.net/2007/05/12/the-most-important-factor-in-digital-rights-management/ I bake games. Indie style. Wed, 12 Jun 2013 15:09:19 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: GameProducer.Net » Digital Distribution is Growing http://www.gameproducer.net/2007/05/12/the-most-important-factor-in-digital-rights-management/comment-page-1/#comment-84525 GameProducer.Net » Digital Distribution is Growing Sat, 26 May 2007 19:06:06 +0000 http://www.gameproducer.net/2007/05/12/the-most-important-factor-in-digital-rights-management/#comment-84525 [...] I wrote about the importance of doing DRM right in digital distribution. Today a BBC news item caught my eye: Valve’s Steam has grown to over [...] [...] I wrote about the importance of doing DRM right in digital distribution. Today a BBC news item caught my eye: Valve’s Steam has grown to over [...]

]]> By: Trusted Worlds » Blog Archive » Gameproducer.net On DRM http://www.gameproducer.net/2007/05/12/the-most-important-factor-in-digital-rights-management/comment-page-1/#comment-81437 Trusted Worlds » Blog Archive » Gameproducer.net On DRM Tue, 15 May 2007 03:31:30 +0000 http://www.gameproducer.net/2007/05/12/the-most-important-factor-in-digital-rights-management/#comment-81437 [...] agree with the author, that copyright protection is a useful tool, but not an end unto itself. « [...] [...] agree with the author, that copyright protection is a useful tool, but not an end unto itself. « [...]

]]> By: ZeHa http://www.gameproducer.net/2007/05/12/the-most-important-factor-in-digital-rights-management/comment-page-1/#comment-81203 ZeHa Sun, 13 May 2007 16:05:46 +0000 http://www.gameproducer.net/2007/05/12/the-most-important-factor-in-digital-rights-management/#comment-81203 Well it can be mathematically proved that EVERYTHING can be cracked (except for serial checking on the server side, as Sargon said). So I think there's no use for thinking about whatever security stuff you could use, because it just wastes your time and nerves. I might equip our products with the most basic stuff, which doesn't take a day to implement (perhaps encoding your register-strings and such), but that would be just enough. If someone wants to crack something, he can do it, and it's very unlikely that he had purchased it anyway. Rather than thinking about DRM all day, people should focus on making very good products, so they will sell loads of it and are able to tolerate those pirated copies as well. Also, piracy is an important factor in marketing your product, I think the shareware way of Doom related very much on the "copy it to all your friends" and "word of mouth" strategy, and piracy can mean the same at least a little bit. Well it can be mathematically proved that EVERYTHING can be cracked (except for serial checking on the server side, as Sargon said).

So I think there’s no use for thinking about whatever security stuff you could use, because it just wastes your time and nerves. I might equip our products with the most basic stuff, which doesn’t take a day to implement (perhaps encoding your register-strings and such), but that would be just enough. If someone wants to crack something, he can do it, and it’s very unlikely that he had purchased it anyway.

Rather than thinking about DRM all day, people should focus on making very good products, so they will sell loads of it and are able to tolerate those pirated copies as well. Also, piracy is an important factor in marketing your product, I think the shareware way of Doom related very much on the “copy it to all your friends” and “word of mouth” strategy, and piracy can mean the same at least a little bit.

]]> By: Sargon http://www.gameproducer.net/2007/05/12/the-most-important-factor-in-digital-rights-management/comment-page-1/#comment-81160 Sargon Sun, 13 May 2007 06:37:33 +0000 http://www.gameproducer.net/2007/05/12/the-most-important-factor-in-digital-rights-management/#comment-81160 Well, I always wonder if there is any use for a serial key in a product, since it can be hacked anyway, so why even bother? What does this serial key suppose to protect my software from? However, there are some more robust protections out there. They are internet protection. Like in WOW, your key is checked in the server side, so there is no way to hack it. And if a key abuse is discovered then it is banned. But what pirates do in this case is simply copying the server side software of WOW, and copy all the updates and open their own pirate server. Luckily the pirate server are never as good as the official server so the pirated have a lesser game experience. I have also seen a startup company that developes a special internet protection to games. That is, their product compiles your software such that most of the machine code is compiled as usual, but part of it is not compiled into the final product but rather compiled to be kept in the server. So if you want to play the game you have to connect to a server, because a actual crucial part of the machine code of the game is on the server. But it suppose to work fast anyway and the protection problem is about protecting the server not the game at the client. Well, I always wonder if there is any use for a serial key in a product, since it can be hacked anyway, so why even bother?
What does this serial key suppose to protect my software from?
However, there are some more robust protections out there. They are internet protection.
Like in WOW, your key is checked in the server side, so there is no way to hack it. And if a key abuse is discovered then it is banned.
But what pirates do in this case is simply copying the server side software of WOW, and copy all the updates and open their own pirate server. Luckily the pirate server are never as good as the official server so the pirated have a lesser game experience.
I have also seen a startup company that developes a special internet protection to games.
That is, their product compiles your software such that most of the machine code is compiled as usual, but part of it is not compiled into the final product but rather compiled to be kept in the server.
So if you want to play the game you have to connect to a server, because a actual crucial part of the machine code of the game is on the server. But it suppose to work fast anyway and the protection problem is about protecting the server not the game at the client.

]]> By: Toni Mäkinen http://www.gameproducer.net/2007/05/12/the-most-important-factor-in-digital-rights-management/comment-page-1/#comment-81103 Toni Mäkinen Sat, 12 May 2007 20:18:15 +0000 http://www.gameproducer.net/2007/05/12/the-most-important-factor-in-digital-rights-management/#comment-81103 1. I do buy dvd's, alot, good thing that I can skip those comrs. I hope it stays that way, one thing I hate is being forced to watch useless ads that don't make any sense to me. 2. I bought Supreme Commander, it just does not work with my dvd-drive. Thanks dvd-protection. You managed to save me from playing and becomming a serial killer :). But I did manage to get it installed. I copied the dvd in my other machine, transfered the files over the network to my #1 machine and then installed. It worked, but damn it took too long. 3. There is lot of games I would like to get but alas, there is this thing called regioning. Makes no sense to me. We release this game in japan but nowhere else. Great. Now they're ever changing the name of DRM to DCE. Digital Consumer Enablement. I wonder what the hell someone in charge is thinking? 1. I do buy dvd’s, alot, good thing that I can skip those comrs. I hope it stays that way, one thing I hate is being forced to watch useless ads that don’t make any sense to me.

2. I bought Supreme Commander, it just does not work with my dvd-drive. Thanks dvd-protection. You managed to save me from playing and becomming a serial killer :). But I did manage to get it installed. I copied the dvd in my other machine, transfered the files over the network to my #1 machine and then installed. It worked, but damn it took too long.

3. There is lot of games I would like to get but alas, there is this thing called regioning. Makes no sense to me. We release this game in japan but nowhere else. Great.

Now they’re ever changing the name of DRM to DCE. Digital Consumer Enablement. I wonder what the hell someone in charge is thinking?

]]> By: Kartones http://www.gameproducer.net/2007/05/12/the-most-important-factor-in-digital-rights-management/comment-page-1/#comment-81085 Kartones Sat, 12 May 2007 17:58:59 +0000 http://www.gameproducer.net/2007/05/12/the-most-important-factor-in-digital-rights-management/#comment-81085 I for example like what some game companies do. I recently bought DooM 3 + the expansion pack in english (I don't like spanish translations) and I was searching for a crack to not need to have the original CDs inserted, while installing the latest patch (1.3.1). And... what a surprise than since the 1.2 version, the game doesn't asks for CD, just checks the CD-Key over internet. Thats a good copyright measure, because doesn't annoys me and still allows them to deactivate pirate copies of Doom 3. I need to have a "Crack repository" for my videogames because some games don't run if they detect I've got Daemon Tools installed (Starforce & similar protections, there are more than just game ISOs out there!), and I have all my games in 200 CD/DVD folders/wallets, instead of their plastic boxes, so It's a pain to search for the CD... My opinion goes something like this: If I've paid for some software, ask everything at install time and don't bother me later. I for example like what some game companies do.

I recently bought DooM 3 + the expansion pack in english (I don’t like spanish translations) and I was searching for a crack to not need to have the original CDs inserted, while installing the latest patch (1.3.1). And… what a surprise than since the 1.2 version, the game doesn’t asks for CD, just checks the CD-Key over internet.
Thats a good copyright measure, because doesn’t annoys me and still allows them to deactivate pirate copies of Doom 3.

I need to have a “Crack repository” for my videogames because some games don’t run if they detect I’ve got Daemon Tools installed (Starforce & similar protections, there are more than just game ISOs out there!), and I have all my games in 200 CD/DVD folders/wallets, instead of their plastic boxes, so It’s a pain to search for the CD…

My opinion goes something like this:
If I’ve paid for some software, ask everything at install time and don’t bother me later.

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