Spore Boycott

Hi everybody.

Well, after years of teasing us, EA finally released Spore.

What they also gave us was Securom DRM with Spore. This is a so-called “security feature” that limits you to 3 installs, ever. You have to have an internet connection to install, too. The game you bought is incomplete – missing key files – that can only be retrieved after you activate it online. At that point the installation process finally finishes by sending you the missing files.

By limiting your installations to 3, and by forcing you to activate via the internet in order to play (even if you don’t plan on ever playing online), you are effectively renting this game. How so, you ask? When EA takes its registration servers offline, and they will do it eventually, all these purchased and paid-for games are going to be pretty $50 coasters.

Fortunately, the gaming community is fighting back!

EA has closed its Spore Boards because of the traffic regarding their draconian DRM system. Amazon.com has been flooded with 1-star negative reviews about the game. Check it out by clicking here! (At the time of this post, 1 Star = 2,005, 5-Star = 71. Most of the 5 Stars come from reviewers in 2006, 2 years prior to the game being released.)

Why else should you be upset about DRM? Let’s say you install your game three times on computers you personally own. At that point, your game DVD is worthless. If you want to uninstall and re-install on another machine (for example, if you get a new computer) you will have to contact EA and beg them to raise your installation limit. However, they almost never do that because of “piracy issues.” Scary.

This means that people who are illegally downloading the hacker-cracked version of Spore (with the DRM removed) are being rewarded, while the people who actually paid for the game are being punished. Without DRM people can install the game on as many computers as they want and play it for years in the future, without ever worrying about the registration servers closing.

And EA thinks this is a ‘good thing’!

On a side note, I was personally very disappointed with the actual game-play of Spore. I feel that we were deceived. The point of Spore (one of the big ones, at least) is to be able to create unique creatures without limitations. However there is basically no point in ‘evolving’ a creature in the first place, because the game works on statistics, not actual components.

So what does all this mean? I’ll tell you: all creatures are fundamentally the exact same! Any physical changes you the player make are just cosmetic. Example 1) a creature with 3 heads and 3 of the best biting mouths will have the same bite-damage rating as a creature with 1 head and 1 of the best mouths. Example 2) a creature with 4 of the best legs will move at the same speed as a hopping-creature with just 1 of the best legs.

Pathetic.

I was also let-down by the graphics. My 4 year old computer runs this game with the same display as my brand-new top-of-the-line gaming-god computer. Very upsetting.

If you are upset about the DRM usage, let your voice be heard. Sign in to Amazon.com and rank the game. You don’t have to give it a 1 (if you legitimately enjoy aspects of the game-play) but you should absolutely say something. I know I have.

I pretty much abhore the video gaming industry in general, so....sure, I'll boycott it!

You have got to be kidding me. good lord.

1.) You are effectively renting EVERY game you have. Have you ever read the Terms of Service before accepting?

2.) Graphics detail is low on purpose. Will's games are for the masses .. and the way you accomplish the cross platforming and mass audience reach is you have a game that is playable by more than the gaming geeks, the ones who have spent money on their systems gaming performance.

3.) the DRM thing is getting old. If you are seriously that opposed to it, than DONT BUY IT! End of story. MOVE ON! No one is forcing anyone to buy this if they don't want to, so the DRM should be a non issue. I am not saying I like it, but that doesn't mean I am going to be pissed at the company for trying to secure their game.

Go find something betting to whine about .. seriously. Well, no that I think about is, HotDogs piss me off. I think I am going to go make an entire thread to tell everyone what they should think about HotDogs. I will complain about their lack of style, and the companies miscounting on the dogs-to-buns ratio.

sigh ..

If you were right in front of me, I would punch you in the face.

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Originally Posted by cuda

sigh ..

If you were right in front of me, I would punch you in the face.

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Well thats a little excessive don't you think.

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Originally Posted by Spaniard

Well thats a little excessive don't you think.

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The sad thing is that I could have composed a very good reply addressing the points raised, had he not chosen to make a threat of physical violence. I do not feel such a thing deserves my time in responding.

wow .. does no one understand sarcasm? Not that my points aren't valid .. but I would never physically hurt someone over their opinion.

Sorry you guys are so sensitive ... I would nver punch you in the face over a game. Sorry I even thought I could kid around with you.

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Originally Posted by cuda

wow .. does no one understand sarcasm? Not that my points aren't valid .. but I would never physically hurt someone over their opinion.

Sorry you guys are so sensitive ... I would nver punch you in the face over a game. Sorry I even thought I could kid around with you.

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In real life scenarios, yes..we understand body language, hand gestures, and every other vibe that says "sarcasm...haha funny funny"...but on a forum, we don't have that luxury. Only smilies that help us to understand where you're really coming from.

If you were right in front of me, I would punch you in the face. :P

goes a long way...

... sigh.

I understand, but come on .. really? The hot dog thing wasn't enough to get you guys guessing that I am throwing around my sarcastic tone?

ugh.

I didn't know about the DRM issues before I bought the game. I'm not really up in the know with all the tech stuff as much as I used to be. We did just buy a nice Alienware computer and I will not be installing it on there unless they release an uninstaller for the SecuRom.

With that said I have enjoyed the game as a creative outlet. I won't feel bad downloading the cracked version because I bought it; yet at the same times it bothers me that I have to do so to enjoy the game on my new computer without worrying about the hardware issues it sometimes causes.

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Originally Posted by cuda

... sigh.

I understand, but come on .. really? The hot dog thing wasn't enough to get you guys guessing that I am throwing around my sarcastic tone?

ugh.

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I can only read...I'm not Ms. Cleo ;)

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Originally Posted by cuda

... sigh.

I understand, but come on .. really? The hot dog thing wasn't enough to get you guys guessing that I am throwing around my sarcastic tone?

ugh.

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Actually yeah I found the hot dog comments rather funny. It was simply that last line that was too far over the line.

Please, lets stay on topic.

I haven't really played Spore yet. I really don't know what all the hype, positive or negative, is about. Maybe I'll check it out and see if it could be fun.

I agree tho, it would be a bummer if you go over your install limit in a legitimate way. Hard drives crash, new computers come in from time to time...lemme use what I purchased :rage:

I fail to see how saying that you’d punch me in the face is either sarcasm or humour, even if you had used a winkey-face. Sorry.

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Originally Posted by cuda

You have got to be kidding me. good lord.

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Nope, dead serious.

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Originally Posted by cuda

1.) You are effectively renting EVERY game you have. Have you ever read the Terms of Service before accepting?

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I own every game I’ve purchased, because when I bought the game, the CD/DVD contained the whole game. I can install it on as many computers as I want, as many times as I want, whether it be right this minute or 10 years down the road. Will the EA Remote Authentication and Activation Servers be running 10 years (or 10 days <- a BioShock reference) from now? Who knows? Is the Spore game I purchased a complete and playable copy? No, not until I log-online to authenticate it and then receive the missing content. It’s a vicious circle.

Meanwhile, illegal downloader’s are able to get a full working copy for free with the DRM removed. So who is being punished here?

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Originally Posted by cuda

2.) Graphics detail is low on purpose. Will's games are for the masses .. and the way you accomplish the cross platforming and mass audience reach is you have a game that is playable by more than the gaming geeks, the ones who have spent money on their systems gaming performance.

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Thank you for that lesson. I used to work as a videogame designer.

I’m well aware of the limitations of the Wii. I’m also aware that EA promised Spore players a cutting edge gaming experience unlike anything seen before. Yet it now appears that they did not bother updating the graphics interface from the day the game went into production, roughly 5 years ago. The most they did was update driver compatibility for newer video cards prior to release.

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Originally Posted by cuda

3.) the DRM thing is getting old. If you are seriously that opposed to it, than DONT BUY IT! End of story. MOVE ON! No one is forcing anyone to buy this if they don't want to, so the DRM should be a non issue. I am not saying I like it, but that doesn't mean I am going to be pissed at the company for trying to secure their game.

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They didn’t advertise the DRM prior to release. Even on the box/booklet there is no mention of it. Neither did they advertise the 3-time install limit. If they had, there would have been a much more organized and advertised opposition to it prior to release, and people like me would not have bought it. I emphatically oppose systems like DRM.

As I’ve explained, DRM does far more than just ‘secure the game’.

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Originally Posted by cuda

Go find something betting to whine about .. seriously. Well, no that I think about is, HotDogs piss me off. I think I am going to go make an entire thread to tell everyone what they should think about HotDogs. I will complain about their lack of style, and the companies miscounting on the dogs-to-buns ratio.

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I’m not telling anybody what to do or what to think. I’m stating facts, as well as my own beliefs, about the inherent wrongness of DRM. I also commented on what I felt was wrong with the game play itself. I feel that the producers of Spore intentionally misrepresented the game they created, as well as its severe limitations.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t sneeze $50 bills ;) and I sure don’t like being duped.

Peace.

personally, i think this is another case of developers coming up with an amazing idea, advertising for that amazing idea, and then halfway through production realizing that they can't deliver. when my roommate bought the game, i thought it was sweet for a while. then i realized how fast they progressed through the game. in one afternoon they built an organism, evolved it and made it all the way to space. what do they want you to do after that, build another creature and start over? it looked like a lot of fun, but honestly, how many times could you play it before it gets old? After Fable, i though developers would have gotten the hint that no matter how good the game play is, if you can accomplish everything in 5 hours the game won't be that great overall.

Thanks for the warning. I had every intention to purchase the game, and am glad I was waiting for the crowds to die down a bit.

3 install limit? What happens if you end up having problems and have to reinstall the game? (Take it off and put it back on, I've had to do that with other games) Do they not realize that happens from time to time?

Nah, much as I hate it sometimes, I'm sticking to Warcraft then.

I'm not a gamer, but I agree with Night Lad. That is B.S. and it is worth complaining about. So are hot dogs. They're bad for you, but they're so delicious. What is one to do? It's quite a conundrum.

Lol gamers are pissy... I should know I am a junior video game programmer/ designer. Cuda is right you know. just don't buy it if you don't like it. Instead of getting all riled up over a GAME, go write a letter to the us fish and wildlife dept and tell them not to take away our snakies. ... if worse comes to worse We will have to sell our snakes like drugs on a black snakie market. THAT is way better use of your time then downing a GREAT game. Stop being pissy and start being a big boy.

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Originally Posted by Shadera

3 install limit? What happens if you end up having problems and have to reinstall the game? (Take it off and put it back on, I've had to do that with other games) Do they not realize that happens from time to time?

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Don't you know? If you're re-installing things multiple times you're OBVIOUSLY doing something illegal... :rolleyes:

Here's a solution. Buy an NES and SNES. Boycott internet games. :)

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Originally Posted by RoyalGuardian

Cuda is right you know. just don't buy it if you don't like it.

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To repeat myself: I believe EA intentionally misrepresented the game and its limitations. They also never advertised the aggressive DRM and 3-install limit.

I believe one of the biggest reasons so many people are upset is not that the DRM exists, but that it came as such a shock. BioShock and Mass Effect (for example) at least got the word out prior to release, and although it didn't tickle most people, at least they could make an informed decision whether or not to buy it to begin with. Unlike with Spore, they didn't buy it, install it, and then find out about the DRM via third-party message boards. :colbert:

Had EA made these things better known, and I still chose to buy the game, then (and only then) would you be correct in telling me to accept it and move on. But they didn't. I, and thousands of other gamers, bought a game that is A) not complete in the package we purchased, B) forces online activation, C) limits our ability to install and use the product should the remote servers be down/offline, and D) does not represent what was advertised to the gaming community for the past nearly 5 years. (That last one is a matter of personal opinion.)

Would you like to buy a music CD, only to find out that a few of the tracks are missing, and you can only get them when you log onto the producers website and register your copy... and you can only do it 3 times before its worthless?

No?

Then why should I put up with that when I spend $50 on a game?

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Originally Posted by RoyalGuardian

Instead of getting all riled up over a GAME, go write a letter to the us fish and wildlife dept and tell them not to take away our snakies.

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I have. I've also spent hours speaking with representatives from many levels of government. (And was rewarded with a nasty long distance bill!) I also donated a great deal of time to letter-writing and phone-calling to Canadian representatives to fight the SPCA supported Exotics Ban out west earlier this year.

Maybe you think I'm some game-addict who does nothing but sit in front of his computer. Sorry to shatter the stereotype, but no. Call it a nostalgic form of escapism I enjoy. I also have a fondness for attending classical music recitals, playing my harp, and reading. I’m a real rebel.

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Originally Posted by RoyalGuardian

...if worse comes to worse We will have to sell our snakes like drugs on a black snakie market.

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If it comes to that, I'll help organize the underground railroad. :gj:

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Originally Posted by RoyalGuardian

THAT is way better use of your time then downing a GREAT game.

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GREATness is in the eye of the gamer. I personally think this game was highly overrated, hyped, and was intentionally misrepresented as for its game-play and limitations. I think this is a case of a game's hype outgrowing its own performance, and the designers saying... "ohoh" a little too late.

They had National Geographic do an episode about the game. They had Robin Williams promoting it, featured as a guest celebrity at one of the presentations. (He created a creature on-stage while making jokes about it. Funny stuff, actually. YouTube it.) They made it larger-than-life.

Keep in mind this is from the creator of the Simms. You and I both know there are a million expansion packs already in the works. Too bad EA was only interested in releasing a bare-bones starter set that feels like just that. At least, to me it did. Everything I'm saying about the game play and performance is from a personal perspective.

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Originally Posted by RoyalGuardian

Stop being pissy and start being a big boy.

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Tsk. You've already said this is a "GREAT game," so I assume that you are either a fan coming to its defence against what you perceive as unwarranted "attacks", or... hm. No, I'd bet that about sums it up. :P

Look, I'm not trying to bash it. I've never said that it is a terrible, awful, horrible game. I acknowledge that there are many people who like it - and I'm glad! I hope they get many years of enjoyment out of their purchase. But for me, it did not live up to the hype, but my primary displeasure remains the addition of DRM. We are allowed to share our personal opinions here, right?

Peace.

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Originally Posted by Vomitore

Here's a solution. Buy an NES and SNES. Boycott internet games. :)

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Buy them? I still have my originals. ;)

I was video game deprived as a child. Amnesty International did a special feature about me. My thumb muscles were terribly underdeveloped and my eyes could not handle the flickering of strobe lights for more than a minute, because the photons receptors were so weak from lack of heightened use. :P

Sad but true story: the Christmas SNES was released my parents bought me a regular Nintendo. The Christmas N64 came out, I got an SNES. The scars are deep in this one.

I love ROMS. Since NES and SNES games are no longer being created, I don't have a problem with downloading them. Fun stuff!

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Originally Posted by NightLad

Buy them? I still have my originals. ;)

I was video game deprived as a child. Amnesty International did a special feature about me. My thumb muscles were terribly underdeveloped and my eyes could not handle the flickering of strobe lights for more than a minute, because the photons receptors were so weak from lack of heightened use. :P

Sad but true story: the Christmas SNES was released my parents bought me a regular Nintendo. The Christmas N64 came out, I got an SNES. The scars are deep in this one.

I love ROMS. Since NES and SNES games are no longer being created, I don't have a problem with downloading them. Fun stuff!

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When it comes to video games, I had the type of parents that 'never got around to getting me one'. I had an N64 when I was 12. TWELVE.
I never had an original Gameboy, my first Gameboy was one I bought by myself used from Gamestop. A Gameboy Advanced SP.

You remind me a lot of my boyfriend. He has 12 or 13 counsels right now, and highly prides himself in collecting and reviewing video games. I expect him to work into the career when he's older, as he is capable with an above 4.0 weighted GPA.

To the topic, I highly agree with your opinions, and I think you express and explain them very well. You have a lot of back-up to your reasoning as well as your opinion. Being the 'girl' who wanted video games but was always forced to just watch and not play, I do pay attention to new games coming out and if I may enjoy them or not. Spore was one that I had my eye on, but I had a feeling that because it was made by the Sims, it would be an 'empty-shell' with room for expansions. Which I personally dislike.
I'm glad you gave this opinion, because I have to uninstall things on my computers frequently, and this game just might not be worth it.

Thank you for your time in writing this.

Atari FTW. :partyon:

Hi,

Just to say there are securom removal tools out there though I cannot vouch for any of them.

And count yourself lucky you managed to miss this lovely securom problem that neverwinter nights 2 managed to inflict on its user base. :rolleyes:


dr del

I have a headache after reading this thread.

That said... how are places like blockbuster going to rent out this game with such limitations?

HAHA Just to spite you I went out and bought two of them! One for me one for my boyfriend! It ROCKS! i suggest it with two thumbs up! It is an awesome game. and I didn't mind paying not ony once but twice for it.

Dude. dude... i'm right there with you with the whole train thing! One of us may die but the snakies will LIVE ON!!! >_> <_< Spore is great... are you sure you figured out everything you could do with it? You can change EVERYTHING. My dude looks like a dragon and my boyfriends looks like the chameleon from monsters inc kinda.... lol. Wait wait... Please tell me you were pleying it on a mac.

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Originally Posted by mcavana

I have a headache after reading this thread.

That said... how are places like blockbuster going to rent out this game with such limitations?

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That is a very good question. Which I am curious about myself now.
You'd think that maybe they would drop the limitations for 'rental' games?

Wouldn't they end up having problems if they ever went to sell them though? Or if they were stolen? Hmm.

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Originally Posted by RoyalGuardian

HAHA Just to spite you I went out and bought two of them! One for me one for my boyfriend! It ROCKS! i suggest it with two thumbs up! It is an awesome game. and I didn't mind paying not ony once but twice for it.

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Super glad you have that kind of money. Cause I sure don't.

Also, my boyfriend would kill me if I bought him a 50 dollar game for no reason, because he knows my family is has enough trouble as it is.

they cant rent computer games from blockbuster, because there are easy ways to download a crack that makes it so you dont need a disc to use it. Same reason you cant buy used computer games at gamestop

Boycott? What? Sorry i was too busy playing the game and not worrying about a DRM that'll be removed in a couple months anyway, just like it was with Bioshock. :rolleyes: