Second Penny Arcade Game Due Out This Week
Hothead Games has announced that the second episode of the Penny Arcade: On the Rain-slick Precipice of Darkness series is coming out this Wednesday, and they've released a trailer showing off some of the gameplay. ACG has an interview with Hothead's Joel DeYoung discussing the series and explaining some of the decision-making that went into its development. The game will launch for Linux, Mac, PC, and Xbox Live, with a PS3 version coming later. Feedback from players of the first game in the series inspired a $5 decrease in price this time around.
if it's DRM-free, you'd better fucking BUY it to support people that make proper PC games.
I would imagine it would follow the last release, but I'm not sure anyone really knows.
The last release was available in two forms, that I know of:
- Xbox Live Arcade. The strictest DRM possible (they lock down your entire system and pretend it's an appliance (console) rather than a computer), but it generally works. It's not like you'll be running into "You're not allowed to have this program installed" bullshit with this.
- Greenhouse, their own digital distribution system. Light DRM, somewhat less than Windows XP -- when first installed, or when there's a significant hardware change, it phones home. Unlike XP, this "phoning home" doesn't force you to call someone in India and insist that it's the same computer -- you can install it as many times as you like. But they do reserve the right to notice if you're installing it on a few thousand of your best friends' systems, and disable your key in that event.
So no, not DRM-free, but what I would call an acceptable level of DRM. For example, it's not exactly going to refuse to run because Daemontools is installed.
Don't thank God, thank a doctor!
You act as if the DRM companies intentionally make it crackable.
Not really, I act as if DRM companies knowingly provide solutions to publishers that are essentially nothing more than than exercises in "investor/board member reassurance" (Rather than truly effective pieces of DRM). Waste of investor money and perpetuation of the time honoured, "board amazement" principle.
I'm not against DRM. I'm against incompetence and time-wasting. Too much of current DRM is nothing more than snakeoil for publishers.
I record my sleeptalking
I don't see light DRM as being acceptable if it is just going to be continuously broken days after it comes out. I'd be fine with DRM IF it remains uncrackable...
Is that really relevant, though?
I have a limit to what I will tolerate, as a customer. Whether or not it's effective is between the developer and the pirates.
But so far, I've had to enter a CD key exactly once -- I think it was even copied and pasted. I'm sorry, but the moral outrage simply isn't worth it when that's all that's at stake.
Don't thank God, thank a doctor!
try harder gabe.
I.O.U One Sig.
What is with EVERY SINGLE THREAD about video games turning into anti-DRM rants. Sorry, DRM is today's copy protection. Copy protection has been in games since they put spin wheels and decoder cards into the game box. This will not be going away. Yes, some of you will refuse to buy games because of it, but you're not gamers. Playing the original Zork over 20 years ago doesn't qualify you as a gamer. CDs were their very own copy protection when they first came out since nobody had the patience to transfer 650 megs over their 9600 baud modem. Then came security keys, and then DVDs. Now it's DRM since people will gladly download 8GB games, and it will take a single night. Enough already. I came in here to read about the game and there isn't a single post about it.
Don't trust a bull's horn, a doberman's tooth, a runaway horse or me.