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Future Ubisoft Games To Require Constant Internet Access
Following up on our discussion yesterday of annoying game distribution platforms, Ubisoft has announced the details of their Online Services Platform, which they will use to distribute and administer future PC game releases. The platform will require internet access in order to play installed games, saved games will be stored remotely, and the game you're playing will even pause and try to reconnect if your connection is lost during play. Quoting Rock, Paper, Shotgun:
"This seems like such a bizarre, bewildering backward step. Of course we haven't experienced it yet, but based on Ubi’s own description of the system so many concerns arise. Yes, certainly, most people have the internet all the time on their PCs. But not all people. So already a percentage of the audience is lost. Then comes those who own gaming laptops, who now will not be able to play games on trains, buses, in the park, or anywhere they may not be able to find a WiFi connection (something that’s rarely free in the UK, of course – fancy paying the £10/hour in the airport to play your Ubisoft game?). Then there's the day your internet is down, and the engineers can’t come out to fix it until tomorrow. No game for you. Or any of the dozens of other situations when the internet is not available to a player. But further, there are people who do not wish to let a publisher know their private gaming habits. People who do not wish to report in to a company they’ve no affiliation with, nor accountability to, whenever they play a game they’ve legally bought. People who don’t want their save data stored remotely. This new system renders all customers beholden to Ubisoft in perpetuity whenever they buy their games."
To Not Appear In My Home. :(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubisoft#Controversies
- use of the StarForce copy protection
- ceased to provide his games to a magazine that had negative reviews of their games
- admit to release low quality games that need additional promotion to be sold
You'd be surprised what your rights are. Here in the European Union, we have the right to return any product bought within 14 days, without having to give any reason. Irrespective of EULA rights, box seals anything. We can simply return a product and demand money back, without reason. That's an EU law. After that 14 days has expired it all gets a little more "open to interpretation". Say you bought ski's in Summer and you found they were useless in the Winter, that could be classed as reasonable amount of time for refund, due to the nature of the product. Try the same with a loaf of bread and your going to have fun! LOL! Now getting the retailers to respect these laws, that's another matter!
But this is a trend even in Xbox360 games. The new Mass Effect 2 does this. in order to even play the game you have to register with easports.com (in game they link to your xbox live account info) and it sends a lot of info there as you play. Plus the game has turned from a great cinematic experience to a "you have to buy all this crap" in order to have the good gear fest.
It's down loadable content whore out to the extreme. $60.00 for the game and another $240.00 to actually have the whole game after you buy all the crap that the game should have came with.
and It's only going to get worse.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
Mass Effect 2 is a great example. I purchased it on Steam ahead of the release and preloaded it. Yet the day of release, EA's authentication servers couldn't be reached. Worse, you end up having to make accounts in different places to prove you own the game, even though Steam already knows you do. It reminds me of GTA-IV. Set up an account here, now set one up over there. Now figure out how to link them. For what? All I want is to be able to play the game I purchased! Using a game for the first time is getting to be as bad as doing taxes.
Not only this, but Mass Effect 2 for PC was out 4 days before release, entirely cracked and working, rending ALL the effort that went into the DRM scheme useless even on day 1, annoying SOLELY for the legal purchaser.
...This is ridiculous!!
Check out a torrent site for confirmation on this, s'all true.