Bioshock Xbox 360 demo

[DaForce]

[werticus]

its worse than that actually - it installs securom drm software - which remains after you uninstall and is part of the steam version too for no good reason.

and is not easy to remove.

[sea2stars]

Yeah. This is old news. I was curious about it before if anyone was having problems with SecurROM on the PC.

From an interview:
"...We've been talking internally about it and we've gotten some messages from gamers saying, "what if this is ten years from now, Levine and you're dead and Irrational/2k Boston and 2K is gone and I want to play the game?" We've been talking internally about that and yes, I've had assurances from 2k that these activations won't be forever. At some point, we'll sunset them. We're not saying when that will happen but sometime in the future when, past this incredible attention on the game. We want people to be able to play BioShock for as long as they want...." "...So people calling to get more activiation won't have trouble getting those..." Ken Levine

Heh. System Shock was the progenitor of many of todays games; just happen to be much less RPG elements to Bioshock. I'm going to have to play through SS2 again one of these days; can't find my disc so I bought a copy off eBay yesterday.

[DaForce]

progress update:
Tonight, just finished runing thru all the arcadia area, and onto Fort Frolic now. Spent about 20mins playing the poker machines trying to get the jackpot and finally did.. (its an xbox360 achievement)
Just getting so absorbed in this game. So good.

[Neilg]

This securom bullshit is getting blown out of proportion.

60% of a games sales happen within the first few weeks. As much as you hate the copy protection - it has worked this time round. It has still not been cracked. That has to be a record for a game this big, and theyve done incredibly well from it.

It will be patched out. Just not yet. Ken has said this himself, so I assume it'll come in a later patch. He's probably one of the least likley developers to do something stupid and fuck fans over.

Securom also does not use a rootkit, a shit virus checker scans it wrong and people went ballistic.

Its been a massivly misreported mess, and i'm suprised its still doing the rounds. so stop worrying, and go somewhere other than digg for your news.

[Blitterswitch]

I agree that the secuROM thing is the worst part of this whole setup. I don't want it on my computer! I need a way of installing it without secuROM, I think it should be my choice whether it installs or not.

I bought the game, to install, then play.

I did not sign up for any form of protection software to installed into the core of my "workstation" pc windows installation.

All the case says is "this product requires internet activation to play"

What it should have said is "In order to play this game you must install copy protection software which has been designed to make its removal as difficult as possible - CAUTION: The said copy protection software may reduce your systems security. 2k games take no responsibility for any loss of information or damage to hardware from hacks applied to your system from any security holes generated by the copy protection software"

Lets see how many people would buy the game if that was stuck on the front like the government warning on cigarettes.

I am so angry right now.

[harperperkins]

Spent about 20mins playing the poker machines trying to get the jackpot and finally did.. (its an xbox360 achievement)
Just getting so absorbed in this game. So good.

wow, I'm lucky then...I hit the jackpot on the first try, only to find that my damn wallet was full! hehe

[Neilg]

I agree that the secuROM thing is the worst part of this whole setup. I don't want it on my computer!

Did you even read my post?

Securom is the most popular copy protection scheme for games nowadays and neither is it very difficult to remove either.

Some shit virus checker reported it wrong, and a goon who didnt know better went ballistic. More people who dont bother to read anything about it whatsoever jumped to conclusions and flipped out, then started saying it was a rootkit.


Can you tell me exactly why you dont want securom on your pc? And where you got all your information about it being malicious from?

The ONLY thing is does is stop a certain process viewer from running, because the way it digs for information could be used to get code from a game to help crack it. Not malicious, and not a security hole.

[Blitterswitch]

Yes I did read your post.

I have no specific information that the code is malicious, I simply object to having my arm forced into installing this kind of software onto my computer without being fully briefed on the changes it will make to my system.

I also object to the fact that as a fully paid up owner of the product I am going to have a much more difficult time actually playing the game than the people who have simply waiting for the game to be released with a crack.

The point is less a security issue (although this is always going to be a factor) but more an infringement of my personal liberties.

All the protection software and drm schemes which are being used today do not serve any purpose other than to make the lives of the legitimate customers more difficult and restricted and allow games/music companies more control over our personal habits and purchasing decisions therefore increasing their power. IT DOES NOT STOP PIRACY.

[Neilg]

Well, it kinda has.

Its been out for over a week, and its not been pirated. Most games leak before release.

From a publishers point of view, its been one of the most succesful game launches in recent history - assuming you cut out all the drama. And once the inital push of sales dies down, they have said and promised to remove it. So youre wrong on that count.

It is not an infringement of your liberties either, 99% of games have it. It is said in the EULA, and mentioned in documentation about what it uses. Just because one person shouted wolf about something he was wrong about doesnt make it a crime, it makes it somthing you were previously ignorant become blown well out of proportion. You have always been free to read up about it, nothing is hidden from you.


It does not make any changes to your system - it simply locks down certain information ONLY while you are playing the game or using things related to bioshock. So while accessing the disc, no copies, and no reverse engineering. Upon exit, it does nothing to your pc and effectivly doesnt run, and its the reason its so good at becoming invisible that all this drama about rootkits started anyway.
Funny that one of the least intrusive in years should be the one to cause the drama...

Do you play many games? Throw me a list of current ones youre playing/have had installed on that machine.

[percydaman]

DRM protection software neither has to be malicious/non malicious or successful/non successful for it invoke alot of suspicion when it comes to whats installed on our computers. Take the drm that gets installed on your computer when you play some music cd's. Some of it has been pretty harmful, and some of it has been pretty harmless. But it doesn't change the fact that I hate ALL of those types of software. This stuff that ships with the game is really no different.

[Blitterswitch]

I don't remember signing any agreement when I made the purchase at Tesco....

The removal of the copy safe guards will not come for several years I should have thought. It is not in their interest to do so.

The fact that 99% of games contain this form of protection does not reduce the fact that this software is not what I want on my system and is in fact affecting my experience of the product even though I have legally bought the item.

I am not ignorant to the use of software copy protection software, I have been well aware of its existence since I first started using my Amiga 20+ years ago. Obviously the protection software now is far more advanced and now exists as a separate entity from the actual games software which in my eyes if where the problem lies.

If I buy a piece of software to use and if I don't want a particular component installed then I can disable it from installing. You receive no such option with this kind of copy protection software and this is made worse by the nature of the software and the manner in which it hooks itself into your system.

[Neilg]

The removal of the copy safe guards will not come for several years I should have thought. It is not in their interest to do so.

Well, it is. Look at yourself.

Its in everything, and you cant avoid it - specially during the first week of release when it's not been cracked, and is going through the only time when it's useful. If you knew as much as you say about copy protection you'd know this.
Trust the developers, do your own research. I cant imagine how youre jumping to some of the conclusions you are and its leaving me with little point of reference for rettribution. Surley the software being seperate from the games is a good thing? One piece of software, well made and developed for 10+ years is better for security than 15 hack jobs made by game developers in a short space of time.

Do what you will with it, its clear youve got no intention of listenting.

[Blitterswitch]

Thank you for your permission.

[sea2stars]

I bought the game, to install, then play.

Heh. Buy a 360. Install a mouse and keyboard. Then again, you're out more money, have to hope it doesn't burn your house down to the ground, scratch your discs, steal your wife and kill your dog. Priceless.