Confessions of a pirate...

General discussion about the game.
UltraMantis
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Joined: Thu Sep 20, 2012 3:17 pm

Re: Confessions of a pirate...

Postby UltraMantis » Thu Oct 25, 2012 8:43 am

UglyMug wrote:DRM-hate is really just a way pirates use to rationalize stealing. "Oh, it's not my fault I'm pirating. It's their fault."
Pretty much. Although they rarely even bother to rationalise.

The only DRM i absolutely refuse is the kind that requires a separate program to launch the game. I'd agree to use a special program to activate/register a game, but please let me play in peace afterwards. Other DRM doesn't really bother me.
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Qhesz
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Joined: Sun Apr 22, 2012 11:10 am

Re: Confessions of a pirate...

Postby Qhesz » Thu Oct 25, 2012 10:36 am

Just felt like adding my opinions to those floating around here on the subject of digital piracy.

1. If you appreciate a product, support the developers by giving them money.
Follow this, and how you acquire that product is irrelevant.
(Original poster, and presumably everybody reading this, thank you for supporting Subset Games)

2. Piracy is not stealing.
In isolation, the act of downloading something (especially from a peer-to-peer network) has no negative effect on anyone.
One illegal download is not necessarily equivalent to one lost sale, see point one. It is far more complicated than that.

3. Anti-DRM sentiment is a completely valid concern.
For the legitimate user, the only effect of DRM is render the product increasingly useless. All the while you can see how much better the product could have been, if only this unnecessary (from the legitimate user's perspective) DRM wasn't strangling its potential. (eg always-online for single-player games)

4. In games with heavy handed DRM, pirated version are vastly more convenient. Which is perhaps why introducing heavier DRM measures doesn't help, because, as was noted above, convenience is a huge motivating factor.
OmegaJasam
Posts: 24
Joined: Fri Sep 28, 2012 12:58 pm

Re: Confessions of a pirate...

Postby OmegaJasam » Thu Oct 25, 2012 11:53 am

Using DRM to justify piracy is indeed wrong.

However acting like DRM itself in it's legitimately customer harming forms is NOT wrong is probably worse.

If you are ever in the situation where it is more conviniant to pirate then buy legit, my sympathy for the developers hit's 0.

I think the most bizare situation is where people find themselves pirating a game they own so they can acually play it. Thats something that should /never/ occur.
mqstout
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Re: Confessions of a pirate...

Postby mqstout » Thu Oct 25, 2012 1:41 pm

Omega, I believe that DRM can justify piracy. I have a sock (not truly a sock, just a phrase) of money set aside for a few products that I've pirated that I'm hopeful that they will release a non-DRM-laden version that I can actually buy. The way I see it, DRM makes a product not actually purchaseable, as if it weren't even for sale. (Because, truly, DRM turns purchases into 'rentals' at best...)
bulba
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Re: Confessions of a pirate...

Postby bulba » Thu Oct 25, 2012 3:52 pm

UglyMug wrote:DRM-hate is really just a way pirates use to rationalize stealing. "Oh, it's not my fault I'm pirating. It's their fault."

That said, buying legit copies really buys you two things:

Convenience: That you don't have to go and wait two or three times as long for a torrent that may or may not work and you might need to download an entirely new torrent every time you want the latest patch.

Satisfaction: That you know that you supported a developer that you know and trust.

Convenience is a really big motivator, and people will part with their disposable cash for it; for a copy of game they know will work and get regular updates.


hm... I think you are very wrong there, drm makes games inconvinient and thus it becomes more convinient to pirate stuff + updates are very regular especialy on the bigger titles. also you get the WHOLE game (nowdays there are day 1 dlcs)
There is no reason what so ever for any game to have drm for one simple reason - none of them actualy prevent piracy, and the ONLY people that suffer from drm are the people who PAID for the game while pirates enjoy drm free games :lol:
Donavan
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Re: Confessions of a pirate...

Postby Donavan » Thu Oct 25, 2012 4:16 pm

There is NO excuse for piracy. I hate DRM just as much as those people that say I will NOT play games with extensive DRM that makes me jump through hoops to play. So heres what you do to support game developers AND get around it.

1. Buy the game
2. Install the game
3. Google "gamename" Crack
4. Install crack NOW DRM FREE AND YOU PAID!
5. ???
6. Profit!
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mqstout
Posts: 71
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Re: Confessions of a pirate...

Postby mqstout » Thu Oct 25, 2012 9:17 pm

Donavan wrote:1. Buy the game {snip} 4. Install crack NOW DRM FREE AND YOU PAID!

Congratulations, Donavan, you have monetarily rewarded the company for including DRM in their product, encouraging them to include more in the future as well as financing them to research other methods. While at the same time, they see your "crack" download as piracy, and the execs see that as a reason to escalate DRM even further. So you've done TWO things to encourage more DRM in the future.

Congratulations! You have shot yourself in the foot, shot me in mine, as well as paid the horrible company that used the DRM for the privilege of harming yourself and those around you.

Also, I do want to thank the OP for doing the right thing: buying the game, and reminding the devs that one of the contributors to his purchase was the lack of DRM.
Donavan
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Re: Confessions of a pirate...

Postby Donavan » Thu Oct 25, 2012 11:47 pm

The only way for them to see my game as "pirated" is if i attempt to go online with it. If its a game i want to play multiplayer with then obviously it wouldn't be cracked. I still pay for the game. By paying for it and then cracking it i am saying "I do not like your DRM. I enjoy your game and will happily pay for it but will NOT jump through your hoops to turn it on."
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Cocapelli
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Re: Confessions of a pirate...

Postby Cocapelli » Thu Nov 01, 2012 7:39 am

OmegaJasam wrote:I think the most bizare situation is where people find themselves pirating a game they own so they can acually play it. Thats something that should /never/ occur.


i think distributed cds were either a bizarre plot to make me buy multiple copies of the same media or a flawed technology that cost tons of money. there are games i have original empty jewel cases for, and the new trilogy edition with all three games on it which i still pirated because it was easier than hoping there was an absence of scratches on my poor disks.

yay for digital media.
OmegaJasam
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Re: Confessions of a pirate...

Postby OmegaJasam » Thu Nov 01, 2012 1:35 pm

I forgot about degradation. I was more refuring to the early Spore days or SECURom which prevented it working with certain hardwere due to the DRM, which the cracked versions work.

And I'm afraid buying and then cracking just causes their marketing execs to count a sale despite the DRM and +1 for adding more DRM (With their often made up and exagerated priacy figures based on 'torrent connections at 3pm on the 4th). You don't send the message of I want to pay but not deal with DRM at all. These kind of comanys don't listen to /anything/ unfortunatly.

Only thing you /can/ do is encorage thouse who are doing it right, by buying and letting them know that their choice on DRM made them money rather then lose it.