EA Downloader and DRM

[Jedi940]

I own the original Battlefield 2142 and decided to purchase the Northern Strike booster pack. However, since they came out with the deluxe version, it is impossible to purchase just the booster pack anymore. The only choice left was to download it through the EA website. However this is quickly looking like a bad decision.

I decided to download it on my laptop at school since they have the faster connection and I can download at 1.5 MB/s (really, it's awesome). After I download it, i notice that I have to activate it through the EA download manager. I do that and then the activate button changes to an install button. Well I don' t want to install it on my laptop because it is not a gaming computer. I go to look for the file so I can copy it to my flash drive and put it on my desktop but the file isn't there. The download manager is hiding it from me even though I have my folder settings to show hidden files and folders. Then I read even further through the EA website and realize that you can't uninstall the EA downloader after the file is downloaded because it is used for DRM to validate you install. Does this mean that it has to be running on my desktop while I play the game. I DON'T NEED ANY MORE BACKGROUND PROGRAMS RUNNING!!! Also, the download will only be available for a limited time and I didn't purchase the extended download service. this means that in 3 months when I routinely format my computer, I will not have access to the game I purchased legally!!!! THIS PISSES ME OFF!!!!!

I hate to say it but this is worse than Microsoft. I recently purchased Office Ultimate online due to the special they had for college students. I was able to download it and burn it on a cd for permanent storage. No problem at all.

Has anyone else purchased games from EA this way? What have you done?

 

[BassBomb]

EA is something you don't want to touch with a 10 ft pole.

Steam is that idea done right.

 

[Jedi940]

Well, after some searching around on the internet and my computer, I was able to find the install file buried in a bunch of folders. However, will I still need the EA downloader?

 

[Xavier434]

I hope you get this resolved, but also let the experience serve as a lesson to you. Try not support DRM as much as you can. Problems like the one you are experiencing is exactly why it should not be supported.

 

[Jedi940]

Believe me, lesson learned . . . . . the hard way

I'm all for stopping pc game piracy but they need to stop making it so hard for the people that acquire it legitimately. Whether we "support it" or not, I don't think we are going to stop the transition. It is cheaper for companies to just offer software for download then to make a physical CD/DVD. However, given the outcry over Bioshock and the DRM issues, hopefully companies will take note and fix the problems.

 

[onlyCOpunk]

I already learned my lesson from EA. Bought Crysis online. Had to reformat, and I don't want to pay $5 to redownload it.

 

[Throckmorton]

You think you have it rough? I bought the whole BF2142 download online. Once I format I won't be able to download it because it's been 6 months. And I always forget my password etc, which takes a few hours to figure out, because EA makes you use several different logins.

It just makes no sense. Why do I need an EA account, an account for BF2, an account for BF2142, and then separate accounts for each character? Steam has ONE logon, and it works for every single game.

I'm never buying another EA game.

 

[Bateluer]

The EA downloader is a poor imitation of Steam to be sure, I'll never buy another game through it again.

 

[BladeVenom]

Originally posted by: BassBomb
EA is something you don't want to touch with a 10 ft pole.

Steam is that idea done right.

Stardock is better is better than Steam.

 

[Jedi940]

Well, I got home and was able to install northern strike without installing the downloader. I did have to reinstall the 1.4 patch to be able to play but other than that, no issues. It is good to know that I don't need the downloader and can reinstall from the downloaded files

 

[Martimus]

Originally posted by: BladeVenom

Originally posted by: BassBomb
EA is something you don't want to touch with a 10 ft pole.

Steam is that idea done right.

Stardock is better is better than Steam.

Yeah, it has its issues as well, but they will bend over backwards to help you when they do. I still keep in touch with some of the people from Stardock after spending so much time trying to get my stuff working. They are pretty cool people.

As for Steam, I have never been able to get it to work properly. On three different computers, nothing will work on Steam except the games tab. None of the news or text boxes ever show anything but a blank screen. It never bothered me before, because I didn't use it much, but I would like to start buying more games through steam because it would mean that I wouldn't need to keep a DVD around to reinstall the games in the future. I am formatting my HDD this weekend, and if I still have issues after I install Steam again, I will post a help post in these forums for advice on what I need to do to get it to work properly.

 

[Throckmorton]

Originally posted by: Martimus

Originally posted by: BladeVenom

Originally posted by: BassBomb
EA is something you don't want to touch with a 10 ft pole.

Steam is that idea done right.

Stardock is better is better than Steam.

Yeah, it has its issues as well, but they will bend over backwards to help you when they do. I still keep in touch with some of the people from Stardock after spending so much time trying to get my stuff working. They are pretty cool people.

As for Steam, I have never been able to get it to work properly. On three different computers, nothing will work on Steam except the games tab. None of the news or text boxes ever show anything but a blank screen. It never bothered me before, because I didn't use it much, but I would like to start buying more games through steam because it would mean that I wouldn't need to keep a DVD around to reinstall the games in the future. I am formatting my HDD this weekend, and if I still have issues after I install Steam again, I will post a help post in these forums for advice on what I need to do to get it to work properly.

I've never seen Steam not work.

 

[BD2003]

The point of attaching DRM to a game spread through torrents months ago, let alone one that is basically useless to download due to its online nature and need for a cd-key is absolutely mind boggling.

It really makes me wonder why they bother - DRM never has and never will stop piracy. DRM is like attaching a breathalyzer to a car to prevent drunk driving, except that drunks can easily bypass it with a can of compressed air, and it pisses off people who dont drink, especially when it doesnt work right and they dont know how to defeat it.

 

[Throckmorton]

Originally posted by: BD2003
The point of attaching DRM to a game spread through torrents months ago, let alone one that is basically useless to download due to its online nature and need for a cd-key is absolutely mind boggling.

It really makes me wonder why they bother - DRM never has and never will stop piracy. DRM is like attaching a breathalyzer to a car to prevent drunk driving, except that drunks can easily bypass it with a can of compressed air, and it pisses off people who dont drink, especially when it doesnt work right and they dont know how to defeat it.

I don't think there is a way to defeat EA Downloader's DRM. The key you can get from the EA website ( if you manage to navigate to the right place ) is not a regular key I think, so it's not like you can just download an image.

 

[pontifex]

Originally posted by: Jedi940
Well, after some searching around on the internet and my computer, I was able to find the install file buried in a bunch of folders. However, will I still need the EA downloader?

yes, you will still need it. it has to be running when you play the game. at least thats how crysis and that last wwii game were.

 

[BassBomb]

Originally posted by: BladeVenom

Originally posted by: BassBomb
EA is something you don't want to touch with a 10 ft pole.

Steam is that idea done right.

Stardock is better is better than Steam.

Stardock has how many games?

 

[Throckmorton]

Originally posted by: BladeVenom

Originally posted by: BassBomb
EA is something you don't want to touch with a 10 ft pole.

Steam is that idea done right.

Stardock is better is better than Steam.

Except for the whole needing the CD in the drive, and not working parts.

 

[BD2003]

Originally posted by: Throckmorton

Originally posted by: BD2003
The point of attaching DRM to a game spread through torrents months ago, let alone one that is basically useless to download due to its online nature and need for a cd-key is absolutely mind boggling.

It really makes me wonder why they bother - DRM never has and never will stop piracy. DRM is like attaching a breathalyzer to a car to prevent drunk driving, except that drunks can easily bypass it with a can of compressed air, and it pisses off people who dont drink, especially when it doesnt work right and they dont know how to defeat it.

I don't think there is a way to defeat EA Downloader's DRM. The key you can get from the EA website ( if you manage to navigate to the right place ) is not a regular key I think, so it's not like you can just download an image.

Well, BF2142 isnt exactly an EA downloader exclusive, but no matter how you get the game, you still need a CD-key to play online. It might not be DRM per se, but thats just about the most BS I can deal with for a game that I'm actually paying money for.

As it stands right now, especially with the pricing being the same, there is no way in hell that I'm downloading any DRM-laden games.

 

[shingletingle]

I don't understand why companies insist on making it as difficult as possible for legit customers to enjoy their games. Meanwhile, pirates can enjoy the games without issue since they're working around DRM. And they wonder why people turn to piracy....

No I'm not justifying piracy, but it seems the thinking of game publishers is extremely stupid. I don't get it.

 

[legoman666]

Originally posted by: Martimus
As for Steam, I have never been able to get it to work properly. On three different computers, nothing will work on Steam except the games tab. None of the news or text boxes ever show anything but a blank screen. It never bothered me before, because I didn't use it much, but I would like to start buying more games through steam because it would mean that I wouldn't need to keep a DVD around to reinstall the games in the future. I am formatting my HDD this weekend, and if I still have issues after I install Steam again, I will post a help post in these forums for advice on what I need to do to get it to work properly.

I don't suppose you uninstalled IE?

 

[Martimus]

Originally posted by: Throckmorton

Originally posted by: BladeVenom

Originally posted by: BassBomb
EA is something you don't want to touch with a 10 ft pole.

Steam is that idea done right.

Stardock is better is better than Steam.

Except for the whole needing the CD in the drive, and not working parts.

You don't need the CD in the drive for any of their games, even if you bought a hard copy of it. He was talking about Stardock Central, which is like Steam, but older and with no DRM. At the moment they have 103 games available for download. (The newest is Sins of a Solar Empire, but I also got Jets and Guns, GC1, GC2 and Shadowgrounds from SDC as well.)

 

[Martimus]

Originally posted by: legoman666

Originally posted by: Martimus
As for Steam, I have never been able to get it to work properly. On three different computers, nothing will work on Steam except the games tab. None of the news or text boxes ever show anything but a blank screen. It never bothered me before, because I didn't use it much, but I would like to start buying more games through steam because it would mean that I wouldn't need to keep a DVD around to reinstall the games in the future. I am formatting my HDD this weekend, and if I still have issues after I install Steam again, I will post a help post in these forums for advice on what I need to do to get it to work properly.

I don't suppose you uninstalled IE?

I don't know. I have never used IE on this computer actually. Do I need to install it for Steam to work properly? (I have always used Firefox)