Ubisoft Server Transition Stresses the Faults of DRM

[mindcycle]

PC gamers have become accustomed to being treated less than ideally as a result of DRM schemes like those which force you to have an active Internet connection to play or only provide you with a limited number of installations before having to ask for more. Next week gamers will get a taste of what it's like to be treated even worse when Ubisoft migrates its online services to new servers.

As outlined on the publisher's website, the process will begin on February 7. There's no estimate given for how long this will take which is problematic because not only will Uplay be unavailable, but a handful of PC and Mac games will also be impacted. That impact goes beyond online multiplayer; a number of games will not be playable online or offline for the duration of the transition. You didn't read that wrong: you will not be able to play a game you own offline because of a server transition.

There are six games in total that are specifically identified as unplayable during this period. On PC those include H.A.W.X. 2, Might & Magic: Heroes VI, and The Settlers 7: Paths to a Kingdom. On Mac the list includes Assassin's Creed, Splinter Cell: Conviction, and The Settlers. Games like Anno 2070, Assassin's Creed: Revelations, and Driver: San Francisco will not be affected in any way, while others will be playable offline as long as they have been connected to Uplay prior to February 7.

This is the result of the DRM the games are saddled with. It's not the first time Ubisoft's always-on DRM policy has hurt gamers in this way -- back in 2010 hackers attacked Ubisoft's servers, rendering games like Assassin's Creed 2 and Silent Hunter 5 unplayable for many gamers.

This time around no one will be able to play the affected games. That is, no one except for those with pirated copies, the very same people these DRM schemes are meant to block from playing games they have not legally acquired. It's not unlike the Anno 2070 situation discovered last month where the game's limited number of installations were [url="http://www.1up.com/news/ubisoft-drm-gone-too-far']tied[/url] to individual component changes, meaning that popping in a new video card would eat up an install. While pirates could not access the game's online-connected features, they could play the offline component without having to worry about hardware changes necessitating a call to Ubisoft to request more installations.

As much as I personally enjoying owning digital versions of PC games through Steam, it's situations like this that make me understand why some people are hesitant to forgo physical media. Of course, it doesn't make a difference in this case as the games mentioned above will be unplayable whether you own a physical or digital copy -- again, unless you're a pirate.

It's this reality that makes it even harder to stomach the DRM publishers decide to employ, as invariably they only serve to make things less pleasant for legitimate customers while doing little, if anything, to prevent pirates from getting their hands on the game in question. Critics of DRM suggest that putting hurdles in the way of pirates is not the way to go, and that making the experience of playing as rich and easy as possible for those that do buy games. In other words, incentivize purchasing the game. These games being rendered unplayable next week -- for however long a time -- is a perfect example of how legitimate customers are hurt in this never-ending fight against piracy, and it isn't hard to wonder why some people resort to illegally downloading the games they want to play.

via: http://www.1up.com/news/ubisoft-server-transition-drm-faults

 

[paperfist]

I think it's high time we chip in $00.02 and lobby congress.

 

[Texashiker]

In other words, boycott Ubisoft.

 

[rageofthepeon]

Judging from user comments on gaming sites I'm pretty sure the boycott Ubisoft movement is well under way.

 

[PowerYoga]

fuck ubisoft.

 

[Gothgar]

I havent bought a game from them since Assassins Creed 1, and I wont till they drop DRM on all their shit.

 

[Arkadrel]

Stuff like this makes me not want to buy a game.

The only way a consumer can show dis-approval of tactics, is by not buying said product.

Its like RAGE's cuda texture compression thingy that only works on nvidia cards, and then runs like crap on AMD cards... guess what? not buying your game.

Same thing with this DRM crap.... the offline gameplay, that needs you to be online shyt has got to go.

Also Im a potential customer for them, my brother loves Heroes of might and magic games, and Ive got alot of the older settlers games sitting on my shelf.

 

[zerocool84]

In other words, boycott Ubisoft.

I haven't bought a Ubisoft game since they started with this DRM.

 

[drebo]

It sounds to me that the DRM isn't necessarily at fault here...but, rather, they have an extremely poor redundancy setup. There is no reason that they should not be able to transition from one platform to another while the system is live. At worst, they should have to disallow CHANGES to the dataset, but there's no reason they shouldn't be able to do a live migration.

That said, I've never seen a recent ubisoft game I've felt compelled to buy.

 

[n7]

It upsets me that people purchase their games.

 

[Nebor]

It upsets me that people purchase their games.

I purchase all of their games (through Steam.) I won't be able to play many of them in Afghanistan due to the DRM requiring an internet connection. That's not their fault though.

 

[KaOTiK]

I purchase all of their games (through Steam.) I won't be able to play many of them in Afghanistan due to the DRM requiring an internet connection. That's not their fault though.

Actually it is their fault for having DRM that needs an internet connection (outside of a one time activation)

 

[busydude]

Dear UBISOFT:

We won't miss you at all.

Sincerely,

PC Gaming Community.

P.S. Fuck you.

 

[Jaskalas]

Never had an issue like that with steam.

 

[Dumac]

I purchase all of their games (through Steam.) I won't be able to play many of them in Afghanistan due to the DRM requiring an internet connection. That's not their fault though.

Yes it is.

Anyway, screw Ubisoft. Who buys Ubisoft games anyway? Oh right, they get slurped up on the consoles

 

[thujone]

i think he meant it's not steam's fault

 

[exar333]

These are all old games, with litle risk for 'new' pirates. Why not just setup a quick replacement during the migration to auto-authenticate any and all DRM requests during this time? That would be a HUGE effort on their part to show they care about your business.

 

[ImpulsE69]

Seems to me if you already bought it, and they are doing this knowing it will cause an issue, you have a very legit reason to download a crack. Lawyers may disagree, but then, no one likes lawyers.

 

[mindcycle]

Ubisoft had warned that a number of its PC games would be unplayable while the publisher transferred servers, thanks to its frightful DRM. The move is underway today, but it seems some games which were supposed to be safe are not working either.

"We apologize for the inconvenience, it seems some of you can't connect to games announced as playable during migration," reads a message on the official Twitter account. "We're on it and will keep you posted here!" added another.

Ubisoft forum members have reported trouble with games including Assassin's Creed Revelations, Driver: San Francisco, and Anno 2070, though Ubisoft is not certain that the latter's woes are due to the migration. If you want to play Anno 2070 but can't, Ubisoft offers a possible workaround.

Ubisoft has estimated that the transition should be complete by Thursday morning. Now, who could have guessed that a DRM solution built upon online authorization could be so fragile?

via: http://www.shacknews.com/article/72367/ubisoft-server-migration-breaks-supposedly-safe-games

EDIT: Want to read about some of the issues this is causing for legit "paying" customers? Just take a quick look through their official forums here:
http://forums.ubi.com/forumdisplay.php/191-General-Discussion?

 

[Lazlo Panaflex]

Dear UBISOFT:

We won't miss you at all.

Sincerely,

PC Gaming Community.

P.S. Fuck you.

Amen brother :thumbsup:

@mindcycle - You da man. That is all.

 

[mindcycle]

@mindcycle - You da man. That is all.

haha, thanks man.

 

[Kadarin]

It doesn't matter to me what the game is, if Ubisoft publishes it, it's on the do not buy list.

 

[zokudu]

Meh maybe Ubisoft will get the hint. Till then I'm on the boycott bandwagon.

 

[Borealis7]

and the pirates who have their DRM circumvented rejoice!

 

[PrincessFrosty]

I haven't bought a Ubisoft game since they started with this DRM.

Yep...it'll be a cold day in hell before Ubi get any money from me.