Official DRM info posted today (Mar 3)

[Blackdog_kt]

That's pretty good. My main worry was if the monthly activations add up to the initial total or not (for example, if i burned through the initial 3 and the monthly ones didn't add up, i'd be left with the ability to activate once per month only).

Since they stack however, unless we repeatedly change hardware components every few weeks we will still have 3 activations available for most of the time.

The ability to play offline is very much appreciated, as is the ability for users to activate from a different PC if they don't have internet access for some reason on their gaming PC.

All in all, it's still DRM and i still dislike the idea of having any kind of restriction on the use of something i paid for (except the disc checks of previous years, after all most DRM gets bypassed by the pirates anyway so why make it difficult for the paying customer with complex solutions?), but it's leaps and bounds ahead of many systems we've seen over the years.

It's still a compromise, but it looks like a fair one that will have minimal to no effect on my ability to use the software, so i give it a pass

[fireship4]

I wish they had done this for Silent Hunter V. I didnt buy it because of the always online activation system and how it affected those without an internet connection. I was sorry to hurt the game, and it may have affected the chances of further games in the series etc.

This seems slightly more reasonable, but it seems that you still need to go online to get the code - although the passage explaining this is quite confusing:

Do I have to be online to activate my game?
While the activation solution will initially attempt to activate your game online, you can elect to manually enter an activation code. You will need to enter the code that comes with your game into the activation wizard, you will then be given an activation code that you can enter manually. So, although you do not necessarily need to have your computer hooked up to the internet, you will need to go online to obtain a code before playing.

A code comes with your game but you will need to go online to get the other code? Is that it?

[major_setback]

I don't have internet!

[BadAim]

Originally Posted by major_setback

I don't have internet!

Go to the library.

[BadAim]

Originally Posted by fireship4

I wish they had done this for Silent Hunter V. I didnt buy it because of the always online activation system and how it affected those without an internet connection. I was sorry to hurt the game, and it may have affected the chances of further games in the series etc.

This seems slightly more reasonable, but it seems that you still need to go online to get the code - although the passage explaining this is quite confusing:



A code comes with your game but you will need to go online to get the other code? Is that it?

Yes, it's a lot like the challenge codes that Chrysler uses on some of their Ignition key systems, I suspect; The car gives me a code, then I have the code processed through a program then plug the result back into the car, only then can I program the new keys.

The difference: in one case it doubles the cost of getting keys for your car, in the other it makes DRM less onerous.

I really like being able to have three installs: Main gaming computer, dedicated server, laptop for building missions at lunch/commute/trip. Perfect!

Originally Posted by fireship4

I wish they had done this for Silent Hunter V. I didnt buy it because of the always online activation system and how it affected those without an internet connection. I was sorry to hurt the game, and it may have affected the chances of further games in the series etc.

DRM (despite what people say) was the least of this game's problems. It was a steaming pile of crap that took what the fans were begging for and did the exact opposite!

"Oh look! My sub's cook made a +7 coffee, now I can cast an alertness spell on my crew for faster reloads!"

That game was so retardedly broken you'd think it was the product of hillbilly incest!

[simace]

How many activations do I get?
You can indefinitely activate your copy of the game on the same PC. You start with three activations (so, three different PC hardware configurations) to begin with. After one month, one activation will be re-credited (up to a maximum of three available activations at any given time).

After one month, one activation will be re-credited (up to a maximum of three available activations...) <--Is it me or is this saying, indirectly of course, that you will be "activating" your installation on what appears to be a 1-3 months cycle?

You can indefinitely active your copy of the game on the same PC. <--This also points to the fact that you will be "activating" your copy regularly.

Ubi? 1C?

[robtek]

No simace, don't start reading between the lines.
You must activate each installation, this activation is a file on your pc and works only with this hardwareconstellation.
You get 3 activation files in the first month, and you can get one additional file each new month.
The files are working until they are deleted.
There should be only 3 active activation files, so i assume you have to uninstall one of your three installations to be eglible for a new activation - file.
Thats what i read.

[maclean525]

This is an incredibly simple, fair and easy DRM system. Bravo.

[Blackdog_kt]

Originally Posted by simace

After one month, one activation will be re-credited (up to a maximum of three available activations...) <--Is it me or is this saying, indirectly of course, that you will be "activating" your installation on what appears to be a 1-3 months cycle?

You can indefinitely active your copy of the game on the same PC. <--This also points to the fact that you will be "activating" your copy regularly.

Ubi? 1C?

Actually i think you misunderstood it.

After reading the Tages manual a couple of weeks ago, i got the impression that the activations work by making an index of what components you have on your PC and creating a unique code for that in 3 steps.

1) The DRM looks up your hardware and creates a coded text string for the sum of your PC components. Let's call this the hardware code, because it's different from the actual activation code/password.
2) The DRM uploads this hardware configuration code to the activation server. Alternately, you can save the code in a text file and upload it from another PC (useful for people who don't have internet at home).
3) After uploading your hardware configuration code, the activation server gives you the activation code. You can save this on another drive/text file/ USB drive/send it to your mailbox/whatever and when you fire up the game for the first time, you copy-paste it into the activation box and you're done.

Steps 2 and 3 are automatic if you do the default activation. If for some reason you have problems with the default/automatic method or your internet is down, you can do it manually. Essentially it's a case of "get hardware code and sent it to server to get activation code". It doesn't matter if the DRM does it by itself or if you save it in a text file and send it yourself, you'll still get your activation.


As long as your hardware stays the same you can use the same code, so keep a copy of it somewhere. This means that you DON'T need to deactivate your installation before uninstalling or formatting your drives. You can use the same code and thus, you don't waste an extra activation.

So, what happens if you do a hardware upgrade? In this case you need to reactivate and use up one more activation. However, your activations will not run out easily, because every month you get one of them replenished. Unless you upgrade your hardware more than once a month, you will not have a problem. It's also supposed that if you do run out, you can email them with your product key (as proof of purchase) and they'll credit you with 3 more activations.

As an activation is tied to each PC configuration, with 3 initial activations you can install on 3 different PCs right off the bat.