Ubisoft Plans Mandatory Online Authentication

Ubisoft is going to require an internet connection to Ubi.com to play its PC games as it looks to protect games from piracy, reports GameSpy, where they offer details on the plan, which they liken to Valve's online authentication through Steam. This will also involve online saved games handled through the cloud and unlimited activations: "If you own a hundred PCs, you can install your games on a hundred PCs," explains Brent Wilkinson, Director, Customer Service and Production Planning at Ubisoft. They asked if Ubisoft was concerned with potential backlash from gamers concerned over being required to be online to play, but Wilkenson seems unconcerned: "We think most people are going to be fine with it. Most people are always connected to an Internet connection."
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31 Replies. 2 pages. Viewing page 1.
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31.
 
Re: Ubisoft Plans Mandatory Online Authentication
Jan 29, 2010, 12:43
31.
Re: Ubisoft Plans Mandatory Online Authentication Jan 29, 2010, 12:43
Jan 29, 2010, 12:43
 
When I initially heard about this, I thought it was online authentication only and I could probably live with that. But after finding out you have to be online not just to start the game, but the whole time you are playing it? No, not going to happen. Bye-bye Ubisoft games, I'll be buying from your competitors instead.
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30.
 
Re: Ubisoft Plans Mandatory Online Authentication
Jan 27, 2010, 02:52
30.
Re: Ubisoft Plans Mandatory Online Authentication Jan 27, 2010, 02:52
Jan 27, 2010, 02:52
 
Once again, a bunch of corporate assholes figure out a new way to insult every honest customer for buying their product.

Fuck you Ubi.

This comment was edited on Jan 27, 2010, 02:58.
29.
 
Re: Ubisoft Plans Mandatory Online Authentication
Jan 26, 2010, 17:32
29.
Re: Ubisoft Plans Mandatory Online Authentication Jan 26, 2010, 17:32
Jan 26, 2010, 17:32
 
Most everyone has no problem with a one time online authentication, but online saves? No...just no. Most people are definitely not going to be fine with it. It's a stupid idea anyway. I get home from work itching to play some Ass Creed II but my net connection is currently down for whatever reason, or Ubi' servers are down, how then do I pick up from where I left off? I don't? Ok, no sale.
"The horse I bet on was so slow, the jockey kept a diary of the trip." - Henny Youngman
28.
 
Re: Ubisoft Plans Mandatory Online Authentication
Jan 26, 2010, 15:51
Prez
 
28.
Re: Ubisoft Plans Mandatory Online Authentication Jan 26, 2010, 15:51
Jan 26, 2010, 15:51
 Prez
 
Online saves?

*Crosses off every Ubisoft game from list. Writes off Ubisoft as another developer/publisher lost to stupidity.*

And to think just yesterday I was telling Verno how much I respected them.

This comment was edited on Jan 26, 2010, 15:56.
“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”
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27.
 
Re: Ubisoft Plans Mandatory Online Authentication
Jan 26, 2010, 15:39
27.
Re: Ubisoft Plans Mandatory Online Authentication Jan 26, 2010, 15:39
Jan 26, 2010, 15:39
 
I ran into some very grisly DRM when I bought GTA4. Not only is there GFW crap to deal with, but Rockstar layered another DRM on top of that called it Social Club. Never again will i be subjected to such utter nonsense. This was all to play single player.

Never again.

26.
 
Re: Piracy
Jan 26, 2010, 14:54
26.
Re: Piracy Jan 26, 2010, 14:54
Jan 26, 2010, 14:54
 
So if the game is good buried under enough hype, people buy it anyway.

There, I fixed it.

-Jn-
Ifriti Sophist
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25.
 
Re: Piracy
Jan 26, 2010, 14:35
25.
Re: Piracy Jan 26, 2010, 14:35
Jan 26, 2010, 14:35
 
jdreyer wrote on Jan 26, 2010, 14:06:
It will be interesting to see if this can be pirated what with the save games being hosted remotely. With enough resources, I realize anything is possible, but I wonder how difficult this makes it.
One method would be to make a local server and either set up a proxy or change the executable to point to that server instead of the Ubisoft one. The local server wouldn't have to do much more than recieve/save and load/transmit the raw data as needed (along with any hashing).

Anyway, they've turned themselves into a very interesting target for any technically inclined/curious hacker.
24.
 
Piracy
Jan 26, 2010, 14:06
24.
Piracy Jan 26, 2010, 14:06
Jan 26, 2010, 14:06
 
It will be interesting to see if this can be pirated what with the save games being hosted remotely. With enough resources, I realize anything is possible, but I wonder how difficult this makes it.
If Russia stops fighting, the war ends. If Ukraine stops fighting, Ukraine ends. Slava Ukraini!
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23.
 
Re: Ubisoft Plans Mandatory Online Authentication
Jan 26, 2010, 13:50
23.
Re: Ubisoft Plans Mandatory Online Authentication Jan 26, 2010, 13:50
Jan 26, 2010, 13:50
 
Veinman wrote on Jan 26, 2010, 10:22:
Seems much like Steam, but if there is no offline mode than to hell with that. Internet connections are not always on. The concept of paying for property and then not actually getting to use it (something DRM and digital distribution promote all the time) is really astounding.
It's a true point and I am committed to the concept of being able to play my single player games offline, and when I first got on Steam I had the same trepidation. However, even though Steam now has an offline mode, and I'm glad it's there, I found I still haven't bothered setting it up for any of my games.

Also, the world has become used to MMOGs, which require an internet connection. No connection, no WoW or Age of Conan or Eve Online, etc. This would be no different, and millions of people have no problem with that. So I don't see this having such a large effect, as most people are used to this requirement and this probably isn't a dealbreaker for them. Look at all the crap people put up with RE: COD: MW2. They reduced all sorts of features compared to COD: MW and charged an extra $10 and the PC version has still outsold it's predecessor over the same period of time. So if the game is good, people buy it anyway.
If Russia stops fighting, the war ends. If Ukraine stops fighting, Ukraine ends. Slava Ukraini!
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22.
 
Re: Ubisoft Plans Mandatory Online Authentication
Jan 26, 2010, 13:31
22.
Re: Ubisoft Plans Mandatory Online Authentication Jan 26, 2010, 13:31
Jan 26, 2010, 13:31
 
hasta la vista ubi, we hardly knew you.
Scorpio Slasher: ... What about you boy, what do hate?
Marcus: ... Bullies. Tiny d*ck egotists who hurt people for no reason, make people lock their doors at night. People who make general existence worse, people like you.
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21.
 
Re: Ubisoft Plans Mandatory Online Authentication
Jan 26, 2010, 12:49
21.
Re: Ubisoft Plans Mandatory Online Authentication Jan 26, 2010, 12:49
Jan 26, 2010, 12:49
 
It's a good thing Ubisoft doesn't make anything interesting anymore anyways.

I can handle an authentication scheme that requires a one-time authentication, or one that has an offline option, but having my savegames somewhere else than my local HD is utter fucking bullshit. (not to mention that on my magnificent 256k up, saving would take five fucking minutes on the average game.)

I can already see some griefer deleting everyone's savegames for fun, and Ubisoft going "yeah, that sucks. Guess you all get the joy of starting over!"
And then two years from now, Ubi decides to go EA and stop "supporting" that game, which means you could never play it anymore, since you can't save. Fuck this crap.

Bye bye Ubi. Please go console only, and soon. That way we no longer have to listen to you.

Creston

This comment was edited on Jan 26, 2010, 12:53.
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20.
 
Re: Ubisoft Plans Mandatory Online Authentication
Jan 26, 2010, 12:29
20.
Re: Ubisoft Plans Mandatory Online Authentication Jan 26, 2010, 12:29
Jan 26, 2010, 12:29
 
Just keep in mind that only the legitimate customers will have to put up with it. It's the internet, I'm sure it will be cracked. That should not be a necessary step however.
Huh? I'm sorry, I was thinking about cake.
19.
 
Re: Ubisoft Plans Mandatory Online Authentication
Jan 26, 2010, 12:16
19.
Re: Ubisoft Plans Mandatory Online Authentication Jan 26, 2010, 12:16
Jan 26, 2010, 12:16
 
Wow, that kind of screws those of us who live out in the country, where cable isn't available. I'm a huge Silent Hunter fan, and the other days' news of Silent Hunter 5 was the best I've had in a while, but this means I'll have to be dialed up on my 56k to play? Gahh. No way.

This comment was edited on Jan 26, 2010, 12:17.
18.
 
Re: Ubisoft Plans Mandatory Online Authentication
Jan 26, 2010, 12:12
18.
Re: Ubisoft Plans Mandatory Online Authentication Jan 26, 2010, 12:12
Jan 26, 2010, 12:12
 
Ubisoft games aren't good enough to have DRM IMO.

I got plenty of fun out of R6 Vegas 1 and 2 though. And HAWX. But still, budget games. At best.
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17.
 
Re: Ubisoft Plans Mandatory Online Authentication
Jan 26, 2010, 11:41
17.
Re: Ubisoft Plans Mandatory Online Authentication Jan 26, 2010, 11:41
Jan 26, 2010, 11:41
 
I agree with verno. Steam offline works well enough for me (at a non internet lan)
Never argue with an idiot. They will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.
16.
 
Re: Ubisoft Plans Mandatory Online Authentication
Jan 26, 2010, 11:34
16.
Re: Ubisoft Plans Mandatory Online Authentication Jan 26, 2010, 11:34
Jan 26, 2010, 11:34
 
I was just wondering about this yesterday. The beta for Settlers 7 requires installing "Startup Utilities" and to play you run an Ubisoft Game Launcher, which requires logging into an ubi.com account.

It was much too slick to be meant only for beta control, and it includes generic text when you enter your beta cd key about the game being permanently tied to your ubi.com account.

This year is looking like it's going to be full of really annoying DRM experiments on all the big budget PC games.
15.
 
Re: Ubisoft Plans Mandatory Online Authentication
Jan 26, 2010, 11:15
15.
Re: Ubisoft Plans Mandatory Online Authentication Jan 26, 2010, 11:15
Jan 26, 2010, 11:15
 
I don't mind so long as offline functionality is offered somehow. If it isn't then not interested as cloud saves likely translates to losing saves in the future when you try to revisit the title or being told to buy the latest title because X's servers were shut down.
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14.
 
Re: Ubisoft Plans Mandatory Online Authentication
Jan 26, 2010, 11:14
14.
Re: Ubisoft Plans Mandatory Online Authentication Jan 26, 2010, 11:14
Jan 26, 2010, 11:14
 
Like the pirates won't figure it out and have a ripped version in less than a week anyway. What a waste of resources.

They know that. This is a move to end resale or trading of games to friends, etc. If they announce they were doing that there would be a backlash.
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13.
 
Re: Silent Hunter 5
Jan 26, 2010, 11:05
DDI
13.
Re: Silent Hunter 5 Jan 26, 2010, 11:05
Jan 26, 2010, 11:05
DDI
 
The flight sim Rise of Flight, which was recently released, uses an online authentication system. The developers have gotten so many complaints from users who are in countries that pay for metered internet usage or users whose internet went down that they are looking into scrapping or at the minimum allowing an offline mode in the near future.

Ubi is shooting themselves in the foot. I'd be ok with it if it allowed an offline cache.

This comment was edited on Jan 26, 2010, 11:05.
12.
 
Silent Hunter 5
Jan 26, 2010, 10:58
12.
Silent Hunter 5 Jan 26, 2010, 10:58
Jan 26, 2010, 10:58
 
I was planning to buy Silent Hunter 5 but I doubt I will now. I can't always get online where I live so I guess I'll just wait for the pirates to make it offline only.

Good job UBISOFT!
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