Batman Arkham Asylum Special DRM

[JoMaMaz]

The Escapist has a report about a very creative DRM implemented by the creators of Batman: Arkham Asylum. Instead of the usual attempts by companies to prevent PC pirating of games, this one allows it somewhat, but gets the last laugh in the end. Read below:

Did you illegally download a cracked version of Arkham Asylum for the PC? Hope you enjoy playing with a Batman who has conveniently forgotten some of his moveset, rendering the game unbeatable.

Do you know what I love? Creative DRM. Any developer can throw in a mandated online check, or give you a limited number of installs, or something boring like that, but then you have developers with a cruel sense of humor who make it so that pirates have their genitals attacked by ill-tempered ferrets, and the ferrets are on fire. That's going above the call of duty right there.

Apparently, one of said developers is Rocksteady Studios, creators of critical darling Batman: Arkham Asylum. Pirates who have illegally acquired the PC version of the game will find themselves playing the game with a Batman who has apparently forgotten how to use his moves, notably the glide-jump. In an amusing little thread on the Eidos forums, one pirate came to innocently report a bug, claiming that instead of gliding when the appropriate input was given, the Dark Knight would instead just spread his wings and fall to his death in poison gas.

Quoth an Eidos admin in response:

The problem you have encountered is a hook in the copy protection, to catch out people who try and download cracked versions of the game for free.

It's not a bug in the game's code, it's a bug in your moral code.

Since its acquisition of Rocksteady parent Eidos, Square-Enix has announced plans to use similar DRM in its upcoming Final Fantasy XIII, where any attempt to use magic will always result in summoning a rampaging horde of Chocobos to crush the party, the player, and anyone they've ever loved.

Wow, this is hilarious in my opinion! Kudos to them for creating something that is a zinger to PC pirates instead of trying to use DRMs that usually just anger the people who actually purchased the game.

Source

[TheEn|gma]

Re: Batman Arkham Asylum Special DRM

It's not a bug in the game's code, it's a bug in your moral code.

Ohhh shiiiiiiiiiiiiii- people got pwnt :yay:

[CptainCrunch]

Re: Batman Arkham Asylum Special DRM

When I read this, I thought it was a brilliant idea. I hope it works out and there is not a way around it, though it seems the best minds work hard on stealing things.

Crunch

[JunoPPCLI]

Re: Batman Arkham Asylum Special DRM

There will be a patch as there always is, mass effect had something similar where you couldnt view the galaxy map on the pirated version, took about a week and a fix was out.

[[Expletive Deleted]]

Re: Batman Arkham Asylum Special DRM

What kind of dumbscrote asks about a bug in a game that isn't even supposed to be released yet?

[AllFoamNoBeer]

Re: Batman Arkham Asylum Special DRM

That fix is already out.

Morons they are, the left all the files in the installation, all the crackers had to do was recode it.

[MrKLM]

Re: Batman Arkham Asylum Special DRM

now that is funny right there

[Boreas]

Re: Batman Arkham Asylum Special DRM

Hilarious. Although, probably quite an easy fix, but yet another step in the ripping process. And, for most of the nubs that rip, they wont even know that there is a fix.

[[GCA]Tim270]

Re: Batman Arkham Asylum Special DRM

Pretty sure ArmA has been doing this for a while also, cracked versions are meant to make shooting anything impossible and you have to fly around as the seagull loads. Its a nice try, but I would be surprised if there is not a fix out in a week or two.

[Torchwood]

Re: Batman Arkham Asylum Special DRM

lmao, hilarious.

[AllFoamNoBeer]

Re: Batman Arkham Asylum Special DRM

Wow, this thread is living proof of people not reading other posts.

The fix for the game is already out. Eidos fails.

[JoMaMaz]

Re: Batman Arkham Asylum Special DRM

Wow, this thread is living proof of people not reading other posts.

The fix for the game is already out. Eidos fails.

Yes...we read it, but it does not take away what happened that was funny... I don't see how they failed. They did something that was creative and funny. Obviously, hackers/thieves will always find a way to get around stuff, but it was better than the usual DRM.

Also, are you a pirate yourself as you seem to keep pushing the fact that the fix is it out already, and proclaiming how much they failed?

[AllFoamNoBeer]

Re: Batman Arkham Asylum Special DRM

Yes...we read it, but it does not take away what happened that was funny... I don't see how they failed. They did something that was creative and funny. Obviously, hackers/thieves will always find a way to get around stuff, but it was better than the usual DRM.

Also, are you a pirate yourself as you seem to keep pushing the fact that the fix is it out already, and proclaiming how much they failed?

I will be pushing this fact because what Eidos found funny has turned against themselves.

It took pirates 2 days to work out a way around it. Which is pathetic, furthermore Eidos have nothing to be proud of; AND we shouldn't find it funny at all. It was a poor attempt to circumvent piracy.

Am I a pirate? No. But I support their cause, because unlike myself, many people can't be spending 50-60$ on a game that is only worth 20-25 hours of play.

Unless the industry finds a way of selling games at a MUCH lower price; I will continue to support the pirates' cause -because at that point, there is no excuse to pirate games.

[JoMaMaz]

Re: Batman Arkham Asylum Special DRM

I will be pushing this fact because what Eidos found funny has turned against themselves.

It took pirates 2 days to work out a way around it. Which is pathetic, furthermore Eidos have nothing to be proud of; AND we shouldn't find it funny at all. It was a poor attempt to circumvent piracy.

Am I a pirate? No. But I support their cause, because unlike myself, many people can't be spending 50-60$ on a game that is only worth 20-25 hours of play.

Unless the industry finds a way of selling games at a MUCH lower price; I will continue to support the pirates' cause -because at that point, there is no excuse to pirate games.

:laugh: Are you serious?

How did this turn against themselves, explain that to me? B/c it got cracked? MOST games are already cracked and being played by PC gamers BEFORE the game is even out! To go 2 days after release should be considered a victory. People will always steal, in the RL, in the digital world. So what's your big idea to prevent piracy? Easy to criticize.

Although it doesn't seem you would think of an idea. I find these comments quite silly. So you support theft?

I support their cause

I guess so... I don't see the logic behind that. I always find it funny that someone thinks a game isn't worth their $50 b/c they're only going to play it 20 hours. Well, if it's not worth your money, then why are you taking the time to steal it and still play it? And those people usually end up playing the game more than 20 hours. You think there is some great revolution against companies...who have employees, who have families, who need to eat. Do you like getting paid at your job? How about whatever you sell, or whatever you make, is now sold at half its price? I mean, what price is low enough for you?

Let's do the math of 20-25 hours of gameplay vs. the price.
On the low end of that, 20 hours of gameplay (which most multiplayer games get played FAR MORE than this by players, many more), then your dollar cost per hour of gameage would be $3.00 an hour even at the high end price of $60. Movies cost $9.00 for entertainment of 1.5-3 hrs, with most movies being about 2 hrs. So...1.5-3 hrs of entertainment or 20 hours?

[AllFoamNoBeer]

Re: Batman Arkham Asylum Special DRM

:laugh: Are you serious?

How did this turn against themselves, explain that to me? B/c it got cracked? MOST games are already cracked and being played by PC gamers BEFORE the game is even out! To go 2 days after release should be considered a victory. People will always steal, in the RL, in the digital world. So what's your big idea to prevent piracy? Easy to criticize.

I had this hint you'd ask for an idealogical way of circumventing piracy. And my school uses it.

There are two.. acceptable assumptions:

1. You have a credit card and bank account
2. Internet

The system lies within an authentication program, your purchase is linked to your credit card number and is forever linked. Let's say you spend 50$ on a game and use you credit card that card will be linked to that game. Simple (in school it was used for trips/software). Any CD-Key was also automatically linked as the product name to the credit card.

Now, if this software/game is to be installed, reinstalled etc., the bank would send a null value confirmation of purchase, i.e. you'd buy the software for free to install it. The only person who could validate an install/resintall is the person who bought it. Unless they were retarded enough to share bank accounts.

NOW, this isn't FULLY fool proof. I.E. banks will have a service charge, and in Thailand it was 1.5 Baht, which is... 2 cents? Each time a install request as sent.

THIS was actually implemented to prevent people from sharing credit card numbers, so if a 1000 people wanted it, 20$ is gone.. voila. Etc etc.

This system works. REALLY well.

They reason I find EIDOS's attempt stupid is because they have achieved nothing, if they managed some form of long term hindrance, I would agree that it was worth the effort. If anything, they probably enticed pirates to work harder and get more out of releasing their new crack.

It's pure psychology, if the pirate manages to find a work around, he/she/it gets a higher regard in the now ever-growing pirate community. Which means their releases are more trusted, and more people will flock to them.

Although it doesn't seem you would think of an idea. I find these comments quite silly. So you support theft? I guess so... I don't see the logic behind that. I always find it funny that someone thinks a game isn't worth their $50 b/c they're only going to play it 20 hours. Well, if it's not worth your money, then why are you taking the time to steal it and still play it? And those people usually end up playing the game more than 20 hours. You think there is some great revolution against companies...who have employees, who have families, who need to eat. Do you like getting paid at your job? How about whatever you sell, or whatever you make, is now sold at half its price? I mean, what price is low enough for you?

Let's do the math of 20-25 hours of gameplay vs. the price.
On the low end of that, 20 hours of gameplay (which most multiplayer games get played FAR MORE than this by players, many more), then your dollar cost per hour of gameage would be $3.00 an hour even at the high end price of $60. Movies cost $9.00 for entertainment of 1.5-3 hrs, with most movies being about 2 hrs. So...1.5-3 hrs of entertainment or 20 hours?

The support the cause of piracy, their intentions. I.E. send out a message to the developers that games are expensive.

Of course, some take this too far and start ripping 10$ games like World of Goo, which was disappointing.

But that doesn't make me a pirate does it? I have bought every single game that I wanted to play. Honestly, the only game I pirated was GTA1, over 6 years ago. Because it was illegal to have it in Thailand. Guess what, it's free now..

But you just don't understand, the movie industry makes most of it's money from ticket revenue. When I say most, it's around 80 - 90%, the remaining lies in few patents in merchandise etc.

The gaming industry is a whole lot different, merchandising leads to a lot of revenue, ads are a another MASSIVE income.

EA alone generates 1 billion dollars a year out of it's 4 billion dollar empire just from ads. That's bloody 25%. And if they are capable of holding a 1 billion dollar loan from banks and institutions, it must mean should have a minimum of 750 million dollars in liquid assets (stock, raw cash, and other instantly sellable stuff), I doubt it that low too, because companies like EA have massive stake in other businesses, Eidos, Activision are no different.

Reducing the price of games will have no SIGNIFICANT effect on their the poor people who need to feed their families waa waaah. Most of those rich [watch the language] probably have stock interests from the companies that hire them.

Gamers/Consumers are taken for a grand ride here. With over 50% of EA (and assuming other companies) coming from external sources, 50% income from selling games is nothing. Compared to the 90% reliance of tickets from the movie industry.

A significant reason why the gaming industry is more prosperous than the movie industry, because income - comes in several other forms.

TBH, I can go on and on about this, it was my bloody TOK essay.

PM me if you want me to rant more.