Copy Protection
I've done most of the code for Democracy 2's copy protection. The original game was a full install exe that when bought, you just installed and ran. In any sane world, that would be fine. But todays world is sadly not that idealistic .(I even had one scumbag of a customer buy the full copy of one of my games, then post the download link on a warez forum. This person didn't think they were identifiable, but in fact I have her home address and phone number. If I wished to do so, it's an open and shut case for prosecution.)
I don't live in a box, i know about warez, and I know when my games get posted.
Sadly, I need to do something to prevent the rampant casual piracy that is becoming the norm in pc gaming. The industry seems to have 3 solutions right now:
I'm not about to do 1) and I hate 2), which leaves 3). So Democracy 2 will need to be validated on-line. It should be very quick, and very painless, and there's no spyware or rootkits or other nonsense. Just an on-line serial number check before you can run the game for the first time. And it-s a one-off thing.
This means that if you want a friend to buy the game, burn it to a disk for you, so you can play it on your machine that has no internet access, your fucked. Sorry, but that's the inevitable downside, and I suspect 99.99% of my customers have web access, as I am pretty much an on-line company. Don't buy the game if you want to play it on a machine that never has web access.
You will still be able to install it on multiple machines (but not dozens!), you can still backup the installer, you can still get the game again in 5 years time if your house gets blown up by terrorists etc etc.
I wish I didn't have to take time away from game development to do that crap, but as usual in life 1% of people are screwing it up for the other 99%. People who pirate games might as well wear a T shirt saying " I hope PC gaming dies", because the number one reason for that right now is people not buying the stuff,
Feel free to say what you think about all this.
BTW, the game is going well, only a few weeks still to go before final testing starts,
I don't live in a box, i know about warez, and I know when my games get posted.
Sadly, I need to do something to prevent the rampant casual piracy that is becoming the norm in pc gaming. The industry seems to have 3 solutions right now:
1) make MMO games exclusively.
2) ad-supported games which are free
3)on-line validation by a central server
2) ad-supported games which are free
3)on-line validation by a central server
I'm not about to do 1) and I hate 2), which leaves 3). So Democracy 2 will need to be validated on-line. It should be very quick, and very painless, and there's no spyware or rootkits or other nonsense. Just an on-line serial number check before you can run the game for the first time. And it-s a one-off thing.
This means that if you want a friend to buy the game, burn it to a disk for you, so you can play it on your machine that has no internet access, your fucked. Sorry, but that's the inevitable downside, and I suspect 99.99% of my customers have web access, as I am pretty much an on-line company. Don't buy the game if you want to play it on a machine that never has web access.
You will still be able to install it on multiple machines (but not dozens!), you can still backup the installer, you can still get the game again in 5 years time if your house gets blown up by terrorists etc etc.
I wish I didn't have to take time away from game development to do that crap, but as usual in life 1% of people are screwing it up for the other 99%. People who pirate games might as well wear a T shirt saying " I hope PC gaming dies", because the number one reason for that right now is people not buying the stuff,
Feel free to say what you think about all this.
BTW, the game is going well, only a few weeks still to go before final testing starts,
posted by cliff at
2:19 PM
11 Comments:
I have two comments. Firstly, I would hope that you have something arranged in the unlikely event that you move out of the business, or have to take the verification server down, or what have you. Probably won't ever happen, and if it does not for a very long time, but it would be nice to know (for peace of mind when buying, if nothing else) that you have a patch ready to release if something major happens in a decade or so.
A minor issue, I'm sure, and I'm likely to buy the game anyway, but you did invite comments...
Secondly, I've been having some fun with Dominions 3 lately, which has an interesting method of copy protection. It's probably not applicable to your game, since Dominions 3 is most popular in multiplayer, but might be of interest - it uses basic offline serial numbers, but the patches are updated with any serials known to have been pirated. A turn or so into the game, if it even starts, the UI vanishes, or becomes horribly buggy, or some such thing - I'm not too clear on the specifics.
Of course, this is made more effective by the large amounts of new content introduced in the patches - new nations and so on, and the game uses a more standard method of checking that multiplayer games have a unique serial for each player.
While as I noted this is not very applicable to Democracy 2, it is one of the "nicer" schemes I've seen. It also has the added benefit of allowing people to laugh at some of the posters on the tech support forum...
By
Anonymous, at 3:26 PM
Yes it would be trivial for me to release a patch that removed the copy protection, and I'd likely do that after a set period anyway, even if still in business :D. I do plan a few updates to the game, and those will indeed perform the serial check at the time they update.
By
cliff, at 3:32 PM
Personally, I have no problems with a single online activation, nowadays its not a big deal.
Its handy if it can allow an extra install or 2.
If I were writing the code myself I'd expect that a hacker wouldn't find it hard to locate the places in the executable where the activation calls are made, and then get around them. Or, they will see how the app stores the activation data, and hack that :( I guess it needs some v careful coding.
By
baz, at 8:33 PM
I think copyright protection is like your cars door locks. It's not meant to keep car thieves or real criminals out it's meant to keep the casual wannabe crooks from thinking about breaking in.
With copy protection its the same thing a hacker will hack your stuff. There is no way around it. If not even the the big 'M' with their billions of dollars can stop people from hacking there stuff what makes you think anyone can?
All you can really do is make it hard for the wannabes. Eventually if you go to most warez sites you are just asking for trouble (ie. trojans, virus, and being botted.) So they eventually get theirs in the end for stealing.
Just My opinion.
By
Anonymous, at 11:50 PM
You're totally right to do this. Anyone with a half a brain can find a way to get full indie games in a matter of minutes due to the lackluster piracy protection, it's a shame as it really does hurt small developers.
By
Paul, at 11:58 PM
I don't have a problem with a single online verification check, but anything more can be very annoying.
I often use a laptop or computer connected to a tv where the internet isn't always available.
One particular game, I found it easier to get the crack than mess around setting up when you just want to play!
By
Anonymous, at 12:12 AM
Anyone who would pirate your game if it had a simple off line serial number check, would pirate the game if it had an online validation. The fact is, anything will be cracked, why inconvenience your paying customers?
By
Anonymous, at 7:36 PM
Maybe add a satire mode to Democracy 2 where the political factions are replaced by the various interests of the video game industry and you're implementing policies to combat piracy. Political satire done effectively giving all piraters a guild trip.
By
Pacifika, at 1:12 AM
I'm a supporter of indie developers and a hater of copy protection. Just offering my views, having just played the Democracy 2 demo.
I have to say online activation would definitely be my preference over methods like StarForce/Securom.
Most of the boxed games I've bought retail over the past year I've had to crack in order to play, because the copy protection caused errors/crashes. I quite like Valve's Steam though, when it works.
I enjoyed the Democracy 2 demo, but felt pretty cheated when it killed my game halfway through the first term without warning (I was on a roll!). Despite this I'd buy it without hesitation for US$10-15. I don't like to shell out more than that when I don't have some idea how long the game will hold my interest for.
Just my 1.0-1.5c
By
Anonymous, at 2:18 AM
I'm not a pirate, so maybe I'm not the best person to talk about this, but I _do_ have an opinion.
Short answer: If you need an online activation for a standalone game, I won't be buying it. If your software includes 'copy protection' software (i.e. StarForce, etc.) I won't buy it. If you want my money, sell me a game in a box that will install and run on my computer as is, regardless of (a) whether or not my computer is connected to the internet, or (b) how many times I install it, rebuild my computer, upgrade, etc. In short, DON'T TREAT ME LIKE A CRIMINAL!
There, wasn't that easy? Of course, you _will_ still be faced with piracy--just like the music industry has suffered from since its inception. When I was a kid, people were getting records from the library and taping them at home. Guess what--you can't stop it. Your stupid schemes will annoy most people to some degree (in some cases, enough to convince them to not pay for future games), and will only slightly slow down the spread of hacked versions of your game.
Here's the thing: Games will be copied. Copy-protected games will be copied MORE, because breaking the protection is a challenge to overcome.
The question to ask yourself before implementing any copy-protection scheme is simple, but developers usually get it wrong. It's not about the amount of copying, it's about the lost revenue. Ask yourself this:
How many of the people pirating my games would pay for them if the copy-protection was unbreakable?
Or worded differently;
How many people who play my games for free would continue to play (and pay) if the free option were taken away from them?
The answer is likely 'not enough to justify pissing off paying customers.'
By
Anonymous, at 3:28 PM
Almost forgot something.
"I have her home address and phone number. If I wished to do so, it's an open and shut case for prosecution."
Then bloody well DO IT! If you've got evidence to tie a person to a crime, then get them charged for it. I'm afraid I don't have a lot of sympathy when I hear, "Boo hoo, piracy is ruining my life" but the speaker doesn't do anything about piracy when it happens and can be tracked to the source.
Nail the criminals! That's not too hard, is it?
By
Anonymous, at 3:43 PM
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