I build my own computers. I own my software, including the OS. I've had Starforce on my system, and removed it. I got it from a demo, i repeate, a demo. I have Securom on my system now, although it is indeed version 7, it did not come with activation limits or forced online acivitation. It's not about the DRM ruinning my system, and although I own NWN 2, and am aware of the 1.23 patch creating a verifiable problem for legal owners, as it the issues BSOD issues with that game came with a patch updating Securom, I didn't install the patch and won't until after they patch that patches' problem,which doesn't include the hotfix.

I've been playing games for many, many, many years myself and refuse to purchase games that come with acvitation limits or forced online activations unless it has a reason to have online activation, such as mmorpgs. Your attempt to classify people who take an issue with having their consumer rights stomped on by the likes of EA, Ubisoft and Amazon as pirates you can dismiss is just BS. When you come up with a better arugment, let me know.

Nesrie,

I wasn't painting everyone a "pirate".  Please carefully re-read my post.  I was simply stating that I myself have nothing on my systems, nor do I DO anything with my systems that could be seen as such.  If anything, I was implying that most issues with software compatibility (and YES DRM is still software) can be in my opinion traced back to issues within the O/S or system configuration and therefore not a problem with the DRM itself, but rather a user-created issue!  I have never had any "emulation software" of any kind on my systems and in my experience that type of software is something most recent DRM has issues with.  That's a problem?  Not mine anyway.....

dmantione,

My oldest son is 19, when do you figure my software will begin to refuse to obey me?  When I'm too old to use it anymore anyway?   hehe

Seriously though, as I pointed out to Nesrie above......I don't have "emulation software" or any other sort of that strain of software on my machines.  I run vanilla OS installs, and don't use stupid "disable these 30 useless windows services guides".  I make sure everything is always up-to-date and as corruption-free as I can keep things.  Installing and using DRM-enabled software on my kind of system has therefore never resulted in any adverse effects.

@ Everyone,

Sure, if you insist on running "emulation software" and who knows what other malware (and YES I know I just classified "emulation software" as malware......just as many of you classify DRM as malware! ) don't be surprised if the DRM balks! 

All I'm saying is this.  On my vanilla-OS gaming machines (varous hardware/OS builds over the MANY MANY years!) with no "questionable software" (emulators, iso readers, decrypters, etc.) and ALL patches as well as leaving the OS completely functional by not turning-off this or that service etc. I haven't ever had a single issue........even with some of the most restrictive DRM out there.

My question is.......why is everyone out there content with chalking up my experience to COINCIDENCE?  Maybe people are afraid of recognizing my experiences for what they are..........afraid of using my methods.......afraid they will no longer have an issue with DRM!  

As far as Dawn of Discovery (the game) goes......... I'm loving it more each time I play it.   The visuals as already stated are fantastic.  The "immersion" feels right.  My only beef so far is that the campaign seems to be the tutorial and that is a bit of a turn-off for me.  Other than that I'm having a blast.  If you're into city-builders at all......I highly recommend this game!

the Monk

No he doesn't. He's stated many times already that he doesn't 'suffer' from DRM in any way, shape or form. He 'rolls' with it. It doesn't cause a problem. There are never any hiccups in his system or games because of it. It is there, but not an issue.

I can say the same thing frankly. I've never ever had a problem with DRM. It's just not that big a deal as long as you are not tweaking and modifying your OS to 'squeeze' that last bit of performance out of it or whatever reason you may have.

The game in this case is just flat out beautiful and FUN to play. If you're missing out on it merely because you would be inconvenienced by 3 activations then it sucks to be you.

Yeah, because the hundreds of other titles I am playing, most with minimal DRM issues or not at all makes my life not worth living... right. I buy a lot of games, and guess what, it's pretty easy to avoid the ones where the publishers think they have a right to limit my purchase at their whim. I'll be buying another one soon and then another after that.. all without activation limits. Your idiotic statement just shows the self righteous behavior people like you have when it comes to disagreements. I don't agree with you. Live with it.

Besides, the game is boring. More like Settlers: the Stripped Down Version. But to each their own.

Uh...you obviously didn't read the_Monk's post. It was never said that nobody else had any problems with DRM. the_Monk only stated that many of these problems are user created, and not the fault of the DRM itself.

I've never had any DRM issues in my history of gaming since the ZX Spectrum 48k.  I used to get a little annoyed every time I had to get the paper wheel out of the box to match up Monkey heads with idols and stuff just to play the game.

Is it a coincidence? Probably. Since my legit, vanilla, non tweaked to hell OS is pretty similar to yours, and one day Mass Effect just decided to stop working for a while due to SecuROM.

All you're doing is saying that anybody who has had problems with DRM is doing something wrong. It's not true. My father in law has a pretty normal setup and has been burned by DRM so many times that he gave up on PC gaming entirely and bought an Xbox 360. I wonder how stuff like that helps the PC game industry compete against the consoles? It's not like he was demanding a whole lot, he just wanted the game he bought to run properly and not tell him that he's a pirate. (Oddy enough the pirated version worked correctly. Go figure.)

Oh... you were just trolling... Moving along...

...

Okay okay, so you're basically saying that if I want to avoid problems with DRM I need to get a new PC that's used just for gaming? That's like saying that there IS a problem with DRM. Big one too.

Oh, and guess what a paying customer who's having problems with DRM does? He gets a crack for his game. And then it works just fine. Isn't that funny?

Viisari,

Not only are you twisting my words and attempting to use circular reasoning against me, you conveniently omitted my second point, so I'll quote myself again:

Put Plainly!  DRM exists because WE decided somewhere along the way that if it can be TAKEN without paying for it, why PAY?

Problem:

 Please read the following carefully.  What I'm saying is.......there is a problem with what people think they should be able to do with their systems. 

You yourself said, having an ISO-reader/emulator installed (which let's not forget...you HAVE used for legit purposes.......) caused a certain DRM to balk.

So in fact, something you had installed on your system which is MOST OFTEN used for illegal purposes (but you have used plenty of times for legit reasons) caused alarms to go off in the DRM which exists because WE insisted to make a sport of TAKING things we should be PAYING for?  You can't see the real problem there? 

Solution:

People want be able to download anything and everything, install anything and everything, run anything and everying.  That can only work if everyone is also prepared to accept the consequences of said actions.  There are any number of reasons NOT to do one or all of the aforementioned not the least being that you may cause something ELSE to not function.

There are TWO ways to accept the consequences of one's computational actions!

1.  If you insist on running emulators, decryptors, rippers, image-readers and the lot on your machine and DRM bitches at you, then un-install the offending software and chalk the frustration received as a result up to your own stubborness on the subject.

-or-

2.  Do what I and obviously some other people have figured out.  Run two machines.  One for the DRM-enabled games which is kept clean of all "questionable software", so you will never have DRM hissy-fits, and another to do your "dirty" work on.

By the way, Dawn of Discovery is such a beautiful game.  I seriously feel sorry for anyone who feels the need to forego this amazing game based on the vapid reasons for doing so detailed in this now thoroughly hiijacked thread!

-- monk out!

And now you're making up statistics. And the problem here is that a game that I bought is checking my computer for software that the publisher THINKS is bad. It's not their place to decide what I can and cannot install on my computer. It's my computer. I decide what I install on it, not them. Such tools are not illegal, and even though you insist that they're mostly used for illegal purposes you show no evidence for this, except for your gut feeling. If DRM did this for all 'questionable software' then yes, we'd all HAVE to buy a second computer for just gaming and that'd be very very silly.

Out of all my friends no one has a separate gaming computer. Why? Why'd they need one? Why should they need one? Why's one computer not enough? You ARE saying that the solution to all DRM-problems is a computer solely for gaming. Well, that's stupid. Sure, if you want to have one then be my guest, but why should everyone else get one when one computer would do the same job just fine. DRM is CREATING the problems which so many people complain about. If there was no DRM, this problem would be non-existent.

Now, wanting to protect your stuff is okay I guess, but doing it in a way that harms buying customers is WRONG. And even funnier, the pirates get a BETTER product. They will suffer none of the bad things DRM might do. So the pirates are getting a problem free game for free. Now I like buying stuff. But when the game I just bought from a shop refuses to work because some publisher somewhere decided it was a good idea to annoy paying customers, I start wondering why I even bothered with buying it. Had I downloaded it, I'd have it for free (no shiny case though) and without problems caused by DRM. And I've lost count on how many times I've had problems with different games. And even more funnily, the problems are usually solved by getting a crack.

This will probably get me banned but whatever, I don't even care. I'm playing this game. It's a great game, one of the best city builders for a long time. But I refuse to buy it. If they ever release it without TAGES, I'll buy it that very second. But not before. Isn't that kinda funny? I resorted to piracy because they tried to protect their software from it. Doesn't that make DRM kinda counter-productive? Surely any sane person could see that all DRM does is harm. It harms customers and it harms the companies using it.

You can say I'm a dirty pirate or that pirates are the reason DRM exists, but hey, they offered a better product. I don't have to worry if TAGES servers are up ten years from now, or how many different machines I can install the game on, I can just play it without problems.  It's a shame I can't get such a product from a store.

Actually, it doesn't need one.