Best form of anti-piracy

[Helegad]

I've been thinking lately about what the best form of anti-piracy of games would be. SecuROM and DRM are both bullshit, and everyone agrees. Nobody likes it because it installs rootkits and you get a limited number of installs, so basically you're buying a rental (if that makes sense).

Now, with unlimited internet plans around the world being replaced by quota and pay-per-usage plans because of high-internet traffic (HQ video sites, BitTorrent, LimeWire, etc.) putting strain on ISPs, everyone will eventually end up with limited internet usage by, let's say 2050 (that's my estimation).

Here's my plan. Apparently GTAIV PC comes on two DVDs. Can anyone say probably two dual-layers? The install size is 16GB, so I'd say so. I recently saw a torrent for it: 13GB. I would NEVER download something that big, because that's half of my monthly quota. I've got my copy on layby . But I digress. This poses a question: as game quality goes up, so does file size, and with limited quotas EVERYWHERE in the future, that poses a serious problem for full-time pirates who don't want to pay for anything.

So my solution is: just put CD checks in games. No DRM. No SecuROM. No internet activations. No limited installs. By 2050, terabyte harddrives will be standard in a family computer. Games will be maybe 100GB for an install and come on a format that's after Blu-Ray that can hold like 100GB on discs or whatever. I'm sure that quotas will always go up in size, but then again, since the game sizes are going up too, pirates will have trouble downloading more than two games per month without your ISP pounding their asses with bills for $1000.

So let time take it's toll. Eventually we'll see the end of piracy, thanks to next-gen games

[biohazard_star]

So file size increases but compression technology and speed and quality of ISPs don't? What.

You assume that in 2050 videogames will still be distributed via actual tangible copy, but who's to say that by then everyone is already using a futuristic Steam-like client to buy and get games on their computers?

You're 42 years early on what kind of anti-piracy technique should be used in 2050. It's hard to guess since we don't even know what kind of technology would be available in 2050.

[Darkmoon]

Honestly, newer games seem harder to copy than older ones. When I was a kid using a PS1 every bugger I know had a chipped PS1 and copied games. Nowadays I don't own a single one...and nor does any of my less moral friends and relatives. It's just too awakard, at least from what I understand, and with so many games needing online stuff...

[Scott Green]

I thought we'd have colonized mars in 2050 already...

Anyway anti-piracy is as wrong and violent than piracy itself... Afterall I am buying a game for a life-time and not for a 5 use-throw away thingy...
So the best form of anti-piracy is to revamp the whole business concept and adjust it to the current piracy methods (file-sharing, etc.). Honestly I have no clue how this could work out, I am no businessman... and surely people will find loopholes and backdoors everywhere. So no matter what you do on that part it's still gonna leak somewhere... i.e. someone WILL get a copy of your game into his hands and he CAN do whatever he is able to with it, sharing, copying etc. and that's a fact and if the economy doesn't accept that we will get our DRM-shit and we will be pissed and we will 'steal' it... it's a neverending circle....

Future ISP is surely faster and cheaper... you probably gonna download your 100gb game in a few mins and you gonna pay for your ISP something that's 'equal' to todays price (including inflation, currency change etc.)

Who knows maybe in 2050 humankind realized that money is actually worthless and we stopped world hunger etc.

[Helegad]

That's being too hopeful, Scott Green. My vision of the future is an apocalyptic one, because of oil stocks running low and poverty everywhere.

But whatever. My point is that with quotas, pirates won't download as much. It would be too costly and it would take too long. That's about as far into anti-piracy we'll probably get.

[rewak]

Best for of anti-piracy is to not have any copy protection on the games. Seriously, if i like a game i download i'll go buy it, but if i download a game, like it then find the retail has some pain in the ass copy protection on it i don't bother.

Or, do what Nintendo did, use a format like a cartridge or mini-dvd that can't be read in a proper drive. Yeah these get worked around eventually, but when they do its still not easy to pirate the games.

ISP's being little bitches isn't any deterrent, all that does is put you off that ISP.

[Helegad]

But for PC games? It doesn't work.

Spore was cracked and torrented without DRM something like 3 days before released. Yet EA went ahead and released it with all the DRM shit. I reckon they sold one or two copies. No more.

[Scott Green]

That's being too hopeful, Scott Green. My vision of the future is an apocalyptic one, because of oil stocks running low and poverty everywhere.

But whatever. My point is that with quotas, pirates won't download as much. It would be too costly and it would take too long. That's about as far into anti-piracy we'll probably get.

Sure we will end in WWIII probably, that's like a lot more possible than peace... sadly. Though I for myself hope for a Zombie Apocalypse

Anyway I know what you mean about that dl thingy. I for myself wouldn't dl bunches of gb just to play the latest game... It's like Darkmoon already said... I noticed that myself back in the day everyone had a PSX with a chip and a million of burned games at home... nowadays i don't even know anyone who for example has a 360 with a chip... well anyway with games it gets harder to 'pirate' them, but piracy is everywhere and noone gonna stop it.... WWIII anyone?

But anyway in the first post you said best form of anti-piracy is doing nothing... I can assure you noone is gonna do nothing when he sees 'evil-pirates' around, arrrrrr

[Member_of_STARS]

Fact is, to ensure further motivation for developers to work on games, something has to be done about piracy.

No DRM doesnt work. It least to instant 90% piracy rate, the awesome thing is that even if the game is released for free, about 90% of it is going to be distributed via P2P networks.

On the other hand, SecuROM has proven to be an utter bloody pain in the ass and my heart is out there with its latest victims, the Spore players.

Todays most secure PC games anti-piracy is excellent online content/network/multiplayer with client authentification either in the form of Steam or a central master server.

Unfortunately one day the industry has to decide, whether to bend over for pirates and sell with 90% p-rate or move over to digital distribution and online authentification. There pretty much is no other alternative.

Ironic, that the biggest problem with piracy is also its only saving possibility.

[Helegad]

I didn't say 'do nothing' I said implement standard copy-protection measures. CD checks only, and maybe a bit of the latest SafeDisc to prevent burning.

[riderkid]

how bout a special code that when registered means the game is only playable to the account of the person. it seems to work for steam

[Helegad]

GTAIV has got SecuROM and activation and Rockstar Social Club and Games For Windows LIVE!!!!!!!!!!! and DRM painted all over it.

You'd think that Rockstar would have learned from the Spore situation. For shame.

[Mr_Zombie]

GTAIV has got SecuROM and activation and Rockstar Social Club and Games For Windows LIVE!!!!!!!!!!! and DRM painted all over it.

And yet the game is still being pirated.
Really, there's no "best form of anty-piracy", everything that a man can create, another man can break. And sadly, in the end, all those anty-piracy security measures hurt peoples that bought the game legally, and not the ones that downloaded a cracked version from Internet :/.

[Carnivol]

The most interesting thing about anti-piracy methods and such is the amount of misinformation that is floating amongst the haters/opposers, who quite frankly most of the time have no clue what they're actually talking about, and how their loud and vocal misinformation based bitching is not only affecting sales, but also contains hilariously retarded piracy encouragement.


Anyway, my favorite form for anti-piracy meassures are the old code wheels, color tables and the manual look ups. Just too bad those aren't very effective in this day and age. Not only because publishers are getting cheaper and cheaper, but also because some of them aren't very friendly to minorities (such as to those with colorblindness) and everything can just easily be recreated and spread with little to no effort in this day and age.