[Grendel]

Come on guys, I know you think this is some kind of game, but...

Don't copy that floppy.

Seriously, don't do it.  You copy that floppy, you gonna get raped in prison - DP-style.

[WhiteKnight77]

It's been a while since we discussed piracy, but Would-be Modern Warfare 2 pirate busted. This guy had posted some of this at a Usenet site amongst other places. I hope they throw the book at him.

[Cpl Ledanek]

he could have waited a week and get it at eBay dirt cheap
*my theory*  

[dporter]

WhiteKnight77, on Nov 9 2009, 03:56 PM, said:

It's been a while since we discussed piracy, but Would-be Modern Warfare 2 pirate busted. This guy had posted some of this at a Usenet site amongst other places. I hope they throw the book at him.

I'm glad people are really getting busted for this crap.  And although Microsoft does a very good job at keeping the pirates off of the live service it's obvious that pirating is alive and well on the consoles.

[WhiteKnight77]

Edios has a way to tell if you pirated Batman: Arkham Asylum: Problem with glide.

[MONOLITH]

WhiteKnight77, on Dec 10 2009, 09:43 PM, said:

Edios has a way to tell if you pirated Batman: Arkham Asylum: Problem with glide.

I love that stuff.

I wish they'd go a step further and have the software crash the guy's hard drive completely. Start a total re-format even.  

[rookie]

MONOLITH, on Dec 11 2009, 11:03 PM, said:

I love that stuff.

I wish they'd go a step further and have the software crash the guy's hard drive completely. Start a total re-format even.  

I'd love that. Though we are living in a world in which those who have a pirated copy would be able to sue the publishers/devs who implemented a code that makes a HDD crash completely.  

[V2_Bloodline]

Modern Warfare 2 Most Pirated Game of 2009 | TorrentFreak

PC gamers: we're slitting our own throats

[WhiteKnight77]

No, I disagree. We here would not download a game just because it is on a torrent site. We here will pay for the games we want. It's those who have no scruples who pirate games and hurts those of us who who do pay for games.

[Bota:16]

Sorry I don't put alot of faith in a torrent sites word.  And BTW a torrent download does not equal a lost sale, not even close.  Personally I wish someone would just napalm bomb torrent host servers.  I would venture to say 99% of all torrent traffic is illegal.  If a particualry piece of content is free, you would go to the source.  Torrent sites exist for one purpose and one purpose only....copyrighted material.

[ratoa]

Quite funny that developers/publishers always aim their guns to the PC arena

What about the thousands of Xbox Live users that got banned a month ago using MW2 pirate copies of the game

Personally I know 4 of them

Anyway I don't trust any information given by a torrent site

[dporter]

ratoa, on Dec 30 2009, 07:17 AM, said:

Quite funny that developers/publishers always aim their guns to the PC arena

What about the thousands of Xbox Live users that got banned a month ago using MW2 pirate copies of the game

Personally I know 4 of them

Anyway I don't trust any information given by a torrent site

Did you see the large gap in numbers between illegal console downloads of MW2 and the PC downloads?  It is such a hassle and pain in the butt for console players to do it that it just isn't worth their time.

[BOTA:49]

Bota:16, on Dec 30 2009, 01:21 AM, said:

a torrent download does not equal a lost sale

Say only 1 out of 100 of those downloads were someone who would have actually paid for the game.  4.1 million.  That's 41,000 more copies they would have sold.  And the official number of sold wasn't even 200,000.  I think damn near anyone would be happy with a 20% increase in pay.  Nobody knows the real number of course, but I'm pretty damn sure it'd be more than just 1% of the downloads that would have been real sales, so the number could be even higher.

dporter, on Dec 30 2009, 05:57 AM, said:

Did you see the large gap in numbers between illegal console downloads of MW2 and the PC downloads?  It is such a hassle and pain in the butt for console players to do it that it just isn't worth their time.

That's comparing apples and oranges.  Think of it terms of market share.  More XBoxes floating around (with lower piracy numbers) than PC's dedicated to gaming on the same level (with a higher level of piracy).  It's pretty much a no-brainer.

Still waiting on being able to use my USB keyboard and mouse on a console....

[Tactical Jerky]

BOTA:49, on Dec 30 2009, 10:25 PM, said:

Still waiting on being able to use my USB keyboard and mouse on a console....

The PS3 supports both a USB mouse and keyboard.

[BOTA:49]

Tactical Jerky, on Dec 30 2009, 03:34 PM, said:

The PS3 supports both a USB mouse and keyboard.

And very few games support it from my understanding.  I mean native, 100% use of my keyboard and mouse in any game with the option to change my control setup in any configuration I want.  Something PC gamers are used to.  Unfortunately most console games have preset controller settings, so if I want a certain button to do something I might be stuck with another doing something I don't want it to.

[Tactical Jerky]

BOTA:49, on Dec 30 2009, 11:54 PM, said:

And very few games support it from my understanding.  I mean native, 100% use of my keyboard and mouse in any game with the option to change my control setup in any configuration I want.  Something PC gamers are used to.  Unfortunately most console games have preset controller settings, so if I want a certain button to do something I might be stuck with another doing something I don't want it to.

In the end it still is a console and not a PC. But than there is this. And unfortunately I haven't had the chance to try one out myself but if the thing does what they claim, than it allows you to use analogue controls and a mouse at the same time. So basically best of both worlds.

[BOTA:49]

Tactical Jerky, on Dec 30 2009, 04:16 PM, said:

In the end it still is a console and not a PC. But than there is this. And unfortunately I haven't had the chance to try one out myself but if the thing does what they claim, than it allows you to use analogue controls and a mouse at the same time. So basically best of both worlds.

And I would be perfectly happy dropping my PC (for the most part) in favor of my 360 if I had the exact same controller options available on it.  A console that properly supports USB keyboard and mice along with customizable controls for every game released would be dandy.

And that FragFX thing, from what I hear, is horrid.  Not quite what I would want.

[WhiteKnight77]

When the XBox starts supporting control panels for FS, I will give up my PC (though I will not buy the $$$$ variety, the Saitek Pro line of panels and gear work for me). I don't see the XBox allowing connections to a MCP like this any time soon.

[BOTA:49]

That used to be on the original XBox, but was meant for only a specific game.  Something like that for console flight sims would be just peachy.

[Bota:16]

UBI announced the DRM they will be using on the upcoming Assassin's Creed 2 and most future PC titles.
http://www.shacknews...article.x/62098

Quote

Developer and publisher Ubisoft's new PC DRM solution will feature no CD checks or installation limits and pack support for 'cloud' online saved game storage but will require players be online to authenticate before playing, GameSpy reveals.

Players will be required to login to their Ubi.com account to authenticate each and every time they wish to play--and there will be no support at all for offline play

"We think most people are going to be fine with it. Most people are always connected to an Internet connection," said Ubisoft director of customer support Brent Wilkinson.

The DRM platform will debut with the closed beta test of Blue Byte city-building strategy The Settlers 7. "Most upcoming Ubisoft PC games" will make use of the platform, though GameSpy says not all will support cloud saves.

    What are the key elements of this platform for PC gamers?
    Although a permanent online connection is required, this means that a CD/DVD is not required to play the game after installation. The protected game can be installed as many times and on as many computers as you like. Saved games are also synchronized online so the user can continue playing from any location with the game installed.

    How many players can the server system support?
    There is no limit to how many players can play at the same time. For each title, we carefully study the demand and allocate servers accordingly. We will also of course allocate back-up servers in order to be able to respond to fluctuations in demand. Ubisoft provides 24/7 monitoring of its servers.

    How many computers can I install the game on?
    There is no limit to the number of computers on which you can install the game. However you can only play with your individual Ubisoft account on one computer at a time.

    Can I play my game from another computer?
    Yes. As long as the game is installed on the PC, you can play from any computer and your Ubisoft account will recognise your last saved position as well as automatically save any updates.

    I am in a strict environment with lots of firewall rules etc. Can I still play the game?
    If you can access the Internet from the computer, you can play the game.

    What if Ubisoft decides not run these online services in the future? Will my game stop working?
    If any service is stopped, we will create a patch for the game so that the core game play will not be affected.

    What will happen if I lose my Internet connection when I play the game?
    If you lose your Internet connection the game will pause while it tries to reconnect. If the Internet Connection is unable to resume you can continue the game from where you left off or from the last saved game.

    Will I need to be online the whole time when I play the game? Including for single player?
    Yes. You will need to have an active Internet connection to play the game, for all game modes.

    Will this platform use unique keys?
    Yes. Unique keys are verified throughout this system.

    Will this affect the performance of my PC?
    No. The services that we offer run only when you start the game and there are no background services.

    Do you have to be a member of Uplay to use this service platform?
    This system requires you to have a Ubi.com account. A Uplay and a Ubi.com account are the same. You don't need to use Uplay to use this service platform, but if you wish to do so, it's very simple.

    Do you plan to implement this system on home consoles?
    This system is for PCs only.

    Will this system be available for every Ubisoft game?
    Most upcoming Ubisoft PC games will make use of this system.

Thoughts?