Posted By: deleterman
DRM - 04/15/16 06:52 PM
WHAT IS drm? 
DRM
Posted By: Jenny100
Re: DRM - 04/15/16 07:19 PM
I assume you don't understand the Wikipedia answer that Ana posted.
Here is what it means to gamers:
Your game does not play because it uses online activation, and the company that made the game went out of business or decided not to support the game anymore.
Your game on CD or DVD does not work because the SafeDisc/SecuROM/StarForce/etc that the game disc is infected with is no longer tolerated by Microsoft. Microsoft found it was responsible for system instability and was a security hole (making it easier for hackers to take over your computer).
Your game on CD or DVD does not work because your CD or DVD drive is slightly off spec in terms of read speed, and the SafeDisc/SecuROM/etc. that the game disc is infected with expects a slightly different read speed (age of the drive doesn't necessarily matter, though older drives are more apt to be slightly off spec).
Your game on CD or DVD may take 5 minutes to start instead of 15 seconds due to so called "disc checks" that scan and rescan for hidden sectors of the CD or DVD that are hard to read. You may hear your drive revving up, slowing down, reving up again at a different speed, slowing down again, rinse and repeat. Cross your fingers that the drive eventually gets past the check. No question that this wears out the drive.
Your Steam-based downloaded game does not work because it phones home, and your account has been hacked and used for a transaction Steam disapproves of, so Steam locked your account.
Your downloaded game has a limited number of activations, and even though you've only played the game once before, someone used a key generator that managed to spun up a key that was the same as yours, so used up your activations.
DRM is junk added to a game that does nothing at all for the customer and often prevents the customer from playing their legitimately purchased game. Ostensibly it's to prevent pirates from playing illegal copies, but in fact the pirates always find a way around these restrictions while only people who paid for the game are cheated and can't play the game.
Game publishers use DRM because they either don't care about their customers once they have their money, or are suckered into believing it slows the pirates down for a week or two. Never mind that it inconveniences paying customers forever.
Do I need to go on?
I lost a $50 CD drive because of trying to play Broken Sword 3 on CD (which used StarForce). It was more than the game was worth.
DRM is sometimes called copy "protection" but stands for "Digital Rights Management" and can cause more problems than just preventing your game from running. Sony was infamous for creating a rootkit in their DRM for music CD's.
Eventually enough people stopped buying games that included any form of DRM that we now see retailers advertising DRM-free games.
DRM doesn't necessarily prevent a game from playing and a DRM-free game may not play for other reasons. But chances are you'll have an easier time installing and playing your game if it's DRM-free.
Here is what it means to gamers:
Your game does not play because it uses online activation, and the company that made the game went out of business or decided not to support the game anymore.
Your game on CD or DVD does not work because the SafeDisc/SecuROM/StarForce/etc that the game disc is infected with is no longer tolerated by Microsoft. Microsoft found it was responsible for system instability and was a security hole (making it easier for hackers to take over your computer).
Your game on CD or DVD does not work because your CD or DVD drive is slightly off spec in terms of read speed, and the SafeDisc/SecuROM/etc. that the game disc is infected with expects a slightly different read speed (age of the drive doesn't necessarily matter, though older drives are more apt to be slightly off spec).
Your game on CD or DVD may take 5 minutes to start instead of 15 seconds due to so called "disc checks" that scan and rescan for hidden sectors of the CD or DVD that are hard to read. You may hear your drive revving up, slowing down, reving up again at a different speed, slowing down again, rinse and repeat. Cross your fingers that the drive eventually gets past the check. No question that this wears out the drive.
Your Steam-based downloaded game does not work because it phones home, and your account has been hacked and used for a transaction Steam disapproves of, so Steam locked your account.
Your downloaded game has a limited number of activations, and even though you've only played the game once before, someone used a key generator that managed to spun up a key that was the same as yours, so used up your activations.
DRM is junk added to a game that does nothing at all for the customer and often prevents the customer from playing their legitimately purchased game. Ostensibly it's to prevent pirates from playing illegal copies, but in fact the pirates always find a way around these restrictions while only people who paid for the game are cheated and can't play the game.
Game publishers use DRM because they either don't care about their customers once they have their money, or are suckered into believing it slows the pirates down for a week or two. Never mind that it inconveniences paying customers forever.
Do I need to go on?
I lost a $50 CD drive because of trying to play Broken Sword 3 on CD (which used StarForce). It was more than the game was worth.
DRM is sometimes called copy "protection" but stands for "Digital Rights Management" and can cause more problems than just preventing your game from running. Sony was infamous for creating a rootkit in their DRM for music CD's.
Eventually enough people stopped buying games that included any form of DRM that we now see retailers advertising DRM-free games.
DRM doesn't necessarily prevent a game from playing and a DRM-free game may not play for other reasons. But chances are you'll have an easier time installing and playing your game if it's DRM-free.
Posted By: deleterman
Re: DRM - 04/15/16 10:15 PM
thank you for the info. 
