ACII PC requires internet connection

By Oli Welsh Published 18 February, 2010

Lose progress if disconnected.

The PC Gamer Blog has first-hand confirmation that the PC version of Assassin's Creed II features Ubisoft's controversial new anti-piracy system.

The system requires any Ubisoft PC game to be have a permanent online connection to Ubisoft's servers in order to be played.

Blog author Tom Francis experimented with his review copy of Assassin's Creed II, and found that if he got disconnected while playing he was immediately booted out of the game and lost all the progress he'd made since his last save point.

Francis argues that this won't just inconvenience players with flaky internet connections or routers, but leave them at the mercy of Ubisoft's own servers too.

"We know this choice is controversial but we feel it is justified by the gameplay advantages offered by the system and because most PCs are already connected to the internet," Ubisoft said last month, pointing out that it allows "cloud" saving so you can play the game from any PC, and install it on as many systems as you like.

Blizzard's new Battle.net system, launching later this year with StarCraft II, also requires an internet connection, although it does offer an offline mode that only allows you to log in as a guest. With Battle.net, you won't be able to earn achievements or access your save games and player records while offline.

Assassin's Creed II for PC is released in Europe on 5th March. It comes with both DLC releases to date: the Battle of Forli and this week's Bonfire of the Vanities (watch out for a review very soon).

Picture of Oli.

About Oli Welsh

Oli is Eurogamer's acting deputy editor and reviews editor and likes to take things one word at a time. He is among the best dressed people in South London.

Read more articles from Oli by visiting the Oli Welsh archive page.

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Comments (132) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • UncleLou #1 2 years ago

    I've never been a hysterical anti-DRM zealot, but this goes too far. I'll spend my money elsewhere. And no, I won't pirate it instead. That would be a childish reaction.

  • FooAtari #2 2 years ago

    Fuck off.

    Requiring an internet connection every time you start the game is annoying enough, but having to have an active internet connection at all times is really dumb idea.

    At least with Steam there is an off-line mode so you can play games if everything is up to date. Ubi should implement something similar.

    I can't believe they are trying to put any kind of positive spin on the fact that if your internet connection drops out for some reason you loose all progress since last save. I guess it adds a new level of suspense to your gaming...

    I haven't bought any Ubi games for a while, and sure as hell won't be doing so in the future. Arseholes.

    Edit

    Agree with Lou, I won't pirate it either, that does not help the situation at all, just makes things worse. I don't agree with how they view piracy, one download isn't a lost sale and all that. But fact is, when they see a game with 2500 seeds and 10,000 leachers they feel justified in this level of DRM. Best way to hurt them and just maybe make they realise it was a bad move is to make sure the game doesn't sell.
    Edited by 1 at 18/02/10 @ 10:14

  • Sunyavadin #3 2 years ago

    Is this a deliberate move by developers to convince their customers to all buy the console version instead so they can drop PC support altogether?

  • SixFootHalfling #4 2 years ago

    I don't see the point in kicking you if you lose connection, surely by this point you've already verified that it's a legitimate game?

    Anyway I can't see it being long until a "patch" is released to remove the online component, so it'll just piss off normal users, yet again.

  • curtlikesmeat #5 2 years ago

    Vote with your wallets is all I can say.

  • ignatiusjreilly #6 2 years ago

    The man represents pirates. The car represents paying customers. The bus represents Ubisoft DRM.

    http://i.imgur.com/zPyuI.gif

  • PearOfAnguish #7 2 years ago

    I can save online and access my games anywhere? That will be really useful when I start playing AC2 in my country home, then decide to spend a few weeks on my yacht, then have a month at my villa in the Bahamas. Yes, definitely handy in fantasy world where I own more than one 1 gaming PC.

  • MasterNameless #8 2 years ago

    "The man represents pirates. The car represents paying customers. The bus represents Ubisoft DRM.

    http://i.imgur.com/zPyuI.gif&qu ot;

    Haha. Very Good!

    Edit: Although I don;t think pirates will be shitting themselves as much as that man was! Otherwise, great analogy. :D
    Edited by 2 at 18/02/10 @ 10:21

  • login_name #9 2 years ago

    I guess I'm never buying another Ubisoft game on PC then, if this becomes the norm. Internet verification on boot I can live with, but losing progress due to a connection hickup? No thanks. I don't care what gameplay advantages you feel the PC has, you can't justify loss of progress.

  • FooAtari #10 2 years ago

    @ignatiusjreilly

    Indeed.

    Will they ever realise that life will go on as normal for the pirates while they screw over and treat the very people who buy the game like criminals. This level of DRM will only add to the sales the loose from pirates as people who may have bought the game will no longer do so in protest.

    I'm not sure what the answer to the piracy problem is, but there is money to be made in PC gaming, they just need to come up with better ways to combat piracy.

  • coolbritannia #11 2 years ago

    PC gaming is dying. Coincidentally at the same time as your Internet connection.

  • bad09 #12 2 years ago

    I don't normally mind the usual DRM, it all gets removed anyway (pad removal on PC is far more serious to me). This one is too far though and will affect my buying of Ubi games. OFFLINE MODE PEOPLE!!!!

    Not AC2 though it was bad enough dealing with the delay on PC, I can't deal with missing out on another game I want because of bloody dev mistakes!

    The herding onto consoles continues....

  • skuzzbag #13 2 years ago

    Brilliant!

    This is going to be as successful as that nasty 80's lens thing that ensured that anyone buying a game that used it would never get to play the game.

  • Hypercube #14 2 years ago

    Fuck. This is retarded. I think there are people who don't have constant internet connection while playing PC games but also have the money to purchase PC games. I guess Ubisoft doesn't want their money.

    As for all this "PC gaming is dying" bollocks - it's not, I still play most of my games on it in preference to consoles.

  • matrim83 #15 2 years ago

    EG how about an opinion piece on this instead of just another news story where we (consumers) just froth and swear and no one cares.

    At least if a major website looks into this crap and tears it to pieces Ubi might look on it as bad publicity.

  • abigsmurf #16 2 years ago

    They really think this gives players any advantage at all?

    What is the point of cloud saving? It is utterly worthless as people tend to only have a single gaming PC in their house. The only potential benefit of cloud saving would be for people with laptops. Except the game requires a constant, always on connection which is impossible for someone on the move.

    This is utterly stupid and well worthy of a boycott. Not just of affected titles either. The utter contempt this shows for honest, money paying gamers is appalling.

  • mkreku #17 2 years ago

    So.. first they delay the PC version by a year (or something), then they put on a DRM system that's so dumb that it actively forces people to not buy their game.. and in the end we'll read yet another story about how PC gaming is dead because of piracy.

    The circle of idiocy does on.

  • ChaK #18 2 years ago

    I'd define this article in 1 word : boycott.

    If they ever touch splinter with that shit, it'll be a big no go UBI.

    That and stop touching PC, your games are crap anyway
    Edited by 1 at 18/02/10 @ 10:38

  • cianchristopher #19 2 years ago

    This is bad - but it ain't the worst kind of DRM...

    Anything with limited activations trumps this, and worst of all is limited activations with no revoke tool (like Games for Windows Live)...

    How it works is like this - you get a key to activate your product, and if you run out of activations then they'll issue you a new key. However, you can only get this once...

    After that, re-purchase the game (Yes, that's the official Microsoft policy - to re-purchase the game)...

  • AphoticCosmos #20 2 years ago

    What was Ubi smoking when they came up with this? Who could possibly think this is a good idea?

    Hell, I'd take Starforce over this bullshit anyday.

  • Shrike #21 2 years ago

    I'm angry, but I also think it's sort of adorable that they haven't worked out that people want cloud saves for games you're likely to rove around playing - multiplayer games and games that'll run on your laptop as well as your desktop. Aw. Look at the little corporation - they don't have the faintest idea how their products are used! Bless.

  • MrFuzzles #22 2 years ago

    I'm so appalled by this system that even if they remove it, I still won't buy it.

    This stuff is so ridiculous that I'm seriously assuming they are intentionally doing it to outrage us in order to come off as the good guys when they take it back.

  • Hypercube #23 2 years ago

    @FooAtari: "I'm not sure what the answer to the piracy problem is, but there is money to be made in PC gaming, they just need to come up with better ways to combat piracy."

    You've made excellent points there - this is simply persecuting the honest people.
    The games inducstry really needs to take a hint from the areas of the music world that are dealing with the new online business models. Say a game came out and offered you a lot of free, ongoing DLC but required you to have a unique key - in fact, give the game away for free, but make the unique key cost money. The game itself could then almost be a demo - people could download it and if they liked it buy the unique ID and get the DLC.

    It may not be perfect, but it's a fuckton better than making playing the game dependant on an internet connection.

  • Redeye #24 2 years ago

    So, Ubisoft are now vying for 'biggest arseholes in the games publishing community', then?

    Because this certainly takes 'dumb' to unfathomable new depths.

  • ignatiusjreilly #25 2 years ago

    EG how about an opinion piece on this instead of just another news story where

    The only opinion EG have given so far is in the comments thread for the original story:

    Bertie [staff]: "What's the fuss about? How many times was your PC not connected to the internet recently? Are we all getting worked up at the cheek of it rather than the practical use of it?"

    Fact is sites like EG just do not have the same concerns that actual gamers who pay for their PC games have.

  • hiddenranbir #26 2 years ago

    Oh wow, I forgot that blizzard are doing similar.

    FFS!

    Really the "isn't your PC always on net anyway" is reaaaally not a good reason to have our consumer rights diminished. It's like arguing for police allowed to search your home without a warrant for the sake of security against terrorism because "hey, you don't have anything to hide" eh? eh?

    Line has to be drawn somewhere. I'd like to draw it before we go to stupid DRM.
    Edited by 1 at 18/02/10 @ 10:59

  • Rizo #27 2 years ago

    Man i used to really like this company remember the year they released POP and beyond good and evil at around the same time?
    Sad what they turned into..

  • kwarive #28 2 years ago

    I certainly won't be buying this game for the pc. Obviously I won't be buying it for my console either because, err, this is exactly the sort of game you want on a pc so you can enjoy superior graphics.

    Epic fail.

  • VibratingDonkey #29 2 years ago

    Great stuff Ubisoft.

  • Chazmeister #30 2 years ago

    Whats the bets that they limit the save game space on the cloud and then start charging for more room?

    If I still had a decent gaming PC, and one day I do hope to have another, then I certainly won't be buying into this kind of crap.

  • SAMagic #31 2 years ago

    "We know this choice is controversial but we feel it is justified by the gameplay advantages offered by the system..."
    WHAT advantages? I want to hear the exact specifics.

    This is going to backfire on them. Two words: Spore. DRM.
    It's not the exact same situation, but it's likely going to piss off gamers and drive them to get a pirate version.

  • grimmace #32 2 years ago

    My wireless net goes down everytime the neighbours use their microwave - There is no way on earth i could put up with that causing me to lose progress.

  • cianchristopher #33 2 years ago

    It'll almost certainly end up as the most pirated PC game of 2010 when the news stories hit at the end of the year...

    Then Ubisoft will probably announce that they're "suspending" games development on PC while they "reconsider"...

  • Gunzberg #34 2 years ago

    Someone should go round to Ubisoft and give every executive a couple of slaps till they return to Planet Earth. Then fire the lot of them and hire people who actually understand the terms, 'customer service', 'long term brand reputation' and 'why pissing off your customers does NOT make business sense'.

  • Beige_Alert #35 2 years ago

    "This should teach people not to pirate uncracked versions of our games." BUbisoft spokesperson Jean Reno said. "Also, if you bought the game, fuck you too."

  • dsmx #36 2 years ago

    Not seeing how it will teach the people who hacked the game a lesson sine they won't ever need to worry about this.

  • Shrike #37 2 years ago

    @ignatiusjreilly

    I think Bertie was a little wide of the mark, but I imagine EG suffers the same occaisional connection wobbles as anyone else. Britain is way behind the curve telecom-wise so systems like this are particularly likely to piss people off here. I imagine it'll be far less of an issue in the US/Canada.

    Assuming that the people running EG aren't affected by this issue because they're too busy playing their free games on private broadband lines connected directly to the heart of the internet is silly.

  • ignatiusjreilly #38 2 years ago

    Assuming that the people running EG aren't affected by this issue because they're too busy playing their free games on private broadband lines connected directly to the heart of the internet is silly.

    The people running EG won't be affected because apart from Oli Welsh, none of them play PC games.

  • Sunyavadin #39 2 years ago

    Anything with limited activations trumps this

    Like Spore? Which a friend of mine used ALL his activations trying to get to wok, when the official patch corrupted his game FIVE TIMES IN A ROW....

  • Sunyavadin #40 2 years ago

    It's like arguing for police allowed to search your home without a warrant for the sake of security against terrorism because "hey, you don't have anything to hide"

    THIS

    I'm currently working on a script I'll be suggesting to some friends of mine who make small films, set in a near future where the big corporations have managed to outlaw all private property altogether, and everything you own is on loan from a company who can reclaim it at any time.

  • Paulie_P #41 2 years ago

    The spokesman from Ubisoft is an idiot, he's been confronted with a potentially gamebreaking issue caused by the DRM and he still insists it offers gameplay enhancements.

    I know my internet connection is pretty reliable but I still talk to people on msn who get disconnected every couple of minutes and that's annoying enough. I wouldn't be able to handle it while playing a game.

    Also this is the first time I've ever heard about the limited activation DRM, thats ridiculous - are there no consumer laws that it breaks? Quick someone get onto Watchdog, oul Anne will sort them out!
    Edited by 1 at 18/02/10 @ 11:24

  • DanForinton #42 2 years ago

    I recently had no internet connection for six weeks due to an engineering screw-up. In that time, I bought, played and finished AC2 on the 360. Had I waited to get this on PC and had my internet hiccup now, I'd be really pissed off.
    Ubisoft have had to pay someone to port this to the PC. They've paid money to publish the damn thing on PC. Why are they trying so damn hard to NOT sell it?

  • Shrike #43 2 years ago

    @ignatiusjreilly

    I'm really not sure where you're finding this "EG don't care" thing, other than Bertie's comment which was made before all the information we have now was available. They're professional (cough) jounalists. Whether or not they are personally affected isn't relevant.

    Just thinking that the indignation could be better focused on UbiSoft in this particular situation.

    On topic: if the service is reasonably tolerant when it comes to lost packets and momentary dips/losses in connection than I imagine it won't affect a large number of PC gamers - if you've got a rig capable of running AC2 then you've probably got broadband, I'm guessing. This is actually the greater danger: that it works and Ubi get away with this shit.

  • dingo75 #44 2 years ago

    Hm let's hope the UBI master server is up all the time and not bogged down by DDOS attacks.
    In fact I might send some pings myself to ensure it's up...

  • hiddenranbir #45 2 years ago

    If they want to cite the benefits of "the cloud" make it do more than just save my effin' game.

    Take advantage of all those multiple computers to...I dunno...provide better AI, more content. I find it ridiculous that all they're harnessing from a network of multiple computers is so you can save a 10 meg file.

  • Caimbeul #46 2 years ago

    I'd buy that for a dollar!
    ...actually, no i wouldnt. Shame as i was seriously considering this title.

    Why dont they all just either publish through Steam or emulate them?

  • actionfitz #47 2 years ago

    Fuck you very much Ubisoft.
    I'll vote with my wallet.

  • JahB #48 2 years ago

    The man represents pirates. The car represents paying customers. The bus represents Ubisoft DRM.

    http://i.imgur.com/zPyuI.gif

    The man represents paying customers. The car represents PC gaming. The bus represents piracy.

  • raion #49 2 years ago

    I'd love to be at ubi HQ right now. There surely are people with working brains that are extremely frustrated by these hiher-up decisions as well.
    I know I would if I worked my ass on that game (a good one too), just to see the franchise cred plummet to the ground like this.

    I am, and always will be, a pc gamer at heart, but this is too much. Xbox version for me then.

  • ignatiusjreilly #50 2 years ago

    @Shrike

    Fair enough, point taken.

  • penhalion #51 2 years ago

    Oh for crying out loud is this for real or just some really early April fools joke!

    News flash Ubisoft! Once again a DRM solution will make it infinitely more attractive to own a cracked version of the very title the DRM is trying to protect!

  • Vordred #52 2 years ago

    i think what annoys me more than anything is that they try to make out its a good thing with the

    "we feel it is justified by the gameplay advantages offered by the system"

    how does that system improve gameplay. how is a PC version that must have a constant connection make the game play better than the 360 version where you have none of that.

    they are talking total shite. some times i think games companys should just get rid of all thier PR guys, they always do more damage than good, as they say total crap that every knows is total crap.

  • FooAtari #53 2 years ago

    @shrike
    I imagine it'll be far less of an issue in the US/Canada.

    I'm not sure about Canada, but I read yesterday on Ars Technica that 30% of the population in US don't use the Internet (although I'd imagine a high proportion of that 30% don't play much games either). And the average broadband speed their is 3.6Mb (or around that) just behind the UK which is 3.9Mb. I don't think the infrastructure in the US is much better than it is here.

    Anyway it's hardly the point. I don't need to be permanently on-line to play console games, watch movies, listen to music or read bloody books. And I don't expect to have to have a permanent connection to play PC games either.

  • GamesConnoisseur #54 2 years ago

    Ironic, the consensus is to vote with wallet, boycott etc

    That would likely leads to the ever reinforcing mantra for Publishers that making money on PC platform is not what it once was, and despite taking steps to protect their work but not resulting in any good sales?!

    All this mess is due to piracy and the reaction to it, you cannot ask publishers NOT to be mindful of piracy and release non drm games. Shareholders and money people only can see sales lost and dwindling profits (on pc).

  • Darren #55 2 years ago

    I have ACII on the PC pre-ordered but this news is making me think seriously about cancelling it.

    I have nothing against DRM personally so long as it doesn't interfere with the running of my PC or the game itself. IMO, a simple serial key and a disc check are fine and even one that checks the internet periodically to validate the game, say, every fifth time you load it up is acceptable.

    However, using a system where it requires your internet connection to be on all the time is just asking for trouble here in the UK where an ISP can go down for maintenance at any time without prior notice, your router could fail or the shared bandwidth drop so low that the game thinks you're not online anymore. I think Ubi Soft's new DRM system is going to annoy a hell of a lot of legitimate buyers of their games. Why on earth don't they just release the game through Steam, which had been proven to work and be popular with PC gamers, and be done with?

    I may keep my pre-order in the hope that some enterprising soul comes up with a working NoDVD crack within a few weeks of the game's release. To be honest, I buy all my PC games but download NoDVD cracks for 99.99% of them to avoid both DRM and the need to have the disc in the drive at all times.

    Stupid Ubi Soft. Maybe they just don't want to make games for the PC any more so this is just their way of ensuring that those owners don't buy their games?

  • Darren #56 2 years ago

    Cue: Lots of 1 out of 5 reviews on Amazon for PC ACII... you can see it coming a mile off, right? ;)

  • Wolverfrog #57 2 years ago

    I'm sorry, but that's a ridiculous idea.

    Assassins's Creed II is a single player game, with little or no online features. Some of the people buying it for their PC might not have full internet, and might instead be using, for example, Mobile Broadband. Having to stay connected to the internet will be a chore, wasting usage allowance on the dongle for them, and costing them money just so they can play a single play game.

    Bad call Ubisoft. There must be better ways to thwart piracy than this.

  • sneetch #58 2 years ago

    @Darren
    However, using a system where it requires your internet connection to be on all the time is just asking for trouble here in the UK where an ISP can go down for maintenance at any time without prior notice, your router could fail or the shared bandwidth drop so low that the game thinks you're not online anymore.

    Yep, same here, my ISP occasionally just resets connections about 9 pm (because, you know, no-one will be using the 'net at 9, right?) so this would be a significant pain in the ass. This is the first DRM I've come across that will actually prevent me buying games, the others types, although annoying as hell, weren't quite enough. This definitely is.

    I had hoped it was just mis-communicated and would work like Steam does where until there's a change in your PC you don't need to go online to re-authenticate.

    Edit: tags
    Edited by 1 at 18/02/10 @ 12:11

  • Trinod #59 2 years ago

    UBI you bunch of twats

    I loved this game, but they shafted me on PS3 by not letting me copy saved games. Thus when I moved countries and changed PlayStations (UK PS3 ISN'T dual voiltage), I couldn't buy DLC without having to play right through the game again!

    Idiots, nose too short.

    Boycott! Boycott!

  • chrisola #60 2 years ago

    Simple solution is to buy it and pirate it, playing the age old 'you can download this copy if you own the original game' card.

    If everyone did that, both sales and piracy would go up, and Ubisoft would be sat staring at empty AC II cloud servers...then their next gen of DRM would come out, where you have a Ubisoft rep stood behind you at all times while you buy and play their games.
    Edited by 1 at 18/02/10 @ 12:13

  • Darren #61 2 years ago

    What I cannot comprehend about this DRM is *why* it needs the internet connection to be on *all* the time, why not just validate the game online periodically (say, every couple of hours) or just once when it loads? Sure, those alternatives aren't ideal either but at least they'll reduce the likelihood of the game just quitting. Better still why didn't they just use Steam?

    The method Ubi Soft are using means that there's going to be a service running all the time that is constantly checking for a live connection (IMO) needlessly and using up CPU cycles when they could be used for running the game itself. This is a non-online single player game after all.

    As others have asked, I'd be interested to hear what exactly Ubi Soft think these 'enhancements' are with this DRM; perhaps Eurogamer could ask them in an interview?

  • rayscoota #62 2 years ago

    Not only have we been punished by waiting 3+ months longer, now potential buyers of the PC version will be punished again. Sod off Ubi and as for the end of PC gaming not a chance as there is more than enough great games to take the place of this console port. Good bye Ubi it was nice knowing you.

  • zuljin #63 2 years ago

    @ignatiusjreilly
    Something tells me you're a redditor.

  • Dexter2015 #64 2 years ago

    pirates will find a way to hack this in like a week or so.... the real people paying this price is the legal buyers!

  • Shrike #65 2 years ago

    @FooAtari

    AFAIK the US is far more variable than the UK - being far larger - but the kind of specialist consumers who are likely to be buying a high-spec PC game are probably going to have decent connections. I've had friends from the backwoods of Wisconsin with 20mb lines.

    I'm not defending the policy or suggesting that we shouldn't be angry about it; just that it might actually go unnoticed and they may get away with it.

  • FooAtari #66 2 years ago

    @GamesConnoisseur
    That would likely leads to the ever reinforcing mantra for Publishers that making money on PC platform is not what it once was, and despite taking steps to protect their work but not resulting in any good sales?!

    Yeah, but if no one downloads it, that removes the argument that it didnt sell because it got pirated to hell. I know that's never going to happen and it will get pirated a lot, but well the theory of not buying the game is sound enough

    you cannot ask publishers NOT to be mindful of piracy and release non drm games. Shareholders and money people only can see sales lost and dwindling profits (on pc).

    No they can't ignore it. But it's been obvious for several years now that DRM which places restriction on how you use the game DOES NOT WORK. Activiation limits, online checks etc etc are all cracked within days and the pirates carry on as normal. As I said before they need to find new ways to combat piracy.

    Even with piracy developers clearly make money on PC games, otherwise no one would release anything at all. But to help reduce piracy (you will never kill it, some people will never pay for a game they downloaded) they need to take a different approach. All Ubisoft are doing here is alienating potential customers and reducing sales further.

    @chrisola
    Simple solution is to buy it and pirate it, playing the age old 'you can download this copy if you own the original game' card.

    That doesn't really help. The more people download the game, the more it justifies to them their decisions to implement DRM.
    Edited by 1 at 18/02/10 @ 12:42

  • Darren #67 2 years ago

    Does anyone know if this game is going to sold through Steam? Seeing Steam doesn't require you to be online to play offline games, is there any chance that the DRM will be different to the disc version?

  • Rubarack #68 2 years ago

    I wouldn't say so, a Steam version without restrictive DRM will render this pointless.

    Despite not being happy about this I'd be surprised if this was cracked quickly, I imagine Ubi will get at least a few weeks before a cracked version surfaces. When that happens Ubi really ought to release a DRM free version for those of us without god connections.

  • paketep #69 2 years ago

    Glad I wasn't buying from them already. Fuckup after fuckup.

    I'm curious to see if Bertie still thinks we're making a fuss about nothing here.
    Edited by 1 at 18/02/10 @ 13:18

  • mandella #70 2 years ago

    Well, the game will be cracked anyway, maybe couple of weeks later (but I bet it will be sooner) than usual and on the other hand they are pissing off their loyal customers with crap like this. Good thinking!! Look at Bioware, Ubisoft morons: all they got in their ME2 and DA game was simple CDCHECK and the games sold in millions...

  • roz123 #71 2 years ago

    My internet connection drops far to often to even consider buying this. It would just be one massive pain in the arse.

  • Segnit #72 2 years ago

    Pass.

  • ignatiusjreilly #73 2 years ago

    @zuljin

    Narwhals, bacon, Britain as a police state etc. ;)

    You too?

  • Yeevle #74 2 years ago

    Damn, I was really looking forward to this game. I refuse to pay for something that has such a stupid requirement. I'll just wait until they remove this when it's dropped to budget or whatever.

  • MrChuckles #75 2 years ago

    Wow... This is retarded... And i'm someone who works in the industry and wants to stop piracy...

    Why not just check on install like any sensible online copy protection.

    I envisage a future when your internet connection fails you can't play any games, watch any tv or films, listen to any music, the toilet won't flush, the front door won't open and your girlfriend won't have sex with you.... See, i'm 2 there already!

  • Sunyavadin #76 2 years ago


    Look up the storyline for the upcoming film "Repo Men".
    Ssimilar

    Will do, thanks!

    So, it's not a sequel to the 1984 classic starring Emilio Estevez, then? :p

  • cianchristopher #77 2 years ago

    @ Darren:

    The game'll be sold on Steam, but it'll include this 3rd-party (Ubisoft) DRM.

    Many games on Steam now include 3rd-party DRM, which is in stark contrast to Steam's unique selling point of "play your games anywhere on any pc, online and off"...

    E.G. Crysis on Steam has a 5 machine activation limit. That's ridiculous, it's on Steam forchrissakes...
    Edited by 1 at 18/02/10 @ 14:47

  • jellyhead #78 2 years ago

    It's cost them a sale for Silent Hunter 5 and whatever other PC games they release with this DRM will be ignored by me also.
    Not that i'm bothered with AC2. I won't pirate it but after this i'll pick up a second-hand copy for my 360 if i want to play it. I could borrow my mate's copy instead. Either way Ubi won't get any money from me. It's second-hand on the 360 or nothing for you from now on Ubi.

    Treat me like a criminal and i'll treat you with the disdain you deserve.

  • Segnit #79 2 years ago

    You know what? I'll try to remember to post a picture of my Steam account along with a picture of all the original PC games I own (around a 100 or more original games) later today.

    Why?

    Cause this honestly bursts my bubble. I don't want the experience of buying PC games to be a DRM minefield which it currently is.

    I have never torrented games and have recently (the past half a decade) been socially influential against pirated games in various online forums. I have been a frontline man against game piracy and yet today I find my resolve totally diminished.

    And I can't really say that it's Ubisoft who loses here... no, PC gaming just lost a legit gamer today (cue the press release "we've been listening to our customers and have reduced the drm check to just..." bullshit).

  • ignatiusjreilly #80 2 years ago

    Publishers should be very wary of conceding the moral high ground. When piracy is so easy, good faith is between you and your customers is even more important than usual. Lose that and you might as well give up and go home.

  • mashk #81 2 years ago

    They've just gone and waved the red flag in front the proverbial piracy 'bull'. No doubt, all those groups out there who crack and release games will be competing to hack and crack AC 2 first.

    Way to go Ubisoft.

  • Dave797 #82 2 years ago

    I don't think pc gaming is dead but laptop gaming on the other hand.....

    "I know I'm on the train I'll give ACII a blast screw you work related Excel spreadhseet!"

    oh wait hang on.....

  • viper_h #83 2 years ago

    How in the world of fuck do they think this prevents piracy? The pirates will find a way around this faster than you can SAY piracy. It's a totally pointless move that only hurts the consumer.

    I won't be buying it anyway, but this kind of thinking is just retarded.

  • Shakey_Jake33 #84 2 years ago

    Dunno about you guys, but we lose internet connection at least once during the course of the day, requiring me to reset my router. It's genuinely unrealistic for me to consider playing this game, constantly worrying about my connection holding out.

  • zuljin #85 2 years ago

    @ignatiusjreilly
    Takes one to know one :p

    I'm incredibly frustrated at the moment with people sending me videos and links I saw two whole days ago! I mean, two whole days, thats enough time for a whole new internet :)

    EDIT: As a devils advocate side note however - Is it not possible that internet connection is only required for the review copy? What with that infamous other review where the the editor only played about 4 hours of the game, possibly to cover their own backs in case of a bad review?
    Edited by 1 at 18/02/10 @ 15:48

  • jellyhead #86 2 years ago

    EDIT: As a devils advocate side note however - Is it not possible that internet connection is only required for the review copy? What with that infamous other review where the the editor only played about 4 hours of the game, possibly to cover their own backs in case of a bad review?

    Nope, this is Ubisoft's new plan to lose all sales on the PC market apparently and not just limited to reviews.

    If you buy a Ubisoft PC game released this year it will be infected with this new DRM scheme. It will be interesting to see if EG even review the PC version after this. I mean, there's no way they'll mark the game down because of the inconvenience of the DRM as that would mean upsetting Ubisoft.
    Edited by 1 at 18/02/10 @ 15:53

  • Shakey_Jake33 #87 2 years ago

    @zuljin - While that's unlikely to be anything to do with it, it would be funny to see the backlash if it turned out they were spying on reviewers!

    Quite frankly, I think DRM schemes should be taken into account in review scores, given they make up a part of the package that you purchase, and are increasingly becoming a noticable component of the play experience.

  • zuljin #88 2 years ago

    @jellyhead
    Shame. This really sounds so retarded that I thought it was a simple mistake/misunderstanding. This really does sound like a horrible marketing/legal/upper management flexing their muscle, because lets face it, no self respecting gamer (/creator) could possibly ever think this was a great idea.

  • Paulie_P #89 2 years ago

    EG won't mark it down, look out for an article about DRM this weekend where they accuse their own readers of having a 'childish' reaction then go on to defend ubisoft.

  • Vyggo #90 2 years ago

    Curious if you guys will boycott Blizzard as well, it's easy enough to do with ubisoft, but blizzard...
    Or do you think the guest-type anonymous offline login is a good enough solution?

  • Darren #91 2 years ago

    @cianchristopher - "Many games on Steam now include 3rd-party DRM, which is in stark contrast to Steam's unique selling point of "play your games anywhere on any pc, online and off"..."

    Now that's interesting... has anyone contacted Steam to hear what they have to say about advertising their service as being able to play games offline when a forthcoming single player they're going to be selling evidently is not? Seems to me that ACII won't be playable in any form offline so Steam are making false claims...

  • sneetch #92 2 years ago

    @viper_h
    How in the world of fuck do they think this prevents piracy? The pirates will find a way around this faster than you can SAY piracy. It's a totally pointless move that only hurts the consumer.

    Yep. It's not exactly rocket-science. At the end of the day, the software itself enforces the DRM and once you have the actual software it's just a matter of stopping it doing the checks.

    So they're forcing constant checks against some server. Fine, in one of the libraries there'll be a method that basically says "is this copy OK?". This will connect to the server and do some super-secret-handshake crap, you just change that so it just says "it's ok" every time without actually checking.

    If they sign the files then you can be sure there's a library some place with a method, "is this file signature OK?", you can change that so it says "yep" every time too.

    If they only allow you to save to the cloud then just replace the "save game" method with something that dumps that data to some place on the disk. Same with the "load game" method.

    They may, if they're being "clever", decide to inline these methods, which will cause the compiler to insert the code directly into a dozen locations or a hundred but once you know what you're looking for you can probably find those easily and then it's just a blanket find/replace. They're fighting a losing battle, they can make their DRM more complex and obtrusive all they wish but it's basically just a delaying tactic and I know enough developers to say for certain that a lot of developers would relish the opportunity to figure out how they're doing this.

    @Vyggo

    It'd be good enough for me... I'm rarely without an internet connection for all that long so the ability to actually keep playing would be good enough for me.

  • Wegberg #93 2 years ago

    A permanent internet connection is required. WTF?!?!?!?!?!?

    This is just ridiculous, why can't they just use common sense. There are other methods, like Steam and other online regsitration methods. Limited installs beats this it isn't the best, but I would be fucked right off if there was a blip with my conenction and booted out of game. What a stupid idea, clearly less incremental checks from the cloud save method would be a better bet maybce once a day or every six hours.

    Why to go UBI, you've just pissed off all those people who have waited for this to come out on PC. Why not just use Steam or some other DRM.
    Edited by 1 at 18/02/10 @ 16:50

  • sneetch #94 2 years ago

    @Darren @cianchristopher

    I don't think Steam make that promise anymore ("the online or offline";) one. They sell MMOs now so it'd be blatantly and obviously wrong.

    However they do say this:

    Play your games on any PC
    Once you have a Steam account, you can sign in from any PC to access your games. Your games are associated with your account, not your computer.

    Which is definitely incorrect if there's an activation limit and a lot of the games they sell do. Mind you they also warn you about those so maybe they're covered: on the Farcry 2 page, for example, they say "3rd-party DRM: SecuROM™ 5 machine activation limit"

  • Darren #95 2 years ago

    @Paulie_P - I've not read that article yet but if what you say is true then I'd say that EG are worried about upsetting Ubi Soft in case they lose their advertising revenue. ;)

    I don't see what is childish about complaining about this form of DRM myself. An online check at the game install stage is perfectly fine as is the standard disc check/serial key but surely EG can see the perils of a SINGLE PLAYER game needing to be connected to the internet all the time, particularly here in the UK?

    Even Steam don't insist on this despite distributing its games through the internet, probably because they've realised how problematic it could be. The only time you should ever need to be connected to the internet all the time you're playing a game is, obviously, if you're playing one online. Common-sense really.

  • Jonny5Alive7 #96 2 years ago

    A daft idea, it just encourages piracy rather than lessens it.

  • Paulie_P #97 2 years ago

    @ Darren - it was a reference to the DLC article from the weekend.

  • WJF #98 2 years ago

    It's a stupid system to use. Yes, most people are on the net nowadays, but not everyone will/can/wants to be online 100% of the time while playing a single-player game.

    I much prefer the 'clever' anti-pirate copy-protection where it looks like the game's working fine, but key components/controls are f*cked - like Batman:AA's cloak or that one from a GTA-like game where you couldn't enter a car, or even SI's subtle 'we'll break your finances/team after one season' route.

    Not only does it take longer for crackers to detect and crack it, it also give legitimate buyers the opportunity to have a good old laugh at morons on the official forums whining about the game being broken.

    Also tends to tie in with big selling PC titles, too. Strange that.

  • 5h1nj1 #99 2 years ago

    Ok, another sum of saved money. How can anyone invest in this to support such lunacy?

  • thesonglessbird #100 2 years ago

    THIS IS SOME BULLSHEEEEEEEEEIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT.

    Doubt I would've bought the game anyway, but I assume the same shit will be in the next Splinter Cell? My internet connection is fucked. It's forever going down. It actually makes NO sense to do this.

    Edit: I don't mean I would've illegalled it when I say I wouldn't have bought it anyway. I mean, i'm not interested in the game much.
    Edited by 1 at 18/02/10 @ 18:18

  • Xensor #101 2 years ago

    Now i may not be an internet expert, but i would SERIOUSLY doubt there is any company on this planet that runs any kind of server who has not had that server fall over (aka maintenance :p) for hours if not days. That's not to even mention the database corruptions/rollbacks that can occur...

    Yeah good luck with that Ubi.

  • Mnia786 #102 2 years ago

    PC gamers are getting pwned. Feel gutted as those who buy the games are still in for this shit. Then again, look at how pissed ubi were at AC I leaking out on PC and they claimed it cost them loads. The problem is that internet is getting faster quicker than the increasing size of games so people pirate because they are lazy or have been brought up to get songs, games and apps for "free".

  • Darren #103 2 years ago

    Since upgrading my connection from 'up to' 8 Mbps ADSL to 'up to' 24 Mpbs ADSL2+ I've been experiencing random disconnections, which I've been attempting to identify the cause of by contacting my ISP, Karoo. They told me that the distance from the exchange and cable length meant that I was close to the maximum speed I can get of just 10 Mbps (nowhere near 24 Mbps as you can see) so that is why I get these disconnections. The noise margin on my downstream is usually around 6 db, which I understand is very poor and can lead to loss of signal and, thus, disconnections.

    Now I only get these disconnections perhaps 2 or 3 times a week and normally they don't bother me as they happen generally while I'm browsing or playing games offline. As you can imagine it's going to be annoying if these occur while I'm playing Assassin's Creed II so I hope that someone from Ubi Soft reads this and realises how inane their new DRM system really is. I'm quite sure I'm not the only person here in the UK that suffers from this kind of issue.

  • Gunzberg #104 2 years ago

    Ubisoft, here's a shit for brains prize because your dumbass idea is going to lead to the world's first "no-internet" crack for PC games.

    This be my prediction.

  • Darren #105 2 years ago

    @mickey2000 - That's a bit of a holy-than-thou attitude there.

    How many people can say they've honestly never pirated ANYTHING, be it a movie, CD or game at some point? I doubt you can and if you say you haven't then I'll say you're lying. C'mon, everyone has done it at some point - yes, even me if I want to try something before buying - but it's not something I do regularly. I do buy 99.999% of movies (DVDs/BDs), CDs and games legally even most of those that I downloaded illegally. I download Lost every week too but I buy the BD season boxsets when they come out. I don't condone piracy at all but I'm not going to lie and say that I'm perfect and have never done it at some point.

  • SheffieldSteel #106 2 years ago

    Ubisoft DRM, by year:-
    2009 DVD must be in drive when starting game.
    2010 Gameplay requires internet connection at all times.
    2011 Gameplay requires internet connection and webcam. Webcam must be pointed at gamer in order for game to function. Gamer must smile at all times.
    2012 Gameplay requires remote controlled dildo, webcam and internet connection. Remote controlled dildo must be positioned on gamer's seat. Other conditions as per previous years.

  • FooAtari #107 2 years ago

    +1 Darren

    @mickey2010

    I don't think the majority of PC gamers are pirates, otherwise games like Modern Warfare 2 and Dragons Age wouldn't sell so well.

    Obviously it's possible to make money on PC games, otherwise there would be NO releases. Piracy is definitely a problem, but to see the majority of PC gamers are pirates is pretty far off the mark.

    Anyway as Darren said, can you honestly say you have never downloaded anything be it music, movies or games?? If not, I suggest you keep quiet...

    Edit
    As for the "final nail in the coffin"

    Starcraft 2 has something to say about that. As do a large number of other games.
    Edited by 1 at 18/02/10 @ 21:05

  • Segnit #108 2 years ago

    As i promised on post 86:

    [link url=http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/8169/notallmyco llection.jpg
    ]http://im g168.imageshack.us/img168/8169/...[/link]
    This is around half the boxed PC stuff I have. The kittys and dogs have eaten up the rest and can't be arsed to find them. I own GTA 4 twice. Once on steam and once on Xbox 360 and I don't particularly enjoy either. I also have a purchase on steam that was charged twice. Another one that was charged more then it shouldn've been etc.

    [link url=h ttp://img502.imageshack.us/img502/5250/mygames.jpg
    ]http://im g502.imageshack.us/img502/5250/...[/link]
    My steam list is not fully scrolled down. There are another 10 or 20 games not seen.

    PC industry should react if they don't want rogue publishers like Ubi to hijack their blood sweat and tears. I am all for a solution to reduced or eliminated piracy but Ubi has it wrong and the whole sector loses.

  • SheffieldSteel #109 2 years ago

    The ultimate fate of DRM is to be removed, usually quietly, by a patch several months down the road... at which point the game usually retails for a lot less.

    Suddenly the way forward seems clear.

  • MrsPacMan #110 2 years ago

    Anyone else think Darren is an anal twat?

  • FooAtari #111 2 years ago

    @segnit,

    pah, I can beat that :) If I remember ill take a photo of my PC games collection and Steam list tomorrow.

  • EthanWoods #112 2 years ago

    Petition at http://ww w.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/s...

    Even if you don't think its worth it, no harm can be done from signing it.

  • SeesThroughAll #113 2 years ago

    It's just like Command & Conquer 4 all over again.

    And once again, I refuse to buy into this crap.

    As for those who back then defended EA for this ridiculous kind of DRM, I dare them to come back and defend Ubisoft now...
    Edited by 1 at 18/02/10 @ 23:36

  • rayscoota #114 2 years ago

    HugeXbox360Fan : Suck it PC gamers!!!!!!!!

    I hpe you realise what happens on the PC will affect the next Gen consoles after all its not like there is no piracy on the xbox this gen.

  • Silvervein #115 2 years ago

    You know, someone should get some cash and put a huge billboard right outside ubi offices. With a red sign saying: Thank you for sending people our way. Sincerely, the Pirates.

  • X3Entente #116 2 years ago

    Next theyll introduce DRM that neuroly inhibits wanking over jade raymond
    Edited by 1 at 19/02/10 @ 04:38

  • FooAtari #117 2 years ago

    @rayscoota

    HugeXbox360Fan : Suck it PC gamers!!!!!!!!

    I hpe you realise what happens on the PC will affect the next Gen consoles after all its not like there is no piracy on the xbox this gen.

    Indeed. I think if PC gaming were to ever totally die out you would see piracy on consoles increase 10 fold. The PC is by far the easiest platform to pirate and a sizeable proportion of pirates simply do not want to pay for games, so they game on the PC. The 360 is fairly easy to pirate for and I think you would see the "scene" move over to that platform if games on the PC dried up.

    But as long as their is money to be made with games on PC, which there is, that platform is not dying any time soon.

  • actionfitz #118 2 years ago

    @Paulie_P

    EG won't mark it down, look out for an article about DRM this weekend where they accuse their own readers of having a 'childish' reaction then go on to defend ubisoft.
    --
    maybe they're all worried about getting 'Gerstmanned' :)

    [link url=http://en .wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Gerstmann
    ]http://en .wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Gerstm...[/link]

    "Term ination from GameSpot
    Gerstmann was dismissed from his position at GameSpot as Editorial Director on November 28, 2007.
    Immediately after his termination, rumors circulated proclaiming his dismissal was a result of external pressure from Eidos Interactive the publisher of Kane & Lynch: Dead Men which Gerstmann had previously given a Fair rating, which is relatively undesirable, along with critique.
    This was at a time when Eidos had been putting heavy advertising money into GameSpot, going as far as transforming the entire website to use a Kane & Lynch theme and background instead of the regular GameSpot layout, regardless of which game or page viewers were seeing. Both GameSpot and parent company CNET stated that his dismissal was unrelated to the negative review, but have never cited any reason why his termination was deserved.
    Following Gerstmann's termination, editors Alex Navarro, Jason Ocampo, Ryan Davis, Brad Shoemaker, and Vinny Caravella left GameSpot, feeling that they could no longer work for a publication that caved in to advertiser pressure, with scores being "softened", and management going in and deliberately editing the staff's reviews to appease advertisers.[3]"

  • actionfitz #119 2 years ago

    @Segnit

    +1 for owning 'Beyond Good and Evil'.
    :)

  • Lord_BeeJee #120 2 years ago

    Seems Ubi is helping me through a period with too many good releases.
    /me Scraps AC2 from my ToBuy list

  • HenryFitz #121 2 years ago

    Ubisoft released Prince of Persia PC without any DRM whatsoever, iirc. At the time, they said it was an experiment. One that they expected would fail. It did. Hence this new strategy, which has the PR tag of "adding value", but unlike popular forms of DRM such as Steam, it will irritate people and the value it adds is negligible. It will also fail. Presumably, this strategy has been arrived at reluctantly, in full knowledge that it would lose them customers. They have gambled that this loss will be offset by greater first-day profits, should the game not be cracked, and also that in the long-term, the majority of customers will succumb to DRM fatigue and eventually just give in. These are the wagers of desperate managers, zugzwanged into unpopular action by falling profits and shareholder complaints. They are unable to do nothing, though doing nothing is the more profitable strategy. I have some sympathy for them. Sometimes companies are compelled to act, even if the act is unlikely to be successful. In the absence of a better alternative, they have to be seen to be doing something.

  • Matfink #122 2 years ago

    Sod off Ubishaft and similar companies - you won't be missed much on PC. Roll on loads of indie PC games I'd much rather actually play!

  • FooAtari #123 2 years ago

    Bit late, but as I said a couple of days ago, my PC games collection. As I said, not all dirty pirates

    Boxed
    Steam

    And I have a few other games from other download services and things.

    I would be lying if I said I have never downloaded a game (mostly older titles) but I buy just about all the games I own.

    And I should have removed HipHop and Dance eJay. Were a gift, and I can't stand either types of music :)
    Edited by 2 at 20/02/10 @ 17:32

  • VMerken #124 2 years ago

    Welcome to DRM hell. I've been in it since Bioshock, others stumbled into it even earlier, with Starforce. So please excuse me while I speed right past the discussion, as I've processed all this almost three years ago.

    Instead, allow me to walk straight into the next level of debate. I would kindly ask all those superb cracking groups out there NOT to crack Assassin's Creed II, just this once. I would also kindly ask every one of you outstanding lads and ladies who are outraged about this DRM implementation to HONESTLY vote with your wallet, just this once.

    Why? Because if these conditions are met and Assassin's Creed II PC sells miserably, Ubisoft cannot enter the aftermath with the "It tanked because of the piracy!" card. It could neither pull the "Ok, Assassin's Creed II tanked because it is a bad game!" card since the console versions already told everyone otherwise.

    No my dears, if these conditions are met - just this once - the only logical conclusion would be, "Assassin's Creed II tanked because PC gamers didn't like the DRM implementation". Just this once, the message to the ENTIRE industry would be a clear "Do Not Take Us for Fools". A fantastic precedent which us customers could throw at the industry time and time again until, perhaps, said industry would gently haul their asses back to the drawing board and hold their peace until they can come up with user-friendly DRM which ACTUALLY WORKS.

    Case rested.
    Edited by 4 at 21/02/10 @ 00:41

  • FooAtari #125 2 years ago

    100% agree VMerken. Sadly it's probably not goin to happen

  • VMerken #126 2 years ago

    I know, FooAtari, in the real world men are men and elite hackers hack because they like a coding challenge when it presents itself. If anything, they probably *want* the industry to keep churning out even more intrusive DRM, because that's all the more fun for them :).

    But still, it is nice to point out that there is a great opportunity here to create an irrefutable precedent which the industry couldn't possibly deny.

    Ah, dreams, sweet to have them every now and then :).

  • samadriel #127 2 years ago

    http://ww w.youtube.com/watch?v=cBeyHgbHH... Where Ubi gets their policy.

  • Segnit #128 2 years ago

    Great collection FooAtari. Plenty of material in this thread for stealth UBI monkeys to absorb.

  • Windsong #129 2 years ago

    @VMerken:

    No way are the elite cracking groups gonna pass up the chance to crack THE top DRM of the last 5 years. Darkcoder/Reloaded/Razor are all rubbing their hands together and probably can't wait to crack this so-called "protection", assuming they haven't already. One thing is for certain, I sure don't want to play Thief IV and have my progress jacked by this nefarious drm. Its being made by Ubisoft Montreal. So my hat is off to the cracker teams whenever they rip this DRM to shreds (and they will!)

  • apoc_reg #130 2 years ago

    There is ONE gaurentee with this system

    That normally honest people will go in search of an illegal crack (and dont tell me no one will crack it!!!) to play their game when and where they want and be exposed to temptation to download pirate games in the future.

    Its madness

  • FooAtari #131 2 years ago

    Well this DRM is really effective.

    Silent Hunter 5, to be released today in the US i think and requires constant Internet connection. However it has been cracked already.

    Didn't even get a single day out of it. Come on Ubi, do they right thing and remove the DRM...
    Edited by 1 at 04/03/10 @ 00:02

  • inhuman #132 2 years ago

    Next step of DRM will be , having our webcam on so they can see that its us playing?
    DRM isnt the way forward!