They already said that within a 1-2 years, a patch will be released which will unlock your stuff from activation. Second, if they go out of business they’ll release a patch for all their stuff to unlock them. So you don’t have to worry about DRM. If you use up all your slots, just e-mail them and they’ll reset it.
I realize that you are new here TheHoodedRonin, but talking about pirating any game, even non-bishoujo games, is dangerously close to breaking the rules. I say this not to be a jerk or brown-nose Peter, Shingo, and Lamuness, but because I would hate to see anyone that could possibly become a regular on the forum get banned. We need all the regulars we can get, as things can get dreadfully slow here sometimes.
I missed that… That’s excellent news to me, having the DVD-ROM version activation only being a limited time. Looks like I’ll be buying from PP without much worry 
Hey, I depend on you for providing the twincest! You’ve got wider sources, thanks to your superior human language ability.
Although— are you talking about DRMs being integrated into games? Because they all used to do that— you’d have some stupid color wheel or special manual inscription you’d have to look up DURING GAME PLAY to advance past certain obstacles, challenges, or puzzles in many older games. Customers hated that sort of thing, because we’d lose that “special” item that got us past the copy protection scheme.
And hiding your encrypted data is security through secrecy/obscurity— the easiest layer to break, since it is always discoverable. Or will be eventually be leaked/discovered.
Ditto. I avoid SecuROM and will not knowingly buy any game using it. If something slips through that I discover is using it, I kill the game, remove SecuROM, and go out and find a cracked version of the game. Hey, I bought the sucker, so the original developers/studios got their money. But I’d rather risk getting something nasty from a cracked version of the game, then SecuROM, because it sucks that bad and has screwed up friends and associates machines.
Peach Princess, I trust. So if they got to use some DRM on a product, as long as it isn’t SecuROM, I’ll live with it. As long as the DRM doesn’t get too much in my way of enjoying a PP game, I’ll accept that. Well, that and as long as I know that in a couple of years from now, I can pull it out and install it again (and again, etc) and still play it, if it is just that good. 
The only problem I have with the whole approach of releasing patches that’ll “rid” your machine of DRM after a couple of years, is the fact that you gotta use the patch whenever you install something on a new machine. This is assuming you have the disc version. What if PP should go out of business? Are they always ALWAYS going to have these patches hosted somewhere in the event someone loses theirs?
What about digital downloads, now they can be patched at PP, and any downloads later on will basically be free from DRM from the get go. That’s nice. However, it goes back to the possibility that PP goes out of business, and your backup copy (be it on Disc or a HDD) is lost. What happens then? Most likely the Download site for it will not be around anymore, and you’re outta luck. This is probably one of the biggest reasons why I HATE the idea of buying a game via digital download. Am I gonna have their promise that I’ll always be able to access it (to download it) for the rest of my life?
The disc version is more “safer” in my opinion, and the only real risk there is losing the disc or it gets scratched beyond repair. Both forms have their advangtages and disadvantages, however if PP ever went completely digital download only, I can pretty much promise them they’ll see a DRASTIC decrease in purchases from me. I’m still lamenting the day that game consoles will most likely go digital distribution only.
Pre-orders will be available until the game begins to ship. While this is perhaps a face-palm-worthy tautology, our past releases tend to have a bit of slush time between actual shipping of the game and the update of product status from “pre-order” to “on sale”, so if you’re set on waiting until the last possible moment before ordering the odds are decent you’ll be able to sneak a pre-order in under the wire. That said, waiting until the last moment will always be a risk.
Sorry I didn’t see this earlier, I’ve been focused on monitoring the sticky thread (probably the best place for general game-related questions).
Yes.
Unless a meteorite hits Peach Princess HQ and we all perish simultaneously in a blaze of horrible fiery doom, regardless of the fate of the company we’re personally committed to ensuring our content-protected titles play as advertised. In the unlikely event that the company goes under we will make any and all patches available on a stable, publicly accessible server that customers can trust will be available in perpetuity.
Well, why don’t you ask Peach Princess/JList do the +$10 gets you the digital download of the game AND a CD/DVD copy? That’s what a lot of the digital distrubitors do. It’s how I always by my “digital” distribution, whenever offered. In fact, if it isn’t offered, I’ll try to find an alternative product if it is something important. I just prefer to have the CD or DVD.
Of course, you can burn your own. That leaves you with the problem of “what if you lose or break it?”, but that’s the same problem you have with a real physical order.
As for what to do in 10 years if Peach Princess is gone— you go hit the abandonware sites or the warez or the hentai sites. If Peach Princess has merely been bought out by EA, then you’ll have to look around for a “classics” bundle pack.
I think everyone on the forums here would be screaming in horror if EA bought out PP. I know I would be. Could you imagine SecuROM infecting all the games?
well, we will scream, but we will still go ahead and buy it.
If you take into consideration the fact the SecuROM protected PC games usually come on a different platform as well (and most of the time, it comes later). Then yes, people can say “we will not buy the SecuROM copy” since they do have a different “option.” (although some misguided souls still go ahead and buy the blood thing then crack it! how do them voice their disapproval, by buying it, is beyond me).
With the VN titles, you have no option unless you can read Japanese (and don’t mind the bloody squares). So even though we will scream, we will still go ahead and welcome our new EA overlords, after all there aren’t that many VN titles to chose from. Also considering how much noise the western media make about piracy, it is understandable that the Japanese companies will insist on using DRM to protect their IP from the “western freeloaders.” And use methods they will not use with their own Japanese customers.
that aside, perhaps encrypting the engine in a container might not be such a bad idea, I really do doubt that people in the west will have a computer that is slower then P3 1GHz for playing games. Such a machine should be able to decrypt the engine and load it into memory in few seconds, I really don’t see a problem with that (especially if they don’t mind waiting for that machine to load any program).
on a more series note, have JAST considered going the MG way of partnership instead of licensing? That should reduce the risk of paying licenses fees for an unsuccessful title and therefore (hopefully) means more releases. (although the fact the JAST will still be operating from the USofA will still remain… so no lolis :mrgreen: )
Actually, some Japanese companies employ activation-based DRM. In the US, it’s a recent trend, but eroge publishers have used it for years.
For disc checks, many studios, including dominant players like Type-Moon and Key/VisualArt’s, routinely license Settec’s AlphaROM protection scheme, which is notorious for compatibility problems with certain PC configurations. While I might be wrong on this, I get the impression that Japanese users are more tolerant of DRM/copy protection than westerners, who’re very vocal on the issue. We see “Boycott StarForce/SecuROM/online activation” campaigns everywhere, but is there a corresponding movement in Japan?
sorry about that, I was referring to the limited number of activation DRM and not the “CD/DVD must be in the drive to play” DRM. Many eroge use the CD/DVD must be in the drive DRM, but as far as I know, none requite online activation. I am actually quite fine with the CD/DVD must be in drive to play since I can get the noDVD crack and apply it. For that matter even the activation is fine with me… as long as I can de-active at will or the number of activation is not pre-set for me.
Alone in the Dark comes with SecuROM and only 2 activation limit. But they gave the user the ability to de-activate any of the installation in the uninstaller (although it won’t remove the SecuROM). And guess what… I did get the game (although I won’t comment on the game controls).
The major problem with EA (IMHO) is the “you are renting a game not buying a copy.” If they change this style of treating us (their bread and butter providers), then, I for one, don’t have a problem with them.
Update: actually the CD/DVD must be in the drive is not a DRM, it is a copy protection method. To make sure you don’t duplicate the CD/DVD and that you only play a single copy of the game at any given time (it doesn’t matter how many times you install it or on how many machines). The good thing about steampowred is that it use the same concept, but on the digital edition of the game.
I’m fine with the must have cd in drive deal as well, since I barely EVER use the drive anyways. The last time I put a disc in the tray was like 2 months ago, and it’s been sitting in there ever since. If I wanna transfer data, I just use thumb drives these days, I find the burner getting less and less use.
So, anybody else get a shipping notice yesterday that said the game was back-ordered? I did… and apparently the name on my shipping address is wrong, too, so I’m freaking out about getting that corrected since the USPS has screwed up enough deliveries to my apartment when everything was perfectly correct. Do we have any idea when the game’s going to ship?
Nope, I didn’t get any shipping notice about it being back-ordered.
I have no problem with the Copy protection, but let’s be honest, the people who download pirate games have no intention of legally owning the game…Their response is usually, “I just want to try it out , to see if it’s any good” then after they beat it they use the excuse of “Well, I already finished it so I don’t need to buy it now”. They use the “try out” excuse to justify their actions. Granted, some publishers have cranked out super crappy buggy games (EA has been guilty of this way too often which is why I was disheartened when they bought out Bioware, but Mass Effect was fine, imo. Lucasarts is guilty of this as well, if the bastards has allowed Obsidian to finish KotOR2 the way they wanted to, it would have pwnd KotOR hands down, but oh no, we had to make that Holiday sale season (not to say KotOR2 was a bad game, but it could have been soooooo much better, but I digress)) and some people use this as justication to Pirate as well.
Anyway, to sum it up, Copy Protection schemes are only there for the honest people. The pirates will get their hands on it eventually. (Sorry for the side rant, just seeing what Obsidian had planned for KotOR2 that wasn’t included in the game, makes me sad.)
Well, sure hope that was just some… random weirdness for me then. It’d be great to have the game before Christmas.
Ahem, ever heard of the KOTOR MMORPG. Yep, it’s the next installation in the series - a MMORPG 
I’ve certainly heard about the KotOR MMO (as I’m sure others have), but that still doesn’t resolve the fact that the second game could have been much more than it was (or so I’ve heard since I still haven’t played it yet, due to being unable to bring myself to complete the dark side route of the first game up to this point).
Yes, let’s take a game with a sucky combat engine and an engaging storyline, and make it into an MMORPG! It’s only directly at odds with what makes a good MMORPG (good combat, no plot).
Seriously, as far as I’m concerned, there is no KotOR MMORPG. They can call it that if they want, but it will be so different as to be barely related.
Agreed. The only things confirmed are it takes place about 300 years after KotOR2, and that there will be other classes to play other than Jedi.