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DRM authentication servers stop Dragon Age: Origins from working

39 points by martey 16y ago

martey 16y ago
I think the author's description of the failed troubleshooting he did is as interesting as the issues surrounding DRM: The overwhelming impression that a user gets from a Google search for this error message is that this is a known, solved problem, and that one needs only to apply the right mix of hacks and tweaks (plus maybe a complete reinstall or two) in order to set things right and get back to playing. So hacking and tweaking is exactly what many of us set about doing. And doing. And doing. And doing. None of it worked. Or, when it did work, it had nasty side-effects like naked party members with no access to their gear. Again, we were vainly trying to fix a new server problem that had the symptoms of an old client problem.
deleted 16y ago
[deleted]
hartror 16y ago
Sounds like no one was at the wheel over the weekend so the problem went unnoticed for a couple of days. Or if there was someone they didn't monitor the forums.
stonemetal 16y ago
Note: we've contacted Bioware and EA PR for comments, and as of press time have received no reply. Last time I checked they didn't have a press time(not being a print organization and all), so what does this mean? Did they wait twenty minuets for a return phone call then publish?
- Hipchan 16y ago
  They probably do have some kind of publishing schedule to space out their articles evenly.
taws 16y ago
The emotionally charged nature of the article was presumably intended to provoke a sense of outrage/injustice in readers, however it only made me feel pity for the author. He shows signs of being an addict--one whose life has become so narrow that such interruptions in game playing take on monumental importance. "..spent my free time this past weekend needlessly trapped in troubleshooting hell." You're damn right, it was needless. Here's an idea: when something doesn't work, chill the fuck out. Do something else with your time while the problem is resolved. "Malicious neglect"? Really? Only an addict could become convinced of that.
- getsat 16y ago
  Addict? It seems to me that he's merely someone extremely passionate about something. This is also a case of one of the worst DRM-related fears coming to fruition. You no longer have (legal) access to a product you purchased. You're now essentially licencing games from the publisher and they get to decide when that licencing expires.
  - taws 16y ago
    Explain the basis for the "malicious neglect" claim. That's not a rational conclusion. It's unbalanced. It's the mind of an addict.
- MichaelGG 16y ago
  I don't think it's unreasonable for someone to decide to do something, then get frustrated when they are unable to do so. For instance, if you bought a new computer and TV, and then it started acting up or didn't work, you might quite reasonably spend time troubleshooting drivers, firmware, maybe even cables, to try to get it working. It's not that you're an addict to the system. If you knew it was a broken part ahead of time, you might have simply sent it in for repairs and gone skiing instead. But if you decided "hey I'm going to do X this weekend", it's quite easy to lose time trying to do so. As far as "malicious neglect", you could conclude that the author really thinks EA wants their DRM servers to fail on purpose and has lost touch with reality. Or, you could just read that as an upset and frustrated user (not necessarily an "addict") expressing things with a bit of hyperbole.
bsiemon 16y ago
Do these companies host and maintain their own DRM systems? If they do it seems like they would fall in love with anyone ready to provide a bullet proof 99.99999% uptime DRM solution.
- Hipchan 16y ago
  Steam?
warrenwilkinson 16y ago
I'll bet the version off pirate bay works fine. I know this is kind of snarky, but if they want to successfully combat piracy they need to make the pay-and-play experience better than the pirate one. DRM only affects those who play the unmodified game.
- Shamiq 16y ago
  I bought the mac version from Gametreemac -- when I have periods of dropped connections, my game doesn't give me a warning, it completely dies. This has forced me to save nearly every minute or so. Terrible UX :( Almost makes me wish I torrented a copy.
- cabalamat 16y ago
  You're not being snarky at all, just true.

39 points by martey 16y ago

I think the author's description of the failed troubleshooting he did is as interesting as the issues surrounding DRM: The overwhelming impression that a user gets from a Google search for this error message is that this is a known, solved problem, and that one needs only to apply the right mix of hacks and tweaks (plus maybe a complete reinstall or two) in order to set things right and get back to playing. So hacking and tweaking is exactly what many of us set about doing. And doing. And doing. And doing. None of it worked. Or, when it did work, it had nasty side-effects like naked party members with no access to their gear. Again, we were vainly trying to fix a new server problem that had the symptoms of an old client problem.

deleted 16y ago

[deleted]

hartror 16y ago

Sounds like no one was at the wheel over the weekend so the problem went unnoticed for a couple of days. Or if there was someone they didn't monitor the forums.

stonemetal 16y ago

Note: we've contacted Bioware and EA PR for comments, and as of press time have received no reply. Last time I checked they didn't have a press time(not being a print organization and all), so what does this mean? Did they wait twenty minuets for a return phone call then publish?

Hipchan 16y ago
They probably do have some kind of publishing schedule to space out their articles evenly.

taws 16y ago

The emotionally charged nature of the article was presumably intended to provoke a sense of outrage/injustice in readers, however it only made me feel pity for the author. He shows signs of being an addict--one whose life has become so narrow that such interruptions in game playing take on monumental importance. "..spent my free time this past weekend needlessly trapped in troubleshooting hell." You're damn right, it was needless. Here's an idea: when something doesn't work, chill the fuck out. Do something else with your time while the problem is resolved. "Malicious neglect"? Really? Only an addict could become convinced of that.

getsat 16y ago
Addict? It seems to me that he's merely someone extremely passionate about something. This is also a case of one of the worst DRM-related fears coming to fruition. You no longer have (legal) access to a product you purchased. You're now essentially licencing games from the publisher and they get to decide when that licencing expires.
- taws 16y ago
  Explain the basis for the "malicious neglect" claim. That's not a rational conclusion. It's unbalanced. It's the mind of an addict.
MichaelGG 16y ago
I don't think it's unreasonable for someone to decide to do something, then get frustrated when they are unable to do so. For instance, if you bought a new computer and TV, and then it started acting up or didn't work, you might quite reasonably spend time troubleshooting drivers, firmware, maybe even cables, to try to get it working. It's not that you're an addict to the system. If you knew it was a broken part ahead of time, you might have simply sent it in for repairs and gone skiing instead. But if you decided "hey I'm going to do X this weekend", it's quite easy to lose time trying to do so. As far as "malicious neglect", you could conclude that the author really thinks EA wants their DRM servers to fail on purpose and has lost touch with reality. Or, you could just read that as an upset and frustrated user (not necessarily an "addict") expressing things with a bit of hyperbole.

bsiemon 16y ago

Do these companies host and maintain their own DRM systems? If they do it seems like they would fall in love with anyone ready to provide a bullet proof 99.99999% uptime DRM solution.

Hipchan 16y ago
Steam?

warrenwilkinson 16y ago

I'll bet the version off pirate bay works fine. I know this is kind of snarky, but if they want to successfully combat piracy they need to make the pay-and-play experience better than the pirate one. DRM only affects those who play the unmodified game.

Shamiq 16y ago
I bought the mac version from Gametreemac -- when I have periods of dropped connections, my game doesn't give me a warning, it completely dies. This has forced me to save nearly every minute or so. Terrible UX :( Almost makes me wish I torrented a copy.
cabalamat 16y ago
You're not being snarky at all, just true.