GTA IV Protection?

[GTAWiseman]

Still not confirmed, many say that R* will have some kind of protection on the game from piracy(consider this a good thing). But after you install the game, you need to activate the game via internet, and not to mention you need to be online even when playing singleplayer(consider this bad or good. I on the other hand, am not so thrilled how this will work ). So is this good news or bad news?

Well tell me.

Discussion is open

[NSanityHD]

Having GTA IV protected from Piracy is a good thing. This should help the disc/game being pirated. Consider it as a bad thing for those who don't like to purchase the game, instead they pirate it.

[Earthbound]

Are you sure you have to be online when playing single player? Surely not. I can understand why they would use activation to avoid piracy, but that would be a once off activation after you've installed the game, I'd imagine.

If it is so, and you do have to be online to play single player, this will suck. I spend a good half of the month on my download limit. I don't want to further exceed my download limit just so I can play the game.

Hmm.

[Deji]

It doesn't matter what procedures they take to try and protect it, it's gonna be cracked in about 2 weeks. All the protection is pointless to be honest. It will never make it harder for people to get it illegally, it'll just make it harder to install legally...

Please enter your 1052 character serial from your games booklet below:

Eh, besides from the serials being annoying, the ones that are in the booklet or on the game case would be a problem for anyone wanting to buy a second-hand game

"There is no booklet!"

[Huckleberry Pie]

I don't like the fact that you have to be always online just to play singleplayer. I do use the Net often, but the fact that you have to bow down to that kind of DRM protection bothers me. Sometimes, even such protection schemes are more of a culprit:

When you install Vista, Microsoft claims that you consent to being spied upon, through the "Windows Genuine Advantage" system. This system tries to identify instances of copying that Microsoft thinks are illegitimate. This system includes a "kill switch" which allows Microsoft to remotely deactivate your copy of Vista. This deactivation, whether deliberate or by accident -- as has been the case in some 500,000 cases already according to a study last year -- locks you out of your computer, and forces you to contact Microsoft to get access to your files.

While they may have now ostensibly removed the kill switch from Vista, they have not updated the hostile license they say you must agree to in order to use Vista. Vista still restricts your freedom, because freedom at the whim of someone else is not freedom.

Vista still enforces Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) -- technologies that companies like Disney, Warner, Netflix, Universal, Apple, Sony, Amazon, Fox and Microsoft are trying to impose on us all in order to have control over how our computers are used.

The public backlash that led to the kill switch in Vista being "removed" is a sign that people want software freedom. Today, Microsoft cannot offer people what they want. Thankfully, all is not lost -- free software distributions of the GNU/Linux operating system offer that freedom today. One lesson we should all take from this is that if we speak loudly enough, and demand software freedom, it can have results. But we also shouldn't be fooled -- Microsoft has just hidden the kill switch behind its back, still claiming the authority to use it. More pressure is still needed, and the only thing that will work in the end is for Microsoft to release their software under a license that respects the freedom of computer users.

I'm not into promoting warez here, though. My point is that some companies take the fight against piracy too far, to the point that even the innocent, legitimate consumer is affected.

Just wait a few weeks when some group makes a patch for it; you can't really stop them from trying to reverse-engineer your million-dollars-worth of work you and your fellow developers have done. If you've made the ultimate protection scheme, then the user will be affected.

[ToonSkull]

Well even when my brother buys this one -- and I know he will. I won't be able to install it until a crack is made because my machine is running Linux Ubuntu. Not all games get ported to my OS so I have to run them through wine and although I own the game they -- Microsoft -- forces us to use their OS.

I don't see that internet thingy working for the game sales either. While most PC users have internet not all do -- The Amish for example -- so while it will be a small margin the internet game check is a bad idea. It is also bypassed by a simple game crack.

I remember my Dad was bugging out years ago when he was working for Blizzard on WC3 about the futile development of software protection. His big complaint to the suits was they paid big bucks to Securom to protect the game disks and have all the in-house programmers that can do it for them. The game would still get cracked but if the crakers don't know the style of protection it makes it much harder.

Well the game itself will keep me from buying it since it is not backwards compatible to my graphics card. Meanwhile my bro Josh -- Jabhacksoul -- is taking donations through his paypal account to buy a new graphics card.

[Connor]

I can understand activation codes and shit, but for people who don't actually have internet, it's not that fair.

[Butters!]

I think making the game Anti-Pirate is good, but needing to be online? I usually play GTA now because the internet is down a lot

[GTA Don]

I can understand activation codes and shit, but for people who don't actually have internet, it's not that fair.

A lot of people have internet now, so it really shouldn't be a problem. Huck, you don't always have to be online to play singleplayer, you just need a working internet connection to ACTIVATE the game now.

[Connor]

But for the people that don't, they're fucked, unless they have a 360 or PS3...

[claude-5]

this is BS, i was thinking of never connecting my new system to the net , but that down the drain :@

[Urbanoutlaw]

Requiring someone to be online to play a single player game is a bit excessive. It also turns playing a game into work

because before you can play you have to make sure your anti-virus is currant & run various scans constantly. Yes,

there's software that does that automatically but they take up memory & other rescorces that affect gameplay.

If R* & TT really want to impose that on their customers, EA can have 'em.

[Urbanoutlaw]

Just found this in another topic (thanks for the heads up, Spider-Vice) -

http://www.gtalegende.com/imgdivers/1227990201ReadMe.txt

If it's real, it says single player won't have to be online.

Edited November 30, 2008 by Urbanoutlaw

[JAB HacksouL]

Well even when my brother buys this one -- and I know he will.

....

Meanwhile my bro Josh -- Jabhacksoul -- is taking donations through his paypal account to buy a new graphics card.

ha HA very funny... but for those interested my pay pal is, nah just kidding.

Yeah it looks like my PC will need to be replaced before I consider buying this one. But all this copy protection is just smoke and mirrors. Anyone who writes code should know that computer programs work on true/false statements. No matter what your security it can and most likely will be cracked. The idea is to promote the FEAR that it is hopeless to defeat their code.

For example Deji said,

Please enter your 1052 character serial from your games booklet below:

It still boils down to a single true/false question... "Did he enter the correct code?" If true play the game else format his HD.

Yeah that will show that punk for mistaking the O for a zero!!

Even the internet connection can be false. The hacker could tell it that it is connected when it is not or even have it connect to a website he made up. It all depends on how determined the hacker is to break the code. The driving force to the hacker's motivation is someone saying that it is "impossible" to hack. The rush is then on to be uber hacker.

My Dad told Rob Pardo and some other guys, when he was working on Reign of Chaos, that Securom was soaking them for too much money. Disk protection that lasted a month at best. His idea was radical but involved the original key code about 16 digits long. Then spreading rumors of a unique "ghosting system" that would make the hackers go on a wild goose chase. They would be looking for security that didn't exist, making the security last a while longer. But no they had a contract with Securom and any additional security would have to go through Securom blah blah blah... Our Dad no longer works with them. Our Dad believes Securom is the leak to most game hacks.

Smoke and mirrors.

JAB

The readme states:

Other Requirements:

Initial activation requires internet connection; Online play requires log-in to Games

for Windows - LIVE and Rockstar Games Social Club (13+ to register); requires disc

in drive to play (unlimited installations); software installations required including

Sony DADC SecuROM, Adobe Flash, DirectX, and Microsoft's .NET Framework,

Games for Windows - LIVE, and Internet Explorer.

Edited November 30, 2008 by JAB HacksouL

[Urbanoutlaw]

Yeah, I can be like that, doing things just because people tell me I can't.

About a hundred years ago, someone told a couple bicycle mechanics from Ohio it was impossible to build an airplane.

No real relevance, just noting human nature.

[Wezqu]

It was already stated that your computer doesn't have to be connected to internet to play the game, but you have to activate it on a computer that has internet connection. After you have done that you can play the game on the computer thats not connected to internet so in reality internet connection for the computer is not required as you can do the activation on through another computer. For example you can use your friends/relatives computer that is connected to internet to activate the game.

Edited December 1, 2008 by Wezqu

[GTAWiseman]

If Russian hackers hacked the Pentagon...they can surely hack this game in 1 day.I'm asking again...What does R* benefit from this?

[Earthbound]

If Russian hackers hacked the Pentagon...they can surely hack this game in 1 day.I'm asking again...What does R* benefit from this?

I hate to dig up an oldie, but....

ZING!

[GTAWiseman]

If Russian hackers hacked the Pentagon...they can surely hack this game in 1 day.I'm asking again...What does R* benefit from this?

I hate to dig up an oldie, but....

ZING!

What you mean by that?

[gutman]

I hated this "protection" system. It's just a big load of crap. I'll just play GTA 4 on the PC because I believe there will be mods soon, otherwise I'd stick with my PS3 copy much better.

[Righty]

I'll add this - I've been burned quite a few times by "Windows Genuine Advantage". Everytime it happens, I pull out my retail version of XP Pro and give Microsoft a Call. My parents' computer is the only computer to be running that XP (CD and Key never used on another computer) and it deactivates itself 3-4 times a year.

[gutman]

I'll add this - I've been burned quite a few times by "Windows Genuine Advantage". Everytime it happens, I pull out my retail version of XP Pro and give Microsoft a Call. My parents' computer is the only computer to be running that XP (CD and Key never used on another computer) and it deactivates itself 3-4 times a year.

For me is simple like that. I'm proud to buy an original product if I'm a fan of it. Also I think the best way to stop piracy is to insert cool online features in the game so people will be estimulated to buy it to play online.

This new way of protecting the copyrights just suck. It takes off the user's freedom and also adds a lot of unecessary things to the game. Good was the time of GTA3 engine. I'm really desapointed with this PC version.

[bjoerk]

It will not help, people will always find a way to crack it, i think that time and money spend on the piracy protection could be spend beter, just put a cd key in it for online,

and thats it, why all the shitty protections if you know it will be cracked within days

[Huckleberry Pie]

If I would develop a game, it's either that I would go open-source or make the protection intentionally weak; after all, you would end up having your work cracked in a day or two, right? Just telling the audience to buy the original copy of my game isn't hard, I guess...

[Mehhh]

Some biz folks have reported that some individuals, not "hardcore pirates" have gotten their hands on games illegally and actually purchased a copy later &/or liked the game they played so much, that they became interested in the series & purchased...

THose are words of some bizness folks..

Again, I dont care about pirating, reselling games whatever, I'm not out to "hurt" biz or ppl, one thing I do enjoy & I'm sorry to say if it involves "hacking" is the ability to enhance my gameplay, increase replay value by being able to do things like, increase the speed of certain vehicles, slow the cops down so when they give chase, specially when you accum more stars they arent running at you about "160" while you're struggling to get up to "50" ..

PPl that made custom skins for cars, I even made a few for my own game when I had SA ... to see a graphic or paint scheme you made on a car, its cool .. Adding in modern day or custom cars, its jus adds to the enjoyment ..

Like I've said, in half life, they give you a developer console even, to adjust about any aspect of the game, install mods, its great, so have ppl stoppt buying their games ? NO, heck I bought each in the series..

Mehh, again, its gettin down to limiting your rights and enjoyment to the point that "big brother" will be in bed w/ you, dictating to you if its safe to fart, otherwise hmm "you've been fined one credit for adding to the pollution in earth's atmosphere" .. prolly have a machine in the room charging you for the oxygen content in the air that you're using... By then vid games will proly be eliminated, there will be so much "protection" on them that the developers will have cleverly locked themselves out of them ...