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SecuROM Placed in GTA IV
By Rob Crossley
December 1, 2008
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"Rockstar rewards loyal, paying customers and will offer incentives and downloadable content that will only be available to registered users of the game.”
Rockstar has confirmed that the PC edition of Grand Theft Auto 4 will implement SecuROM measures to curb the game’s susceptibility to being pirated.
“We invest a considerable amount of time and effort to release each title, and employ a large number of people in the process. Having copy protection allows us to protect the integrity or our titles and future investments,” Rockstar told IGN. “But at the same time we have worked very hard to ensure that our solutions do not persecute the legitimate players of our games.”
Those who have purchased the boxed retail copy of GTA IV for the PC will need an internet connection to activate the software. Furthermore, the game’s disk will need to remain in the DVD drive in order to play.
“GTA IV PC also requires a number of software installations, including Games For Windows, Adobe Flash, Internet Explorer, SecuROM and our Rockstar Games Social Club application.”
Rockstar has added that there is a way to install the game on a computer that isn’t internet-enabled, though information on how this works is not yet available. Rockstar have commented that this process will require an internet connection, though it doesn’t have to be via the user’s rig. Once activated, the single-player game will not need an internet connection.
However, “to save offline gameplay and Achievement point progress related to a particular Games for Windows Live Gamertag, you must have logged in with that Gamertag at least once and saved your progress with it. Achievement points are not tracked in 'offline' accounts in GFWL games.”
The good news is that GTA IV will have no install limits for the retail disc version of the game, and that version can be installed on an unlimited number of PCs by the owner. Rockstar added that it “rewards loyal, paying customers and will offer incentives and downloadable content that will only be available to registered users of the game, running non-hacked copies, via Rockstar Games Social Club.”
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Rockstar better pray that EA doesn't lose in those anti-DRM lawsuits.
being able to hack software is something computing hardware is capable of, anti-piracy can not be achieved on a software level when pirates are hacking softwares using software techniques. just like fire can't be distinguished by fire, in order to do that, oxygen must be absent. in the case of anti-piracy, something has to be done in the heart of the problem: hardware.
maybe hardware manufactures haven't figured out a solution, maybe they just don't want to. i believe in the latter because i think for manufactures to incorporate anti-piracy hardware features into their own product is like giving the consumers less reasons to buy their stuff.
I total agree with you. The Industry need a shake up!! It's only a matter of time now before something changes. I think developers must be sick to the back teeth with spending millions on developement, only to see a large proportion of the the revenue being lost to people downloading or buying from ireputable sources.
"Having copy protection allows us to protect the integrity or our titles and future investments"
This statement is false, almost everybody who reads it will know that it is false, and the person who wrote it almost certainly understood that it was false. Token attempts at anti-piracy measures to placate shareholders with limited computer literacy are understandable, as is trying to lock out the second-hand market. But please don't make statements that offend the intelligence of your consumers.
"Those who have purchased the boxed retail copy of GTA IV for the PC will need an internet connection to activate the software."
As always, this will limit the game's legitimate market without affecting pirates - those without Internet connections are exactly the group who cannot easily torrent the game. Allowing installs on PCs without direct Internet connections is a positive step, but the basic concept is still aggravating and beyond redundant.
"Rockstar added that it “rewards loyal, paying customers and will offer incentives and downloadable content that will only be available to registered users of the game, running non-hacked copies, via Rockstar Games Social Club.” "
On the other hand, this is an excellent idea which actually makes the legitimate game more, rather than less, attractive than a pirate version.
"Infinite installs", this.
Online activation and a disc check have been tolerated for a long while on PC now and don't inconvenience users in the long run like the Spore and Mass Effect install limits would do. Although I would have had more faith in this if Rockstar would have chosen for Steamworks activation instead of Securom.
I would buy Rockstar's GTA game because they have been so good and well worth the money. But once again (though not with previous PC GTAs), genuine paying gamers get screwed with having to install all the extra anti-piracy stuff, while pirated versions will be free of all that junkware.
Yeah mate, it's annoying that SecuRom makes you install what is essentially a piece of spyware to activate your product.It's a sorry state of affairs, but unfortunately something that we'll all have to live with, unless you're a console gamer. There will always be a small minority of people that will spoil it for the rest of us.
Rockstar are just trying to protect their interests which I understand perfectly. It's a real shame that there is nothing more the industry can do to sensibly combat piracy. I have had GTA4 since march or whenever the PS3 bundle was released and would consider paying again, just so I can play with my PC buddies too. But I know that lots of people won't be paying for it.
Whatever you're excuse is.. Downloading GTA4 or any game, is detrimental to future games development and in these time of financial woe, it should be even more reason to support you favourite studio's by buying their product, think of it as an investment if you like. How gutted would we all be if Rockstar announced that they were going to administration having lost millions to piracy.
If you can't afford it, Don't buy it!! Don't steal it either. It's only £30quid and for a game like GTA4 which is such a vast game your getting a bargain.
Even with all the DRM and SecuRom stuff, least you're safe in the knowledge that with a legit copy you will have access to DLC and various other social events.. Just means you have to register you product that's all and it's piece of mind too. We should frown upon those who download, it should not be encouraged.
We all know that it's still going to end up on torrent sites within a few hours of release and shortly after some clever bugger with have the .exe hex edited and posted back out there for the world to use.
DRM Doesn't work!!. Neither does online activation!!. It didn't work with Spore or Far Cry 2, so what makes them think it's going to be different for GTA4?
Games Developers and publishers need to look into more efficient ways of securing their products, perhaps by finding a more secure media to distribute on or perhaps a login through a centralised key server or digital downloads. Either way they'll never be able to stop those cunning pirates for getting hold of and playing there games without paying, they'll always find a way round the system, it's inevitable.
As someone above mentioned, it is a measure to placate shareholders rather than actually secure their software against piracy. I'm not quite sure how those shareholders haven't heard that SecuROM doesn't actually do anything other than irritate their customers, but apparently they still believe it is a viable option - probably having been fed a load of PR nonsense by Sony DADC.
However I was under the impression that GTA4 was being released on Steam as well as on disc - will Steam's version have SecuROM included also? If so I don't quite see how that makes any sense - Valve's solution actually works, certainly moreso than any other system on the market at least, so I don't understand the need for SecuROM in this case.
If GTA4 does get a Steam release. You probably won't have all the SecuRom hassles, steam authenticates your account and games within it. Although having said that Steam is just a fallible as SecuRom.. Left4Dead is certainly doing the rounds at the moment on the torrent sites with a Steam work around, so go figure.
It's got absolutely nothing to do with satisfying shareholders because actually they're in a worse position than we are and it's us as gamers who pick up the tab for the pirates not the shareholders. The get their money based on profits, if profits are being eaten away by the narrow minded few. Then they won't get the kickback, should may be they should think about putting their money elsewhere.
It's Time for developers to look at this problem seriously, it's going to take time and investment at their end and in the interim I think we're going to be in the position for a long time yet.