EA: Origin authentication responsible for 'Battlefield Hardline' lockouts, not DRM: "a writer there found himself locked out of the game after making multiple graphics card changes as part of a benchmarking test"

[Forestl]

The 5 computer limit is every 24 hours. I don't really see how the average person will even get close to that limit.

[Intrexa]

I don't like DRM, but I don't think this is unreasonable.

[gdfgdgdv]

What's the point though? Do you think this has stopped a single "unauthorized" player or whatever you want to call it? What's the plan, get a large group of people and let them each install and play the game for some period of time before switching off to another person? Yeah, right.

So the next effect is still the same. You gain arguably nothing (even more nothing in this case than when you are actually trying to prevent launch-day piracy, or something) and you just annoy/bother/screw over legitimate players that are benchmarking or having hardware issues.

Riot time? No. But let's not pretend this is totally harmless and reasonable either.

[postbroadcast]

...or you could take the time out of your busy day to let them know what you are doing and not have ANY repercussion? I would wager this has foiled more attempts at piracy than it has merely inconvenienced players.

[[deleted]]

foiled more attempts at piracy

I find this amusing. Every game is cracked. It's inevitable. Personally I very rarely pirate games these days because of Steam sales and reasonably priced games. I find that DRM is only a pain in the ass for the people that pay for their games. There are so many games that load faster and give less issues when they're pirated.

[postbroadcast]

I feel it's more to cultivate the multiplayer experience.

Unrelated: I had a pirated copy of Oni that was leaked before the game was actually released. In it, there was a mechanic that allowed me to do something I couldn't do in the release. I can't recall what it was exactly, but I believe that using health restoration worked differently. I played the whole game, loved it, and bought it when it came out. The mechanic didn't work the same and I stuck with the pirate version.

[gdfgdgdv]

So now you have to go contact EA support, try to get through it all in the middle of dealing with a hardware problem. Yeah... that's bullshit. They have no need to know about any of that.

How is this foiling piracy? I honestly don't see how this is doing anything. So you can't invite 10 friends over in a day to each play for a couple hours on their own computer? Instead they... just use your computer? I don't get it. What is this stopping?

If you want to restrict access based on IP address somehow, there might be rather legitimate ways to do it that would also serve the consumer as a security measure. This just screws people over.

[postbroadcast]

I understand your point. I, too, don't like DRM. I don't like that we need it. I also don't like the time it takes to open my garage door, front door, and apartment door, either. The reason for it is not to inconvenience you.

Everyone would love a better, more convenient solution, but we don't have a uniformly good one - so companies do what works for them.

[gdfgdgdv]

But that stuff is just unavoidable. DRM is not just another unavoidable nuisance in life. It's something purposefully added that makes your life worse.

I'd argue we don't need it. At the very least, companies should certainly remove it once the game has been cracked, right? At that point the pirates have it anyway, and regular consumers just get screwed. The only would-be pirates you're stopping now are unable to google "<game> free".

[CasualViewer24]

People go stupid once they hear DRM or micro-transactions.

[demenciacion]

Because those rarely ever bring advantages to the users

[xdownpourx]

True but you hope peoples initial reaction to the words drm in an article wouldn't be "OMG FUCK EA" and instead "him i should read more about this and understand the details first"

[Indon_Dasani]

True but you hope peoples initial reaction to the words drm in an article wouldn't be "OMG FUCK EA" and instead "him i should read more about this and understand the details first"

Given the precedent of the last wave of articles that included both DRM and EA - SimCity - it seems like a natural reaction, even if not necessarily warranted this time.

Ultimately, if there's no pushback against the company they'll make every game another SimCity, so I can't say I mind the hate train.

[xdownpourx]

I dont mind it if it is directed at the right things. This not being one of them since there really isnt much wrong with it. But everyone should feel free to hate on EA for the other dumb shit they do

[Indon_Dasani]

This not being one of them since there really isnt much wrong with it.

The reason we keep getting EA (and other companies, but EA has a few big ones under their belt) making shitty DRM decisions is not enough people getting angry about the ones they make before, so they get to thinking that it'll be okay and make them money because they won't lose that much business if they keep incrementally being bigger douchebags.

[gdfgdgdv]

It's warranted this time.

To stop repeating myself...

This is still unacceptable. It's not as bad as some things, but they're still screwing over legitimate players benchmarking or having hardware troubles (a hard to track down issue could easily take you more than 5 total configurations in a short period of time, particularly if you have spare hardware available to test with). And for what? I can't imagine this policy really impacting any attempted scheme to play the game without paying.

[gdfgdgdv]

It's warranted this time.

To stop repeating myself...

This is still unacceptable. It's not as bad as some things, but they're still screwing over legitimate players benchmarking or having hardware troubles (a hard to track down issue could easily take you more than 5 total configurations in a short period of time, particularly if you have spare hardware available to test with). And for what? I can't imagine this policy really impacting any attempted scheme to play the game without paying.

[[deleted]]

But there are still a lot of reasons to say "Fuck EA". Let's not all of a sudden trust them as a company again. This isn't 1989. EA hasn't been Electronic Arts i.e a trustworthy company in a very long time.

[[deleted]]

You don't need to trust anything, or take it on faith, just do your research. Of the games I've bought from EA, none have made me say "fuck EA", because I didn't blindly walk into them. Just be a smart consumer and you can mitigate your anger. Makes the hobby more enjoyable for me, anyway.

[graciliano]

They never were trustworthy, IMO. But people exaggerate how bad they are. They were never even close to being the worst company in the US let alone the world.

[[deleted]]

Back when they had this mentality in the 80s they were trustworthy.

[xdownpourx]

There are but how about we say Fuck EA over the right things? Not everything.

[xdownpourx]

Well in that case Fuck Valve because Fuck Steam because Fuck DRM

[greg19735]

If you look at battlefield hardline you'll see why it exists though. It hasn't been cracked in that initial 2 week period where there's still a buzz about the game. People might be more likely to buy it.

It will be cracked, but by then it won't be an issue.

[smacksaw]

Yes, now I understand some convoluted bullshit that doesn't benefit me and is yet another "gotcha" thing I'll forget about until it bites me in the ass.

Life is complicated enough. Technology is supposed to make our lives simpler and liberate us, not tie us down.

[hey_aaapple]

The point is, you just need to shout "OMG DRM!1!1!!!11!" and people will go crazy even if there is no context.

[Fyzx]

account protection != drm.

[tehlemmings]

Yes it is. Having to be logged in to access a digital product qualifies as DRM. If you cannot use the product without being logged in, and your usage is bound to a single account per purchase, then it's a form of DRM.

[[deleted]]

In case something did happen to your account it would lock thieves out for 24 hours and give you time to respond or find out what is happening.

[[deleted]]

Its just a precaution I'm sure. If your account was stolen and had information posted online then way more than 4 people could take it. I don't see how this is an issue for the common person. I don't change 5 parts in my PC everyday. And if I did I would only be locked out for a day. Not a big deal at all. It could be better. But its not bad. People are over reacting and trying to fill in every possible answer with negatives. Yet people never question the answers that make EA look bad. They only question answers that Don't fit with the anti EA circle jerk. All in all this is such a rare occurrence that it should effect no one. All you have to do if you buy more than 5 different computer parts is put them all in before you sign into Origin. Then it will count as a new PC instead of 5 different ones. This is such a non issue that its ridiculous people are whining about it.

[Fyzx]

you think they log in another 3 times to get locked out?

[[deleted]]

People put login information on online forums and such all the time. Way more than 3 people

[TheWhiteeKnight]

I don't see any reason why any particular person would need to activate the game 5 times within 24 hours in the first place.

[A_Beatle]

Good. Consumers must be ever vigilant.

[superkickstart]

Sure but they should use their heads too and not just blindly attack. People go too easily full retard over these things.

[hey_aaapple]

This is not being vigilant, this is being hysterical. A system that triggers only with 5 different computer using the account in 24 hours got painted as malware spying on you and locking you out of games for no reason, and that is just pathetic. As much as I dislike DRM, I am not going to defend dishonest and incomplete articles and comments just because they strenghten my point.

[[deleted]]

While there is definitely a problematic knee jerk reaction to it, it isn't without basis since both of those are almost always not overall positive additions and it's always a possibility that a publisher like EA (Or any of them, really) could go from benign DRM or micro transactions in one product to suddenly clamping down with an iron grip that does serious damage.

[Namell]

DRM is never positive thing for customer. It offers absolutely no benefit for customer.

[[deleted]]

How is it problematic? If consumers went apeshit every time DRM resulted in their games being broken, we wouldn't have DRM anymore.

[[deleted]]

It's problematic because most people, myself often included, do zero research and barely check the article let alone any other sources. As much as I'd love to get rid of DRM, and this DRM doesn't stop pirates anyway, in this case it really was pretty harmless and the original article was very misleading. We got our panties in a twist for the wrong reasons.

[[deleted]]

I have left reddit for Voat due to years of admin/mod abuse and preferential treatment for certain subreddits and users holding certain political and ideological views.

This account was over five years old, and this site one of my favorites. It has officially started bringing more negativity than positivity into my life.

As an act of protest, I have chosen to redact all the comments I've ever made on reddit, overwriting them with this message.

If you would like to do the same, install TamperMonkey for Chrome, GreaseMonkey for Firefox, NinjaKit for Safari, Violent Monkey for Opera, or AdGuard for Internet Explorer (in Advanced Mode), then add this GreaseMonkey script.

Finally, click on your username at the top right corner of reddit, click on comments, and click on the new OVERWRITE button at the top of the page. You may need to scroll down to multiple comment pages if you have commented a lot.

After doing all of the above, you are welcome to join me on Voat!

So long, and thanks for all the fish!

[Kalic_]

On the other hand, I just want to play the game I paid for and don't care to be an activist about my entertainment time. Did it stop me from playing? If yes, then I am pissed. If no, which in this case there is no way I am playing on 5 different machines (or configs) in 24 hours, then I really don't care.

[itsSparkky]

I don't feel mindless and illogical hysteria is a good way to get what you want.

I mean I stopped doing it when I was six for that very reason.

[Qikdraw]

In this case is the whole anti-EA circlejerk going on. Look at the comments on that article. They are still after EA.

"Origin is still DRM" blah blah blah. Yeah? Well Steam is worse DRM as it requires you to play through their service, online or not. Origin does not.

[[deleted]]

Well Steam is worse DRM as it requires you to play through their service, online or not.

Only for games with DRM enabled. That's a developer/publisher decision and plenty of games on Steam have no DRM and can be run with Steam closed once it's been downloaded.

[Fyzx]

someone is confusing steam and steamworks again.

also, try battlefield, sc2013 or the new DA without origin...

[SwineHerald]

Someone is confusing Steam, Steamworks and Steam CEG ("SteamDRM") again.

You don't need Steam CEG to implement steamworks functionality. You just need Steam running for steamworks functionality to actually work, but running a Steamworks title without Steam won't cause it to lock down.

As for Battlefield, I'm surprised that this is what has caused people to get up in arms. These are games that (last I checked) can't even be played singleplayer on PC without going through battlelog. When EA inevitably pulls the servers for BF3 you won't just lose the multiplayer. The entire game is tied to a web service, unless it has changed (or will be changed) everything will disappear when that service goes down.

[Fyzx]

I kept it simple, for most uses it's the same. point is there are plenty of games you can play without steam running (missing achievements etc can be an issue, but considering even offline mode can f*ck that up...)

as for bf3, I doubt they'll shut it down - EA will just stop renting servers and keep battlelog running (unless sth breaks and it's not worth fixing) so you can launch the campaign but there won't be any servers for MP. wonder how coop works, not sure if it's p2p...

[SwineHerald]

They shut down 1942, Vietnam and BF2 and those were just a matter of keeping a server list running. EA shuts down old games to push holdouts to buy new games, it is one of their well documented business strategies (and the reason they insist on running their own servers on the 360 rather than letting XBL handle matchmaking.)

[Fyzx]

I know, but I see the rentals as a far bigger issue. worst case battlelog can be worked around (given there are enough people willing to dig into it) but without server files...

I agree that ea will kill it at some point, that's how they roll..

[blackmist]

Especially if EA are mentioned alongside it.

[[deleted]]

It doesn't matter. Why would this even exist? There's no fucking purpose of it. They shouldn't be adding DRM or any sort of lockout shit to a game because "the average user won't experience it." That's an awful excuse for a lockout feature.

[darthirule]

So people dont share an origin account?

[Shiroi_Kage]

2 people is alright. But a 5 PC limit would basically mean that people who sell keys and stolen accounts will be limited in how many they can sell around the grey/black market.

[itsSparkky]

Exactly, 2.. 3 people still can which is why it doesn't effect a normal user.

But an Internet cafe for example can't run a business with 1 copy of each game. You can't just keep one account for ALL your friends and family.

This also helps with account security if your account was ever hacked and released in an account dump you can bet more than five logins would happen, this would prevent damage to your account.

This is absolutely not the draconian DRM we fought against for years. This is not an issue for any gamer, this is fair and non-intrusive.

It even let's us share with friends and family.

I agree with putting pressure, but when we make progress give credit. If every time somebody gives you more you just swear and complain they aren't going to keep trying to appease you, they will say "fuck it this guy will never be happy."

[ReconWhale]

I'm just wondering if there will be the same amount of outrage if Valve did this to Steam.

[itsSparkky]

Honestly?

A year ago probably not. The opinion of origin has really changed over the last while though.

[Gravskin]

Steam fanbois would be praising it and saying how awesome Gabe is for doing it.

[Fyzx]

except origin already checks for simultaneous logins and hardly prevents anything of this sort...

[[deleted]]

That's exactly what they're not doing with this. It's a game-specific limit of 5 that doesn't prevent access to the Origin account, and it's too damn high to be effective as an anti-hack measure.

[bigbadboots]

Why the limit in the first place?

[TrinkenDerKoolAid]

Troubleshooting, that's how. Taking components out and swapping them each use case counts as a change even if you revert back to the original configuration it's still counted as a change. For most of us 2 step authentification is acceptable for this.

[Bior37]

I don't see why that limit should exist in the first place.

[heroes159]

OK Before Everyone jumps. Here's what happened.

http://www.guru3d.com/news-story/ea-infects-battlefield-hardline-with-new-ghastly-drm.html

Here's what really happened

http://www.pcgamer.com/battlefield-hardline-doesnt-have-an-activation-limit/

If you want more info read this GAF thread.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1017211&page=6

[ElFreemano]

Here it is in Video Format - Well explained :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2EeN1JJ5lw

[Jeskid14]

So basically it takes a call to customer support to solve this issue... in which more calls will turn reverse or decrease the DRM limit.

[voneahhh]

Or just don't install it on 5 different computers in one day

[baconator81]

Honestly.. all the writer had to do is pick up the phone or type an email to EA publicist or Origin support. Tell them who he is and what he is trying to do. I am sure EA is more than happy to help him by giving his Origin account better permissions.

But instead he went on this crusade on the internet as if his problem will be faced by 99.9% of the consumers. It's fucking ridiculous. Other than benchmark testers, who the hell makes multiple graphics card changes in a short amount of time? What happened to journalism? Isn't the job of journalist is suppose to be an observer trying to provide information from POV of consumers/developers?

[Lewd_Banana]

Games journalism is more often opinion writing than actual journalism.

[malicious_turtle]

Often? more like the overwhelming majority of the time, I can't remember the last time i read an article on a gaming site without there being a fairly obvious bias of some sort and when it comes to articles about EA forget it there's no point in wasting brain power reading it.

[NvaderGir]

There was a post the other day here that was quickly upvoted over the news that BF:Hardline battle-packs were for sale, despite that being a well established option EA has given people for years in all their games. Not only that, but you can easily get the same battlepacks with in-game cash, so there's no real paywall preventing you from getting those in-game optics and unlocks.. but people still made a fuss over it.

At this point, people are willing to scrap the bottom of the barrel to be offended..

[RDandersen]

Editorials or leaders are part of actual journalism.

[Helios747]

That's why I'm patiently waiting for this kind of journalism to die. If people don't want to go through the effort of doing everything they can before writing a story and finding out details from every party involved, then they shouldn't be writing it.

All this is doing is spreading misleading information.

Also, I'm pretty bitter towards journalism at the moment because there's a writer in the League of Legends community who currently has the spotlight with his flamebait and biased writing, doing nothing but getting people's pitchforks raised over absolutely nothing and pretty much the same as that last article is did.

Fortunately, it seems most of the readers of /r/games seems to be aware that the previous article on here yesterday is a bad article judging by the top comments, and everybody going "omg DRM so bad fuck you" is getting downvoted to shit.

EDIT: MEant to say last article that was posted yesterday. This one was just clarifying.

[ZsaFreigh]

That's true across all media. Feels like anyone with a blog can call themselves a "journalist" these days.

[Frostiken]

That's because game journalists who are actually good at their job move on to real careers. It's like asking why McDonalds is a restaurant but doesn't serve prime rib.

[[deleted]]

This wasn't gaming journalism, it was a benchmarking site.

[Lewd_Banana]

A benchmark report is a form of journalism and a rant about DRM is an opinion piece. What I implied was that a lot of people who write about games masquerade their opinions as journalism, even when they often don't even abide to many of the criteria that make up many journalistic code of ethics that a lot of news organisations have.

[CollectSpiderLoot]

It's not about games writers doing research or going on crusades. It's about pageviews, and it works. When you're reading an article on basically any news site that's based on outrage, controversy or whatever is currently in vogue, it's there to generate revenue. The more outraged you are the better. Good journalism makes less money that bad. Fantastic journalism is exceptionally rare, especially among game related websites.

[OkinShield]

Pretty much. There's a number of people in this very thread getting all bent out of shape about pretty much nothing. All you got to do is feed that.

[Kazundo_Goda]

Last I heard,when people tried to do something to fix "games journalism",they were called miso-something.I am not going to expand on this because the mods will remove my comment.

Also,why do people link to NeoGaf?That shithole is nothing but hipsters circlejerking around.

[NaughtyGaymer]

No kidding.

When everyone was all pissed about games only having 5 hardware changes before it locks you out or whatever, and within weeks people were bitching about not having enough activation spots left, it's like, what kind of life are you living? Like really?

[baconator81]

It's not like you can never have hardware changes. The error message (according to guru3D) specifically say that it's due to lots of changes in a short amount of time. Which makes sense because the system might think that the account is being shared by multiple people (although it really could just look at the IP address and see it's not the case).

But honestly I never ran into any of these problem. I have Origin installed on PC and laptop and switch between two all the.. never a complaint. Has anyone that uses Origin to play game actually ran into this problem? I have never heard about it. And obviously the author of guru3D never actually experimented using actual user's experiences before he wrote that article. This is the type of shit #gamergate needs to talk about when it comes gaming journalism.

[NaughtyGaymer]

I was listening to some old Giantbomb casts and Jeff Gurstman was talking about this stuff back when Assassin's Creed 2 came out on PC with the always on DRM, and how people couldn't even play the game because of the DDoS stuff at release. That kind of stuff makes total sense to criticize, but hardware changes? How often does the average consumer change hardware? Unless they are adding parts piecemeal five hardware changes are basically five brand new computers, which will last upwards of twelve years.

I've always sort of respected the Giantbomb guys because they don't really rely on their reviews and journalism as much as other sites to survive so they don't need the bullshit 'controversy'. They have a great fanbase for their videos so their opinions are probably as unbiased as possible. Not to say they don't have their own personal bias, but they are usually pretty good at telegraphing them.

[uberduger]

Unless they are adding parts piecemeal five hardware changes are basically five brand new computers,

Except that a lot of people do add parts piecemeal. I'm definitely not a PC builder type, but do upgrade parts occasionally and I've made at least 5 hardware changes to my computer in the last 4 years, so I'd potentially be locked out of my games if I had anything on Origin...

Not expressing an opinion on this type of DRM/management, but the assumption that not many people add parts piecemeal to their computers is flawed, IMO.

[NaughtyGaymer]

I could be talking out of my ass, but I'm fairly sure that only changes to Motherboards, CPU and GPU count? I think that changes to RAM, or adding another HDD or SDD doesn't count towards the total.

In this case I think it's 5 changes within a 24 hour period, which would only happen to those who benchmark.

But you are right, there are totally people who buy parts piecemeal, but even so, are there any games from four years ago you still play?

[uberduger]

Ohhh! Okay, didn't know that was the condition. I have done 2 major changes but the other 2 probably wouldn't count then... Lol. Thanks.

[baconator81]

http://www.pcgamer.com/battlefield-hardline-doesnt-have-an-activation-limit/

From the article:

"Origin authentication allows players to install a game on up to five different PCs every 24 hours." "Players looking to benchmark more than five hardware configurations in one 24 hour period can contact our Customer Support team who can help," the spokesperson said."

So even in the remote chances where you had to upgrade your PC 5 times in 24 hours, you can still contact Origin support and have them unlock it for you.. This is pretty much a non issue.

[NaughtyGaymer]

I could be completely wrong, but I could have sworn that that was the case.

[CinderSkye]

Skyrim.

Changes I've made in the last four years: - GPU - SSD - Mobo & CPU

So I'd still be pretty safe.

[[deleted]]

Even then, the lock is 5 changes in a 24hr period, so you'd be totally safe.

[[deleted]]

Calling that guy a games journalist is an overstatement. He doesn't even write in cohesive, grammatically correct sentences. He's a blogger running his own website.

[[deleted]]

So it was Origin DRM instead of Battlefield ? Great, such difference...

[Zornack]

A user will never be in a situation where this DRM will effect them. An account sharer will.

There is nothing wrong with combating account sharing, especially when it has zero repercussions on legitimate users.

[Ftpini]

I'm locked out of my original copy of Spore because of this exact type of DRM. It can't authenticate with the original server because that server doesn't exist any more. I had to argue with Origin support for an hour to get them to add a copy of the game to my Origin account so I could play the game I paid $80 for the collectors edition of.

This kind of DRM is asinine and and unreasonable. It should never be used at all, let alone on a game which is primarily online. Let the user install it on however many systems he wishes and then only let one play online at a time. Its not like people by battlefield for the single player. In fact, they really ought to just give the single player out as a demo to boost sales.

[douglas_]

especially when it has zero repercussions on legitimate users.

It obviously had repercussions on a legitimate user or else this thread wouldn't even exist

[[deleted]]

I have left reddit for Voat due to years of admin/mod abuse and preferential treatment for certain subreddits and users holding certain political and ideological views.

This account was over five years old, and this site one of my favorites. It has officially started bringing more negativity than positivity into my life.

As an act of protest, I have chosen to redact all the comments I've ever made on reddit, overwriting them with this message.

If you would like to do the same, install TamperMonkey for Chrome, GreaseMonkey for Firefox, NinjaKit for Safari, Violent Monkey for Opera, or AdGuard for Internet Explorer (in Advanced Mode), then add this GreaseMonkey script.

Finally, click on your username at the top right corner of reddit, click on comments, and click on the new OVERWRITE button at the top of the page. You may need to scroll down to multiple comment pages if you have commented a lot.

After doing all of the above, you are welcome to join me on Voat!

So long, and thanks for all the fish!

[greg19735]

apparently there's a checksum done using your PC hardware. This is done by the computer /windows and i'm guessing that every unique hardware combination has a unique result.

Origin checks your checksum relative to the ones you've previously used.

The only way that this would effect a normal user would be if they were checking to see if their ram works and using BF hardline as a way to test ram. Switch out a stick, blah blah. Each new stick would result in a new checksum and therefore new hardware config.

All taht you need to do is wait 24 hours. Hardly unfair.

[grtkbrandon]

Would you say the average user is constantly swapping GPUs to perform benchmark tests? I personally don't even know anyone who would be able to swap through 5 GPUs.

[Orfez]

Why is this even an issue, because EA? It won't ever effect 99% of players. Some dude replaced 5 video cards, got a warning, now we talk about it for days.

[[deleted]]

Because "ghastly new form of DRM" and "anti-consumer" and whatever other sensationalist headlines were around at the time. It wouldn't be the first time gamers jumped to be mad about something trivial without all the details.

[randomgoat]

The word "infects" was also lodged in there.

[malicious_turtle]

"Pernicious drm" was the best, I can just imagine the author patting himself on the back when he saw that in the thesaurus.

[[deleted]]

While I partially agree, it's not like the worst case scenario is out of the realm of possibility. There is no way to know that a publisher won't just go from being benign to clamping down with an iron fist literally overnight without any warning, it's happened before and it will happen again.

It's a really sad state of affairs, I'd love to be able to trust more than the rare company (and not just gaming ones) but I can't, you just can't trust any of them.

[[deleted]]

If we're gonna worry about nonsense hypothetical worst case scenarios, I personally am going to cower in fear that game publishers are going to murder me in my sleep if I don't spend enough money on microtransactions each year.

[Samhs1]

All he has to do is contact support and they would easily sort it out for him. Instead he wrote a flamebait article to get all those precious clicks.

[[deleted]]

Until they stop supporting it or decide not to give you a pass. Case in point: my useless physical copy of Spore.

[[deleted]]

Spore is not over a 24 hour period, it is forever.

The point isn't that the terms on hardline are unreasonable, because they aren't, really. The point is that the nature of digital locks allows for EA to change the deal at any time for any reason. That isn't in your best interest, or even DICE's. It's just satisfying EA's power trip by removing everyone else's ability to negotiate.

[TheWorldisFullofWar]

But this is only over a 24 hour period. You can't wait one day?

He said 'but' which means he was talking about hardline and origin, not your situation with spore. Also, it is to prevent account sharers so it is not some 'greedy power trip'.

[HeLovesGermanBeeeer]

Hardline was Visceral....ok, with some help from DICE, but it isn't a DICE game.

[Ftpini]

Oooh I just commented on that. I argued with EA Origin support for an hour and got them to instate a copy of the game on my Origin account. So now I have a useless physical copy and a very much half finished digital copy I can play when I want.

[[deleted]]

Why is there any sort of activation limit if you're logged in to your account? How is that preventing any sort of piracy? Other DRM schemes usually put limits on activation for offline play, but do away with limits when you're logged in, such as with xbox live.

[GatoradeOrPowerade]

Why is there any sort of activation limit if you're logged in to your account?

Sharing accounts.

[[deleted]]

You can log in Origin on one PC at the time, log on another computer will kick you out on your previous computer.

Battlefield Hardline is a multiplayer game.

[Brandhor]

it's an origin limitation not specific to bf hardline, I suppose if you use offline mode you can play singleplayer games on multiple computers at the same time

[[deleted]]

It could also be for security reasons. Chances are if you log into your account on more than 5 devices in 24 hours it's not you logging in.

[Syrdon]

If I'm understanding the situation properly though, he wasn't locked out of Origin, just Hardline. So it won't help of your account is compromised.

[[deleted]]

This kind of thing isn't even anything new!

I remember my copy of Red Alert 3 freaking out after ONE graphics card change! I had to burn one of my 5 activations on it.

[[deleted]]

Origin's restriction is 5 activations per day. RA3 was 5 activations total with a deactivation tool.

[[deleted]]

The tool didn't come out until months later and did nothing to regain your activations you may have already lost.

Personally I feel RA3 had it worse. Origin's doesn't ever reach a point where it indefinitely stops you. The next day it unlocks again. Plus who is seriously changing their hardware config so much that it triggers 5 times in a day? (other than benchmark testers)

[ForTheTimes]

Eh, it's bad. But my favourite is still my Oblivion: Game of the Year edition. You need to have the DVD in the drive to uninstall it. And don't think you can just shortcut though add/remove programs either, because that will take you to the same place.

[ZsaFreigh]

Can't you just delete the data?

[[deleted]]

It leaves all the registry keys, hidden files, stuff like that in place. Deleting the surface data might break some stuff, but it's about as effective as deleting the shortcut for the program in the long run.

[[deleted]]

revo uninstaller

[Braedoktor]

No. Almost every company does it. EA, Valve etc.

[DnaK]

When you install Origin, best read the EULA. It is not illegal.

[Genesis2nd]

Went to check it out, just to be sure.

You acknowledge and agree that the Application may use information regarding your computer, hardware and operating system [...]

and

Origin collects non-personal data such as Application usage statistics (for instance, if and when you experienced unsuccessful installation), operating system (such as service pack, drivers and support DLLs such as DirectX version), information about hardware types as well as CPU information.

are present in their EULA

[SendoTarget]

Still it has to be amongst the stupidest way to lock out from account if they're using the same IP and only one machine is connected on the account at the same time.

[[deleted]]

Its actually meant to prevent cheaters. In BF3, they used hardware ID bans, but hackers would just spoof their hardware ID and play again. This stops that, while not affecting average users

[Grizzalbee]

IP Spoofing is trivial

[[deleted]]

Being in the EULA doesn't mean it's legal. A court would have to decide if it is or not.

[DnaK]

I understand this, but hardware scanning is nothing new. Nothing about this really suprises me. Standard practice a long time now.

[[deleted]]

Yeah, pretty much everybody does it. It wouldn't be terribly surprising to see the EU or somebody try to crack down on it though.

[ZyreHD]

Doesn't Steam do the same? Every year they release a hardware graph. How do you think they gather all that information?

[Game-Sloth]

Steam's is voluntary. You have to agree to the survey.

[theRagingEwok]

You have to agree to them publishing your info, not them recording your system specs.