DRM is a virus

No one likes DRM, copy protection, CD keys, manual questionnaires... These things range from mildly annoying to game breaking, where some unfortunate users either lose the manual, cdkey or just can't get the game working because the DRM crashes their computer (very common with Securom protection apparently) or simply refuses to work.

So why do we even have this DRM junk? Does it work?

Yes, it certainly does... for about a week or so before the keygens, cracks, question-answer sheets and so forth come out and break the protection forever.

Wait, wait... you mean to say there are people out there that don't like this DRM stuff?

I'm SHOCKED!

Being a legitimate user, I despise the majority of DRM methods. Often, the first thing I do after I install a game is find the crack so I can put the CD away and not have to find CDs every bloody time I play a game. Technically, this is illegal but I doubt the industry really wants to test the law here, I mean... can you imagine what a judge might say...

"Your honour, this user took his software and cracked it, which breaks the arbitrary clause #43254 in his EULA licence agreement!"
"Yes, but he does legitimately own this copy of the software, yes?"
"Well, yes... but he broke the agree-"
"And he didn't develop this... 'crack' or distribute it. So his crime was to use something someone else allegedly made for pirating software to make it easier for him to use. To get past something that was merely an irritant to him..."
"Erm... he... he broke the agreement?"
"Get out of my court!"

...somehow I doubt it would go like that, but that's how it seems to me. If I don't want to deal with something that annoys me and isn't targeted at me... I should be able to remove it and get on with my life.

There are methods of DRM that are less annoying... but more disturbing. Like the 'Always online' styles of protection used for years for online FPS games... which makes sense and doesn't hurt players of those games. But recently the same protection has been applied to single player only games like Assassin's Creed 2. I don't like this, it's leading us down the path of the corporate corrupted idea of 'trusted computing' and simply not being able to do anything without an online 'handshake' with some company.

Privacy issues anyone?

And now, let me link this back to my thread title... DRM is a virus. Let's look at modern DRM and the average computer virus.

Viruses spread via downloads, CDs, emails and various other methods...

DRM spreads via downloads (via Steam), CDs and other digital formats.

Many viruses restrict the usage of software and prevent legitimate use of the machine which may require a radical shift in the configuration of the computer to beat it...

DRM often restricts the usage of the software it's 'protecting' even by legitimate users and may demand you change the configuration of the machine to suit it.

A virus may, as part of it's payload, communicate over the Internet for various purposes...

DRM now communicates over the Internet as part of it's 'protection' of the software in question, and potentially for other unknown purposes.

HOLY CRAP!!!! DRM is a virus!!!

HEAD FOR THE HILLS!!!

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh....

Fallout 3 sucks

I think this horse has been beaten to death... but I enjoy fruitless grinding (IE, I play World of Warcraft) so here's my turn!

For those not into rpgs and PC gaming, the fallout series of games has been an interesting if rather unpredictable ride from the awesome cult classic CRPG games Fallout 1 & 2 to the mediocre tactical squad action of Fallout Tactics to the insipid and utterly forgettable 3rd person shooter that is Fallout: Brotherhood of steel... Now we have Fallout 3, a spiritual successor to the original FO 1 & 2 games in the same way that the Doom movie took Doom 3 as it's inspiration.

...and it SUCKS.

Why? Why does it suck?

Well, first... it was made by Bethesda; which means it's in an buggy engine that crashes regularly, it isn't finished and it has a story that is uninspired.

BUT WAIT!!! THERE'S MORE!!!

The story is worse than uninspired! It rips off both of the earlier RPGs, water is the focus of FO3 and FO1, the GECK comes up in FO2 and many of the factions are ripped straight out of both of these stories, particularly the enclave from FO2 and the Brotherhood of Steel. The presence of these factions MAKES NO SENSE in this new setting! It's almost as bad as the writing for the star wars prequels! ugh... what were they thinking?!?

The Karma system is a joke; "all actions have a consequence"... that statement means nothing. If I eat baked beans, there is a consequence... People suffer from methane poisoning. If I walk forward 10 paces there is a consequence; I'm 10 paces closer to the garbage bin with this bloody game in hand! If I do something bad in FO3, people don't like me... then I do something good and they like me again. Um... yay? Consequences! It's an insult to the interesting and diverse Karma system from FO1 & 2 which could cause you to be labeled for many of your actions irrespective of your overall evil or good leanings. "Child killer" "Grave robber" "Sex god(ess)"... just a few of the amusing titles you could earn from Fallout 2. The Karma system in FO3 is so shallow as to be non-existent... more like a shiny decal on a rust bucket of a burned out car.

The ending to the basic game is keyboard snappingly stupid. I won't go into the specifics, but the writing for this part of the game is SO retarded it makes you want to go back to a previous save to soak up the relatively less horrible parts of the story... or, you know, delete the bloody game and write a rant about it 6 months later.

The difficulty curve is the worst one to have, hard at first... then easy street. This puts off RPG newbs and bores the leet rpg players... like me. :3

...and on the matter of the RPG system... there isn't one. Anyone willing to put in a bit of time can become a Fallout GOD in Fallout 3... all stats maxxed out, almost all skills maxxed out. I can do anything I want, I can melee Super Mutants 4 times my height and own them, I can turn trash into makeshift weapons Macgyver would be proud of, I can hack any computer, pick any lock, talk my way out of anything, I can be Rambo with a huge chain gun or I can be a Predator or I can just be a nutter with a knife and kill anything I want.

In short, I don't have to make any choice I'm not forced to... and even then I can choose to not choose. There's no challenge left in the system... and it's not hard to get to this point.

So: is there anything good about fallout 3?

It looks OK?

It's kinda fun for a little while before it gets boring...

There's a lot of potential in a 3D Fallout (Look at the mods and Fallout New Vegas!).

Final word: Bethesda; take some time to fix your useless engine and spend some money on some decent writers before you rape another franchise, 'k?

Anyone else have an opinion on this ABOMINATION against good gaming?