Won't be dumb ed down for consoles.

http://www.shacknews.com/featuredarticle.x?id=942

Too bad they won't be getting my money, since it installs a root kit on your machine.

What does that do BlueFire?

Rootkits basically allow a program to gain complete and total access to your computer without your knowledge. Basically, it would allow a video game company the ability to install programs and files to your computer without you having the option to delete or remove them as the items would simply be hidden from you.

While you hope the Spore developers would use the rootkit wisely, it does open up a boatload of issues if and when hackers find a way into it, thus granting them full control to wreck havoc on your computer.

I guess they need a root kit to automatically update/patch the game and verify the legitimacy of your install?? Can't think of any reason why but I'm no expert. I don't think this will stop me from getting the game but it is a concern.

Its due to the type of DRM that ships with the game, SecuROM. With The Sims and its addons (also Maxis games, like Spore), there were people whose computers were so screwed up, they required a whole format to get it running again.

SecuROM also opens security holes and has been the target of attacks before.

In addition, the SecuROM being used for EA limits you to three activations of the software, and uninstalling the game does NOT give you back one of the activations.

Format more 3 times? Format twice and get a new computer? Better not ever, ever, ever do it again, unless you want to spend a long time on the phone with EA (who have been completely unhelpful in helping people recover licenses for bioshock and mass effect), and still then only be possibly successful.

And, I'm sure you've heard all abotu Sony rootkit holes, which SecuROM is made by Sony...

By the way, for an idea on what it takes to remove SecuROM, check this:

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/98241-13...g-bioshock-demo

You can put a game on the same pc as many times as you want, no? As long as you don't change anything like the HDD or mobo? I think it's total bs anyway.

No, thats the way the Windows activation works - it basically makes a hash of the hardware components and compares it to that.

The Spore DRM doesn't work that way.

Just noticed that Mass Effect, which Im playing now for the PC, has Securom. It works different though. Quote from someone on the Mass Effect boards who works for Bioware. Maybe they are just getting prickier as the games come out. Really nasty if you can only install Spore 3 times. Doesn't even sound legal to me!

"Since SecuROM has nothing to do with the installer, you can install and uninstall on the same machine over and over again without any problems. SecuROM also allows you to activate the game on 3 different machines."

Heres a direct link if you want to check it out. You have to scroll down a bit to get there.

http://masseffect.bioware.com/forums/viewt...mp;topic=628724

Mass Effect is a great game - played it on the 360, no way I'd play it on my PC though, again due to SecuROM.

Note that SecuROM is independent of the game installer, so if you install and uninstall the game, it doesn't actually remove SecuROM from your system.

From what I understand, that FAQ is flat out wrong. You can uninstall and reinstall it as many times as you want, so long as you don't change the hardware, or reinstall the operating system. If you re-install Windows on it, you're out an activation. There are lots of threads on the MEPC forums indicating such, as does Wikipedia. There are also reports of MEPC using up two activations if two different Windows users on the same machine are playing it.

Also, Spore will be using the same DRM as Mass Effect.

Damn. Just doesn't seem right. Going to get a new hdd as well next week so there goes one activation
btw Bluefire check out this for deals. Why I'm getting a new hard drive

http://promotions.newegg.com/NEemail/July-...top-_-Moredeals

Are you adding the hdd as a second hdd, or replacing your primary one?

If you're adding it as a second hdd, that likely won't be considered a significant enough hardware change to force a re-activation (though thats just my intuition saying that). If you replace your primary drive with it and install Windows on that, it'll use up an activation.

Thanks for the link - I'm tempted to pick up that 640 GB.

I'm going to reinstall everything on the new drive Bluefire so i guess that would count as an activation? 640gig was the one I was going to get as well.

Yeah, from my understanding, that would count as an activation.*

*This is all second-hand information I've received by reading forums, I haven't actually installed it myself.

And how can a consumer tell if a game has a rootkit? Before he installs it I mean...

Search online and see what others are saying about.

Or post here - BF or I keep pretty up to date on this stuff

I just ordered the 640 gig Bluefire. $91.15 delivered. Pretty good deal

http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/12/amazons-...urn-soon-after/

Anyone get this game yet? From what I can pick up from a couple different message boards it's pretty good.

I've heard its bad. It is basically a collection of mini games, with the longest one being like a bad mmorpg. For casual gamers it is probably a pretty good game, don't know about anyone else.