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[Soulwynd]

They took back all the securom check crap. Login to play the game is optional and the securom only calls home once at installation. I don't know about the number of installs, but there are ways around it anyway.

[Tormy]

This should clear some things..

http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/54208

Spore Dev: DRM 'Necessary Part' of Our Business
by Aaron Linde Aug 15, 2008 2:21pm CST tags: Spore, DRM

Executive producer Lucy Bradshaw described the copy protection built into EA Maxis' upcoming life-sim Spore (PC, Mac) as a necessary element of the PC gaming business, adding that the software will not burden legitimate users too heavily.

"[Spore has] copy protection, it is a necessary part of our biz," Bradshaw told Eurogamer. "But we've worked to make it something that does not punish the legit owners," Bradshaw said.

Publisher Electronic Arts made waves last May when the company revealed that Spore would require online validation every 10 days to function. The copy protection software was scaled back following consumer backlash.

"You need to authenticate once at the first install," Bradshaw explained. "This happens online. You can install on three separate computers and you do need to register for the online features."

While Maxis' runaway success with expansions for its life simulator The Sims 2 (PC)—currently on its 8th major expansion—many have wondered what form a Spore expansion could possibly take. Bradshaw asserted that the studio is currently planning expansions, but is still exploring how they would work into the full game.

"When we started Spore, we were thinking about how we'd make an engine that had the possibility of expansion, so yes, we'll add to the experience," she said. "I think, however, we have a very cool opportunity to take Spore in a few different directions too. The editors are so cool and fun, that we want to advance those as well as the gameplay that we put into the core game."

Some of those additions include elements removed from the retail release of the game, such as the flora editor. Bradshaw said that the feature was "something we eventually want to get out there as it is fun to work with."

[LeoLeonardoIII]

I'll wait 4 years, get it cracked and free, play it for about ten hours and drop it like a soiled slice of bacon.

Also WTF going gold? Since when did that happen at launch? What does it even mean? Usually they sell the game with all the patches and expansions a year later as the "gold edition" and throw in some feelies like a map and a hintbook or something.

[Asheron]

I'll wait 4 years, get it cracked and free, play it for about ten hours and drop it like a soiled slice of bacon.

Also WTF going gold? Since when did that happen at launch? What does it even mean? Usually they sell the game with all the patches and expansions a year later as the "gold edition" and throw in some feelies like a map and a hintbook or something.

QFT

I always thought gold was when the game sold 100.000 copies or something, but apparently, it means this

I feel dirty by linking twice to wikipedia on one page.

[Ioric Kittencuddler]

Securom in any form should not be acceptable.

Going gold means that it's now complete and it's being replicated.

[Dasleah]

Going 'gold' means that barring any fatal crash bugs, the game is ready for mass production and release. Essentially, the game is done, and it'll be a few weeks to burn it, package it, and distribute it to stores.

[Cthulhu]

You have to defeat the Golden Master to buy the game.  Spore's going to own, but it still pisses me off that it's getting all EA'd, like the expansions.  Why can't a company simply sell a full game once?  Why do they have to trim off the good stuff and sell it later?  Screw you, Capitalism.  Screw you.

[IndonesiaWarMinister]

You have to defeat the Golden Master to buy the game.  Spore's going to own, but it still pisses me off that it's getting all EA'd, like the expansions.  Why can't a company simply sell a full game once?  Why do they have to trim off the good stuff and sell it later?  Screw you, Capitalism.  Screw you.

Agree. ALL HEIL NEO-SOCIALISM!!
[/rant]

Why Spore made by EA? There are better companies out there! Like Activision or whatever.

However, we see the fall of Closed Source, Capitalist, Greed-driven game companies. Now the rebirth of Open Source, Neo-Socialist(haha), Honor-driven game makers! Or CS,*, Good Game Makers.

[kcwong]

I'm not going to buy any more EA titles. Install limit is RIDICULOUS. No way I'm going to take such a deal.

Shamus Young has written a lot about it.

[penguinofhonor]

Oh, oh, I want to link to a wikipedia page with the world gold, since everyone else is.

Also, on topic, I want Spore and I was going to buy it even if they had the retarded super securom stuff. I'm annoyed at the whole "hey we're going to remove stuff and sell it to you later for more" thing, though.

[Sean Mirrsen]

Heh. I wonder. Do you know that by a special agreement with our local publisher, the russian version of Mass Effect was released without all of that DRM stuff (I mean online activations and install limits), albeit with StarForce as a replacement. If the same were to happen with Spore, we might get an influx of foreign players who want to buy our version of the game.

[A_Fey_Dwarf]

I can't actually say that I was looking forward to spore. In fact the only games I look forward to these days are ones that will run on this 5 year old PC. This of coarse means I am restricted to games with a lower budget, which isn't all bad as it gives me more time with Dwarf Fortress.

[Ioric Kittencuddler]

I heard Starforce is even worse than Securom.  It's been compared to a virus.

[Sean Mirrsen]

Yeah, it's been compared to a virus. Securom has, in turn, been compared to a rootkit. Any kind of such software will have to install something the user isn't aware of, just so that the said user can't just go and pluck it out. If the situation with Spore will be the same, I can say that I will tolerate a "virus" - which is, btw, removable - if it doesn't restrict me anything else, other than having to keep the disc in the drive. I can't believe myself that I am "supporting" Starforce in this case, but I guess sometimes we need to decide which is the lesser evil.

[Asheron]

we might get an influx of foreign players who want to buy our version of the game.

Hehe. I'd better start polishing up my Russian and go and exchange some euros for rubles then. Only four weeks to go!