Rise of Flight

[Die Hard]

No one has made that comparison save you. I just remember a time where most flight sims had only one flyable plane. Now people a whining when they "only" get four.

[Die Hard]

No there wasn't.

There are. I wasn't talking past tense.

[Angus]

Strange. I remember a time when most flight simulators only had one flyable aircraft. I'm obviously very old.

Well, so.....1980's I guess.
Keyword early to middle 80's 

On a light note there, I recall those quite well. My first sim was "PSION's flight simulator" for the Sinclair ZX-81 back in 81 or so. I got through the performance of only one aircraft by tampering the code, hehe.
Anyway, after 1990 or so, whoa, all those sims with ton of aircraft. Aces over the Pacific and The red baron come to mind. So, it sort of beats me when a 2009 model sim only has 4 flyable aircraft.

Anyway, how is it?

[Die Hard]

All the sims I mentioned were from the 1990s, except Black Shark that was released last year. When Lock-On was released a few years ago I believe it only had five flyable aircraft.

[Angus]

Well, anyway, you fly the thing. How is it? I did the old Red Baron, then the online Red baron 3D, then the knights of the sky and some more, as well as dawn of aces.
WWI sims really got me, so I'm quite curious about the play

[Die Hard]

I don't fly "the thing". Not yet anyway.

Ask Ack-Ack. He's already posted about it in this thread.

[Skuzzy]

Server log-in, even for offline play, is the DRM of the future. More and more games use this type of DRM: All current and future games from Relic. All current and future games from Valve. We'll probably see it as standard on Steam, and UbiSoft and EA won't be far behind.

Actually, it is not going to be that way in the future.  All this does is create more reasons for hackers to hack and pirates to pirate.  It will only serve to keep legitimate people, who would pay for the game, away from it.  It will not deter piracy at all.  Pirates are going to steal and hack it, no matter what DRM is used.  All a game company can do is to try and make it more appealing to those who would pay for it, not less appealing.

Any type of invasive DRM has already been proven to be an exercise in futility.  Once you reach the point of erring to the side of accusing everyone to be a pirate, you lose.

[Die Hard]

That's just it, and I think I've already mentioned this: This for of DRM is a lot less intrusive than many other DRM solution in use now. "Phone home" type DRM has been used in the software industry for years without any complaints to my knowledge.

Like I said on the previous page:

Take Relic's Company of Heroes for example (great game btw). Simple serial check during install, no other local DRM. I can install it on as many computers as I like as many times as I like. However I must be online to play, so I can only play using one computer per serial at a time. I find this completely reasonable, and certainly much better than more intrusive local DRM solutions like Starforce or limited number of installs etc. People who don't have an internet connection on the computer they play games on are such a tiny minority that they don't make any demographic at all. And you don't need a constant connection to the internet either, just when launching the game so it can check if your serial is valid; so even on dial-up or a mobile solution it shouldn't be a problem.

This DRM solution gives Relic the ability to prevent my serial from being used by more than one computer at any one time, and blacklist my serial if it suddenly starts being used by a lot of people around the world. However, at the same time it gives me great flexibility in how I use their product. I don't need the CD/DVD to play. I can have the game installed on multiple computers (home PC and laptop for example). I can download the game from anywhere in the world if I get a new PC or have to re-install windows. I really don't see a downside to this DRM solution.

It won't stop piracy. Nothing will. However it prevents the laymen from sharing their copies with friends.

[Angus]

It won't stop piracy. Nothing will...
But will it make it easier, - or rather, make the piracy game even dirtier? Since your serial will be blacklisted if used all over. How about being blacklisted every day and having to fix your way out of it?

[Die Hard]

But will it make it easier, - or rather, make the piracy game even dirtier? Since your serial will be blacklisted if used all over. How about being blacklisted every day and having to fix your way out of it?

Why would my serial be blacklisted if I don't share it with others? If I do share my serial with others I've violated the ULA and am no longer eligible to use their product. In fact I may even be liable for for doing so.

[Angus]

Serial? A target of hackers, that's all.

Why the hell does my email get 80% junk from people that never got it? Why does my extra and brand-new email address get junkmail from day one?

[Die Hard]

Apples and oranges. I get spam too, but I've never had a serial invalidated. If you by carelessness or ignorance allow hackers access to your computer so they can steal your serials/account info you get what you deserve.

[Skuzzy]

If a hacker figures out how to generate a list of valid serial numbers or hacks into the game company and steals the serial list, and uses them, yours could get violated.  Just playing devils advocate a bit.  Is it probable?  Maybe.  Possible?  Absolutely.

I vote with my wallet all the time.  I do not mind walking away from a game which is going to insist I am guilty of pirating or using the game illegally before I even have a chance to play it.  I do not feel I miss anything either.

I am not saying IP should not be protected.  It should be.  But use the proper system channels to protect it and stop trying to prevent it up front. It cannot be stopped up front, regardless of the scheme.  All it does is keep people from buying it.  If the proper channels are broken, then fix them.  This bandaid thinking has got to go.

If enough people vote with their wallets, things will change.

By the way, if you play online, I think a serial number check is a perfectly valid thing to do.  Offline, no.

[Die Hard]

If a hacker figures out how to generate a list of valid serial numbers or hacks into the game company and steals the serial list, and uses them, yours could get violated.  Just playing devils advocate a bit.  Is it probable?  Maybe.  Possible?  Absolutely.

True, and I think it has happened before. However in that case the game company is in the wrong and needs to issue new serials to all customers with proof of purchase.

[Skuzzy]

In the meantime, you cannot play.  You have been determined to be a threat, so you no longer can play, until you can prove you are not a threat by providing a proof of purchase.  If you cannot provide that proof, then you can no longer play the game, unless you buy another copy.

From my personal perspective, I see no reason to feed a company who would do that to me.  Once you buy it, you have said to them, it is ok for you to assume I am a thief, a hacker, and/or a cheater.  Personally, I will not do business with a company like that.  No game is worth it, to me.

I am all for IP protection, but like most things, there is a right way and a wrong way to go about doing it.  I believe if you adopt the philosophy that all people are crooks, then you will end up doing it the wrong way.