Well it looks like I won’t be buying anymore expansion packs for The Sims 2 as it seems Electronic Arts has switched from using SafeDisk to the much hated SecurROM not too long ago. It seems fans started to notice problems with the release of the Bon Voyage expansion pack and the official forums have been on fire for the past two weeks over it. Maxis has finally gotten around to making an announcement about SecuROM and it reads pretty much like what the folks at Take 2 Games put out over the Bioshock uproar. So far, however, the response from fans has been less than enthusiastic. The main thing a lot of folks seem to be upset about is the fact that they didn’t bother to mention in the EULA which particular copy protection scheme they were using so a lot of folks that would have returned the game had they know are now stuck with the software.
To their credit, however, it appears they’re not limiting how many times you can install the application the way Take 2 is with Bioshock so you can restage your PC without having to worry about it. They’ve also provided instructions for removing the SecuROM software from your PC if you wish to do so, though that does make the game inoperable afterwards. Still EA is punishing legitimate purchasers while the pirates enjoy the game DRM free.
Speaking of which, the Bon Voyage expansion pack was cracked and on the file sharing networks within 24 hours of release. Good job EA, you’ve given me good reason to keep my money in my wallet.
I never got around to buying Bon Voyage, but now I’m not even going to bother. Geeze!
Boy howdy, there are some irate users on that forum. Looks like all games from EA, Bioware, and Maxis are now toxic.
The tech support representative in one of the SecuROM thread regrets that users do not trust Sony and Maxis enough to transmit SecuROM’s encrypted log files so that they can fix the DRM. Why would I trust a company whose products install a tool like SecuROM without being upfront (enough) with their customers, why would I submit encrypted data to a DRM vendor, and why would I help DRM peddlers to fix their crap? In short: Why would the users help fix something that’s against their best interests?
http://kotaku.com/gaming/sweet-freedom/the-bioshock-activation-revoke-tool-310573.php
In case you didn’t hear about it!
I saw that they had released it, but it shouldn’t be necessary to begin with.
I was an avid Sims player since Sims 1 – actually a Maxis fan since the first Simcity
but after installing Bon Voyage, my cd/dvd burner was disabled, as was my Roxio software
I’d rather be able to back up my data than play the game, so I stopped buying Sims or any games with securom – Fallout 3 broke my heart to not play
I resent being presumed to be a thief and won’t reward companies that treat customers like they are