Did I miss a big change at RPS?

[ColOfNature]

People, be nice, and don't let this thread degenerate, or it will just be locked/deleted.

This thread started out pretty degenerate and has been spiralling farther into the abyss ever since.

[Jacques]

I guess this article by John is the kind of thing it's frustrating to read.

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012...s-as-intended/

There's no real mention of how the average consumer behaves in terms of hardware upgrades and using multiple machines, or what the expected life expectancy of the product is in the eyes of the average consumer. You know, facts that could potentially hold up the argument you're trying to make.

I wouldn't doubt that Ubi, on the other hand, do have that kind of data on hand, and have made their decision of 3 limits based on that data.

[Nalano]

I wouldn't doubt that Ubi, on the other hand, do have that kind of data on hand, and have made their decision of 3 limits based on that data.

To paraphrase Jim Sterling, these publishers are not on your side. Independent games journalists, however, actually are. Why you would trust the companies over their critics or, worse, your own eyes, is beyond me.

Besides, the excuse Ubisoft gave was very much a "by the numbers" excuse. You know - "the number of people liable to complain about this idiocy isn't enough to counteract the money we believe we'd make by doing it." Kinda like Ford's rationalization, "we'd rather waste our time with individual lawsuits than recall the exploding Pinto."

[Kadayi]

There's no real mention of how the average consumer behaves in terms of hardware upgrades and using multiple machines, or what the expected life expectancy of the product is in the eyes of the average consumer. You know, facts that could potentially hold up the argument you're trying to make.

Pretty much. I don't agree with limited activations (and certainly not a measly 3 Vs 5), but it seems to be a temporary thing that they implement and then later patch out once the sales drop off . So breaking it by swapping out GPUs in quick success proves that it works, but yeah isn't exactly very real world.

The key problem I see is that there's this common presumption that 'DRM is bad' but there doesn't seem to be much journalistic research done (from what I've seen) into exactly how bad it is in terms of genuine actual real world impact Vs nebulous scaremongering ('this could be terrible!') which unfortunately persecution complex types seem to lap up with boundless enthusiasm to get terribly righteous over, like Pharisees demonstrating whose more holy on the Sabbath.

I’d like to see some genuine metrics on how impactful 'always on DRM', Vs 'online at launch' etc, etc in this increasingly interconnected world, vs the endless tales of how ‘I had terrible internet 5 years ago when I was on dial up, therefore this is bad’ blanket statements. The only person on this forum who seems to have a legitimate case is Berzee (IIRC) in that he apparently lives on a bus (or at least that’s what he wants me to believe). My suspicion is, beyond the odd outlier like him the answer is not very truth be told. Still until someone does some research on the matter how we ever to really know? Whom exactly are people boycotting Ubisoft or EA for exactly? Themselves (hardly I'd say), or some great mythical unwashed whom seemingly lack a voice out in the wilderness? I’d like to see the RPS article that finds out tbh.

[RobF]

Why would I (or anyone else for that matter) give a monkeys what the "average" consumer does? Given the average consumer is a statistic not a person?

I'm befuddled. I care how it effects me, I care how it effects my friends, I care how it inconveniences *me* not a statistical average on a spreadsheet at Ubisoft.

Also, I don't care how they came up with the figure given it's limited activations not just the amount that's the issue. I also don't care whether anyone says I can be allowed to care about it or not because no-one else gets to decide what I give a toss about.

[Kadayi]

I'm befuddled. I care how it effects me, I care how it effects my friends, I care how it inconveniences *me* not a statistical average on a spreadsheet at Ubisoft.

And how much does it inconvenience you exactly in terms of real world scenarios?

[RobF]

Plenty, thanks. And I'll be the judge of what inconveniences me so don't even go there.

[Kadayi]

Plenty, thanks. And I'll be the judge of what inconveniences me so don't even go there.

Go where? I'm simply asking you to outline some everyday examples of how you'd be inconvenienced. If there are plenty is should be an easy task to provide some data surely? I'm not interested in judging the value of them. I'm interested in knowing what they are exactly. Without real world examples we're in the realms of the nebulous here.

[Smashbox]

Kadayi: Arbiter of the Onerous

[RobF]

Yes, Kadayi. Just like all the other threads where you just want some data.

And then refuse to acknowledge the data as anything that's allowable, justifiable or whatever.

Sorry love, not biting.

[kirrus]

That's enough.