EA Copies Ubisoft's Restrictive Internet DRM
Command & Conquer 4 "has no DRM," except for Internet-required DRM.
It's no secret that Ubisoft's latest DRM scheme isn't one that's garnering any fans. The requirement for a constant and stable internet connection constantly for one to play Silent Hunter 5 or Assassin's Creed II or the upcoming Splinter Cell Conviction means that gameplay can be halted with any break in connection or fault on Ubisoft's end.
Despite the public backlash over this system, it seems that it is gaining some popularity over at EA. In a forum post by a C&C Community Manager Apoc, it was revealed that Command & Conquer 4 "has no DRM," but gamers must be connected to the internet. Check out the post below. (Emphasis added by Tom's Hardware.)
First thing to be clear about, Command & Conquer 4 has NO DRM. Zip, zero, zilch, none. We already made this clear.
Second, you do not need the disc in the machine to play Command & Conquer 4, however the following is how it works:
-AFTER you install Command & Conquer 4 with the disc on your machine, when you try to LOGIN at the Launcher for the first time, it will ask you for your serial key. You will enter in your serial key to activate your Master EA Account. The serial key, like in our past games, can only be activated for 1 master account. You cannot install multiple EA Master accounts on one serial key. You can create multiple Commander Personas however, so if you and your brothers each want your own Persona account with experience, etc, you can do that. Just has to be under the same Master EA account as in our past games.
-You can install the game from the disc as many times as you want on any machine. Re-install, etc.
-You do not need the disc in your machine to play. Your EA account just needs to have been activated by your serial key. After that, you can play Command & Conquer 4 on ANY MACHINE that has it installed. All you need to do is login.
-To play Command & Conquer 4, the computer needs to be connected to the internet. We've always made that clear as well.
So there ya go, no DRM, no disc in the drive necessary, just activate your account with your serial key and presto, you're ready to go. It's actually much easier than before.
It does appear that the internet connection is required to authenticate upon program launch, so it's possible that the game can continue being played even if the master server or your internet connection dies. We've contacted EA for clarification.

I don't want to receive permission from EA when and where I can play games I purchased legitimately...
is it THAT hard for EA executives to understand that people WILL buy if they want...
only thing this authentication doing is inconvenience legit buyers....
as they say, locks only keep honest people out....
I don't want to receive permission from EA when and where I can play games I purchased legitimately...
is it THAT hard for EA executives to understand that people WILL buy if they want...
only thing this authentication doing is inconvenience legit buyers....
as they say, locks only keep honest people out....
Well at my university, they block game ports. Thanks EA, I guess you do not care about college students.
It absolutely amazes me at how disconnected upper echelon folks at gaming companies can be when it comes to working with their community.
WE ARE NOT IDIOTS!!! the only people who might actually buy your crap about this not being DRM are the mainstream users who don't know/care about DRM in the first place!
the people you are talking to, the people complaining about DRM ARE NOT MAINSTREAM KNOW NOTHINGS!! stop treating us like IDIOTS!!
this sounds closer to the steam system than ubisoft. but you STILL need an off-line mode!
does this mean more than one person can play the game at a time? that would be an improvement on most steam games!
Garbage game.
Sigh
Even though I used to Like EA's products, I now hope they fall flat on the A$$. I don't care what they say this is still DRM and they will not be getting my dollars this time.
You know, if you had really bought all those titles, you would be well aware none of them have any offline play value. Even the first C&C was a turd in single player, and modem vs modem play was the only way to play after a few hours of exposure to the weak AI tactics.
Someone will find a fix for this. You can set something on your network to make the software think it's connected to the internet, but it depends what it's looking for when it connects to EA's servers. Either way this is not the end of piracy.
Companies need to realize that their price-point is wrong. They need to sell things much cheaper. Of course the Harvard Grads (who've had everything handed to them in life anyway because they're high-society) will argue that piracy keeps prices high. LMFAO!!! No it doesn't if more people bought their products they wouldn't lower the price they'd pay themselves more. More pay for the CEO that's it!!!
not allowing a person to play a game they bought, because they don't have an internet connection, is ridiculous.
what about those of us outside america? where stable Internet connections are very hard to come by?
this whole DRM thing is becoming very disheartening. and i truly hope they learn a lesson before PC gaming dies.
let it be said, that its not piracy destroying PC games, its anti-piracy DRM.