Spore looks like a great game and I was all pumped to buy it until I heard it had SecuRom. Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with companies trying to protect their hard work, but the DRM for spore is just, for lack of a better word, stupid. You can only install it up to 3 times. That means a maximum of 3 installations throughout the life of the game. This prevents to consumer from actually owning the game. I'm all for copy protection, but this is just wrong and will prevent me from buying the game.

i went to the spore site and it said that spore was coming out september 7

For all of your who aren't buying because of DRM, but yet you "understand the publisher trying to protect its investment", please suggest a workable alternative to protect their investment.

Is it true you can "install it up to 3 times" or is it that you can "install it up to 3 times before having to contact them"?

I have no idea what, if anything, would be a better solution. Please note that I have no argument with the protection scheme being used .. I'm just not willing to deal with it. I don't strange and wondrous stuff written to my drives; I don't want to deal with having the program stop working because I changed the Pickled Kumquat in my 'puter.

Two basic reasons why I will not being Sporing:

I seldom play games at home. Usually, I play them when on the road (or in the air)... the idea of having a problem with the copy protection scheme when I'm I am in East Nowhere simply is a price I am not willing to pay.

I nuke and reinstall everything on my 'puters every 3 months or so. Maybe I don't need to do that with my Apples, but it's a habit I developed over the years (it certainly helps with Windows).

Again, I am not on a crusade here. If the owner of intellectual property wants to require me to stand on my head and sing the Stalin era version of the National Anthem of the USSR (in case you are wondering it begins: Long live the Soviet Motherland; built by the people's might hand.) while inserted Barry Manilow's complete works in my root directory (well, ok, the last I DO have a moral objection to) I think they have a perfect right to do so .... I have a perfect right to pass on the opportunity.

Paul

Paul

Oh - and Spore was out on Friday here in New Zealand. I've been playing it for the past two days only stopping for sleep :-D As you might be able to tell - I'm a massive Sim fan!

I have to agree. The quality and innovation of this game alone makes it worth the only 3 installs...

"For all of your who aren't buying because of DRM, but yet you "understand the publisher trying to protect its investment", please suggest a workable alternative to protect their investment."

That's not our job to do. That's EA's job. EA has provided a great game, along with what we, the consumer, consider a completely unworkable DRM solution. EA can decide to continue using this DRM solution, at which time they will learn whether those of us who have decided not to purchase the game are large enough to impact their bottom line or the publicity (or both). After that point, they will make their decision about whether to change the DRM.

Their other choice is to use the feedback they have gotten so far to estimate what kind of a financial impact on their revenue stream this DRM will be, and make appropriate changes therein.

But we are not responsible for suggesting anything to EA. This is their product, and their protection method. Our responsibility is to tell them how we feel about it.

And we are.