Is Pandora really DRM free?

Moderators: Pandora Moderators, Slitherine Core

ErissN6
1st Lieutenant - Grenadier
1st Lieutenant - Grenadier
Posts: 788
Joined: Wed Nov 20, 2013 11:34 pm
Location: France

Is Pandora really DRM free?

Post by ErissN6 »

IainMcNeil wrote:We have no DRM, unlimited downloads and unlimited installs. This means the game is yours and nobody can ever deactivate it if their server goes down.
Okay, but where are the updates downloaded to? so we can save them and apply them without needing Pandora server??
I want to save on my archives harddrive the last patch(es), next to the 1.00 installer and my serial code...
IainMcNeil
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 13558
Joined: Fri Apr 01, 2005 10:19 am

Re: Is Pandora really DRM free?

Post by IainMcNeil »

Yes it is.

There are 2 types of updates. Auto updates which the game grabs when you run it cannot be stored outside of the game install itself so you need to connect to the server if you re-install to get up to the latest version.

However from time we will release stand alone installers like the base installer with all the auto updates packaged together. These take a lot longer to prepare so we wont do them as often. The first one is planned before Christmas.
makobernal
Private First Class - Opel Blitz
Private First Class - Opel Blitz
Posts: 4
Joined: Mon Nov 18, 2013 7:47 pm

Re: Is Pandora really DRM free?

Post by makobernal »

Since the Linux install is basically a unzip, does the above holds for linux as well? If I have a 1.0.2 updated version in Linux, is there any reason why I can't copy that folder and execute it in a different computer?
SephiRok
Proxy Studios
Proxy Studios
Posts: 1024
Joined: Thu Jul 19, 2012 10:19 am
Contact:

Re: Is Pandora really DRM free?

Post by SephiRok »

Yes, it holds for every platform.
Rok Breulj
Designer and Programmer
Proxy Studios
ErissN6
1st Lieutenant - Grenadier
1st Lieutenant - Grenadier
Posts: 788
Joined: Wed Nov 20, 2013 11:34 pm
Location: France

Re: Is Pandora really DRM free?

Post by ErissN6 »

IainMcNeil wrote: we will release stand alone installers like the base installer with all the auto updates packaged together. These take a lot longer to prepare so we wont do them as often. The first one is planned before Christmas.
Bad planning, and/or before Christmas 2014?
BlueTemplar
Corporal - Strongpoint
Corporal - Strongpoint
Posts: 70
Joined: Mon Dec 16, 2013 3:54 am

Re: Is Pandora really DRM free?

Post by BlueTemplar »

CD-keys are a form of Digital Rights Management. Of course it's not nearly as invasive and annoying as most of the other forms of DRM...
ErissN6
1st Lieutenant - Grenadier
1st Lieutenant - Grenadier
Posts: 788
Joined: Wed Nov 20, 2013 11:34 pm
Location: France

Re: Is Pandora really DRM free?

Post by ErissN6 »

BlueTemplar wrote:CD-keys are a form of Digital Rights Management.
You mean a kind of digital rights protection. To the rights owner be able to manage, the protection must be compelling to be efficient.
You can't really manage your rights with CD-key only, you just can verify that somebody asking for help is not giving an already identified key.

It is for CD-keys can be copied with their installation program on the PC(s) you need that they are not DRM and don't bother customers.
BlueTemplar
Corporal - Strongpoint
Corporal - Strongpoint
Posts: 70
Joined: Mon Dec 16, 2013 3:54 am

Re: Is Pandora really DRM free?

Post by BlueTemplar »

Aren't you splitting hairs? "Management" includes copy protection (even if a central server is not getting informed). Plus, in MP games, official servers tend to check for CD-keys validity and sometimes even ban cd-keys that were posted on filesharing sites.

And : http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Digital_ri ... RM)#CD-key

(Though that page is lacking the kind of copy protection where you have to solve a kind of puzzle with the answer being somewhere in the game manual.)
ErissN6
1st Lieutenant - Grenadier
1st Lieutenant - Grenadier
Posts: 788
Joined: Wed Nov 20, 2013 11:34 pm
Location: France

Re: Is Pandora really DRM free?

Post by ErissN6 »

So for you GOG are liars.
BlueTemplar
Corporal - Strongpoint
Corporal - Strongpoint
Posts: 70
Joined: Mon Dec 16, 2013 3:54 am

Re: Is Pandora really DRM free?

Post by BlueTemplar »

I'm not aware of any GoG game that requires a CD-key?
ErissN6
1st Lieutenant - Grenadier
1st Lieutenant - Grenadier
Posts: 788
Joined: Wed Nov 20, 2013 11:34 pm
Location: France

Re: Is Pandora really DRM free?

Post by ErissN6 »

BlueTemplar
Corporal - Strongpoint
Corporal - Strongpoint
Posts: 70
Joined: Mon Dec 16, 2013 3:54 am

Re: Is Pandora really DRM free?

Post by BlueTemplar »

Hmm, I guess I just happened to buy only those that didn't require one...

"Liars" is a bit big of a word. And I guess, like Slitherine, GoG has the real world to deal with, where rare are the people that bother to name things properly, and where doing that anyway can hurt your sales...
ErissN6
1st Lieutenant - Grenadier
1st Lieutenant - Grenadier
Posts: 788
Joined: Wed Nov 20, 2013 11:34 pm
Location: France

Re: Is Pandora really DRM free?

Post by ErissN6 »

BlueTemplar wrote: the people that bother to name things properly, and where doing that anyway can hurt your sales...
That's why bothering protections have been named Digital Right Management (what means nothing special as old protections were too) by those who sell them: DRM is not the properly name for those enforcing and abusive protections.
A simple serial number, as digital right management, is not a 'DRM', as it does nothing to your pc and you don't need to connect to a server to install your game.
BlueTemplar
Corporal - Strongpoint
Corporal - Strongpoint
Posts: 70
Joined: Mon Dec 16, 2013 3:54 am

Re: Is Pandora really DRM free?

Post by BlueTemplar »

So you're saying one should make a difference between "digital rights management" and "Digital Rights Management" or DRM? That seems preposterous to me, since the only thing differentiating them is capital letters...
I find that the term "invasive DRM" (versus "non-invasive DRM") works better.
ErissN6
1st Lieutenant - Grenadier
1st Lieutenant - Grenadier
Posts: 788
Joined: Wed Nov 20, 2013 11:34 pm
Location: France

Re: Is Pandora really DRM free?

Post by ErissN6 »

Yes I mean it's like for DLC... it means nothing special, as good big expansions are digital download contents too.
DLC name is to hide the abuse as for DRM name.
Last edited by ErissN6 on Fri Jan 10, 2014 3:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.
IainMcNeil
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 13558
Joined: Fri Apr 01, 2005 10:19 am

Re: Is Pandora really DRM free?

Post by IainMcNeil »

DRM is commonly used to describe systems like Steam where you have some form of online activation or pinging a server to allow you to play and limited numbers of installs.

We don't, so as I said we have no DRM. You can try to interpret in other ways if you want :)
ErissN6
1st Lieutenant - Grenadier
1st Lieutenant - Grenadier
Posts: 788
Joined: Wed Nov 20, 2013 11:34 pm
Location: France

Re: Is Pandora really DRM free?

Post by ErissN6 »

IainMcNeil wrote:DRM is commonly used to describe systems like Steam where you have some form of online activation or pinging a server to allow you to play and limited numbers of installs.
DRM is protection which removes hardware independance from the customer:
If the customer wants to install and play his game, he has to submit to the hardware or the drivers of the publisher:
like the server of Steam (even GamersGate), or the DVD drivers of Starforce.
DRM make the PC games like console games.
We don't, so as I said we have no DRM. You can try to interpret in other ways if you want :)
No, since you don't really give the patches, your game is DRM protected, for we can't download and keep the complete game (installation plus patch installer) all on our harddrive (we need to connect to patch).
What is DRM-free is the first released version, it's like we buy a demo version if we can't connect to your server.
Last edited by ErissN6 on Fri Jan 10, 2014 4:37 pm, edited 3 times in total.
jdmillard
Sergeant First Class - Panzer IIIL
Sergeant First Class - Panzer IIIL
Posts: 373
Joined: Fri Jul 26, 2013 7:20 pm

Re: Is Pandora really DRM free?

Post by jdmillard »

So the terminology and the individual meanings of letters of D-R-M might be up for debate, but let's face it: Proxy Studios and Slitherine are not all up in our faces, dominating our system RAM, requiring that we connect to their server to merely play the game, nor are they being annoying about any of it. We purchase the game, we install the game, and we choose (if we want) whether or not to connect to their server to get the latest game patches. It's not like they keep track of which keys are activated on which motherboards and whatnot.

I feel they have taken a good solid balance to protection of their game, but anyone is free do disagree with me.
SephiRok
Proxy Studios
Proxy Studios
Posts: 1024
Joined: Thu Jul 19, 2012 10:19 am
Contact:

Re: Is Pandora really DRM free?

Post by SephiRok »

ERISS wrote:No, since you don't really give the patches, your game is DRM protected, for we can't download and keep the complete game (installation plus patch installer) all on our harddrive (we need to connect to patch).
What is DRM-free is the first released version, it's like we buy a demo version if we can't connect to your server.
You can just copy / zip / backup / do whatever with a patched installation, it will work fine on any supported system / hard drive.
Rok Breulj
Designer and Programmer
Proxy Studios
BlueTemplar
Corporal - Strongpoint
Corporal - Strongpoint
Posts: 70
Joined: Mon Dec 16, 2013 3:54 am

Re: Is Pandora really DRM free?

Post by BlueTemplar »

If I'm not mistaken, major patches _will_ be available to download, like for the other Matrix games titles.
Post Reply

Return to “Pandora : Tech Support”