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Spore's SecuROM

S

SilentCrs

macrumors regular
Original poster
Nov 2, 2006
215
0
Anyone brave enough to have installed Spore seen what EA has done in terms of Securom on OS X? TUAW had a post a short while back talking about Securom on upcoming Cider games: http://www.tuaw.com/2008/08/21/transgaming-to-use-securom-for-cider-games/

I'm curious how they implemented it (if they implemented it), as the PC version (if I'm reading correctly) uses sort of a rootkit. I took a look around the Creature Creator files and a Securom folder is dropped at:

/Users/Chris/Library/Preferences/SPORE/Creature Creator/Preferences/p_drive/User/Application Data/SecuROM

However, that looks more like a remnant of what the install would look like on Windows than anything.

I don't see any obvious daemons running any Securom for the Creature Creator. I don't know enough about UNIX: can they do an invisible rootkit?

The reason I ask is that this is a relatively new machine (got the highest-end iMac maxed out on memory and hard drive space) and I've been rather happy with its performance playing simple games like World of Warcraft in OS X. I don't want a potential rootkit on my machine.
 
The DRM is the main reason I won't be buying Spore (regardless of what the OSX version does) - that and the fact that the gameplay sounds as if it's been dumbed down to nothing. Creatures with six legs are as fast as creatures with two - so, where does this "evolution" fit in then?

DRM of this kind is unacceptable, particularly as they're charging £40 for this game.
 
SilentCrs said:
Anyone brave enough to have installed Spore seen what EA has done in terms of Securom on OS X? TUAW had a post a short while back talking about Securom on upcoming Cider games: http://www.tuaw.com/2008/08/21/transgaming-to-use-securom-for-cider-games/

I'm curious how they implemented it (if they implemented it), as the PC version (if I'm reading correctly) uses sort of a rootkit. I took a look around the Creature Creator files and a Securom folder is dropped at:

/Users/Chris/Library/Preferences/SPORE/Creature Creator/Preferences/p_drive/User/Application Data/SecuROM

However, that looks more like a remnant of what the install would look like on Windows than anything.

I don't see any obvious daemons running any Securom for the Creature Creator. I don't know enough about UNIX: can they do an invisible rootkit?

The reason I ask is that this is a relatively new machine (got the highest-end iMac maxed out on memory and hard drive space) and I've been rather happy with its performance playing simple games like World of Warcraft in OS X. I don't want a potential rootkit on my machine.
Click to expand...

Me neither. The very idea is creepy.

Did you have to give your admin password to install?

Getting a rootkit going without that is more difficult.
 
I share the same concerns. I was really looking forward to this game, but will not be buying it if it invades my file system with secret security measures. Enough is enough.
 
I've had a look round and cant see anything. Nothing running in the background when not playing Spore.

So no rootkit. Might be something running in the background when you play Spore which also quits when you quite spore? But I don't know. I don't care tbh - it hasn't installed anything sneaky which is all hat matters.
 
I just found out about Digg.com and Amazon reviews on how bad the DRM is causing a lot of headaches. I am happy I saved myself some wasted money.
 
kitki83 said:
I just found out about Digg.com and Amazon reviews on how bad the DRM is causing a lot of headaches. I am happy I saved myself some wasted money.
Click to expand...

LOL maybe for the PC users in fact those are the only 'headache' complaints I've seen is people don't want the rootkit installed, but I haven't read much (if any) where the DRM was causing game play issues.

It runs great on my iMac, in fact, I'm on my 5th installation of the spore creature creator and it was fairly easy to get the count reset/additional installs. Just provide SN/Registration Email/Full Name and blam it was done. Pretty painless.

Certainly I understand the need for something like this but in all reality there's gotta be a better way of doing DRM.

All in all, pretty painless. I've already got it installed on 3 computers at my house since EA blatantly says that your allowed 3 installations on ANY computer in your house, and I've already gotten my actual Spore game extended in case I need it and that itself went pretty quick.
 
kkat69 said:
LOL maybe for the PC users in fact those are the only 'headache' complaints I've seen is people don't want the rootkit installed, but I haven't read much (if any) where the DRM was causing game play issues.

It runs great on my iMac, in fact, I'm on my 5th installation of the spore creature creator and it was fairly easy to get the count reset/additional installs. Just provide SN/Registration Email/Full Name and blam it was done. Pretty painless.

Certainly I understand the need for something like this but in all reality there's gotta be a better way of doing DRM.

All in all, pretty painless. I've already got it installed on 3 computers at my house since EA blatantly says that your allowed 3 installations on ANY computer in your house, and I've already gotten my actual Spore game extended in case I need it and that itself went pretty quick.
Click to expand...

I don't really have an issue with the install limitations. What I'm concerned about is that Securom does a lot of controversial stuff in Windows (e.g. hide files, registry keys, and sometimes create invisible "devices") that tends to screw up others areas of the OS. I'm not one of those people who think OS X is invulnerable to rootkits (as I've said, UNIX rootkits have been around for years). It's just a question of how far Securom goes on OS X versus Windows.

Also, I notice a couple of people keep mentioning "Spore Creature Creator" -- my understanding is that Securom works with the actual CD/DVD-ROM, so any potential issues with the Creature Creator wouldn't necessarily translate to the retail game (given that the Creator doesn't require media to install). Again, this is just a guess though. Bottom line, I don't think we can assume Spore retail will necessarily act the same as Spore Creature Creator.
 
I'm also very curious about how SecuROM works in Cider and there seems to be very little information out there about it.

Someone on Amazon mentioned that it's all contained in the Windows install inside Cider. But I've also read comments that the Spore install prompts for an Administrator password. And that concerns me a lot.
 
Er...

SecuROM only operates on CD installs, right? What about Digital Delivery?

I downloaded Spore from Direct2Drive.com, and I don't need a CD to play. Just entered my CD key and it was good to go.

Anyhow, the game is a blast. Obviously it's not a true evolution simulator, duh! Evolution is a natural process, Spore lets you guide your creature's development for whatever reason you choose. You can make the most gimped creatures ever in it. Evolution doesn't tend to favour things so easy to kill that they can't reproduce.

But if you take it as it is, a playground with good gameplay, it's super fun.
 
SilentCrs said:
I don't really have an issue with the install limitations. What I'm concerned about is that Securom does a lot of controversial stuff in Windows (e.g. hide files, registry keys, and sometimes create invisible "devices") that tends to screw up others areas of the OS. I'm not one of those people who think OS X is invulnerable to rootkits (as I've said, UNIX rootkits have been around for years). It's just a question of how far Securom goes on OS X versus Windows.

Also, I notice a couple of people keep mentioning "Spore Creature Creator" -- my understanding is that Securom works with the actual CD/DVD-ROM, so any potential issues with the Creature Creator wouldn't necessarily translate to the retail game (given that the Creator doesn't require media to install). Again, this is just a guess though. Bottom line, I don't think we can assume Spore retail will necessarily act the same as Spore Creature Creator.
Click to expand...

Creature Creator contained SecuRom as well. Both the 10 dollar version AND the free version (although I believe the free version is dumbed down or turned off) but SCC definitely has SecuRom on it and it DOES act the same as the actual game does.
 
kkat69 said:
Creature Creator contained SecuRom as well. Both the 10 dollar version AND the free version (although I believe the free version is dumbed down or turned off) but SCC definitely has SecuRom on it and it DOES act the same as the actual game does.
Click to expand...

they have DRM on a free trial download? :confused:
 
Mattjeff said:
It creature creator costs $9.99, the trial version is a limited version of Creature Creator.
Click to expand...

I know that, but the post I quoted suggested the DRM on the trial as well.

tropic10 said:
QCassidy352: In the old days, a lot of full retail games were cracked by using the unprotected demo/trial executables. So most publishers today also put DRM on their demos.
Click to expand...

Well, I'm pretty annoyed that fact wasn't made very obvious on the free download. If they're installing crap on our computers they need to make that clear.
 
It's a lost sale here too. I do NOT agree with 'renting' something you paid for. Will the authentication servers still be active in 10 years? Doubt it.

No thanks EA.
 
QCassidy352 said:
I know that, but the post I quoted suggested the DRM on the trial as well.



Well, I'm pretty annoyed that fact wasn't made very obvious on the free download. If they're installing crap on our computers they need to make that clear.
Click to expand...

I agree, it wasn't mentioned at all on the free download. I later found all the SecuROM junk in there and had no idea what it was. It's a pretty insidious way of doing it, they should make it clear up front that a rootkit is used and give the choice not to purchase. After the Sony fiasco who is going to trust a rootkit on their machine?
 
I hear a lot of indignation from people saying that the software should be more than a rental or should be ready for installation on more than three computers, but these aren't issues that bother me. Similarly, the issue of continuing authentication didn't frustrate me too much, so EA mending that didn't inspire any confidence, really.

I'm most concerned about rootkits, and from what I can tell that requires the administration password. Am I correct in that assumption? And are people being asked for theirs? Or is there some more definitive way of telling whether or not the game runs a rootkit? And either way, does the DRM mess the mac up in any other way?

If I did install it and there was a rootkit, I know I'd need to reinstall the OS, but would I lose all my data, or could I just back it all up?

Lastly, I hear about people turning to piracy to circumvent the DRM, but does that make any sense? The online shared content is a major drawing point and it doesn't seem like you could access that from a pirated copy. I'm not going to pirate it anyway though, so I'm praying this DRM stuff gets resolved.
 
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