This is an Ubisoft DRM system. So my guess is all Ubisoft PC titles will use it. Therefore its not applicable to anything outside of games Ubisoft publishes themselves.

Given the drop in price most PC games experience, buying used and selling used is of little help as the new prices are often the same or cheaper than those of a used copy. It also remains to be seen whether the key is transferable or not.

You're assuming they aren't familiar with that method to counter-act this type of system because????

....I use Daemon to mount virtual images of my game CDs anyway

You said this would be a good thing for players

How does that make this a good thing for players? GOG doesn't exactly need a CD check either but they don't shut down my game every time I disconnect

You're assuming they aren't familiar with that method to counter-act this type of system because????

Now you don't have to use Daemon.

In any case the proportion of people whom would have a dying DVD drive vastly outnumber the proportion of people with a terrible internet link. I say terrible as in impossible or close to it. If you can post here you can use their servers to save the game.

It doesn't kick you out, you simply can't save the game until it reconnects. So no connection no save, connection you can save. It also means you can continue your saved game from anywhere.

Because any methods to counter-act this exist in the code that is being modified anyway (which is why DRM is fundamentally flawed).

Here is a basic runthrough of how the crackers will get around "remote" saving:

1) Trace the packets between the client and the server. If what is sent to the server is the same as what is returned (i.e the client produces the save then just sends it to the server), then all I need to do is get the client to connect to my local server which saves off the packet and sends it back when asked. This is probably all they will actually be doing.

2) If the packets differ, figure out if its some sort of encryption.

2a) If it is encrypted, remove the encryption and decryption algorithms from the client and get it sending the raw save to my local server.

3) If the return packet differs (after decryption if required) then look at how the client processes this packet and map the original packets contents to the return packet.

4) If keen, they can also try and modify the client to write directly to a file instead, however the server method would allow a more generic solution for other games using the same system.

If there are any mechanics to detect modification beyond the already modified functionality they shall just be removed/modified anyway.

Public Key encryption of any quality would take at least a month of solid effort to crack. By that time the damage typically done by piracy would be averted.

Obviously they would use encryption.

Obviously they would ensure that the data recieved back from the server was not identical to the data sent.

Not every packet sent would have to be relevant, but it would waste their time making them figure out each one.

The victory is not perfect protection. The victory is in if they can slow down piracy for a few weeks and let themselves sell their products without the need to compete with pirated material. In addition to this, if the effort required is substantial enough then smaller releases would never be cracked due to the effort required unless the the release groups can develop a method which is portable to all games using this methodology.

The lack of a CD check isn't actually a positive! The fact that they aren't using one kind of DRM is not a benefit when there is a net loss in terms of convenience!

You are not explaining how this helps me, the consumer. I don't think that you can.

Because there IS no way to counteract this. You do realize the code of the game is RIGHT THERE ON THE PC? Nothing they can do will amke something hack proof. Just like there is nothing to make your computer safe if the hardware falsl in the hands of a hacker, your software is automatically unsafe the moemnt its files hit another person's computer. With PC games that's all the time. There is no way to stop hacking, none.

The thing is they will get rid of the public key shit before it even gets to that. Again, they can just point the game at your own computer, it's just a few lines of code. Also encryption takes time, something you cant afford/