http://gamepolitics.com/2010/05/06/civilization-v-use-steamworks

"2K Games and Valve have inked an agreement use to use Steamworks on PC versions of Sid Meier's Civilization V. In addition, 2K Games plans to release a Sid Meier's Civilization V Digital Deluxe Edition exclusively on Steam this fall, as well as a pre-order deal that gives early adopters of the game an exclusive map for free. The Digital Deluxe Edition will include the usual assortment of insider and behind the scenes content including a "Behind the Scenes at Firaxis with Civilization V" video feature, as well as the game's soundtrack.

According to 2K Games, Civ V will benefit from Steamworks' various features including auto-updating, Steam Achievements, support for future downloadable content, multiplayer matchmaking and more. Naturally Steamworks will provide a layer of protection against piracy including DRM and CEG.

What kind of DRM does Steamworks include? From the Steamworks API Overview page:

'Steamworks Digital Rights Management wraps your game's compiled executable and checks to make sure that it is running under an authenticated instance of Steam. This DRM solution is the same as the one used to protect games like Half-Life 2 and Counter-Strike: Source. Steamworks DRM has been heavily road-tested and is customer-friendly.

In addition to DRM solutions, Steamworks also offers protection for game through day one release by shipping encrypted media to stores worldwide. There's no worry that your game will leak early from the manufacturing path, because your game stays encrypted until the moment you decide to release it. This protection can be added to your game simply by handing us finished bits or a gold master.

The Steamworks CEG [editor's note: Custom Executable Generation] system generates a custom binary for each customer. When you link your application with the Steamworks CEG, we provide you with several tools that you use to generate metadata about your executable file. This metadata is stored on the Steam 3 DRMS Server. When a user installs your game, the DRMS server collects information from the customer's computer that uniquely identifies it. The collected information is used in combination with the metadata regarding your executable file to generate a custom binary, that checks that it is running on the user's computer. If the user changes the configuration of their computer such that the CEG checks would fail to identify the computer, the CEG system will automatically generate a new executable file for the user, and update their game installation. These checks occur whenever your game is run, regardless of whether the computer is connected to the Internet or not. In addition to examining the user's computer, the CEG system will detect tampering with the executable file, and will conceal its workings from reverse engineering.'

Some argue that the Steamworks CEG is just another layer of DRM.. Civ V will be released this fall."

--

With this news and Sega's reveal of the DRM in Alpha Protocol, I wonder if Ubisoft will make any changes.

and there'll be retarded pre-order exclusives for the "digital deluxe edition", which includes even more retarded CIVILIZATIONS and MAPS.

a MODDABLE game including this kind of stuff is just stupid.

and even though I buy most of my games on Steam now, I'm not a fan of this exclusive bullshit.

Say goodbye to my money.

Why? Because Steam is DRM like any other, and it requires online connection too. Also, it locks the game to a single owner, making selling the game impossible (not that I would've sold Civ V anyway).

There's also a weekend deal for the complete edition of Civilization IV for $10.

Steam is the best thing ever! It only requires online connection for when you install the game. After that, you can play it offline as much as you want to.

The advantages of Steam completely dwarf the disadvantages so much, that it's laughable when someone bashes Steam.

Steam has saved me hundreds of dollars from their constant sales. Tell me where you can buy GTA IV for $7 other than Steam.

Most PC games require some sort of online activation. Pre-owned PC game sales have been dead for a very long time.

Thanks.  I'm DL now.

If youwere going to resell the game, just go ahead and puirate it. It doesn't matter to the devs since theydon't see money either way.

Alos, how can anyone NOT laugh at "oh yeah you get a free extra map!" in a proper PC game? I willprobably get thatmap anyhow from the sites that host maps. What is even more laughable is the fact that most mapin Civ are randomly generated.

Goddammit NO!

My job requires me to go to isolated locations for long periods of time (over a month at a time). The internet connection is always uncertain, and never available during off hours. For recreation, I have either TV or PC games, and now even the latter is progressively being denied to me.

A collective fuck you to Ubisoft, Valve, 2K games, Firaxis and all others for whom putting restrictions on legitimate users is acceptable in order to annoy pirtates. And yes! I do mean "annoy", because that's all it will do.

You can play it offline. I have never had a problem playing offlineon steam away from the internet once the game is installed.