Thanks for the info scri8e. I'd already read about this somewhere. I remember the first DRM supporded game I bought (well I think it was the first). called Battlefield 2142. I was a Battlefield 2 stalwart and remember the furore over it on the forums that I inhabited at the time. Many said they would not purchase the game and I do think it was ne of the reasons that it didn't do as well as BF2. (They never released a full singleplayer editor either which didn't help matters).

I've always found it annoying how adverts pop up during the booting up phase with some EA games, usually trying to sell the latest EA game or booster packs for the game you are playing. I realize they are innocuous, but that still doesn't give them the right to stuff this rubbish in the game. Though I also realize that you agree to it in the EULA, but what choice do you have; you've bought the game, which once opened usually cannot be exchanged or returned. If you don't agree to the EULA the installation is aborted.

regards

Whiterabbit

There is more to this saga and it's bad news. Spores future may be short lived.

Snip:

EA's magnificent Spore has come under fire since launch for its use of digital rights management software SecuROM DRM, with a group of gamers going so far as to launch a class action lawsuit against the publisher.

Courthouse News reports that the lawsuit claims that EA is knowingly defrauding its own customers by including the anti-piracy software "which 'completely wipes their hard drive' and replaces it with an undisclosed program that prevents the computer from operating under some circumstances and disrupts hardware operations."

Spore is described in the lawsuit as a virtual reality simulation game that also contains "a second, undisclosed program [SecuROM] "form of Digital Rights Management (DRM) for computer games."

The class action suit claims that the SecuROM program is "secretly installed to the command and control center (sic) of the computer (Ring 0, or the Kernel), and surreptitiously operated, overseeing function and operation on the computer, preventing the computer from operating under certain circumstances and/or disrupting hardware operations."

The group is represented by Alan Himmelfarb with the help of legal beagles KamberEdelson
By Adam Hartley

*******************************************************

I haven't read it yet....

1. Courthouse News is incorrectly reporting the allegations of the complaint. If you read the actual complaint, nowhere does it say that:

the anti-piracy software "which 'completely wipes their hard drive' and replaces it with an undisclosed program”

The best source of information about the allegations is the complaint itself, which may be found at:

http://www.courthousenews.com/2008/09/23/Spore.pdf
Alan Himmelfarb

End Snip/

*********************************************

Source URL
http://www.techradar.com/news/gaming/ea-faces-class-action-lawsuit-over-spore-drm-470850

Check out the pdf the commenter posted
http://www.courthousenews.com/2008/09/23/Spore.pdf

Well I don't feel so bad now. I'm full of dread. LOL. Whee Haw here we go again with another lame CSR company.
Doing the hippy hippy shake circle jerk quirk.

Agree 100% with WR on this one.

I also am looking forward to Spore - just not looking forward to EA track record of ongoing support. EA have a history of completely stuffing perfectly good games by dropping the ball and letting down their customers.

EA support - don't make me laugh

When EA released their first booster pack for Battlefield 2 I immediately bought it from them. It was only available as an online download. I paid my money, and then tried to download it, but the account password that I'd used to set up the account wouldn't work for some reason. It seems that you could only use a specific number of letters and numbers in the name. Anyway I'd set up the account with more than you should use, but they had accepted it. But when it comes to downloading your file and activating it, I wasn't able to because my password wouldn't fit in the appropriate field because it was three or four letters too long. I spent over 6 months trying to sort the problem with customer services, and even phoned them to try and resolve the situation. In the end i asked for a refund, but they never replied to those requests. I ended up buying it again. The customer services are based mainly on those lists of Q and A's. You have to sift through hundreds to find what you're looking for and then if you do find it you're lucky. Using the Email contact is a pain, and if you don't answer any of their answers to your queries, within a specified time they deem the matter closed and you have to restart the query from the start. It's time consuming, and very annoying. Personally I've never got satisfaction from EA and vowed not to buy any more of their products, but with more boosters and a new Battlefield game then Crysis and several other EA games, I couldn't help myself.

Check any games forum that is related to games released by EA and you'll find many discontented community menbers with respect to anything to do with EA support.

So I take it that we should wait a little while before purchasing. I am sorry for your problems but thanks for letting us know, I will wait till Spore is less buggy.

scri8e, Don't feel bad, your not the only one having problems with Spore Creature Creator, theirs a ton of us. I have been waiting 3 weeks to hear from support. As for Sprint cell service, I have been pretty lucky. Hang in there.

This is whine, so pass the cheese.

I had trouble getting a good download of the free version of Spore creature creator.
So I bought the $9.99 version which turns out to be $15.93 with their EA account/downloader manager.
I still can't get the thing downloaded and installed, as it tells me I am off line. Say whut?
I just ordered the bloody thing online and it is telling me I'm off line.

Yes I emailed support. Why O why can't these companies deliver their product and it work correctly?
I think I'm on techno melt down. I have been struggling with sprint cell service for months now.
My phones are still all bungle hovelled.Yesterday I was on Sprint online chat. After a hour and a half and 2 CSR the 2nd who claimed to be a tech .....disconnected... with not one thing resolved I think because she didn't know how to fix the corporate SNAFU ....Whine!.....