Some questions to Telltale re: DRM
Dear Telltale,
I understand your need to combat piracy with DRM, and I as much as you wish your games would not be pirated at all, but I do actually see some legitimate downsides to DRM. For instance,
1. What if Telltale were to (god forbid) go out of business or become part of a major publishing corporation? How will we be able to access our games since they have DRM?
2. What about installing the game on our own personal computers, which DRM would (theoretically) prohibit?
Just asking something to the so the producers could answer...
I understand your need to combat piracy with DRM, and I as much as you wish your games would not be pirated at all, but I do actually see some legitimate downsides to DRM. For instance,
1. What if Telltale were to (god forbid) go out of business or become part of a major publishing corporation? How will we be able to access our games since they have DRM?
2. What about installing the game on our own personal computers, which DRM would (theoretically) prohibit?
Just asking something to the so the producers could answer...
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Comments
*runs for cover*
Definitely one of the less intrusive DRM's I've seen.
Maybe unlike other game companies (I wouldn't know -- I've only worked at this one), Telltale is filled with people who are here because we believe in the products we make -- most of us would probably be playing them instead of making them if we weren't working here already -- so making sure the games stay accessible and in the hands of the customers who support us, even if the company were to somehow go away, is important to us. We keep our back catalog online, and even though we have shifted user account systems, activation systems, and store backends a few times, it's always been a priority to make sure that even the guys who bought Telltale Texas Hold'Em in the first few months of our existence can still access their games.
Fortunately for everyone involved, if tragedy struck and Telltale disappeared (unlikely!), the same people who have made sure to keep that a priority for our customers would still continue to exist as living human beings, walking the Earth. We're not an office of robots who will power off and officially disappear. We'll probably still know each other even! Keeping the games around for the people who have bought them is something very important to everyone
Edit: I realize how unobtrusive Telltale's DRM is, but I'm glad my back is covered. That's all that matters to me (in addition to playing great Telltale games, that is (and that the company weathers this recession/depression)!).
Ah, that saves my mind a lot of worry. I'm still worried about Telltale in these tough economic times, though.
Probably? are some of you planning to run off to a foreign country and have plastic surgery so you'll never re recognized as a TTG employee or soemthing? :rolleyes:
Honestly, TTG's DRM is the least obtrusive I've ever seen. But lets be realistic. If something happens and TTG dissapears, there will be people working on the DRM "problem" and I'm sure the proper channels will have a "fix" available if it's needed...
(No I'm not encouraging anything illegal, just being realistic... this is what happened to most of the other abandonware games... like HtR...)
And there's always Gametap and Steam who use their own DRM that, AFAIK, does not affect TTG at all.
Sooo you will recorgnise me If you see me on the street trying to play TMI.
Disc Check
Sam & Max Season 1
Sam & Max Season 2
Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People
No DRM
Tales of Monkey Island
Sam & Max Season 3 (The Devil's Playhouse)
One-Time Online (or serial number) Activation
Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures
The DRM on the Back to the Future DVD is unknown, as the DVD won't be released until sometime after the season ends. It could follow the trend set by Tales and The Devil's Playhouse and have no DRM, or Universal might request some sort of DRM.
So yeah, for most of Telltale's major releases, you can get a version of the game that doesn't require online activation of any sort if you're willing to pay shipping costs on the DVDs. And if you don't mind serial number activation, Telltale's entire catalog is open to you.
Also, since you're new here, I'd like to clarify, I'm only a community moderator here. It's the folks with red user names who work at Telltale.
Bone does have a DVD for each episode unless they removed them recently.
You'll have to fill up on brains first.
This is true, but the two episodes come on separate CDs, and they don't come free with the downloadable version.
But as I just have a minor disdain for TTG's DRM, I am one or two steps away from loathing Steam.
So much win