2k are you ever going to provide a way for demo users to remove securom

[Obturator]

This is a serious question and I fully expect this thread to be "closed" and "merged" into oblivion just like many before it. That wont stop me from asking though.

For those of us unfortunate enough to play the demo we apparently now have a rootkit infection on our PCs. Securom is currently impossible for us to remove fully at this stage. Do you ever plan on providing any way for the demo users to remove this software since it has no bearing on a purchased game?

[Smart Patrol]

What is it? What effect does it have?
Thank god I'm a console gamer!

[Ol'BlueEyes]

Securom does NOT use a rootkit.

[HykCraft]

Thank god I'm a console gamer, a PC gamer, and a Game Designer.

[Obturator]

Originally Posted by Ol'BlueEyes

Securom does NOT use a rootkit.

Securom is a rootkit by definition.

[Rebelphoenix]

Originally Posted by Ol'BlueEyes

Securom does NOT use a rootkit.

Say Hello To My Little Friend...

[Calranthe]

It does no harm from what I can see yes i've been around pc's for along while and all the house pc's are pretty secure, while securom may act like a root kit in the simple way that it dares to check that your game even demo is valid it does no actual harm.

All else is scaremongering by low lifes or under aged people who shouldn't even be playing the demo let alone game script kiddies who think they know the first thing about root kits.

And yes certain scan software will mistakenly see it as a root kit, if its a root kit ooo it must allow them to evilly take over your pc, let me explain every exe in your win32 directory could be classed as a root kit, windows xp or vista can be classified as a root kit.

[Obturator]

Originally Posted by Calranthe

It does no harm from what I can see yes i've been around pc's for along while and all the house pc's are pretty secure, while securom may act like a root kit in the simple way that it dares to check that your game even demo is valid it does no actual harm.

All else is scaremongering by low lifes or under aged people who shouldn't even be playing the demo let alone game script kiddies who think they know the first thing about root kits.

And yes certain scan software will mistakenly see it as a root kit, if its a root kit ooo it must allow them to evilly take over your pc, let me explain every exe in your win32 directory could be classed as a root kit, windows xp or vista can be classified as a root kit.

I work in the PC security field so I can say you are quite full of it. You dont have the first idea as to what defines a rootkit as evidenced by your win32 directory. Any application that subverts the windows security model to obtain rights beyond the administrator and that hides itself from users is far from harmless and classifies as a rootkit.

You may feel its harmless but it opens a hole that can be exploited by 2K or other less scrupulous people and guess what? You cant do anything about it because it subverts the entire windows security system.

[.h3lios]

Was going to create another thread for this but decided against it. Here goes...


Dear Ken Levine and the rest of the uber cool BioShock crew,

i am a long time PC gamer who has been waiting in anticipation for BioShock ever since it was announced. Since i reside in Bombay, India, quality PC hardware is hard to come by and is wallet rapingly expensive. However i managed to scrimp and save a few months of salaries to get a semi-decent rig up and running for this game. After all, with all the glowing previews and reviews comparing it to my two favorite titles of all time, Deus Ex and System Shock 2 definitely made it a must play.

Now add to the fact that i usually have to wait a good month or two to get the game due to a craptacular release schedule, i decided to risk a preorder with one of the many ready and willing import stores around the city. So not only do i pay more for hardware, but end up paying two to three times more the usual price for the Collectors Edition which will NEVER release here. But hey, it's for the love of the game, right?

Also the Xbox 360 version is as useful as dialogues in a porn movie (due to crazy red lights of death issues) and it costs an arm, a leg , kidneys and a few assorted body parts, i decided (or rather common sense did) not to get an Xbox 360. Besides Microsoft's customer support is quite pathetic here.

As you can see acquiring the means to game in a country like India isn't as easy as it is in the US or UK. We pay 4 to 5 times more on hardware, put up with ****ty release schedules and have to resort to grey market imports for CEs that cost more and roam freely in your markets. But we do it anyway because well, we love games.

Instead of pirating a game i rather give the developers their due, after all it's the least i can do for such an awesome work of art.

But when you stuff rootkits down our throats, after all it takes to get things in place to play this masterpiece, everything seems so futile and useless. It seems that you guys have taken the PC crowd for granted.

i agree that you need to protect your interests, but this is not the way to go about it. i'm in half a mind to cancel my preorder and take a walk down the street where i can get the game for 2$. i pay for our games, i deserve to install it without any PC crashing rootkits or limits on the number of PCs i can install it on.

Have you no confidence in your product that you'd have to resort to such idiotic measures? After close to a month of **** teasing in the form of glowing reviews and impressions, that last thing i want is my anti-virus getting menopausal on me. Your attitude reeks of insecurity. It's bad enough to get gimped widescreen support and release one working version of the game (for the xbox 360).

Contrary to popular belief, even though people in countries like mine love to pirate, there is a small, vocal , growing section of gamers who believe in giving the developers their due. Considering that we're at such a nascent stage and the fact that we'd know about such draconian piracy prevention techniques in an instant, leaves most of us, if not all, with more reason to pay $2 over $50.

So please fix this pathetic excuse for copy protection immediately, lest the neighborhood pirate makes a profit over the people who deserve to. You.

Just another gamer,

.h3lios

[MF9000]

Originally Posted by Calranthe

It does no harm from what I can see yes i've been around pc's for along while and all the house pc's are pretty secure, while securom may act like a root kit in the simple way that it dares to check that your game even demo is valid it does no actual harm.

All else is scaremongering by low lifes or under aged people who shouldn't even be playing the demo let alone game script kiddies who think they know the first thing about root kits.

And yes certain scan software will mistakenly see it as a root kit, if its a root kit ooo it must allow them to evilly take over your pc, let me explain every exe in your win32 directory could be classed as a root kit, windows xp or vista can be classified as a root kit.

I am neither a low life or an under aged person. However I object to having something installed without disclosure. If it had been made clear that the invasive DRM software SecuROM was going to be installed and that there was an activation limit I would not have purchased the game. I have been around computers for quite sometime myself with my first being a 486, but that has no bearing on this issue. Nondisclosure of an invasive DRM is dishonest and underhanded. 2K got caught and now they will have to deal with the fallout.