It seems that you're using an outdated browser. Some things may not work as they should (or don't work at all).
We suggest you upgrade newer and better browser like: Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer or Opera

×
low rated
avatar
gameragodzilla: DRM is copy protection. That aspect of SecuROM has been disabled so you can play the game without anything bothering that element. Game will run no matter where you put it.

Whether other elements of SecuROM remain is still is irrelevant here. This is anti-debugging, which would be nice to remove, but doesn’t affect many people and OP being a rude dick doesn’t help.
avatar
trynoval: Except that "anti-debug" is by definition a DRM, because it restricts ways you can use the product.

Also being negative about GERALDO is being "rude dick" is a fanboyism mindset that only opens way for all sorts of abuse. And disservice everyone, because only fanboy sees GOG as innocent as Pope, while everyone else would keep seeing those problems and leaving the platform. You only disservice Store and community as a gatekeeper that prevents fixing problems.
You can point out a problem without being an asshole. The more you act like an asshole, the less inclined people will bother taking what you have to say seriously.

Now back on topic, every game restricts what I can do in some way by design. I can’t easily mod Unreal Engine 3 games like I can id Tech 3 or 4 games. That is not DRM. If DRM keeps me from being able to play what I purchased in some way, that is a problem. Preventing easy modding of files is something most games have to some extent. Selective outrage because this part is called SecuROM is absurd. So if you guys keep being this abrasive and buttmad, well no skin off my back. My game works perfectly fine and everyone else will continue ignoring this.

avatar
trynoval: @Christsnatcher

You may want to add this to your OP post for clarification.

Digital rights management (DRM) tools or technological protection measures (TPM) are a set of access control technologies for restricting the use of proprietary hardware and copyrighted works. DRM technologies try to control the use, modification, and distribution of copyrighted works (such as software and multimedia content), as well as systems within devices that enforce these policies.
avatar
trynoval: Wikipedia.
Again, by that logic, any game without easy mod support has DRM. If everything isn’t externalized to let me mess around with them, then it’s DRM. I’d be perfectly happy for every game to have this ease of use, but the lack of it isn’t DRM in rhe practical sense.
Post edited May 27, 2019 by gameragodzilla
Attaching a debugger is a way to use the work. Software added to specifically prevent that is a restriction. I believe the main point of who Denovo works is trying to stop debugger/disassembler access to the code that is running the checks which are implemented by the developers themselves.
high rated
avatar
gameragodzilla: Again, by that logic, any game without easy mod support has DRM. If everything isn’t externalized to let me mess around with them, then it’s DRM. I’d be perfectly happy for every game to have this ease of use, but the lack of it isn’t DRM in rhe practical sense.
You are missing the main point that the game will not run once it checks that some software securom doesn't like is installed on your pc. Failing to attach a debugger is the last of its problem.

And this goes without saying that you should even enable legacy drivers on w10, which are disable for safety reasons in the first place.

I also would never trust a game with some securom leftovers. Both securom and starforce have already damaged pleny of os and drives.
high rated
The absence of all the garbage components of DRM are supposed to be the whole basis for GOG's entire "DRM-Free" tagline, the basis for the "FCKDRM" campaign, and what they've been standing behind for years. Trying to redefine DRM after so many years is just insult from GOG's support, just as running interference for that insult and deception is just consumer codependency in face of bad business practices.

Another link that needs to be added to OP is a link to SecuROM so people understand what it is:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SecuROM

The whole point of wanting DRM-Free is to not have to worry about SecuROM and similar problems being shat upon your computer. Yes, there is no DRM requirement of CD checking, but the rest of the DRM and the rest of the problems involved with it, the rest of the reasons why people hated it, are still there. It is both a very sloppy and disingenuous hack.

So if there's SecuROM (DRM) present in F.E.A.R. it's clearly FALSE ADVERTISING.
So SecuROM might make FEAR not run on my pc.

Does it do anything to my pc directly?
high rated
This is going to affect my future purchases on Gog (if any). I agree with those members who say that it doesn't matter whether I can still run the game or not. Securom should have been removed completely. This is a core GOG promise. Finding out that Securom's disc check was disabled but Securom was still installed on my system has really shaken my faith in GOG.

I want to thank the OP for bringing this to our attention (and please try to be a little less antagonistic in future).
high rated
avatar
MandrakeTheBard: The absence of all the garbage components of DRM are supposed to be the whole basis for GOG's entire "DRM-Free" tagline, the basis for the "FCKDRM" campaign, and what they've been standing behind for years. Trying to redefine DRM after so many years is just insult from GOG's support, just as running interference for that insult and deception is just consumer codependency in face of bad business practices.

Another link that needs to be added to OP is a link to SecuROM so people understand what it is:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SecuROM

The whole point of wanting DRM-Free is to not have to worry about SecuROM and similar problems being shat upon your computer. Yes, there is no DRM requirement of CD checking, but the rest of the DRM and the rest of the problems involved with it, the rest of the reasons why people hated it, are still there. It is both a very sloppy and disingenuous hack.

So if there's SecuROM (DRM) present in F.E.A.R. it's clearly FALSE ADVERTISING.
SO MUCH THIS.

avatar
pkk234: So SecuROM might make FEAR not run on my pc.

Does it do anything to my pc directly?
Good question. I don't know for sure, but I would stay faaar away by such cases. If the MP part and expansion ask for secuROM calls, then it could affect your system.

avatar
laser_eyes: This is going to affect my future purchases on Gog (if any). I agree with those members who say that it doesn't matter whether I can still run the game or not. Securom should have been removed completely. This is a core GOG promise. Finding out that Securom's disc check was disabled but Securom was still installed on my system has really shaken my faith in GOG.

I want to thank the OP for bringing this to our attention (and please try to be a little less antagonistic in future).
Amen to that. A shame that nobody from the GOG staff want to do something about it.
Post edited May 30, 2019 by Kyousuke.
high rated
avatar
pkk234: So SecuROM might make FEAR not run on my pc.

Does it do anything to my pc directly?
One of the many reasons why SecuROM and SafeDisk were hated: security problems introduced to the OS

This was why Microsoft tried to make it not work with Win 10.

Additional to that, it can cause problems with virtual drives and other drivers. Additional to that, just by installing it puts component files that require a removal tool, along with putting a mess into your registry that you can't delete unless you get a specific tool from Microsoft's site.

Just a selective disabling of some components of SecuROM is a very sloppy hack.
Alright, you guys have convinced me NOT to play this at all.
Hopefully me having only installed it and not played it has saved me.

Thanks people.
avatar
pkk234: Alright, you guys have convinced me NOT to play this at all.
Hopefully me having only installed it and not played it has saved me.

Thanks people.
I'd see if you can detect it on your system, or at least see if the SecuROM removal tool can see if there's anything to scrape out. Another thing is searching your registry for any of the SecuROM key entries, which as I mentioned above would probably require another tool to remove as well.
high rated
It's incredible and quite puzzling to me that some people actually think this behavior is ok from GOG. While I agree the OP should have approached this issue more tactfully, his research into the issue should be thanked for and appreciated.

To say this is "not DRM" per GOG's response, is, quite frankly, a lie, just like the OP claimed. SecuROM was a VERY INTRUSIVE DRM, this "anti-debugger" is a part of this notorious DRM and should be completely removed if you are going to claim all your games are "DRM-FREE".

This leaves a bad taste in my mouth tbh. And I will be more careful in future dealings with GOG as they have shown to not live up to their "DRM-FREE" claim, and buying DRM-FREE games is literally the ONLY reason why anyone would even look at GOG.

Disappointed, to say the least.

edit: just use scene's cracks like OP suggested if you guys at GOG can't do a proper job. The crackers are better than you and they do it for free...
Post edited June 01, 2019 by v0idkat
high rated
avatar
v0idkat: It's incredible and quite puzzling to me that some people actually think this behavior is ok from GOG. While I agree the OP should have approached this issue more tactfully, his research into the issue should be thanked for and appreciated.

To say this is "not DRM" per GOG's response, is, quite frankly, a lie, just like the OP claimed. SecuROM was a VERY INTRUSIVE DRM, this "anti-debugger" is a part of this notorious DRM and should be completely removed if you are going to claim all your games are "DRM-FREE".

This leaves a bad taste in my mouth tbh. And I will be more careful in future dealings with GOG as they have shown to not live up to their "DRM-FREE" claim, and buying DRM-FREE games is literally the ONLY reason why anyone would even look at GOG.
I'd say OP's reaction to being lied to and having parts of the unholiest of unholies when it came to DRM for sale here at GOG was about on par: If it weren't for Sony (SecuROM) and Macrovision Solutions (SafeDisc) then there wouldn't have been the whole push behind GOG's "DRM-FREE" in the first place.

I'd say the two easy options here are:
1) Remove the games still afflicted from sale
I personally don't like this one, mainly because GOG is a great place to acquire these titles. If it turns out they're still infected by any part of DRM then those become No Sale.
2) Clean the games from DRM and components which were MAJOR reasons why we hate DRM.
I would appreciate this one because I was thinking of playing F.E.A.R. on a friend's recommendation, was a series I had passed up, and so researched where to buy. Lo and behold, this.
high rated
avatar
v0idkat: It's incredible and quite puzzling to me that some people actually think this behavior is ok from GOG. While I agree the OP should have approached this issue more tactfully, his research into the issue should be thanked for and appreciated.

To say this is "not DRM" per GOG's response, is, quite frankly, a lie, just like the OP claimed. SecuROM was a VERY INTRUSIVE DRM, this "anti-debugger" is a part of this notorious DRM and should be completely removed if you are going to claim all your games are "DRM-FREE".

This leaves a bad taste in my mouth tbh. And I will be more careful in future dealings with GOG as they have shown to not live up to their "DRM-FREE" claim, and buying DRM-FREE games is literally the ONLY reason why anyone would even look at GOG.
I'm blaffed like you, I couldn't have worded it better.

avatar
MandrakeTheBard: I'd say OP's reaction to being lied to and having parts of the unholiest of unholies when it came to DRM for sale here at GOG was about on par: If it weren't for Sony (SecuROM) and Macrovision Solutions (SafeDisc) then there wouldn't have been the whole push behind GOG's "DRM-FREE" in the first place.

I'd say the two easy options here are:
1) Remove the games still afflicted from sale
I personally don't like this one, mainly because GOG is a great place to acquire these titles. If it turns out they're still infected by any part of DRM then those become No Sale.
2) Clean the games from DRM and components which were MAJOR reasons why we hate DRM.
I would appreciate this one because I was thinking of playing F.E.A.R. on a friend's recommendation, was a series I had passed up, and so researched where to buy. Lo and behold, this.
GOG needs to fix this ASAP. Like you, I was looking over this, because a friend of mine suggested it to me, along the bioshock franchise.

The most worriesome thing is, that I don't know if there are other cases on GOG...

What I know is that from now on, I will try to be way more careful, when making my purchases on GOG.

1) Check if the game is really drm-free and not with anti-cheat BS drm like EAC;
2) Chcek if the game has less features without using online;
3) Check if the game is updated on par with the steam counterpart and not abandoned here a la nuclear throne;
4) And now check even if there are some drm leftovers.

Purchasing on GOG is getting more and more stressfull by the day.
Post edited June 02, 2019 by Kyousuke.
The OP raises some valid points. But I think not buying a game or not trusting GOG because of inert SecuROM is way too far.
Post edited June 21, 2019 by user deleted
What the hell

I just purchased FEAR and what do I see upon downloading this game but this post. I really hope I didn't just install a backdoor onto my system or worse. I did some research on SecuROM as well as SafeDisk but I'm not sure on the consensus on whether I'm safe to use this game or not.