The General Videogame Thread

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[h=1]Denuvo forgets to secure server, leaks years of messages from game makers[/h] [h=2]Massive log file includes user complaints, apparently legitimate developer requests.[/h]
The developers at Denuvo have been in the news thanks to cracks against their notoriously tough digital rights management (DRM) tools, which are normally used to lock down video games from leaking online. On Sunday, the company faced a different kind of crack—not against a high-profile video game, however, but of its depository of private web-form messages. A significant number of these appear to come from game makers, with many requesting information about applying Denuvo's DRM to upcoming games.

The first proof of this leak appears to come from imageboard site 4chan, where an anonymous user posted a link to a log file hosted at the denuvo.com domain. This 11MB file (still online as of press time) apparently contains messages submitted via Denuvo's public contact form dating back to April 25, 2014. In fact, much of Denuvo's web database content appears to be entirely unsecured, with root directories for "fileadmin" and "logs" sitting in the open right now.

Combing the log file brings up countless spam messages, along with complaints, confused "why won't this game work" queries from apparent pirates, and even threats (an example: "for what you did to arkham knight I will find you and I will kill you and all of your loved ones, this I promise you CEO of this SHIT drm"). But since Denuvo's contact page does not contain a link to a private e-mail address—only a contact form and a phone number to the company's Austrian headquarters—the form appears to also have been used by many game developers and publishers.

The log, as hosted at Denuvo.com, contains queries with legitimate reply addresses at current game studios. Those include a requests from the following: 343 Industries, about applying Denuvo to upcoming Halo Wars games on PC; Microsoft, in a 2015 message describing Denuvo as something that would fit with "an upcoming initiative"; TaleWorlds, about adding DRM to the sequel to its Mount & Blade franchise; Harmonix Games, about scheduling an in-person meeting at this March's Game Developers Conference to talk DRM; Capcom, with multiple requests—one of which is described as a Windows 10 UWP release for 2016 (which could mean this past December's Dead Rising 4, which indeed shipped on UWP with Denuvo DRM); Ninja Theory, who sent a query about DRM for its upcoming adventure game Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice; and many more.

Codemasters, Relic Entertainment, 505 Games, Kalypso, and even the producers of Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing all appear to have sent queries to Denuvo, though these do not necessarily mean their products will eventually ship with the company's DRM product in place. There's also, of course, the chance that some of these queries were not legitimate, since any e-mail address and information can be entered into the contact form. We have sent queries to listed developers and publishers to confirm their queries' legitimacy.

We also tried to send questions to Denuvo regarding the leaked messages and the company's security practices going forward, but the send button on the aforementioned contact-form page is currently not functioning. We will update this report with any public statement from the company.
arstechnica.com/security/2017/02/denuvo-forgets-to-secure-server-leaks-years-of-messages-from-game-makers

The irony.
 
Well I finished XCOM 2 a few days ago. Besides bugs, I thought the combination of (semi) tactical turn-based combat and resource management was fun, just like in XCOM EU. The research driven plot is kind of exciting from a fictional science perspective, but pretty empty narrative wise. In other words, not much actually happens but understanding the alien physiology and technology is kinda fun. One thing that bothered me was the careless use of scientific and non scientific terms. Writers really should inform themselves better and use more believable terminology to develop more believable characters. The lead "scientist" for instance says "I believe that..." and "our working theory is" interchangeably, both of which in this context are no more than somewhat educated guesses. He really should keep his beliefs to himself, focus on proper explanations and hypothesis and learn the meaning of "theory".

Apart from XCOM 2, the Humble Monthly came with a strange game called ABZÛ. I thought it was just a diving simulator, where we can swim underwater and discover different kinds of sea creatures. Man, was I wrong! Mechanically it's one of those weird art/game hybrids that have just enough interaction to be a game, and are abstract enough to simply be appreciated for what they are. There is not much of an explicit story but there are hints here and there that point towards a fascinating, mystical world where supernatural and technological devices coexist. Visually and aesthetically it's breath taking. Not only are the creature models excellent but the underwater maps are fascinating, rich and diverse, in colors, textures and decorations. Further in the game we find ruins of some kind of civilization, with tall walls and structures covered in blue tiles with golden figures depicting what appears to be myths about the origin of the game world. I soon realized these walls reminded me of the Gate of Ishtar (Pergamon Museum in Berlin, absolutely recommended!), part of an entrance to the ancient city of Babylon. I also thought the name of this game sounded familiar, somehow. At the end of the game credits it says the game is based on the first tablet of the Enuma Elish, and of course! That explains everything. The Enuma Elish is the Babylonian myth of creation (which also contains the Epic of Gilgamesh) and Apsu (or Abzu) is the primeval ocean. I read this years ago, but I am sure the game is only loosely connected to it. Regardless, Abzû is an amazing little journey, of around 3 hours, full of aesthetically impressive visuals and an equally impressive musical score.


 
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I hope it will speed up Denuvo's demise. People should find better things to do, instead of making crooked DRM tools.

ABZÛ looks interesting, but even on Humble it only sells a Steam key, and it's Windows only too.
 
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Gilrond-i-Virdan;n7675740 said:
ABZÛ looks interesting, but even on Humble it only sells a Steam key, and it's Windows only too.

Yes it is a shame. In fact most of the games on that Humble Monthly are just Steam keys, which really sucks because it has a few, cool indies that have Linux versions. Even XCOM 2 is on Linux but is Steam only.

I am often confused about why many interesting indie games are so closely tied to Steam. I'm curious though about whether Abzû can run on Linux with Wine, and without Steam. Some games use Steam only as a download service. I'll experiment and report. Just FYI, Abzû uses Unreal Engine 4 which as far as I know, has been used in several Linux games. Maybe it's only a matter of time.

 
There can be several reasons. Steam locks developers in with usage of Steamworks, and those who realize at some point that being Steam only isn't the best idea, find the task of digging themselves out of lock-in daunting, especially if it's a small indie studio. Those who know about it in advance, avoid this trap. Others simply don't care about GOG and other non Steam users. For example, Croteam is an interesting studio, but I lost interest for them, once they said, they don't think they should address non Steam users at all.
 
Gilrond-i-Virdan;n7675740 said:
ABZÛ looks interesting, but even on Humble it only sells a Steam key, and it's Windows only too.
It also uses Denuvo.
 
Gilrond-i-Virdan;n7693040 said:
Really? That's beyond stupid.
No kidding. It's also disappointing to see from the message leak that DONTNOD is considering using it for an upcoming game. Presumably Vampyr.

On the bright side, Denuvo has helped me save a great deal of money in the past year. Speaking of which, have you noticed that almost every title that uses it mysteriously undersells? Titanfall 2, Dishonored 2, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, etc. Even Resident Evil 7 sold less than previous games in the series, causing stock prices to fall.
 
227;n7693100 said:
No kidding. It's also disappointing to see from the message leak that DONTNOD is considering using it for an upcoming game. Presumably Vampyr.

I had some hopes for that, but if they'll do it, it will show how much they don't respect their users. The funny thing is, Denuvo now is being cracked left and right. Hopefully it will spell the demise of the company which makes it.

227;n7693100 said:
On the bright side, Denuvo has helped me save a great deal of money in the past year. Speaking of which, have you noticed that almost every title that uses it mysteriously undersells? Titanfall 2, Dishonored 2, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, etc

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided was released for Linux not long ago, and from what I've heard, the Linux version doesn't use Denuvo. I've never played it (since it's Steam only), but it's an interesting case when people might prefer Linux version to the more DRM infested Windows one.
 
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227;n7692990 said:
It also uses Denuvo.

Aw shit. Seriously? I feel dirty now... I'm gonna have to remove that filth which is too bad because the game itself is great.

This is absolutely horrendous. I understand why legacy publishers like EA and their corporate pyramid of profit-oriented businessmen with no knowledge of games whatsoever would insist on DRM, but a small studio? Especially one that releases unusual, artsy video games? They're brainwashed I suppose.

I even wrote the studio asking if they had plans to release GOG and Linux versions. Very, very disappointed right now. The occasional Steam game I allow myself to play and it happens to come loaded with bullshit.

Edit: Normally the Steam store shows which games require third-party DRM, including UPlay or Denuvo. I don't see anything for this game. Are they hiding it intentionally?
 
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volsung;n7696050 said:
Edit: Normally the Steam store shows which games require third-party DRM, including UPlay or Denuvo. I don't see anything for this game. Are they hiding it intentionally?
Steam didn't start mentioning it until fairly recently (I think it was around when Dishonored 2 was released), and titles released before that point don't seem to have been updated with the notice. Lords Of The Fallen is another one that doesn't have the Denuvo requirement show up. Probably comes down to laziness more than malice or anything shady, honestly.

EDIT to avoid double post: I just noticed that Super Panda Adventures is on sale for 99 cents again both on Amazon and Steam. Probably one of the best games I played last year (though it came out in 2014, apparently), not to mention criminally overlooked. Just a mindless little action-platform thing with great music/pacing and an overall likability, and definitely the most fun I can remember having for under a dollar.
 
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So I've been playing a true DRM-free game *grumble grumble* called "Steamworld Heist". It's on GOG and it runs great on Linux. It's a sidescrolling, turn-based strategy game set in a cartoonish, fantasy world of robots based on industrial age technology, such as steam and oil, but the aesthetics are like the wild west in space. A group of steam "cowbots" travels around in a spaceship uncovering plots, looting water, fighting different types of robots, and recruiting more steambots. It's funny and fun, and highly addictive.
 
I'm playing Owlboy now, which was recently released for Linux. It's quite an original game. Mostly adventure, but with elements of platformers. Though it's way more vertical than sidescrollers (because you can fly).

I'll take a look at Steamworld Heist, thanks for pointing it out.
 
With any luck I should have a very prosperous cauliflower crop this coming spring in Stardew Valley :p Its very fun and relaxing--that is, if you're not trying to pump out maximum produce before winter :p

You start out with a rather enormous plot of land that your can do whatever you want with. However, the land is overgrown and all that's on it is a humble cabin. You build and grow it overtime. I particularity like the ability to theme and customize your farm. For instance, you can put your time into raising prized ducks and chickens, or start a vineyard, both, or something else. The community aspect to the game is also a wonderful surprise. There is even a county fair where you can compete against the cheating grocer.
 
Well just finished Steamworld Heist. It was longer than I expected (around 17 or 18 hours for 100%) and a lot of fun. Not very tactical near the end, since many of the heavy and advanced enemies need a turn to charge their weapons. Simply moving out of the away, breaking their shields and blasting them to pieces seemed to do the trick, even (especially) for the final boss. Also, the team gets to do tons of damage towards the end. The story was... serviceable, but the art and fun factor were good. I definitely recommend it.
 
227;n7693100 said:
Speaking of which, have you noticed that almost every title that uses it mysteriously undersells? Titanfall 2, Dishonored 2, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, etc. Even Resident Evil 7 sold less than previous games in the series, causing stock prices to fall.

While those games do not necessarily undersell specifically because of Denuvo, there has not been much evidence yet that Denuvo particularly improves sales, either. In any case, I did avoid such titles myself so far. And those publishers that tend to use Denuvo are often also ones that are not very supportive of the PC platform in general (given that they view its users as pirates), so their releases could be badly optimized (Dishonored 2), buggy, tied to unpopular DRM clients like Origin or Uplay (Titanfall 2), or be poorly received for other reasons. These are all symptoms of the same problem, publishers forcing their corporate policies on developers, and the quality of the game suffering as the result.
 
sv3672;n7817480 said:
While those games do not necessarily undersell specifically because of Denuvo, there has not been much evidence yet that Denuvo particularly improves sales, either.

Um, what? 227 pointed out a negative correlation between sales and uso of Denuvo, but did not say it was a causal relationship. Your second sentence is especially confusing: you mean to say there is *some* evidence that suggests Denuvo improves sales? I would imagine there simply is no such thing, and while "not much evidence" is true for no evidence whatsoever, that's not what people normally mean when they phrase things like that. Or maybe I'm failing "human interaction 101".

But yeah there are tons of shitty "AAA" games that most people with standards don't really care about.
 
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