BioShock Activations Upped, Widescreen Patch Planned

**MIG-31** · Aug 24, 2007, 07:05 AM

Source: Bluesnews
_______________

The Cult of Rapture has word that a couple of BioShock topics that have been getting a lot of attention from the community are being addressed, as they are increasing the number of activations allowed by the SecuROM software from two (story) to five, and are at work on patch to address widescreen issues (story). They are also creating a revocation tool to deactivate a BioShock installation and have given SecuROM more leeway to directly assist customers with activation issues. Finally, they have posted a new technical FAQ covering these and other topics. Word is:

We have been reading and listening to your frustrations over SecuROM, PC activation problems, and technical support issues since BioShock launched on Tuesday, and we've devised a plan to help.

Starting immediately, we will be upping the activation count to a 5 by 5 plan. We will be raising the maximum amount of computers a user can have BioShock installed on simultaneously from 2 to 5, and allowing a user to reinstall BioShock on each of those computers from 3 times to 5 times. Also, we have in the works a revoke tool which you will be able to run on your machine if you want to free up that key and move it to to another computer (this works very much like Steam or iTunes system). We are also working with SecuROM and 2K customer service, so that when you do need to call in support problems, you get answers to your questions faster, without much waiting or being bounced around. SecuROM has been given much more autonomy to help fix your problems quickly and effectively. I am personally sorry for anyone who got bounced around in the past couple days (I even think I contributed to this problem) and we're going to make sure that does not happen in the future.

As for other technical issues, we are bringing on a team of tech support that will be on the 2K forums 24/7 to help people resolve their technical issues. Our QA guys are in the offices and on the forums, too, reproducing issues and looking for workarounds and compiling information that they can put towards making you a patch and updating the knowledge base.

Also, we are aware that our activation server went down last night, stopping some of you from finishing your installs. The server is up and running now and we have corrected the problem that caused that crash.

Finally, we have released a FAQ, which you can view in full below (and will also be posted on the 2K Forums in the Technical Support area) that will help clear up a lot of questions and misinformation that has been floating around about SecuROM and PC activation.

And as for widescreen, we also want to say we completely understand a user's desire to augment their FOV. BioShock is a harrowing experience, but we don't want anyone to feel limited (or motion sick!). So we are in the process of working on an official PC patch to give widescreen PC users a choice to expand their horizontal FOV, and are investigating creating a similar update for the 360.

And finally, I want to personally congratulate Racer_S from the Widescreen Gaming Forums, and his awesome user patch to expand the widescreen FOV in BioShock. I'm currently tracking him down via email, but hopefully, he'll accept my gratitude, and maybe an Nvidia 8800 to boot.

Read the full technical FAQ.

BlueMak · Aug 24, 2007, 09:26 AM

A good step, after they tried again and again to hide the issue or claim it wasn't there.

Now, how about you also remove the number of activations altogether, in fact, remove the activations so that if one wants to play the game few years from now he won't have problems because he can't connect to a 2K server?

The game is still a big no no for me.

Erroneus · Aug 24, 2007, 08:28 PM

I guess buying through steam are better, there you only have to activate it once and can play it offline, plus take a backup of the game, when formatting.

Mr cairo · Aug 24, 2007, 08:35 PM

why a new thread whenn there was already a nice chatty thread going on already that has been closed and a new thread opened why dindt this information just continue from this thread why the need to lose the exsisting one and open another ... and if another is opened why the need to close the old one ??

http://www.hardwareheaven.com/gaming-n...-installs.html

i really dont get this close one open another to cover roughly the same topic thing ?????

BlueMak · Aug 24, 2007, 09:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Erroneus

I guess buying through steam are better, there you only have to activate it once and can play it offline, plus take a backup of the game, when formatting.

Steam works THE SAME WAY for this game.

Tipstaff · Aug 24, 2007, 09:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cairo

why a new thread whenn there was already a nice chatty thread going on already that has been closed and a new thread opened why dindt this information just continue from this thread why the need to lose the exsisting one and open another ... and if another is opened why the need to close the old one ??

http://www.hardwareheaven.com/gaming-n...-installs.html

i really dont get this close one open another to cover roughly the same topic thing ?????

Maybe the reason goes something like this (and MIG can correct me on this since I can't read his mind):

This thread is not just a new thread, it's a news thread that is also posted on the front page. And since this news thread is reporting 2K's response to the issue the old thread, which was also a news thread, was closed as it's now redundant.

There was a problem, we discussed it, 2K is dealing with it, and this is the thread to discuss their response in.

Erroneus · Aug 25, 2007, 02:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlueMak

Steam works THE SAME WAY for this game.

Really o_O That makes no sense at all.

**MIG-31** · Aug 25, 2007, 06:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tipstaff

Maybe the reason goes something like this (and MIG can correct me on this since I can't read his mind):

This thread is not just a new thread, it's a news thread that is also posted on the front page. And since this news thread is reporting 2K's response to the issue the old thread, which was also a news thread, was closed as it's now redundant.

There was a problem, we discussed it, 2K is dealing with it, and this is the thread to discuss their response in.

Nice Reply Tipstaff

.You hit the nail on the head for the reason i closed the last thread.The thread in question was excellent.

As Mentioned this is the News Forum and it works a little different to the rest of the forum.It was simply closed to keep disussion on the Related artilce to Tidy and less frustrating leaving both open.

Aug 24, 2007, 07:05 AM	#1
MIG-31 HardwareHeaven News Mod Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Nottingham,UK Posts: 56,818 Rep Power: 471 System Specs	BioShock Activations Upped, Widescreen Patch Planned Source: Bluesnews _______________ The Cult of Rapture has word that a couple of BioShock topics that have been getting a lot of attention from the community are being addressed, as they are increasing the number of activations allowed by the SecuROM software from two (story) to five, and are at work on patch to address widescreen issues (story). They are also creating a revocation tool to deactivate a BioShock installation and have given SecuROM more leeway to directly assist customers with activation issues. Finally, they have posted a new technical FAQ covering these and other topics. Word is: We have been reading and listening to your frustrations over SecuROM, PC activation problems, and technical support issues since BioShock launched on Tuesday, and we've devised a plan to help. Starting immediately, we will be upping the activation count to a 5 by 5 plan. We will be raising the maximum amount of computers a user can have BioShock installed on simultaneously from 2 to 5, and allowing a user to reinstall BioShock on each of those computers from 3 times to 5 times. Also, we have in the works a revoke tool which you will be able to run on your machine if you want to free up that key and move it to to another computer (this works very much like Steam or iTunes system). We are also working with SecuROM and 2K customer service, so that when you do need to call in support problems, you get answers to your questions faster, without much waiting or being bounced around. SecuROM has been given much more autonomy to help fix your problems quickly and effectively. I am personally sorry for anyone who got bounced around in the past couple days (I even think I contributed to this problem) and we're going to make sure that does not happen in the future. As for other technical issues, we are bringing on a team of tech support that will be on the 2K forums 24/7 to help people resolve their technical issues. Our QA guys are in the offices and on the forums, too, reproducing issues and looking for workarounds and compiling information that they can put towards making you a patch and updating the knowledge base. Also, we are aware that our activation server went down last night, stopping some of you from finishing your installs. The server is up and running now and we have corrected the problem that caused that crash. Finally, we have released a FAQ, which you can view in full below (and will also be posted on the 2K Forums in the Technical Support area) that will help clear up a lot of questions and misinformation that has been floating around about SecuROM and PC activation. And as for widescreen, we also want to say we completely understand a user's desire to augment their FOV. BioShock is a harrowing experience, but we don't want anyone to feel limited (or motion sick!). So we are in the process of working on an official PC patch to give widescreen PC users a choice to expand their horizontal FOV, and are investigating creating a similar update for the 360. And finally, I want to personally congratulate Racer_S from the Widescreen Gaming Forums, and his awesome user patch to expand the widescreen FOV in BioShock. I'm currently tracking him down via email, but hopefully, he'll accept my gratitude, and maybe an Nvidia 8800 to boot. Read the full technical FAQ. __________________ Please Post Your News Submissions Here

Aug 24, 2007, 09:26 AM	#2
BlueMak HH's Asteroids' Dominator Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Hellas->Macedonia->Thessaloniki Posts: 13,465 Rep Power: 349 System Specs	A good step, after they tried again and again to hide the issue or claim it wasn't there. Now, how about you also remove the number of activations altogether, in fact, remove the activations so that if one wants to play the game few years from now he won't have problems because he can't connect to a 2K server? The game is still a big no no for me. __________________ The people who are regarded as moral luminaries are those who forego ordinary pleasures themselves and find compensation in interfering with the pleasures of others(Bertrand Russell)"You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil,You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them." - Lt. Gen. James N. Mattis This is slavery, not to speak one's thought. [Euripides-The Phoenician Women (c.411-409 B.C.)] http://www.macedonia.info/FALLACIESANDFACTS.htm *Sic semper tyrannis.*

Aug 24, 2007, 08:28 PM	#3
Erroneus Get off my lawn! Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Denmark Posts: 13,417 Rep Power: 119 System Specs	I guess buying through steam are better, there you only have to activate it once and can play it offline, plus take a backup of the game, when formatting. __________________

Aug 24, 2007, 08:35 PM	#4
Mr cairo F0rum For Humans Only Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Slightly to the left Posts: 1,780 Rep Power: 92 System Specs	why a new thread whenn there was already a nice chatty thread going on already that has been closed and a new thread opened why dindt this information just continue from this thread why the need to lose the exsisting one and open another ... and if another is opened why the need to close the old one ?? http://www.hardwareheaven.com/gaming-n...-installs.html i really dont get this close one open another to cover roughly the same topic thing ????? __________________ *Please consider Sponsoring my wife for the race for life* Last edited by Mr cairo; Aug 24, 2007 at 08:43 PM.