Hello there,

This is a humble request for technical advice and opinions which will hopefully help me to decide whether to buy this game.

A short while after I have placed pre-order on Skyrim, I have learned that Skyrim will use "Steam" DRM. On one hand I understand companies trying to protect their investment. On the other, there has not been a game yet (or was there?) which did not get it's copy protection removed by an underground movement. Oblivion is in my books the best game of all time, I have every single local release of Oblivion and expansion packs, including all strategy guides. The biggest problem I have with steam protected Skyrim is that Bethesda / Steam asks me to prove I am not a thief each time I try to install or play it, while those who will steal it will play problem free forever.

A long time ago I bought a game called "Absolute Zero" by Domark. The company no longer exist, but I cannot play "Absolute Zero" any longer as I have no PC capable of authenticating their copy protection under DOS system. The DOS box simply does not cut the mustard. And steam will be gone one day. Just like Lehman Brothers, Enron, Refco etc...

After I bought an add-on for "Lock On - Modern Air Combat" called "Flaming Cliffs" I have discovered it used StarForce copy protection. I have de-infested my PC form StarForce and never touched the ratched game again. Currently I own approximately 150 original retail games, none protected via Steam or StarForce. I love my old games and regularly re-play games such as "Carrier Command", "EartSiege 2", "Su-27 Flanker", "Operation Flash Point", "BattleZone", "Drakan - Order of the Flame", "Outcast", "Trainz 2004", "HardWar", and of coure, "Oblivion". Each time I need to install any of them, there is no worry about being able to do it.

And now if you allow me to have a few questions relating to a shop version of Skyrim on a DVD from a shop in Australia:

• Will Steam check if I am a thief each install on the same PC?
  
• Will Steam check if I am a thief each install on a different PC?
  
• Will Steam check if I am a thief each time I play?
  
• When Steam (Valve) will cease to exist, will I be able to install Skyrim?
  
• When Steam (Valve) will cease to exist, will I be able to play Skyrim?

The moral, ethical and legal dilemma is this:

Scenario #1: I do not buy Skyrim. I would love to buy this game ten fold, but not with steam limitation on it. I do not want Steam on my PCs as I am not a criminal and I pay for all games I play and software I use. I do not buy, so I do not play, I uphold my boycott of draconian DRM, but miss out on Skyrim.

Scenario #2: I buy Skyrim. But should I dive into my wallet and support a company which calls me a thief unless proven otherwise each time I install or play this game? Shuld my purchase directly support a game release with a draconian DRM which will ultimately completely deny me to install or play this game once Steam does not exist? I break my boycott of Steam, indirectly agreeing Stem is OK, and enjoy Skyrim, while every time I install or play it I am insulted by the developer and called a thief.

Scenario #3: I buy Skyrim but play a copy with removed DRM. So I buy the copy to fulfill my obligation to support a developer of such wonderful game, but I download a copy which is free of DRM and ensures I can enjoy the game anytime, anywhere, even after Steam is gone. This would at least stop the developer calling me a thief multiple times.
I am not a lawyer but would not this be technically illegal?

Also, under the law, am I entitled to make a backup of a game I paid to use it? I think I am. This is some info from Wiki on the subject: On the whole, it is legal for an individual in the United States to make a copy of media he/she owns for his/her own personal use. For instance, making a copy of a personally-owned audio CD for transfer to an MP3 player for that person's personal use would be legal. In the case where media contents are protected using some effective copy protection scheme, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act makes it illegal to manufacture or distribute circumvention tools and use those tools for non-fair use purposes. It may well be fair use for an individual consumer to store a backup copy of a personally owned DVD on that individual's computer, a federal law has nonetheless made it illegal to manufacture or traffic in a device or tool that permits a consumer to make such copies. So manufacturing and distribution of circumvention tools was illegal, but fair use of those tools was not.

So how legal will it be for a developer to provide me, for a price, with a right to play a game indefinitely, however include a DRM which will stop me playing when the DRM checking tool (Steam server on line) is no longer there? Who do I approach about my inability to play Absolute Zero now?

Thank you for your understanding and help.

Will Steam check if I am a thief each install on the same PC? I think you need to verify ownership/download necesarry files on each install, so I think yes.
Will Steam check if I am a thief each install on a different PC? Same as above
Will Steam check if I am a thief each time I play? No
When Steam (Valve) will cease to exist, will I be able to install Skyrim? Wont happen
When Steam (Valve) will cease to exist, will I be able to play Skyrim? Still wont happen

Boy, Steam needs a better UI if it keeps calling you a thief.

Well, I can answer two parts of your questions at least. When Steam (Valve) ceases to exist they have promised to release a tool to sort of deactivate Steam and make all your game playable without connection to the internet and authenticating it ever again. I seriously doubt Steam will disappear in any foreseeable future regardless, and it's imo one of the better DRM's out there.

After downloading a game for the first time Steam will authenticate it online, after that you are set.

If Valve ever stops to exist Steam will be patched to removed the authentication requirements and Steam will then go into a permanent offline mode so you can still play your games.

So steam will exist forever?

Well, you can be confident that Valve won't disappear until a good few years after Episode 3.

Although I dislike systems like Steam, it doesn't call you a thief. I'm a student, every day I go to the uni with the train, and often I get checked for my card to see if I either paid or have a subscription. I don't consider that calling me a thief either.

If Steam ceases to exist and if they don't give you a workaround to play the protected games, you can still always 'crack' it then.

get it on 360

http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1232464-unofficial-steamdrm-discussion/, Steam DRM etc., so continue this discussion there, since this thread will only end up with the same type of information/mis-information/opinions/posts, etc. Thanks.