He also comments further back in that thread about the DRM issue some more
We actually argued for a different copy protection scheme. We were pushing for another well know approach, but even if it was a bit less intrusive, I'm sure that would have had it's destractors.
But it is 2k's call, specifically Tim Perry, their technical director. I know very little about copy protection, I am primarily going off the fact that we are using Securom, something we've used before and I have literally dozens of games that include it on my machine. All I know is that securom hasn't damaged my machine as far as I can tell. Given my experience with securom, I think some of the reactions to the CP are a bit, well, emotional. But I also believe every paying customer has the right to be dissatisfied with what they bought. While I don't have any control over the process, I can empathize with a certain degree of frustration.
When we had the call on Freedom Force vs the 3rd Reich (the only game we self-published), we were under a lot of pressure to use StarForce. Jon and I talked about and decided it was not a good piece of software and we declined. We had sold European rights to a publisher and they chose to use it. We did not.
We were hit pretty hard by piracy on 3rd Reich. The game was cracked 3 weeks before it ship. Since Jon and I paid for that game develop literally out of our own pockets, that really hurt.
But I'm not really sure where I personally stand on copy protection. I know I'm entirely uncomfortable with something like StarForce.
And I'm not sure I'm comfortable with nothing.
However, my decisions are almost entirely creative. If you hate the gameplay, the story, the aesthetic, I'm your man. Copy protection is someone else's call.
However, we did sell the company to 2k, so if you want to ding us for that, you have the right. It's a decision we've generally been happy with. But I do wish the PC launch had gone smoother. I guess the best we can do is try to have more say in the process next time.
and his reply to me asking about chris's comment:
Here- I'll break the "silence" on Chris Kline:
He made a mistake. I'll get some more details when he gets back, but basically I'm sure he said what he thought the plan was at the time and we ended up going a different way. Hey, I once showed off teleportation.
That didn't make it in eitehr.
I'm sure he meant nothing by it, he just simply made a mistake.