Following yesterday's , we now bring you official word on what's what in Crysis Warhead copy protection land:
Will the retail version be activated via Steam or does it have an independent EA activation?
The Steam and retail versions both use SecuROM product activation online.
Will the Steam version have an activation limit?
The Steam version of Crysis Warhead has the same activation limit as the retail version of 5 activations. The Steam version of Crysis Wars will only require authentication upon installation just like the retail product.
How often can I install the game which I got from Steam?
Re-authentication is required only if you make significant changes to your PC's hardware, reformat your hard drive, or in some cases, upgrade your Operating System. Multiple installations of the game on the same computer that has not gone through significant changes will not count against the number of computers the game can be installed on.
Does Crysis Wars have online activation?
Crysis Wars is authenticated upon installation. If you want to play through Gamespy Arcade, you’ll need a valid registration key like most online games that use that service.
Can I play online only via Steam?
Online play for all versions of Crysis Warhead is done through Gamespy.
Are Crysis and Warhead the same when being downloaded via Steam as the hard copy ones?
Yes, the binaries and content are identical.
Where is Crysis and Crysis Warhead being installed to when I download it from steam?The game is automatically installed in the SteamApps folder.
If Warhead/Crysis are installed into the steamapps folder, how does it work with modifications then and the auto download functionality of Wars?
The auto-update feature doesn’t mind where the game is installed to. EA and Crytek will make patches available via Steam also, in which case the autoupdate feature will detect that you’re up to date.
Can the Warhead retail copy be activated via the steam account so I can download it from there?
At this time, retail copies of Crysis and Crysis Warhead can not be activated via Steam.
Will people be able to activate old crysis on steam via the cd-key?
At this time, retail copies of Crysis and Crysis Warhead can not be activated via Steam.
Which language versions are available on steam?
Crysis Warhead is available in all languages on Steam (English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Czech, Polish, Russian, Hungarian)
How does the update functionality work via Steam and w/o Steam?
Steam will update your game automatically if you tell it to. The autoupdate functionality built into the game will check if a patch is available which has a newer version than the one you’re running and direct you to a download location for it. If your game has been updated to the latest patch via Steam, then the version check will pass and nothing will happen.
Is the ingame console the one from Crysis or the Steam one?
Crysis, although in the Steam version the Steam overlays are available (buddy lists etc).
Steam's Crysis Warhead Copy Protection FAQ (IGN)
Crytek's Crysis Warhead Copy Protection FAQ (IGN)
Breakin' it down: Five activations (up from three it initially launched with); unlimited installs on five machines if activation token doesn't kick up a fuss following hardware changes; DVD not required in drive post-activation; one authentication at first launch; single-player fully playable offline following one-time online activation; no de-authentication tool available, though EA Support will help out on a case-by-case basis; Steam-Securom copy protection to be detailed tomorrow.
Our passion is making quality games. We put our heart and soul in every game and hope that our fans will enjoy them as well. For years, Crytek fans have been passionately supportive of our efforts and we appreciate all of your dedication.We realize that copy protection and piracy is a very emotional and hotly debated topic. It is very hard to find a solution that fits both our needs. We need to make an effort to limit piracy but we do not want to limit the experience of our fans.
Warhead uses online authentication and allows up to five activations. This gives you the opportunity to install the game as many times as you want on five different machines.
We also know that multiplayer gamers have different needs, so Crysis Wars does not have an activation limit, but requires the game to be unlocked online once you start the game for the first time. Afterwards it will be possible to play in LAN without any online connection. The CD-key is only required when playing online.
I sincerely hope that you will enjoy playing Warhead as much as we enjoyed making it. We are very proud of it. Our community is the main reason we make games. If there is something you feel we could improve, please tell us what and why and we will do our best to listen to you.
Sincerely,
Cevat YerliThe SolutionThe DRM system implemented for the Crysis Warhead changes copy protection from being key-disc based, which requires authentication every time you play the game by requiring a disc in the drive (this was the system we used in the original Crysis), to a one-time online authentication. This system allows you to play your game without requiring the game disc in the drive on any of five different machines.
Please note: this DRM solution is for the Crysis Warhead disc only. Because of the online nature of Crysis Wars, and because we want to encourage easy-to-start LAN play, you are only required an authentication upon installation. If you want to play online on our servers, you will authenticate via Gamespy as you normally would.
Key Points:
This system allows you to authenticate your game on five computers with the purchase of one disc – you can install your copy on each machine as many times as you want. If you go over five machines, EA Customer Service is on hand to supply any additional authorizations that are warranted. This DRM solution is safe. EA and Crytek would never allow anything that included spyware, viruses or malware to be installed on anyone’s computers. We know there is concern about what will happen if the authentication servers turn off or questions about what will happen in five years if you want to play the game again (and we hope you do). If that were to ever happen, Crytek and EA would deploy a patch that would remove the authentication requirement completely.FAQ:Q: What is the difference between the old PC disc authentication solution and the new online model?A: Two things have changed: First, authentication of your game disc has changed from always needing to have your disc in the drive to an online format, eliminating the need to always have a disc in the drive when playing. Second, with online authentication, consumers now connect to the Internet the first time the game is launched and are only required to reconnect if they are downloading new game content.Q: How will the game authenticate now?A: We authenticate your game online after installation when you launch it for the first time.Q: Do I have to re-authenticate after the first time my game is launched? A: Re-authentication is required only if you make significant changes to your PC's hardware, reformat your hard drive, or in some cases, upgrade your Operating System. Multiple installations of the game on the same computer that has not gone through significant changes will not count against the number of computers the game can be installed on.
Q: What are the benefits of online authentication versus the disc-based model?
A: The new system means you don't need to have the game disc in your computer in order to play. You will no longer have to carry disk to enjoy a game you already have installed.
Q: Am I able to play my game on more than one computer? Do I need the disc for that?
A: You'll be able to install and play the offline features of your game on up to five computers without the need of the game disc. Your computer is authorized after installation and the initial launch of the game.
Q: Will I still be able to play my game offline?
A: Yes, you can play offline.
Q: What happens when I’ve reached the maximum number of computers for my game and I need more? (Due to computer upgrades, theft, crashes, etc.)
A: EA Customer Support is on hand to supply any additional authorizations that are warranted. This will be done on a case-by-case basis by contacting Customer Support.
Crysis Warhead Allows Five Activations (IGN)
According to IGN you can install Crysis Warhead on five different PCs as many times as you want:
Crysis Warhead's data rights management (DRM) will allow users to activate the game five times, an Electronic Arts representative informed IGN. Unlike EA's other recently released title, Spore, which currently limits the game to three installs, the Crytek-developed shooter allows you to install/uninstall the game on up to five PCs as many times as needed.
EA's official reply read: "We have five activations for Warhead. That means you can install the game on five different machines and on each of those machines you can install and uninstall as much as you want."
The original Crysis was pirated quite a bit. Crytek revealed that more people downloading the latest patch than there were legitimate customers of the game.
by Jimmy Thang
Crysis Warhead Review by Gamespot
Warhead is a fantastic stand-alone expansion to a superb shooter, and should be played by anyone who likes games with guns.
The Good
- The action is focused and intense
- Amazing visuals that look--and run--better than before
- Improved AI makes fighting aliens more fun
- Team Deathmatch has been added, along with a number of great multiplayer maps.
The Bad
- A little too linear at times
- A few remaining AI quirks.
All of the claims you may have heard that Crysis could only run on nuclear-powered supermachines were greatly exaggerated. But if for some reason you worry that this stand-alone companion to the ultragorgeous first-person shooter will bring your PC to its knees, you should know that it's highly scalable and ran smoothly on a number of machines during our testing. It also looks better, with clear attention given to the game's artistic sensibilities and the lusher, denser environments. But rest assured, developer Crytek has enhanced more than just the graphics engine. Vehicles are more fun to drive, firefights are more intense and focused, and aliens do more than just float around you. More emphasis on the open-ended environments would have been welcome, but a more exciting (though shorter) campaign, a new multiplayer mode, and a whole bunch of new maps make Crysis Warhead an excellent expansion to one of last year's best shooters.
If you didn't play Crysis, Warhead's story may be initially confusing, given that you hit the ground running with little exposition. You play as Sergeant "Psycho" Sykes, the brash Brit who was a bit player in the original game. Psycho tends to play by his own rules, always willing to ignore orders and jump into the fray if that's what the situation requires. The story runs parallel to the events of Crysis, though his strident attitude--and a dramatic cutscene near the end of the game--definitely make this Psycho's tale, even if the actual plot remains the same. In any case, you and your US Special Forces team are investigating a tropical island besieged by North Korean invaders. However, your greatest menace comes in the form of aggressive aliens that turn the luxuriant jungles and glowing beaches into a frozen wasteland. You and your teammates, clad in nanosuits that grant you special abilities such as super strength, temporary cloaking, super speed, and additional armor, confront both threats across a variety of large environments.
Psycho's brazen confidence does more than just establish a gutsy protagonist: It sets the stage for a more focused and intense series of battles that keep the pace moving more smoothly than before. Warhead still offers some of the same kind of sandbox levels, but thoughtful enemy placement and map bottlenecks keep downtime to a minimum. You can approach assaults on beachfronts and Korean encampments in a number of ways, so if you're a stealth enthusiast, you can employ your suit's cloak setting and sneak in, or attach a silencer to your sniper rifle and take out your human foes from a distance. If you would rather employ hit-and-run tactics, you can jump into the heat of battle, cause a ruckus, and use your suit's speed function to zoom away. However, Warhead is clearly focused on the guns-blazing approach, gently nudging you into full-on encounters with its mission objectives, character dialogue, and level design. When you reach primary and secondary destinations, you'll get besieged by large numbers of enemies, both human and (later on) alien. Given that human foes also don nanosuits, they're not necessarily quick to fall; as a result, these sequences are exciting and challenging, and you'll need to use your suit abilities and cover opportunities to your advantage. The easily triggered explosions of enemy vehicles and hazardous barrels further intensify these pockets of activity.
A number of set-piece battles confirm this slight shift toward action-packed mayhem. Your first encounter with a hulking alien war machine may not have the same impact as a similar one in Crysis, but it happens earlier than you'd expect, and it establishes the alien presence with adrenaline-fueled drama. That battle is a wonder, as is a later defensive mission that has you fending off a series of aliens, and requires you to shift focus frequently and use every weapon in your inventory. Another great sequence is a train level that, at first, seems much like similar sequences in a number of other shooters. You can stay on the train and use turrets to gun down the opposition, as expected--but you can also jump off and engage the opposition at any time, giving even this near-cliche sequence plenty of replay value. A linear journey through an underground mine is the obvious misstep in regard to level design, given that it never so much as hints at the open-ended action that makes Warhead a superb shooter.
If you played only that level, you also wouldn't see the host of improvements that power the action, particularly the improvements to alien artificial intelligence. The general design means that these robotic rivals will occasionally still be floating around above you, but they have more obvious smarts now, and they find ways to pummel you with ice pellets while remaining just out of sight, staying on the move, and using cover more often. Human enemies also seem more aware of their surroundings, flank you more often, and activate their nanosuits' armor to minimize damage. They also use the limited visibility that the jungle affords them quite well, hiding in brush to stay just out of sight. There are some remaining problems, particularly if you take potshots from a distance. Occasionally, the AI won't react when you snipe at an enemy, and foes using turrets will sometimes let you walk right up behind them. On the whole, however, Warhead makes clear improvements over the original in this regard, which in turn makes for better combat overall.
Vehicles feel sturdy, which is just as well, because you'll be driving them often, either to cover ground more quickly, or just to take pleasure in mowing down enemies with your mounted weapons. You can have a good deal of fun blazing a trail through the jungle while showering your foes with steel death, and the destructible environments further exaggerate the devastation. A scene in which you speed across the tundra in a hovercraft is done particularly well, offering a good sense of speed but pushing you into enemy hotbeds, giving you the chance to stop and fight or zip away with a quick glimpse of Koreans riddling aliens with bullets.
The improved vehicle handling is also noticeable on one of the new multiplayer maps, on which two teams battle in--and out of--the tanks and helicopters scattered about. This is good stuff, and it showcases Warhead's new Team Instant Action mode, a mode noticeably missing from the original Crysis. It's just good old Team Deathmatch, but it's done well, and the maps are improvements on those of the original. Snipers are still a threat, but the size of the maps are better suited to deathmatch battles, and more thought and care seem to have gone into small but important factors, such as weapon-cache placements and player spawns. The Instant Action and Power Struggle modes are still accounted for, and many of the original maps return, offering a large suite of online options that make online Warhead combat more appealing than its predecessor. Note that unlike Crysis, the expansion requires the online component to be installed separately, and isn't accessible from the single-player game.
Both online and off, Warhead is a beauty. As mentioned before, the game looks better than Crysis, and it runs better too. A test machine that struggled a bit to run the original at high settings ran Warhead smoothly with the same settings. Yet as much as you may have heard about Crysis' technical prowess, you'll still be impressed when you feast your eyes on the swaying vegetation, surging water, and expressive animations. Don't overlook the improved art design, though, which surpasses the original's oft-sterile look thanks to several striking vistas, such as one featuring an icy naval vessel stranded in the frozen tundra. The audio is almost as terrific. Various creaks and groans make heading down a narrow glacial pathway all the more harrowing, and weapons sound appropriately powerful. The voice acting is strong, and the understated soundtrack sets the right tone without ever getting in the way.
Warhead's single-player campaign should take you no more than six hours or so to complete, but not only does it invite multiple play-throughs, it costs only $30--and doesn't require you to own the original. In other words, there is no reason why anyone with a capable PC shouldn't play Crysis Warhead. It's more focused, it's more intense, and though it doesn't provide as much of the sandbox feel as Crysis veterans would wish for, it still delivers on every other front. Play this game.
Crysis Warhead Goes Live On Steam (IGN)
If you're a North American: Crysis Warhead is now available for purchase via Steam and to play for gamers in North America. In addition, the original Crysis is now available for purchase and play by gamers the world over. Outside of North America, Crysis Warhead will become available for play tomorrow (Thursday) via Steam.