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Topic on Talk:The big list of third-party DRM on Steam

Crysis 2 Maximum Edition still appears to have SolidShield

6
Cyanic (talkcontribs)

It looks like Crysis 2 Maximum Edition still contains SolidShield, in addition to SteamStub. The SolidShield doesn't seem to actually impose any restrictions, and runs fine after SteamStub is stripped, launched outside of Steam. You can find strings referring to SolidShield inside the EXE and a whole bunch of PROTECT* sections if you look at it in a PE editor. I find it kind of stupid that they tacked SteamStub on to the game, considering it's already wrapped, and the forcing start from Steam function can be achieved through Steamworks even without Steam running.

How should this be handled? Move the game back up to the TAGES section, or just add a note about it?

Garrett (talkcontribs)

If it doesn't do anything it is probably a harmless remnant and/or the obfuscation product (SolidShield Wrapper); obfuscation does not enforce access/activation restrictions so doesn't count as DRM for the purposes of this list.

Cyanic (talkcontribs)

OK, I'll update the notes to state that although it's wrapped, the DRM doesn't pose restrictions.

Mirh (talkcontribs)

It may even be just a leftover (like SecuROM in mass effect steam edition)
Are there any way to actually detect if it's active code or just junk?

Garrett (talkcontribs)

In the case of SolidShield a game will either activate silently during installation (as with the original Crysis 2) or display an activation prompt. Games that don't do either aren't using the activation feature.

DRM types with dedicated removal tools (e.g. SecuROM) are easier since the tool can be used to show what DRM data is present; if a removal tool doesn't detect anything after running a game that means it isn't using the activation feature since even silent activation will install DRM data that the tool can then detect.

Mirh (talkcontribs)

Besides the removal tool, I think you can directly check for the existence of %APPDATA%\SecuROM\ folder

Anyway if I correctly understood solidshield website, they have 2 types of product:

  • Solidshield Activation (which seems the usual DRM and it's what you was referring to in the crysis 2 example)
  • Solidshield Wrapper.. which seems more an anti reverse engineering protection. The executable is encrypted and that's it.

In the later case.. I am neither sure it could really be considered a DRM as safedisc, tages, starforce, nor if there would some ways to detect it, besides hex analysis/disassembling