DRM distribution (yeurgh!).. but how?

[misfisk]

Hi there,

I am trying to convince my boss that we should port our current game in development to Linux and Windows/Mac using Love2D.
In the process of convincing him of all the loveliness of this open format, we came across an issue like DRM distribution platforms.
Whether I like it or not, Steam is the iTunes of games. If it gets a bit of spotlight there, millions will notice.

So does anyone here have experience with Steam as a distribution platform?
Do they even recognise this hippie format's existence?

[nevon]

I don't know that anyone here has experience with Steamworks, but as LÖVE is released under a permissive, open-source license and is written in C++, you could integrate steamworks directly into LÖVE and distribute your game as a frozen binary.

[Tesselode]

You can open love exe files with 7-zip to get to the source. But I doubt that anyone will try that.

[josefnpat]

One can compile the Lua code with luac, but then you would have to do this for each operating system you intend to release to (as if you weren't doing this already.

With that you can implement any form of DRM you like.

If you are just talking about stopping people from looking at the source, then you won't need to implement DRM at all, just compile it.

I don't know that anyone here has experience with Steamworks, but as LÖVE is released under a permissive, open-source license and is written in C++, you could integrate steamworks directly into LÖVE and distribute your game as a frozen binary.

It's just as nevon said, just distribute a frozen binary with the lua luac'd.

[Robin]

Now, I don't know much about DRM distribution platforms, but the OP has said nothing about source hiding. Is that a requirement for Steam or something?

[slime]

No, there are no requirements for the source to be hidden (some high profile games on Steam have large sections of the code which are visible in fact), and as far as I know games on steam are not required to use any DRM either. To use Steamworks you'll have to modify the LÖVE source probably.

[felix24]

i don't think they even require you to integrate steamworks into your code either. as far as i know, there's a fair few games on steam that don't have steamworks.

[slime]

Correct.

[misfisk]

This was really helpful! Thanks a lot I am going to be here a lot more from now on.
If at all possible, I would distribute it with the source open, but we'll see.

[Luiji]

I believe that you only need to use Steamworks if you plan on implementing achievements/multiplayer through Steam. DRM is implemented where each binary is custom-built for each user with code that prevents it from running on the wrong accounts or some such, IIRC, which means you might, like, have to do SteamCheckDRM() or some such. Sadly, they don't tell you any of this until they decide your games worth anything and have you sign their NDA.