Okay, so Mirror’s Edge now works again, but I’m afraid to restart the computer. I think I’ll just wait until tomorrow night when I shut it down in preparation for the movers and not start it up again until we’re in Nevada.
On a related note, I just discovered that the new Mirror’s Edge map packs don’t work with versions of ME purchased on Steam. Let me say that again – the new downloadable content for Mirror’s Edge is not compatible with the Steam version of ME, and there isn’t any word on whether that will ever change. That’s right, if you got Mirror’s Edge on Steam, you payed the same company the same amount of cash for the same game, but EA does not currently actually support it. Copying the relevant files into your Steam folder doesn’t do the trick. The compatibility issue is rumored to be due to EA’s use of secuROM and Steam’s wiser decision to go with a far less invasive DRM system.
Not only that, but at the time of this writing neither Steam nor EA warns you of the expansion compatibility issue when you buy ME from Steam. The following quote has been added to the EA store site:
Note: Currently this map pack only works with the EADM and disk versions of Mirror’s Edge. If you have purchased the game through another download service, you may receive an error message during installation that will prevent use with the full game. We apologize for any disappointment or inconvenience that this causes.
Apparently their Steam customers aren’t as valuable as their very own Special Store of Awesome customers. It seems we were thrown a bone so we could be reeled in for whatever cash EA could get out of us before the gaming community realized the setup. Sound a bit cynical? Well, this is EA we’re talking about. I’m not going to hold back on cynicism until they clean up their act and stop treating their customers like expendable cash cows.
As for how to get the content if you were unlucky enough to give EA your money through Steam instead of their very own Special Store of Awesome? Apparently it has been put up on ThePirateBay with a comment on how to get it working with a pirated version of ME. I am not advocating piracy, but it seems that yet again, EA is giving pirates a better experience than paying users. There is also a very hacked method of importing the levels from (any version of) the map pack into your legitimate game, but it is unofficial and unconfirmed as to how complete the “installation” is. The following is quoted from the Steam ME forum:
I just verified that I can indeed play (at least one) of the DLC maps in Steam. I used a freeware extractor program to get the files out of the .exe installer after I bought it from the EA store, since it doesn’t install by itself if it can’t find the retail Mirror’s Edge copy.
I copied some of the other resource/whatever update packages though…I don’t know if some or all of them are necessary, or if the DLC maps are missing gameplay or certain features if you don’t have those updates, or what. The main MirrorsEdge.exe isn’t updated since the DLC pack comes with the retail SecuROM version, for instance.
…
I used the open-source Universal Extractor program:
http://legroom.net/software/uniextract
I have no experience with either the extraction software or the method above (and am honestly a bit confused by the wording), but there it is if you’re looking for how to get what you paid for.
Mirror’s Edge and all things associated therewith are the property of EA Games and DICE. Steam is the property of Valve Entertainment.
…And Again
Okay, so Mirror’s Edge now works again, but I’m afraid to restart the computer. I think I’ll just wait until tomorrow night when I shut it down in preparation for the movers and not start it up again until we’re in Nevada.
On a related note, I just discovered that the new Mirror’s Edge map packs don’t work with versions of ME purchased on Steam. Let me say that again – the new downloadable content for Mirror’s Edge is not compatible with the Steam version of ME, and there isn’t any word on whether that will ever change. That’s right, if you got Mirror’s Edge on Steam, you payed the same company the same amount of cash for the same game, but EA does not currently actually support it. Copying the relevant files into your Steam folder doesn’t do the trick. The compatibility issue is rumored to be due to EA’s use of secuROM and Steam’s wiser decision to go with a far less invasive DRM system.
Not only that, but at the time of this writing neither Steam nor EA warns you of the expansion compatibility issue when you buy ME from Steam. The following quote has been added to the EA store site:
Apparently their Steam customers aren’t as valuable as their very own Special Store of Awesome customers. It seems we were thrown a bone so we could be reeled in for whatever cash EA could get out of us before the gaming community realized the setup. Sound a bit cynical? Well, this is EA we’re talking about. I’m not going to hold back on cynicism until they clean up their act and stop treating their customers like expendable cash cows.
As for how to get the content if you were unlucky enough to give EA your money through Steam instead of their very own Special Store of Awesome? Apparently it has been put up on ThePirateBay with a comment on how to get it working with a pirated version of ME. I am not advocating piracy, but it seems that yet again, EA is giving pirates a better experience than paying users. There is also a very hacked method of importing the levels from (any version of) the map pack into your legitimate game, but it is unofficial and unconfirmed as to how complete the “installation” is. The following is quoted from the Steam ME forum:
I have no experience with either the extraction software or the method above (and am honestly a bit confused by the wording), but there it is if you’re looking for how to get what you paid for.
Mirror’s Edge and all things associated therewith are the property of EA Games and DICE. Steam is the property of Valve Entertainment.