You have to register on Impulse to download patches, but that's it.  You don't have to run anything in the background to play the game.  You don't even need the CD in the drive.

Thanks to all of you for your replies

My apologies, I was reading through some web posts about Stardock's Goo system and thought it applied to Sins as well. From what you said, it doesn't. But I think it was a reasonable assumption to believe a developer would use their own DRM system. Maybe they will for the upcoming expansion.

I would hardly say they have a strong anti-DRM policy by the way, the introduction of Goo says otherwise, even if it is a watered-down version.

I may be wrong about this, but I think Goo itself is a little bit more than this. From what I read, it seems to require activation when you install a product, so it would mean more than simply linking a serial number to an account, which is something that other companies did well before Goo, i.e Blizzard for World of Warcraft. However, if Goo has a defined option to archive a game with all the patches to a CD, then that would remove all the objections I had as you could retain control of the product long after support was dropped.

Is there any reason to buy the CD over the digital version of the game in light of this thread?

Thanks

In fact, you link a serial number to an account...

http://www.joystiq.com/2009/03/26/stardock-introduces-flexible-drm-solution-goo/

By the way, with Goo, once tired of a game, you can resell it :

http://www.joystiq.com/2009/03/30/gdc09-understanding-what-stardocks-goo-means-to-the-used-pc-ga/

A few more articles :

http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2009/03/stardock-unveil/

http://kotaku.com/5184001/stardocks-answer-to-drm-goo

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/stardock-goo-drm-copy-piracy,7390.html point 2 is interesting in case the game company die...

Now that you have read these link, make your own decision...

GOO was developed so that Stardock could bring companies (Like EA) that want some form of DRM into its Impulse fold. Any games it itself develops does not use GOO, the ones that do are developed by someone else and request it (GasPoweredGames - Demigod)

Thanks for your replies everybody, you've all been most helpful

Okay, I purchased the game and unless I'm mistaken, Sins of a Solar Empire does indeed employ a form of DRM.

It's not the game itself that is protected, it's the Impulse installer. It's neccessary to register an Impulse account to the same email address that you used to buy the game. After you've done this, you can download an archive copy for your own keeping.

At a later time on a fresh or reinstalled system, the game needs reinstalling. However, the archive copy you have requires Impulse to install and Impulse doesn't seem to let you do anything until you login with an apropriate username/password. This means as far as I can see that you have to activate your copy of the game whenever you reinstall it. In fact, my firewall announced that "Product Activation wishes to access the Internet" which is just about confirmation.

This does mean that if Impulse falls by the wayside for any reason, nobody will be able to install Sins of the Solar Empire again, which was exactly my concern in the first post. So anybody looking at this game in the future that doesn't want to buy DRM products would be advised to avoid this one (unless I've missed something obvious).

Well, if you buy the digital version, I don't see how you'd be surprised by this.  They aren't exactly going to allow people to download the game off of their servers without authentication.  You don't need Impulse at all to install the game if you have the boxed version.

I've never used the archive feature before, but I do recall a Stardock employee explaining how it could be used to install the game on an offline computer.

This is why I asked in this thread if there was any reason not to buy the digital version over the CD one in light of my concerns? I was told none.

But in all honesty, it wouldn't even matter. If you want to buy the expansion, you have to get it digitally and any updates you need will automatically require you to sign-up anyway. So the boxed versions as far as I can tell has few advantages.

This still requires the Impulse program to install the product, which must still connect online and authenticate your account. So unfortunately this is of no help.

I totally agree, now with Steam it is a totally different story, you can't log on without being bombard with messages of new games coming out or reduction in price, that is pure annoying and the fact on steam, you need to log on just to play single player games, sure I get why for multi but why single.

Well, the boxed version only has an advantage if you want to play up to 1.05. If you want the most recent patches (which trust me actually make it a better game) you have to do much the same thing. I actually find it very convenient, compared to having to patch games like KOTOR 2.

Just an additional comment. You have no idea how Impulse may evolve.. and since the developing company hold the keys to your access to the game, it could very easily become like Steam in the future....

Not really... my impulse account use one e-mail address, and my sins game a other... and Entrenchment a other one... in fact, when you activate the first time a product on impulse, you need to use the e-mail address that you have use during the order process... and it will be linked to your impulse account...

At a later time on a fresh or reinstalled system, the game needs reinstalling. However, the archive copy you have requires Impulse to install and Impulse doesn't seem to let you do anything until you login with an apropriate username/password. This means as far as I can see that you have to activate your copy of the game whenever you reinstall it.

First, you can make your own archive... simply zip the full game and write it to some storage device... you need to activate only one time your game copy... what you need to remember is your Impulse loggin/password... by example, if you have 20 Impulse game... you go to a other machine, install Impulse, log in... and you will see a list of all the Impulse games you own... a few click and Impulse reistall ALL the games, without the need to register again each individual game...

This does mean that if Impulse falls by the wayside for any reason, nobody will be able to install Sins of the Solar Empire again, which was exactly my concern in the first post. So anybody looking at this game in the future that doesn't want to buy DRM products would be advised to avoid this one (unless I've missed something obvious).

I repeat it... make your own backup... it will never need Impulse again... unless your wish to install a new upgrade/patch... if you install a new upgrade/patch, make a backup again...

Being a modder, own backup is a need... since Impulse update always to the last version... when a patch is release, it can take some time for some mod to be updated... so, i have all the sins version from 1.05 to now archived...

Just an additional comment. You have no idea how Impulse may evolve.. and since the developing company hold the keys to your access to the game, it could very easily become like Steam in the future....

It is why i advice you to backup your Impulse game... Impulse can be down tomorrow and i will be able to continue play Sins... your own personal backup don't need Impulse for be install on other system in case of computer failure... Sins need only a one time activation... in fact, we can say that sins have no DRM but that update have one since Impulse is needed to update... but after update, you can backup again... why own backup is better?  For now, i have buy a few game on Impulse... online reinstall of everything will take around 20gb of internet transfer... it is a lot for me... i have two 4mb/s internet line but have only 60gb upload/download by month... more, at my work, i have a laptop with wifi but the speed is only 10-20 kb/s ( i am located several hundred meter from the emiter )... so, i have 32gb SD memory card with all my Impulse game...