Re: Pirates of Oblivion
 

*snicker* Yep, "Pirates" like the writer for one of the established computer gaming sites / magazines, who just wrote an article about how he hadn't been able to do any gaming since before Christmas. Several hundred hours tracking down and correcting the problems - which turned out to have been caused by StarForce.

Pirates like .... you? I mean, you're the only one I know here who's actually posted and mentioned loaning a game to friends.

In any case : StarForce as a company is scum. They've put up phoney web-sites full of phony testimonials about how StarForce was safe. They've basically attempted extortion, getting pissed off when a developer refused to use their (or any other) copy-protection, and posting a link to where people could download pirated copies of the game in question.

Note that, with _zero_ copy protection, StarDock's Galactic Civilizations 2 has made it to the best seller charts, and some weeks has been the #1 selling computer game at places like Walmart. Pretty damn good for an independent developer / publisher. Yep, pirates and the lack of copy protection has really hurt them, and it's _so_ great that StarForce was looking out for them by ... telling people where to download pirated copies of their game.

Re: Pirates of Oblivion
 

You cant call me a pirate, I had no idea that I cannot borrow my game when I want. I never ever read things like this when I install a game, and I never look at this part in the manuals. Perhaps it was a mistake, anyways I still dont think that this is right...I mean if the other person won't make a backup from the original disc, why is that so bad? Well maybe they can sell less copies, because if that person didnt liked the game he/she wont buy it. This is true...still this is way too hardcore for me and a bit laughable. Why? Because everyone can download games from the internet, and they are making an EULA like this.

Starforce: I dont care what they did, I only posted that the protection itself is decent. You cannot deny that. SF could be a good start for an "ultimate" protection method, since the only real way to protect discs must be connected with hardware protection. I think the latest securom using somekind of method like this now, but I am unsure.

Btw cainehill let me ask you a question. If your very close friend would ask you: "Hey, can I try out this game for a day?" Honestly what would you answer?

Re: Pirates of Oblivion
 

Of course that can be denied! Starforce disables your disk-burning capability, and randomly reboots your computer when the "drivers" decide they can't verify you aren't doing something "wrong". It breaks optical drives by forcing them to work in an old compatibility mode that causes damage to modern hardware. This is all well-documented. It does NOT prevent piracy - you can still download the games on the internet, still "loan" them to friends, etc. What do you claim Starforce accomplishes? It is not decent in either effectiveness or side-effects, and the people who make it are evil.

Re: Pirates of Oblivion
 

I can't call you a pirate? If some retard doesn't read the laws concerning counterfeit money, they're not a counterfeiter? "I didn't know I couldn't copy the money for my friends - I had no idea they'd make copies too!"

You, sir, are either a hypocrit or a moron. That "Ultimate protection" you talk about can easily be done by killing hardware components on the computers it's installed on - and you seem to agree with it.

And, "btw" :

[/quote] cainehill let me ask you a question. If your very close friend would ask you: "Hey, can I try out this game for a day?" Honestly what would you answer?


[/quote] :

I'd say : bring over a growler of beer and check it out. In other flooding words : they'd play it on my computer, it'd be a social occasion with beer or wine and music, and there'd be no chance of piracy going on. But then - you don't have friends who'd come over, eh?

Re: Pirates of Oblivion
 

I can tell you what I wouldn't do, admit it on a small indie offical publishers forum, in a community that I was active in.

Re: Pirates of Oblivion
 

Allright. I'm locking this. Aside from striding way off original topic this thread has started to evolve into a flamewar.