[Ylvali]

Anyone with even slight experience of the pirate scene knows there is no reliable copy protection to date, and dominions certainly isn´t bullet proof in any way. IMO it is very wise of illwinter/shrapnel to not make it available for download.

IF there was a central server requiring an account for multiplayer (like WOW) there might be less negative impact from going the download route, but it would hardly be worth the effort and element of regulation that would have to be imposed on the MP community.

If, I don´t know but if, dominions isn´t available from the major pirate sites the reason is probably not it´s copy protection but that it is too niche to keep seeded for long.

All in all the current strategy of physical distribution + frequent patches + copy protection is probably the most efficient. Personally I guess the frequent patching required for MP is the key ingredient but what do I know?