Disturbing Facts

Tim Brooks · #1 March 18th, 2002, 02:42 AM

quote:
How many pirated Version of SEIV Gold are now in circulation?

It's hard to track this. We believe that SEIV Original was pirated at 20 to 1. That is based on numbers we could track and then figuring we were only finding a small percentage.

It really hurts. Just think of what Malfador and Shrapnel would be able to bring to you, if we had just 20% of those pirated in sales.

Tim Brooks · #2 March 18th, 2002, 02:48 AM

quote:
How many pirated Version of SEIV Gold are now in circulation?

It's hard to track this. We believe that SEIV Original was pirated at 20 to 1. That is based on numbers we could track and then figuring we were only finding a small percentage.

It really hurts. Just think of what Malfador and Shrapnel would be able to bring to you, if we had just 20% of those pirated in sales.

Mephisto · #3 March 17th, 2002, 03:58 PM

OMG! 20:1????

disabled · #4 March 17th, 2002, 08:03 PM

An old friend of mine, he's in the Army right now, used to write programs. He had a problem with pirating of the beta, so I suggested a way he used to track the Users and people that pirated his beta copies by incorporating a Version checker in the game to find and download updates on his site.

Since each beta user had been assigned different passwords to run the beta, the Version checker could compare the passwords to a list he had stored Online. If the passwords didn't match, the beta would uninstall itself and send information to him on the violater. On top of that, it would write a thing into several places in the registry to not allow another install of the beta. He was clever in the registry code as it was made to look like standard system info that would be missed unless you looked for it.

Back to the topic at hand. Could a modification of this system be used. Perhaps the CD is required for play using the music tracks as the check and putting a similar 'check for update' system?

I dunno, but it's an idea I feel has merit (even if the original concept is borderline overkill)

dumbluck · #5 March 17th, 2002, 09:45 PM

There are two main problems with requiring the CD to be in the machine to play:

1. The ease with which practically anyone now can burn 20 copies of his/her original SE4 disk.

2. There are times when it is convenient to not be required to have the CD in the machine to play. (i.e. multiplayer on a LAN against a few friends that haven't bought the game (but will as soon as they get a taste of how great the game is

))

mottlee · #6 March 17th, 2002, 10:08 PM

I'll have you know that Every copy of SEIII, SEIV and SEIV Gold I still have the Disk of each one I find it apalling (?) that people will do this (tho in my younger day I may have

)

Atrocities · #7 March 18th, 2002, 02:52 AM

Right now one of the best anti-pirate software equiped games out is Tribes 2. To date, Sierra has prevented nearly a million attempted thefts of Tribes 2. To my knowledge, it is nearly next to impossible to break their anti-theft system as it works off of a CD specific code that must registar with the master server in order to play. If the key is duplicated, then the second on attemp will forfit the key, and the person who owns the disk originally will have to contact Sierra to get a new key. Thats when they bust em.

Keys can not be "randomly" generated because no un-registared key will be accepted into the system. So in order to play the game, you have to registar it. If you make copies, you can use them, so long as you do not attempt to use more than one at a time.

Nice set up if you ask me.