Very nasty surprise.

[Zurai]

Originally posted by Kristoffer O:
What is a spawn install?

Spawn install is something Blizzard did with some of their older games (they no longer do it, just like no one else does it), which allowed you to play the game multiplayer on a LAN with only one purchased copy of the game.

[PDF]

Originally posted by Kristoffer O:
What is a spawn install?

Multiple installs from the same "master", usually spawns are MP-only.
IMHO current limitations in MP are too tight and ultimately counterproductive (for people that *would* be interested in buying *if* they can play the game somewhat in MP with owners)
So spawning could be a nice feature to spread Dominion

[Zeikko]

If multiple CD-keys would work in same game no one would buy this. Some people buy the game because they want to support Illwinter, some because of the manual, bur i think almost everyone buys it because thay want to play multiplayer.

If we all could play with 1 CD-key i think there would be no patches or even dreams about Dom III

[Pocus]

you can play a small pbem game with one single key, if you are confident in your host: give him your password (or dont set password), and let him open your turn, then submit and close. It will fingerprints your turn with his comp sig and cd key, and no conflict will arise.

[Beorne]

Originally posted by calmon:
If your friends like the game they should buy it too, if they think its not worth 50?... have a look in the forums. Pbem and normal mp starts at times.

I was disappointed too about the high cost (payed 50?) but so far there is no regular european publisher.

There are a lot of greys between black and white.
I'm very fond with this game, my friends are fond too, but not like me, and 50E for a game is much (I don't think things could be different if there were an EU publisher).
I think that, if a single key allowed mp games, the game would be a lot more played, even between friends and not only between fans. I don't think I'll spread the "DomII word" in Italy, I'm from a small town and have other things to do, but I think communities would born and grow much faster.
But I'm not marketing man of Shrapnel.

[Cainehill]

Beorne,

While I might agree that the MP license policy is a bit restrictive (and counterproductive), your friends could always install and play via the demo Version. True, they'd be limitted in their choice of races, magic research is capped, and the game ends around turn 40 - but that would probably allow them to decide if they enjoyed the game enough to buy it.

On the other hand, I fail to see why you refer to a "Very Nasty Surprise" - you bought one copy, not three, so why would you expect it to allow three (or 10, or 20) people to be allowed to install and use it?

Finally - there's several other Italian players out there; I've run into at least 2, Cohen and one other.

[ April 08, 2004, 12:48: Message edited by: Cainehill ]

[Cainehill]

Originally posted by Kristoffer O:
What is a spawn install?

As others have mentioned, it allowed one purchased copy to allow, typically, two other computers to play the game, but only in MP mode, and only with the machine with the "master" installation hosting the game - I think they tended to use the CD as indication of which machine was the legit/master.

You might be able to do something like this for server games, but I don't see how it'd work for PBEM....

Unless ... If the CD keys are encrypted into the turn files, and all the turns are coming from the same CD key, allow the game to proceed as though it was a somewhat less limitted demo. Maybe keep the turn limit, but allowing race selection & research as normal. This has the benefit of requiring minimal changes to the program - checking the keys, and ending the game early if all keys are the same.