Why the copy protection?

[tompaw]

I have a question for the producers. Why are you including that ****ty copyprotection stuff (like tages, starforce, etc.) in your games? Everybody know that it will be released on the pirate scene anyway. It's a protection against nothing. Give me one example of the game that wasn't released by the pirates thanks to those.

Actually, the only thing it protects your products against is a painless usage by the legit owners (like me). Why the hell am I forced to install some crappy copyprotection drivers during the installation of Anno 1701?

Why isn't there a warning on the box? Taking the latest history of AudioCD protection by SONY, I don't feel very safe. Is your Anno1701 going to erase all my private files? Does Anno1701 contain rootkit for my OS?

[Flo]

I thought there was a information box, when i installed the game :scratch:
Tages is not Starforce. I doesn't produce any mistakes or crashes :go:

You can delete Tages completely :go:
But then, you can't play 1701 :angel:



And no, Tages collects nothing and has no rootkits :nono: (I hope :biggrin: :lol: )
And there is nothing know like this. Why should a good and well-running german company (=Sunflowers) do something like this? :huh: If they want to collect things like a dxdiag, they can use hundreds of them, who are in this forum :wink:

Sunflowers is not Sony. And i'm glad it isn't :smile3:

[Dobber]

Why isn't there a warning on the box? Taking the latest history of AudioCD protection by SONY, I don't feel very safe. Is your Anno1701 going to erase all my private files? Does Anno1701 contain rootkit for my OS?

On the back of the DVD case right above the system reguirements:

Notice: This game contains technology intended to prevent copying that may conflict with some disk and virtual disk drives.

That is from the UK "Anno 1701" case. Whether it is on the Polish version's case I do not know! :go:

[Matrem]

My case doesn't contain such a notice. It's annoying nevertheless.

I am having problems with my DVD-player and cannot play at the moment. It has already taken me several hours trying to figure out how to get it working. Some of my friends use pirate copies and have been playing for weeks now. It all seems so useless to me...

[C-F]

I must say, I'm dissapointed too...

My opportunity to play this wonderful :cheers: game is limited to my Desktop - and that is at home. However, I would like to have it on my laptop (which btw plays it just fine) but this DVD-insertion requirement is not an option in my case/situation...:angry: :bash:

One would think, after entering a 40 digit keycode (not counting the '-'es)it would suffice to be 'legal'....

Oh well, I guess, I've just to keep on playing the Paradox games while 'on the road'...:wink: :angel:

[LadyH]

why the copy protection?

counterquestion:
why do you seclude the door to your house?
you know, when the thief wants to come in, he will find a way

[irony mode off]

:wink:

[C-F]

why the copy protection?

counterquestion:
why do you seclude the door to your house?
you know, when the thief wants to come in, he will find a way

[irony mode off]

:wink:

:wink: LoL, You asked the wrong guy: answer: I don't ; haven't had a house key for 15 years :cool: - If one wants my junk - at least he won't break my house and it saves me from having to take it to the dump myself...:rofl:

Seriously, I really don't lock the house, the last time we 'upgraded' (moved), we had to have new doorlocks installed for the new owners as nobody had any keys...:biggrin: :go:

[Matrem]

counterquestion:
why do you seclude the door to your house?
you know, when the thief wants to come in, he will find a way


:rolleyes: That's not a great analogy. The difference is that the game only has to be cracked once, and then all copy-protection measures have been useless.

Only one lock in one house anywhere has to be picked to make all locks completely useless. Would you lock your door once everyone has a key? :scratch:

[Moryarity]

Why the hell am I forced to install some crappy copyprotection drivers during the installation of Anno 1701?

Why isn't there a warning on the box?


I had a quiet similiar problem at friday...I was instaling Windows Office 2003 package..after I clicked about 3 times, that I am really sure, that I do not want to deinstall the old 97 package I got to a screen, that told me, that outlook (which I never ever used) has to be deinstalled, otherwise I couldn´t install the new package..ok I thought, I will never use it..so may it be..I installed the new oackage under my D:partition..after the installation process was completed, Office informed me that it was really neccessary to install almost 300 kb of Data on my E: drive, which may be removed, but I really shouldn´t do that...

So I am just asking myself..if Windows is allowed to install 300 kb of data on a drive I never wanted it to have access to, how should I refuse the copypretection of a game...be honest..all software, that is installed is doing things I am not aware of..at least Anno informes me, that the copy protection will be installed before it is done and not after, as Office has done in this case :wink:

[Toccatta]

I had a quiet similiar problem at friday...I was instaling Windows Office 2003 package..after I clicked about 3 times, that I am really sure, that I do not want to deinstall the old 97 package I got to a screen, that told me, that outlook (which I never ever used) has to be deinstalled, otherwise I couldn´t install the new package..ok I thought, I will never use it..so may it be..I installed the new oackage under my D:partition..after the installation process was completed, Office informed me that it was really neccessary to install almost 300 kb of Data on my E: drive, which may be removed, but I really shouldn´t do that...


But I bet you that your Windows Office 2003 package written by Microsoft (who has every bit as much reason to want to prevent software piracy as Sunflowers) doesn't make you insert the installation CD in the drive to run Excel.:biggrin:

Yeah, I realize that software piracy is a big problem. But not everyone requires a CD or DVD to remain in the drive after install in order to protect themselves from it... and choosing to NOT inconvenience the legitimate customers doesn't mean they don't care about or don't protect themselves from illegal usage.:secruity:

[C-F]

So why worry? Just get a working copy and discuss it somewhere else.
--


Well, I forgot the name of the game :embarras: , but after some pleading and begging, they came out with a patch which among other things also removed the cd-check...:go:

One thing that makes it a bit worse here is, that it seems to do a lot of 'loading' from the DVD just going from one scenario to the next - or even going back to the Main menu :nono: :sad: :huh:

One can always ask for reasoning - in a polite manner...:admin_deal: and not have to become a Pirate or try to achieve independence...:rofl: :biggrin: :bash:

[Matrem]

So why worry? Just get a working copy and discuss it somewhere else.

I am not sure what you mean with that. We are discussing the merits of copy protection here. To me it seems like this mostly inconveniences legitimate users of this game. I bought this game, because I wish to support the development of the software. But copy protection is starting to make it easier for people to use a pirate copy then to buy the real thing. I presume that is not what is was meant for.

[Rnett]

I think you mean motivate people to pirate.

Just google "activation" and see how many Vista cracks there are....:rofl:

[Ilyan]

Hmm download a nocd crack from somewhere maybe? I do it with almost every game I have because I really cannot be bothered to retrieve the correct CD each time I want to play a game. I'm not sure of the legality of it but if someone comes to my house and says "you're using a pirate copy!" then I'll just show them the box and the receipt I keep inside.

[LadyH]

ok Ilyan
but please don't discuss this tool here in this forum
that's all what we want :wink:

[Ilyan]

ok Ilyan
but please don't discuss this tool here in this forum
that's all what we want :wink:

My lips are sealed.

[tompaw]

I must say that all the discussion about "copy protection" for games leads directly to the conclusion that is simply does not work - at least for any period of time longer than a few weeks from release.

If it does not work in the way that the game is cracked, there is no problem. Actually, that's something you can be sure of, so no suprises here.

The problem is, when is does not work in the way it disturbs the usage of the legit copy of the game. Like in Anno 1701: if I forget to insert the DVD and restart the game with the DVD in place it's going to be stuck at 90% of loading progress. Always. The only solution is the comp restart.

[C-F]

Yes, I do use sarcasm. I should point that out every time I post, I suppose.

I must say that all the discussion about "copy protection" for games leads directly to the conclusion that is simply does not work - at least for any period of time longer than a few weeks from release.

What it does do is confuse and confound the neophites, newbies, and uninitiated. They - of course - constitute the great part of the buying public who pump money into the publisher's sales. The members of the "Industry" do little more than "encourage" sales by the publishers by not publishing the source of "pirate" copies.

One has only to look at the music business to see destruction and readjustment of a mass market. The games market doesn't have that mass of buyers. What it does have is a shift to "consoles" away from PCs.

I am really sorry that a couple of folks could not be serious about my comment to discuss pirate, crack and other such stuff ELSEWHERE.

I should know better. Sorry.




BaldJim, you 'nailed it' :go:

:offtopic:
As I recall Art & Entertainment are supposed to be 'starving' professions - where fame and fortune came after their deadth...:angel:

I like the concept :biggrin: - that way one wouldn't have to put up with all the M. Jacksons, B. Speaers, P. Hiltons, et al of this world, all the time... :angry:

Btw, I have 'college football coaches' which are supposed to be teachers and therefore put on a teachers salary in the same category...:wink:

/ :offtopic:

I'm just sad to see a whole industry committing suicide - you can swim against the current only for so long...

However, I'm still a firm believer in reasoning and letting 'potential' pitfalls to be known...
If nothing else, one can later say: See, I told you so...:rolleyes: :lol:

Not that it helps, mind you, but it feels good...:cheers: