More Copy Protection Woes!!!

[JudgeDredd]

Really, really getting massively fed up with this now.

OOTP9 is the latest culprit with eLicence and limited installs.

Bought it and it apparently came with an eLicence. Didn't think anything of it at the time.

Just upgraded my computer (new hard drives, motherboard, processor, graphics card). Reinstalled the game, entered the purchase code and was told I had no licences left.

Clearly I didn't uninstall the game (and therefore the licence) but when you are rebuilding a machine, and you have 30+ games on your system, all these different DRM systems make it completely impossible to determine which games have an eLicence and require uninstalling before revuilding a machine!!

And when you are looking at days of reinstalling software after rebuilsing the machine, the last thing you want to do is spend the same amount of time uninstalling everything in the hope that you get these limited installs back.

So the list grows and will get bigger, I suspect...

[:-] eLicence
[:-] Limited Installs
[:-] Starforce
[:-] Securom

[Terminus]

And the worst thing about all this garbage is that it has no effect on the pirates. Every single copy protection scheme that a human being can think of, another human being can circumvent. Thus, the software houses only manage to aggravate the legitimate customers with this. They can not stop piracy.

[JudgeDredd]

Actually, what I am now going to do, out of pure disgust at how I'm being made to dance for a product I legally bought, I'm dropping it.

I had posted over there to ask for support, but I'm going to change that to tell them that not only am I going to avoid limited installs and e:icence like the plague, but I'm also going to just drop there game.

A bit like cutting my nose off, but tbh, I cannot be arsed trying to do their dance. I'm finished with eLicencing, limited installations and OOTP9.

And terminus, you are 100% correct. Every single game released is cracked. Depending on popularity determines how fast it's cracked!

So whilst legitimate users have to go through these ridiculous steps to play a game they legitimately purchased, people who don't pay for it download it, install the crack and that's about the limit of their agony!!!

Ridiculous!

[Greybriar]

Thanks for the heads-up,JudgeDredd. Like you, it's another category to add to my NO BUY LIST.

[KG Erwin]

Copy protection aside, I'll stick with PureSim baseball (a Matrix product) for now. I suppose that Shaun Sullivan's new project (DDSBB) will be released sometime in 2009.

[hermanhum]

ORIGINAL: Terminus

Thus, the software houses only manage to aggravate the legitimate customers with this. They can not stop piracy.

Soon, there won't be any more legitimate customers.

Problem solved. [:D]

[JudgeDredd]

Well, that's exactly why I've decided to cut my links with the game...I have Puresim Baseball! For me, there isn't much in it...what seperates them by a country mile is the protection system used.

So I'll call this a £25 loss and not use it again.

They'll (all publishers) will change their ways, or go under or PC gaming will die...I hope it's the former!

I am really fed up with jumping through hoops to play a game. No more.

Yet again, a big up to Matrix for having the least intrusive/obtrusive system.

[Perturabo]

ORIGINAL: hermanhum

Soon, there won't be any more legitimate customers.

Problem solved. [:D]

Or rather soon they won't have any legitimate customers[:D].

[Phatguy]

Thats what I cant figure out.. A lot of these smaller/niche companies which produce games for a niche crowd seem to be on this "protection" kick.
Most, but not all fans of these games WILL buy these games. Copy protection will not protect the game. It takes less time to torrent a pirated copy  than it is to buy it the legitimate way,even discounting the protection schemes that we have to jump thru. They cant seem to realize they are pissing off thier loyal customers . I was thinking of getting Jutland but will not even go to thier website to check out the price.

I can accept a system like Matrix' and Stardock's so I buy thier games, sometimes purchasing games that are not 100% what I want just to support that company. 

[TonyAAA]

ORIGINAL: apathetic lurker

Thats what I cant figure out.. A lot of these smaller/niche companies which produce games for a niche crowd seem to be on this "protection" kick.
Most, but not all fans of these games WILL buy these games. Copy protection will not protect the game. It takes less time to torrent a pirated copy  than it is to buy it the legitimate way,even discounting the protection schemes that we have to jump thru. They cant seem to realize they are pissing off thier loyal customers . I was thinking of getting Jutland but will not even go to thier website to check out the price.

I can accept a system like Matrix' and Stardock's so I buy thier games, sometimes purchasing games that are not 100% what I want just to support that company. 

Agreed. I also was interested in Jutland's release, till I look into their already published Distant Guns game and saw that it used the most restrictive DRM I've ever seen or heard of.

Games using Starforce are nearly open-source by comparison....

FWIW, very large companies (EA) also seem to be on a copy-protection kick.

[JudgeDredd]

That's fair enough. As many people say...they have the right to try and protect their software.

I will not partake in it anymore. If it has intrusive/obtrusive DRM, they will not get my money. If that spells the end for PC gaming, so be it. I don't see why I should have to jump through hoops to get software working.

I installed OOTP9 tonight and hoped to resume my career. As it happens, I cannot and I had to right an email to some company asking them to help me...I probably won't hear from them until the middle of next week, and that, to me, is ridiculous...that I paid for a game I cannot play.

I've had it with "on release" purchases. From now on, I will thouroghly read up on the DRM involved and, more so, limited activations...which I most definitely will not take part in anymore.

[Hertston]

Oddly enough it's not so much the DRM as people's attitudes to it that actually stop me buying a product. If devs/publishers, particulary indie ones just came out and apologised for any inconvenience and managed to produce a convincing argument that their DRM actually improves sales figures I wouldn't mind. When they start throwing insults, claiming nobody ever has any problems and accusing all and any critics of their policy of being 'pirates' (or worse)then I don't buy. Mentioning no names... cough...

[Arctic Blast]

Man, I didn't even know OOTP USED elicense. I dunno, I already uninstalled it simply because I'm just not enough of a baseball fan to deal with all that minutiae...football, yes...baseball, no. [:D] Anyway, knowing what you've just told me, no way in Hell I'll be doing business with these guys again. What a joke.

[cdbeck]

Well, not to demean your frustration, as DRM is a sticky issue, but I do think that developer/staff of OOTP2009 is particularly good about not making this a problem. For goodness sake the patching method for the game is to just install the new version right on top of the old one, so it seems silly to enforce some crap about limited installs.

That being said, limited installs are pretty ridiculous. First, I have rarely heard of a place that has actually upheld a limited install scheme. Most publishers say they have the scheme but always hem and haw with that "but if you need more keys you just have to ask us." Well, if you are going to give me more keys... then why limit me in the first place? Second, you know what many people will do once their limited installs run out and they are denied new keys? You guessed it, they are going to go out and get a cracked copy from a torrent somewhere. And one would have a hard time calling that illegal, as they actually paid for the game and own it, but have been cut off from their property. And don't get me started with the whole EA "your keys are tied to your forum account" thing that borders on all aspects of being illegal and unethical.

However, I don't let DRM keep me from playing/enjoying good games. I am more wary about buying some games due to DRM, and I am much more prone to automatically pre-order any game from Stardock than EA (of course this has to do with quality as much as lack of DRM). But when push comes to shove, I have rarely had problems with DRM.

Still, JD, let the OOTP2009 team (of one guy) get back to you before worrying too much. I agree with the principle of not having to prove you own the game, but they should have records of your order and I have heard it is relatively painless to get back up and running.

SoM

[mikul82]

ORIGINAL: JudgeDredd

That's fair enough. As many people say...they have the right to try and protect their software.

I will not partake in it anymore. If it has intrusive/obtrusive DRM, they will not get my money. If that spells the end for PC gaming, so be it. I don't see why I should have to jump through hoops to get software working.

I installed OOTP9 tonight and hoped to resume my career. As it happens, I cannot and I had to right an email to some company asking them to help me...I probably won't hear from them until the middle of next week, and that, to me, is ridiculous...that I paid for a game I cannot play.

I've had it with "on release" purchases. From now on, I will thouroghly read up on the DRM involved and, more so, limited activations...which I most definitely will not take part in anymore.

I'm with you, I've turned down playing several games I've really wanted due to these issues. As was said above, these same games show up online pirated and ready to be downloaded hassle and DRM free within days of release, if not either the day of or even before. It sure isn't helping any.

Any game companies that insists on using such measures to hassle their paying customers while not putting even a dent in piracy sure as hell aren't getting my money.

Whether it's potentially damaging DRMs, or just annoyances like online activations (what happpens if those servers eventually go down?) or limited installs, count me out.

[Phatguy]

Well, EA is off my list.... I got rid of my EA games and even cancelled my Warhammer Online sub. Nothing EA will ever touch my computer or Xbox.

[Perturabo]

Generally I see no reason why I should deal with that DRM stuff. Anyway, I already returned one game because it had a starforce and I couldn't play one game until last reinstall of windows because of malfunctioning DRM.
The only form that I tolerate now is serial number. I don't even like CD-checks anymore, because I see no reason to put CD in drive when I have enough place on HDD to make a full install - also, my CD-drive is usually occupied by Baldur's Gate 2: ToB (Fallout is 4 years older and somehow works without CD in drive :/ ) and my CD-recorder is needed for work - so a CD with a game can't sit there for days.

Anyway, I'm not buying much games now - practically every game I bought this year was from bargain bin. I'm not interested in buying easily reproducible goods for western prices anymore.

[Terl]

Judge, I understand your frustrations. I have had limited install issues before but, painful as it may be, in every case an email has solved the issue. I even had this with a game I bought from Direct2Drive (I don't use them anymore because I don't like limited installs) and I just sent an email and had the game unlocked before the end of the next day. As for OOTP, from my experiences they are responsive and good as well.

I do agree we as gamers need to make it a point up front to stand firm on this but I figure if I've already bought it, I will make a damned big fuss until they get it working again. I have found though, that one needs to just ask.

I buy Matrix and Stardock mostly now when I buy electronically, though, I've had no problems from Gamersgate either.

[madgamer2]

it is clearly more costly but you could have a tech or computer shop copy you whole hard drive on to there server or storage system then install the stuff and copy yoy OS and data back.
I would think that with all the stuff you mention going on an investment in a large USB HDD backup drive is a must with good back up program like one by Acronis (spelling) would help a lot. When I had my new system built I bought a backup system and it has saved my backside three times now.

Madgamer

[Phatguy]

ORIGINAL: madgamer

it is clearly more costly but you could have a tech or computer shop copy you whole hard drive on to there server or storage system then install the stuff and copy yoy OS and data back.
I would think that with all the stuff you mention going on an investment in a large USB HDD backup drive is a must with good back up program like one by Acronis (spelling) would help a lot. When I had my new system built I bought a backup system and it has saved my backside three times now.

Madgamer

But the problem is that sometimes the DRM doesnt like all that copying and will refuse to let the game run