More Copy Protection Woes!!!

[*Lava*]

Hmm...

This crappola about turning games into licenses is... well, crappola.

I do not buy licenses and I do not buy games with spyware. I also don't own a console (which the industry really wants to protect, not just second hand games).

So electronic games makers are big losers when it comes to my spending. Happy recession dudes!

Miniatures manufacturers, however, seemed quite pleased with the cash I am throwing at them instead.

Ray (alias Lava)

[Kuokkanen]

ORIGINAL: Lava

Miniatures manufacturers, however, seemed quite pleased with the cash I am throwing at them instead.

Oh Hell! Ironwind Metals charges $20 for handling & shipping, and I had to pay customs fee too! So what at first appeared to be $71,90, in the end turned out to be $91,90 AND 12,something €uros! That for just 8 tin BattleMech figures. Unreasonable prices! [:@]

Anyways what do you pay, and for what?

[Perturabo]

It depends what games you play. There are miniature wargames where one miniature costs about .50 $ and you need only about 20 of them to play.

[E]

ORIGINAL: Greybriar

ORIGINAL: apathetic lurker

ORIGINAL: E

I still play games I bought in the early 80's. Thanks to no install limitations, obtrusive DRM's or need to contact the manufacturer for anything, these games will keep on working as long as the media lasts (they ain't pretty anymore, but they are still fun for me). Any program that makes me have to contact a company that may or may not be around in the future, is a no-go for me.

I know what you mean.. I still play some of my SSI games from the early 90's and still crack open my copy of X-com.

It's good to see that others share the same point of view I hold. The way things are going, I'm glad I purchased as many PC games as I did over the years as I have enough to keep me occupied for the rest of my life.

That brings up a semi-philosophical question... how much time would we need to play every game we've bought over the years? (and I mean play it "all the way through" and/or every supplied scenario)

[Greybriar]

ORIGINAL: E

....

That brings up a semi-philosophical question... how much time would we need to play every game we've bought over the years? (and I mean play it "all the way through" and/or every supplied scenario)

I seriously doubt I would live that long.

[*Lava*]

ORIGINAL: Matti Kuokkanen

Anyways what do you pay, and for what?

Well... just got done a wad of buying... Christmas and all that... [;)]

So here's what I ordered this last week (for November and December):

- Copplestone - Pack of 8 Brit sailors, pack of 4 officers/NCOs, pack of 8 German Marines and pack of 4 German officers/NCOs - 39.60 GBP including postage

- Redoubt - 13 British Infantry and officers in 1880's British Home Service uniform 13.65 GBP.

- Perry - Sudan Range, British Infantry command on Egyptian mounts,
10th Hussars command, 10th Hussars, swords drawn X 3 packs - 37.50 GBP.

- Empress Miniatures - 4 packs of 8 conversion heads containing four Glengarry caps and four in sun helmet with regimental badges - 12.00 GBP.

- Grand Manner African Village set with coral (painted) - 122.00 GBP postage included.

So a total of 224.75 GBP for 2 months stuff. It will see me through to the new year.

Ah yea... computer games purchased in the last 6 months... 39.95 USD for Sins of a Solar System.

Two years ago those spending ratios were reversed.

Like I said...

electronic games makers are big losers when it comes to my spending. Happy recession dudes!

Ray (alias Lava)

[Phatguy]

ORIGINAL: Lava

ORIGINAL: Matti Kuokkanen

Anyways what do you pay, and for what?

Well... just got done a wad of buying... Christmas and all that... [;)]

So here's what I ordered this last week (for November and December):

- Copplestone - Pack of 8 Brit sailors, pack of 4 officers/NCOs, pack of 8 German Marines and pack of 4 German officers/NCOs - 39.60 GBP including postage

- Redoubt - 13 British Infantry and officers in 1880's British Home Service uniform 13.65 GBP.

- Perry - Sudan Range, British Infantry command on Egyptian mounts,
10th Hussars command, 10th Hussars, swords drawn X 3 packs - 37.50 GBP.

- Empress Miniatures - 4 packs of 8 conversion heads containing four Glengarry caps and four in sun helmet with regimental badges - 12.00 GBP.

- Grand Manner African Village set with coral (painted) - 122.00 GBP postage included.

So a total of 224.75 GBP for 2 months stuff. It will see me through to the new year.

Ah yea... computer games purchased in the last 6 months... 39.95 USD for Sins of a Solar System.

Two years ago those spending ratios were reversed.

Like I said...

electronic games makers are big losers when it comes to my spending. Happy recession dudes!

Ray (alias Lava)

and some made fun of me for my gaming allowance....hehehehe

[Marauders]

This is not about copy protection.  If the game contacts the server, the game company can certainly see if one serial number is being used 100 times and lock that one out.  Legitimate users should be able to install the game as many times as they switch machines.
 
That goes for games and the OS as well.
 

[sterckxe]

ORIGINAL: Marauders
This is not about copy protection.  If the game contacts the server, the game company can certainly see if one serial number is being used 100 times and lock that one out.  Legitimate users should be able to install the game as many times as they switch machines.

That goes for games and the OS as well.

Nope, legitimate users should be able to install the game they bought as many times as they like irrespective of some server out there still being online or not.

Top dogs in computer wargaming 10-15 years ago : TalonSoft and SSI - both gone - AH, MicroProse and 360 Pacific : gone. Everyone who "buys" a server activated game today is really only renting it for as long as that company is still around and has a server running. If they want to shove rentals on me, they'd better start charging rental prices and not pretend as if I'm "buying" something.

Greetz,

Eddy Sterckx

[Greybriar]

ORIGINAL: sterckxe

ORIGINAL: Marauders
This is not about copy protection.  If the game contacts the server, the game company can certainly see if one serial number is being used 100 times and lock that one out.  Legitimate users should be able to install the game as many times as they switch machines.

That goes for games and the OS as well.

Nope, legitimate users should be able to install the game they bought as many times as they like irrespective of some server out there still being online or not.

Top dogs in computer wargaming 10-15 years ago : TalonSoft and SSI - both gone - AH, MicroProse and 360 Pacific : gone. Everyone who "buys" a server activated game today is really only renting it for as long as that company is still around and has a server running. If they want to shove rentals on me, they'd better start charging rental prices and not pretend as if I'm "buying" something.

Greetz,

Eddy Sterckx

I agree wholeheartedly, Eddy. I'm a retro gamer. I'm still playing the 1994 version of MicroProse's Colonization as well as other games from that era.

[*Lava*]

ORIGINAL: apathetic lurker

and some made fun of me for my gaming allowance....hehehehe

And I've cut back... recession you know.. [:)]

But really, the computer gaming industry is a total disaster.

It's gotten to the point where I don't even buy wargames anymore because they are so buggy. Folks should take a hard look at Stardocks Gamers Bill of Rights.

And here is one which I'm sure will piss off a lot of folks... I want quality games not crap. Give me a quality game and I will pay good money for it. Good money, but it better damn well be a quality game.

I'm tired of all the crap that gets published so they can hang a 39.99 price tag on it.

Ray (alias Lava)

[Phatguy]

Thats why I sort of gone back to playing board games

[Jeffrey H.]

Mee too. Some Matrix titles and boardgames and that's it. The mainstream stuff just isn't interesting. The new games require constant system, (hardware and software) upgrades, are buggy as he11 on release and the themes generaly cater to the lower 3/4 of the gaussian curve.

[Kuokkanen]

ORIGINAL: sterckxe

Top dogs in computer wargaming 10-15 years ago : TalonSoft and SSI - both gone - AH, MicroProse and 360 Pacific : gone. Everyone who "buys" a server activated game today is really only renting it for as long as that company is still around and has a server running.

Or until someone creates crack and puts it on-line. Legitimate users can use those too, and if lawyer stops by, just show game box, game discs, receipt, and shout rant about poor-quality product.

If they want to shove rentals on me, they'd better start charging rental prices and not pretend as if I'm "buying" something.

I've read something like that is being planned already. Of course rent won't be measured in years... [8|]

[Phatguy]

ORIGINAL: Matti Kuokkanen

ORIGINAL: sterckxe

Top dogs in computer wargaming 10-15 years ago : TalonSoft and SSI - both gone - AH, MicroProse and 360 Pacific : gone. Everyone who "buys" a server activated game today is really only renting it for as long as that company is still around and has a server running.

Or until someone creates crack and puts it on-line. Legitimate users can use those too, and if lawyer stops by, just show game box, game discs, receipt, and shout rant about poor-quality product.

If they want to shove rentals on me, they'd better start charging rental prices and not pretend as if I'm "buying" something.

I've read something like that is being planned already. Of course rent won't be measured in years... [8|]

Ok, do you still have your receipts from 10-15 years ago for your games? I don't..\Crap, the only thing I have left of my Master of Magic game is the manual..same with Panzer General.....