Copy protection/DRM

[JudgeDredd]

ORIGINAL: sterckxe

ORIGINAL: Hertston
What he said. To be honest, though, I'm starting to come around regarding some forms of protection when they are actually designed to make life convenient for the customer as well. The Stardock system is pretty good in that regard, and was very handy when I was populating a new PC recently. Just name and password and a few button clicks, no fannying about with disks and patches.

Yup - and then Stardock folds, the server will be shut down and you'll be left with ?

I'm very wary of any system I can't totally control myself. Right now I'm pretty sure that in 2030 I will still be able to install Conquest of the Aegean on WindozeSuperDeluxe2028 in Vista compatibility mode irrespective of the fact if Matrix Games is by then still around or not.

Nothing lasts forever, not even companies like Avalon Hill, 360 Pacific, Talonsoft - or more recently MadMinuteGames.

Greetz,

Eddy Sterckx

And as if to confirm your superior knowledge...

I bought a download of Armed Assault when it came out from a company called Sprocket (online download). I was given an "installer" which, when clicked, connected and downloaded the game. One problem I had quite some time ago was that because two patches had been downloaded and installed, the game thought you had used your downloads and stopped it being played!

I had to go without playing it for the weekend and have the hassle of contacting them.

On another note, the same system...

I have tried to clieck the Sprocket downloader they game me, but it just sits there, saying it's connecting. I went to my emails from them and used the link they sent in the past, again, no web page.

So I went on the Sporcket website and tried to login....low and behold it has no record of my email address...the email address I've had for several years (wayyyyy before I bought this game...so it IS the email address I would've used to get the game.

So now I have to jump through a shed load of hoops again in order to get my game.

No thanks. That's it for me. No Steam. No downloaders. No online activation. No starforce.

It's bad enough that you waste your good money finding out that a crap game is crap...but to have to jump through the hoops that you have to, as a legitimate purchaser....no way.

I'm done with them. They want to protect their games and films and music so bad that they push me away...more fool them.

[Obsolete]

Thought I'd give this interesting thread a continue.  It motivated me to finally crack that SCRAPLAND game of mine, and it runs just fine now on Vista.  (Thank you gamecopy world!).

Now if I can somehow win a few more races, I'll have her pretty much coming to a close.  It makes me feel good actually, as I also ended up FINALLY finishing off that UNDYING game that's also been kicking around for ages.  It's ammazing how much time you can finally get when your internet goes offline for a month. 

[Cmdrcain]

With all the games I've used, Bought,installed from 1980's on, one thing about Copy Protections is that theresalways a way around.

In the 80-90's most any could be gotten around with like CopyPc and other programs.

With over internet DRM's they still can probably be broken
just a matter of cracking how the games auth

So theres really no point in all this copy protection, not even Matrix's serial number system, all they do is in end drive off customers when they cannot re-install their software and i also question if some copy prots are legal,
if it prevents archival backing up, as a few schemes do...as in preventing one from Making a Cdrom/Dvd copy of the game CD you buy, that could be in itself be a violation of at least US Copy write laws which give legal right to make archival copys...preventing it may void the underlying copy write.

[Greybriar]

There is an old saying that locks keep honest people honest.

I feel the same line of reasoning can be applied to the copy protection on PC games. Sooner or later someone will crack any copy protection regardless of how sophisticated it is. So why bother having some high tech copy protection scheme that seems only to frustrate the legitimate owners of the games? I've seen some pretty botched up copy protection schemes in my day and have been victimized by a few. The end result? I don't buy the games from that particular publisher or developer anymore and everyone loses when that happens.

Locks are simple for the most part, and even the most basic lock deters crime. So should software copy protection.

[sterckxe]

ORIGINAL: Cmdrcain
So theres really no point in all this copy protection, not even Matrix's serial number system,

The beauty of the serial number system as employed by Matrix is that if you're a legitimate user you can reinstall your game at infinitum, but if you got that serial number from some warez website you'll find out that though you can install the base game, it won't allow you to install the patches, resulting in an inferior game experience as compared to the regular, honest customer.

With DRM systems it's the reverse : the legitimate, honest customer has to jump through hoops, while the pirate with the cracked game doesn't.

Personally I like a system that punishes the dishonest, while not bothering the honest at all and Matrix serial number system does just that.

Greetz,

Eddy Sterckx