|
|
|
This is why I really don't think this security measure was put into place to combat piracy, more as a way to inflate the number of players "online" and make it seem like there is much more multiplayer activity then there really is. Which is why I personally wonder if this was an idea of relics or THQs.
#502
Posts relating to warez advocacy deleted. The person in question will be dealt with.
Impressive. Admin post about deleted entries, followed by a post doing the exact same thing.
So it's a bug if you first have to login online, don't, and then get cd-verified instead? I was also under the impression that w/ an active internet connection you had to use online verification, but the other day my 'profiles' were all 'busy', so I failed to log in, tried again and it just cd-verified me and let me in.
So it seemed like it had an intentional fallback when I couldn't use online. Which is still stupid, it should let you do one or the other without the hokey-pokey being required. But it did work. Bug?
But we love CoH, it's by far the best RTS game I've ever played. Every rose has its thorns, except CoH's thorns are more like laser guided serrated switch blades. - Painmuffin
CRCError1970
Dead_Like_MeSecuROM has *NO* business at all telling me I can't have Process Explorer running. The purpose for any protection should be soley to validate media. I've seen so many issues with SecuROM and Daemon Tools. SecuROM should only concern itself with refusing access if it detects the media is a mounted ISO rather than a genuine disc.
Dead, dont' get me wrong... I don't *want* SecuROM messing with my Virtual Drives either... However from a legal position (DMCA and other rubbish) I cannot see a viable way to defeat copy protection on an ISO and still be conform to most standard EULA's and the like. But I think you know as well as I do SecuROM and other DRM methods usually cannot protect the content sufficiently enough to prevent it.Now I agree with all this posts except the fact that SecuROM should not interfere with my Daemon-tools even If i have mounted ISO. and I do use image files for many reasons and SecuROM shouldn't mess with any of my hardware or my software.
After I made my previous post... I got to thinking about the history of software protection.
The first protection I remember was just plain having the disk in the drive. Way back in the day of 3 1/2" Floppies... You had to have the disk in the drive to play the game.
Then I remember having to have the "Hint Manual" where somewhere in the game... You needed to have a hard copy of the game manual to continue. (Please type in word 3 in paragraph 4 on page 5)
Then the first CD's came out... Again we went back to disc in the drive since most computers didn't have a HDD big enough to install the game CD to it.
Then Hard Drives caught up... and we started getting CD checks even if all the game files were copied onto the drive.
Then the internet became available to everyone... Thus the advent of the CD Key....
Turns out CD keys weren't enough so they started adding CD Check+Key...
Then we got simple DRM... Then we got virtual drives... The we got the invasive DRM...
What's my point? In each iteration... There was somebody that would always say... "This isn't bad... I can live with this." Then the next version of protection would come out... "It's not much worse than before... I can live with this." This is the slippery slope of losing your rights as a consumer. When is copy protection enough? What does a publisher have to do to really protect a title? As long as we have people that insist that it's ok we will continue to lose out.
#505
No seriously. When I say 'don't talk about warez', I don't actually mean 'ok guys, the person to post directly after me should definately give the impression he is endorsing pirating the game. Absolutely. For sure.'
So just to make it quite clear what happens if you come across as advocating pirating the game, or otherwise illegally acquiring it. You get banned.
i pledge for going back to manual hints !
add a fancy magical thing in your box, which you cant copy....
like that: https://secure.thelowry.com/images/s...s_0074_big.jpg
...will work better than every copy protection that will be available for two years.
of course they would have to revert to bigger boxes too, with more manuals map and other stuff.
ps: dont take this post to seriously
#507
Actually we make you pass a D2D offline check in this case, I cant swear to this, but apparently you need to get an "offline activation code" from D2D in order to activate a D2D install of offline use. I've never bought from D2D myself so I dont know a lot about it.Originally Posted by TDATL
This isnt actually anything we have control over, we just default to whatever validation the company that you bought from use (ie Steam or D2D or wherever).
Piracy is an old thing that has never, and probably will never find a solution. Mark Twain complained to the New York Times in 1906 about it.
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post...t-in-1906.html
Ap0k no body here is supporting warez. All that was stated here under the subject of Anti-piracy measures, fact is that anti-piracy works against pirates and warez... wouldn't you agree ?
so correct me if I am wrong but to figure Anti-piracy measures you must understand who piracy works, is it true or not ? I am pretty sure Relic will agree with me on that one I would even go for a bet if you wish to....
Now people here are stating known things about piracy since its clear that people like Daton don't have a clue in this matters (and in my opinion its good the less they know the more they are far from it) its a problem since his ignorance keep disturbing this thread and a civil conversation. I already pointed my clear opinion and others have already posted it as well that Daton has clearly gone out of the topic and since you as an admin ignore such a problem someone already offered that people will stop replying his posts.
You are threating the wrong people here and its isn't a good thing to do ... they are posting such threats because the admins didn't handle the problem or for some reason don't think its a problem. I offer you to read back the posts and to see that as I said mosts of those comments that you might regard as warez connected are clearly answers for Daton who is the only unreasonable fighter on the new scheme side ...
Edit : Forgot to add that I heard about a new band that give its listeners the option to download their album free of their website or to buy it in stores on a regular disc. I must say that I was impressed by this band since they realized what is the great aces. And what do I mean by that - simple they know people who see that the band go pro her listeners will most likely want to go and buy the disc and to own it rather then download it. Its upside down psychology. Great thing they are on the road to success and if their music is good I am pretty sure they are on the king's road.
Last edited by Dead_Like_Me; 5th Oct 07 at 5:46 PM.
#510
That's because I have deleted the postsAp0k no body here is supporting warez.It's also worth mentioning that a) I'm not an admin and b) I deal with people who break the rules. If you're arguing with someone who is being pig-headed about a point, then it's between you and them. At some point or another, somebody will back down. For the record, I frequently disagree with just about everything daton has to say. I just have no desire to get into a headbutting contest with him about it.
Just coming in to say one thing: The only worthwhile copy protection at work here is the CDKey. Of course that this only applies to games with a strong online component, it really serves no purpose to single player games (Those do have it harder). But in this case we have a game with a great multiplayer option. I'm sure by now pirates can play the SP campaign, but they can't get into Relic Online where the actual lasting fun is. This is what Relic/THQ have to look into: Provide a great service for your buyers that you can't get with a pirate copy. Instead of using resources to buy copy protection software, use them making the service better, including goodies with the retail versions (and maybe something different for digital distribution guys, like me). Add value!
I remember reading long ago an article written by one of the Stardock guys (long before their little fight with Starforce guys). I really liked it because it reasoned that the only way to fight piracy was to make sure you add value to your customers instead of trying to get value away from those that don't pay anyways. Can't find it anymore and would appreciate it if anyone knows the one I'm talking about and has a link.
So, in conclusion, the CDKey/Online Account for multiplayer scheme is the only thing that lasts with a game. Anything else is a waste since it's defeated too fast and actual customers see no benefit from it (and sometimes it makes things worse). I loved that before they removed the CD check from Dark Crusade and then COH. It made it look like they finally understood how things were. Then they went back at it... is it really having any effect? Is it having an effect on anyone that's not a paying customer?
#512
Just to make this clear, three people in the last fifty posts have found themselves in the junkyard/banned for warez advocacy. Don't do it.
(Previously, and still occasionally zbobet2012)
What is sad is a post like this gets so much attention for the NEGATIVE aspects of COH OF, and there are so few posts of the positive. Hopefully THQ/RELIC understand that this kind of negative publicity is not what they want.
Drovek, I remember the post you mentioned from Stardock, I am on Stardock IRC on almost a daily basis, they stand by the fact that they will do as little as possible to irritate the consumer, else they won't have any consumers.
#514
I don't think this is that big a deal - when the servers were down the other day, I could still play campaign, skirmish and watch replays. Can someone please explain why this is such a big deal? So, it does a millisecond check of the product key, and? I fail to see the inconvenience. If it helps stop pirating, more power to Relic, imo.
Well, the issue is: It doesn't stop piracy. It doesn't even count as a speed bump. Pirates can, like you, play the campaign, skirmish and watch replays. What they can't do is get on Relic Online. But now let's think about this: What benefits does it bring me to be logged into Relic Online? Access to stats and a friend list? And what do Relic/THQ truly get? Nothing really when speaking about piracy.I don't think this is that big a deal - when the servers were down the other day, I could still play campaign, skirmish and watch replays. Can someone please explain why this is such a big deal? So, it does a millisecond check of the product key, and? I fail to see the inconvenience. If it helps stop pirating, more power to Relic, imo.
So, thinking of ways to greatly improve the service given by Relic Online like (quickly, off the top of my head):
*Organized Tournaments in R.O.?
*What about Leagues where people inside that league fight each other and they can see the local stats of the league? Useful for a small group of friends or people from a message board. To quote something from Valve in TF2's commentary: "Global stats only matter to those in the top.", this would give greater incentive to get better since you can see results faster. You may be the 5000th Axis player, but if you practice a bit more, you can beat the first place guy of your League and be slightly better. It's a better incentive to keep players who are not going to get anywhere close to the top.
*What about the ability to share replays through Relic Online? You think you did well on a replay and send it to a friend and he has it instantly on his replay list and can watch it to see how you did. Maybe even be able to watch it synchronized so that you can chat with him about what has happening and what you though about at the time.
You add stuff like that. Your paying customers are now happy with having great options while online (which you can only get when connected to Relic Online), and you don't make things harder for people who actually paid and are not online. The pirates are never getting into the great RO service and can only do with the Single Player stuff (which they currently do, anyways). When people don't want to pay for something you won't force them with horrible DRM, they will just go for something else. You won't gain any customers. But what about those customers you gain because people praise your now, completely awesome, online service?
Just my Opinion...
#516
But, again, what is the inconvenience to you? I haven't noticed any? Especially not to warrant all this hype. I don't even notice the check and if my internet is down or the servers are down, I can still play just fine. Don't understand the issue at all. At first, I thought it might be an issue, but at that time, I figured you HAD to have a working internet or the servers HAD to be working in order to just play single player, which would have pissed me off. But that, as I've found out, isn't the case. Why is this issue worth all this energy?
Well, the inconvenience is that for playing offline you need to have your media with you. This may not be that much of a problem except when you consider that neither DC nor COH required you to have your disk at all after installation. The problem is that it is a step back, no matter if it seems small or not. Another small inconvenience is that in case you may want to play a bit of campaign or a skirmish and you don't want to sign in because you don't want to appear as connected to your friends in the friend list (notice there is no "appear offline" mode?) there is no way to do it but to disconnect, wait for it to know it's not connected (insert your media, which sometimes you may not have brought in a trip with you), then reconnect to the internet.
Things like that. It may seem small to some people which aren't directly affected, but they are problems. And the thing is we, as customers, are not getting anything in return for that trouble.
Heck, if you as me, I'm not really that much bothered about it (just a bit). But I'm not really one to wait for this to slowly progress until it does bother me.
#518
Shrug, still see nothing worth a 35 page thread ... My disks are above my desk and other games like WC3, just to name one, require the disk be in to play. Sounds more like ppl bitching to bitch. I'm willing to put up with this miniscule inconvenience, even if it turns out to be a futile effort to stop these goddamn pirates. Most adults can see this, though a few can't, as I'm seeing. It's ridiculous how many ppl DO pirate games, too. I work with a few jackasses that talk openly about stealing whatever software they want. Unfortunately, these nitwits don't see it as STEALING and lack the goddamn morals not to do it even if they did see it as theft. Hell, I'd bet that 25% or more of the players online have pirated versions...it's completely out of control. In another Relic game, Impossible Creatures, a well known top player openly posted he pirated the game and wouldn't pay for it since he didn't like the game enough, even though this ass clown was online nearly every night playing. I'm tired of this crap. Too many people are dishonest, selfish little pricks. Okay, so this measure may or may not help, but for the love of god, it would be nice if the posters on these forums stopped acting like they would somehow have the answers if they were in the position to make the calls. Something has to be done, let THQ/Relic see if this helps. It's non intrusive to honest customers. I wish them good luck. And, "Oh wah, effing wah, you might have to be shown as online or actually grab your disk (think ahead, oh no! my god!) to play a game." WIll the injustices in this world never end?
well imo i dont really care i just want to be able to play the game when my internet is down it goes down frequently
#520
ANd you can, which is the ONLY real legitimate concern.
Yes, but even if they had to spend even 5 minutes more work to crack it (which is a given, since cracking something takes longer than cracking nothing), I'm happy. Those fuckers deserve to have some work instead of just being given a game as a gift.Fact of the matter is Daton, it took no longer to pirate COH than it did to pirate OF.
@Timeless since you mention WiC well let's see things.
If you don't want to play multiplayer there is an exe which is checking your media, if you want to play multiplayer only there is another exe which dosn't check your media but allows you only to connect to the massgate. It seems to me like a faire solution don't you think ?
Why does the game is choosing for me what is my login method ? Too much automatation is killing automatation. All this 35 page thread is about a choice not about whining and bitching how the copy system sucks. IT IS ABOUT CHOICE.
Maybe in other countries ppl are willing to abnadon their freedom and right to choose but not all are like that.
Amat victoria curam. (Catulle) Victory favors those who take pains
Danton, ist a challenge. Cracker groups dont have work if they dont have games to crack. Its a sport for them afaik.Yes, but even if they had to spend even 5 minutes more work to crack it (which is a given, since cracking something takes longer than cracking nothing), I'm happy. Those fuckers deserve to have some work instead of just being given a game as a gift.
I think they dont even play the cracked games.
So because they derive pleasure from it, we should just give it to them for free? Let the murderer murder sedated victims, because he enjoys his victims to struggle?
wow, that analogy is evil
There is nothing wrong with that argument, but unfortunately copy protection isn't there to make crackers happy or unhappy - cracking is what they do, after all - it is to make the game less pirated by making games too hard to pirate.Yes, but even if they had to spend even 5 minutes more work to crack it (which is a given, since cracking something takes longer than cracking nothing), I'm happy. Those fuckers deserve to have some work instead of just being given a game as a gift.
If you think pissing off a single cracker group of 6 people for 10 additional minutes is worth pissing off your entire legal player base perpetually when ever a server goes down, well, that's your opinion. I personally think the opposite.
Swooping Hawk: Is there a secret underground cult of British faction haters?
Quercus: Of course there isn't. Nothing secret about it at all.
Great Logic Datom, for possible an hour more of cracking you spend a big amount of money (no idea how expensive the license is). You gain nothing and have a smaller margin...
drChengele got the point.(of course)
Daton, please dont compare murderers and thiefs. If this mentalaty continues, where does it end ? Death sentence for crackers ?
its pretty simple,even tho i don't like this way of doing things,its not to stop the pirates ,its to stop the casual gamer sharing the disk,lets face it most kids and adults wouldn't know how to go about getting a illegal version, hell my sons are in there late teens , and they can't even crack an egg.im pretty sure that lost income from games are from kids sharing disks then using no cd cracks , than people actualy downloading full versions.
And where exactly prohibits the OF copy protection this "sharing"? There is no point for this copy protection....
So if the crime is minor enough, you let the criminal off without punishment or even try to stop the criminal?Daton, please dont compare murderers and thiefs. If this mentalaty continues, where does it end ? Death sentence for crackers ?
Oh he just stole a car, that happens all the time. Better not lock cars anymore, it's not like we do more than inconvenience the car thief and that's really not worth it.
It prevents sharing in the way that sharing is not possible anymore unless you crack. It's called casual pirating and has been brought up already.And where exactly prohibits the OF copy protection this "sharing"? There is no point for this copy protection....
So you wanna say that someone who played the game before just in LAN with one "shared" CoH copy will not download a crack? I really doubt that. First they were not able to play online and the SP with a "shared" copy, now with a crack they are able to play SP and LAN...
There is no point for this sort of copy protection. The only copy protection that actually worked was the one for Bioshock where you have 5 copies at most for one cd key. But I think even this one got cracked...
i said nothing about punishment, Daton.So if the crime is minor enough, you let the criminal off without punishment or even try to stop the criminal? Oh he just stole a car, that happens all the time. Better not lock cars anymore, it's not like we do more than inconvenience the car thief and that's really not worth it.
And you throw another comparison at me that doesnt work.
A car cant be copied, and car locks work much better than cp.
i also dont think there are cracks for cars in the internet. (or manuals to crack cars or whatever)
Last edited by Blake_Stone; 6th Oct 07 at 7:41 AM.
Well actually a car can be copied, but for a normal guy it wouldn't make sense to do such a thing...
Look at China how they copy nearly everything, noone seems to bother since most companies make a big profit in China and yet it's crime as well...
#535
Daton :
Those "fuckers" deserve to be in jail.
I have to agree with drChengle, and I said so before as well. If OF actually did something to prevent piracy, I would be jumping up and down waving my arms screaming "yay relic!". But as all it does, is add an "extra 5 minutes" for the crackers, and as a downside it causes more than just a 5 minute inconvinience for all the legal players, its not worth it.
Oh and how can you ensure that crackers don't enjoy cracking? I mean, I don't know. But if I were a cracker, and I lived in a reality where I could crack everything they throw at me, I think it would satisfy my ego quite a bit.
i meant copied without cost...Well actually a car can be copied
#537
You also have to consider the time and money relic spent in creating the system. I bet that was quite a bit more than just 5 minutes.
Bottom line, we legal players, as well as the developers are at a loss.
I think the fuckers deserve life-sentence in prison as well, and I am equally pissed. But creating anti-piracy systems that only give the illusion of working is not a valid solution.
I have yet to see a game being too hard to crack. Starforce was a problem, but i made more trouble to the legal owners than anyone else. Bioshock with its advanced high tech anti-paricay crap made more problems for legit users than anybody else. Took 3 days to crack.There is nothing wrong with that argument, but unfortunately copy protection isn't there to make crackers happy or unhappy - cracking is what they do, after all - it is to make the game less pirated by making games too hard to pirate.
If you think pissing off a single cracker group of 6 people for 10 additional minutes is worth pissing off your entire legal player base perpetually when ever a server goes down, well, that's your opinion. I personally think the opposite.
I had a pirate copy of Bioshock, didn't even finish it. Not my cup of tea. But i found it funny that a number of legit users couldn't install the game, get it running etc... Not to mention the 4 times install crap. So I with a pirated copy had no problems while legit users have a ton of them. What's the point?
An RTS game will always have a big online community which cannot be reached using illegal methods, so why bother with the whole "login online" if you inconvenience the legit users and do nothing to prevent pirates from playing single/skirmish.
The problem as I see it is that the gaming consumers are too gullible. A car which would make more trouble to the owner than the thief wouldn't last long... in the gaming world people are happy just if the game is released. Who cares about the bugs. I cannot stop wondering why did I pay money for OF. I can't use LAN since it doesn't work (for me), i have to register to Relic Online everytime I wanna play and online play doesn't work since I get disconnected after 60s. If I was to download a pirated copy I would have the same benifites without the hassle of having to login to my Relic Account. Great. Just great. Why should I care that game companies have to protect their investment? Has nothing to do with me. I'm just paying for the experience. Why should I have to be inconvenienced on the account of pirates? I have an original game. But no, we gladly accept all these stupid and unnecessary procedures. Login in there, install only once, stick your penis in for indentification. Why? God I don't know. Really if I start to think about it, I don't know why I still sometimes buy games. I get NO benefits, actually, I am the one being cheated.
Eh, what's the point...
wow, i think a high money fee or some years in prison would be enough.
no let's kill them. They are what's wrong with the world. Rape, murder, torture all pale in comparison. They are stealing software! Destroy them!!
Ap0k in my last post I came with an attacking tune, So I apologize for it I did it because I though you are admin here
Now as for the Daton problem, I ask people to not reply his posts since he clearly don't read ours... I already explain to him that cracking isn't just copping the files from the dvd to the sharing folder but he still "play" himself dumb.(i might be mistaken about that).
please leave him be ... and ask him nicely to leave this thread because if he don't have a valid point of his own to clear out here then he doesn't belong here since he is not against this cp as well.
Edit : Xxax, I think you should edit your post a bit, lets call your post a bit bold you can still say what you want but in a softer way I would say. Besides, The term you use - Crackers is incorrect since they are not the guys that hack your computer and plant viruses for fun this guys believe they are doing good by "sharing" the game. I don't think this guys should get bigger punishment then a guy that stills a a TV gets. Sorry there is a lot of fucked up laws like for example if you have a dog and the dog bites a thief in your house then the thief can sue you, thats ironical !
Last edited by Dead_Like_Me; 6th Oct 07 at 8:35 AM.
#542
If you don't feel someone should be posting in the thread, is not addressing the topic at hand or is otherwise breaking the forum rules, then report it. Doing anything else just drags the thread off-topic.
I've already had to delete several posts here. If you lot can't address the topic without descending into personal bickering then I will simply shut this discussion down. Consider yourselves warned.
The argument about casual piracy does have its problems. OK, now you prevent friends from sharing a disk and playing. Now think for a second: Are all of these guys who are prevented from playing together locally going to buy a new copy to do so? Some of them might after seeing that it's far better online (less troubles, finding other opponents easily). But you also run the risk into making some of those people look for ways to circumvent this. Now they have the knowledge that it isn't too hard. And now you're helping, in a way, create the same guys you want to avoid.
All of this, for making it a tiny, very tiny bit harder to crack, and an actual inconvenience to some.
One of the cardinal rules of the internet:
That aside... This discussion brings up lots of valid concerns and ideas about how piracy affects the end consumer.
How much copy protection or theft deterrent is enough to protect any product, but not so much to make in inconvenient for the end consumer? There have been tons on analogies to other real world products or practices (Automotive locks and checking your receipt at a store) that other members have compared to the protection that Relic has implemented.
"Protection" in whatever form boils down to convenience. Consumers allow locks on their cars because it is a minimal inconvenience to use the key to unlock/start the car. Thus the invention of the keyless entry. When technology made it simpler... Some automotive company "thought outside the box" and tried a different method for unlocking the car. What do you know...? It caught on.
What does this tell us? Consumers in general want the least amount of inconvenience coupled with satisfactory protection. Even though putting a key in a lock and turning it takes just a moment... Pressing a button is even faster. Cars these days are starting to come with more features... Keyless/remote starting... All in the guise of convenience.
That is my example of a step forward... Now I have an example of what I feel is a step backward.
My local Wal-Mart... Everyone knows the "Wal-Mart Greeter"... The man or woman that every Wal-Mart garrisons the front door with to greet you and make sure you have your shopping cart. My local Wal-Mart has changed this person's position in the store. No longer do they stand in the foyer greeting and handing out carts. They have been assigned to a position between the cash registers and the exit asking people to see their receipt.
It used to be the would only ask to see your receipt if the inventory protection system would activate when you left the store because the kid in electronics that sold you your Blu-Ray disc of 300 didn't deactivate the tag inside the box...
Now they are asking what seem to be random people to see their receipt. I do not know the method... Maybe they have to check every 10th person or 10 people an hour... I do not know.
Nevertheless, personally it pisses me off. I have yet to be flagged as the "random search winner" but if I do I can tell you that I *WILL* decline. I will tell them that Wal-Mart has NO business frisking my receipt. I will tell them if the alarm goes off as I exit, they are welcome to check me, but until then leave me in peace.
The rumor around town is that the local Wal-Mart is experiencing a high level of theft and they are trying to crack down on it. That is all fine and dandy... but I do not feel that this method of checking is going to help.
Now I feel angry the moment I step into the Wal-Mart because the man that used to say "Welcome" to me is longer welcoming me... He has become the Wal-Mart Gestapo. I can tell he does not enjoy it either... I think he rather liked talking to the community as they filed in to make their purchases. Now he is the person no one wants to interact with because it means he is going to check you for theft.
There is indeed a fine line between protection and convenience. I feel that Relic overstepped this line... Not far over the line, but it was indeed crossed. Have I lost my faith in them to try to find a better common ground? Not at all. However if they do not reconsider the method they used I am one to vote with my wallet. I will not buy anymore of their products until I find out from others on this forum what kind of method they use for validation. That is my ULTIMATE right as a consumer. Not to purchase a product that does not meet my expectations.
A very good move for relic, keeping those lame people who doesnt pay for the game, from cracking it, downloading it, copying it, whatever, 1 CD key per account is GREAT! Thumps up Relic!
Could everone who states that this copy protection prevents people from copying the game make a clear point why it stopped people from copying it? People who "stole" vCoH couldn't play on Relic online, and where is exactly the change to the current situation?
I am pretty sure a crack and a key generator exist for OF so everyone who copied vCoH will copy/download OF as well.
I don't have anything against copy protection but only if it works to a certain extend and as it seems, the new introduced copy protection is more a pain in the ass for legal customers than an copy protection...
And there it is...After 37 pages, we've finally satisfied Godwin's Law....I was waiting for it.
This protection policy is even worse then simply checking your receipt as you exit a store. This is literally relic forcing you to show your receipt each and every time you use said product. See previous analogy on toilet paper.
Personally, I fail to see how this protects anyone, relic/THQ/me, from the great evil of piracy and crackers. It simply inflates the number of people "online" and gives relic/THQ an easy and convenient way to spy on their own consumers. As innocuous as this may seem to most people now, how soon until we have process reporting back to an organization to monitor for non legit software on a system. What if someone decides that, in order to run a game, a windows verification check is needed? Sadly, most people seem content with an answer that is simply "well, it works for me, so unless I have technical difficulties playing, I could care less about protection schemes."
I don't doubt that this is all scheme to increase online numbers and inflate RO's value, at the cost of convenience for legal, paying customers.Personally, I don't feel like being a statistic that THQ feeds its share holders, hoping to get their stock up an eighth of a point.
EDIT:Unix keyboard strikes again and causes spelling and grammatical errors.
Last edited by Gue'la Brewer; 8th Oct 07 at 9:29 AM.
Yes, that is understandable.its understandable for the online portion of the game. you can use an anonymous email provider, if you got problems with that. i never got any disturbing things on my email account from relic.
As far as recieving things in the email, spamming is only one way to leverage a list of email addresses associated with product statistics. It is certainly not the only way to turn the information into more money.
Why are you so sure?what i dont understand, is why there is no: login automatically or use cd to verify, option. but i am sure we will get something like that with a new patch...
They do not have an incentive to make that change for you. The incentive is towards gathering more data.
Remember, the reason given for requiring an email address for single player is a lie. There was never a plausible theory as to why the requirement would have stopped a single pirate.
Dishonesty.
So I have to act the part of a pirate in order to keep Relic from includng me in their database associating name, email, IP, and product usage .. while they lie to me about why they want this database?if you are so suspicious about the collected data, and dont play online, then use a software firewall to block of out, and use cd verification.
Think about it.
Has Relic undergone a recent management change?
#549
Well, if they didn't have your e-mail address and IP, how else could they sneak their ninja's into your house at night to plant spy camera's around the place and steal all your tinfoil hats?
Last edited by Ap0k; 8th Oct 07 at 10:48 AM.
So, the only real argument you can make for relic in response to privacy invasion is basically "who cares, its not important information anyways?"
While I'd love to believe that relic is not using any of this information for any other purposes other then statistics and metrics used to make a better game, I have my suspicions. You may not care what information is being gathered, and what it's being used for, but I do. It's a matter of principle more then a matter of necessity. It is one thing to openly register for a forum, to log into relic's privately owned and operated mutliplayer servers and it is another for me to turn on my computer and play campaign or skirmish. relic can make no compelling argument for including the single player online login, as it does nothing to defeat piracy. It simply make me question their business ethics and their regard for their customer base. I have always appreciated the way that relic treated the game community as a partnership for creating better games. This reeks of corporate, profit-first garbage. I am not deluded enough to think that relic isn't in this business to make money, but this goes against everything I ever thought of them as a company. I would like to think of this as a bad experiment that went wrong for relic, but it seems to me that this may be the way relic/THQ decide to proceed in the future.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
