More Stupid Copy Protection That Does Nothing But Piss Off Legitimate Users
from the why-oh-why-do-companies-think-this-is-necessary? dept
This certainly isn't a new or unique story, but Broadband Reports has yet another story about ridiculous and pointless copy protection. The copy protection scheme, called Starforce, appears to be mainly used for protecting certain PC games from being copied. Of course, like so many copy protection schemes it does this by assuming all legitimate customers are criminals. Not only that, but it installs itself without letting you know (not even in the EULA), hides itself on your PC, slows down the PC, causes all sorts of other problems and errors, and is nearly impossible to remove -- even after the protected application has been removed. In other words, it's just as bad as some adware/spyware out there -- except that it's screwing things up for legitimate customers who actually went out and bought the games in question. As the article points out, every one of those games is available in a cracked version online, so this "copy protection" scheme doesn't actually prevent copies. It only serves to anger legitimate customers. Why is anyone using this product on their software?
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New Game Protection That Screws With My 'Puter
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List of games
"List of games
AceSaga N/A ? N/A StarForce
American Conquest N/A CDV Software Russia StarForce 3
Anito: Defend A Land Enraged N/A Anino Entertainment Asia StarForce 1
Anstoss 4 N/A ? Germany StarForce 3
Army Men N/A 3DO Russia StarForce
Bandits: Phoenix Rising N/A Tri Synergy N/A StarForce 3.03.036.001
Breed 1.0 CDV US StarForce 3.3.33.06
Breed N/A CDV France StarForce 3.3.33.08
Broken Sword 3: The Sleeping Dragon N/A
Revolution US StarForce
Chrome N/A Strategy First Russia StarForce 3
Codename: Outbreak N/A Virgin Interactive Russia StarForce 1
Cossacks: Back To War N/A CDV Software Russia StarForce 1
Cossacks: European Wars N/A GSC Russia StarForce 3
Curse: The Eye of Isis N/A Dreamcatcher Interactive N/A StarForce 3
Cycling Manager 3 N/A GMX Media N/A StarForce 3
Dead to Rights N/A Hip Interactive N/A StarForce 3
Demonic Speedway N/A ? Poland StarForce 3
Desert Rats vs. Afrika Corps 1.0 Monte Cristo France StarForce 3.3.31.19
DTM Race Driver 2 N/A Codemasters N/A StarForce 3.3.35.02
Emergency Fire Response N/A Dreamcatcher Interactive N/A StarForce 3
Enigma: Rising Tide N/A Tesseraction Games N/A StarForce 3
Etherlords N/A Fishtank Interactive Russia StarForce 1
Etherlords II N/A Strategy First N/A StarForce 3.03.031.021
Fire Chief N/A Strategy First N/A StarForce 3
Fire Department N/A Monte Cristo N/A StarForce 3
Gangland N/A Whiptail Interactive N/A StarForce 3.03.031.021
Heroes of Might & Magic IV: The Gathering Storm N/A 3DO Russia StarForce
Horse Race Manager N/A Cyanide N/A StarForce 3
Icewind Dale: Heart of Winter N/A Interplay UK StarForce 3
IL-2 Sturmovik N/A Ubi Soft Russia StarForce 1
Kicker Manager 2004 N/A Deep Silver N/A StarForce 3.03.036.001
Kill Switch 1.0 Namco France StarForce 3.3.33.08
Korea: Forgotten Conflict N/A CENEGA N/A StarForce 3
Magna Carta N/A Korea N/A StarForce 1
Magnamedia N/A Russia N/A StarForce 3
Mercedes-Benz World Racing N/A TDK Mediactive Spain StarForce 3
Might & Magic IX: Writ of Fate N/A 3DO Russia StarForce
Narsillion N/A ? Russia StarForce 1
Obscure N/A Hydravision Entertainment N/A StarForce 3.3.36.01
Pax Romana N/A Dreamcatcher Interactive N/A StarForce 3
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time N/A Ubisoft Russia StarForce 3
Pro Rugby Manager N/A Digital Jesters N/A StarForce 3.3.33.08
Rally Championship Xtreme N/A Warthog Entertainment Software N/A StarForce
Rendezvous 3 N/A ? Russia StarForce
Restaurant Empire N/A Enlight Software N/A StarForce
Revolution N/A Activision Value Publishing N/A StarForce
Runaway: A Road Adventure N/A Tri Synergy N/A StarForce 3
Seventh Seal: The Resurrection of the Dark Lord N/A ? Asia StarForce 2
Shtyrlits 3: USSR Agent N/A ? Russia StarForce 1
Siege of Avalon N/A Digital Tome Russia StarForce 1
Silent Storm N/A Nival N/A StarForce 3
Silkolene Honda Motocross GP N/A Midas Interactive Entertainment N/A StarForce 3
Sniper N/A ? N/A StarForce 3
Soldiers: Heroes of World War II 1.05.1 Codemasters N/A StarForce 3.03.036.001
Tennis Masters Series: Battleground of Champions N/A Microids Asia StarForce
Tennis Masters Series: Battleground of Champions 1.1 Microids Czech StarForce 3
The Heroes of Three Kingdoms N/A N/A Asia StarForce
The I Of The Dragon N/A Primal Software Russia StarForce 3
The Westerner N/A Focus Home Interactive France StarForce 3.3.31.21
TOCA Race Driver 2 1.0 Codemasters N/A StarForce 3.3.35.02
TOCA Race Driver 2 1.1 Codemasters N/A StarForce 3.3.36.01
TOCA Race Driver 2 1.2 Codemasters N/A StarForce 3.3.36.01
Track Mania N/A Nadeo N/A StarForce 3.03.035.004
Trackmania N/A Nadeo N/A StarForce 3
UFO: Aftermath 1.00 CENEGA Spain StarForce 3
V8 Supercars 2 N/A Codemasters Australia StarForce 3.3.35.02
Wildlife Park N/A Encore, Inc N/A StarForce 3
World War II: Frontline Command 1.0.0.0 Strategy First N/A StarForce
World War II: Frontline Command N/A Strategy First N/A StarForce 3
X2: The Threat N/A Enlight Software N/A StarForce 3.3.30.5
Xuan-Yuan Sword 4 N/A ? ASIA StarForce 2
Also they apparently include this protection with the demos of some of these games ???
Why ?
"
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Re: List of games
this protection kills framerates, cannot run games at optimal graphics setting
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Re: List of games
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Re: List of games
Uses: StarForce 3.4.72.03
CN
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Re: List of games
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Devil's Advocate
Software companies lose huge amounts of money because of casual piracy, and I don't blame them from trying to stop people from stealing their software. That doesn't mean they have chosen the best way to do it, however, but I think their intentions are legitimate.
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Re: Devil's Advocate
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Re: Devil's Advocate
thats a stupid statement
your describing casual piracy
while attacking the existance of casual piracy.
you lend it to a friend they install it many gAmes evene when you give them the cd you can still play it
and now your friends can cAn too
a board game is physical so only one of you can have it at a time.
a cd 100,000,000,000 people can use it at once.
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Re: Devil's Advocate
I've had a similar experience with "protected" music CDs. I bought a CD which wouldn't play on my computer. In order to listen to the music I had legally purchased, I was forced to download the mp3s. And then the question arises, what have I actually paid for? If you have to download the full ISO of a game in order to play it, what will be the incentive to pay?
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Re: Devil's Advocate
its just a fact of life and is nature of the beast.
software companies dont lose this money because they never had it to begin with.
and lets not forget the the success/popularity of some of these games can sometimes also be attributed to the piracy (where certain groups/warez sites etc) promote how good a game is make maps and characters and then people go out and buy the game to play it online as well
and finally, tinkering with a users system, and installing items that the user is unaware of is underhanded. when they remove starforce and their system crashes will the game company pay for the costs/time to recover any data lost and to reformat that persons computer?
if the answer is no then they should not be distibuting it as part of their "protection"
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Re: Devil's Advocate
V8 Supercars 2 N/A Codemasters Australia StarForce 3.3.35.02
Its just stupid, you can still use the smae serial key and cd to run it on a room full of pc's, from just on dvd
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Re: Devil's Advocate
While games, although I try a lot of different ones, it's out of boredom on a rainy day, again I would never buy one, I would just find something else to do.
(& as far as going to the movies, haven't been since I was a teenager, and then it wasn't to watch the film!!! Nowadays I just fall asleep 1/2 way through, so I don't bother going!)
So the way I see it I'm not taking anything from anyone, as I would not have bought a copy in the first place!
;}
Having said that, it does piss me off when I can't make copies of my cds, for the car, as they get ruined very quickly if played in the car cd changer (I live up a bumpy dirt road!!) hate to pay $30 ++ and have it f*** out in a couple of weeks!!!
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starforce 3
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i lost my jewel case
i lost my jewel case and i want my serial no back please send no arguments you fool
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about the game listing
using Starforce 3.4.63.2 if im not wrong
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Re: i lost my jewel case
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Citylife
Game makers should at least make sure the software works, I think copy protection just skinks and hurts people who actually pay money for a game.
Time to look on the net for a cracked version, as it maybe the only way to get this game to play.
Either that or send it back to the game developer and 'demand' a refund.
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Enigma Rising Tide
To obtain a so called rescue key is a headache too !
Try calling starforce , russia .or see their refusal on webpage - to supply a key to those they contemptuosly refer to as ' end users' .
They shirk their responsability and deny culpability is causing trouble to those who payed money .
The attitude of starforce is rude contempt , regarding paying customers as peasantry!
Never , never , buy from any company which has any links whatsoever with this totally unworthy bunch based in Volgograd!
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GRrrrrrrrr
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Cossacks II : battle for europe
Thank u !!!!
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Re: Cossacks II : battle for europe
did u find an answer?
heeeeeeeeeeeelp
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damn
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Shesh!
aka
WR2
Can be added to the list. It's by Evolved and according to their support page them and Star-force are no longer on good terms. Shesh, I thought STEAM was bad!
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Broken Sword 24 key code
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No code!
After it kept constantly crashing every 5 minutes I downloaded a patch the creators had released.
Now, when I try to run the game it asks for a serial number...there was never one supplied.
I am severally pissed at this!
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Starforce Drivers
Over time i noticed a noticeable decrease in speed. Burning times would increase and i had no idea why. But the problem always corrected itself on a NEW OS install.
I played Ubisofts Silent HUnter 3 Which had that aweful starforce on it and i am sure that is the reason why.
I came here looking for pacific fighters and it it had SF on it. Actually i am not going to bother with it even though it looks good and i bought it at a charity shop for 1 pound 50.
I have not bought any UBISOFT game since then, 2 years ago now, and i use to buy them all since apart from SF Ubisoft is a very good game publishing company.
Ubi use to get a few hundred pounds out of me per year. They dont get jack crap now cos of what they did to my system. They, SF
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