Spore Copy Protection Q&A

[Dankidus]

Originally Posted by Naenia

actually its not that kind of glitch...its gameplay one...no matter how well funded my schools are or how many i have they complain...same for clinics and hospitals....but yeah this is spore problem...ill go mentions it over that other forums....i dunno how common this glith is (if at all)

so yeah...carry on with the topic...

Yeah, you have to look for them to rebel first, lol. Probably due to the mother slider in the budget menu not at the baseline. I was referring to the crash to desktop with no warning. I've heard that is a safedisk problem(a form of copy protection for those whom dont know).

[Cyberfrog]

Awesome post, Malgor!


Starting with Spore I will think hard whether a game deserves my money. The standards will be almost impossibly high for games with invasive, unfair copy protection schemes, i.e. about every future EA title unless they come to their senses.

If Spore is one of the best games ever, OK I'll buy it. If it is just another game, then forget it, I got other things to do.

[Dankidus]

Some guy that got the game early was streaming it from a webcam. He's probably asleep, but that was your opportunity to see how it plays out. He got to space in a few hours, FYI. Looked pretty damn fun! I stopped watching though, because people were begging him to cheat to reach the center of the galaxy.

[Wishbone77]

Originally Posted by Malgor

By the same agument, however, people who have the pirate print may well just not have bothered to get it if they had to pay for it - but people seeing it in their house may go out and buy one.

Or the people who got the pirate print may have done so simply to see how it would look on their wall. Satisfied that it looks good, they may go out and buy it themselves.

Funny, one thing no publisher talks about, is the approximate extra income they have gained from piracy. In many cases, piracy works as a "try before you buy" option. With the prices of new games being what they are today, buying a game without trying it first, can turn out to be a very expensive mistake. (Please, no "I have enough money, the cost of a game doesn't bother me" comments. Not everyone is as fortunate as you). Hence, some people get a pirated copy of a game to try it out, and then buy it afterwards, which they wouldn't have done if they hadn't pirated it first.

[Eroneouse]

Piracy of games can work both ways, years ago I got a cracked copy of " Shogun Total War " I was so impressed I have Bought every total war game since and will keep buying them till the day I die what a fantastic game series it is, the devs fully deserve the money spent on that series for the entertainment value I get from it. On the other side of the coin I have aquired a few other cracked copys of games that made me so happy I had not gone out and spent £30 to £40 on what becomes a redundant CD after a game with no depth or artistic value is completed after 6 to 8 hours and thrown on the never play again pile.

I do not buy a game until I have seen the game-play, be that a pirate copy, watching it at a friends or utube snips on the net. I have spent too much money on lalalala software to happilly shell out the cash without knowing beforehand what exactly it is I am buying these days.

3 activations rule has knocked what looks to be a fine game from my buy at once radar as I have stated before I upgrade my machine fairly regularly, and also use my machine to trouble shoot friends machines hardware so I could potentially go through 3 activations a month if I had a busy year upgrading and helping people. If I end up with a cracked copy of Spore EA only have themselves to blame but with 3 activations I will not be buying this game. Most computer games I play the companys provide sucky to no customer support why the hell should I risk paying for a game then haveing to pay again every few months for sucky support to get my game working again.

And even more so why should I risk that one day EA will leave this game behind and let the activation server die leaveing me with a pretty, shiny, redundant disc.

Edit - I have not seen too much from Bullfrog recently but my bought copy of Dungeon Keeper still works well enough without any silly activation rule. Would I be able to say the same about Spore in 14 years time ?

[Dankidus]

Originally Posted by Wishbone77

With the prices of new games being what they are today, buying a game without trying it first, can turn out to be a very expensive mistake.

In all fairness, Tecmo Super Bowl on the original NES was the same price (new) as Spore will be on the day of release (In the USA at least).

Anyways, yes, if this 3 activation thing hinders me, I will find a crack. You know there's bound to be one, Spore is going to be extremely popular and people will run out of activations pretty quickly. Heck, the CC is cracked now, I'm sure some hackers have the knowhow and are just waiting for the release to break the activation lalalala.

EA - Why the hell do you spend so much money on DRM from Sony when your DRMs are making it desirable for crackers to produce their alternatives? I guess you're depending on sheep to be gullible and eat from your hand, instead of grazing on the free range.

[flatfroggerx]

Originally Posted by Eroneouse

Edit - I have not seen too much from Bullfrog recently but my bought copy of Dungeon Keeper still works well enough without any silly activation rule. Would I be able to say the same about Spore in 14 years time ?

There is no guarantee at all this is YET ANOTHER issue with the activation scheme, on the back of the box for spore there is a small print that EA can withdraw the online services provided within 30 days of notice, don't believe me? ill dig the boxart for you.

I pirated knights of the old republic, I was seriously impressed and went out and bought it. Normally i'm not one for RPGs but KotOR was seriously impressive, even though I nocd patched my genuine copy i'm glad I bought it and supported bioware. What I will not support is activations or other dumb protection schemes like starforce.

[Eroneouse]

Originally Posted by flatfroggerx

There is no guarantee at all this is YET ANOTHER issue with the activation scheme, on the back of the box for spore there is a small print that EA can withdraw the online services provided within 30 days of notice, don't believe me? ill dig the boxart for you.

I have no reason to disbelieve you but IF that is true then that is another nail in the wont buy Spore coffin as that is their get out clause right there.

[Dankidus]

Which exposes people, whom never considered piracy before, to the idea that piracy is the answer. Thus a spiral to pirate more.

[flatfroggerx]

http://www.gamestop.com/Catalog/PopB...oduct_ID=60227

You might need imagezoom firefox extension or to save it and zoom in to see it.

Quote: Internet connection, online authentication and end user license agreement required to play. You must register online with the enclosed serial code. Only one registration available per game. EA terms & Conditions and feature updates can be found at EA - Action, Fantasy, Sports, and Strategy Videogames. You must be 13+ to register online. EA may retire online features after 30 days of notice posted on EA - Action, Fantasy, Sports, and Strategy Videogames

Notice how they also say authentication NOT activation. Someone at EA needs a schooling in the difference between the two.

[Dankidus]

I never thought these words would come from my keyboard, but thank god for pirates ....

[Eroneouse]

I could see it quite well enough without having to zoom in, thanks for that, another nail banged home. This game is shifting to the " looking for a cracked copy radar " so fast, which is really really where I do not want it to be at.

[Dankidus]

Might be less of a PITA to look for a virus free copy than it is to put up with EA throwing you in loops and denying you service.

Not that they would, but if EA quickly pulled the plug on the online content of this game, the fun factor would be halved. However, to be fair, it is in EAs best interest to keep it up as long as possible, as it extends the shelf life of the game.

[flatfroggerx]

Virus free copies are easy, just look in the right places.

[Wishbone77]

Originally Posted by flatfroggerx

I pirated knights of the old republic, I was seriously impressed and went out and bought it. Normally i'm not one for RPGs but KotOR was seriously impressive, even though I nocd patched my genuine copy i'm glad I bought it and supported bioware.

Did you buy KOTOR2? And did that make you happy you had supported LucasArts?

[flatfroggerx]

Originally Posted by Wishbone77

Did you buy KOTOR2? And did that make you happy you had supported LucasArts?

No I didnt and no I wouldn't of. I tried that at a friends in advance.

[MetroPolice]

Actualy by buying a game you dont support the developers or the community.

[Eroneouse]

Originally Posted by MetroPolice

Actualy by buying a game you dont support the developers or the community.

Now how on earth do you come to this conclusion ?

No one buying a game = no paychecks for the devs and no official community to me that would IMPLY that buying a game does indeed support both the devs and the community. Building 3 activations into a game hurts it as that will push people to get pirate copys.

[MetroPolice]

Originally Posted by Eroneouse

Now how on earth do you come to this conclusion ?

No one buying a game = no paychecks for the devs and no official community to me that would IMPLY that buying a game does indeed support both the devs and the community. Building 3 activations into a game hurts it as that will push people to get pirate copys.

Finaly. Your pointless thread has bin taken down.

[Wishbone77]

Originally Posted by MetroPolice

Finaly. Your pointless thread has bin taken down.

I must say, you do really come across as a warm hearted, friendly individual. In each and every one of your posts.

[MetroPolice]

Originally Posted by Wishbone77

I must say, you do really come across as a warm hearted, friendly individual. In each and every one of your posts.

Funny that the only people who i had conflict with are anti-securomers on these forums... ironic isnt it? You all do what you want till you keep your arguments and insults and pointless whining in this sticky thread.

[Remora Wraith]

Originally Posted by MetroPolice

Actualy by buying a game you dont support the developers or the community.

That's the stupidest thing to say. Of course it does, if the game doesn't sell the development studio gets closed down and the developers lose their jobs.

Piracy is a double edged blade, yes it does cut sales there will ALWAYS be people who want something for free but it also exposes the game to people who might not of bought it who in turn may then buy it. Take Sins of a Solar Empire for example, I thought it looked awesome but it wasn't easily available in the UK so I had to import it from the US but that would be pricey so I downloaded a copy first to see if it was worth it, it was so I bought it. Had I not downloaded it I wouldn't have bought it, same goes for Oblivion and Trackmania.

I'm now in fact more inclined to use cracks and pirate copies of Spore if nothing else to protect my legitimate copy from this 3 activation lala, and if it's present on Red Alert 3 I won't even buy it. If I as a legitimate customer am going to be treated as a criminal then f you I will be a criminal at least then there's justification in my treatment.

[Wishbone77]

Originally Posted by MetroPolice

Funny that the only people who i had conflict with are anti-securomers on these forums... ironic isnt it? You all do what you want till you keep your arguments and insults and pointless whining in this sticky thread.

Not really that ironic, since you perform a verbal assault on each one you see. And, following your own argument, why don't you get your arguments and insults and whining out of this sticky thread? Oh, sorry, you don't have arguments, just insults and whining. My bad.

[Dankidus]

My thoughts exactly. I hope EA is listening (for their sake, of course). I may buy spore simply because it is just one of those once in a lifetime games, but all their other games starting with MEPC, including any EA sports games, and other good games get no dice from me. I wont pirate, but using a crack to get around spores 3 activation limit might be in my cards. EA: as one of those customers that owns dozens of games, it may be beneficial to take my examples as a valid concern on your part. (assuming the high ups take these issues to heart)

[Eroneouse]

Metropolice if you want me to see anything you have to say in future you will have to get someone else to quote it as your the first person to ever make my forum ignore list. So glad this forum supports an ignore feature that we as well as EA can use.