Why is the X3 copy protection such a big secret?

[martindemon]

Yep, they say that they (Starforce) would be ready to work with the customer to try to solve any problem. There is no warranty. While the risk of having a problem is quite small, I would rather have 0% chance of problem caused by copy protection than having a 0.01% chance. Also, I like having nero and cloneCD and cloneDVD installed in my computer and they (Starforce) have no right to force me uninstalling those just because they think those software are used exclusively by pirates. Having to uninstall the cloning software every time I want to play a game would be annoying. Well, I mainly use those for backup replication because it is faster than Nero so the annoyance is limited because I do that once every 3 months. But all the same... I will still hold my money until I know which version doesn't have Starforce.

[lukethegordie]

Even if Egosoft use Starforce, the chances of nack-ups are slim.

Besides Egosoft have the best end-user support ive seen. The community simpley contacts them directly or through these forms and they'll get a reply in a few hours max.

Anyone tryed EAs end user support? lol

[martindemon]

Even if Egosoft use Starforce, the chances of nack-ups are slim.

Besides Egosoft have the best end-user support ive seen. The community simpley contacts them directly or through these forms and they'll get a reply in a few hours max.

Anyone tryed EAs end user support? lol

Starforce or the distributor do the support for copy protection, not Egosoft. But is it true that Egosoft is great

[Mark III]

Now that X3 has been shiped why not reveal what cp it has?
Not that it bothers me, im buying it what ever the cp but to end the debate

EDIT:
Opps, this was supposed to go in the "Why is the X3 copy protection such a big secret?" thread Sorry, my mistake

[softweir]

Someone at the DVD / CD plant attacks each and every copy with an industrial sander. It's impossible to copy a disk after that!

[Scarecrow]

No problem




moving

[Galaxy613]

I took some time, and did some research about Starforce, which appears to be alot more than some people do!

http://www.firingsquad.com/features/starforce_interview

The "Firingsquad" interviewed a representative whom outlined what it does, how it acts, exactly why it is chosen etc. It made interesting and informative reading, with the interviewer seemingly giving a balanced opinion.

I highly/strongly suggest people read it.

Very well done at finding this article. I second that suggestion that people take time to read it.

Seeing as there's a possibility that Starforce will be on the UK version I'll be getting, we'll see if all the hoopla amounts to anything.

As a side note, when I was younger, copy protection was a pain in the rear as I felt I was being "stuck" by the man. A decade or two later, you realize that you have yourself become the "man" with bills to pay and interests that need to be protected to insure your long and short-term financial health. As the author states, if copy protection allows developers and publishers to keep on making good games, what's the problem?

My 2 cents.

That interview makes me feel better about getting the UK version of X3.

[Zanchito]

It is very true that copy protection falls in the publisher's responsability. However I find it appalling that publishers wouldn't even bother to tell the creators of the product they're selling what CP they are going to slap on it. I mean: if they give you preview shots of the game case, how hard would it be to tell what CP scheme will be used too? Not that it takes too long to write an email back to the developers and say "hey, we're going to put some SecuRom here on your game".
Even more, some CP schemes need integration with the code, and i get the feeling that's an added work for the developers.

For whoever says knowing the CP beforehand helps pirates, I gotta say that's not a very accurate idea:
1) Pirates are still sitting ducks until they get their hands on an original.
2) Once with an original disk in their hands, it takes under 10 seconds to know what CP is working there. Wow. A whole 10 seconds saved by a previous notice! Any legit user can do this, not just pirates.

Now, certain people have issues with certain CP's, that's obvious. By not advancing what CP you are going to use (publisher) it feels you're trying to trick people into buying your version (instead of importing one) out of excitement and anticipation. I may well be wrong on this, it's just the only reason I can think of to not share that information.

I have had my Windows nuked by Starforce in the past. There's not a single reason to risk that again, and if you ask me, putting out software like that should be a punishable crime, much like cracking and data stealing. I've also had problems with one of the versions of SafeDisk, but in the end got my disks to work so that's *almost* allright, just gotta wait for a patch, and no harm is done to my personal, private data.

And finally, it is sad that legit consumers have to be bothered by CP's while pirates just put out cracked exes that are, by all means, more comfortable to use. I know it's not feasible, but man, I wish they just asked me for my CD-Key, validated it online once and stopped bothering me. Again, I understand the necessity of protecting your creation too.

All in all, when someone knows please post, because people here are way more informative than official channels (and Egosoft is NOT an official channel regarding this matter, I agree.) We just want the info asap, from wherever, so we can order the version that suits our tastes better.

Cheers!

[Mightysword]

Alright here we are. BurnIt just confirm that you guys just received the first shipment from DeepSilver and start sending package to preoder folks today.


So, now there is no reason to say you still don't know what kind of Protection is being used on the DeepSilver version is there?


By all mean, now with the real copies in your hand can you please tell us what kind of Protection is being used?

[Piscator]

I don't understand this thing about the different publishers using different types of copy protection. Don't the pirates just need to crack one version to make the whole excercise pointless? Why give them more choice?

[MiSP]

I guess it's because the publishers using StarForce think that they, at least, will not "contribute" to piracy by using a "weak" copy protection.

[coranthia]

I contacted Deepsilver the publisher to get information on which copy protection they will be using and they emailed me back that:

"We will be using Starforce keyless copy protection, as it is the most effective at this time"


For those of you that care, I hope this answers your question.

As for me, I have ordered one version from Enlight and one from Deepsilver to show my support for Egosoft for making great games that are unlike anything else being produced. I guess I will give the Deepsilver copy to a friend I dont relaly like all that much as a Christmas present.

Cheers.

Edited for spelling

[Scarecrow]

Lets move this one in to the main cp discussion thread.

[Alfred Bester]

"We will be using Starforce keyless copy protection, as it is the most effective at this time"

Thanks for the info! Personally, I think/(hope) SF probably improved so legit. users don't have to suffer so much anymore
As an aside, I played Galatic Civilizations, that game didn't have any copy protection whatsoever. It didn't need to, because it's developers kept the game alive for a long time with patches and new stuff along with a bristling community (sounds familiar) which could only be accessed with a certified CD-key. So why not focus on this more? It seems no matter how difficult the protection these pirates will always find ways to circumvent

[martindemon]

Hi Enlight, here I come

[Speedsterworld]

Ya I agree, I like what egosoft has done with their package and script distrobutions... but that worked well with X2 and earlier, smaller fan base, with the rate i'm guessing this is expanding at, are we sure all those things wont just land on other sites?
Anyways, yes I hate starforce, and that's a reason i'm not going for the Deepsilver release. Hoping Enlight doesn't go the same route.
I believe all the people who have been here through the last months through years, will buy the game and support Egosoft, a great company who's produced this awesome series.

And if my copy does have starforce, chances are i'll play it less, more hassle to start the game, more crashes, more issues... and in my mind still illegal .

[Rapier]

I contacted Deepsilver the publisher to get information on which copy protection they will be using and they emailed me back that:

"We will be using Starforce keyless copy protection, as it is the most effective at this time"

Spoil-sport.

[Cycrow]

Yep, they say that they (Starforce) would be ready to work with the customer to try to solve any problem. There is no warranty. While the risk of having a problem is quite small, I would rather have 0% chance of problem caused by copy protection than having a 0.01% chance. Also, I like having nero and cloneCD and cloneDVD installed in my computer and they (Starforce) have no right to force me uninstalling those just because they think those software are used exclusively by pirates. Having to uninstall the cloning software every time I want to play a game would be annoying. Well, I mainly use those for backup replication because it is faster than Nero so the annoyance is limited because I do that once every 3 months. But all the same... I will still hold my money until I know which version doesn't have Starforce.

starforce doesn't make u uninstall the software it just stops it from working while the protected cd is the drive and it shouldn't effect them when its not
i have x2 on my computer with the starforce protection and it has never stopped me using alchohol or nero

[martindemon]

Yep, they say that they (Starforce) would be ready to work with the customer to try to solve any problem. There is no warranty. While the risk of having a problem is quite small, I would rather have 0% chance of problem caused by copy protection than having a 0.01% chance. Also, I like having nero and cloneCD and cloneDVD installed in my computer and they (Starforce) have no right to force me uninstalling those just because they think those software are used exclusively by pirates. Having to uninstall the cloning software every time I want to play a game would be annoying. Well, I mainly use those for backup replication because it is faster than Nero so the annoyance is limited because I do that once every 3 months. But all the same... I will still hold my money until I know which version doesn't have Starforce.

starforce doesn't make u uninstall the software it just stops it from working while the protected cd is the drive and it shouldn't effect them when its not
i have x2 on my computer with the starforce protection and it has never stopped me using alchohol or nero

Ok then perhaps I mixed Starforce with another one that forced you to really uninstall cloneCD? Anyway, it will be cheaper for me to wait for the 77 CDs version I'm also still afraid of problems caused by Starforce.

[esd]

Well, now we know.