All versions of X3 WILL have Starforce Protection

[Da_Imp]

... Anyways, if removing the driver solves your problem, contact Starforce and let them know of this bug so they can fix it.

That line is pretty important in my opinion. Making sure they're aware of issues might improve Starforce in the future and make a happier world for all of us

[calebnostro]

Ive read a lot of thread and comments/posts concerning this type of software protection. This is the first I have heard of it. Would someone do my the honor of explaining why its so hated? Does it install things onto your computer? Does it damage your system?

Would someone clue me in?

[Greb Jnnayr]

Ive read a lot of thread and comments/posts concerning this type of software protection. This is the first I have heard of it. Would someone do my the honor of explaining why its so hated? Does it install things onto your computer? Does it damage your system?

Would someone clue me in?

Well, people could tell you why it is hated, but they will be telling you things that were supposedly true for older versions, but are not true for the newest version. Egosoft, Ubisoft, and even Starforce have all reported that the newest verion of Starforce does not have no where near the problems that the older versions had.

Yes Starforce does install drivers onto your computer, but so does Secureom and Safedisc ( the other major software protection). The newest starforce is only being active when you initially start up the game, but goes inactive when you are not playing the game, for the older versions the driver was always active.

[cools71]

Yes mate, I have been playing x3 on Xtreme since the dsy before the official release date, my supplier sent their copies out earlier than they should have.

I am also playing with the fully patched 1.2 version.

With all due respect dude, I built and designed this machine myself, and I know what it is designed for. It 'mullers' all the current fps; Doom, Quake, Farcry etc. No lagg, with all the bells and whistles. Don't get me wrong tho, I don't profess to be an expert, I am meerly a skinflint who refuses to pay pc world £40 to install a graphics card, and I read the product reviews, and purchase accordingly.

All that I mentioned in my original post was that none of these probs I am having now were present before X, and I have been using the system for the same things everyday. The only thing that has changed is X3.

I will obviously have to investigate more. However I am still standing by what I said about the game being a beta, and really shouldn't have been released, and the fact that the publisher drives release dates to our pains.

But thanks for the clarification about the Starforce driver usage etc

[Lorcin]

Feel free mods to remove this paragraph if you feel it breaks any forum rules but X3 was released within 2 hours of the first copy being shipped in UK cracked and completely playable.

Erm no it wasn't - it was cloned and a rather poor attempt at emulation of starforce was made as usual.

For those who don't know this emulation normally involves running dodgy batch files and programs that shut down your ide channels even after reboots. They also require specific M$ drivers to be controlling your IDE controllers but and here comes the funny part - these methods don't work on most of the machines so what is the next advice.

Physically unplug your optical drives

I think the fact starforce still isn't often beaten over a year after it's release is a great testament to the writers. Who can blame publishers for using it when it's obviously good at it's job?

Sure there are horror stories all over the net but how much of that is wannabe pirates whining and hyping the issues they do find because they can't steal the latest games out and how much are real issues is highly debateable.

You release any software on a large enough scale and someone somewhere will say it's caused issues with their machine or just plan doesn't work - why should starforce be any different.

Oh and you can't tell me people are going through all that and not thinking for a second or two that their stealing!

[Smegbot]

I apologise in advance for veering the thread on a different course again...

Going back to what The_Abyss said about a Steam type system for X3 - when I first installed the game and downloaded the patch I remember thinking that X3 with all it's community mods and suchlike would be perfect for online distribution. As soon as a patch is released it could be implemented into the game seamlessly (well, near seamlessly) and it would be brilliant to have an online library of available mods and updates that could be installed directly. If Egosoft wanted they could release expansion packs through it with maybe additional plot missions, ships, sectors or universe features for either a reasonable price or for completely free (:D).

I'll admit there would be problems inherent with this type of system and it would be up to the community whether or not they were willing to accept them. From Egosoft's point of view it may not even be feasible to do this sort of thing (the setup and maintainance costs alone would be huge and I don't wanna start thinking about issues with publishers and suchlike) but I believe that, like it or loathe it, online distribution may well become the future of gaming.

I would be interested to know what the management of Egosoft think about this idea. I realise that now isn't the best time to ask them to comment (in fact it's possibly the worst possible time) but it would be good to hear what their initial thoughts (or just their thoughts if The_Abyss has mentioned it before) on this are...

[Lonewolf102]

Sounds like people have some real concerns and some real problems. As a Computer tech who will get the game as soon as its delivered to me ... I hope someday. I will be interested in my own experiance. I will attempt to diagnose and document any real problems I experiance but I expect few from starforce and more from lack of sleep.

[The_Abyss]

It is good to see someone take a sensible look at the possibilities for the future. I am not speaking officially.

Internet content is increasingly available at increasing speeds. In many places already, you can have perfectly good TV delivered by broadband or similar. It is quite possible that gaming is another form of entertainment of course, and that the media to deliver this entertainment is common, i.e. the internet.

Of course there are areas that do not have high-speed connections. Being brutally honest, in most cases these areas do not contain many target customers for most entertainment retailers.

It will be a few years of interesting developments for everyone. Online media offers unlimited potential for the future for all parties involved.

On other issues, please all, be sure not to involve discussion of piracy beyond the clear boundaries we have set here. Of course, we as do our publishers carefully monitor activity on various sites. I wouldn't want an innocent user to post feedback about various failures there that ended them up in trouble.

[shadowwyvern]

This thread has presented me with another reason to hate StarForce (the latest version): It disables drive emulation software. As few and far between as they may be, there are very legit uses for virtual drives. I do not find it acceptable that not only does a program install itself in a sneaky (though unfortunatly legal manner), it then proceeds to mess with things that are by no means in its jurisdiction. I am fine with games refusing to run when they detect software they hate, but when they SABATOGE it? Not good.

Oh, and even if it is fixed now, read Starforce's inspired excuse for their security holes in the old versions: here

That right there is enough to make me detest any software company.

Was it considered that this sort of invasive protection might encourage otherwise legitimate end users to obtain pirated/cracked versions fo the game for the sake of saving thier computers and sanity? (If this violates rules about piracy discussions, please feel free to delete it)

Back to online distributions and authentication: I would be willing to pay $10 extra for any game that used a system like this instead of a physical protection. Think of all the hassles that can be avoided. And Steam has proven that it even works for people that have dial-up and other intermittent connections. And to further cover expenses, how much money is saved in packaging? And scince it would not be possible to run the software without the OK from a server the company directly controls, there would be no need for copy protections to protect themselves by probing thier host for "clandestine" software.

[duncan idaho]

Its a shame that Starforce (or any DRM for that matter ) is not mentioned in the EULA. I thought about emailing the publishers to include an update to the EULA on future print runs of the game.

[NDietrich]

Eventually the pirates will find a way around current StarForce versions that is more reliable. StarForce and other protection rackets will simply make their protections more invasive, and more resource-intensive.

Who's fault is it in the long run? Probably the pirates.

But just you wait, as pirates begin cracking copy protections, more radical copy protection schemes get invented. So I wouldn't complain about StarForce, it's only going to get worse, save your breath.

In the next year or two copy protection will start becoming common at the hardware level, no doubt bringing a ton of problems for honest users, just to get at the pirates.

Nothing publishers or developers can do, really. They have to protect their software even if it means losing customers, or in the long run they'll lose more.

[Greb Jnnayr]

This thread has presented me with another reason to hate StarForce (the latest version): It disables drive emulation software. As few and far between as they may be, there are very legit uses for virtual drives. I do not find it acceptable that not only does a program install itself in a sneaky (though unfortunatly legal manner), it then proceeds to mess with things that are by no means in its jurisdiction. I am fine with games refusing to run when they detect software they hate, but when they SABATOGE it? Not good.

Oh, and even if it is fixed now, read Starforce's inspired excuse for their security holes in the old versions: here

That right there is enough to make me detest any software company.

Was it considered that this sort of invasive protection might encourage otherwise legitimate end users to obtain pirated/cracked versions fo the game for the sake of saving thier computers and sanity? (If this violates rules about piracy discussions, please feel free to delete it)

Back to online distributions and authentication: I would be willing to pay $10 extra for any game that used a system like this instead of a physical protection. Think of all the hassles that can be avoided. And Steam has proven that it even works for people that have dial-up and other intermittent connections. And to further cover expenses, how much money is saved in packaging? And scince it would not be possible to run the software without the OK from a server the company directly controls, there would be no need for copy protections to protect themselves by probing thier host for "clandestine" software.

I have no problem using virtual drives with Starforce installed. I just turn off the virtual drive when I am playing X3, and turn it back on again when I need to use that virtual drive again.

[The_Abyss]

Despite several efforts, this conversation is exhausted. Piracy, in any shape or form, cannot be condoned. It is theft, no different to someone stealing your car, breaking into your house at night and taking your wallet and stopping to have a drink from your fridge whilst they do (which is akin to several forum 'users' in the past few days).

If you think that the bars on the windows on your house block your view unacceptably, please feedback to Starforce or the publishers.