BF2 Copy Protection Gripe

D

daveyjwin

Limp Gawd
Joined
Oct 2, 2007
Messages
198
This is going to be a bit of a rant, so...

Now, I'm not a huge advocate of Steam or anything, but at least they have the right idea as far as copy protection goes. Right now, I'm rather annoyed with EA and Punkbuster. You see, I bought BF2 when it first came out, played it a ton, liked it, uninstalled it, etc. I recently got some new hardware, so I thought I'd try it out with all the settings cranked. Problem is, I have moved several times since I bought it, and can't for the life of me find any CDs except for Install disk 1 (of which I seem to have 2 copies... both of my brothers also bought the game so we could play together, so there must have been some disk trading there). So, I figure, what the hey, I'll download a version from the web, use it to install with my CD key, no big deal, right? So I do it, it installs fine, patches fine, but when I click it, it doesn't start. Apparently, you need to have the disk in the drive. So, I download a cracked exe to play with, it works, play for about 3 minutes, and get booted by Punkbuster. sigh. So, I restore back to my backed up files, get rid of the cracked exe, and download 3 different mini-images, none of which will start the damn game.

So, here I am, having purchased a game legally 2 years ago, with no possible way to play it since I lost the play CD. I have a valid account set up (2 years old, but with all my stats), and a valid CD key, but I can't play the goddamn game. You'd think that would be enough...

This is the first time I've ever said this but: Why can't they make it more like Steam?
 
Try to find a fixed image and mount it with daemon tools and replace the cracked exe with the original.

EDIT: Sorry, duh, I didn't see the fixed image part of your post. Try downloading a program called YASU that works with daemon tools for games, for securom and safedisk
 
Did that, I restored everything to the way it was, tried 3 different images with daemon tools, and none of it worked.
 
Why would you use a cracked exe? you have already stated you have Install Disc 1. That is the disc you use to play the game. What is the problem here?
 
133 said:
Why would you use a cracked exe? you have already stated you have Install Disc 1. That is the disc you use to play the game. What is the problem here?
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Yea, my thoughts exactly.
 
@ OP:
I feel your pain, hopefully disc 1 is the only one you need, unless you have to reinstall the game. My BF2 DVD was missing the other day when I wanted to reinstall it. Took me days to find it after a recent move. It was kinda scratched and stuff but worked.

I tried to no-DVD patch it too. Punkbuster to the rescue of course! :( Sucks that you always have to put the disc in to play.
 
so you lost your discs, downloaded an image, and used a cracked exe and it's somehow EA and PB's fault? If you have disc 1 that's all you need to play and why didn't you have one of your brothers make an image of the other discs and send them to you?
it sounds like PB and ea's copy ptoection did exactly what they were designed to do here.
 
After a reinstall it turns out using the install disc worked fine.

I didn't know that "Install 1" is the same as the play disc. Like I said, I hadn't played the game in a while, and I thought that the play disc would say something like "play disc" on it. Thanks to the people who pointed that out. And to bigbadgreen, what's with the accusatory tone? I didn't have my brothers send me an image because they live 1000 miles away and I kinda wanted to play today, and if PB and EAs job is to keep people who bought the game from playing the game, then they did a perfect job. The veiled accusation of piracy wasn't appreciated.

BUT, my criticism still stands, because what if I had lost Disc 1? Then the situation would be quite unsalvagable.
 
Uhh...For one, disc 1 is normally always the disc you need to play (no hurt in trying), and companies aren't responsible (nor should they be) for you losing your discs.

I lost my F.E.A.R discs but I'm not complaining to the company who made it.
 
daveyjwin said:
BUT, my criticism still stands, because what if I had lost Disc 1? Then the situation would be quite unsalvagable.
Click to expand...

Not really. BF2 is only $10 these days. So in that situation, just buy the game again.
 
Danny Bui said:
Not really. BF2 is only $10 these days. So in that situation, just buy the game again.
Click to expand...

Or you can buy the $30 set that has everything.

This is part of the reason I love D2D and STEAM so much.
 
I've been using a minicd image since the game came out almost 2 years ago, never had a single issue. (and no, its not a cracked .exe or anything like that)
 
MatDef said:
I've been using a minicd image since the game came out almost 2 years ago, never had a single issue. (and no, its not a cracked .exe or anything like that)
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Same I've used a mini-image since forever with BF2 never had a problem with it. Cracked .exe's are gonna get caught by punkbuster, it does an MD5 on the game's executable. Mini-images are safer anyway.
 
It wasn't meant to be accusatory but I guess that's how you took it. If it were me I'd call up my brother and ask them to use an imaging program, similar to the one you have mounted the image with and make me a copy and send it to me. It would take almost a whole half an hour, an hour if you've got a slower dsl. So playing today wouldn't have been an issue. I wasn't accusing you of piracy. I was pointing out that A, you downloaded an image breaking the EULA once, B you used a cracked exe, breaking the eula twice. It is EA's job and PB's job to detect people who do these exact things, and then you get upset that you get caught.
I never pointed out you don't own a valid cd key and aren't entitled to play the game. However it's not EA's responsability to make sure you don't lose your discs. If you crack a disc are you going to get pissed at them too, perhaps you drop it and step on it, maybe it's EA's fault. I'm glad we have this logic going, now if I ever break anything I expect a full replacement because I paid for it once.
Send them a copy of your recipt and game box along with the valid cd key by pic and ask them if they can send you a new copy of the game.
 
It wasn't a comment on the fact that they won't give me a new game or anything, I was simply annoyed that I couldn't have the immediate gratification of a Steam like experience with a game. If I lost my HL2 CDs, or my Orange Box DVD, it wouldn't matter one bit because I could just log in with my Valid CD key and registered user name (both things I had with BF2) and re-download with no hassle. Instead I had to fuss with it for over an hour, try several workarounds, then go on the internet and find out that I had the solution sitting in my CD spindle the whole time. All of which could have been avoided if it were like Steam. Hence, my comment: Why can't they make it more like Steam?
 
daveyjwin said:
It wasn't a comment on the fact that they won't give me a new game or anything, I was simply annoyed that I couldn't have the immediate gratification of a Steam like experience with a game. If I lost my HL2 CDs, or my Orange Box DVD, it wouldn't matter one bit because I could just log in with my Valid CD key and registered user name (both things I had with BF2) and re-download with no hassle. Instead I had to fuss with it for over an hour, try several workarounds, then go on the internet and find out that I had the solution sitting in my CD spindle the whole time. All of which could have been avoided if it were like Steam. Hence, my comment: Why can't they make it more like Steam?
Click to expand...

Umm...Because until STEAM came around everyone else required the same exact thing, so requiring both the CD/DVDs and the CD Key was standard for the time. Keep in mind BF2 is 3 years old.
 
Sigh... I'm not griping that they didn't come out with it for steam, I'm just saying that, in a Steam world, this wouldn't have been an issue, and so, I see the benefits of a centralized system for storing games based on user accounts and CD keys, over the archaic methods of requiring CDs for playing and installing. In short, Steam is a good system, and more games in the future should use it.
 
daveyjwin said:
It wasn't a comment on the fact that they won't give me a new game or anything, I was simply annoyed that I couldn't have the immediate gratification of a Steam like experience with a game. If I lost my HL2 CDs, or my Orange Box DVD, it wouldn't matter one bit because I could just log in with my Valid CD key and registered user name (both things I had with BF2) and re-download with no hassle. Instead I had to fuss with it for over an hour, try several workarounds, then go on the internet and find out that I had the solution sitting in my CD spindle the whole time. All of which could have been avoided if it were like Steam. Hence, my comment: Why can't they make it more like Steam?
Click to expand...

...actually you can have the "Steam" like experience.

http://eastore.ea.com/servlet/Contr...D=ea&id=ProductDetailsPage&productID=78869400
 
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