StarForce Facilitates Piracy

Thats really lame on the part of Starforce to do that. Though I only know of one suspected starforce pc fcku up personally, I do believe a lot of the problems people have posted up on forums though as for myself, I have Toca 3 installed and running fine, along with Battlefield 2 and Q4 running fine on mounted virtual drives.

Though when I was reading the article it sounded like Starforce was actually having some sort of "Download Unprotected Games" flash file running on their front page, not a link in a forum post...which is still lame but does show their point.
 
Someone needs to cut the company's rations of bread off for a few months.

Also, BF2 doesn't use Starforce protection. I have BF2 and theres no sign of Starforce on my machine. Unless the newer releases of the game use Starforce?
 
And THIS is why eventually starforce will either close it's doors, or sell out to another company that is actually making money.

Mark my words. Gamers are an unforgiving lot, and even if you never play Galactic Civ - this will still piss us off on principle alone.

I just un-installed X-3 as a matter of fact. (and unistalled starforce as well since uninstalling X-3 doesn't remove starforce) I never had a problem with starforce, until now.
 
What's funny is this, the first two printings of GalCiv II have sold out already. They are scrambling to get another batch printed ASAP. Not bad for an indie self-published game that hasn't even been out for a month yet.

Yeah, the piracy is really killing them.

I personally already bought the game before this thing came out. It's pretty freakin cool the way you can design your own ships (transports, colony ships and everything, not just the fighters) and how you can win in several different ways, not just by conquering everything.

Star Force is something I have no experience with, nor will I. I hate that kinda crap. I won't even buy HL2 thanks to the whole "must have internet connection to play even singleplayer" junk.

P.
 
I personall dont see why we need copy protection on multiplyer games like Bf2? CDkey work jsut fine, as we allwant to paly online. I understand that there are those who buy it to paly singal palyer? but how many will only play bots on BF2 from a copy they got form there friend, vs how much dose it cost to have a 3rd pardy protect there game?


And what about steme? that great for the home gammer IMO. I dont even hve my Hl2 CDs anymore, I think i lost them, but because I have a steme account, my keys and games are saved and legal. and protected from theft. (for LAN centers its a bit of a pain, from my experence anyway)

EA downlaoder? Wile im pissed that they will not even tell me my CDkey for BF2:SF, and I cant save the temp files so evertime I reinstall windows I have to redownload the 1.2gb game, it still works well. I dont need to enter and key, keep a key on file, and dont need a CD or the EA downloader runnig to paly BF2 SF.

But why did I pay full price for a game that I dont phisically have??? should it nto be cheaper because I didnt cost them a CD case and manuel.
 
This is exactly what we have been saying all along. Make a good game and it WILL sell well. Obviously there are exceptions (certain games, bands, movies and books) that fall through the cracks and don't sell well for whatever reason, but that is the nature of business. It is so awesome to watch someone step up to the plate and hit one out of the park and demonstrate the stupidity and uselessness of this so called protection. The utter hypocrisy of these actions plainly illustrates how little star force actually cares about protecting anything other than their own bottom line. No matter which way I look at it I come to the same conclusion. Star Force is a parasite fully willing to kill it's host to prolong it's own existence.
 
Had that on the frontpage yesterday, which obviously none of you read. :p

Once again, the only way to defeat Starforce is to show devs how you feel and not buy their protected games.
 
Once again, the only way to defeat Starforce is to show devs how you feel and not buy their protected games.
Click to expand...

It will happen. Just give it time. Gotta love a free market. Everything gets worked out in the end.
 
Picked up Toca 3 this weekend despite knowing it had Starfoce on it. Thought eh it can't be that bad.

Installed the game.

Rebooted as it asked. tried to play and it was looking for the CD which I left in the drive. No go couldn't read the drive. Tried a DVD, no go, tried BF2 no go. My drives wouldn't read anything. Uninstalled toca 3. Still no go. did some diging and found out starforce burys itself as a hidden device in the hardware manager, had to boot to safe mod and unsinstall thos devices. Rebooted, everything worked fine again.

Took the game back and am done with starforce games.
 
cyks said:
I sell pirated copies of starforce.
Click to expand...
In Russia, pirate copies sell you.
Sorry, I had to.:D
OT: Starforce is horrible, and I will laugh the day the company closes it's doors. Not long IMO.
Gamers will rejoice in the streets.
 
You know, it wouldnt suprise me if Starforce are the ones making the torrents in the first place. Or even one of the cracking groups releasing games under an assumed name :p
 
I support copy protection schemes. but I will not support starforce, nor will I buy a game with it. starforce = boycot

I was so pleased to hear that Oblivion will not have starforce. They prolly will have some protection, one way or another, but as long as its not starforce I don't care.
 
people like me and other gamers like games too much to boycott a game and show we don't like starforce. some of you may have enough resolve and not enough love for gaming to do so, but i don't. never will. they'll have to do a lot worse than starforce to keep me from playing my games.
 
Pr3z said:
Picked up Toca 3 this weekend despite knowing it had Starfoce on it. Thought eh it can't be that bad.

Installed the game.

Rebooted as it asked. tried to play and it was looking for the CD which I left in the drive. No go couldn't read the drive. Tried a DVD, no go, tried BF2 no go. My drives wouldn't read anything. Uninstalled toca 3. Still no go. did some diging and found out starforce burys itself as a hidden device in the hardware manager, had to boot to safe mod and unsinstall thos devices. Rebooted, everything worked fine again.

Took the game back and am done with starforce games.
Click to expand...


Just one of the common problems associated with installing starforce.

Check out this website.. it has a lot of useful info and list of problems that arise after starforce has jacked your pc.


Boycott Starforce
 
I don't like starforce's business practices, but I have never, in any of the computers I have used, or the computers of anyone I know personally been affected by starforce. Therefore, I couldn't care less if a game has starforce or not. Starforce doesn't automatically mean that the game is garbage.

I enjoy video games, and some of them are released on starforce, but it doesn't make a difference for me.


I'm sure my opinion would be different if I did have problems with starforce though.
 
it's just the principle of the thing to me. I don't want hidden software on my PC period; regardless of whether or not I suffer ill effects from it. Not only is StarForce hidden and (until recently) difficult to remove, it can cause problems with legitimate software like Alcohol or DaemonTools. Not to mention the hardware problems it has caused for people like Pr3z.
 
I look @ it differently. I install what ever I want on MY computer as Im the owner. And if some company wants to milk game developers for cash by installing device drivers on my pc which compromise security and stability so their copy protection works, they can kiss my ass.

To me starforce is on the same list as viruses and spyware. All three are installed without permission and all three are profitable for the software writer(well most) and the end user gets the shaft. Come to think of it....your starfish+force=starforce. Either way you put it...you get it in the ass.


I was also relieved that Oblivion was not using starforce. They knew they might lose sales and they didnt want to shaft us. Dont get me wrong.....I have never owned a pirated game and never will and I am all for copy protection, but to copy protect your content the way starforce does it is a bit too far.
 
Soujiro said:
No, BF2 uses safedisc4.
Click to expand...
I think all the EA games do. I know NFS: Most Wanted does.
OH LOLOLOL

Starforce promotes piracy in two ways.
1. The way mentioned in the original post.
2. Starforce is known to be a potential threat... A threat that is nonexistent if you pirate the game instead.
 
Pneuma said:
I won't even buy HL2 thanks to the whole "must have internet connection to play even singleplayer" junk.
Click to expand...

How are people still getting this mixed up? It's a one time activation then you NEVER need an internet connection to play it. Steam has an Offline mode. Ignorance is just awesome ain't it?
 
TekSomniaK said:
How are people still getting this mixed up? It's a one time activation then you NEVER need an internet connection to play it. Steam has an Offline mode. Ignorance is just awesome ain't it?
Click to expand...

You still need it one time to activate and the massive updates. Some people don't have internet (Lord help them!). Sucks, but it's true. I know most gamers do, but have an open mind here.

I didn't mind steam until I tried it. It took 2 hours to update just to play the game. And I have DSL. If I was still stuck on dialup (like a lot of gamers are!) it would take days! That alone is the downfall to me. I buy the game, then I have to go online to download it?! Huh?! I dunno. The patching and updating should be optional. GREAT idea, poorly implemented, IMO. Once they get the bugs worked out of that, it will be a great way to fight piracy.
 
LOL, the patches for HL2 aren't optional? Oh boy, I knew there was a reason I didn't like steam.
 
fromage said:
I don't like starforce's business practices, but I have never, in any of the computers I have used, or the computers of anyone I know personally been affected by starforce. Therefore, I couldn't care less if a game has starforce or not. Starforce doesn't automatically mean that the game is garbage.

I enjoy video games, and some of them are released on starforce, but it doesn't make a difference for me.


I'm sure my opinion would be different if I did have problems with starforce though.
Click to expand...

It doesn't matter if you have a "problem" with it or not. That the same argument that the Sony IT pres used when talking about the rootkit that was on their system. How many problems and exploits did it create? Enough that DA's in various states are going after Sony. Starcrap is NO BETTER. It enables software to run in modes that it SHOULDN'T. I know that ignorance is bliss but educate yourself on Starcrap and you'll see why you shouldn't buy any games that use it. It has nothing to do whether you can play your game or not, and everything to do with what software should be allowed to do to your system behind your back.
 
Focker said:
LOL, the patches for HL2 aren't optional? Oh boy, I knew there was a reason I didn't like steam.
Click to expand...

You right-click the game in Steam -> Properties -> Updates tab and select Do Not Update This Game. Pfft...
 
Shameless Liar said:
Starforce promotes piracy in two ways.
1. The way mentioned in the original post.
2. Starforce is known to be a potential threat... A threat that is nonexistent if you pirate the game instead.
Click to expand...

Point 2 really is interesting. Pirating has a convenience factor completely absent from most current games. It's easy to aquire the games (a minute or so online, and some hours of waiting), no strange/evil copy protection and no need to keep the CD in the drive. Updating is slightly more work, though, and there can be problems playing online. (Not to forget the whole "illegal"-thing.)
Steam is the best response so far [1]. It makes finding, downloading and playing games comparably easy, and removes the hassle from updating, while remaining far less evil than most copy protection systems. If more games were optionally available in this way I'd be happy, and I can't imagine it hurting sales.

My point? Publishers need ot take a long hard look at convenience. "Do No Evil" also works.

[1] If you have a good internet connection, but that's also a requirement for downloading a pirated game.
 
Zero problems with StarForce here (knock on wood). The best driving sims out there today use it (GTR, GTLegends) and they are good enough to outweigh any negatives. Content wins for me.
 
TekSomniaK said:
How are people still getting this mixed up? It's a one time activation then you NEVER need an internet connection to play it. Steam has an Offline mode. Ignorance is just awesome ain't it?
Click to expand...


How am I supposed to activate it without the internet? Possibly I am mistaken, but I thought that activation was *only* available through an internet connection. I don't have the net period at home.

So, perhaps you should add that assumptions are also awesome.

P.
 
alaweni said:
Zero problems with StarForce here (knock on wood). The best driving sims out there today use it (GTR, GTLegends) and they are good enough to outweigh any negatives. Content wins for me.
Click to expand...

Just curious, have you checked into the "exploits" it creates? Just because you don't have any gaming problems doesn't mean you don't have any RL problems. But I guess ignorance is bliss.
 
I installed ToCa Race Driver 3 before I knew it had starforce, but <knock on wood> everything works just the way it should. Great game, BTW.
 
I dont understand the Anti Piracy lot, they're trying to make money selling products which simply do not work!

Anti Piracy will never work, while people remain in complete control over their PC's and while hackers are still out there things like Star Force will never work.

Ok StarForce is one of the harder to crack Anti Piracy applications but it's still cracked, even so, most of those who are warezing games aren't really doing it because they don't want to pay the money, most of them do it because they simply like games and want to play as many as possible and couldn't afford to buy that many games.

Seems like a complete waste of time to me, if you want to make a game, whack in a decent multiplayer and add in a master server + unique cd key protection, you can't beat that system, you have to buy a legitimate key to play on official servers.

I own some starforce protected games and i cracked them anyhow, i don't want crap like that on my PC to be perfectly honest.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top