Soldato
Teki187 said:
They are licenced to distribute games in this manner.
Modified (cracked) exe files are illegal, no matter how convincing you try to sound.
Game Activation Uproar
- Thread starter bfar
- Start date
They are licenced to distribute games in this manner.
Modified (cracked) exe files are illegal, no matter how convincing you try to sound.
Soldato
If it was illegal, companies such as Slysoft which actually make software to make copies of games wouldn't exist yet they are thriving...
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RoachycaL said:
They make software which allows you to duplicate CDs, i believe...this is not illegal. They can't determine what people are going to be using it for.
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Soldato
RoachycaL said:
"It does this without modifying any of your game's files or installing any virtual drives on your system."
Which is ok as it doesn't alter anything.
Teki187 said:
I'm afraid it is illegal - certainly your statement about your right to be able to back up any game or dvd you have seems to be wrong.
The first post in the home cinema section is about this http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=82885
Soldato
Tried&Tested said:
It allows you to play the game without using the disk dosent it?
Permabanned
Kipper67 said:
The EU can eat my faeces and die. No wonder more people are leaving this stupid country.
i know where people are getting this idea from that's it not illegal to reverse engineer/backup your games - quite a popular site with a rather stupid disclaimer/statement. it's wrong....... 
however, sometimes you have to use these "fixes". pro evo 6 is unplayable if you play it as intended by konami. it's been out for nearly a year and still no official patch. if you have an ati card, you have to patch the game to run it. might be against the eula but morally it's ok. you've paid for the game so you're likely to do whatever it takes to run it. and that's how i look at most licensing issues - it might technically be wrong to "do this" or "do that", but so long as you have paid for the game and don't intend to run more than one copy simultaneously, i don't see the problem with finding "workarounds".
however, sometimes you have to use these "fixes". pro evo 6 is unplayable if you play it as intended by konami. it's been out for nearly a year and still no official patch. if you have an ati card, you have to patch the game to run it. might be against the eula but morally it's ok. you've paid for the game so you're likely to do whatever it takes to run it. and that's how i look at most licensing issues - it might technically be wrong to "do this" or "do that", but so long as you have paid for the game and don't intend to run more than one copy simultaneously, i don't see the problem with finding "workarounds".
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NightSt@lk3r said:buy the LE box set, sell the dvd and cd key and buy the game off steam
Actually buy the LE box then download it on steam.
Put in your cd key from the boxed copy on to your steam copy.
Be good if it works (waits for copy to arrive to try)
Caporegime
Just been looking on 2K forums and a ton of people are going crazy and having problems with this.
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Canceled my pre-order. Will buy at a later date when all this is sorted and clarified. It is a shame because i was looking forward to it. Oh well, it will be nice for when the game drought is on in the middle of next year. It will be a hell of a lot cheaper as well
Soldato
RoachycaL said:
Yes, but that's not what is being questioned...not using a disc to play a game isn't illegal, altering the application's code so you don't have to use a disc is.
Soldato
Btw - small note. As of about 12 hours ago, there was a steam update which apparently ' Fixed uninstall/reinstall issue with Bioshock'.
Perhaps this means that Bioshock now doesnt have this 2 install limitation with Steam?
Anyways, if this isnt true, discard this post, was just trying to make a note of this, if it was
Perhaps this means that Bioshock now doesnt have this 2 install limitation with Steam?
Anyways, if this isnt true, discard this post, was just trying to make a note of this, if it was
Helium_Junkie said:So copy protection should be abolished? How dare the developers have a desire to protect their work... sheesh, ingrates!
It doesnt matter how effective it is, it's enough to stop the casual gamer from theft, even if the hardcore hackers will find a way.
Show me one single game that doesnt have a fixed exe, fixed image, offline installtion etc. Go on, show me one.
Copy protection does not work. Simple as.
Soldato
I think the best way of doing it is with something like steam. Only i think steam should have the option to dissasociate a game with your account, in case you want to sell it on. Heck they could even charge you like £1-2 to dissasociate it so they still make some money off the resale.
Also having incentives is a fanatastic way to discourage piracy. Say for example steam have your postal address on file and store it with your account name/password etc. Steam can now send you promotional codes through the post for things like free game trials and exclusive content for games and stuff. If they have the promotional code as being only useable with your account people can't pirate the codes.. which should get more people buying it rather than d/l'ing it because of the free things they get.
It also means if someone activates a pirated game with a keygen and its your key they send you a letter or email asking for a photo of the serial card or receipt and you don't lose your games. If someone was clever enough to activate it on their account they would know where they lived and could take action against them... meaning one less pirate.
I still think the exclusive content through posted codes are the way forward though. Custom skins on CS:S or an extra level on DMOM&M or even things for your steam community page and links to special event tournaments for your games. Can you imagine how much fun it would be as well, having steam send you a letter and you rush to the computer to activate the code and see what they've sent you.... it'd be like a suprise present. If i bought bioshock and registered it with my steam account, then they sent me a special code through the post for an extra level or a behind the scenes video or something like that i'd be dead chuffed.
Also having incentives is a fanatastic way to discourage piracy. Say for example steam have your postal address on file and store it with your account name/password etc. Steam can now send you promotional codes through the post for things like free game trials and exclusive content for games and stuff. If they have the promotional code as being only useable with your account people can't pirate the codes.. which should get more people buying it rather than d/l'ing it because of the free things they get.
It also means if someone activates a pirated game with a keygen and its your key they send you a letter or email asking for a photo of the serial card or receipt and you don't lose your games. If someone was clever enough to activate it on their account they would know where they lived and could take action against them... meaning one less pirate.
I still think the exclusive content through posted codes are the way forward though. Custom skins on CS:S or an extra level on DMOM&M or even things for your steam community page and links to special event tournaments for your games. Can you imagine how much fun it would be as well, having steam send you a letter and you rush to the computer to activate the code and see what they've sent you.... it'd be like a suprise present. If i bought bioshock and registered it with my steam account, then they sent me a special code through the post for an extra level or a behind the scenes video or something like that i'd be dead chuffed.
The steam idea is good, but as i personally have experienced account get hacked, and that's like some fella walking in your house. Picking up a game and walking out again except that there's bugger all chance of owt happening to him.
But never the less probably one of the best ways forward.
If all this stuff is true i think its totally unacceptable. And i suspect those who pirate will pirate and those who buy will buy (for the most part) so there not achieving anything, other than upsetting customers who are paying for a product that there not allowed to use as they wish.
A better deterrent would to prosecute the people who do pirate..
Its like locking your front door and saying "right your not allowed in, but if you do manage to get in im not gonna do anything about it" (not the greatest analogy)
Ahh.
Why i play £3 bargain bin games from the 90's
But never the less probably one of the best ways forward.
If all this stuff is true i think its totally unacceptable. And i suspect those who pirate will pirate and those who buy will buy (for the most part) so there not achieving anything, other than upsetting customers who are paying for a product that there not allowed to use as they wish.
A better deterrent would to prosecute the people who do pirate..
Its like locking your front door and saying "right your not allowed in, but if you do manage to get in im not gonna do anything about it" (not the greatest analogy
)Ahh.
Why i play £3 bargain bin games from the 90's
Tried&Tested said:
Err. No. As far as I can see they're not illegal to use at all. Not for personal use at any rate. The worst that could happen was you break a contract (and even this is very teneous) between you and the publisher. That isn't even criminal law. They may be illegal to create, but I can't find any cases on this matter.
I've looked (all be it a quick one, have to go to work) at the posts on EU law linked to in this thread, as well as the UK Copyright Act 2003 and there is nothing that says computer programs cannot be modified for personal use.
Copyright Act 2003 - this only mentions modification it in relation to distribution.
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2003/20032498.htm
EU Directive on Copyright 2001 - says it doesn't apply to computer programs.
http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/pri/en/oj/dat/2001/l_167/l_16720010622en00100019.pdf
It links to 91/250/EEC Directive which allows more leeway than our own legislation. But older and largely irrelevant.
http://www.scaramanga.co.uk/archives/directive-91-250-EEC.html
Where's the problem?