purchasing games on disks

ryan123hanna

ryan123hanna

ryan123hanna

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8 Dec 2009
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probably a stupid question but im new to pc games

if i buy a game such as ARMA 2 on disk will it install onto my hardrive once i insert it or will it ask to insert the disk every time i want to play it and then i will be forced to spin up my noisy disk drive?

i would download it off steam but it more expensive and takes years.

thanks
 
As opposed to a No-CD Crack, try mounting a cut down version of the disc iso on a virtual drive. Absolutely zero drawbacks. No problem with the online gameplay stuff.
 
PGdude said:
As opposed to a No-CD Crack, try mounting a cut down version of the disc iso on a virtual drive. Absolutely zero drawbacks. No problem with the online gameplay stuff.
Click to expand...

ARMA 2 uses SecuROM.

Might be a problem with Daemon Tools and the like (unless you were speaking from experience).
 
i'd be careful using a no cd crack when playing online..mounting an image may work and if it does it's your best solution.
with a no cd crack the cheat protection may class it as modified files and who knows if it would kick or ban you....i dont have any experience in this but it's something to take into consideration.

maybe someone with more experience could correct me.
 
Sorry, I've just used a BF2 mini-image to play because I'm not a fan of my drive spinning up, and it's just hassle. I'm not sure of BF2 has secuROM, I did buy it recently though, if it helps clarify that matter?

My friend does the same with Age of Empires 3.
 
PGdude said:
Sorry, I've just used a BF2 mini-image to play because I'm not a fan of my drive spinning up, and it's just hassle. I'm not sure of BF2 has secuROM, I did buy it recently though, if it helps clarify that matter?

My friend does the same with Age of Empires 3.
Click to expand...

AFAIK BF2 doesn't have secuROM since it came out earlier.

If ARMA 2 uses punkbuster then he has no choice other than to put the disc in, since I know punkbuster checks file integrity.
 
In past versions Arma 2 required the disc, like many other games. The pre 1.05 beta patches removed that requirement and so long as you use the latest patch (i.e 1.05 and 1.06 betas) you don't need the disc inserted.

Arma 2 uses BattleEye. In theory if you were to just buy a key, you could loan the disc of a friend. Though the game is about £12 now with delivery.

Apart from the usual no-cd and mini-images you could try Slysoft's Game Jackal. Never used it myself but a quick search suggests it's a bit of a hit and miss and probably doesn't work with the newer titles.
 
I usually buy from Steam if its on there, much simpler. Can't remember how many copies of BF2 I ended up buying due to losing the discs or them cracking etc!
 
Game Jackal does what you want, but you have to buy it. Essentially, you put the DVD in the drive, it reads all the vital copy protectiony bits and stores them in a profile. Run the profile and it starts the game using the info there, no DVD needed. I've used it with loads of games, SecuROM, online, offline, and not hit any problems.

Of course, there's bound to be a couple of hiccups, but the forums seem to be a great place for help as the devs are active there, and updates are released fairly often.
 
PGdude said:
Sorry, I've just used a BF2 mini-image to play because I'm not a fan of my drive spinning up, and it's just hassle. I'm not sure of BF2 has secuROM, I did buy it recently though, if it helps clarify that matter?

My friend does the same with Age of Empires 3.
Click to expand...

If you download the 2 latest patches (1.41 and 1.5) you won't need the image for BF2, the 1.5 patch removes the DRM and need for disk in drive.
 
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