Anti-piracy measures are just getting silly.
If you are planning on getting this game legally and don't have the full open port internet this may be important. If not it may be interesting.
My brother rang me today, explained in order to play his new game he had to activate it. This can be done over the phone or online. Since he doesn't have the internet he tried ringing with his mobile. Didn't work, you need landline or at least his mobile wasn't accepted as a 'proper' phone. He rang me at home and asked me to do it. Basically he gave me a sixteen digit activation code which I have to ring and get a seven digit response code. Grand, seems like a reasonable alternative to the automatic internet version.
So I do this except after I get the response key you have to type the response key in, to get another generated sixteen digit key and give that to Sega to get another key! Realizing I don't have the sixteen digit key since I don't have the screen in front of me, I hung up, rang my brothers mobile gave him the response key, got the second sixteen digit key rang them up again entered the first activation code but this time it generated a different response key. Which meant we couldn't do it with only two phones.
So I got my mobile rang him with one phone and rang Sega with the other. This time though the response key wasn't generating any sixteen digit codes. We were doing something wrong. I concluded then that the activation code was also generated and told him to try and regenerate activation key.
Where I live we have bad coverage so it kept interrupting calls as well as dropping them, meaning even if I did enter the newly generated activation code, attain a new seven digit response key, communicate that to my brother, receive the new sixteen digit response code and return another response key to him. The bloody call is timed and if you take more than 30-60 seconds without pressing a button it cuts off. Meaning you have to do it again. After we had collectively clocked up one hour worth of ringing each other. We stopped (€0.49 x 60 minutes (approx) = €29). Meaning we spent at least half the price of the game trying to get the thing activated. I don't know how much he paid for it. I assume €45-60.
Then, I decided to ring them and explain the situation. It was lunchtime so I had loads of time. Apparently their Football Manager inquiry service isn't active during office hours and operates from 5:30 to 1am! Unlike most other similar call services.
The irony here is, that while it may be effective in stopping piracy (maybe not). People who activate over the phone probably don't have the internet (otherwise they would use the internet its quicker and easier) and because no access to the internet that makes it difficult to pirate. Even more ironic is people who don't have a landline, are even more unlikely to have the internet.
This post only hopes to reiterate what many of you already know. Anti-piracy measures are more likely to punish it's legit users.
I will contact Sega later on and explain the situation. Hopefully they can help me and my brother.
Sean,
If you are planning on getting this game legally and don't have the full open port internet this may be important. If not it may be interesting.
My brother rang me today, explained in order to play his new game he had to activate it. This can be done over the phone or online. Since he doesn't have the internet he tried ringing with his mobile. Didn't work, you need landline or at least his mobile wasn't accepted as a 'proper' phone. He rang me at home and asked me to do it. Basically he gave me a sixteen digit activation code which I have to ring and get a seven digit response code. Grand, seems like a reasonable alternative to the automatic internet version.
So I do this except after I get the response key you have to type the response key in, to get another generated sixteen digit key and give that to Sega to get another key! Realizing I don't have the sixteen digit key since I don't have the screen in front of me, I hung up, rang my brothers mobile gave him the response key, got the second sixteen digit key rang them up again entered the first activation code but this time it generated a different response key. Which meant we couldn't do it with only two phones.
So I got my mobile rang him with one phone and rang Sega with the other. This time though the response key wasn't generating any sixteen digit codes. We were doing something wrong. I concluded then that the activation code was also generated and told him to try and regenerate activation key.
Where I live we have bad coverage so it kept interrupting calls as well as dropping them, meaning even if I did enter the newly generated activation code, attain a new seven digit response key, communicate that to my brother, receive the new sixteen digit response code and return another response key to him. The bloody call is timed and if you take more than 30-60 seconds without pressing a button it cuts off. Meaning you have to do it again. After we had collectively clocked up one hour worth of ringing each other. We stopped (€0.49 x 60 minutes (approx) = €29). Meaning we spent at least half the price of the game trying to get the thing activated. I don't know how much he paid for it. I assume €45-60.
Then, I decided to ring them and explain the situation. It was lunchtime so I had loads of time. Apparently their Football Manager inquiry service isn't active during office hours and operates from 5:30 to 1am! Unlike most other similar call services.
The irony here is, that while it may be effective in stopping piracy (maybe not). People who activate over the phone probably don't have the internet (otherwise they would use the internet its quicker and easier) and because no access to the internet that makes it difficult to pirate. Even more ironic is people who don't have a landline, are even more unlikely to have the internet.
This post only hopes to reiterate what many of you already know. Anti-piracy measures are more likely to punish it's legit users.
I will contact Sega later on and explain the situation. Hopefully they can help me and my brother.
Sean,
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