Uncrackable activation schemes ...

In message <fmritq$9bm$1@sunce.iskon.hr>, Bloodstar
<george.washington.DeleteThis@microsoft.com> writes
>
>
>> But then ...
>>
>> Why not join us over on the side of the light?
>>
>> Come now. The fundamental things that you, me, Eddy, Frank E, Oleg,
>> Epi, von Schmidt, CaligulasHorse, Vincenzo, Mike Kreuzer, Luca, John
>> Secker, psynnot, Briarroot, HR, MJB, RobP, oldsalt, Hannu, and about a
>> zillion other people whom I know and respect but can't dash off off the
>> top of my head, share is:
>>
>> (1) We're wargamers. We love wargames.
>> (2) We desperately want our hobby to succeed.
>> (3) WE WANT TO GIVE WARGAME DEVELOPERS OUR MONEY.
>>
>> It's just that simple.
>>
>> Our *only* disagreement - you and me - is in terms of whether intrusive
>> copy protection is:
>>
>> (a) A necessary evil.
>> (b) Killing wargame developers.
>>
>> My point is that a big bunch of your fellow wargamers (see above) are
>> telling you that INTRUSIVE DRM IS KILLING WARGAME DEVELOPERS. We don't
>> hate developers - we love them! We don't want wargame developers to
>> fail - we *need* them to succeed. If wargame developers fail, then *we
>> all lose*.
>>
>> Join us. You know you want to. We're right.
>
>Gifty, you are made to be a leader ))
>
>I agree with most of you said here. But even if I join as a pure solidarity
>to you guys I cannot just eat everything I said. I cannot accept for an
>example boycott of wargame companies - that just doesn't cut with my
>principles.
>
No one is suggesting a boycott of companies because of DRM(*). We are
simply saying that DRM is something which will prevent us buying a game
which includes it. And instead of simply keeping our money in our
pockets and walking away, we are trying to do the companies a favour by
telling them WHY we didn't purchase, so that they know what they need to
do to get our cash. In the real world, most companies would kill for
this sort of feedback. And we are doing this because we really, really
would like to play these games. But we know that if we buy a
DRM-crippled game we will regret it sooner or later. And of course the
better, the more compelling the game, the more it hurts to be stuck for
six days without being able to play it, while "customer service" decides
that you are not a criminal.

(*) I would, however, consider boycotting a company which treats its
customers with the open contempt and rudeness which Mr Rose and his
acolyte Pinhead used on the forum.
--
John Secker
 >> Stay informed about: Uncrackable activation schemes ... 

In message
<13f90ac8-57fa-4349-83f0-a5f60cc09948.TakeThisOut@i3g2000hsf.googlegroups.com>,
"eddysterckx@hotmail.com" <eddysterckx.TakeThisOut@hotmail.com> writes
>On 18 jan, 14:01, "Vincenzo Beretta" <reck....TakeThisOut@hotmail.com> wrote:
>> I'm a normal
>> citizen.
>
><cough>
>
>> But I'm sure that on the DG's forum someone will point to my
>> knowledge as a ***proof*** that I go out at night doing re-enactments of
>> "Clockwork Orange".
>
>You don't have to go out at night to cause misschief. That's for
>grunts. Once you rise in the criminal picking order you can order your
>minions around while you stay home eating pasta and drinking wine.
>Sheesh, haven't you seen any mob movies ?
>
>Talking about misschief, here's Mario again
>
>http://www.gamesquad.com/forums/showpost.php?p=950903&postcount=85
>
>"Well, I am thinking to buy ten copies of Jutalnd for every one of
>your that publicly say that you will not buy Jutland.
>How about that? So we as community will reduce your damage."
>
>Ok, so here I go : I, Eddy, somewhat sound of body and a bit less of
>mind, hereby publicly declare that I will under no circumstances buy
>Jutland as long as it has server activation.
>
>
Me too. What he said. So that's another ten copies sold.

I am moved to wonder what you will be doing with all these spare copies,
because of course you can't sell them, or even give them to a friend.
Rather like renting twenty cars at once.
--
John Secker
 >> Stay informed about: Uncrackable activation schemes ... 

> I'm not so interested in DG, but I sure would have bought CM:SF and
> SC2WAW if they didn't have the "software-rental" DRM schemes. There
> are probably more examples as well, but those two are just off the top
> of my head - BattleFront could have made those two sales and gotten my
> money, if not for their DRM.


Well, I must meet one lady friend of mine, some time later egh so just
this reply: it
would be maybe wise to every time you made post like this you also send it
Battlefront.com and SES way

If enough people bombard their inbox maybe they will realize extent of the
problem

I think that it is not so bad idea.

Now excusema but I have more important thing )


Mario
 >> Stay informed about: Uncrackable activation schemes ... 

"Bloodstar" <george.washington.TakeThisOut@microsoft.com> ha scritto nel messaggio
news:fmt5qk$n62$1@sunce.iskon.hr...
>> I'm not so interested in DG, but I sure would have bought CM:SF and
>> SC2WAW if they didn't have the "software-rental" DRM schemes. There
>> are probably more examples as well, but those two are just off the top
>> of my head - BattleFront could have made those two sales and gotten my
>> money, if not for their DRM.
>
>
> Well, I must meet one lady friend of mine, some time later egh so just
> this reply: it
> would be maybe wise to every time you made post like this you also send it
> Battlefront.com and SES way
>
> If enough people bombard their inbox maybe they will...

....Get carpal syndrome from deleting posts and banning people from the forum
control panel. A small satisfaction, I agree.
 >> Stay informed about: Uncrackable activation schemes ... 

> I am moved to wonder what you will be doing with all these spare copies,
> because of course you can't sell them, or even give them to a friend.

And they aren't even useful as backups, since if one breaks *all* break.
 >> Stay informed about: Uncrackable activation schemes ... 

> Morrowind was NOT replaced by Oblivion. European Air War was NOT replaced
> by IL-2 Sturmavic. And old, washed-out games like Jagged Alliance 2,
> Panzer General 2, People's General and many others have found new life
> (and new fans) among the modding crowd online. And some of the available
> FREEWARE like People's Tactics or Fields of Strategy are worth every
> nickle you pay for them. So the notion that I, with my collection of over
> 170 games and all the free mods and freeware, am going to be restricted by
> some company that is trying to entice me into giving them my money is,
> well, silly.

An excellent point. I played Steel Panthers for 10 years because people
kept updating it for free, and because it satisfied my tac gaming needs. I
was so busy playing SP that I frequently ignored new releases. When Combat
Mission appeared, I checked it out to see what everyone was talking about
but eventually went back to SP because, despite its 2D-alternate move
limitations, it did what *I* wanted it to just as well or better and I
already understood the nuances of the system.

I'd also like to check out early 20th century naval games designed by Norn
Koger, but it's not as if I can't find anything else to do.

Cheers,

Andy
 >> Stay informed about: Uncrackable activation schemes ... 

"Andy Brown" <andybrn RemoveThis @es.co.nz> wrote in message
news:fmtomg$kk7$1@lust.ihug.co.nz...
>
> An excellent point.

I sometimes think I just buy new games because I can afford to. Right now I
have un-played copies of Medieval Total War II, the MTW2 expansion, AGEod's
Blue and the Grey, Titan Quest, Shivering Isles and Madden 08 sitting on a
shelf, gathering dust. While I play the 'full canvas jacket' super-patch
for Red Baron 3D, Jagged Alliance 2 (with the community patch for the Bear's
pit), Civ III and a RPG called Arcanum. Along with AGEod's Birth of
America, Stardock's Galactic Civ 2 and the freeware game field of Strategy.
Plus I have a new cat who's been demanding my attention full-time.

<shrug>

I sometimes wondered why I ever thought I needed an XP system. Or bother
buying any new games at all for it.

> I played Steel Panthers for 10 years because people kept updating it for
> free, and because it satisfied my tac gaming needs. I was so busy playing
> SP that I frequently ignored new releases. When Combat Mission appeared,
> I checked it out to see what everyone was talking about but eventually
> went back to SP because, despite its 2D-alternate move limitations, it did
> what *I* wanted it to just as well or better and I already understood the
> nuances of the system.

Fun is NOT always new. Sometimes 'the new' is an absolute pain-in-the-ass.
>
> I'd also like to check out early 20th century naval games designed by Norn
> Koger, but it's not as if I can't find anything else to do.

Agreed. But I too have other things I can do until then. Like watch the
kitty do somersaults on the red-dot of a laser pointer.

--
MJB

Mr. Tin's Miniature Painting Workshop:
http://web.newsguy.com/Mrtinsworkshop/
 >> Stay informed about: Uncrackable activation schemes ... 

> Agreed. But I too have other things I can do until then. Like watch the
> kitty do somersaults on the red-dot of a laser pointer.

It never ceases to amaze me to discover how many people do that: almost all
my friends with a cat, for example.
 >> Stay informed about: Uncrackable activation schemes ... 

"Vincenzo Beretta" <reckall DeleteThis @hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:huDkj.57025$8j3.48227@tornado.fastwebnet.it...
>> Agreed. But I too have other things I can do until then. Like watch the
>> kitty do somersaults on the red-dot of a laser pointer.
>
> It never ceases to amaze me to discover how many people do that: almost
> all my friends with a cat, for example.
>

Well, generally playing with a cat is sort of like fishing. You drag a lure
around on the end of a string through the house and ocassionally you get a
tug on the end of your line. Then you turn around and watch the kitty roll
around with the mouse or bunch of feathers in her paws. But you miss the
fun of the stalking because it's happening behind you.

But with the laser pointer it's happening in front of you and the cat's
stalking behavior is completely visible to you. You see how far and how
high they can leap, as well as just how serious they are about catching that
moving red dot.

Plus you can do it while sitting in a chair, watching football on TV. Kitty
don't care that you're really not paying attention to her.

--
MJB

Mr. Tin's Miniature Painting Workshop:
http://web.newsguy.com/Mrtinsworkshop/
 >> Stay informed about: Uncrackable activation schemes ... 

MJB wrote:
> ...
> Agreed. But I too have other things I can do until then. Like watch the
> kitty do somersaults on the red-dot of a laser pointer.
>

Laser pointer?

We always used an ordinary flashlight for that game.






--
"Communists are people who read Marx and Lenin. Anti-Communists are
people who *understand* Marx and Lenin." - Ronald Reagan
 >> Stay informed about: Uncrackable activation schemes ... 

"Briarroot" <Briarroot.TakeThisOut@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:13p6ugipva2m339@corp.supernews.com...
> MJB wrote:
>> ... Agreed. But I too have other things I can do until then. Like watch
>> the kitty do somersaults on the red-dot of a laser pointer.
>>
>
> Laser pointer?
>
> We always used an ordinary flashlight for that game.
>

I tried that - I even tried to restrict the the beam to a smaller diameter.
No joy.

--
MJB

Mr. Tin's Miniature Painting Workshop:
http://web.newsguy.com/Mrtinsworkshop/
 >> Stay informed about: Uncrackable activation schemes ... 

On Fri, 18 Jan 2008 17:54:54 -0500, Giftzwerg
<giftzwerg999.DeleteThis@NOSPAMZ.hotmail.com> wrote:

>In article <fmr05h$jlv$1@sunce.iskon.hr>,
>george.washington@microsoft.com says...
>
>> You on the other hand was supporter of lone wolf programmer Hubert Cater and
>> owned SC1 but decided not to buy SC2 due to DRM protection. Isn't it?
>
>Mario, I *still* want to give Cater my bucks!! Here ya go, Hubie, I got
>yer money right here! I *loved* SC1! I'd buy SC2 *tomorrow* if he was
>willing to just sell it to me, and not try to rent it.
>
>The very day he ditches the Nazi DRM and stops assuming I'm a crook,
>I'll cheerfully give him my money. Happily. Can't think of a guy I'd
>rather send fifty bucks to.


QFT.

When I have finished a big project and want some time to relax and
unwind, I'm most likely to fire up one of two games: Space Empires IV
or Civ3 - either to start a new game or play some turns on an old
saved game, depending on how much time I have available. I've had both
of those games at least five years now, but keep coming back to them
instead of some of the newer stuff I have.

SC2WAW sounds like a great game from the reports that HR has posted
here - but given the current DRM on that game, I doubt very much that
I would be able to play it five years from now. Sorry, no sale - I
want to *buy* games, not *rent* them for awhile.

BP
 >> Stay informed about: Uncrackable activation schemes ... 

> When I have finished a big project and want some time to relax and
> unwind, I'm most likely to fire up one of two games: Space Empires IV
> or Civ3 - either to start a new game or play some turns on an old
> saved game, depending on how much time I have available.

I'll pipe up for a moment here to say that, when you wish to move on, both
Civ 4 and Galactic Civilizations 2 are *fantastic*. Civ 4 improves on Civ 3
the way Civ 2 improved on the original Civ (a jump in quality that, IMHO,
Civ 3 failed to do from Civ 2); GalCiv 2 is simple to learn, deep, very
clean in design and has one of the best AIs ever. I have Space Empires IV,
but I never played it beyond some turns, since I like the GalCiv series much
more.

Regarding SEIV, however, do you have suggestions regarding some good Mods?
They tell me that some of the third-party works improve the game
dramatically, but I see that there are a lot of them and I do not have the
time to browse/try them all.
 >> Stay informed about: Uncrackable activation schemes ...