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EA Recommends Hilarious Work-Around For RA3 CD-Key
sunderbear noted that EAs Command & Conquer 3 shipped missing the last digit of the CD Key. He writes "EA's brightest minds have put their synapses into overdrive in order to whip up a comical work-around. 'There is currently a work-around that may allow you to bypass this issue. Since you have the first 19 characters of the code already, you can basically try guessing the last character,' said a note on EA's customer support site. Yes, they're serious. 'To do this, simply enter your existing code, and then for the last character, try the letters A-Z, and then the numbers 0-9. You should eventually get the right combination, and be able to play the game.'" It appears that the helpful hint has been purged.
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This new sub-game called "CIA unlock" puts you in the shoes of a CIA agent attempting to gain access to a secure terrorist computer subsystem. The first 19 characters are given to you, but you need to randomly crack the last digit before the timer runs out and the game deletes your hard drive. If you win the game, you get to play again by pressing a reset button.
Rumors are circling from insiders at EA, that the next amazing title from EA will enable players to enter the shoes of Joe a shoe salesman from Kentucky. Joe has a problem. He can't find the right shoe for his fat smelly customer. Players will only be able to play if they purchase and install the F.O.U.L. hardware (FOUL stands for Fresh Olfactory Universal Layer.), and you get more points from actually smelling and withstanding more and more disgusting customers. The final boss of the game is a 700 pound woman that has never bathed, and who has developed nearly every possible degenerative skin condition. The game fills your house with something totally unbearable and if you can find her a pair of good shoes after she tries on about twenty or so different ones and tells you about her whole life history, then you get to have an achievement added to your online profile, aptly named the Bundy award, named after Married With Children's Al Bundy, a reputed shoe salesman with class and pinache. Pre-orders start tomorrow and EA expects massive sales on this amazing title, that is loaded with DRM that actually forces customers to perform lude acts with garden utensils for the purpose of cultivating data necessary for visual biometrics to prove the copy of the game is legit. EA denies that anyone who cracks the game will not be able to play, and a spokesperson from EA that shall remain nameless, went on record saying that customers would never play without FOUL hardware because they wouldn't have the benefit of the use of the FOUL hardware, which is revolutionary and next generation by design.
The dangers of knowledge trigger emotional distress in human beings.
Certainly they didn't just post details of how to circumvent a copy protection measure, right?
Out of modpoints but really liked a post? 1BDkF6TtmmeZ3yqXbz9yhdYVqRYnwFoXDj
Statistically you should be able to guess the right letter/number in half the keyspace. But in practice, it will always be the very last character you need to try.
So take the character that you were going to start with, and take the very opposite character in order to improve your chances of getting the correct entry faster.
.. and just copy/paste the serial from the .nfo-file once.
Not that I care about this game or am planning to buy, download or otherwise even look at it, but it's just another hilarious instance where the pirated version wins hands-down in the convenience department: apart from not needing the DVD to play the game, you don't even have to type the serial, never mind guessing what might be the last character because EA screwed up.
And even after such a major fuckup EA can't even be bothered to release a "no-serial" executable/installer themselves. Who cares, the customer^Wconsumer already paid for it anyway, what are they going to do about it?
Every expression is true, for a given value of 'true'
Sure, you can contact them and wait for customer support to figure out what your cd key is, or give you a new one, or you could just spend 5 minutes figuring out the last digit, and play the game you've been trying to install, right now. Mistakes happen, blame the publisher's printing house.
I'm not sure why this is such a big deal. They offered to replace it for you if you contact them and send them photo or fax of the bad key. That's a perfectly legit solution. However, that's going to take a bit of time while you wait for your support request to be processed.
If you could instead get the game up and running in 10 minutes by just brute forcing it, I personally consider that a much better work around. I bet most people would honestly prefer that.
So what do you want them to do? Be psychic and send you the code before you even know you need it? Yes, it would be best if there was no problem, but mistakes happen.
...like violence; if a little doesn't solve the problem, use more.
What if the phone number in the manual is only 9 characters instead of 10?
the problem only affects SOME, not all, units.
Yes, and we trust EA on that one, right?
Yet another reason not to buy anything published by EA.
Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
Q.
How can I contact you if the phone number on page 28 of my manual only has the area code and 6 numbers?
now that they've revealed how their copy-protection scheme works, what's to stop the heinous pirates from using this advanced work around for the rest of the digits? The entire industry will crumble!
I went out and bought the game, but to avoid their damn DRM, I instantly cracked it. I figure- best of both worlds. They get there money, I get to avoid Securerom!
But then I felt let down, it was kinda a waste of time/money...
Maybe I'm too used to command and conquer 3 and generals (zero hour), but I just cannot get used to the new computer players. I feel like defenses are severly limited in this game, and nothing is sacred. Turtling is not an option for this game. There is only one gameplay- fast, furious attacks. Don't even bother securing resources- you can't. You can't secure anything. Your job is to be the first to build a small army, and bomb the crap out of the other guys. Build resource gatherers later if you need them.
The resources usually run out just before the game gets good, and you're off to a really slow boring ending where nobody has anything left, and you're pretty much throwing sticks at eachother.
But back on the fact that you can't secure anything. They've made if very difficult to be secure. They have a few defenses- but they're typically as useful as if you weren't using them. Expect to rebuild almost every building in your base a few times- if you still need them.
I will repeat, this game is not the long drawn out strategic game as CNC, it is an abridged, attention deficit, ADHD game for those who get bored easily and don't care about building up. Hell, there aren't that many upgrades- so building up and teching up is useless anyway.
*I will admit, I wasn't an avid RA2 fan either.
Belief? Hope? Preference?The Existential Vortex
It keeps my skillz l33t, yo.
Anything you say will be held against you.
Don't worry, I think RA3 uses securom as well.
They'll learn, someday, but remember! they'll use less DRM just like the last DRM they used! /sarcasm
What if the phone number in the manual is only 9 characters instead of 10?
Well, you guess. In this case guessing might be a lot more fun.
You: "Huh? Only 9 digits...let's try lucky 7 for the last number."
Phone: *ring*
Phone: "Helllloooo. You've reached the HOT line, where sexy women are waiting to hear from you. Please press 1 nowwww...."
My blog
That's the greatest idea ever! I'm going to save time by buying RA3 with my credit card and let EA guess the account number. Thanks EA!
Man, out of all of the epic sequels released recently, it's been a giant litany of failure. Far Cry 2 with it's myriad of crashing issues, not to mention all of the instances where enemies / allies just don't appear as they are supposed to, forcing you to reload an earlier game and pray it's a one time bug. (And also the fact that it doesn't feature deformable terrain like they bragged about in interviews.) Fallout 3, with even more crashing issues, including a huge number of people who crash after the intro movie. In a move deemed "hilarious" the pirates have a patch out already that fixes Fallout 3, but Bethesda still does not. It fixes it by deleting the corrupted sound files so you miss some spoken dialog and have to see it on the closed caption instead, but at least you can play the game now. And now RA3 doesn't come with a valid CD key! At this rate the next PC release will give you cancer. And they'll still blame piracy for people not buying their "99% A+++++++ BUY OR DIE" games (according to the reviewers they own).
ASCII stupid question, get a stupid ANSI
If Hollywood films about 'hackers' have taught us anything, it's that a teenage hacker with a laptop can insert a handwired card into any slot and generate random characters until the proper password is found. I suggest a similar automated approach to this problem.
Serving your airship needs since 1995.
It could be case sensitive and only give you 3 tries to get it right before writing a registry entry and refusing to install at all unless you reinstall Windows. (I hear they're rolling that out next year.)
Did you know 80 to 90% of the moderators on slashdot wouldn't recognize a troll even if one dragged them under a bridge.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
but then, they dont want to admit that their protection got cracked and the game torrented before they even knew they were going to be making it.
It should be noted that following EA's instructions is technically a violation of the DMCA, since the purpose of a CD key is to prevent unauthorized use or distribution of the copyrighted material and they're basically asking you to work around not having the (complete) key.
the problem only affects SOME, not all, units.
well lets ask /. ... anyone get C&C with the full 20?
I work for the Department of Redundancy Department.
Well it obviously hasn't affected all the manuals, or this would have been a stink a week ago when it was released.
As further proof, I bought RA3 a few days ago. My manual had a proper key printed on it.
Incidentally, RA3 is not as good as RA2. But not bad.
Evil Assholes. I came up with that name for purposes of sarcasm. But sadly, it's now true. EA keeps falling. I really goddamn hate that half of all games released are under EA's mantle of oppression. I really don't want to feed the children of EA employees anymore. Let them die - let EA die.
I think mine did. I don't remember having problems putting the key in. Of course, on the other hand, I don't remember putting the key in at all, so take that as you will. I will have to check it tonight and see what it looks like.
Support the EFF and Creative Commons. The war is coming, and they're supporting you...
It is circumventing. The protection/DRM is designed to require a whole "CD-Key" and lock out anyone who does not have it.
Whether you are missing one letter or 15, you are employing a Brute force attack to circumvent the system that requires a whole key.
Whether it is endorsed or not does not change what it is.
An Aside - I would not call this DRM Copy Protection. It does not prevent copying the DVD, just using it. (minor quibble, but that is another topic)
I don't get why this is such a big fuzz. I can easily imagine that this hint is actually helpfull for quite a few kids out there. Having loaded up with coffeine, bought a fresh copy of the game and ready to spend the night, I'm sure this comes as a relief (however obvious it may seem in retrospect).
Direct link to support site. Why hide it under two blog entries ?
I've worked in customer support, and I'll tell you that guessing 37 times is a HELL of a lot faster than submitting a service request and waiting for a reply.
By clerical error the Contact Us link and page 28 of your manual are also missing.
Ya, you shouldn't buy from them because of a printing problem. Cuz you know, they own the presses to make the manuals too.
Please. I got my copy premier copy and I have all the characters for the key.
JUSTIN BAILEY
"Common sense will be the death of us all"
Yeah and that doesn't happen with other serial numbers, like ever.
You wardail it.
They would probably be more helpful...
warfail?
Check out my sysadmin blog!
>>>EA will learn, someday
I'm sure they will eventually stop using DRM, but corporations are a lot like women. Reluctant.
At first.
FOX NEWS.com should be BANNED from television and internet. Have the Congress take it over and give us Truespeak.
Wait until the EA lawyers get wind of this. They'll file DMCA suits against EVERYBODY who tried to guess the last character for purposely trying to break a copy-protection scheme.
Oh no wait, the DMCA is sooo 20th century. They'll probably file terrorism charges instead.
He who laughs last, thinks slowest.
I don't exactly see this as hilarious. Unfortunate, certainly. It's sort of funny I guess, but really it's probably the most straight forward answer. One letter is missing, just run down the list until it works. What could be simpler? Trying to read your code back and having them regenerate it? Handing out new codes? Sending you some file to remove the check all together?
I know this is getting slammed because it involves both EA and DRM, but the response itself is possibly the best one. I don't have to call anyone, don't have to go back to the store, and don't have to do anything more than write in what the good letter is on my serial number sticker.
I will shred my adversaries. Pull their eyes out just enough to turn them towards their mewing, mutilated faces. Illyria
So, I understand that it's not the best public relations move, but consider the alternatives:
1. Call in to EA, wait in the call queue, then scan or fax your current product code, then have EA figure out what the right last character is (or just send you a new one), then enter in the new one. Total elapsed time: 30 minutes, if you're lucky.
2. Try all 36 combinations, presuming that it doesn't make you retype your entire code each time. Total elapsed time: 3 minutes.
If it were me, I would have taken option 2.
The critical thing here is that they told everybody which digit was missing -- without that information, the minor 3 minutes nuisance would have turned into a much bigger problem.
You get to play this COOL bonus quest before you can play the game. Neat, huh!? It's a feature! Pretty soon, all the game manufacturers will be doing it.
Chuck Norris once installed RA3 using a CD-key with only 19 characters. Rumors say that he threatened to roundhouse kick the kernel, thus his PC simply printed the last character for him.
I am the lawn!
Comment removed based on user account deletion
True story:
I previously travelled a lot for business and was always shipping packages via FEDEX.
A few times instead of dialing 1800-GO-FEDEX (800-463-3339), I misdialed the last digit and a phone sex line answered.
Anyway - once I was on speakerphone at a client site and misdialed, and the clients looked at me with a variety of shock and mirth.
My Slashdot Journal! YAY!
Not if you want to play online. Haven't you figured that out yet? Pirated serials won't work for online play. Not when 300,000 people (random number), each from a different IP, all try to connect with the same serial. So no, the pirated version doesn't win "hand's down."
Evolution is a state-sponsored, state-protected religion.
warfial
Troc's dubious podcast and blog: http://www.trocnet.net
In all seriousness, hasn't the blunder already happened when they shipped the CD without the full key? What else can they do at this point? Anyone have any better ideas?
blah blah blah
Actually, Red Alert 3 is one of the first EA games that installs fully to the hard drive *and* subsequently does not require the disc to play -- not for the campaign (all the vids are on your HDD), not for skirmish, not for multiplayer.
http://www.chmodoplusr.com/
Its still bittorrenting so I dont know if the key is in the /crack directory or an NFO file in the root.
ED-209: [menacingly] Please guess the last number of the CD Key.You have 20 seconds to comply.
ED-209: You now have 15 seconds to comply. ...
Life needs more saving throws.
Ban you from their forums?
"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be."
Falco, is that you?
He, don b to har o E, missin th las characte of i a eas mistak t mak
John Whorfin?
I drank what? -- Socrates
Why not put up a Web page that will 'generate' the last character, given the first 19? This of course assumes that it can be determined from the first 19, or it could possibly look up the first 19 in a database?
V for Vendetta: People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people.
Don't forget about SOCOM for PS3... I can't.
It was an online ONLY game. That's right, there is no offline content what-so-ever. As expected the servers weren't able to handle the initial load when the game debuted. Now-a-days that's actually tolerated... and even defended by those piece of crap fan boys.
Now to top that the DAY of the release there was a download only 476MB patch file. Now that's quality. This is on top of the 2GB REQUIRED install (for a console). So we're LITERALLY talking a 1hr setup before you can even start.
After that 1 hr you find your saves are corrupted?!!? I don't get it either.
THEN, the game is glitchy as hell. Kicks you off periodically and generally is unusable during peak hours.
I remember hearing about the great video game crash of the 80's when there was a flood of crap games that just turned people off gaming. I can't help but think SOCOM for PS3 is going to be the poster child of this next crash. I can say without a doubt the QA of games are getting worse and worse every year. ANd don't get me started on the DRM.. Valve!
>>>Falco, is that you?
No.
FOX NEWS.com should be BANNED from television and internet. Have the Congress take it over and give us Truespeak.
What if the phone number in the manual is only 9 characters instead of 10?
Well, you guess. In this case guessing might be a lot more fun.
You: "Huh? Only 9 digits...let's try lucky 7 for the last number."
Phone: *ring*
Phone: "Helllloooo. You've reached the HOT line, where sexy women are waiting to hear from you. Please press 1 nowwww...."
Phone: "... Please press either 1-0 or A-Z nowwwww ..>"
EA recommends downloading the pirated version and using the supplied key generator. But don't copy that floppy!
the problem is they took westwood studios and turned them into festering crap.
I so wish EA would go away. They keep consuming game companies that are good and turning them into poo...
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
It does if someone can make a keygen
Yeah, because downloading several gigabytes of data and mounting files with a dvd-rom emulator and possibly having to disable your internet connection or block the game on your firewall and then running programs from questionably safe sources and then going through the same installation procedure that legitimate customers go through, which includes typing the CD key manually (I don't think I've seen a game in years that didn't have multiple-field entry for the CD key) and then copying another questionably safe executable into your program files is much more convenient than buying a disc (or buying a digital copy) and installing it and typing in the CD key. And I'll admit I don't know anything about how games are published (which I'm guessing is about as much as you do), but I would assume that EA does not print the game manuals and thus this would not be their fuckup at all. But being the publishers and ultimately responsible for giving support to the customers, they have done what they can to rectify the problem.
Releasing a "no-serial" installer would be ludicrous in today's age. And EA obviously does care about the customer^Wconsumer because they are doing something about the issue.
But hey, if you want to keep reiterating the same bullshit that most game pirates spout in order to justify being a cheap fuck and ripping off the people who put their time and effort into making games that people love (Madden jokes aside), I can't stop you. OH GOD I HAVE TO FUCKING TYPE IN SOME LETTERS BEFORE I GET TO PLAY THE GAME THIS IS AN OUTRAGE I MUST GET ON THE INTERNET TO COMPLAIN IMMEDIATELYAHHHHHHHHH. Gimme a fucking break.
A toll-free phone sex line? I don't believe you.
ResidntGeek
Brute force took me less than 5 minutes.
Getting a replacement key took 22 hours.
Rep: "Bob, I have a 1000 requests for replacement keys due to our error. Should we work late to resolve this for our paying customers on release day?"
Manager: "Nah, we already got our money. Let's go have a beer."
I can't believe they didn't put in overtime at CS on release day when they realized
What if I paid with only the first 15 digits of my credit card?
> To do this, simply enter your existing code, and then for the last character, try the
> letters A-Z, and then the numbers 0-9. You should eventually get the right
> combination, and be able to play the game.
They can't be serious!
We know from movies that it still takes millions of tries to figure out that last number in a set of digits like a phone number.
Millions! "Hurry, the computer only needs 1 more number and it's traced your call! Hurry!"
(-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
I think your sig works.
Supposedly, some phone sex lines use toll-free numbers and require credit cards for payment instead of just using premium rate numbers. I have no idea why.
I reference an old slashdot article:
http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/11/05/1353249
"ESA proposes reentry module."
I guess EA is trying to do reentry x 36, to prove they're better at it.
Correct Horse Battery Staple: 72 bits of entropy. Enter "Correct H" into google. When it generates the phrase, that's
I don't understand why this is considered comical, or lame or even newsworthy....?! It's missing 1 character and it doesn't take a genius to figure out to try every letter and number. Why's it so bad for them to recommend this method? Should the customer have to wait 2 weeks to get a new manual in the mail?
I swear, people on /. will jump on ANYTHING and throw reason out the window if it means shitting on EA or MS.
Laugh while you can, monkey-boy!!
I always preferred the Stars! method of multiplayer enforcement: players with the same serial number were screwed with by the game (meteors took out their planet, the game stats were skewed against them, etc..). But it *only* applied to the players with identical keys - everyone else was treated normally (I'm not even sure if the game told them what was going on - I know the "pirate players" were informed, though).
Guessing the remainder of the CD-Key is circumvention.
But because the copyright owner (EA) has authorized this circumvention, it doesn't violate USA anti-circumvention law. From 17 USC 1201(a)(3), with my emphasis: "to 'circumvent a technological measure' means to descramble a scrambled work, to decrypt an encrypted work, or otherwise to avoid, bypass, remove, deactivate, or impair a technological measure, without the authority of the copyright owner".
Because you can call the phone company and have a block placed on your account to prevent calls to 900 numbers from your number being completed. They're trying to reach an untapped market of frustrated married men with suspicious wives and no cell phones, I guess.
Uh, "if it looks roughly mouse-shaped according to my infra-red sensitive pit, eat it"? --Chris Burke 09-08-10
circumvention: "to avoid or get around something; to bypass" http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/circumvent
Yes, it's circumventing EA's production error. That's why they call it a "work-around". But it isn't circumventing a copy protection meaure because you're the rightful owner of the game and are using the game in an acceptable way.
Would it be bypassing a security measure to forget the last character of your bank login password and then guess the last character?
Would it be breaking and entering if you locked yourself out of your residence and found an open window to get through?
Somehow along the way I made a bad choice in life and now must live with 0 Karma.
HAHAHAHA. For about a year, the fedex number on packages, and the 1-800-go-fedex were off by one. So, if you called go-fedex, you got customer service, but if you called the actual number listed, you got *CUSTOMER SERVICE*. When fedex found out, they tried to buy the number from the *CUSTOMER SERVICE* place. Unfortunately, that guy found out who wanted the number, and charged them a pretty penny for it.
Haven't bothered to install the game yet, but I had read about this a few days ago.
Its funny that they've already got the game patched 3 times since release. I know I was in the beta testing, and they wouldn't fix things then, interesting that they do now.
*sigh*
It merely says to contact EA Customer Support now.
Whereupon, they will try every number and letter with a utility program. It's the same thing, but they'll look much less stupid this way. "I'm sorry, let me look that up for you..."
Those are my principles. If you don't like them I have others. -Groucho Marx
Hello operator? Oh that's right, you have to punch in the numbers nowadays.
Wait! I know this! Oh yeah! 867-5309. Lois? Wait. Damn you Tommy Two Tones!
Well that leaves only one thing: 111, 1111, Lois? Damn.
111, 111 2, Lois? Damn.
What if the phone number in the manual is only 9 characters instead of 10?
Well, you guess. In this case guessing might be a lot more fun.
You: "Huh? Only 9 digits...let's try lucky 7 for the last number."
Phone: *ring*
Phone: "Helllloooo. You've reached the HOT line, where sexy women are waiting to hear from you. Please press 1 nowwww...."
ummm...I'd like to command and conquer you...
Ok, I know that's a little wierd...
The parent isn't trolling, there are many pirated games that are like above. One example is the pirate copy of X3: Terran conflict, requiring you to install disc emulators, mounting disc images, living with the DRM system included which in some cases may require you to actually unplug your real optical drive.
Change is certain; progress is not obligatory.
Not'A'Lawyer, etc.
I smell something deliciously exploitable here.
"Your honor, I didn't share the music song. Try it, it won't open. However, the law does not stop me from shipping Unique Hints to a song."
Voltron FTW!!!
My first Journal Entry ever, in 8 years! http://slashdot.org/journal/365947/aphelion-scifi-fantasy-horror-poetry-webzine
Let da hairyfeet help you out with that problem. Here you go,absolutely free,no spyware,only a couple of hundred Kb installed(less if you remove extra languages,but since it defaults to whatever laguage Windows is using who cares) and takes all of 10 seconds to install. Once installed you will have a really nice,low resource NFO viewer and Windows won't bug you again. Enjoy!
ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.
I'm banning them.
do what Ubisoft did with Go! Sudoku for PSP: have a "Please wait" dialog pop up randomly throughout the game, blocking the entire screen and locking the controls up while the timer keeps ticking in the background. and then when customers report the glitch just tell them they need to keep their PSPs charged.
at least EA is doing something to fix their screwup. Ubisoft on the other hand seems content with telling their customers to fuck off once they've got the customer's money. i still can't believe their Quality Control system is so poor that they'd release a game with such a major bug.
ironically, while this glitch is still apparent in pirated copies of Go! Sudoku, the "Please wait" dialog doesn't seem to pop up quite as often if you're running the game as an ISO or CSO off of your memory stick.
In the US, local governments are allowed to place restrictions on 1-900-based sex lines (I know someone who worked at one). The caller-id info from the incoming call is checked against a database, to see if the 'actor' must limit their conversation to: 'G', 'PG', 'R', or 'X' content. I assume that this is a "local standards of decency" argument, that does not apply if a non-toll line is used (if a toll-line is used, then the business that is charging you (the phone company) is necessarily within your jurisdiction; if you use a credit-card then it is "interstate trade". IANAL).
If you ever call such a service, and the actor speaks in euphamisms ("I love to lick lollipops, stick to tip, for hours"), then you probably live in a restrictive jurisdiction. The service usually won't tell you about the restriction (or how to get around it by using a credit card), because they want to keep you on the line. And no, that doesn't make sense to me either; they should be able to reap higher revenues by having you call back with a credit card to get what you really want.
Censorship is telling a man he can't have a steak just because a baby can't chew it. --Mark Twain
Too funny!
Similar story.. I work for a printing company. A few years ago, we mailed around 500,000 statements to the customers of a well known investment company. There was a typo in the customer service number on the statements, and yep.. it happened to the number of a phone sex line. Fortunately, the typo came from the client, so we weren't held accountable.
They should just pretend that it is level one of the game. In level two, you actually get to play the game.
Hate to reply to myself,but the above download link seems to be slow and glitchy,so here is a nice fast direct link from Softpedia. Enjoy and sorry for the previous slow link!
ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.
Hello: Ubisoft is the company that released PoR: ROMD with a buggy uninstaller such that if you tried to uninstall the game without getting a patch it'd hose key system files in your windows install leaving you unable to boot your computer.
It seems the best solution is simply to return the game to the store and claim they sold you a defective product.
The copy I downloaded from usenet had a working key. Phew!
or else!
EA is the Sarah Palin of gaming.
Valve support recommended the same some 8 years back when my copy of Half-Life: Opposing Force was missing a digit of the serial number.
No, if the story is true, I shouldn't buy them because of the cavalier attitude towards dealing with customers.
Alright, yes, trying 36 combinations isn't the end of the world. But I'm still basically having to crack my own game -- and this time, it's what they're telling me to do.
Any game I have to crack to play properly, I either pirate or don't play at all.
Don't thank God, thank a doctor!
Like credit card numbers, these keys always include one or more check digits (to catch typos and stuff).
So it is probably impossible for two keys to differ by *only* one digit.
As long as you type the first 19 digits correctly... brute forcing the last digit will reveal at most one key (which is the one they were supposed to have printed in your manual for you).
Dur.
Thank your local pirates.
The original support post offered that as an option for people who didnt want to call in, but it still said people could call in and get a replacement code if they wanted.
That's hardly cavalier, that was offering TWO support options.
Hunt your preferred prey at Aliens vs Predator MUD. Join the war at avpmud.com port 4000
Maybe they're into Redtube Alert?
Here's an idea: have a steamy hot sexy female voice say, to those who aren't allowed X-rated content,
For X-rated content, dial back with your credit card
and continue the call as normally.
On the other hand, I must admit that I do like the idea of gnawing on melons while my new greasemonkey friend works on my gear shift while oiling up before taking a joyride. Nothing like fresh fruit when you're fixing cars with friends.
I must confess, though, that I've always wondered why women are so impressed with my ABS and the size of my drive shaft :-?
This games release has been a circus of errors. They finally put the stats page up the other day and it is missing tons of games. EA-Apoc just posted today that if you quit out before you lose your last buildings, the match is void. Nice competitive game there.... http://forums.commandandconquer.com/jforum/posts/list/473.page
parent is trolling, it is pretty easy to tell from the all-caps childish outburst at the end. oh, and the ad hominem and straw man attacks, too.
The same thing happened to me with Spore, except it was the left-most character on the key. It was printed beyond the white part of the field for the CD Key, and was unreadable. EA support was no help, and I had to try guessing it. I got it eventually, but it was an amazing pain in the ass to go through for something I just bought.
No, if the story is true, I shouldn't buy them because of the cavalier attitude towards dealing with customers.
Alright, yes, trying 36 combinations isn't the end of the world. But I'm still basically having to crack my own game -- and this time, it's what they're telling me to do.
Sorry, guessing a single missing character from a misprinted key isn't "cracking." As far as the cavilear attitude, their initial suggestion gets you playing the game with the least amount of effort. Hardly a reason to condem them.
Any game I have to crack to play properly, I either pirate or don't play at all.
You're just guessing a letter that should have been printed anyway. Equating it to cracking is silly, and using it as an excuse to not pay for the game at all is wrong.
just an atempt to scam to get some mod points IMO.
I just lost my mod points else I would mod him down because of his sig.
Yup. Preordered Premier Edition. All 20, key worked fine first time.
It's not the years, honey, it's the mileage. - Colonel Henry Walton Jones, Jr., Ph.D.
True, and sad. Once again showing that a pirated EA game is better than a purchased one.
There are two kinds of fool One says 'This is old therefore good' Another says 'This is new therefore better'- Dean Ing
Being the rightful owner != no circumvention. Last I checked no-cd cracks were still considered illegal, even if you own the game and are using it in an acceptable manner.
It's still circumvention because it's still circumventing the DRM via brute force. Just because your brute force attack is 36 tries long (at most) doesn't mean it's not a brute force attack.
The question is whether it's illegal circumvention (and, more importantly, whether it is now illegal circumvention since they removed the suggestion) or not.
There are two kinds of fool One says 'This is old therefore good' Another says 'This is new therefore better'- Dean Ing
Uh, no thanks. I'm afraid my wife wouldn't approve.
My blog
We're iterating through the whole damn thing.
You better watch out, there may be dogs about . .
In Soviet Russia, key generator gives you whole key.
Again, DRM screws the paying customers.
They're using their grammar skills there.
How is this off topic anyway? Further dicussion of DRM...afterall, what do you think a cd key is? If we want off topic, we'd discuss power tripping moderators. :O
--You lack discipline.
Do I like discipline?
--Yah.
> without the authority of the copyright owner
Well, then it was very nice of them to authorize brute force attacks against their CD-keys, now, wasn't it? :-)
driven by DRM.
Tech Public Policy stuff
You're just guessing a letter that should have been printed anyway. Equating it to cracking is silly
Oh?
Used to be, every new game I obtained, legally or not, I used a no-CD crack. I was removing protection that should not have been there anyway.
Equating it to cracking is silly, yet it's also illegal (DMCA) and obviously discouraged by the publishers (or the CD check wouldn't be there in the first place).
using it as an excuse to not pay for the game at all is wrong.
So I should pay to be inconvenienced? No thanks.
If I buy a car, you should give me the keys. I should not have to break a window and hotwire it just to drive it off the lot.
So no, I'm not buying it.
Which leaves two options: Don't play it at all, or pirate it. If I don't play it at all, the developers' work truly goes to waste, I can't recommend it to friends -- and when they ask, all I can do is that I refused to buy it because of DRM, which means more lost sales.
So, oddly enough, pirating it is better for the developers.
But usually, I can't be bothered. A game has to be damned good before I'm willing to pirate it, and I'm much more willing to simply buy a game that just works, with or without DRM.
Don't thank God, thank a doctor!
Another reason is that (as far as I understand) the phone company charges far more overhead for transaction processing than a credit card merchant account would, and there are virtually no consequences for failing to pay your 1-900 calling bills so there's a greater rate of delinquency. This can trump the impulse-dial benefit of the 900 number depending on your audience and your thoughts on the matter.
If you mod me Overrated, you are admitting that you have no penis.
I know you're joking, but that's a checksum digit: http://www.beachnet.com/~hstiles/cardtype.html
You can easily get that from reverse engineering.
Please see http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1019163&cid=25644871
"What kind of music do pirates listen to?" -Paul Maud'dib
"Yeeeaaarrrrr n' Bee!!" -Stilgar, Leader of Sietch Tabr
Oh?
Used to be, every new game I obtained, legally or not, I used a no-CD crack. I was removing protection that should not have been there anyway.
Equating it to cracking is silly, yet it's also illegal (DMCA) and obviously discouraged by the publishers (or the CD check wouldn't be there in the first place).
Except we're not talking about a no-cd crack, so this entire thing is irrelevent.
So I should pay to be inconvenienced? No thanks.
If I buy a car, you should give me the keys. I should not have to break a window and hotwire it just to drive it off the lot.
So no, I'm not buying it.
Which leaves two options: Don't play it at all, or pirate it. If I don't play it at all, the developers' work truly goes to waste, I can't recommend it to friends -- and when they ask, all I can do is that I refused to buy it because of DRM, which means more lost sales.
No, the developer's work doesn't go to waste. I've paid for it, and will play it. You're rationalizing theft. Whether you and your friends buy the game is largely irrelevent. Your friends may buy it anyway; they may not. It doesn't matter, EA only "lost" the sale of $300 worth of product. (Lost being you could have been a customer, but aren't).
But usually, I can't be bothered. A game has to be damned good before I'm willing to pirate it, and I'm much more willing to simply buy a game that just works, with or without DRM.
Well, I have the game, and it works. Of course if you chose to pirate a game, you're just stealing. Yes, it is stealing; you've taken someone else's time and effort and gained from it, but did not pay, when they expected to be paid. That's theft.
Thanks for the link.
The parent to my original post had said it was not circumvention. It IS circumvention whether authorized or not.
And, since the post was quickly removed - I have the feeling EA was VERY uncomfortable with authorizing circumvention.
True story from this month: I'm homeschooling my daughter, and I needed some materials for music. So I asked for a phone number to contact the charter school for this. They were one number off, and it turns out the women at this other line *really* wanted me to call them *noowww*. I thought it was pretty funny, but the teacher assigned to me kind of crapped herself when I asked her for the real number. funny stuff :)
This is actually really good advice. Guess a dozen times or wait for customer service. Or better yet, guess while waiting for customer service. You would be in before Bangalore even started ignoring the ticket.
the problem only affects SOME, not all, units.
Yes, and we trust EA on that one, right?
[...]
Typical spin control: Make everything seem less bad than it really is. ie He only smoked one joint, your Honor. Ms. Spears only had two small drinks before she urinated in a secluded spot in front of the nightclub, your Honor.
Except we're not talking about a no-cd crack, so this entire thing is irrelevent.
It's called an analogy.
You're rationalizing theft.
1: Not theft.
2: Not my preferred choice.
But when piracy has a better user experience, in every way, than the legitimate problem, something is fucked up. And it's got nothing to do with price.
I don't need to rationalize against spending $50. I subscribe to an MMO, and buy indie games on the side. I've got money to burn. If there was a good, free game I was enjoying, I'd donate to it.
But I refuse to support this kind of asshatry. I will not pay to be screwed.
It doesn't matter, EA only "lost" the sale of $300 worth of product.
They are obviously losing a fair amount more than that, or they wouldn't be issuing press releases about how "relaxed" their "new" DRM is.
Well, I have the game, and it works.
Can you take out the CD and play the game?
If not, then no, it doesn't work. It's missing a crucial feature -- and it's very likely installing dangerous software, like SecuROM.
you've taken someone else's time and effort
So they don't still have their time and effort? They aren't still profiting from said time and effort with you?
but did not pay, when they expected to be paid. That's theft.
First, go look up the definition of "theft". It has nothing to do with "expected to be paid".
And they can expect what they want, doesn't make it so. If you've ever traveled, especially to a third-world country, you'll find plenty of people offering to show you around, or do something for you -- or even doing it without permission (picking up your bags and carrying them into the hotel) -- and then expecting to be paid for it.
Is it "theft" if I refuse, claiming I thought they were just being nice?
Taking your words at face value, no, gaining from someone's time and effort, when they expected to be paid, is not stealing, according to a quick glance in the dictionary. It's not even always dishonest.
Don't thank God, thank a doctor!
Look around online . . . 15 technically is enough. For that matter, they are almost certainly doing checksums on their codes too. Now this seems to be a dare to figure out the encryption . . .
Definitely not Taco.
In b4, "he bought that UID on ebay!!!"
The dangers of knowledge trigger emotional distress in human beings.
It's called an analogy.
Analogies are really overused, and one isn't needed. No one is unclear on the original topic, so your analogy adds nothing.
1: Not theft.
2: Not my preferred choice.
Well, it is theft. Sorry. A breadbox's value is more than the sum of it's parts. It also includes someone's time to take the wood and turn it into a product. In the case of computer games, the raw materials are insignficant to the cost of making it; it's almost entirely a service built product. Using the product without paying for it is very similar to having someone build a breadbox for you when you supplied the wood. The guy that built the box is not out on raw material costs, but did take his time and skill from which you benefited.
But when piracy has a better user experience, in every way, than the legitimate problem, something is fucked up. And it's got nothing to do with price.
But it does; piracy implies you didn't pay for it. If you want a no-cd crack (for example) on a game you bought, I see no problem in that. However, NOT paying for the game but still playing it, yeah, I call that theft. Use all the semantics you want, you've stolen someone's time and skill which they intended to sell.
Can you take out the CD and play the game?
If not, then no, it doesn't work. It's missing a crucial feature -- and it's very likely installing dangerous software, like SecuROM.
Whether I can take the CD out or not is irrelevent. Shall I now complain that my computer "doesn't work" if I take out the RAM? Would you think me crazy? Or that my car "doesn't work" if I don't put gas in the tank? The game is designed to work with the CD in the drive; it should not be suprising that it doesn't work when you fail to meet it's design criteria.
That you don't like it is irrelevent; it also has nothing to do with your liability to pay for the game. If you paid for it, great, use the no-cd. But don't use the game if you haven't paid for it, and say "well I would pay for it but it doesn't work the way I think it should." That's the same as complaining that you can't drive your car because you don't want to pay the price for filling the tank.
So they don't still have their time and effort? They aren't still profiting from said time and effort with you?
They're down the money you should have paid. See, whether I pay or not is irrelevent to whether you should have to pay. If wood were free, and someone built two breadboxes, is it ok for you to take one because I've paid for it? If they make only half of what they could have, it's entirely plassuable that they are not able to make the amount they want (or need, to recover their costs), and cease to make RA4.
And they can expect what they want, doesn't make it so. If you've ever traveled, especially to a third-world country, you'll find plenty of people offering to show you around, or do something for you -- or even doing it without permission (picking up your bags and carrying them into the hotel) -- and then expecting to be paid for it.
Interesting example, but wrong. An offer to show you around for money is just an offer; if you refuse, the one offering hasn't spent any effort showing you around, so there's no loss. EA already invested money, and they make it clear they want to be paid for their effort. If you don't want to pay, that's fine. Don't play the game. In your latter example, you didn't want the service to begin with, so there's no reason to pay. But when you play the pirated game, you DO want the service and DO take advantage of it, and should pay.
Taking your words at face value, no, gaining from someone's time and effort, when they expected to be paid, is not stealing, according to a quick glance in the dictionary. It's not even always dishonest.
I'm not speaking legally, so my use of theft is perfectly valid. You understand exactly what I mean, and are trying to avoid it by using semantics. Legally speaking, I could call it fraud or "theft of services," if that will make you happier.
Analogies are really overused, and one isn't needed. No one is unclear on the original topic,
Apparently, you are, or I wouldn't have used it.
Using the product without paying for it is very similar to having someone build a breadbox for you when you supplied the wood.
Now who's using analogies?
The flaw here is that I didn't ask for them to build the game. They built it on their own, and now they want to be paid for it.
The only difference they need to be concerned about is whether I buy it or not. My point here is to demonstrate that DRM has the opposite effect that they'd like -- DRM is based on the assumption that if the game wasn't DRM'd, I wouldn't pay for it, while if the game was DRM'd, I would.
If that's not the assumption, then we can stop right now, because DRM clearly isn't about piracy.
The real effect here is that if the game is too heavily DRM'd, I will never pay for it, while if the game is less DRM'd, or not DRM'd at all, I might pay for it.
Whether or not I pirate it is really irrelevant to that equation. It's not about what I get, it's about what they get for their effort.
If you want a no-cd crack (for example) on a game you bought, I see no problem in that.
I see two.
First, I shouldn't have to. It's akin to have to break into a car I just bought.
Second, it's illegal, thanks to the DMCA.
you've stolen someone's time and skill which they intended to sell.
I've done nothing to their time, since they have no relationship with me.
If I hired them personally, claimed I'd write them a paycheck, and then didn't, that would be theft of work.
Whether I can take the CD out or not is irrelevent. Shall I now complain that my computer "doesn't work" if I take out the RAM?... Or that my car "doesn't work" if I don't put gas in the tank?
Also irrelevant.
I have owned laptops without builtin optical drives. I can plug it into one and install directly from the CD, no problem. But when I remove the drive -- either unplug the USB, or swap a builtin drive for a battery -- the game absolutely should work.
The game is designed to work with the CD in the drive;
Which is why it's called "defective by design".
That's the same as complaining that you can't drive your car because you don't want to pay the price for filling the tank.
Filling the tank is a physical necessity, not a restriction imposed by the manufacturer.
I hope you can tell the difference.
To extend the analogy, how would you feel if you bought a car which refused to let a woman drive? Or refused to let a man drive? That's not a physical restriction of the car -- in fact, it would take quite a lot of extra effort to impose such a bizarre restriction, and it would take less effort to build a car without such restriction.
And I am sure I would not buy such a car. (Is it "theft" because I left the car sitting there on the lot?)
They're down the money you should have paid.
Or, in short, they're down an imaginary amount of money they assume I would have paid.
If I would never have bought the game, they are effectively down $0.
If wood were free, and someone built two breadboxes, is it ok for you to take one because I've paid for it?
Still missing the point -- it costs double the effort to build two breadboxes out of free wood. It costs significantly less effort to build a second copy of a piece of data.
If they make only half of what they could have, it's entirely plassuable that they are not able to make the amount they want (or need, to recover their costs), and cease to make RA4.
Tragic.
And entirely their problem, not mine.
Again: The effect is exactly the same as if they buil
Don't thank God, thank a doctor!
Apparently, you are, or I wouldn't have used it.
No, you're just throwing up a strawman argument. Or do you complain that you shouldn't NEED a key to drive away in the car you just purchased?
Now who's using analogies?
Well apparently you don't understand the concept or I wouldn't have a need to use one..
The flaw here is that I didn't ask for them to build the game. They built it on their own, and now they want to be paid for it.
Irrelvent; I never asked anyone to build a breadbox either, but there's still lots of them around. Or do you think that only things YOU want should be built?
The only difference they need to be concerned about is whether I buy it or not. My point here is to demonstrate that DRM has the opposite effect that they'd like -- DRM is based on the assumption that if the game wasn't DRM'd, I wouldn't pay for it, while if the game was DRM'd, I would.
There are a suprising number of people that wouldn't pay for the game. No, I'm not claiming DRM will stop people.. it may stop some though. Of course, no one would bother with DRM if games actually weren't being pirated to begin with. This is a case where a (hopefully) minority of people ruined it for everyone.
If that's not the assumption, then we can stop right now, because DRM clearly isn't about piracy.
The real effect here is that if the game is too heavily DRM'd, I will never pay for it, while if the game is less DRM'd, or not DRM'd at all, I might pay for it.
Whether or not I pirate it is really irrelevant to that equation. It's not about what I get, it's about what they get for their effort.
Sure it is; by pirating, you re-enforce the idea that people would rather steal their work than buy it. So they in turn will clamp down harder. If you want to get rid of DRM, stop pirating games. Go without.
First, I shouldn't have to. It's akin to have to break into a car I just bought.
More like you have to find the key they lost... which is just hung on the wrong ring. See, you're still getting the key, it causes no "damage" to the game you just bought. Oh wait, you're talking about secureROM. In that case, you bought a car and don't like the anti-lock brake system it came with. So you need to decide; do you really want the car or not, because they don't offer a model without anti-lock brakes.
Second, it's illegal, thanks to the DMCA.
Then don't buy the game, and don't pirate it. Or is it ok to steal the car now because it wasn't EXACTLY what you wanted?
I've done nothing to their time, since they have no relationship with me.
If I hired them personally, claimed I'd write them a paycheck, and then didn't, that would be theft of work.
Stop it. You've stolen their work, whether or not you have a personal relationship with them. Same as stealing a breadbox directly from the breadbox guy. You're rationalizing, and you know it.
Also irrelevant.
No, it is totally relevent. The product was designed a certain way, and part of that design includes relying on SecureRom.
Which is why it's called "defective by design".
Ha. A phrase coined by retards trying to use engineering terms. If it works as EA designed it, it can't be defective, by definition. Defective would mean it's not working according to the specs EA created.
Filling the tank is a physical necessity, not a restriction imposed by the manufacturer.
Sure it is! They could have made it run on anything; they chose gasoline though. You can't pore water in the tank and expect the car to run can you?
To extend the analogy, how would you feel if you bought a car which refused to let a woman drive? Or refused to let a man drive? That's not a physical restriction of the car -- in fact, it would take quite a lot of extra effort to impose such a bizarre restriction, and it would take less effort to build a car without such restriction.
If th
No, you're just throwing up a strawman argument.
And you didn't address the actual argument there.
Or do you complain that you shouldn't NEED a key to drive away in the car you just purchased?
A key, yes. A key is a minor inconvenience, and doesn't restrict me from anything, so long as I don't lose it. Moreover, a key provides added value, in that it prevents someone from stealing my car -- note that this would, in fact, deprive me of my car, and not the manufacturer of some imaginary amount of money.
Irrelvent; I never asked anyone to build a breadbox either, but there's still lots of them around.
And no one calls me a thief for not paying for them. I simply don't take them.
I suspect that no one would call me a thief, either, for taking a photograph of one, going out and buying the wood, and assembling my own.
There are a suprising number of people that wouldn't pay for the game. No, I'm not claiming DRM will stop people.. it may stop some though.
Unlikely that it will stop a significant number. It might be interesting to compare it to the number of people who have stopped buying PC games altogether because of DRM.
Of course, no one would bother with DRM if games actually weren't being pirated to begin with. This is a case where a (hopefully) minority of people ruined it for everyone.
It's a case study where no one is right. Considering how little effect DRM actually has on piracy (possibly a net negative effect, as I am an example of)... What is the excuse for a publisher to do this?
It's a bit like trying to counter shoplifting with severe penalties for wearing trenchcoats or carrying any unauthorized bags. The shoplifters will find another way, and in the meantime, you've managed to inconvenience a large portion of the population.
Consider that shoplifting is actually stealing, and I still don't consider ridiculous security measures to be justified.
Sure it is; by pirating, you re-enforce the idea that people would rather steal their work than buy it.
Maybe.
Or maybe I reinforce the idea that people don't want to deal with DRM.
How many actual studies have been done on this issue? How many hard statistics do we have? At this point, it's all speculation, which means I have to lean in favor of not treating your paying customers like criminals.
Oh wait, you're talking about secureROM. In that case, you bought a car and don't like the anti-lock brake system it came with.
Except that SecuROM doesn't just cause problems for itself. It causes problems for the rest of the system, too, and has for quite awhile. People's CD writers stop working, or their drives disappear entirely. The game insists that they uninstall certain other software, which is a bit unreasonable -- like your car refusing to be in the same garage with a truck.
And regardless, it is not uninstalled when the game is, even if said game was only a demo.
So as long as we're playing with analogies, this is a bit more like trying to test-drive a car, and it (painfully) brands a permanent barcode on your arm (which stings in the winter, and is possibly carcinogenic), refuses to start within a hundred feet of your SUV, and every now and then, when you're wearing the wrong clothes, it decides you're a thief and refuses to start, even if you have the key.
And on top of all that, the manufacturer didn't give you a key. They gave you most of a key. You had to carve the last notch yourself.
You're rationalizing, and you know it.
You don't have any more actual arguments, so you're appealing to emotion. You're good at that, but I'm not biting.
The product was designed a certain way, and part of that design includes relying on SecureRom.
Don't thank God, thank a doctor!
And you didn't address the actual argument there.
I did; also, I'm not going to anymore. You should look up what a strawman arguement is, and why I won't be addressing it anymore.
A key, yes. A key is a minor inconvenience, and doesn't restrict me from anything, so long as I don't lose it.
The same can be said of the CD key.
Moreover, a key provides added value, in that it prevents someone from stealing my car -- note that this would, in fact, deprive me of my car, and not the manufacturer of some imaginary amount of money.
No, not really. Cars are stolen all the time without keys. It's become so trivial in fact that some keys now also have chips in them that work with the ignition system. You're also confusing things here; the CD key on the game is meant to keep people from stealing the game from the manufacturer, not to keep someone else from stealing the game from you.
And no one calls me a thief for not paying for them. I simply don't take them.
I suspect that no one would call me a thief, either, for taking a photograph of one, going out and buying the wood, and assembling my own.
However, pirating is NOT the same as "assemblying your own." You've made a copy, when the publisher expects to be paid for each copy, and you haven't paid. I know I know, you're going to go back in circles again, so spare me that nonsense. If you want things like games to be made for sale (without investing all of the money yourself), then we need to setup a system that allows their work to be rewarded. Otherwise we'd be left with games built by a few individuals at most.. and honestly, I don't think they'd be as good. If you don't accept this, well, you're just being delusional.
Unlikely that it will stop a significant number. It might be interesting to compare it to the number of people who have stopped buying PC games altogether because of DRM.
Irrelevent. Having a key to start a car doesn't really have any significant impact on the number of cars stolen today... otherwise cars wouldn't be coming with security systems, both passive and active, and computer chips in the keys.
If you don't like DRM as part of the product fine, then go without said product. That's a pefectly valid choice. What's not valid is to get a copy of the game without paying and then cracking it. All that does is re-enforce to the manufactorer that they need to do something.
It's a case study where no one is right. Considering how little effect DRM actually has on piracy (possibly a net negative effect, as I am an example of)... What is the excuse for a publisher to do this?
Because it's the publisher's product to build as they see fit. Just as it's your choice to buy the game or go without it completely. If people actually went without, and enough of them said DRM was the main reason, you'd see attitudes change. However given that DRM is still being used, I think you would be in the minority. Most (like me) simply don't care.
It's a bit like trying to counter shoplifting with severe penalties for wearing trenchcoats or carrying any unauthorized bags. The shoplifters will find another way, and in the meantime, you've managed to inconvenience a large portion of the population.
Many places DO put restrictions on bags up. You have to either leave it at the counter or in your car... or you can leave the store. Again, you're free to not shop at such stores... but you wouldn't have any right to steal because you feel you're being inconvienced.
How many actual studies have been done on this issue? How many hard statistics do we have? At this point, it's all speculation, which means I have to lean in favor of not treating your paying customers like criminals.
If that's your belief fine... BUT GO WITHOUT THE GAME. It's not an excuse to steal it, not matter how much you'd want it to be.
Except that SecuROM doesn't just cause problems for itself. It causes problems for the rest of t
You should look up what a strawman arguement is, and why I won't be addressing it anymore.
A strawman argument is a misrepresentation of the opponent's position. What about your position have I misrepresented?
I'm fairly sure there's nowhere I can look up "why plague3106 won't answer it anymore."
You're also confusing things here; the CD key on the game is meant to keep people from stealing the game from the manufacturer, not to keep someone else from stealing the game from you.
That's exactly the point.
I don't mind car keys much -- they are to protect me, and I'm willing to sacrifice a little convenience for a little of my own security.
Key words: my own. I'm certainly not willing to sacrifice a little convenience for a little of a game developer's security.
However, pirating is NOT the same as "assemblying your own." You've made a copy
Which is pretty much the same as assembling my own.
The only difference I see in your argument is who expects to be paid. If you read that paragraph again, can you show me where you've said anything different, other than that you don't want to have this argument?
If you want things like games to be made for sale (without investing all of the money yourself), then we need to setup a system that allows their work to be rewarded.
Close. Try this instead: They need to setup a system that allows their work to be rewarded.
DRM isn't it.
Having a key to start a car doesn't really have any significant impact on the number of cars stolen today... otherwise cars wouldn't be coming with security systems, both passive and active, and computer chips in the keys.
And few games come with just a CD key anymore, so the analogy still fits. I have no problem with a car security system that works for me. I don't want to waste my time with a car security system that works for someone else, unless I'm being paid to do so.
All that does is re-enforce to the manufactorer that they need to do something.
Correct -- they need to do something.
You'd think they'd figure out, by now, that this "something" is not more DRM, since DRM is having no significant impact on how quickly the cracked version goes up online.
but you wouldn't have any right to steal because you feel you're being inconvienced.
Same, tired old argument... I don't. Taking from a store means the item is not still on the shelf.
If this was Star Trek, and we had replicators, would we still be bickering about who had the legal rights to make copies of a particular kind of food? Or would we just go out and solve the world's food problem?
EA did give keys; their printing company fucked it up.
Like a car manufacturer hiring a third party to fuck up a key?
Their product, their fuckup.
It works as they planned it to work. Just because you disagree does not make the design defective.
Let's be clear, then -- what, in your opinion, makes a design defective?
Or do you think some pixies made it with fairy dust?... Just childish selfishness.
That pretty thoroughly supports my "appeal to emotion" statement.
Or do you think I don't know that it takes effort to make a game? I'm a software developer, and as a hobby, I'm a writer. I know it takes effort to build something.
The difference is, I don't believe you're guaranteed to a successful business model, just because you've put a lot of effort into the project. And in general, when 80% of the population does not follow a law, I wonder if the law itself is wrong.
By that logic, nothing that doesn't affect you directly should be illegal.
It also doesn't directly affect the developer. I'm a lost sale either way