Starforce enforces DRM by instant reboot!

[zer"0"]

The Starforce people are taking DRM to new heights.

Talk about annoying the customer.

 

Imagine copying some personal files to disc for back-up purposes and the PC just reboots.

 

This software gives no disclaimer or notice when installing and runs all the time. Essentially hogging CPU-cycles and slowing overall system performance.

 

While active Starforce may also disable DMA-mode on read/write devices.

E.g: cdrom/dvd - forcing PIO-mode which is generally slower and may make watching DVDs or HD-DVDs choppy or impossible.

 

AFAIK Starforce is used only in PC games, for e.g: Ubisoft exclusively uses Starforce in its titles.

 

Disclaimer: I have no problem with companies protecting their IP, and don't advocate piracy.

Nevertheless, Starforce does this without a user's knowledge and to detrimental effect, potentialy causing time- or work-loss even damage due to draconian copy-protection measures.

 

I think it high-time that we as gamers and consumers in general educate ourselves in regard as to the titles and companies (publishers) using starforce. And decide if we want to continue supporting this kind of behaviour, which enforces its DRM-policy with blatant disregard towards its primary users.

 

 

Link:http://www.cdfreaks.com/news/13212

 

Further info on: STARFORCE

 

List of Released Starforced games:

http://www.glop.org/starforce/list.php

[SteveThaiBinh]

If there's no notice or disclaimer, wouldn't Starforce be legally liable for lost data and the costs incurred as a result?

[Tigranes]

Theoretically, yes. It should also be against the EULA to install without telling you in the first place....

 

Icewind Dale: Heart of Winter

 

woah. O.o

[zer"0"]

If there's no notice or disclaimer, wouldn't Starforce be legally liable for lost data and the costs incurred as a result?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

IANAL, but I suppose they would be. The thing is no-one has taken the company to court

... yet, and then there is a little thing called a EULA which may indemnify them from any potential damage etc.

 

The best way is a boycott of their products.

 

Clarification: The EULA in regards to the game, and as Starforce may be viewed as

part of the product. It all depends on how a real court would view the interpretation of such.

Edited March 21, 2006 by zer"0"

[karka]

Hey, TrackMania Nations is a free game..

[Nick_i_am]

Starfocrce is pretty stupid, anyone who was going to pirate a game wasn't going to buy it anyway, and while this may be a completely sweeping and not ENTIRELY true statement, the 'good' customer is still being treated like a criminal AND being inconvenianced for not much of a good reason.

 

Go go Galatic Civilizations 2!

[karka]

And these copy protection softwares affect customers and don't affect people those playing game's pirated versions.

[Nick_i_am]

Oh sweet irony.

 

Reminds me of a good instance of copy protection as used in Operation Flashpoint. Basically, if you were playing a copied version of the game you would be...allowed to play it. Only, after a while, odd things would start happening, vehicles would become undrivable and your aim would shake around all over the place.

 

Beautiful I say.

[metadigital]

If there's no notice or disclaimer, wouldn't Starforce be legally liable for lost data and the costs incurred as a result?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

IANAL, but I suppose they would be. The thing is no-one has taken the company to court

... yet, and then there is a little thing called a EULA which may indemnify them from any potential damage etc.

 

The best way is a boycott of their products.

 

Clarification: The EULA in regards to the game, and as Starforce may be viewed as

part of the product. It all depends on how a real court would view the interpretation of such.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Contract law cannot contravene the laws of the country in which the contract is drawn. You cannot install a trojan device, to my knowledge, ANYWHERE in the world (with any IT laws) without the permission of the owner.

 

I won't be surprised (if this is true) when Ubisoft have to make reparations to the US community under penalty of class-action.

[Llyranor]

Boycott time!

[alanschu]

Starfocrce is pretty stupid, anyone who was going to pirate a game wasn't going to buy it anyway, and while this may be a completely sweeping and not ENTIRELY true statement, the 'good' customer is still being treated like a criminal AND being inconvenianced for not much of a good reason.

 

Go go Galatic Civilizations 2!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

That's not true.

[213374U]

I think it high-time that we as gamers and consumers in general educate ourselves in regard as to the titles and companies (publishers) using starforce. And decide if we want to continue supporting this kind of behaviour, which enforces its DRM-policy with blatant disregard towards its primary users.

That is the main reason why a Starforce boycott will never be widespread enough to force a change. You know about this. I know about this. Maybe a few hundred thousands more worldwide know about this. Even if everyone that knows boycotted, they could still point a finger at us and laugh as they "protect" their games with this crap.

 

 

Go go Galatic Civilizations 2!

Don't worry. The fine guys at Starforce will make sure this game is pirated to the extent it will be an example for developers to never underestimate the power of aggressive and illegal copy protection again. All's well that ends well.

[karka]

GalCiv 2 have already sold pretty good..

[Nick_i_am]

That's not true.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

not ENTIRELY true

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

really?!

 

I can't speak for anyone else, but if not being able to pirate a game was the only reason to buy it, they can't have wanted it that bad in the first place, and since I can't think of a game out there that isn't piratable while being readily available on the highstreet, meh. More often than not it comes down to inconveniance, I have heard of plenty of people who pirated Hlaf-life 2 not to save money, but so that they didn't have to put up with steam and while sure, it will be a small figure, it's still there. Likewise, for my own part, if I wasn't going to buy a game, it's not really worth playing, and while I have pirated games, i've usally either bought them later or stopped playing them before the point where it would have been worth actually 'buying' them. The only game which truely jinxed me was Soldiers: heros of WW2, so I just said screw it and played somthing else. I bought the game later for completely seperate reasons at a massively cut down price.

 

I refuse to belive that while there are people who are both desperate for a game and cheapskate enough to try and pirate it before giving up and buying it, that they don't make enough of a population to be worth screwing actual customers and funding a morally deffecit company like starforge.

[metadigital]

Without Starforge, the elite |-|/\xX0Rz have nothing to hone their skills on!

[Pidesco]

If Starforce wants to justify piracy they're doing a fine job.

 

Anyway, the only game on that list that I own is Silent Storm. Because of it I have a UAService7.exe permanently loaded into memory.

[alanschu]

That's not true.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

not ENTIRELY true

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I figured that that statement applied to the stuff immediately afterwards.

 

really?!

 

I can't speak for anyone else, but if not being able to pirate a game was the only reason to buy it, they can't have wanted it that bad in the first place, and since I can't think of a game out there that isn't piratable while being readily available on the highstreet, meh. More often than not it comes down to inconveniance, I have heard of plenty of people who pirated Hlaf-life 2 not to save money, but so that they didn't have to put up with steam and while sure, it will be a small figure, it's still there. Likewise, for my own part, if I wasn't going to buy a game, it's not really worth playing, and while I have pirated games, i've usally either bought them later or stopped playing them before the point where it would have been worth actually 'buying' them. The only game which truely jinxed me was Soldiers: heros of WW2, so I just said screw it and played somthing else. I bought the game later for completely seperate reasons at a massively cut down price.

 

I've seen it first hand, from many people that I know. People have asked me if I could make a copy of a game that I own for them. Since I no longer do stuff like that, it's not atypical for them to go out and buy it themselves.

 

I refuse to belive that while there are people who are both desperate for a game and cheapskate enough to try and pirate it before giving up and buying it, that they don't make enough of a population to be worth screwing actual customers and funding a morally deffecit company like starforge.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

You completely understate the way the Western economy is driven. Is it that hard to believe that if someone wants something, they'll try to get it with the smallest amount of expense to themselves? Especially considering the "download and play" form of piracy is not as common as many think, and rather new with respect to forms of piracy.

[Nick_i_am]

Oh yeah, I was more refering to download and play.

 

I miss the days of cart swapping and 'make me a copy buddy!'. Yeah, in that respect you're right, and in fact, my own views on such are probably rather limited, but I would also expect that the people who are most likely to lose money up-play the problem.

[alanschu]

Yup. And the people that like to get the free games downplay it. I love politics!

 

Unfortunately the only people interested in doing a study of the effects of piracy are the companies themselves. As a result, people dismiss the claims...which is too bad because I'm sure they aren't all bogus.

 

 

I know my roommate has bought more games when the bit torrent site he visited got shut down. He recently found another one, and his purchases have declined. Even of games like Prince of Persia where he purchased (and enjoyed) the one prior. A sample size of one doesn't tell much, so I figure it's a crap shoot as to whether or not his actions are unique. I did do some research on software piracy in my Computers and Society course (which was a surprisingly cool course), but there isn't much variety in the studies. And as long as they are done by the software companies, no one is going to believe them.

[Llyranor]

I think people are more likely to buy games if they actually have disposable income, too <_<

[metadigital]

I think people are more likely to buy games if they actually have disposable income, too  <_<

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Let's not base our survey on students ... "