MegaVolt

Join Date 07/2004

1.1 needs online activation ?!

hi
i highly appreciate your approach to copy protection
i ordered gc2 as soon as it got out and i really like it
i got two computers, one at my parents house (where i am right now) and one at my home near my university
problem is: at my home i dont have internet access
i just downloaded 1.1beta and wanted to try it out on my fathers comp (i installed galciv2 there and i am very happy not to have to bring the cd along every time i visit my parents for a weekend)
now it wants some kind of online activation ?!
i got several problems with that:
1. i dont bring my cds along when i visit my parents, so i dont have my key here to activate right now, so i cant play gal civ for the rest of the weekend (of cause i also cannot reinstall without the cds)
and the real problem:
2. at my home i dont have internet access, so i am pretty much screwed. will i ever be able to play 1.1 ?
the stardoch info webpage says there is no way to activate via phone or something like that
please dont tell me it will say like that ...

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You can get on peoplepc.com for $5.47 a month now for 3 months. If you can't afford that you shouldn't be playing games. And don't come back and give us you don't have a telephone. lol That's just a matter of "standard computer gaming" you MUST have internet access to get patches and register your games. Otherwise SOL baby.

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take a look here https://forums.galciv2.com/?ForumID=274&AID=105705

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@ psychoravin:
gc2 dosn't give any hint of a needed internetaccess in the description, so you cannot say: you MUST have it after the release

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thanks phoenix
so every time i want to patch gc2 i have to use my laptop to go to the university to download the patch (coz i dont haveinet at home, totally my fault), then go back to my house, try to install, wait for those stupid stuff i have to mail to stardock and then go back to the university to be able to email the stuff generated on my home pc, go back home and hope it all works? its a 15 minutes ride each time!
that kinda sucks!
and thats exactly the stupid kind of copy protection i thought gal civ 2 was free of
man, online activation did not work for windows and it kinda sucked in half life 2
why the hell do you do that with your customers? i thought you dont like to treat us as thieves and thats one of the main reasons i bought the product in the first place ...

i'm really disappointed
uit now i told all my friends what a great company you are and that they should consider buying galciv2 too, guess that was a mistake

edit: furtunatly, i entered my email at that stardock support site and my galciv2 key got mailed to me

at least i can now ty to activate the game i'm using here on my farthers pc ...
very good service indeed, but online activation still sucks

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so every time i want to patch gc2 i have to use my laptop to go to the university to download the patch (coz i dont haveinet at home, totally my fault), then go back to my house, try to install, wait for those stupid stuff i have to mail to stardock and then go back to the university to be able to email the stuff generated on my home pc, go back home and hope it all works? its a 15 minutes ride each time!

Well, I don't think that you will need the activation file each time. But you should copy it in a directory where it won't be deleted by a patch

and thats exactly the stupid kind of copy protection i thought gal civ 2 was free of

Well, the retail version of GC2 hasn't any copy protection

why the hell do you do that with your customers? i thought you dont like to treat us as thieves and thats one of the main reasons i bought the product in the first place ...

Well, I don't know the reason behind the activation for update version. But it is in the EULA:

ACTIVATION FOR UPDATES
Updated versions of the SOFTWARE made available
after the release will require Internet access
to activate the update. Alternatively, users may
send an email with a special code to be sent back
the file needed to activate the Registered Version
on a machine without direct Internet access.

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Here we go again.

The CD version does NOT require on line activation.

The patch only applies to e-download version.

A new patch may be published.

This happend last time.

People that accept on-line activation of CD games are sheep. (Baahhh!)

(If this game does goes to CD and on-line activation. Its history for me. Another waste of 50 bucks. But I am learning!)

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BTW, don't forget we are speaking of a BETA update

And you need to activate only once. Once it is activated, you no longer need to activate for newt update.

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if there is no new activation for every patch its still not the way i'd like it to be but at least i can live with it

got a little upset over that activating thing coz i was so happy to read all that cool "copy protection does not increase sales" posts
thx

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Here we go again.

Oh yes, here we go again.

(If this game does goes to CD and on-line activation. Its history for me. Another waste of 50 bucks. But I am learning!)

Given that the game has no copy protection, they categorically stated that the way they would ensure that paying customers got the most benefit from the game was by offering updates that required your serial to get them. This is a solution to extremely annoying 3rd party software programs (read: StarForce) that require you to put your cd in the drive and do unknown things to your pc. Given your earlier statements in other threads, i would have thought this way would be far superior for you as a software developer!

got a little upset over that activating thing coz i was so happy to read all that cool "copy protection does not increase sales" posts

This has nothing to do with sales though. This is for people that have bought the game. People who haven't bought the game wont be able to patch. There's nothing wrong with that as far as I can see.... it's a far better model of interacting with your customers. Let's state it for the record.... it does not have copy protection.

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If you have purchased the game, then you get access to all the updates, by using the serial number. This is a form of copy protection, for those who did not purchase the game, but are using an illegal copy, can not directly download the patch. Now yes their friend and fellow conspirotor, can download the patch, and then distribute, oops give, the cnew copy to their friend. $40.00 for a game that is supported, and does not install "stealth" copy protection on your machine, or require the CD to play is a great bargain for me.

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Stardock Central can, IIRC, mail you your serial at any time.

Checked, and so long as you registered the game in Stardock Central (doesn't your online account for Gal Civ II do this?) then you can request them mail you your serial from inside the Option area of the program.

They've said quite clearly that they will prevent piracy via serial key activiation of patches (in my experience of casual pirates, this is probably the most likely method to get them to buy). Patches installed via Stardock Central do this automatically IIRC, it's just that it's not going to be on SDC until Monday due to IT staff working lazy, working week hours

Do note that the article linking to the patch stated quite clearly that online activiation of your serial would be required.

gc2 dosn't give any hint of a needed internetaccess in the description, so you cannot say: you MUST have it after the release[/quote[

You don't have to have it, you just need it to patch. As said above, if you can't afford any kind of net connection, how in the name of God can you afford to game?

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Spearthrower: I do like the serial number and CD combo. What i disagree with is having to reactivate every time I change hardware. this is OK today, but breaks down over time. I have several programs that I lost due to buying too many computers over the years. I either exceed activation limits or the server is no longer available. I am thinking ahead here. I buy games for the long haul. Are we all willing to surrender our software investments to the future directions of the providers? What happens, god forbid, if Stardock were to tank and you bought a new computer?

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Hey, it's not only a question on afford an net connection, its often also a question of logistics like no connection to a telephoneline in the room the computer is installed, traveling for the job and having the game installed in a hotel during the evening and such things. If an internet connection is needed, it should be published. e.g. HL2 did so and everyone knew this before buying the game.

You're right, you just need it to patch, but the patches are also downloadable for later installation, so transfering them from a friend for local installtion is no problem, the eventually missing internet connecton still is. So patching doesn't simply mean: Hey you have to be able to surf on your computer the game is installed on. The patch is transferable.

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