Hate the activation process

Wow. All that difficult, difficult typing. What is it, twenty-four, thirty-two whole characters?

I've had to type my code in once. Since then I've downloaded and installed the game, downloaded and installed the game yet again after rebuilding my computer, and updated every patch. All without a glitch, without a hiccup. I don't have to pop a cd in and out all the time (as a matter of fact, my cd is still in its shrinkwrap). That's as easy as it gets.

I would love to have seen you trying to game back in the Windows 3.1/DOS days, when games forced you to type in the fifth word of page 32 of manual every time you wanted to play. Sorry, but I don't expect you'll find much sympathy here if typing a single code is too much trouble.

I agree, Did not like the activation process either.
And when I had already entered all my codes into stardock central I would have hoped activate.exe (or whatever it was called) would utilize that information so I would not have to retype it into a skinned application that did not look like it was part of stardock central (since it was not, why not?).

There is NO invasive software. As opposed to games that require you to have the game in the drive, or games which install software which destroys your computer. What's the problem? The first poster hit it spot on. You'll get no sympathy here, your complaint is groundless.

Copy protection sucks, yes, but piracy is a lot worse. If it weren't for the scum-sucking, yogurt-eating, low-life pirates, and you know who you are, don't you? we wouldn't be in this mess. How hard can it be to go through life and just not steal luxury items?

Translation: "I downloaded this from BitTorrent and now I can't give free updates. STARDOCK IS WORSE THAN HITLER!!!!11"

'Treated like thieves' LOL! I've never seen a game developer more responsive to its customers. Activation takes about 2 minutes, and that was with the European CE where I had to get a second serial number, and I've never needed the CD since. Perhaps you'd prefer to be treated to Starforce? Wait, you probably would, since most starforce games are eventually cracked and can be pirated with ease.

Copy protection sucks

The game isn't even copy-protected. It's only to get free updates for which you pay no money that Stardock work on for nothing that you're asked to spend 2 damb minutes registering.

The activation in question is required if you want to patch your game up to 1.2 or beyond (1.3 being in the works right now).  All it is doing is asking for your CD key (which most games do anyway) as a method to verify that you have a valid copy.  Failing to verify will ONLY prevent you from receiving further patches, it will not prevent you from playing.

I'm sorry that you consider inputting the CD key provided in the box (a common requirement on most games to even install) so invasive, but believe me when I say the copy protection on GC2 is probably some of the most liberal you'll ever encounter.  Even at the 1.0 stage of the game, which you have, it's still very playable and very light on bugs.  I say give the game a try first, you may like it.

I never use torrents, tried them years ago and they are full of viruses and spyware usually. I have already returned galciv2 like i said I was going to. the invasiuve part comes from the request for info that I have already given to the software, I dont want to have to re-iterate things like cd keys or serials, I just want the patchs and such. "treated like thieves" refers to the verification process, if I could do it offline I wouldnt be so peeved. If there was a multiplayer aspect then yes, it would be a reasonable request to provide the key so no one would be able play pirated versions. I just dislike the process is all, my opinion, my money, my solution is not to play the game. Steam does a similar thing right? And I have no problem doing that, since they have they multiplayer facet to their games. Fine for you to go along with this scheme, but not for me. It smells of MS and the crap they pull with pulling info out of users. nuff said, dont hate, its just my opinion is all. I dont pirate so dont imply that I do or would, I just dont like this delivery system for content for a game I have already payed for. Enjoy I guess, but this stinks like a big brother type of tactic. I am a private, tax paying citizen and I am speaking mainly to the makers of the game, with the hopes that maybe they could come up with a better system someday is all.

Sorry I also meant to add that yes I would prefer having a legit copy in the dvd drive and using that to verify that I AM NOT A THIEF. And I did give the game a try, had a little fun , then went to patch and thought, nope, not for me, or for many. Believe me when I say that I am not the only one who is against this. I have asked a few gamer friends, (who all work and BUY their games) and about 4 outta 5 say no also to this manner of copyright protection. Sorry for not being a fan of the system, cause the game seemed cool. Marcathonas seems like a contentious little snot btw, just my opinion again after surfing some of his remarks from other posts

Once you've registered the game, you not only get free updates but you can re-download the entire game even years from now. 

In fact, once you've done it, you don't even have to remember the serial #. Your Stardock.net account (the same one you posted here) will have it tied to your account. So even if you lose the CD AND lose the serial # afterwards, you can still redownload the entire game no matter where you live or where you bought the game.

It seems like a pretty good trade for having to type in a couple dozen characters one time.

Then again, you don't need to download the updates. The awards you see on the page were based on what's in the box and what's in the box doesn't even require you to type in a single thing or have the CD in the drive.

true. Not trying to find excuses from you fellows, just bored and and kinda peeved that I had to go to the store to purchase and then return it also. As you can tell I didnt register the key or keep it even, so the next guy who buys that game i returned wont be screwed. They can use your system no problem. I just dont like it. as a consumer that is my only option, keeping my money in my pocket. I guess you might be on the recieving end of my dissatisfaction with everyone wanting keys and online registration. Its getting out of hand and I didnt want to become a frequent poster over this, just wanted to shout out my frustration. sorry to bother you chaps, keep it clean and remember, Its just my opinion.

Marcathonas seems like a contentious little snot btw

Aaand you were doing so well. But no, you failed. (For the record, I'm contentious towards idiots. You sir are one of them)

Just my opinion.

This is intresting. Stardock is considered the rebel in copy protection. Yet some people object to their system? What exisiting copy right system do you pefer northbit? Can anyone think of a better system then Stardock's?

I think his problem was actually giving his info to the stardock account as well as the CD-Key. I don't know. Personally, you can put almost anything into the info for Stardocks account and they'll never really know. But I guess some people get a little paranoid about their personal information. In a day and age where your own government attempts to spy on its citizens in the name of finding people who might do harm to you or it, I don't blame him. But then, this does seem a little extreme as a reason to not even try.

Meh. Everyone has a beef with something. His might seem minor to everyone here, but its his opinion. Let him move on. Though, I'd be interested to hear what *HE* thinks should have been done as a copy protection for this game.

Well, if the guy would rather a game install hostile DRM drivers into his operating system and require a CD or DVD in the drive, that's his perrogative I guess. However, even those games require entry of a serial number to activate the product. And then you're tied to having a CD in the drive every time you want to play. I really don't see where the activation process for GC2 is a problem, especially compared to what other game publishers are doing.

Sorry I also meant to add that yes I would prefer having a legit copy in the dvd drive and using that to verify that I AM NOT A THIEF

Some people will find any reason to complain...

First, to enter your CD serial isn't as bad as CD check copy protection or anything similaar. And you only have to type it whenever you update the game (latest patches). Update that, in theory, you should be only doing once in a while. Don't compare me to have to copy&paste (i have mine in a notepad file) the CD serial once (unless reinstall or update) than to have to put the CD in the drive whenever you want to play. I never use "patched" exes for my games but that doesn't mean that i don't love how comfortable is not to have cd check in GalCivII or Gods, which i bought from TotalGaming.Net.

Second, CD checks means that game developers need to check that you have a valid copy... isn't that to treat the legit user like a thief? As far as i know, Oblivion has cd check. Yet, you only feel a thief with GalCivII's update system. Although i can undestand that you don't like to write the (quite long) cd serial for the updates, i find amusing that you find no problem with the cd checks systems.

Third, the fact that once you register your legally purchased game you can download it whenever you want in the future from Stardock and that if even you lose your cd serial you can recover it just sending your mail adress to Stardock... well, who cares about that fact?  Really, who cares that if you scracth your cd copy you can download for free an updated copy from Stardock Central?  And we are talking about a game that on release (from what i read) was more stable than CivIV (totally unplayable until the first patch) or Oblivion (appart from the lies on the box about the FX series being compatible...), just to mention two of many buggy releases. And lets forget that the new patches don't just fix bugs. No! They also add new content! That's crazy! I'm not talking about HeroesV patch adding Highscore screen, but all the things that the patches add (form user request) appart from fixing bugs. That extra work should be ignored.  

In any case, for your style i would think that you are just a little troll... but of course, i'm a little fanboy so maybe i could be biased in my perception. That you dislike the updating process and therefore not play (and return) the game? That's your decission, nothing to say there. But to say that the system if worse than cd check, that treats you like a thief.... sorry, you are wrong there.

From an egocentrical point of view, i only care that i like the system (it would be better if i wouldn't need to copy&paste the serial, without cd check and nothing more... but i wouldn't be lving in the real world then) and love the game. So i'm having lot of fun, preordered Dark Avatar and, for the record, had little fun whenever i had to look for word 9-line 3-page 34 of the manual in my old MSDos games.

Steam does a similar thing right? And I have no problem doing that, since they have they multiplayer facet to their games. Fine for you to go along with this scheme, but not for me.

I think this is the essence of the problem. It is okay for Steam because they have multiplayer. It is not okay for Stardock I infer from his comments, because GalCiv 2 does not have multiplayer. I get the feeling that is more the reason why he returned it - no multiplayer.

Let's try not to turn this into a multiplayer debate. On a completly unrelated topic, when I got my last job they wanted me to tell them my Social Security number before they would pay me. It's so unfair because my last job was at Wal-Mart and they didn't wan't my SS#. I'm tired of this company treating me like an illegal alien. I think I'll quit my new job even though the work is easier and they pay more because I don't want to tell them a 14 digit number.

I get the feeling that is more the reason why he returned it - no multiplayer.

I'm certainly not persauded that it was less trouble to return it than register.

BTW, if typing in a string of numbers is a problem, the GC2 serial number can be copied and pasted into the game's activation dialog. Even so, I think you only need to do it once per game installation. So, the complaint about entering a serial number is a somewhat invalid one. As far as personal information for the online account, I didn't give them much when I registered, at least nothing to be concerned about.

I wonder what version of Linux he's running since one must assume he's not running Windows since it has a serial number based activation system.  So does MS Office and countless other pretty well known programs.

GalCiv has none of that out of the box.  We do require users to register to get the updates as was previously mentioned. We would never be able to do the kinds of updates we do without it since by 1.3, we've updated so much of the game that between it and the demo one could probably just download what's on our site and have a fully working game. The serial numbrs aren't about trust, they're about security, being able to have some way to identify that the people downloading the game are actually people who bought the game somewhere.