Warez heads ruin it for some.

Hobbes

Some bright sparks were buying T2, getting the account information and returning the game.

What happend?
1. Thier accounts were deleted.
2. Everyone next patch will be forced to have a CD in the drive.

Dustaz

Yeh, was reading about this on the TW forum.
I think its the dumbest idea ive seen. Theres nothing to stop these people buying the game, burning it, then returning the game. They get round it that way, and the stores keep re-selling the returns (which is the problem)
What about people who like to listen to cds while playing? what about ppl who have multiple computers? or play in work? It just penalises customers while not actually doing anything to stop the piracy.
Another thing is the intimation that all the returns are due to piracy. Judging by the sheer volume of complaints about bugs/bad performance i would highly doubt the dynamix judgement.
If the game runs at a snails pace and my pc is above the min specs, then i would feel justified in returning it. I just hope i dont have to

Lenny

well as for running it on multiple machines you'll need a lieience for that

[SN]JAG

i think its a good idea.


my copy of tribes is securely registered to me

Hobbes

Netshop is going to have to get a site license to let others play.

[SN]JAG

we are trying but sierra are very unresponsive

Dustaz

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by OJ:
well as for running it on multiple machines you'll need a lieience for that</font>

Strictly speaking im sure you do need a license to run it on more than one machine. But lets face it, thats a bit like saying buying fireworks is ilegal. We all know it, and we all do it anyway.
Im not talking about netshop or another internet cafe, im talking about installing it at home and at work.
If this attidude was prevelant when doom was released, we wouldnt be playing tribes now.

[SN]JAG

what he means is, you need a site licence to charge people to play eg. Cybercafes and gaming centers.

when you play the game people playing on licenced premisis have teir nicks turn up a different color.

Suds

Been chatting to Sierra about this,

You will need a "site" license based on # of machines, and a cd in everymachine. - fyi, t2 does checks everytime maps load etc...

Jedi

They should have did it the way iD made quake 3. The personal CD nunber of the game was checked before you entered a server. If more than 1 user had the same id code (eg copied version) the second person would be unable to join the server. It forced most players to buy there own cd. Then 6 months later they brought out a patch to disable this check because they had sold more or less all they were going to. Smart or what.

Hobbes

Actually the game is more like an online RPG. They only thing they don't do is charge you to play.

The account doesn't stop you playing on a LAN, just online.

PHB

offs, this is stupid, it will be cracked within a week and its jsut gona ruin it for the rest of us. like who are they fooling?

Hobbes

cracked what? You can play the LAN only if you do manage to crack it. But to play online you have to have a valid key and enter in your address and valid email.

If you use a hacked key then they will find out as they can tell what keys have been sold to what stores. If your hacked key matches a real box on the shelf then it's just a matter of time before someone buys that game and invalidates your key. At that point they will have all your IP address details.

Snaggle

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Hobbes:
cracked what? You can play the LAN only if you do manage to crack it. But to play online you have to have a valid key and enter in your address and valid email.

If you use a hacked key then they will find out as they can tell what keys have been sold to what stores. If your hacked key matches a real box on the shelf then it's just a matter of time before someone buys that game and invalidates your key. At that point they will have all your IP address details. </font>

What good are IP address details if you have a dynamic IP? The most they could do is complain to your ISP, and most ISPs don't give a **** about warezing by their users

Hobbes

You would think that?

Actually the B+W people are actually going to try and bring charges to people piriting the game.

ISP's do care. It's just they need proof. When a game company can come up saying that a copy of thier game is being used and list off IP's + times of all the time the warez head logged on, then they can match you to your account.

Having a dynamic IP address has never meant that you can't be proved who you are.

All ISP's have a warez rule. If they aren't forthcoming with people warz'ing then they can be held accountable.

Snaggle

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Hobbes:
You would think that?
</font>

I would know that, working in an ISP and being the guy that people would ask to fetch logs on connection times + IPs, and knowing people who work in most ISPs in Ireland.

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">
ISP's do care. It's just they need proof.
</font>

No ISPs don't really, in fairness, why would they? At the very most to cover our asses, it may be stated in an ISP's AUP that you're not to download warez and the like, but otherwise ISPs don't give a ****. In practice it's not worth the hassle given that a pretty high percentage of users download warez or access illicit content of other sorts. The only incidents I've heard of where the ISP gets involved is with the hacking of large sites (where they co-operate with the police) or child pornography.

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">
When a game company can come up saying that a copy of thier game is being used and list off IP's + times of all the time the warez head logged on, then they can match you to your account.
Having a dynamic IP address has never meant that you can't be proved who you are.
</font>

I know that, I've often tracked smarty pants users right down to their real name, home address and telephone number, other admins I know have rang the number to scare the pants out of said dodgy users, but never has any ISP admin that I know bothered their ass with a warez incident. Frankly it's not worth any admin's time

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">
All ISP's have a warez rule. If they aren't forthcoming with people warz'ing then they can be held accountable. </font>

Many ISPs have a warez clause in their AUP, but in reality it's not upheld. I don't know what ISPs you deal with but ISPs in general can't be held accountable for what their users download, at most they can be held accountable for what users put up on web pages or newsgroups or whatever that they host, and even then it's an extreme exception for an ISP to be done for that (the 2 major cases in recent memory being demon.co.uk for refusing to take a usenet posting off their news servers because somebody's personal mail was quoted in it and they complained, and the case of compustore germany, some issue with child pornography I think, both were controversial decisions).

ecksor

I've never seen a complaint about a user warezing apart from when it was hosted on a webserver.

Hobbes

*eats crow*

Ry

Hey Love the flashy stars man anyways I think its a good idea to have to have a disc because ive no problems in paying for it!!!

---

Quothe the Raven, "JennyRooba!"

moist

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by OJ:
well as for running it on multiple machines you'll need a lieience for that</font>

Err.. This hasn't been properly clarified below. Fine you can't use your key on 2+ machines at the same time, but what about at different times? i.e. home and work, seperate licence for that would be sucky!

I can't actually test this at the moment as my home machine is too ****e to play the game, new machine arrives next week
... hopefully...