Anti-piracy security in games improvements

[t0rek]

I'm just impressed (because I'm a pirate myself) how much the anti-copy security have improved in games. I recently got a pirated copy of POP: The Two Thrones and realized that after 2 months there's still no working crack for it (I'm not gonna talk about how to get cracks of course). That's because of the Starforce prtotection of the game that works really well. I don't know if this kind of protection applies to the consoles version of the game, but if you just google for how to run the pirated game, you will know about the amazing things (and unconfortable) that are required to be able to run the game. I myself never got to such extreme and sacrifice to play a game before. Due to the forum rules I can't describe the procedure of how to play a pirated version of a game, but those who have played it, or bothered to google for it will understand. Do you think this kind of protection will apply for more games in the future?

 

[ScottJC]

Of course it will, but its not that difficult to defeat - just use usb dvd drives;

 

[Falcon4ever]

Well like the old days with safedisc, there are tools to 'fake' stuff. So instead of cracking some exe, there are tools which just fools the game copy protection. For starforce there are already several tools out which are capable to do such tricks...

What I don't like about starforce is the way they manipulate your device drivers...

 

[Agozer]

What I don't like about starforce is the way they manipulate your device drivers...

Indeed, not to meantion that StarFroce can fuck up certain systems pretty good... So far, games using StarForce have run fine on my machine.

 

[flowrent]

I agree with anti-piracy measures .
I hope Starforce will improve and become unhackable.
If games are not pirated,prices will go down and everyone will afford to buy a legal game .It's a win-win situation for both sides.

And let's face it ..computer games have become drugs to children today .
When a new game appears they gotta have it..they play ,they spend so much time around computers that they forget what's the real life like.
Yet another reason why this pirated games hysteria should cool down .
A gamer should be one who buys games not one who sits all day on p2p.

 

[Doomulation]

If games are not pirated,prices will go down and everyone will afford to buy a legal game .It's a win-win situation for both sides.

I strongly disagree. It's the development cost that increases the price. And it will probably continue to rise.
Although I agree with you that it is not a good thing for a game to be pirated.

 

[WhiteX]

here, it is pirated or nothing.
The games are way too expensive for PC, a third of our minimum wage and for consoles it is 2 thirds and we do not get all games released, only the ones with contract with EA most of the time, i´d like too see the day when mod chips, flash cards and P2P for gaming are no longer necessary bt the way it is, we brought the "starforce" upon ourselves.

 

[Blacklord]

I agree with Doomulation. Once games will become uncrackable we will be FORCED to buy games thus the prices will rise to get more money out of gamers. Just think having to buy a 100$-200$ game even on a high wage will still be a painfull thing to do. And don't even think that people just won't buy games anymore(thats just a sweet dream).

 

[WhiteX]

if i get forced to buy a game that will takemoney out from my responsabilities i´ll simply not buy it, as many adult gamers, with such responsabilities will do.

 

[Agozer]

Every game copy protection will get bypassed/cracked eventually. They're trying hard, and partially succeeding, but StarForce and co. won't win the copyright holders any wars.

 

[bcrew1375]

I wonder if games can become uncrackable? I haven't heard of an uncrackable game, but I have heard of games requiring more sacrifices than people are willing to make.

 

[revl8er]

There will always be people with nothing better to do besides hacking so I doubt a game will become unhackable.

 

[zilmar]

Only way a game can be not hacked, is for the hacker not to have it. All they can do is slow the person down, and stop people with less skill.

 

[smcd]

Starforce is evil (not because "it works" but because of HOW it does it - mucking about with device drivers and causing complications for several thousand people at least). I'm boycotting any game that uses it and ask/recommend you do the same. Companies have a right to protect their interests but when their interests interfere with my rights (to make a backup copy, ability for resale(DRM'd files like itunes and trymedia protected games)) then their rights (should) cease.

 

[t0rek]

Well like the old days with safedisc, there are tools to 'fake' stuff. So instead of cracking some exe, there are tools which just fools the game copy protection. For starforce there are already several tools out which are capable to do such tricks...

What I don't like about starforce is the way they manipulate your device drivers...

There are a lot of those tools tha doesn't work well, others make the system crash, and the ones that works are too complicated and makes you restart the system too much and that really bothers you know... that are the possibles sacrifices...

 

[ScottJC]

The only reason starforce workarounds has bother is because as long as you have an IDE dvdrom drive connected, they usually won't work; So if you get "rid" of them and replace them with a shiny new external usb drive (you can make one with a caddy and an existing drive).

All is defeated, no need to mess around anymore, no ide dvd drives=starforce can't do its thing very well. Not to mention that daemon tools authors are making a virtual IDE drive at this moment in time. Technically speaking, I have no hard wired dvd-drives, however it is plugged into a handy usb, and appears as a drive just like an ide one - it works like an ide one, and if it ever caused a problem i can just remove it simple as that

 

[flowrent]

Blacklord says :

Once games will become uncrackable we will be FORCED to buy games thus the prices will rise to get more money out of gamers

Lol.
If you want to sell you have to make a good offer not to have a huge price and say " my way or the highway".That's suicide for the game.
Prices will remain the same and will go down because they will get more profits if the game costs little and more gamers buy it compared to huge price and little number of buyers .That's marketing .

 

[Blacklord]

Thats true. And come on WhiteX are u acctualy saying that u could actually live without games? Gimme a break, no one wants to go back to the middle ages where outside is the only playground. U gotta have some R&R sitting in one place and playing a game:/

 

[Fabricio_EX]

I like to have original games; at least you can trust on its contents. But it's SO expensive. The last original pc game I got was about 2 years ago. Now, a friend of mine just put it on a cd and GIVE me full game (that's right, I don't buy it), so I don't mind anymore about buying a original or a pirate copy of a game. The problem is: the rising of the protected games will be a pain for us, see the GC games? They want your eye for it!

 

[WhiteX]

Thats true. And come on WhiteX are u acctualy saying that u could actually live without games? Gimme a break, no one wants to go back to the middle ages where outside is the only playground. U gotta have some R&R sitting in one place and playing a game:/

Not at all, i will not live without games, what i am saying is that no one will "force" me to buy a thing that will take food out my kid´s mouth.
I will buy games legally, as i bought Battlefront 2, once in a while and will continue to get some "underground" games as well.
What i see now is that game publishers are more focused on releasing good security tools for their investment than on making a working product, more and more we see bugged games with a huge price tag on them and the latest starforce technology, i mean, if we are braking our side of the deal, by pirating games, they are breaking their side also, by releasing bugged products and sometimes "forgetting" to patch them