Zaz - I reimage regularly, but yes I use Steam when I wish to play HL2. I do not like it though, and I always prefer to purify my PC by imaging after I have finished playing it .

Chips - But what about that evil software known as "StarForce"? You know, that copy protection software that installs without a user's consent? THAT is something that I feel is perfectly ethical to circumvent... if I were silly enough to buy a gme that used it of course .

LMAO - I just posted about that in another thread after someone brought it up on the X forums again...
Hmm, I have had the odd blue screen of death... but never whilst playing any X games. I used to get quite a few, but they disappeared after a sound card update was made available (when I say odd, I mean 1 per month or two).
As for what it does... I am actually suprised that something like MS hasn't implemented that kind of anti copy thing already in windows... I thought they had. Do I like it, well - as always - I haven't tried to copy anything, but I would imagine its damned fustrating. If you uninstall the game -then it should uninstall as well, because you are wanting to remove any installed components of the game from your system. The fact that it doesn't is rather disturbing. You should be able to remove an item without having to format (I know you can, but people mention you have to pay for the tool?).

I'm still buying the game, because as I said, it doesn't affect me, and I don't harbour strong enough feelings to resist such a game - but rumour is that the reason Egosoft opened the downloads to the public was because of 64bit systems and starforce. It aint compatible, so they must use the no-cd patch to play the game. Interesting - hopefully starforce won't be on X3 for this very reason


Edited by - Mike G on 10/13/2005 5:52:12 AM

Anyone care to propose a "fair and reasonable" method of copyright protection so that authors of content are able to make money?

Chips - Are you saying that X3 will use "StarForce copyright protection"? *Spits* There's no way in hell I'm buying THAT game then. Hmm. On second thought, maybe I'll buy it when the price drops to $40 or less and, more importantly, people develop cracks to disable StarForce .

Indy - Not me. I'm not going to waste my time by asserting the benefits of price reductions and customised cd-checking utilities .

As of yet there is no say so as to whether X3 will use Starforce in Europe .

In the US, Australia - indeed, the rest of the world - it is a different publisher from Deep Silver. Those publishers do not use starforce at all - so an AU version of X3 will certainly not have Starforce.

I may cancel my pre-order (its not gone gold, so I can do so) and get it from the US to avoid this. I also emailed Deep Silver to ask that they consider other copy protection methods due to the vast hatred there is against starforce, and asked why other such copy protections that are less invasive or disruptive aren't already used. Doubt I'll ever get a reply, but there was no loss in trying


Edited by - Mike G on 10/13/2005 11:07:24 PM

So the Aus. version will not have StarForce? Well that's good news. I'm not going to make the same mistake twice (ie. purchasing HL2 without knowing about that parasite known as "Steam" .