Bioshock demo .exe issues ? Anyone else?

[j.o.s.h.1408]

i have some interesting news about the full game that can only be installed TWICE on any pc!

First - They release the Bioshock Demo on XBOX Live over a week before the game was released.

Second - They wait til the day before the game is released to finally let the PC community get the demo without having to resort to torrents or other bull**** means of acquiring a DEMO.

Third - They use SecuRom for their anti-piracy protection and supposedly limit LEGITIMATE PC game buyers to only 2 installs / activations.

Story Time!
So, little Johnny works hard on his news paper route and lawn-mowing jobs saving up all summer so he can run out and buy Bioshock on the day it's released.
Little Johnny decides to stop at his friend Tommy's house to show Tommy his new, hard-earned game. Little Johnny installs Bioshock on Tommy's PC.
Tommy ooh's and ahh's over how much Bioshock kicks ass. Tommy goes to the store to buy his very own copy of Bioshock since it kicks so much ass.

Little Johnny is happy and decides to go home so he can play Bioshock on his own computer. Little Johnny's father, Big Fred, notices that Little Johnny got
a new game and wants to check it out on his computer. Little Johnny, is proud of his hard-earned game and lets Big Fred install it on his own computer and play it for a while.
Big Fred loves Bioshock and is proud of his son for having such great taste in computer games. Big Fred drives to the store to buy his own copy of Bioshock.

Little Johnny is finally able to sit down at his own computer and install the game.
Little Johnny gets to the activation screen, diligently put in his serial number for his shiny new Bioshock game and gets this:



Little Johnny is very sad now. He is unable to play the very game that he worked ALL SUMMER for. Little Johnny has to resort to begging and pleading
2K games to let him activate Bioshock on his own PC, because he foolishly installed the game on 2 other PC's first.
He writes a very strongly worded letter to 2K Games, and vows to NEVER BUY ANOTHER GAME FROM 2K again.

Have multiple PC's? Have fun trying to reactivate.
Reload Windows on a regular basis? Have fun trying to reactivate.
Run a Dual Boot XP / Vista box and want to see how the game runs on DX10 vs. DX9? Have fun trying to reactivate.
Want to let other people in your family use the game for a while? Have fun trying to reactivate.
Want to sell the game in 6 months after you are bored with it? Too bad sucker.
Think buying the game through Steam will prevent this problem? Think again.

I haven't personally run into this issue yet, but there are multiple threads on the 2K forums with users having this issue. If they don't fix this **** ASAP, I will never buy another 2K game again. I'm sure I'm not the only one.

http://forums.2kgames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5966

http://forums.2kgames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5527

if this is true then sod buying this game

[s_kinton]

if this is true then sod buying this game

Thats just crazy, surely they would be stupid enough to allow only 2 installs - just ridiculous!

If the activation gives me any grief whatsoever, I know exactly what i'll be searchng the net for...

[Splash]

That does sound... very harsh. That said, I'm now leaning towards buying it over Steam, which I assume will mean that this won't be an issue.

[s_kinton]

no-one has confirmed whether the Steam version has the same 2 activation limit. If it hasn't then I'll return my copy to play.com and get it from Steam.

There no official response on the 2k forums. This could ruin the game for alot of people, not to mention damage sales and play into the hands of piracy.

I think this activation issue will need a new thread.....

[Odc]

Does anyone know if you can use the cdkey from a retail copy on steam? That would bypass this odd activation issue.

[kalniel]

It's not twice on any PC. You should be able to install it unlimited times on the same computer, it's only when you change computers that you have to reactive manually, like windows or other digital download systems.

[CAL3H]

What patch? Is that for the full game or the demo? Link?

Its a driver patch for AMD/TI cards - here is the patch FOR VISTA or FOR XP

Not sure if it will be of any help - mine is still locking up at the main menu. This doesn't seem to be a common issue. I'm unsure at the moment whether the the C++ SP1 environment has installed correctly. I've just installed the August 2007 version of DX9 also and still have the same issue. This is now the case regardless of whether I install and play via steam or independently. I have control for a few seconds but then the whole PC locks at the menu screen and I'm forced to power off and restart.

All in all, not very reassuring - not so keen about buying this for PC now - frustrating when all should work and doesn't with games.

[MSIC]

It's not twice on any PC. You should be able to install it unlimited times on the same computer, it's only when you change computers that you have to reactive manually, like windows or other digital download systems.

But is that twice on the same install of windows? OR if i plan to wipe my PC, should i do this now rather than next month? Or does it work by Ip address, in which case i'm buggered as i'm moving house this year. Or MAC address?

[kalniel]

I don't know any of the details. No way would it be done through IP though - I get through several of them in a day..

If it's like windows then it'll be on some kind of hardware hash, ie if you change motherboard. Software changes should be fine. I expect the EULA probably says something about it being a license to run on one computer which should be enough to stop people being silly and trying it out on mates computers.

[Skinleech]

Its the newest beta drivers.

I kind of assumed Vista would update itself, I know XP did almost every day...isnt DirectX part of those updates as well? Is there a way to check what Ive got and what I need to update?

Vista can auto update, but it depends on your settings. Mine are set to off, so the day before I got the demo I went to MS Update via the start menu & installed all the gubbins. I then used Driver Cleaner Pro to remove my Nvidia drivers, rebooted & reinstalled the new betas. Finally, I installed the Bioshock demo, which updated Direct X for me.

I'd check MS update, see if there's anything there and install them if so. Then search the MS site for the compatibility updates and get them. My Vista system told me I didn't need them.

[JimNastics]

Jesus what a mess this release is, the official Bioshock forums have taken an absolute hammering. Strange thing is no reviews have picked up on bugs or anything, even PC Zone which usually comes down hard on games that suffer from buggy releases. Guess I'll reserve my judgement for when I give it a go :/

[Lanky123]

I downloaded the latest DirectX and its all working now. Great Demo...thanks for your help all.

[s_kinton]

But is that twice on the same install of windows? OR if i plan to wipe my PC, should i do this now rather than next month? Or does it work by Ip address, in which case i'm buggered as i'm moving house this year. Or MAC address?

From what ive read over on 2K, if you install the game, format windows and install the game again, then format again you will get the activation error on the third install i.e. a fresh installation of the same copy of windows, then install the game counts as another activation.

It counts the number of total activations to the activation server, regardless of the os and hardware, more than 2 and you're stuck.

I'm suprised its taken until now for this to be noticed.

Hexus should run this on the front page to give it more attention and get a general consensus.

[kalniel]

That sucks then. I like having the physical media precisely to avoid activation problems - does this mean an internet connection is required to play the game at all?

edit: yes. Pants.

[s_kinton]

does this mean an internet connection is required to play the game at all?

edit: yes. Pants.

Yup, apparently you cant play Bioshock in Steams offline mode like you can HL2. It seems like you need to be always connected.

[redsky009]

Often this is included in big releases to slow down the spread of copied games (makes it harder than it's worth for the average punter): then, after a month or so of fans petitioning, copy protection gets removed in a patch. And so the cycle contiues.

Here's the irony: I (and I suspect many others) would rather download a torrent version with no copy protection and leave my bought DVD in it's Ltd Edition Tin case, not getting scratched, than have securerom forced onto my pc.

One day they will learn