"no cd" patching - Opinions.

[kalniel]

Yes, indeed many (make that most) people don't seem to release backing up an original game CD/DVD you have bought is perfectly legal and using NoCD patches is ok as you actually have to use them to make your backup work.

In fact, ironically, it's the games publishers that are more likely to be at odds with the law than the consumer who backs up their game when it comes to NoCD patches.

Except they might be able to argue (under UK law) that making a backup isn't neccessary for the intended use of the game. Copies for journalists etc are already covered elsewhere.

I think the law is a bit messed up - doesn't it elsewhere also say that creating tools to circumvent copyright is illegal. We can backup a game (if we need to for our use of the game) using a circumvention tool, but the creation of that tool in the first place is illegal

I've not heard of starforce.

[autopilot]

Starforce is horrific. It installs hidden drivers on your PC (kind of like Sony's rootkit that's in the news at the moment) which can cause all sorts of problems. It also forces you to uninstall any CD emulation software, even if you are using one for legitimate reasons. But the main issue with starforce is the blacklisting of certain CD/DVD drives. I could not run Splinter Cell PT at all, even without any emulation software on my system. A quick trip to the official forums revealed that thousands of people were in the same situation. The official response was remove the drive or tough cheese. I would have actually had to physically remove the drive from my PC to run it? WTF?!?!. On top of that, there are reports (incredibly ironically) that Starforce falls on its ass with even the slightest of scratches to the disk making the game completely coaster-tastic.

[dangel]

Did you mean Splinter Cell CT ? PT didn't use it AFAIK.

Starforce is rapidly becoming the protection of choice for recent games that i've bought - you can instantly recognise it by a dialog with a progress bar that says 'checking disc'. This is starforce and not the game itself. I've heard many horror stories - everything from won't work thru to 'game stuttering' and SF's support forums seem to be run by some very unsympathetic mods.. I think it's a step too far (the comparison to a rootkit is reasonable).

[autopilot]

Yeah, is was CT. The latest game i have bought with it is X3:Reunion.

[dangel]

Yeah, is was CT. The latest game i have bought with it is X3:Reunion.

What X3 as well? Nooooooooooooooooooooooo

[autopilot]

Yep, and starforce managed to completely hang my PC a few times on the disk checking. The game is buggy as hell too. I have shelved it for now until a decent patch comes out (i have a feeling it might be one of those game i never end up playing at all).

[dangel]

Yep, and starforce managed to completely hang my PC a few times on the disk checking. The game is buggy as hell too. I have shelved it for now until a decent patch comes out (i have a feeling it might be one of those game i never end up playing at all).

I've had that - but if you wait long enough it eventually gives your pc back (which is nice)

[shaithis]

I am all for no-CD patches.

Why should I, the person who legitimatly bought the product, have to do something extra to play the game that the pirate who copied it doesn't have to do?

Its mind-boggling that the people who PAY for the software get inconvienienced the most.

The problem is, as someone else has mentioned, that its normally difficult to apply patches to the games after a no-CD patch.

I think I will take a stance from now-on that I will refuse to buy any offline game that require a CD-check and will start pirating these games until they treat their customers with respect.