Should Civilization IV be Starforce protected?

[Martial-law]

Hi guys,



As recently some games have been released with the notorious "Starforce" protection system, should the coming game Civilization IV should also have the "Starforce" protection system. You are requested to to kindly post your opinions about that and take part in the poll. Thanks

[Nikolai]

NEver experienced the system myself, but judging from what I've heard, no way.

[Locutus]

Well, let's see, what are the advantages and disadvantages of such a system?

Advantages: None.

Disadvantages: it's a hassle to use, it installs crap without informing the user, it causes problems in running perfectly legally acquired 3rd party software, it infringes on a buyer's basic right to make a legitimate copy for backup purposes, it punishes the good guys for doing something the bad guys did ('cuz you know that illegal copies of CIV will be available within a week of release, no matter what copy protection systems may be used).

Pretty much a no-brainer...

There are two ways to prevent the evil that is software piracy (and with it also the evil of copy protection):

1) Make clear to the players that piracy is hurting legitimate sales and therefore directly affecting the budgets for developing new games. For a niche market like TBS, that means that if Civ4 doesn't sell enough copies, it may very well turn out to be the last mainstream TBS PC game ever. This is not only the responsibility of the developer and publisher, but of us as fans as well. Peer pressure is a powerful tool, and we benefit from it just as much (probably even more so) than the guys and girls making the games.

2) Make it attractive to buy. I.e. make it cheap (€40 for a new game is absolutely ridiculous) and/or make it worth the money: nice tech tree, bulky and useful manual, maybe a poster or some other goodies, etc. And provide legitimate buyers an online account that offers all kinds of extras for like downloadable scenarios, new civs, (mini) expansion packs, sneak previews/betas of other sequels/XPs/other games, etc. In other words: the GalCiv method...

[Tiberius]

well said Locutus, well said

[alms66]

Even though I really wanted, and still want, Superpower 2, I have not bought it because it has Starforce. If Civ4 goes that route, it will be the same situation, just a different game, for me at least.

[Solver]

Locutus got it .

Also, the Starforce system is a classic situation of making the legal product worse than the pirated one. I don't want to feel that I am at a disadvantage when spending my money for the game compared to those who pirate it, because they get a better working game in the end. No way.

[alva]

What's starforce?

[Max Sinister]

Obviously a new kind of copy protection. One of that kind that prevents incompetent pirates from stealing software and legitimate customers from using it.

Luckily, there's a solution to that problem: Open Source Software!

[General Ludd]

Star force protects the program by making it so that no one would want to use it.

[alva]

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=109676

Same thread at CFC...

[Modo44]

Well said, Locutus.

There's another drawback. Someone would have to pay for the system. Guess who that would be.

[Shogun Gunner]

I was thinking this was a future tech -- kinda like an SDI system -- so I voted no.

Then I read the thread, and now that I understand what "Starforce Protection" is, I want to chage my vote to:





HELL NO!!!!!!!! -- but I don't see that option.

[alva]

[General Ludd]

I've never seen such unanimous vote results on apolyton before.

[Peter Triggs]

At the moment, it's 1 for to 26 against at CFC too.

If this is a feeler from Firaxis or whoever's going to publish Civ4, then the results are pretty definitive.