Is copy protection fair?

[Keygen]

Originally posted by Solver

It's probably legal because lawyers from companies producing emulation software haven't sued game protection software yet, and lawyers can be expected to sue/threaten the first chance they get .

Do you know that for sure? That no company that makes emulation software has ever sued a copy protection software?

Originally posted by Solver

No, even if the copy is illegal, it would be illegal for them to delete emulation software.

I was referring to the Vista EULA related part of your post

[Solver]

Do you know that for sure? That no company that makes emulation software has ever sued a copy protection software?

No, but I read Slashdot and other tech-related news sites regularly, so there's a high probability that I would have heard about such a case.

I was referring to the Vista EULA related part of your post

Ah, yes. In that case, Vista EULA sucks, booooo .

[Bkeela]

If it wasn't for an illegal copy of Civ I, I wouldn't have known how great the game was and then go on to buy Civ 2, Alpha Centauri, and Civ IV.

[Strudo]

Maybe years ago the CD check was a good idea, but with high speed internet now the norm, it takes less time to download a new game than it does to drive down the shop and buy it. I admit that when I was a kid at high school 15 years ago, my first experience with the Civ series was Civ I, and I didn't know anyone who had the original. Just swapping at school. Bought Civ 2, 3 and 4 since though.

I always laugh in peoples faces when they say stuff like "if the games were cheaper, I'd buy them". It's just so bogus.

[Strudo]

Actually, was playing the old Space Quest 6 and had a look at a walkthrough for it cos I didn't want to spend too much time playing it. Found this little gem while explaining one of the puzzles...

"I think this was supposed to be a copy protection too. (but its on CD-ROM! So how can you copy it?!)"

Ahh how times have changed. The old days when just being on CD was enough to stop people copying software.

[Targonis]

For those who are NOT technical, copy protection will force people to buy multiple copies for each person who wants to play the game at the same time. And honestly, that's the way it SHOULD work.

An online check sounds like a nice idea, until the company that makes the game goes out of business, at which point you can't play the game. This is the main problem I have with the download versions(Trymedia). A purchased single-player game should work for as long as you have the desire to play that game.

So, copy protection is fair, but there are times when it can get in the way. If the copy protection degrades game performance, or prevents the program from working, then a NOCD crack is the only fix since it isn't the main game that is at fault. I have had problems where the copy protection had problems with certain CD-ROM drives for example. The game ran fine, but loading the game was a real nuisance, and the initial movie would stutter because of the copy protection. In some cases, the copy protection checks throughout the time you play the game, so the performance is degraded or has problems.

So, copy protection IS fair, because you should NOT have 10 people playing the same game at the same time for only one purchased copy. The protection can get in the way, so cracks that work around the protection have a valid purpose in some cases. If you use "fair use" yourself, then you won't have much of a problem with it since there will be only one copy in use per CD/DVD anyway.

Product keys with activation is a fair way to go to protect software, but when a product is old and falls into the, "The company won't make any additional money off the title" phase, a final patch that disables the need to activate should be provided so that those who own the game are not unfairly stopped from using it. This applies to Stream provided games as well since there will come a point 3-5 years after the game is released when the company may decide to stop offering service for the product, but where the product is still fun.

How would people feel if Trymedia went out of business, and suddenly all the downloaded games they bought could no longer be played?

[Keygen]

Originally posted by Strudo

I always laugh in peoples faces when they say stuff like "if the games were cheaper, I'd buy them". It's just so bogus.

Yeah, that is why stores make offers and prices drop after some time, because people wouldn't buy if cheaper

I also guess that all people worldwide have the money to buy every single game they're interested in but they just like to whine

[Brutus66]

Why sure, I think nothing of dropping $50 on a game that I may or may not like, that was probably rushed to market unfinished and in need of several patches, and if that if I am for any reason unsatisfied with the product I probably won't be able to return it.
Due to the lack of standards in the PC gaming industry, I often get to spend time tinkering with my system, downloading drivers or searching the net for answers as to why something doesn't work.
The part of the deal I like the best is that, according to the EULA, all my $50 buys me is the "priviledge" of playing said game.

[Strudo]

Originally posted by Keygen

Yeah, that is why stores make offers and prices drop after some time, because people wouldn't buy if cheaper

Or maybe it's because not everyone buys games straight after release, and prefer to wait till the the store want to clear room for new titles by reducing the retail cost of the products?

If the people who say they would be happy to buy software if it was cheaper are genuine, why do they download it instead of waiting until the store puts it on sale?

Originally posted by Keygen
I also guess that all people worldwide have the money to buy every single game they're interested in but they just like to whine

I'm making no such claim, (although I do believe people like to whine ). I suggesting that a software pirate, if given the choice between paying something and paying nothing, will elect to pay nothing.

[Adagio]

Originally posted by Strudo
if given the choice between paying something and paying nothing, will elect to pay nothing.

It's in the nature of being human

Among the reasons why I pirate games* is that I don't like to wait for games to available in stores** (I'm not the patient type). Why wait two weeks before you get to play the game everybody is talking about, when you can play it now? And often the pirate also ends up with a "better" game than those who installs from the DVD they bought in the stores, as we don't have to bother with the annoying copy-protection (wait, wasn't the copy protection supposed to annoy the pirate and not the other way around?)


*and before you ask: Yes, I have bought Civ IV and Warlords, both within a week of being available... but no, I don't even know if the CD/DVDs work, I've never had them in the drive

**often the stores don't get the game for at least a few weeks after the rest of the world gets the game

I always laugh in peoples faces when they say stuff like "if the games were cheaper, I'd buy them". It's just so bogus.

Unfortunately I believe you're right about this. Making games cheaper from release date will probably only increase sales a little

[Adagio]

Originally posted by Strudo
If the people who say they would be happy to buy software if it was cheaper are genuine, why do they download it instead of waiting until the store puts it on sale?

Because they want the game now, not when everybody else has gotten tired of it

[Keygen]

Originally posted by Strudo

Or maybe it's because not everyone buys games straight after release, and prefer to wait till the the store want to clear room for new titles by reducing the retail cost of the products?

If the people who say they would be happy to buy software if it was cheaper are genuine, why do they download it instead of waiting until the store puts it on sale?

I must admit I don't quite follow you

Originally posted by Strudo

I'm making no such claim, (although I do believe people like to whine ).

You seemed like it...

[Keygen]

Originally posted by Adagio

Unfortunately I believe you're right about this. Making games cheaper from release date will probably only increase sales a little

How do you conclude this?

From experience cheaper always sell more, and I am not referring to games only but virtually everything.

[Adagio]

Originally posted by Keygen
How do you conclude this?

From experience cheaper always sell more, and I am not referring to games only but virtually everything.

I'm just taking this from my own experience. I don't know many people who buys games when they become cheap, when they want to buy a game they do it shortly after release, no matter if they can afford it or not
And the same goes for me, 90% of the games I've bought I bought within a month of release date. I'm not rich, but when buying games I don't look at the price. Games would have be half-price when new, for it to make me buy more games

[LordShiva]

Originally posted by Keygen


How do you conclude this?

From experience cheaper always sell more, and I am not referring to games only but virtually everything.

Revenue = Price x Volume