Starforce - Their true colors revealed

[Solver]

Thanks! I am mildly interetsed in HOMM5, but it looks like it won't be that good anyway.

So I guess I'm glad to join the boycott.

[yin26]

Letter sent to the following e-mails:

jaime.borasi@ubisoft.com
sales@star-force.com
marketing@stardock.com

Dear Jaime:

[Please forward this as you deem fit. Thank you in advance.]

As you are press contact for UbiSoft (USA), I just wanted to let you know that I am self-boycotting any games using Starforce as a result of their strong arm tactics against Stardock, developers of Galactic Civilizations 2. As you might know, GalCiv2 has no copy protection because the developer has decided not to punish paying customers by imposing copy protection schemes on them that often cause loading problems (and don't stop thieves anyway). Starforce's "answer" to this decision was to link to warez files online offering free downloads of the game. This somehow "proved" Starforce's worth? No, it was criminal and irresponsible...thieves keeping close company.

Of course, my boycott has less to do with developers trying to protect their hard-earned assets and everything to do with UbiSoft's use of a particular company to do so. (I have also cc'd Starforce's sales department and Stardock's marketing department on this e-mail). I have played many UbiSoft games with great interest, including (to name a few) Brothers in Arms, Splinter Cell, and Rainbow 6. I was very much looking forward to HOMM5, the development of which I have watched carefully on Gamespot.

I am sorry that your association with Starforce has lost you at least one customer, but the moment you change protection companies (or, better yet, follow the Stardock example), I will be back again, a loyal fan.

Yours,

--Kelly

[Solver]

to Yin

Realistically, of course, they are in all likelihood going to dismiss the message, but it's a good thing to do (sending it).

[yin26]

If nothing else, Brad's team will know my e-mail was sent. Also, UbiSoft will have to contend with the fact that at least one fan didn't buy one of their games. I have done what I can.

[Solver]

No need to frown there . Of course, the loss of 40$ from one customer is a grain of sand, but the important part there is the message that there are people out there who are not buying the game because of Starforce. And that's a good thing!

[snoopy369]

Well, who knows if Ubi will listen, but it sounds like HOMM V fans are trying their best ...

HOMM V forum thread on Star Force

[Solver]

Well, at least Bethesda listened - as I posted in the Oblivion thread, Bethesda said they decided against using StarForce because of fan input. So it can be useful .

[Adagio]

Yin

Originally posted by snoopy369
News posted ... please feel free to let either Illuminatus or myself know when something like this comes up that should make the news

I will do

[snoopy369]

Originally posted by Solver
Well, at least Bethesda listened - as I posted in the Oblivion thread, Bethesda said they decided against using StarForce because of fan input. So it can be useful .

Indeed. That was a very fortunate thing ...

[DrSpike]

Originally posted by yin26
Letter sent to the following e-mails:

jaime.borasi@ubisoft.com
sales@star-force.com
marketing@stardock.com

Now everyone else do it.

[Urban Ranger]

What Starforce did is truly despicable and should be condemned.

[Skanky Burns]

Originally posted by Solver
No need to frown there . Of course, the loss of 40$ from one customer is a grain of sand, but the important part there is the message that there are people out there who are not buying the game because of Starforce. And that's a good thing!

The thing is, for every person who contacts the company to let them know why they are not buying their products anymore, there are an order of magnitude more who are also boycotting but don't let the company know.

Yin

[Jon Miller]

while I think I have some of the games on that list, I don't own any games on that list

JM

[Adagio]

I have played several games on that list, but I only own one of them (I bought it before I found the mentioned site). The game I bought I would never have guessed it was using starforce, because AFAIK the no-cd crack for the full game was found in the demo for the game (all you had to do was copy some files from the demo, then it worked)

[Adagio]

Gamespot has interviewed Stardock about the issue

EBGames has released their top-selling PC games from last week. Galactic Civilizations II was number one. So if piracy is such a menace, it's not apparently affecting us to the degree that some say it should.