All games should state on the packaging what protection they use, then the end user knows what they are getting. There is no good reason not to inform us what protection is used after all!

and what's about - "BEST GAME EVER" :D :D :D

my latest SF3 game is SCCT - i hope F.E.A.R will not protected by SF3 - i'd problems with scct last time - because SF3 :mad:

I am guessing F.E.A.R will be Securom just like the Demo. ;)

I bloody hope so Grumps. This is a good example of my earlier posts. I stated i will not ever buy a SF protected game. I am looking so forward to FEAR (after the demo and mag reviews) but i can honestly say if its SF protected it wont be installed on my PC. (i cant imagine many other people taking the same stance though expecialy when its a game the person is realy looking forward to. Shame realy as this is the way to get the attention of the people who's attention we want/need to attract. £s speak a louder and a more direct language than us the lowley customer).

@Coffin Filler,
Well lets all pray it is not SF as then I too will be missing out on a top game as I also wont be installing it! :)
It really does make it hard to pre order games now as I dont want to take the chance that when I do recieve it will be protected with SF! :(

FEAR will be Securom just like the demo!? Let's Hope!
 

Anyway, I have never bought a Starforce game. I ran into the Starforce virus while installing a demo during it's early stages. It killed my system to the point I didn't trust it because of the BSOD. I had to reinstall Windows so that I could trust and be happy with my pc again. I started telling all my friends to wait until you know what protection a new game is going to use before you buy or install the demo. My friends and I think the same way and will not install a demo or buy a Starforce protected game. It pains me to see the games that I have missed out on. But it also makes me feel good knowing my pc is sound and that I am able to play all the other copy protected games with high efficiency. It's true that all protections install something. But at least the others don't kill my pc, but are just quiet in the background not causing my pc harm. There is nothing worse than ghosts in the machine for any type of pc user. Not really sure why you received that BSOD. Starforce will not endure as game sales will drop. DTools 4.0 will beat Starforce's current versions. Starforce will come out with a new version to stop DTools 4.0. This new version will reek even worse havoc on all pcs that install the game or demo. It's kind of ironic if you think about it. Starforce was created because the the pub/dev were losing a small percentage of sales to warez and pirates. But in all actuality they will lose more sales because of no one will want to buy a Starforce protected game. 85% of computer gamers don't even know what warez is or pirating. They just live in a bubble and hang out at EB. This boycott is great idea and I support it very much. Pub/Dev's please use Securom or Safedisk. Even though these can be bypassed by current means at least your games cannot be copied by normal users and normal means. You are hurting the very customers you are working so hard to create your games for. You are going to learn a tough lesson. Don't bite the hand that feeds you and your family.

Hmmm, this brings back memories of Terminator 3 Rise of the Machines. Something that is created to benefit that actually ends up doing more harm.

MD

Starforce=Skynet

...where is my "radioactive-protection-suit" - may it rains a few bombs next time... you never can tell - but you can "talk to my hand" :D :D :D - in german he said "Sprich zu der Hand" - i don't know what he said in english... ;)

Starforce Boycott Working!!!
 

It appears the Starforce Petitions and the Boycotting of purchasing Starforce protected games is starting to take effect!
Codemasters is no longer using Starforce to protect its games! They have moved to Securom 7. :)
(Thanks to cdsteam for the information)

never even dreamed of saing it - I LOVE SECUROM - but i think this protection install drivers too... or i'm wrong? :confused:

AMEN...AMEN

Its not true
----------------
you r right dude!
and just look how many problems it has on Myst 5 UbiSoft forum :p

Seems that publishers begin to realize the pirate threat - so StarForce really hrlps in it, and after that Securom and Safedisk begin to make more relible protections.

Impic0 and Stevi you miss the point
 

Guys, you both miss the point, it's not the fact that the game is protected that is the problem, it's what StarForce does when installed. :mad:
So it doesn't matter if later someone finds a fix for it (eg:daemon v4) and you can copy the game, you are still installing starforce when you install the game and that will still mess with most computers at some stage or other.
From what I hear and read when U finally go 64bit you'll be lucky if your machine runs at all if you've installed a starforce infected game.
So I also am joining the boycott, I do have quiet a few of the infected games but I will never buy another and hopefully nor will most of U.
I also think this should be a sticky, very important and very relavent issue for todays gamers. :eek:

Just to clear some confusion here: almost ALL protections (Starforce, Safedisk, Securom) load device drivers (SecuRom installs drivers from v7 onwards). For example, safedisc installs a driver called "secdrv.sys" in windows\system32\drivers - there is an update for it here:
http://www.macrovision.com/products/...ownloads.shtml

However, these drivers are not obtrusive (I have the Safedisk driver installed in all my PCs) and cause no issues (apart from an error with older Safedisc drivers, fixed from the page above). Each well-known protection apart from StarForce loads ONE driver (e.g. secdrv). On the other hand, StarForce installs a LOT of drivers (about 6 or so) that mess with the normal operation of the PC and they tamper with things they are not supposed to (e.g. the PC's IDE channels). That's what's causing the BSODs and system instabilities. The issue is not that StarForce uses device drivers, it's about the damage these drivers cause to the systems they are installed, as well as the things they do behind the back of the user. Note that StarForce is the ONLY protection that has an uninstall program for their drivers - they "silently" aknowledge that their own program is causing problems to PCs it's installed on. No other protection offers uninstall programs, because no user has had issues with these drivers.

I'm mentioning this because StarForce authors claim that all protections use device drivers and that user eggagerate when they talk about the SF drivers. This is not the case, as their drivers are far more complex and affect many things in a system they are installed on.

To sum up, the issue here is that StarForce drivers are complex, they are many (not one, as most protections), they tamper with things they are not supposed to and they do a lot of nasty things "under the hood". This causes system instabilities, BSODs and a lot of unnecessary grievance just to protect some games. Finally, SF protected games do NOT work on Windows 64-bit without a vendor patch, and very few vendors have supplied such patches

Like others do, I too recommend all my friends not to install SF protected games for the sole reason that SF drivers are a major pain in the ass

Wikipedia has a nice article about StarForce here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starforce

There is also an article with the response of Starforce to many user's comments here:
http://www.simhq.com/_technology/technology_061a.html
and a discussion thread about it here:
http://www.simhq.com/simhq3/sims/boa...;f=37;t=007110

There is also a very good page dedicated to boycotting StarForce :D here:
http://www.glop.org/starforce/

Note that StarForce itself has a page containing their latest drivers, an uninstall program and some answers to common questions here:
http://www.star-force.com/protection/users/

You are very far from the truth.
A short analysis of sfcure demonstrate that SF hook two Microsoft drivers:
1= classpnp.sys: all Read/Write operation
2= netbt.sys; all operation (except load/unload)

1) means that SF spy everything that is read/write, from optical discs or hard discs
2) netbt is netbios over tcpip. It means that they can send to anyone what the spyed at stage 1)

Many thanks to eip.
You unplug your CD readers? Unplug your internet connexion!!!

Boycote Starforce!!!
 

I also support this petition!
I had a problem with Colin McRae Rally 2005, didn't work & f****d up my computer. I also could not returned it to the store becouse ''I opened it''. :mad:

I definitively won't buy another Starforce protected game ever.

blah blah blah
 

Yawns, Rubs eyes and conceeds that there will always be a few of "them".

Now i am not confesing to know all there is to know about SF or indeed prots in general. However i do have an understanding above the average user who has not looked into or wanted to know more about game protection ect. There are indeed many misunderstanding where SF is concerned. People do sometimes over exaggerate the problems SF can cause but make no mistake about it, SF is EVIL :mad: Joking aside though i have read many peoples posts (here @ GCW and "other" forums) playing down the FACT that SF can and dose cause unstable PC's in many different ways. Now one thing many people dont realize (apart from the Legal issues regarding SF and how it "works" within your OS) People dont realize that from having a SF protected game installed it can effect other non gaming related processes. For example a non gaming related issue would be = Not being able to backup other non SF protected games (without needing to know more than many people do) and this isnt just related to backing up games. It "can" effect the writing of other formats to DVD or CD. Now i dont know about you but if there is a possability that a SF protected game can hamper my DVD-RW's writing to disk opperations then that should be made clear by the Dev of SF should it not ?. (this can also tie into the legal argument about SF) and if indeed its a prot of even a virus/Malicious program because a virus/Malicious software dose things it dosent have the users permission to do (and yes i know im being very basic here). So to some up. Is SF capable of all the roomers. Probarly no is the correct answere but it is capeable of causing an unstable PC and its capeable of not only effecting gaming processes but also non related gaming opperations to.

Sorry to of weebled on for so long but this is something i feel very strongly about and as a consumer i feel if i were to purchase a SF protected game (which i have never personaly done and never would) i would not be privvy to all the information needed for me to make a educated decision and the lack of truthfull info is wrong, The lack of warning on SF proteced game cases and a list of possable effects is wrong. And if another product was being sold in this way there would be laws being broken,trading standards would be involved,the product would be taken off the shelvs until either the correct warnings were implemented on the case or SF was ammended ect ect.

So to all who claim SF dosent do damage to your PC 's (mabey you were one of the lucky ones?). SF dose have the Potential to and dose in fact cause many people problems. (problems the consumer should be made aware of before Purchase).

All of my above post has been posted (by myself and others) here at GCW previously. In my previous posts concerning SF(some of which are in this actual thread) It amazers me that people still post here trying to state that SF dose not cause problems in any form :confused: Do people actualy read the whole of threads before making a post ? ( i think not) I think to many times people respond to the later part of threads rather than to read the whole thread. If they did then there might possabily not as many incorrect posts. (JUST because something hasent effected you dose not mean it wont/hasent effected others and in many cases people wont even know what SF has done to their PC). So many times i read the same posts that have already been discused earlier in a thread (expecialy long threads that im subscribed to). SF Is a naughty Entity from a naughty region designed to do naughty things to our beloved PC's. (mabey that will help some to understand before they post) :D

funny you say that..about it messing with other back ups..etc.
after my last fight with star force (toca 2) i ended up with one dead cd rw drive and one dvd rw drive that would not burn succsefully from the moment starforce hit my machine.
i fixed that drive by reflashing it.(about 4 times)

i later bought a new phillips dvd rw drive,working fine...then i decide to install toca2 again and bang! same thing happens.

since then i have sold all my starforce games to the local gamestation store...its really not worth the hassle.(and i aint just talking backing up hassle..im talking starforce in general)

yep but their will still be those who state SF is not responsible :eek: ( I am begining to wonder if they are in fact SF employees) :rolleyes:

thing is unless people read statements in forums,nobody is to know any better.
good job that the only 3 half decent star force games so far have been colin mcrae,splinter cell 3 and toca 2...the rest aint worth wasting 40 quid on anyway lol :P

Thank You For Posting Game Titles With StarForce …
 

Everyone needs to know what is going on with this copy-protection program and how it can hinder, even damage your computer. I will not be buying any game which requires StarForce to be installed too.

Thanks again for the list.

i actually emailed codemasters (months ago),and they told me it should not do any damage unless you try to either mod the installation or try to run a back up.

now im not sure if it was before or after i tried cracking toca 2..but im sure it was before.

but even so they are basically saying 'fcuk with us and we will fcuk with you!' in other words,try to mess with there protection and they will destroy a expensive part oif your pc.

to hell sf3
 

i got my " iso copy " of Worms 4 Mayhem :rolleyes: but now i can not play it because of sf3 :eek: .
....................to hell sf3 :mad: .

Bye, bye!

Enjoy the ban!!

-Leezer-

@dsl_zood_dsl: You got a permanent ban !!!

So many people make the same mistake. (we/I dont care if you own iso coppies of games ect, we/I are not the damm Internet police but all thats asked is a little commen sence. Ie dont go sharing that info here and dont expect any help unless original game disk/DVD is owned by yourself). No-one seems to read the rules any more these days and whilest i must also confess that i dont read the rules for every site i visit i try to use commen sence and also if i register or post in a forum I at least scan through the rules).

I know its been said before but upon registration here at GCW i think it would be a good idea that its compulsery to have to go through the rules + regs stuff. (mabey a time limit where the user whos registering cant close the rules page down or compleat the registration process until the limit is reached ect). (how that would be implemented is another question though :D And at least that way people cant say " I diddnt know" or "errrm what i meant was ermm :o " Resulting in the chance the mods might be able to get rid of some of the more annoying warez kiddies with a perm ban more often as second chances wouldnt be so easy to come across.

(A little off topic i know) :p

I've been boycotting SF3 games for a while now. I have a number of computers and also two places of residence. Usually I make copies of games so that I can play any game I own regardless of where I am. SF3 doesn't allow me to do that so I don't buy their games. Never looked at it like a boycott untill now though.

the law is one game per house hold and one game per pc mate

Actualy thats not compleatly correct. Some games (note the some) allow in the EULA a game to be installed on more than one PC (in the same house hold) Then of course theres the issue of prot on exe ect but i have know of some devs/pubs that arnt to hung up on the "Only to be installed on one PC per game disk).

well its border line as the law states 1 game per pc for network/multiplayer reasons.

I dont think any of this is going to do anything unfortunately, mainly because you are not hurting any particular gaming company.

No one is going to listen to anyone who is part of a website which supports a community which tries to work around their software protection.

Even though starforce is very intrusive of you computer system, m$ has been doing it for years.

Last I checked, the U.S. law was that you could have it installed on as many computers as you want as long as you only run it on one at a time. Having to insert the original CD to play is a way to enforce this, but that also steps on our fair use rights that entitle us to a backup copy so that we can keep the original safe in the box. That's why no-CD patches are a legal gray area and why sites like gamecopyworld still exist.

Also, russellrv is correct. The only way to send a message to publishers to stop using Starforce or any other protection is to BUY UNPROTECTED GAMES instead of protected ones. If you don't buy ANY games, they'll increase the copy-protection to discourage pirating. If you buy protected games, they'll keep the amount the same. However, if they see unprotected game sales are higher than protected ones, they'll see it as an important factor.

Unfortunately most people are either ignorant, lazy, indifferent, or pirates and don't bother to do research and then go out and buy only unprotected games. This is also probably why fewer and fewer PC games are being published.

Another good approach is to buy a game and then return it if the protection gives you problems. Exchange it for the same game until they get tired and give you your money back. If they have to send 5+ copies of the game back to the publisher for everyone who buys the game, the publishers and retailers will get the message that copy protection is bad for business. I know this happened to my brother recently with Call of Duty, which he bought and couldn't play because the only CD drive in his system was a burner (which the copy protection was biased against).

In Agreement
 

I too will not willingly install or play dl'd SF games.

However, what I do not understand is that somebody has beaten some of these protected games.

I have

Area 51
D Day
Codename Panzer Phase one
ColinMcRaae Rally 2005
Sudeki

and others that play without any of these complcate CD and DVd disabling routines.

Will simply removing the IDE cable from the CD or DVD burner suffice to overcome this protection once the mdf is mounted?

Was planning on buying Area 51, guess I'll just buy it for XBOX then... ;)

Starforce sucks and it shouldn't be allowed. I only install drivers in my computer that I need for my installed hardware, not crappy trojan-like back door access drivers like starforce protection uses.

DOWN WITH SF

I [my legal name] , will not buy starforce protected games.

*boycotts all starforce games*

well, Starforce is a protection very strong, but the driers(software) that it install on the computers y very fu*k and I think that it´s illegal. For that reason I don´t buy the games that contains inside this protection.

I love mi Pc and I don´t want that this protection fu*k my DVD or in the worse case my PC...

I think that nobody should buy these games.. If we don´t buy these games the enginners that create these games don´t be agree to mount this protection on their games. DON´T BUY GAMES WITH THIS PROTECTION until they see the true problem that Starforce cause to us, the final users...

thanx

felipe_c

I am a StarForce boycotter, any games with just the hint of StarForce on it is shyed like plague!

I have allready teased the developers of StarForce into a little "no win" situation on their forums...

EDIT: I can now conclude that StarForce has other drastic devastating effects on users of external HD's as well.
I have felt it as now, windows will NOT boot with the HD switched on, I have to switch it on once it is in windows, if I do it earlier it will only give me a black screen.

How long will it be until Symantec stamps StarForce as a virus?

Worms 4 Mayhem
 

I recently acquired Worms 4 Mayhem, and it has Starforce 3, but no system crashes yet? Should I be worried? o.0

Devastating Effects
 

CMDR Sweeper.

Your remarks relative to devastating effects is really interesting .

I run, inaddition to my main machine, with up to 4 external HDs for various reasons.

Being a bit of a collector all of my latest software was stored on one of the external HDs.

I installed my one and only purchased SF protected game and something happened to completely destroy the file structrue of the HD storing all my software.

Needsless to say I had to reformat and start all over again.

For other reasons I too boycott SF, but I wonder if the one and only intall caused the external HD destruction?

I remain a StarForce boycotter. Hurry up DT "all is forgiven"!