Fifa 09
 

Just saw GCW is hosting tha FIFA crack by Reloaded but although there`s no paul.dll included is still blocking online activation. Thought this is illegal???
OK the crack is a mess cuz it doesnt work correctly but it should still be unsupported?
And why the hell is GCW linking to to other pages that host this kind of cracks?

I'm a bit confused^^

Indeed, did the policy towards that kind of cracks changed? FIFA 09 has online activation.

Seems reloaded miss a protection :P
Anyway... it doesn't hurt hosting the crack there since is useless.
What's illegal in your country can be legal in other countries. (e.g.: some drugs are legal in Holland but illegal in most of the surrounding countries.)

p.s.: every rule has an exception. :)

Indeed there are exceptions. But GCW policy was to do not accept this kind of cracks. Not a big fan of the rules myself. But when it comes to DRM, I'd rather not buy a product that's intrusive. So instead of buying FIFA 2009, I'll go for Pro Evolution Soccer(provided that they stick to the CD-check and, anyway, buying PES was what I did in the last years, as FIFA became just a tweak to the previous releases). That means boycotting products that you don't like. Not buying them, but not pirating them either.

DRM will become an issue if 3+ year after the game release, the publisher don't create a patch to remove the DRM from the game.
Usually a game dies after 3 years.
Blizzard's Battle.Net is an exception (+10 years on-line without DRM support) and many games don't even start the multiplayer (lack of interest from the devs, publisher and players).
EA said their games will have server to activate the game 10 year from now, but... there's always a 'but'.

its already been mentioned by ea and others that if the company 'disappears' the unprotected exe's will be available (or possibly protected ones with the product activation stuff removed)....

In germany all kinds of cracks are illegal and progs that can bypass copy protections too.
But as wolfsrain said: GCW don't want to host those cracks but they link to pages which do! So it would be no difference if they would host them.

Hosting the files will be breaking the rules, but those rules doesn't say anything about linking. So if you link, player gets what they want without no one breaking the rules.

Not true Nando

I do not understand... Mass Effect and AID uses the same activation method... They are not available in GCW... But Fifa 09 is available??? And what does meant by the company disappears? For your information see the link below

http://fifa09.ea.com/us/readnews/entryid/26140

Enlighten me Dab.

I'll add to that the Armed Assault... Wasn't Armed Assault Cd-check removed in the 1.14 patch? That's stated clearly in the patch notes. What wasn't removed is the FADE protection that checks for the original serial number. If the protection doesn't find an original CD-key, it will transform you into a seagull. So it's okay to bypass the serial number protection when there is no CD-check anymore?
Even the SkidRows notes are stating what it's being cracked....

Cracks are for persons who don't like to use their original disc while playing to be aware from scratches or even more damage. So in most countrys it's allowed bypass those checks. DRM is just checking your key online to be sure it's an original key made by the developers and no hacked one from a keygen. There is no risk to damage your disc and so there are no excuses for bypassing this protection but the one that you don't have an original key which would mean you don't have the original game and you're using warez which is illegal all over the world and therefore not supported on GCW.
That's why I was confused about the FIFA crack which btw has been updated and is working fine now. An GCW is still hosting it???

i agree that fifa09 is an exception to the rules, its currently being discussed internally so i can't really comment on it until the discussion is over and a decision is made.. and i'd suspect ea will probably send a cease and desist email to empire soon about it... but that, again, we have to wait and see...

the ironic thing is that the crack hosted was the bad one (unless the crackfix has been uploaded recently) so its not really any good to anyone.. and the crackfix seems to be a bit 'abnormal' too

What you said about hosting files yes is true, but even if you link another site from your own to the same files then yes its still naughty. As your site is providing the person with the chance of getting said files.

Well, what about Armed Assault v1.14?
As I've stated, there is no need for a crack if you have an original and legitimate CD-key. That patch removes the CD-check, so why provide to the people who didn't bought the game the means to play it? It's stated clear in SkidRow notes what's cracked....How a crack that circumvents the serial number protection it's in concordance with the actual site/forum rules?
PS: could a mod move this discussion to a different area of the forum. Doesn't really belong in the No-CD section.

All right Dab, thx ;)
________

Even if people don't want the DRM stuff, there's still a workaround: delete paul.dll, create a maxi/mini image, mount it and play. If paul.dll isn't found then it will request the DVD - at least that's what happens with Red Alert 3.

@ wolfsrain: Are you sure that the serial protection is being bypassed when using the SKIDROW fix? You say it is clear from the NFO, but I did not know ArmA had a serial protection and that said it is NOT clear from the NFO that they bypassed it...

If it bypasses the serial it will be removed (that rule has not been changed)

As for SecuROM PA in FIFA 09, we will have to see how it goes, if a file bypass the actual serial protection (in this case PAUL.DLL) then it will not be published, therefor no keys or keygen is available (which would make it useless if you do not have a serial)

GCW is not just about No-CD/DVD files, it is also about Fixed EXE files where the protection has been removed from (without breaking our own rules)

I know there will always be a discussion about this matter and I welcome this BUT keep it cool!

ArmA had two protections: a classical CD-check, removed in the v1.14 and FADE which was linked to the serial number. Even the older cracks are a bit dodgy, as they do bypass the FADE protection, making the pirated versions to work in single player. If FADE detects a generated serial number, you will see the seagull. You can also check the official game forums and see the answers given to people who dared to go there with a pirated version. FADE as a protection was introduced for the first time in Operation Flashpoint and it was developped by Bohemia Interactive to protect their games. if in Operation Flashpoint the Fade would slow down your game in an unbearable manner, in ArmA you will get the seagull. If you have copy of ArmA, install the game with a pirated serial and apply the 1.14 patch. You will see that the game starts without asking for the DVD, but after a while the FADE protection(which is linked to the serial number) kicks in and gets you a nice flight over the fields. Just try that. I have the Gold Edition for ArmA(for online purposes and it was a good deal: Armed Assault and Queen's Gambit in one package) so I've had the chance to experiment a bit. Anyone that is asking for a crack for ArmA 1.14, well, let's say it's at least shady.
I don't make this kind of affirmations lightly. And like I said, both OpFlashpoint and ArmA cracks are bypassing the FADE, but as long as there was also a CD-check, everyone thought that was OKAY. Now for the first time the only protection left is the FADE which is linked to the CD-key. And the official forums are full of people with pirated versions that are complaining about the fact they are transforming in the friggin' bird. And the staff at BIS is really busy sending those out flying and telling them the fact that they don't have any rights for support as they have a pirated version(only a pirated version will get the seagull, very rarely a legit customer and if a legit customer will get that and can provide a proof of purchase, he'll be helped in a very quick manner)

Tnx for the info, the v1.14 fix has already been removed

Hehe, what a creative, funny and nasty way for a copy protection! :D And, if I were an admin at the official game support forum, I'd add this seagull "problem" into the forum FAQ, telling people to contact user support in an E-mail with proofs of purchase, and ban people complaining about it on sight. Now THAT would be fun! :D

Actually there a re a few stickies about that on the official forums, but people in our days seem to do not care about rules, or about reading. Like I've stated quite a few times, they would sign even their death sentence without knowing, because they don't read what they sign.

Don't go further. You have plenty examples here in FileForums.

Fifa seems not to be fully playable without internet. Therefore the crack should be published.

There is no need for this crack for gamers who own an orig. Key. That's why it should be removed!

I thought FADE was Codemasters' own made up protection that really didnt work :P

Actually was developped by BIS and it was also used in Silent Hunter4 along with SecuRom 7. Due to some conflicts with the SecuRom, both protections were removed later in a patch. So Silent Hunter 4 became DRM free. FADE was kicking in even in legitimate games, so Ubi was forced to remove it.

hmm i think the "bugs" (objects disappearing etc....) happened only in the cracked secu exe for SH4 and they aren´t FADE related. They were caused by not fixing all secu triggers.

I can confirm that whoever has the original game and has an original cd key doesnt need a crack...

U just need ur cd key original of course and when the game verifies it u dont need a DVD to play...