Starforce Petition!

[dajunka]

Anyone heard the latest?
As you know the new Windows XP64 final is out. In tests all games worked flawlessly and looked spectacular that was all except.....except......yes starforce games would not load. Hehehehehehehehe! What a bummer uh!

[medeni]

Originally Posted by dajunka

Anyone heard the latest?
As you know the new Windows XP64 final is out. In tests all games worked flawlessly and looked spectacular that was all except.....except......yes starforce games would not load. Hehehehehehehehe! What a bummer uh!

Can you give us a link for that news ? We would like to read it too
Thnx

[dajunka]

Originally Posted by medeni

Can you give us a link for that news ? We would like to read it too
Thnx

I didn’t bookmark "I know I should have done" , but if you just do your own search for "windows xp64 review". I stumbled on it by accident, it's the review of the final version and not the beta, and it was out of all the games they tried 2 wouldn’t load and both had SF.

[nerva]

Originally Posted by dajunka

Anyone heard the latest?
As you know the new Windows XP64 final is out. In tests all games worked flawlessly and looked spectacular that was all except.....except......yes starforce games would not load. Hehehehehehehehe! What a bummer uh!

SF has already 64bit support, if u do not know something do not talk on it on public

Well its not strange to me that such thead started here. 95% of visitors cant emulate or crack SF or have serious problems doing that, and often kill your systems after such tryes, and such petition will be some kined... mmm a vent for anger of those who can't...

Yes! many of us want to play SCCT, but not spend money on it. But there is a f*ing starforce prevents us from doing that! And there is no crack yet! (Hey hackers!!! Where r u???) And yu know ppl SCCT is a BIG title and im shure that the best "specialists" working on it. So... no crack - what we have to do? Lets smear SF and get some relax...

I know that SF has problems with compatibility, and many users who legally buy the game want play but cant - but you know where most of such ppl talks? There, and not here. And there is too little SF ralated topics.

go on

(sorry for enlish - not native)

[leezer3]

You have my total support here, the one Starforce game I did install (Unwittingly) totally screwed my PC, & I only sorted that one with a format.
You can add X2: The Threat to your list as well. (All versions except US)

-Leezer-

[dajunka]

Originally Posted by leezer3

You have my total support here, the one Starforce game I did install (Unwittingly) totally screwed my PC, & I only sorted that one with a format.
You can add X2: The Threat to your list as well. (All versions except US)

-Leezer-

Egosoft have got a new patch for download that removes the protection from the game apparently they where asked to remove it by the publishers, so no more starforce for X2 and hopefully none for X3..

[dajunka]

Originally Posted by nerva

SF has already 64bit support, if u do not know something do not talk on it on public

Sorry but I make a practice of not talking to rude 3 year olds.

[WarTech]

Originally Posted by Grumpy

There seems to be some strong (maybe even heated) discussions happening through these forums regarding the Starforce protection.
Which brings me to start this thread. I would hope that only a simple comment is needed here: "Yes, I am boycotting Starforce games". That is really all that needs to be said! There is no point in congesting this thread with arguments, its not what I would like to see happen here! There is no need to say anything else! If people are serious then leave a short message here.
I would also hope that if this thread gains enough support then it could maybe become a future 'Sticky'? After a few weeks or months we will know if this is worth persueing.
Its not that I am supporting Warez or Piracy, I just dont agree with Software being installed onto my system without my approval!

Come on all, place your support post here. If you dont agree with what I am saying then simply do not post here! A post here is a post counted.

Thankyou for your post/vote.

P.S: I truly hope Empire doesnt mind this sort of petition?

Ok, a big thankyou to Morglum from cdsteam who has been kind enough to let me use his Starforce Protected Games List. Now it was originally a Spanish only list! So some of these games will need to be checked. The Games with '???????' next to them are the ones I am not sure of the correct English title? So feel free to let me know of the correct title or any other Starforce games which are not on the list? I will edit the list to keep it up to date. (Some of the games may only be Spanish games as well, I havent checked them all yet.)

Starforce Protected Games

- 7 Sins [3.4.71.19]
- Afrika Korps VS Desert Rats [v3.3.31.21]
- Blitzkrieg - Rolling Thunder [v3.4.50.1]
- Codename: Panzers - Phase One (3 CDs) [v3.3.37.2]
- Colin McRae Rally 2005 (DVD) [v3.4.49.1]
- Cossacks II - Napoleonic Wars (2 CDs) [v3.4.65.11]
- Counter Terrorist SF - Fire for Effect (DVD) [v3.4.71.19]
- Cycling Manager 3
- Cycling Manager 4 [v3.3.36.1]
- D Day (2 CDs) [v3.4.41.1]
- Dead to Rights (3 CDs) [v3.3.37.26]
- Etherlords 2 (2 CDs) [v3.3.31.21]
- Fair Strike (2 CDs) [v3.3.33.3]
- Fire Department
- Gangland [v3.3.36.1]
- GTR FIA GT Racing game (2 CDs) [v3.4.70.2]
- Juana De Arco [v3.3.36.1] ???????????????
- Kill Switch (2 CDs) [v3.3.33.8]
- Korea - Forgotten Conflict [v3.3.27.36]
- League Manager 2005[v3.4.50.1] ???????????????????????
- Obscure (1 DVD) [v3.3.36.1]
- Pac Man World 2 [v3.3.30.11]
- Pax Romana [v3.3.30.11] ??????????????
- Real Madrid Club Soccer (DVD) [v3.4.50.1] ???????????????
- Scrapland (2 CDs) [v3.4.50.1]
- Shade - Wrath of Angels [v3.4.53.0]
- Silent Hunter III [v3.4.71.19]
- Singles [v3.3.33.6]
- Soldiers - Heroes of WWII [v3.3.36.1]
- Splinter Cell - Chaos Theory [v3.4.71.19]
- Street Racing Syndicate
- The Black Mirror (2 CDs) [v3.3.27.36]
- The Entente [v3.3.37.26] ???????????????????
- The Fall - Last days of Gaia (2 CDs) [v3.4.63.3]
- The Kreed [v3.3.27.36]
- The Suffering (2 CDs) [v3.3.37.2]
- Toca Race Driver 2 (1 DVD) [v3.3.35.2]
- Trackmania
- UFO Aftermath ( 2 CDs) [v3.3.27.31]
- Victoria – Empire Under the Sun [v3.3.30.5] ?????????????????
- Virtual Skipper 3
- WWII Frontline Command [v3.3.0.26]

Here you can read an article about Starforce. It is an interview with Abbie Sommer of StarForce.
She discusses many aspects of the Starforce Protection, what it is, what it does and why it is needed.
Here is just a small portion of that interview:

Question: There's an uproar among segments of the game community that StarForce is installed without user approval. Is this a potential legal concern for your company?

Answer: There is no legal concern because before a user loads a game, he or she has agreed to accept the conditions of the end-user licensing agreement, typically known as a EULA. These are also known as click and go, or click and accept agreements. When you accept, you are saying I will load this game or application at my own risk, and have read and understood the terms. Or there will be a disclaimer that protects the publisher from damages of any kind due to their products’ use. Our product is licensed to our customers, and becomes part of their product, so the user by accepting the terms, is giving approval.

Now here Abbie states "When you accept, you are saying I will load this game or application at my own risk, and have read and understood the terms."

Tell me please people, how many of you, after reading the EULA, actually understood, from those terms, that an intrusive protection was going to be installed onto your system? Do you think her statement only implies to 'The Game' itself? I believe the EULA should tell us about the protection being installed!
If in fact there was nothing to worry about why is this statement included?
"Or there will be a disclaimer that protects the publisher from damages of any kind due to their products’ use"
The word 'Products' should really only say 'Game'! After all that is all we have been made aware of installing, as thats all it says earlier!
To be fair to the gamer this is how I believe that part or the EULA should be written:
"I will load this game and the Protection application at my own risk, and have read and understood the terms."

I still believe it is only a matter of time before this issue finds its way into a court of Law! The wording of documents like the EULA must be written in a way so as not to decieve the consumer! We must be given the opportunity to be 'fully' aware as to what we are actually installing!

Grumpy

Ok, since they hide Starforce within the game EULA, them I beleave that they will be buying the games back? Since the rules are once you buy a game and you open it YOU KEEP IT. There is no returning open games. So if we dont want Starforce in our systems then due to the manner in they hide this piece of software, sounds like a type of computer highjack, within the content of the game maybe they can be held accountable and therefore refunding gamers for the damage software?

[acal3000]

You can add two more starforce protected games to the list:

Xpand Rally
Warlords Battle Cry 3 (European Version Starforce protected not the english one)

Thank god I found working no cd cracks for them

[StarForce Boycot]

I do not like that I cannot make a backup copy for my game. I do not want to buy it more than once. I did buy Splinter Cell 3 because I did not know it was protected by Starforce. I will not buy any Starforce proctected games. However, if a good crack becomes available for the game that I am interested in and I can verify that the crack works, I will consider buying it.

[knothead]

HEY GRUMP; Bought that AREA 51 about a week ago and have been reading ALL the things that its supposed to do or is going to do.. HAVE Not OPENED THE BOX YET and I really don't want to' because I just formated this thing from the last run around with I DON'T KNOW what. loaded a game FAR CRY played it for a bit beta it and then checked the online bank account and it redirected me to A Place that wanted me to refresh ALL MY PROPERTY'S EVERYTHING INCLUDED.. Only way to get it gone was FDISK IT....reinstall and I have seen that far cry was and is STAR FORCED.. I AM BOYCOTTING ALL THESE GAMES THAT ARE STAR FORCING US TO KEEP REBUILDING OUR PERSONAL COMPUTERS.. SO I WILL SAY KEEP IT UP CAPT. AND SOCK IT TO EM.. If I open it then I am stuck with it//WAL MARTS THING YA KNOW. Waited 4 months for it get to CD rom and then find this ****e( CRAPA ) outa.. thanks yall for just posting these results as I do know how to read it's the typin thats a Killin me.. Thanks yall for BEING HERE THIS TIME.. SHES A GOING BACK TODAY.. Tried to find the cd rom crack and game copy world site has been giving me a WHOLE lot of probs with POP UPS and TROJANS even minor VIRUS'S.. THANKS AGAIN YALL HANG IN THERE AUSTRALIAN GRUMPY DUDE.. I'll Have a FOSTERS FOR YA TONIGHT........GREAT POSTED FORUMS THIS WEEK IS THIS ONE TIME FOR A STICKY I THINK...

[aycabron]

So let me see if I got this staright...
Ubisoft has installed a secret program (without my authorization) that can cause some problems generaly asociated with a computer virus...If I were american I would SUE THE F**K OUT OF THEM! How dare they do that? I bought a legitimate copy of their damn game and they treat me like a thief the have to keep tabs on? Maybe the starforce is also a troyan which is secretly spying on my files too...at least steam let you know what you might be getting into....I´m in too, Boycott Starforce!
I own a Pizzeria, and it´s like saying that you are not responsable for someone beign foodpoisoned because of your food, because nobody forced them to eat it...you hold a responsability to your customers. And in NO WAY is the use of starforce covered in those in the agreement...because it´s not only a troyan (insalled without warning or notification of it´s consequences), but it can cause damage to your PC and interfer with it´s operation...so by this rationale, publishers could include troyans & even more delightful virus in their games, and nobody would be accountable for it but the end user....I´m one of the idiots who paid for a legit copy of their game....but I sincerly hope that those looking for the cd fix can come through and then "distribute" their damn games all over the damn world!
HACK THE PLANET!

[Forestmarko]

sign me up for the protest.... And about piracy... Yes many (maybe too many) people are downloading/burning the game illegally but as a matter of fact those games really cost too much... By loverin the prices the pirecy would Slowly dercrease. I dont think, that it will dissapear (at least not now or in near future), but surely it will decrese a bit and game companies will still have their profits... I dont think, that the costumers(aka pirats) are the only greedy people in this bussyness

(sry for my english ... Slovakia )

[fenjy]

boycott, yes. but to all those who own the games that use sf, take the game back and say its faulty, if the shop says why then say the sf protection wont let me load it, what can they say even if has been opened, after all you cannot copy sf games.....

[coffin filler]

Originally Posted by fenjy

boycott, yes. but to all those who own the games that use sf, take the game back and say its faulty, if the shop says why then say the sf protection wont let me load it, what can they say even if has been opened, after all you cannot copy sf games.....

you can copy (some SF protected games) the problem can be getting it to play. ie no NOCD,NODVD ect ect unless a 1.1 copy is made. As far as im aware the problem arises when trying to get the SF protected game to run not to copy them. (i may be wrong though as i dont own ANY SF protected games and will NOT own any SF protected games so i can not speak from experience. Every other game i own i have backed up (and i own many games) and i belive this is a right we as consumers should have. SF is IMO a virus associated program where in it dose things that the user is not aware of and also alters the way in which windows works ect which is lets face it is what some viruses do. (thats trying to keep it in laymans terms). Come on consumers we need to let the devs ect know that we (the consumer) who are responcible for their profits know we are not happy and will not tollerate SF as a viable way to protect software when there are so many other viable options avalible to them. The only things that seem to work within the money
industry is money and so if a big enough dint is made in the profits of SF protected games the dev,s,publishers ect ect will get the message eventualy but we have to stick with it,see it through and there needs to be a larger amount of people refusing to buy SF protected games than there curently is. (in all honesty though i belive myself to be in a very small minority when not buying SF protected games which is bad news for the consumer as it gives out the message that we the consumer will tollerate anything so long as we are able to buy the games which begs the question as to what is the next thing we have to endure??)