NEW COPY PROTECTION ANNOUNCED

[OpticFreeze]

If anyone remembers the old Commodore 64 days, there was the time bomb. Now this. Below is the article I read today on FADE - a new copy protection due out this fall:

People hoping to score a pirated CD of upcoming PC products from Codemasters had better start saving their pennies, a press release from the game publisher this morning suggested: Codemasters has introduced a new PC-based scheme called FADE that causes a pirated game to degrade over time. Created for the September 2001 launch of the tactical combat game Operation Flashpoint, Codemasters has equipped the game with embedded coding that can recognize the difference between real and counterfeit copies of the game’s CD, Codemasters said. If a pirated CD is identified, the game begins to disable important features and instigates subtle changes that hamper the otherwise smooth experience. The use of FADE will be announced during installation of the product with a special message to potential pirates.