To Starforce Or Not To Starforce
I will say from the start that I don’t have a problem with copy protection. There is a definite need to protect artistic work and ensure that the artists get paid for what they produce. That is not to say that I agree with MMOs and their monthly fees. To me MMOs are just the same as playing a poker machine. Some poor individual sits at a computer screen for hours on end, ignoring others, hypnotized by a boring repetitive flashing of pixels. This is by the by. To get back on track, considering the years of development time that goes in to making any one game companies have a right to earn some revenue for the time it takes to produce the software. These companies even have a right to protect their creative work. But, I don’t see the need for software companies to install Starforce copy protection on game demos.
While I will say that I have not had any problems with Starforce and nor has my brother. I have had a few Starforce games installed on my PC in the last twelve months (X3, UFO: Aftershock, GTR, GT Legends, to name a few). I do feel that there is something insidious behind the packaging of Starforce with demo games. There could be many reasons why any individual would want to run disc imaging software and it is their right to be able to do so. I also think that it is a gamer’s right to be able to run a No CD patch for their software. I have had a few old game CDs get damaged and become uninstallable. Firstly, it is very difficult, if not impossible, to buy old software and secondly I should be able to either back up or protect the CD I have purchased with the game software to prevent these things happening. Using No CD patches means that I don’t have to run the game with the CD in the drive and have it deteriorate with scratches while it loads.
Why is it then that developers are placing Starforce in game demos. Obviously, the protection software is disabled in some way so that it doesn’t look for the game CD, otherwise the demo would not run. If the purpose of Starforce is to ensure that the protected software is being played with an authentic CD then there is absolutely no reason to have it install with game demos and, in these instances, it should be seen as being Malware. Sony is very familiar with their use of Malware on music CDs and the bitter taste it left in everyone’s mouth when it was discovered.
The other issue that I have with Starforce is the aggressive nature in which they bombast their views in the gaming community without, really, addressing the issues which gamers legitimately believe they have had allegedly inflicted upon them by the Starforce software. Starforce really have come across very negatively and have not helped their case at all. I think their PR department needs a good shake up and they should look at tackling any perceived issues about Starforce copy protection differently.
Anyway, what would I know? I am just a gamer. My entertainment time is filled with clicking mouse buttons and pushing keys on a keyboard, something they could teach monkeys to do.
I will say from the start that I don’t have a problem with copy protection. There is a definite need to protect artistic work and ensure that the artists get paid for what they produce. That is not to say that I agree with MMOs and their monthly fees. To me MMOs are just the same as playing a poker machine. Some poor individual sits at a computer screen for hours on end, ignoring others, hypnotized by a boring repetitive flashing of pixels. This is by the by. To get back on track, considering the years of development time that goes in to making any one game companies have a right to earn some revenue for the time it takes to produce the software. These companies even have a right to protect their creative work. But, I don’t see the need for software companies to install Starforce copy protection on game demos.
While I will say that I have not had any problems with Starforce and nor has my brother. I have had a few Starforce games installed on my PC in the last twelve months (X3, UFO: Aftershock, GTR, GT Legends, to name a few). I do feel that there is something insidious behind the packaging of Starforce with demo games. There could be many reasons why any individual would want to run disc imaging software and it is their right to be able to do so. I also think that it is a gamer’s right to be able to run a No CD patch for their software. I have had a few old game CDs get damaged and become uninstallable. Firstly, it is very difficult, if not impossible, to buy old software and secondly I should be able to either back up or protect the CD I have purchased with the game software to prevent these things happening. Using No CD patches means that I don’t have to run the game with the CD in the drive and have it deteriorate with scratches while it loads.
Why is it then that developers are placing Starforce in game demos. Obviously, the protection software is disabled in some way so that it doesn’t look for the game CD, otherwise the demo would not run. If the purpose of Starforce is to ensure that the protected software is being played with an authentic CD then there is absolutely no reason to have it install with game demos and, in these instances, it should be seen as being Malware. Sony is very familiar with their use of Malware on music CDs and the bitter taste it left in everyone’s mouth when it was discovered.
The other issue that I have with Starforce is the aggressive nature in which they bombast their views in the gaming community without, really, addressing the issues which gamers legitimately believe they have had allegedly inflicted upon them by the Starforce software. Starforce really have come across very negatively and have not helped their case at all. I think their PR department needs a good shake up and they should look at tackling any perceived issues about Starforce copy protection differently.
Anyway, what would I know? I am just a gamer. My entertainment time is filled with clicking mouse buttons and pushing keys on a keyboard, something they could teach monkeys to do.
posted by thecynicalgamer @ 5:28 pm
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