Personally I think they should jave called it STARFARCE for all the rigmarol you have to go to use one of these games. >:(

The game in question (one of many, but used as an example) Prince of Persia The Two Thrones [PC]. ;)

Starfoce is the new 'craze' in game protection for PC games. :P

It uses...

1. A unique key for each disc (which is checked against)
2. Unique 'special' (bad) sectors on the 'play CD' that has to be inserted in your CD/DVD drive.
3. Contacts the Starforce server online to check for a valid key.
4. Stops the game from loading if you have an IDE CD/DVD burner in your machine (which almost everyone has)

Okay, so No. 1 and 3 are fine by me - they protect the legit users and have been used by the 'big' companies like 'i.d. software' for Quake 4, etc... ;)

It's No. 2 & 4 that annoy people! >:(

It's bad enough that every time you want to play the game that you have to insert a 'play disc' (despite the fact that all of the game files are on your HDD) - then somethimes if you have a 'cheap' DVD/CD reader, it will not read the 'special' sectors on the disc... >:(

Then No. 4 - UGH...what idiot came up with this CR@P. >:(

Most nearly everyone owns a burner now...but to play a Starforce game you have to have an EXTERNAL USB2.0 burner!!! Just to play a game! That you legitimately bought from a shop! >:(

My opinion - STARFORCE SUCKS! >:(

hmm maybe you need a another CD-DVD rom drive instead, to be honest I have never heard of the game StarForce though, sounds very unknown to me really :)

but if you don't like the game why not sell it on ebay or so, why make such a big deal out of it ???

and if it's just new you could at least bring it back to the place you bought it from and ask your money back, oh well that is Possible here in the Netherlands though. 8)

StarForce is idiocy.  There's a small movement to boycott StarForce games, but it's not big enough (and never will be) to accomplish anything.

Welcome to the DRM age.

yeah definitetly wrong !!

any protection sys that stops you playing your legit copy
because you have a burner or anything like steam
i liked halflife two but couldn`t be bothered reinstalling it because of steam . they started a horrible trend !

By the way, keep an eye on DaemonTools over the next few months.  The main developer says he's working on an "IDE jammer" which will block the likes of StarForce and SecuRom7 from seeing your IDE devices.

I'm sure by then that StarForce will have even more ludicrous requirements, but anyway...

ask me,copy protections only punish those folks who have purchased the soft legally.they cause only problems and annoyance,and offer no real protection at all (basically,those who buy their games will do so regardless of protections,and those who dl their games will do so regardless of protectios as well,so I dont really see the point).not mentioning the fact that every protection can be (and will be) broken,sooner or later.same goes for DVDs-I have to mess around with every second DVD I have legally purchased because of that idiotic region blocking cr@p.as I said,this is simply not the way,they waste horrendous amounts of money to create new protections,and this money is like 99% waste,because 99% of protections can be broken in two clicks.I think they should concentrate on something less wasteful,releasing cheaper games for example ;) (thats the problem of many countries-games are simply too expensive.for example from my monthly salary,I would be able to buy 6.5 quake4 games.and my salary is almost 50% above the average monthly salary here.now dont understand this wrong,this is not an excuse,but it explains many things..)

wrote on 23.01.06 at 02:46:37:

hmm maybe you need a another CD-DVD rom drive instead, to be honest I have never heard of the game StarForce though, sounds very unknown to me really :)

StarForce isn't a PC game, it's a copy protection system for CD-ROMs which sometimes protects a legally purchased game from being played be.


wrote on 23.01.06 at 02:46:37:

but if you don't like the game why not sell it on ebay or so, why make such a big deal out of it ???

He likes the game but he dislikes the copy protection which prevents his legally purchased copy from being played because he has a CD- or DVD-burner in his PC.

My opinion regarding copy protections: sometimes they are reasonable because they prevent every Tom, Dick and Harry to copy a game but sometimes they annoy people who purchase games legally. You have to find a middle course between preventing copies and not annoy normal customers but I think this middle course isn't found yet.

Quote:

I have never heard of the game StarForce

BTW @Obi_Wan - Starforce isn't a game mate, just a copy protection for games... ::)

...just keeping your facts straight! ;)

==EDIT==

@Eye-Q - beat me to the post...

@ps47 - paragraphs please! ;D

==EDIT # 2==

For more infos...read THIS: -

http://www.firingsquad.com/features/starforce_interview/default.asp

hmm okay, so you buy a game and you can't play it :-/ that's lame, I did have that with 2 games as well

Sinistar Unleashed and StarLancer they were the only 2 I bought Retail years ago and they never worked :-X

Sinistar works fine for me - but that's cos' the protection has been broken (hint, hint). ;)

Dunno about Starlancer - check the 'usual' websites... ::)

some games even wont play if u install off a cd and you have a plain non burner , dvd drive .
install off a dvd in dvd drive fine