Starforce - Am I the only one who is still boycotting this?

jpinard · Post by **jpinard** » Thu May 26, 2005 9:48 pm

Greggy... I loaded Soldiers then too

Eduardo X · Post by **Eduardo X** » Fri May 27, 2005 12:07 am

I just realized I'm going to be in trouble when Operation Flashpoint 2 comes out, as it is the sequal to one of my top 5 favorite games! What to do?

Rincewind · Post by **Rincewind** » Fri May 27, 2005 12:08 am

So far I have had no issues whatsoever with the Starforce games on my computer-and until I do, why would I boycott them?

jpinard · Post by **jpinard** » Fri May 27, 2005 12:56 am

Eduardo X wrote:I just realized I'm going to be in trouble when Operation Flashpoint 2 comes out, as it is the sequal to one of my top 5 favorite games! What to do?

BUY it. Then buy a copy of Silent Hunter 3, and see the amazing game you've been missing.

tals · Post by **tals** » Fri May 27, 2005 2:25 am

jpinard wrote:Greggy... I loaded Soldiers then too

I'm not sure if you or Greggy are interested in some MP action - it really is incredibly well done. Crux, Myself and Jeff team up for games.

http://www.octopusoverlords.com/phpBB2/ ... hp?t=10934

Either coop or pvp battlezones. BTW the latest Soldiers patch and the unlock camera are both musts - good thread in the PC title forum if anyone who is or thinking of playing soldiers hasn't read it.

http://www.octopusoverlords.com/phpBB2/ ... php?t=8464

Tals

tals · Post by **tals** » Fri May 27, 2005 2:30 am

Two Sheds wrote:
I don't think SC3 turned out to be that good - going by another forum I subscribe to so that could be the reason for poor sales - would make sense anyway - poor game - poor sales.
By SC3 you mean Splinter Cell 3, right? As in, Chaos Theory? You're out of your tree.

(From Gamerankings)
Gamespy - 4.5/5
Gamespot - 8.6/10
IGN - 9.6/10
PCGamer - 91/100
Game Informer - 9.75/10
Worthplaying - 9.6/10
Gamerankings avg. - 90%

"poor game"? Negative!

As I said its another forum its a squad forum i'm in and two seperate people are trying to get rid of it - to the point of almost giving it away. As ever its each to their own. The SC series has never really appealed to me anyway

Since the Eve Online review at Gamespot I have ceased to pay that much attention to review marks. Should really add Brother in arms as another example of a reason to ignore review marks

Tals

UsulofDoom · Post by **UsulofDoom** » Fri May 27, 2005 11:05 am

Well I did buy Farcry and had to use a no cd crack to work.
Had no problem with SHIII or SWAT4. The thing I don't like is the needless ware and tear it does to my dvd writer.
I thinking i need to get cd cracks for them too.

tals · Post by **tals** » Fri May 27, 2005 1:50 pm

UsulofDoom wrote:Well I did buy Farcry and had to use a no cd crack to work.
Had no problem with SHIII or SWAT4. The thing I don't like is the needless ware and tear it does to my dvd writer.
I thinking i need to get cd cracks for them too.

I think you'll find Farcry didn't use Starforce - I am not aware of an easy cd crack for a starforce game - that is the point of starforce

Tals

Sterling · Post by **Sterling** » Fri May 27, 2005 3:10 pm

UsulofDoom wrote:Well I did buy Farcry and had to use a no cd crack to work.
Had no problem with SHIII or SWAT4. The thing I don't like is the needless ware and tear it does to my dvd writer.
I thinking i need to get cd cracks for them too.

SWAT4 uses SecuROM
Far Cry uses Safedisc

Scanner · Post by **Scanner** » Fri May 27, 2005 4:15 pm

tals wrote:
UsulofDoom wrote:Well I did buy Farcry and had to use a no cd crack to work.
Had no problem with SHIII or SWAT4. The thing I don't like is the needless ware and tear it does to my dvd writer.
I thinking i need to get cd cracks for them too.
I think you'll find Farcry didn't use Starforce - I am not aware of an easy cd crack for a starforce game - that is the point of starforce

Tals

In the past few months many Starforce games have been cracked, including Silent Hunter III.

Papageno · Post by **Papageno** » Fri May 27, 2005 4:53 pm

The problem is that even if you have a no-cd or no-dvd crack for a Starforce game, per my understanding those bl**ping hardware-level drivers are still installed on your machine, which is unacceptable (to me, anyway).

Scanner · Post by **Scanner** » Fri May 27, 2005 5:11 pm

Papageno wrote:The problem is that even if you have a no-cd or no-dvd crack for a Starforce game, per my understanding those bl**ping hardware-level drivers are still installed on your machine, which is unacceptable (to me, anyway).

If you are using a no-cd crack, you can remove the drivers from your system without affecting the game (using the freeware Starforce Removal Tool). In fact, one of the warez groups released a game (Chaos League, IIRC) that was stripped of Starforce entirely - the SF drivers didn't even install.

Note that if you are using emulation instead of a crack to get around Starforce (e.g. Starforce Nightmare) then you need to keep the drivers aboard.

tals · Post by **tals** » Fri May 27, 2005 5:21 pm

Scanner wrote:
tals wrote:
UsulofDoom wrote:Well I did buy Farcry and had to use a no cd crack to work.
Had no problem with SHIII or SWAT4. The thing I don't like is the needless ware and tear it does to my dvd writer.
I thinking i need to get cd cracks for them too.
I think you'll find Farcry didn't use Starforce - I am not aware of an easy cd crack for a starforce game - that is the point of starforce

Tals
In the past few months many Starforce games have been cracked, including Silent Hunter III.

It almost sounds like i'm advocating this - to be honest I don't give a stuff either way

So SHIII 1.1 has been cracked? Splinter Cell Chaos Theory has been cracked. Every crack i've seen of soldiers has been a joke - jump through a hoop - disable your virtunal drives (which you do not need to do for SF btw) - and then just maybe you may have a crack

Tals

tals · Post by **tals** » Fri May 27, 2005 5:23 pm

Scanner wrote:
Papageno wrote:The problem is that even if you have a no-cd or no-dvd crack for a Starforce game, per my understanding those bl**ping hardware-level drivers are still installed on your machine, which is unacceptable (to me, anyway).
If you are using a no-cd crack, you can remove the drivers from your system without affecting the game (using the freeware Starforce Removal Tool). In fact, one of the warez groups released a game (Chaos League, IIRC) that was stripped of Starforce entirely - the SF drivers didn't even install.

Note that if you are using emulation instead of a crack to get around Starforce (e.g. Starforce Nightmare) then you need to keep the drivers aboard.

If you run that tool any game reliant on starforce will stop working. If you have a way of bypassing that for a particular game - fine, any others will stop working.

Tals

p.s you make it sound like a special removal tool - its a tool provided by the makers of starforce to be absolutely clear.

Interloper · Post by **Interloper** » Fri May 27, 2005 6:05 pm

Still boycotting it myself. I plan to for the long haul also (as in I will never install a SF game). I must admit it has been easy though as there hasn't been a SF game I've wanted yet.

Scanner · Post by **Scanner** » Fri May 27, 2005 6:16 pm

That's absolutely correct, don't use the driver removal tool unless you have cracks for all your starforce games. I know it's published by starforce, by the way - in fact, I edited the link in order to reassure users that it's not made by the crackers (originally I linked to a generic utility website).

I don't know if the SHIII 1.1 update has a crack, but I know that the 1.3 update does not

. As usual, an active developer is the only thing that can foil a pirate. My SHIII disk pretty much resides in my DVD drive.

The SF emulators don't require you to disable virtual drives, but they will temporarily disable the physical drives. Still, the newer emulators (anti-blaxx, starforce nightmare) have largely automated the deactivation/reactivation shuffle. You specify the location of the executable and the disk image once. After that, with one click you can deactivate drives, load the image, run the game, and then reactivate the drives when you're done.

Obviously, cracks don't need to do any of that, but then you usually don't have the benefit of patches.

DCL · Post by **DCL** » Sat Jun 04, 2005 6:48 pm

Scanner wrote: I don't know if the SHIII 1.1 update has a crack, but I know that the 1.3 update does not . As usual, an active developer is the only thing that can foil a pirate. My SHIII disk pretty much resides in my DVD drive.

The only "crack" of SHIII is 1.0. And I'm pretty sure that that isn't even a true starforce killing crack. I was reading at a MB that the "1.0" crack was made from a unprotected release (beta?). So really I don't think you're even playing version 1.0 if you're using the SHIII crack.

I'm doubtful that SHIII will ever be cracked, so it's safe from me buying it. (The only way I would buy it is if I could play the latest version without SF on my system. And that seems to be an impossibility at this point so any temptation to break my boycott is still safe).

DuckofDeath · Post by **DuckofDeath** » Sun Jun 05, 2005 5:01 pm

I still won't buy SF games, though I have to admit there haven't been any hard decisions yet (I don't like stealth games). If Oblivion or some such thing came out with SF I'd prolly cave and buy it anyway. Still, I despise SF and will resist supporting devs that use it.

Anyone know if you ever hear stuff about SF in the mainstream gaming press? I'm curious if paper mags ever mention the wonky SF protection as a negative.

tals · Post by **tals** » Sun Jun 05, 2005 6:04 pm

DuckofDeath wrote:I still won't buy SF games, though I have to admit there haven't been any hard decisions yet (I don't like stealth games). If Oblivion or some such thing came out with SF I'd prolly cave and buy it anyway. Still, I despise SF and will resist supporting devs that use it.

Anyone know if you ever hear stuff about SF in the mainstream gaming press? I'm curious if paper mags ever mention the wonky SF protection as a negative.

not on this side of the Atlantic (UK) - the average gamer wouldn't have a clue what it is.

Kobra · Post by **Kobra** » Sun Jun 05, 2005 6:17 pm

Scanner wrote:I don't know if the SHIII 1.1 update has a crack, but I know that the 1.3 update does not . As usual, an active developer is the only thing that can foil a pirate.

SHIII 1.0 wasn't really cracked, it was a demo/release hack that half-worked. Kinda like Cossacks 2, they just copied the demo files over and claim it is cracked, when 90% of the game is disabled using their method.

Chaos Theory I don't believe has been cracked at all, but I think they've been trying for months to break it.

Pretty it looks like crackers have just given up if a title contains Starforce. I did here there is/was a way with USB drives to bypass it, but that is pretty off mainstream, how many people will run out and buy an expensive USB DVD burner?

Scanner · Post by **Scanner** » Sun Jun 05, 2005 6:31 pm

Kobra wrote: Pretty it looks like crackers have just given up if a title contains Starforce. I did here there is/was a way with USB drives to bypass it, but that is pretty off mainstream, how many people will run out and buy an expensive USB DVD burner?

Yes, they gave up right after cracking Chaos League and Superpower 2.

As for bypassing SF, the only expensive part is buying the modem to download Starforce Nightmare.

DCL · Post by **DCL** » Mon Jun 06, 2005 5:44 am

DuckofDeath wrote:Anyone know if you ever hear stuff about SF in the mainstream gaming press? I'm curious if paper mags ever mention the wonky SF protection as a negative.

I would be shocked if any mainstream media that covers gaming would ever publish an article critical of Starforce. In fact when I visit any gaming site I have a hard time telling a press release from a game preview. Hardly no other business has such uncritical coverage as the (software) gaming industry.

I'd love to be wrong and someone point me out a few articles (not by starforce CEOs or employees that is) giving the lowdown on Starforce and it's issues and how ethical it's use is. (not informing the user that it installs and stuff). CP would probably make an interesting subject for major coverage in fact but I have my doubts that there will be any critical articles on this issue.

Cofcos · Post by **Cofcos** » Mon Jun 06, 2005 10:57 am

Nah, I gave up the boycott thing ages ago... I just pirate them all now.

<Yes, that is sarcasm>

SuperHiro · Post by **SuperHiro** » Mon Jun 06, 2005 12:59 pm

I'm just glad my EB is lazy and incompetent enough to offer Soldiers for 10 bucks instead of 3. Whew, I was about to give in.

Lassr · Post by **Lassr** » Mon Jun 06, 2005 2:34 pm

I just returned a game because it had Starforce. Bought Codename: Panzers Phase One at Target for $7.48. Got it home and checked makeabackup.com and see that it is listed as having Starforce as it's protection so I returned it before opening it.

Damn Starforce!

Boudreaux · Post by **Boudreaux** » Mon Jun 06, 2005 3:49 pm

I'm typically in the "don't care if it doesn't affect me" camp. That said, I think it's affected me. Tough to be sure, but I recently bought Soldiers and SWAT 4 and installed both without realizing that Soldiers had Starforce. Since then, one of my internal CD burners stopped working completely, SWAT 4 has some of the worst crashing problems I've ever seen (I almost never have problems with games crashing) and when I recently started playing Chronicles of Riddick again after a long hiatus, what was once a solid, stable game now crashes constantly.

Coincidence? Maybe. I can't think of anything else that would have prompted all of the crashing problems. SWAT 4 always crashed (and still does with Soldiers uninstalled and SF removed), but I can't think of any reason why Riddick would go from completely stable at Christmas to crash-o-rama 5 months later. I haven't updated video drivers, sound drivers, changed hardware, anything.

At the moment, though, I'm extremely leery of re-installing Soldiers, which sucks as I was fairly excited about it. I'm not to the point of a SF boycott, but I'm definitely SF-shy.

Beer Goggles · Post by **Beer Goggles** » Tue Jun 07, 2005 4:00 pm

Boudreaux, did you use the Starforce removal tool?

Boudreaux · Post by **Boudreaux** » Tue Jun 07, 2005 5:09 pm

Yes I did. It removed StarForce (and when I run it again it says "no drivers found") and still with the crashes. Argh.

Kobra · Post by **Kobra** » Tue Jun 07, 2005 11:00 pm

Boudreaux wrote:Yes I did. It removed StarForce (and when I run it again it says "no drivers found") and still with the crashes. Argh.

Then it wasn't Starforce causing the problem. sfremove leaves NO traces of the item, anywhere, even in the registry.

tals · Post by **tals** » Wed Jun 08, 2005 1:27 am

Kobra wrote:
Boudreaux wrote:Yes I did. It removed StarForce (and when I run it again it says "no drivers found") and still with the crashes. Argh.
Then it wasn't Starforce causing the problem. sfremove leaves NO traces of the item, anywhere, even in the registry.

I'd agree with this, I installed Guild Wars and no joke my PC started crashing - initially in Guild Wars, but then in other aspects. Turned out to be a faulty memory sim - coincidence

Unfortunately these things happen.

Tals

Boudreaux · Post by **Boudreaux** » Wed Jun 08, 2005 10:08 am

Kobra wrote:Then it wasn't Starforce causing the problem. sfremove leaves NO traces of the item, anywhere, even in the registry.

Good, because I was really wanting to play Soldiers. Maybe I can figure out what the problem was in the meantime.

tals · Post by **tals** » Wed Jun 08, 2005 1:35 pm

Boudreaux wrote:
Kobra wrote:Then it wasn't Starforce causing the problem. sfremove leaves NO traces of the item, anywhere, even in the registry.
Good, because I was really wanting to play Soldiers. Maybe I can figure out what the problem was in the meantime.

If you do grab Soldiers hop into the MP area of the forums, SP is good - but tbh i've not found anything to match the MP Coop or MP PVP.

Tals

Rich in KCK · Post by **Rich in KCK** » Fri Jun 10, 2005 4:17 am

I voted never boycotted. Thing is I really didn't like some of the stuff SF did like not uninstalling itself when the game was uninstalled and not telling people it was being installed when it was. On the other hand no game had come out yet that I wanted to play that used SF until GTR and by then I'm guessing the uninstalling issues had been worked out, I'm not sure on that since I don't plan on uninstalling GTR anytime soon.

razgon · Post by **razgon** » Fri Jun 10, 2005 5:57 am

Starforce is Evil!!

All progress is evil!!

tals · Post by **tals** » Fri Jun 10, 2005 7:20 am

Rich in KCK wrote:I voted never boycotted. Thing is I really didn't like some of the stuff SF did like not uninstalling itself when the game was uninstalled and not telling people it was being installed when it was. On the other hand no game had come out yet that I wanted to play that used SF until GTR and by then I'm guessing the uninstalling issues had been worked out, I'm not sure on that since I don't plan on uninstalling GTR anytime soon.

I would agree regarding the installation - although Soldiers/Chaos League and Trackmania are reasonably clear once it is on - and we are all now clear in this forum

.

In terms of uninstallation - their is an uninstall program to remove starforce, I believe a link is earlier in this post. When you remove Starforce all Starforce games would need reinstalling (I believe) to work again. That is the main reason as I understand it why games don't uninistall it at unistall.

Tals

Interloper · Post by **Interloper** » Fri Jun 10, 2005 12:03 pm

razgon wrote:Starforce is Evil!!

All regress is evil!!

There, fixed it for ya.

knob · Post by **knob** » Fri Jun 10, 2005 2:11 pm

It really sucks that Starforce has such a reputation. I used to be big on the boycott thing, until SH3 came out and I gave in to the OOFE. And I can understand the fear, it does fuck up SOME computers.

But two of the best WW2 games I ever played have SF and if I had boycotted them, I wouldn't have ever seen how great they are. Soldiers and Silent Hunter III deserved to be played, even if you don't have interest in the area.

tals · Post by **tals** » Fri Jun 10, 2005 3:06 pm

But two of the best WW2 games I ever played have SF and if I had boycotted them, I wouldn't have ever seen how great they are. Soldiers and Silent Hunter III deserved to be played, even if you don't have interest in the area.

Amen.

Soldiers in particular is incredibly under rated, under marketted etc. Except in these forums have I seen a really good and lively interest in it - good as the OOers in here have provided the game with new life for me

Tals

Ranulf · Post by **Ranulf** » Fri Jun 10, 2005 5:22 pm

Still boycotting but then I haven't bought any new games since Kotor2 (for xbox) and WoW.

Octopus Overlords

Starforce - Am I the only one who is still boycotting this?

Boycott still on?