A real solution to the StarF**k virus for everyone.

[DABhand]

Step 1:

LIMITED SOFTWARE WARRANTY AND LICENSE AGREEMENT

YOUR USE OF THIS SOFTWARE IS SUBJECT TO THIS LIMITED SOFTWARE WARRANTY AND LICENSE AGREEMENT (THE "AGREEMENT") AND THE TERMS SET FORTH BELOW. THE "SOFTWARE" INCLUDES ALL SOFTWARE INCLUDED WITH THIS AGREEMENT, THE ACCOMPANYING MANUAL (S), PACKAGING AND OTHER WRITTEN, ELECTRONIC OR ON-LINE MATERIALS OR DOCUMENTATION, AND ANY AND ALL COPIES OF SUCH SOFTWARE AND ITS MATERIALS. BY OPENING THE SOFTWARE, INSTALLING, AND/OR USING THE SOFTWARE AND ANY OTHER MATERIALS INCLUDED WITH THE SOFTWARE, YOU HEREBY ACCEPT THE TERMS OF THIS LICENSE WITH 2K GAMES ("LICENSOR").

Step 2:

THE SOFTWARE UTILITIES.

The Software may contain a level editor or other similar type tools, assets and other materials (the "Software Utilities") that permit you to construct or customize new game levels and other related game materials for personal use in connection with the Software ("Customized Game Materials"). In the event the Software contains such Software Utilities, the use of the Software Utilities is subject to the following additional terms, conditions and restrictions:

(a) All Customized Game Materials created by you are exclusively owned by LICENSOR and/or its licensors (as the case may be) and you hereby transfer, assign and convey to LICENSOR all right, title and interest in and to the Customized Game Materials and LICENSOR and its permitted licensors may use any Customized Game Materials made publicly available to you for any purpose whatsoever, including but not limited to for purposes of advertising and promoting the Software;
(b) You will not use or permit third parties to use the Software Utilities and the Customized Game Materials created by you for any commercial purposes, including but not limited to distributing, leasing, licensing, renting, selling, or otherwise exploiting, transferring or assigning the ownership of such Customized Game Materials;
(c) Customized Game Materials must be distributed solely for free; provided, that you may contact LICENSOR for a license to commercially exploit the Customized Game Materials which LICENSOR may grant or deny in its sole discretion;
(d) Customized Game Materials shall not contain modifications to any other executable files;
(e) Customized Game Materials must be used alone and can be created if the Customized Game Materials will be used exclusively in combination with the commercially released retail version of the Software.
(f) Customized Game Materials cannot contain libelous, defamatory or other illegal material, material that is scandalous or invades the rights of privacy or publicity of any third party, or contain any trademarks, copyright-protected work or other property of third parties (without a valid license); and
(g) All Customized Game Materials must contain the proper credits to the authors of the Customized Game Materials and must indicate that LICENSOR is not the author of the Customized Game Materials with additional language that "THIS MATERIAL IS NOT MADE, GUARANTEED OR SUPPORTED BY THE PUBLISHER OF THE SOFTWARE OR ITS AFFILIATES."


Now the words Starforce does not indeed been told, but Starforce is incoporated with the game (software as said in EULA)

1st Step, you agreed to all software installed.

2nd Step, it says you agreed to install and they cannot be held responsible for any misuse or damage. As does it do in conjunction with this part also.

IN NO EVENT WILL LICENSOR BE LIABLE FOR SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES RESULTING FROM POSSESSION, USE OR MALFUNCTION OF THE SOFTWARE, INCLUDING DAMAGES TO PROPERTY, LOSS OF GOODWILL, COMPUTER FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION AND, TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, DAMAGES FOR PERSONAL INJURIES, EVEN IF LICENSOR HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. LICENSOR’S LIABILITY SHALL NOT EXCEED THE ACTUAL PRICE PAID FOR USE OF THE SOFTWARE. SOME STATES/COUNTRIES DO NOT ALLOW LIMITATIONS ON HOW LONG AN IMPLIED WARRANTY LASTS AND/OR THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, SO THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS AND/OR EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. THIS WARRANTY GIVES YOU SPECIFIC LEGAL RIGHTS, AND YOU MAY HAVE OTHER RIGHTS THAT VARY FROM JURISDICTION TO JURISDICTION.


We may not like it, but unfortunately you all agreed to it.

[Grumpy]

@Dabhand
What a complete load of ****e!
When they say 'software' most would presume they are talking about the game as being the said software!
You are asked during the game install, "Do you want to install (ie) V8 Supercars?"
Do you want to install (ie) DirectX9?
Do you want to install Gamespy?
Do you want to install the Acrobat Reader?
All software which we are told about!
But nowhere are we asked "Do you want to install Starforce?"
This, and you damn well know it, is not what they mean by software!
If they had nothing to hide they would also ask "Do you want to install Starforce?"

[Joe Forster/STA]

If game publishers had nothing to hide, they would've already created icons for most copy protection systems, printed them on the product box, and added a URL (yes, outside, on the box!) where the (potential) customer may read more information about the copy protection, including but not limited to known problems, before actually purchasing the item. (The same goes for copy-protected audio CD's, e.g. ones that cannot be played in car CD players, exactly because of the copy protection!)

[Grumpy]

@Joe
Yes, exactly! I agree with what you say, 100%.

[ric_hornet]

You can count on me in boycotting SF protection as well!
I only SF protected game that I bought and own is Silent Hunter III, which I was expecting for a very long time. But I will NOT buy SF protected games anymore even if it's an highly anticipated release like Silent Hunter III.

[CPUYODA]

Ive BEEN boycotting them.......and the only two I miss are SH3 and GTR,because I got a PC to fool with simulations.

But really,if you want a POPULAR boycott,start a site,and keep an up-to-date list of the current games using it.

I'd personally like to see a class action brought against them,and maybe get a law that makes companies state ON THE BOX what protections are used.

Its not likely to happen,but neither is me buy any game I know that uses starcrud.

If EA ever goes that route,alot more people will discover the nasty side of it.

Great discussion guys,most everything else has been said....

[Grumpy]

@CPUYoda
cdsteam already keeps a list of all the games which use Starforce.

[CPUYODA]

Originally Posted by Grumpy

@CPUYoda
cdsteam already keeps a list of all the games which use Starforce.

See thats great,but I'd never heard of it....

I generally try my best to find out when demos appear(most SF games have SF in the DEMOS too?!?)

Kudos guys!

[dajunka]

I have been continuing my research, and done quite a bit of probing.
And no zhit guys more and more people are saying no to SF protected games every day. The name StarForce is rapidly becoming a dirty word in the computer community.
Unfortunately my knowledge of web design is limited to f**k all, or I might have had a go at making my own Anti Starforce community web site. Anyway it's a very good idea.
Keep it up, spread the good word, and remember you are not alone.
Let's bury these SF b******ds, so that they never make another penny at our expense.

[DABhand]

Originally Posted by Grumpy

@Dabhand
What a complete load of ****e!
When they say 'software' most would presume they are talking about the game as being the said software!
You are asked during the game install, "Do you want to install (ie) V8 Supercars?"
Do you want to install (ie) DirectX9?
Do you want to install Gamespy?
Do you want to install the Acrobat Reader?
All software which we are told about!
But nowhere are we asked "Do you want to install Starforce?"
This, and you damn well know it, is not what they mean by software!
If they had nothing to hide they would also ask "Do you want to install Starforce?"

Cmon Grumpy I know your more clever than that, the protection is part of the game which you install.

Which is what is mentioned by ALL SOFTWARE in the EULA.

[Joe Forster/STA]

DABhand,

See the applications Grumpy has listed:

- V8 Supercars is by whatever game publisher (don't remember);
- DirectX is by Micro$oft;
- Gamespy is by whatever other publisher;
- Acrobat Reader is by Adobe.

These applications have been developed and published by different companies, therefore, their EULA's are definitely not the same. Actually, before installing them, you can see their own EULA's displayed and you're required to accept them, don't you?

Starforce is by Starforce Technologies or whatever. Another developer and publisher. Why isn't its own EULA displayed? Especially, that, while:

- DirectX is a well-known component of the operating system, is present on pretty much any Windows PC and does nothing bad to your system;
- Gamespy and Acrobat Reader are also old (not obsolete!), respected applications and do nothing bad,

Starforce is a new, unproven (khm!) technology and it is already known to cause minor or major problems.

So?

Joe

[Grumpy]

@Dabhand
You really are being stupidly pig headed about this! I dont know exactly what you are trying to prove?
It does NOT say in the EULA that you accept the installing of any sort of Protection! It says Software, that in itself is misleading! The more you point out the more I believe it would not stand up in a court of law!
They are hiding behind the word Software! It is illegal to mislead or decieve people!
You are showing yourself to be a right twat!

Prediction: Yes I know what you are going to say Dabhand! "It says software in the EULA and you agree to it when you install!" yeh yeh yeh!

[Eagle]

Originally Posted by Joe Forster/STA

DABhand,

See the applications Grumpy has listed:

- V8 Supercars is by whatever game publisher (don't remember);
- DirectX is by Micro$oft;
- Gamespy is by whatever other publisher;
- Acrobat Reader is by Adobe.

These applications have been developed and published by different companies, therefore, their EULA's are definitely not the same. Actually, before installing them, you can see their own EULA's displayed and you're required to accept them, don't you?

Starforce is by Starforce Technologies or whatever. Another developer and publisher. Why isn't its own EULA displayed?

Know Punkbuster?

Every game that has PB Anticheat software included asks you if you want to install it and even displays its own EULA.
And since nearly every Server has PB enabled, I would call PB a _mandatory_ part of the software (game).

[acal3000]

Starforce is a pest I hate it

I have two games protected by sf3 one I could crack with a nocd and the other I never coudn't crack it

I hate it for this reasons:

I have 3 Drives:

My DVD ROm drive take ages to validate the original disk (more than one minute) I thinks that could be bad for the life of the drives

MY external cd-rw drive never read it it always says that I should use another drive

the only drive that can validate faster the disk on my computer its and old and crappy phillips burner

and also mentioning that when is checking the disk starforce overheats a lot my cpu

that why I hate it damn starfoce

[eskimo103]

@dabhand

You can argue semantics all you want, but when it comes to the bottom line, when the publishers deliver starforce to you, they try and conceal it. There is no declaration that the software is protected by starforce, and no specific information included about the effects of it. Under your legalese, it would be perfectly acceptable for programmers to include a virus with the game and call it "software". It also doesnt fall under the category of software utility, as starforce is hardly for the personal use of the buyer. The ability to ignore all responsibility for products via disclaimers seems to be making the world a cold and inhuman place. If you want to remain unempowered against large corporations, fine, accept your fate.