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

[dajunka]

The beauty of this crack is that everyone of you can participate in its development.

The best crack for Starforce that works, is simple but will take a little patience and time.
Simply do what countless other PC owners are doing boycott (don't buy) any game that contains the StarForce virus, even, and I stress even if its a biggy release that you have been waiting for over 10 years.
This is a affective and permanent solution. Put the Starforce virus makers in the unemployment queue.

Time for action, don't leave it all to the poor overworked crackers.
You will still end up with your game the only difference being it will be SF free and in the bargain bucket. Publishers will soon lose their loyalty to StarF**k when their pockets start to empty.

You wanna get rid of Starforce forever? Then boycott today.

[Luciel]

Sure so say we stop, what happens to the other 10 million people that have no idea bout what sf is and just buy the game cos they like it? Well sorry but im going to continue to buy them for the simple reason that sf has never given me any problems.

[dajunka]

I hear you, but news and events entering the internet community are a very effective way of spreading the word, and each day because of the internet more people do become aware of the problems with SF, myself, I suffer with start-up and shutdown problems until SF is removed and other stuff that I haven’t noticed but has been reported on well known web site, problems like slow down in games and drive errors.
I’m glad that yourself and many others are happy with SF, but its up to those that are not happy to try and sort it out.
And I think maybe this is the chief role of discussion sites like this one.

What about the 10 million that boycott the game? 10 million customers is a lot to lose.

[DABhand]

It is pointless this is what im trying to tell you in the last thread, no matter what you try to do there will always be protections to combat piracy.

No matter who doesnt buy, aslong as they beat piracy that is their main aim.

[Joe Forster/STA]

Hey dajunka,

To generalize things, this world is turning into a police state. The government, the police, all executive authorities are indirectly getting into the hands of large monopolies, including but very much not limited to software/movie/music publishers (not artists/authors/developers!). Laws not defending the customers and authors (well enough) are only one symptom of this trend.

However, as you can see, most people - like sheep - are comfortable with the current situation because they don't understand what's happenning around them. A few knights of freedom won't change this, I'm afraid. Self-conscious and determined customers would; but they're almost non-existant.

Joe

[dajunka]

People are, boycotting games protected by SF for real, it’s not fantasy. And the publishers are quite aware of this trend as it is reflected in there profits.
What’s all this with Dream Catcher software publisher, where they release a hot game, not only minus Starforce but lacking any type of software protection what so ever. I am talking about the game Dungeon Lords recently released in the states. News is it started out very buggy but is getting fixed up nicely already having a patch out, all-in-all reports seem favourable and it looks like a hit.
But why has Dream catcher released this unprotected, when they are I believe a client for Starforce. Could it be that they are not only listening to their customers but also their bank manager.
I don’t think there is one gaming site that you can go to without some member or journalist slagging StarForce, it is becoming Common knowledge that this virus is bad and boycotting it is good, and the army grows not less but more.

If eveybody said; no body else is boycotting so why should I?
Then no, it wouldent work. But not all people seem to be thinking in this way.

[Joe Forster/STA]

Hi dajunka,

Well, if is true what you're saying, I'm very happy to have been wrong...!

Joe

[dajunka]

Hey Joe,
yep it's true, Ive spent hours, days, weeks even; serfing stuff on SF, and you wont beleive some of it. While there are a great number of people say they have no problems with SF, this is only what they assume. The truth is, it most likely is causing them problems it's just that they dont notice the problems.

http://www.broadbandreports.com/shownews/48427

I have read some real horror story’s especially the ones where some poor guy/gal loses their entire raid array, photos, docs, personal stuff all lost because of SF attaching itself to their media drivers and wuks up big style.

I have games here that have SF, but cant play them and the shop wont refund or exchange except for one of the same. my problem with SF is lockups on start-up and shutdown but alls fine after I clean all the SF zhit of my machine.

[Eagle]

I agree, boycott Starforce.
It sucks. It messed up my Alcohol 120%, it confused my old Plextor CD-R and classified all my (physical) SCSI drives as virtual ones.
SF is just a pain in the *ss. SF has gone way too far intruding users' computers and software.

Also all the efforts getting a SF protected game running from an image are just plain unnecessary and useless. NO ONE owning the original game would disconnect all his IDE stuff, attach a USB-IDE converter or use some other complicated and fancy methods just to play from an image.

I am sick of these SF discussions.

[dajunka]

And so say all of us.

Tis true, this is the only real and lasting cure against this ever increasing problem.
We do have hope in the likes of Dreamcatcher with Dungeon Lords, who’s giving the no protection policy a try in America, I suppose if the sales are okay there, then they will adopt the same policy when released in Europe, come on you yanks buy this game. How great to be shut of all this poo intrusion protection software and get back to some sort of sensible protection or even better none at all we could all exercise our right to make backups.
The way things are going buying a game will be a nightmare.

1 Buy the game Pacman 2030 at mind boggling price in crappy case with no manual.
2 Shove CD in and Start Install.
3 Enter CD key.
4 Wait.
5 Activate game by on line registration.
6 Wait for game files to be decrypted.
7 Enter account details, user name and password.
8 Wait for email to arrive with activation code.
9 Enter code.
10 Wait while code checked against online database.
11 Start again as web site crashed.
12 Get to game start-up screen, told there is an error, "please wait for patch to resolve this issue."
13 Wait 4 weeks
14 install patch.
15 Get to start-up screen, told "error please insert correct CD."
16 Get in touch with support. Get told to knob off.
17 Buy new CD rom, insert game cd.
18 Get to start-up, get told "hardware change detected please reinstall."
19 Reinstall game and go to site for new activation code.
20 Get told "error Cd key and user details already in use."
21 Kill yourself.

or

21 Get game to finally work only to find out is a Atari 1200 port-over from 1963

[DABhand]

The thing is you have to think why this horrible protection is out on the market?

Its the fault of the general public who didnt buy games, that forces these horrible protections out.

Ive been lucky with SF and not been badly affected. But with others they have.

This is the norm, even older protections cause problems with certain systems, at the end of the day, not all PC systems are the same so you will never write a protection that will work on everyones PC's 100%.

But like I said, blame the people who steal rather than the developers/publishers/coders.

[dajunka]

Originally Posted by DABhand

But like I said, blame the people who steal rather than the developers/publishers/coders.

I can't do that.. That’s like saying Some dude on the other side of the world goes and wastes some other dude on the other side of the world, then the fuzz coming round my house and arresting me for it. You can't pass the buck over to the innocent for the crimes of the guilty, that just isn’t right, the publishers, in this case are at fault, theres always been pirates but there's never been aggressive protection on this scale before.

[Luci]

if the gameswere a little more cheap i would buy a game every week.they are expensive but those guyz work 1 year minimum.they deserve the money but you don't want either to give a fortune right.

[Joe Forster/STA]

Hey Luci,

Enthusiastic game developers do it for the fun and the fame; it is good that they even get money for it but they might even do it for free, too. It is the game publisher that gets most of the money, from your purchase. It's like banks: No matter how much money you earn, as interest, by putting your money into the bank, you can safely bet that the bank will earn tons more! Simply, because you have no other choice and have to accept their (biased? outrageous?) conditions.

(A friend of mine and his friends have been doing a retro-style isometric shooter with a flying dragon for years. They've been doing other stuff -productivity software and software translation - to earn money while coding the game. Now that it's finished, they're not finding a publisher for it. Kind of end of the story. Ridiculous or sad, you choose...)

Joe

[Eagle]

One question that bugs me for ages: Why do pure multiplayer games have to have a copyprotection? A serial/cd key that is checked on every connect to a game server is IMHO fully sufficient.