No CD Key = Bad Idea

[Phoenixhunter]

You know, call me feeble minded, but I actually think that spending money for a game that I like is a good thing, so when I dropped $53 for Jedi Knight II, I was paying for a fun game from a great developer. However because of the lack of CD Keys to prevent warez'd versions from being played in multiplayer, I believe that the extra incentive some people needed to pay money for a product is removed and Raven Software will lose out big time.

 

What does this really mean? It means that while people are happily playing their warez'd versions on multiplayer alongside with the few who actually paid for it, Raven Software's employees who worked extremely hard to bring out a quality product will not be rewarded financially to allow further game development.

 

If anyone would like to explain why no CD keys were implemented or why I am a complete moron, feel free to fire away.

[Emon]

CD keys do jack nowadays. You just download a keygen or get one from your friend. I'm sure Raven realized this and therefor scrapped the waste of time a CD key is.

[Valdarious]

Emon is right, there is no game on the market nowadays that the crackers have not cracked, its just pointless for Raven to waste the time on paying people office hours to work out getting a new key for someone cause some warezer is allready using their key.

[Hobnail]

I too was also a little peturbed by the apparent lack of Copy protection at first.

 

I guess it came down to the bunfight between Raven, Lucas & Activision as to who was going to run the Authentication Server. Maybe it's something completely different such as they couldn't get a licence to run a CD-number server...

 

Still, I really want to slap around Warez kiddies who come onto a server and tell all and sundry how 1337 they are as they didnt pay for their copy...

[xx_chromosome]

put it this way. my house mate got it before i realized that it's just out like... 2 days ago?

 

heck, he even knows where to get eposode II now with VCD quality.

 

this is just not right. i programmed before, and it's no fun...takes heck lot of time, then just realizing that you are getting ripped off.

 

.... >sigh<

[Guest Jolts]

Sof2 will have a cd key. I think it was up to lec, not raven.

[Njal Storm]

i gotta agree, this game will replace tribes1, as being the most pirated pc game in history.

[deadpool99]

"

 

CD keys do jack nowadays. You just download a keygen or get one from your friend. I'm sure Raven realized this and therefor scrapped the waste of time a CD key is. "

 

I disagree with this. Sure cd keygens work for single player but for multiplay they will not work with a good authentication server. Because it only allows cd keys on which have been manufactured. Sure you could get lucky and pull one eventually, but its not likely and it takes a loooong time to do. Most people arent willing to spend this time doing it.

 

Me and my casual warez friends for example wouldnt sit there for hours trying to crack the authentication server. We will however copy this game with no cd key and play it for free.

 

And i think most warez users would agree they wouldnt sit there for hours trying to crack it, only a dedicated few(poor) warez users would. Since some hours at your job would pay for it all the same.

[Essobie]

It is ALL about authentification servers and cd keys. No point in having the keys without the auth server... good example of this is the Warcraft III beta fiasco.

 

The client doesn't REQUIRE it to be connected to an official Battle.net... it can be ANY "battle.net" with ANY "valid installation cdkey" which means it can be used without a problem on emulated Battle.net's.

 

Same holds true with JK2, except it doesn't even attempt to stop the casual warezer. SafeDisc is so broken into it isn't funny, and at this point, it's a waste of time for the end user (the ones that DID buy the product).

 

According to someone else above, Raven is definately using cdkey auths for SoF... if that's the case, GOOD for Raven. Hopefully SoF will be as compelling as JK's SP and will make up the money they lose from JK2.

 

Essobie

[deadpool99]

whats sof

[Suasa]

I admit that i have a ISO of jk2 and i would be sure to go and buy the game had there been a cd key issue. I agree with deadpool that i would not sit around trying to crack the authentication on the game. I would buy it instead. Hell ill probably buy it anyhow just to support Raven but i dont think many others will seeing as you can just burn it and not worry about a cd key. Its like half-life once they made it so only 1 person could play with 1 cd key online at one time like 6 of my friends had to go buy a copy. They wouldnt sit around trying out keygens even though a few of em did have a good keygen. I think it would probably have been wise for Raven to have cd keys even if they thought it useless. It woulda done good even improved sales. Its a kick ass game i hope people actually pay for the damned thing.

[Valdarious]

Actualy Half Lifes key didnt really work very well. A couple people and myself testing this a couple times and you could get away with having up to 6 people with the same key playing at one time. For playing on a LAN it didnt work at all, we could all play as much as we wanted without worrying about a key for that.

[Aiee]

Of course, it also means we can take sadistic pleasure from kickbanning the kiddies who loudly announce that they didn't pay for their copy from our servers.

[Weely]

Originally posted by Valdarious

Actualy Half Lifes key didnt really work very well. A couple people and myself testing this a couple times and you could get away with having up to 6 people with the same key playing at one time. For playing on a LAN it didnt work at all, we could all play as much as we wanted without worrying about a key for that.

 

WON (the authentication system used by Half life and its mods) used to allow up to 5 or 6 people on at the same time with a single CD key. a few months ago they changed it. only one CD key can be authenticated at a single time. HL has the best system out there for preventing piracy, since you're not actually paying for the game, you're paying for the CD-key. giving away ur CD key is as good as giving away the cash u spent to get it.

[Zagadka]

Um, CD-key authentication is a good idea, until some cracker makes a keygen, and then 50% of the valid keys are used. People who paid for the game get completely boned, and usually end up using the keygen themselves to play.

 

The only copy protection system that I have seen work at all is something like Tribes2, which is much more like a MMORPG system than any FPS. Enter the key and link it to a username, and log in to the game. There isn't much room for cracking in - but again, you run into the problem of CD keys being generated an people who pay for the game being locked out.

 

I suppose the only fool-proof way would be to pay money at the store for the CDs etc for the raw supplies ($20 or so at release, $10 or so a month later), then buy the license from the publisher online (The other $30). This leaves room for sales at shops, and forces anyone who wants to play to register the account directly, without any room to screw people out of keys.

 

It would take a full server system, client tracking, etc, though, so most companies wouldn't be up for it - but then, you could also tie several games from one publisher to one account and have a sophisticated "home" page with patches, support pages, news on related products (publishers love that), etc. So, say, a publisher like, say, LucasArts... they would keep the database on what LA games you own, provide support pages linked to only the games you own on a central user page, etc.

[mememememe]

okay just alittle fyi. dont bother *****ing about this cause it happened. its over, done with and HL gots its $5 through bestbuy. I found a crack for won. it work. i tried several cd keys from a keygen. all of them worked. so won isnt the ****. just for u ppl who hate warez. in the end i lost the crack(this is where u laugh) and had to buy the game. i just had to let ppl know that someone is always willing to crack anything if they really want to. Phoenixhunter this is why u r a moron. haha j/k.

[L3onheart]

Originally posted by mememememe

okay just alittle fyi. dont bother *****ing about this cause it happened. its over, done with and HL gots its $5 through bestbuy. I found a crack for won. it work. i tried several cd keys from a keygen. all of them worked. so won isnt the ****. just for u ppl who hate warez. in the end i lost the crack(this is where u laugh) and had to buy the game. i just had to let ppl know that someone is always willing to crack anything if they really want to. Phoenixhunter this is why u r a moron. haha j/k.

 

You sir, are a joke

[Soul-Burn]

About 98% of the HL community uses warez versions so authentication didn't stop anyone.

 

However, making the game without CDkeys is actually a think of smart I think.

 

I think that:

1. Raven knows that enough JK junkies will buy the game anyways.

2. Having to mentain a huge un-hackable auth server is a money drain, and since many people will still get it hacked, it's a waste of money.

3. Maybe, Raven thought that they don't want JK to fall between the chairs. Games like RtCW or Tribes2 are not as vastly played like lets say, Q3 or UT. So MAYBE, they mean:

"if we can't actually get much money from selling the game, atleast let it be "the coolest, most played game ever" thingy..."

[[xeno]fury]

CD keys are crap , we had them in quake 3 but they often stopped ppl who bought the game officialy playing online. So in quake they eventualy removed it so everyone can play . i think its a better idea to not use the cd key as its just gh3y

[Weely]

Originally posted by Soul-Burn

About 98% of the HL community uses warez versions so authentication didn't stop anyone.

 

I know several hundred CS players........ and know of several hundreds more, including CAL, OGL (noob league), and some CPL teams. None of them use such a thing, or have heard of a working version. If what you say is true, less than 1% of the CS community could be using it, since it is unknown to so many. Search cheat, hack, warez, crack, and general fan-base sites. No one has such a working program. WON may not prevent cheating, but it does damn well to keep CD-key usage to one person, and random generated keys to several-million-to-one shots over the internet.

[Weely]

Originally posted by Zagadka

Um, CD-key authentication is a good idea, until some cracker makes a keygen, and then 50% of the valid keys are used. People who paid for the game get completely boned, and usually end up using the keygen themselves to play.

 

The only copy protection system that I have seen work at all is something like Tribes2, which is much more like a MMORPG system than any FPS. Enter the key and link it to a username, and log in to the game. There isn't much room for cracking in - but again, you run into the problem of CD keys being generated an people who pay for the game being locked out.

 

I suppose the only fool-proof way would be to pay money at the store for the CDs etc for the raw supplies ($20 or so at release, $10 or so a month later), then buy the license from the publisher online (The other $30). This leaves room for sales at shops, and forces anyone who wants to play to register the account directly, without any room to screw people out of keys.

 

It would take a full server system, client tracking, etc, though, so most companies wouldn't be up for it - but then, you could also tie several games from one publisher to one account and have a sophisticated "home" page with patches, support pages, news on related products (publishers love that), etc. So, say, a publisher like, say, LucasArts... they would keep the database on what LA games you own, provide support pages linked to only the games you own on a central user page, etc.

 

Um, no. CD-key gens are 10 million to one shots at working for multiplayer.

[Soul-Burn]

The fact people have a working CDkey doesn't say they don't have a copied game.

 

Many ppl don't buy the game, but just get CDkeys somehow, for free.

 

And when games cost over 50$, who's I to blame them?

[Zagadka]

Originally posted by Weely

 

Um, no. CD-key gens are 10 million to one shots at working for multiplayer.

 

Um, read what I said.

 

You're gonna tell me that you've NEVER logged in and had a CD key error message using your retail key?

 

Tribes2 had that problem like a plague. People regging accounts with the CD key, and when someone who actually bought the key tried to use it, it was invalid, and they wasted $40.

[WhiteChedda]

Originally posted by Phoenixhunter

You know, call me feeble minded, but I actually think that spending money for a game that I like is a good thing, so when I dropped $53 for Jedi Knight II, I was paying for a fun game from a great developer. However because of the lack of CD Keys to prevent warez'd versions from being played in multiplayer, I believe that the extra incentive some people needed to pay money for a product is removed and Raven Software will lose out big time.

 

What does this really mean? It means that while people are happily playing their warez'd versions on multiplayer alongside with the few who actually paid for it, Raven Software's employees who worked extremely hard to bring out a quality product will not be rewarded financially to allow further game development.

 

If anyone would like to explain why no CD keys were implemented or why I am a complete moron, feel free to fire away.

 

Maybe, but Raven had A LOT of trouble with CD Keys and the original SOF, I think that alone may have been the deciding factor in not using one, that and lucas arts has never used CD keys to my knowledge and as the publisher, its pretty much thier call on what copy protection, if any, is used. Unfortuanately there is no earth garbage desposal we can turn on and all the low lofe scum just dissapears, so for now you'll have to remember that by paying for the product you are encouraging raven and lucasarts to keep developing good games. The whole open source idea where anyone can develop a game is a nice idea, but few people are going to work all day, go home then work on a game they will distribute for nothing, it just isn't going to happen, and if it did, we all know where quality would be.

 

 

BTW Kenn nice to see the SOF forums did not turn you guys from communicating with your fans. I recall about a month before the 1.04 patch you guys just all but dissappeared. Some of us were worried the "abormal posters" had run you off from this idea. Course I never bought ST:V:EF or checked those forums out so I never realized until now it wasn't a raw deal.

[Scooter]

The auth server key system in Q3 works fine in my experience. Maybe I've been lucky and no one has key-genned my key and used it at the same time as me.

 

The only problem with it seems to be that warez kiddies attack the auth server with traffic (denial of service attack) as the game allows anyone to play if the auth server is down. This doesn't cause any problems for legitimate users though.