Activation limit exceeded !!!! - What Gives?

[matsher]

Activation limit exceeded !!!!

Not sure how, I have only loaded it onto 1 pc...

Is this an UBI, STEAM or 1C activation system? Who must I write to get it fixed?
I wrote to STEAM yesterday and they haven't responded to me and I am well peeved. I am just not sure who to be peeved at - Aaaaargh!!!!!

The only possible explanation for this is in the last 3 days, to run COD, I have upgraded the CPU, the Motherboard BIOS and then the GPU...
I am not sure why or how it works with STEAM but there is NOTHING more frustrating than when your PC is finally beefed up and STEAM says
"sorry bud you're not allowed to run the sim you bought.

Can anyone shed some light on this?

Any advise me on how to avoid this in the future would be welcome. 'Cause if my pc still has issues running it,
I may want to upgrade Motherboard, ram and possibly swop my new GPU for a stronger one or run SLI.

[mr71mb0]

There are bugs / performance issues currently that make the sim run much slower than it should.

The devs are working round the clock to fix it and improve performance.

A patch is expected at the end of this week (if all goes to plan) that should improved a lot of the issues, namely micro-stutters,buildings and trees impacting performance. Not everything will make the patch tho and it will be an ongoing update of patches.

My advice would be give it 2weeks to 1month before upgrading too much more as even with a core I7 and GTX580 you would still have lots of issues.


Steam Activation errors, I would open a support ticket via the Steam Website.

[matsher]

Thanks for the reply Mr71,

Yeah I hear you... I needed a new CPU though. My old one
was the venerable AMD Athlon Duel core 3800+. A CPU which
has the dubious honor of being the CPU listed on the MIN SPEC.

I am def going to go for the ATI 6950 2gb - It looks to be one the best
power to value GPUs available at the moment.

However I cant play the sim since yesterday cause I've been blocked
from COD by this Activation limit horseshit. I really hope someone
can shed some light on this, cause so many guys will be upgrading their
rigs in the near future and they might all have the same Activation limit
exceeded issue I am experiencing right now.

FRUSTRATION... AAAAARRRRGHHHH!!!!!

[Raggz]

Deactivate the game before upgrading.

[IbnSolmyr]

Are you explaining that the game does as if it was a sort of "CloD OEM" ?? I hope it will be sorted out very soon for you and all of us, cause it'd be properly unacceptable !

[bkdamon]

Deactivate the game before upgrading.

From what I've read you can't deactivate a game. I haven't found that option in Steam either.

Do you have a way to do it?

[Bobb4]

Check your countries consumer protection act. Ours forbids the sale of any product that does not work as advertised. But i am sure with all the problems experienced you should get someone to fix it rather easily as long as you have proof of purchase.
Anyway the game should be linked to your steam account which is as far as i understand has unlimited installs.

[Blackdog_kt]

Deactivate the game before upgrading.

I think this is not possible. We don't get deactivations, we only get 3 initial activations and whenever they drop below 3 we get one more per month up to the initial 3. So, you can never have more than 3 "spare" activations even though you get one replenished per month.

Being tied to your Steam account has nothing to do with activations, since the copy protection is not handled by Steam but by the different DRM method described above.

Since you can provide proof of purchase i guess you can just email them and ask to be given 3 more (i guess they will ask for your CD-key, wait until they ask for it and don't just post it around just in case ;) ).

The problem in what you're facing is "who do i e-mail?". Since Steam is not handling the copy protection, that probably means such stuff is handled by Ubi or the DRM vendors.

[Raggz]

Uninstalling deactivates the game afaik!

[JG52Uther]

From the ubi il2 forum, I have put the important bit in bold:
IL2 Sturmovik: Cliff of Dover will use the SolidShield DRM solution. SolidShield features a flexible activation process and allows for up to 3 simultaneous game installs.



FAQ

What type of DRM is being used in IL-2 Stumovik: COD?
Avatar uses a new driverless activation solution to manage activations developed by Solidshield with whom T@GES is partnering.


How many activations do I get?
You can indefinitely activate your copy of the game on the same PC. You start with three activations (so, three different PC hardware configurations) to begin with. After one month, one activation will be re-credited (up to a maximum of three available activations at any given time).


Do I have to be online to activate my game?
While the activation solution will initially attempt to activate your game online, you can elect to manually enter an activation code. You will need to enter the code that comes with your game into the activation wizard, you will then be given an activation code that you can enter manually. So, although you do not necessarily need to have your computer hooked up to the internet, you will need to go online to obtain a code before playing.


Can Solidshield be removed from my computer?
Once the activation process has been completed, the activation solution does not install any software on your computer. Once the activation is completed, a data file is stored. This file is not hidden and can be removed from your computer if you wish. In this case, a new activation process will be triggered at the next game launch (without any effect on your activation count credit). Finally, the activation is driverless: no driver must be installed and uninstalled.


What if I have problems?
You may contact Solidshield support directly via email at support@solidshield.com.


Is it possible to revoke an installation?
Revocations are not considered, since users get one new activation per month, so if you do somehow manage to burn through your three activations, you only need to wait one month or contact support.

[matsher]

Thank you guys for your feedback. I am so damned irked by the whole thing. There is just no info readily at hand to explain all these frustrating inhibitors. After getting cock blocked by steam asking me to activate and then being informed to "piss-off leper, you're over the limit."
I felt angry and I didn't know who to punch. STEAM, ubi or 1C.
Thanks Uther for the info, Can you tell me who the hell is solidshield and why must I call them... I have sent support messages to STEAM , UBI and 1C... No one has replied yet... 24 hours and counting.
And sadly, I have attached my CD key to all the messages with proof... Blackdog I so hope you are wrong and no one takes my Key... fingers crossed.

Wow, I can see many poor guys falling foul of this system when they start to upgrade in earnest. Theres gonna be pandamoniam.

IbnSolmyr - I would try and answer your question if I knew what a "CloD OEM" was.

Again thanks for the help guys

[jimbop]

Solidshield produces the DRM software that is causing your problem. You need to contact them at the email address provided at the end of post #10. Steam, ubi, 1c won't be able to do much.

Let us know what happens if you don't mind!

[JG52Uther]

Yes let us know the outcome,because I think we will all get caught out by this at some point!

[matsher]

Hi guys,

Thanks for the responses... I just saw another guys post who has the same problem... I have a feeling that this is only the beginning.

Update: I have sent a support mail to SolidShield to the address Uther supplied... And as of now still no reply. (-/+48 hours) I would phone
them directly if I had a number, but there is nothing on their website at all, just a stupid "send us a message" page.
Getting more chipped by the hour. Then they wonder why people turn to piracy...
CAUSE YOU CAN'T PLAY THE FRIKKIN GAME YOU BOUGHT IN GOOD FAITH OR
HAVE THE COMMON FRIKKIN DECENCY TO REPLY TO A MAIL IN 2 FRIKKIN DAYS OR
SUPPLY THE RELEVENT INFORMATION TO HELP PEOPLE NOT GET THEM SELVES INTO
THIS FRIKKIN ANNOYING POSITION IN THE FIRST FRIKKIN PLACE...

OLEG !!!! LUTHIER !!!! CAN ONE OF YOU PLEASE INVITE SOLIDSHIELD OVER FOR A CUPPA
AND A BISCUIT AND WHEN THEY ARRIVE PUNCH THOSE MUPPETS SQUARE IN THE FACE.

On a brighter note... The South african Distributors of UBISOFT games have told me that
I can get a brand new copy of the sim if I want and were pretty good about the whole thing. They had never heard of this problem before.

[jimbop]

Hi guys,

Thanks for the responses... I just saw another guys post who has the same problem... I have a feeling that this is only the beginning.

Update: I have sent a support mail to SolidShield to the address Uther supplied... And as of now still no reply. (-/+48 hours) I would phone
them directly if I had a number, but there is nothing on their website at all, just a stupid "send us a message" page.
Getting more chipped by the hour. Then they wonder why people turn to piracy...
CAUSE YOU CAN'T PLAY THE FRIKKIN GAME YOU BOUGHT IN GOOD FAITH OR
HAVE THE COMMON FRIKKIN DECENCY TO REPLY TO A MAIL IN 2 FRIKKIN DAYS OR
SUPPLY THE RELEVENT INFORMATION TO HELP PEOPLE NOT GET THEM SELVES INTO
THIS FRIKKIN ANNOYING POSITION IN THE FIRST FRIKKIN PLACE...

OLEG !!!! LUTHIER !!!! CAN ONE OF YOU PLEASE INVITE SOLIDSHIELD OVER FOR A CUPPA
AND A BISCUIT AND WHEN THEY ARRIVE PUNCH THOSE MUPPETS SQUARE IN THE FACE.

On a brighter note... The South african Distributors of UBISOFT games have told me that
I can get a brand new copy of the sim if I want and were pretty good about the whole thing. They had never heard of this problem before.

Thanks for the update - let us know how it goes. Definitely just the beginning!

Three of my activations have been used up by steam replacing some files after verification of game integrity.

[matsher]

Okay guys, I have sent another message to Solid Shield from their official
contact page on their website, maybe it will have more luck. I have put
a copy of the message here so you can read what I wrote. If the chaps
from marketing read a mail like this they will likely shit their pants and chase
the support guys. Even tone and polite phrasing is normally far more scary
than a guy ranting and swearing in CAPITOLS. Let see if we can get any joy from them.


Heading: Bad Service - No response

Hi there,

I sent you a support mail concerning Activation limit exceeded
messages for IL2- Cliffs of Dover.

I haven't installed it into more than 1pc but have upgraded parts to help run
this "resource hungry" Sim.
You haven't replied or even sent a message to say you have received the mail.
I am pretty peeved with the whole scenario and your lack of customer
interaction and NO PHYSICAL contact points makes your brand look like
a fly by night garage operation.

On the forums some kind people sent me your support mail address and some
info you released concerning the new IL2... You make it sound so easy to
address client issues but the real world fact is that you want to hide behind
your website and either don't want to or are not able to respond with any
amount of end-user satisfaction.

This is frustrating as all hell and a slap in the face to people who legitimately
buy software and are not at liberty to use it. Your software cannot tell the
difference between a hardware upgrade and a wholly different machine.

Please can you respond to this... My second attempt to contact you. I would
appreciate the service and it would go a long way to reducing my anxiety
around... What has so far been an extremely expensive process
both materially and emotionally.

You can contact me at my address above or call me on (No. Removed) or skype
me NAME: (Removed)... Hell you can even use smoke signals for all I care,
just please respond so we can get this issue resolved.

I would like: My activations "restocked" AND a way to not
get into this needless situation again.

Many Many people are going to be upgrading their PCs in the coming weeks
to be able to run this sim, It is my hope to tell them all when they are on the
forums baying for blood that the kind people at Solid Shield sorted me out
swiftly, easily and with no fuss...

Please give me a reason to like you.

[Old-Banger]

Looks like I am heading down this road.

Just the one install from new (dvd version) on my PC using Win7 64bit.
No hardware changes at all, tried to run game earlier it asked for re-activation. I did so, played for a while whilst connected to the internet.

Fired up the computer again just now for another session offline, it asked for re-activation again. I have made absolutely no changes to my system!

Prior to today, it has been run many times with no such issue.

So, 2 re-activations down, presumably 1 left then I cannot use my software for a month. Great. I shall email Solidshield, but I am not hopeful. No doubt they will blame anything but their own software (even if it proves to be the case that it is at fault).

[matsher]

So the SAGA continues...

I found an UBISOFT tech support number in a readme file inside the game folder.
0871 664 1000 (A U.K. number) - When called it said sorry this number is not in existance.
frustration... mounting.

But being the tenacious bastard I am I called my brother who lives in the UK...
He also tried that number and surprisingly it was still not in existance. So we
searched for one that was working and we found the American UBI tech number.

They were actually great and even though I had to talk to the tech guy through my brother
we managed to get the problem across... He saw that I had logged a tech mail days ago
and escalated it to his manager who tried to get hold of UBI UK to sort it out.

They promised a reply asap.

[E69_vencejo]

Here iqual
After no run, and after thousand test, i reinstall so.
After this, i run the game.
One activation request. One activatiion lose.
Game not run. Install/uninstall net frame 4.0 and another windows update. Then game run.
Go to bed.
Next day, run game and another activation request. Two activation lose.

And now, who install/reinstall/uninstall anything?

Luckily did not require me again after restart pc again,
for the moment :rolleyes:

[swiss]

Three of my activations have been used up by steam replacing some files after verification of game integrity.

In fact I replaced "some files" approx. 10 times today. It reactivated every time.
I'd guess it takes a whole new install or hardware change to use them up.

[jimbop]

In fact I replaced "some files" approx. 10 times today. It reactivated every time.
I'd guess it takes a whole new install or hardware change to use them up.

Hopefully - I thought it was a limit of 5.

[swiss]

activated one more time 40mins ago. Don't worry - as long as it's only the verify thing.

[SsSsSsSsSnake]

stupid system

[Old-Banger]

activated one more time 40mins ago. Don't worry - as long as it's only the verify thing.

I checked my verification count, it definitely gives me one left. How do I tell if it is a verification 'thing'?

I have not changed any hardware or files, so why would it want to keep asking for verification after several days with no problems?

Still waiting for some sort of answer to my emails from Solidshield and Ubisoft.

[Old-Banger]

Update.

Solidshield has been removed after installing latest patch! Fantastic.:grin:

Now I can see what improvments have been made.

[jimbop]

Fantastic! I'm surprised that it was removed so early but full marks to the team for this! It was ludicrous anyway with the only people inconvenienced being the ones who actually bought the game. Thanks guys.

[swiss]

I checked my verification count,

Where can you?