Will not buy due to StarForce

[Wellington]

Dear 1C. I must say XIII seems like an excellent game. That said, I will never buy it due to you using intrusive and unethical DRM, and the worst of them all: StarForce. Draconian DRM like this is unacceptable and turning away would-be customers. It is not stopping copyright infringers and only hurting legitimate customers.

I would like to point you to the Gamer's Bill of Rights (http://www.edge-online.com/blogs/the-gamers-bill-rights), proposed by Brad Wardell of Stardock games. Their Sins of a Solar Empire have now sold over 500 000 copies and is totally devoid of DRM.

I hope you will come to your senses and remove DRM from your games and so stop alienating would-be customers by treating them as criminals before the fact. Then I might consider purchasing from you. But never will I install any game the infiltrates my system with hidden malware.

[MARIAN]

a patch will remove all protections from XIII Century :)

[Wellington]

That is good news! Will I then be able to install the game WITHOUT any components of Starforce also being installed to my system? That is the most critical aspect.

[Joker]

That's actually a great question, seeing as Ive bought it online, once installed, it will have to install StarForce, will the patch then deinstall EVERYTHING related towards StarForce ?

[MARIAN]

As far as I know in the games where protection is the game is normally instal on a hard disk, and then that starting game is necessary install libraries of protection. Here probably you simply install the game, you renounce install of libraries of protection but install patch which allows you to play without a disk.

[Wellington]

So you are saying that when you install the game

(1) you are asked if you want to install Starforce separately and optionally from the game itself (that is, the game can be installed without also installing Starforce)

and

(2) if you decline to install Starforce no components at all of it will be installed?


Let's be extremely clear about this because it is very important.

[Wellington]

I take the lack of replies to indicate that regardless of patches etc Starforce will be installed along with the initial install of the game. Thus, I will not purchase this game, much less install it, and I will advice vocally against purchasing it, as I do against any game with intrusive DRM like Starforce or SecuROM.

You should have learnt a lesson from Spore and Amazon.

[mitra]

You are free to no purchase the game, but avoid to make the moral lesson. For starforce exist external removal tools, so it is not necessary to have confirm for the patch. If you want to be sure then purchase and download the game from gamersgate which not use starforce protection.

[marlborough]

I agree with mitra. Without the patch you couldn't play the game if you chose not to install the starforce drivers. Now with the patch you can!!! Choose not to install the starforce drivers when asked, apply the patch and the game will start ( even without the dvd! )

[Wellington]

I agree with mitra. Without the patch you couldn't play the game if you chose not to install the starforce drivers. Now with the patch you can!!! Choose not to install the starforce drivers when asked, apply the patch and the game will start ( even without the dvd! )

Ok, let me reiterate my question that went unanswered above:

When installing the game, will I have the option of NOT installing Starforce, and if so, will then NO PART of Starforce or any other DRM be installed on my system?

[marlborough]

I said before: Choose not to install the starforce drivers when asked, apply the patch and the game will start ( even without the dvd! ). So, you do have the option not to install Starforce and none of DRM as well!!!Just apply the patch after installing because without it you can start the game.;)

[Wellington]

I said before: Choose not to install the starforce drivers when asked, apply the patch and the game will start ( even without the dvd! )[/B]. So, you do have the option not to install Starforce and none of DRM as well!!! Just apply the patch after installing because without it you can start the game.;) (my boldface)

Thank you, that answered my question. I appreciate you taking the time to answer.