If the only XCOM game I liked was...

[Tyro]

...Enemy Unknown, should I buy UFO: Aftershock?

 

I hated TFTD, Interceptor, Apocalypse, Aftermath and Enforcer (that about covers all the sequels, I think!)

 

Thanks in advance.

[Bomb Bloke]

Hard to say, it's a cross between the original UFO and Apocalypse.

 

Your best bet is to load up the demo and give it a whirl.

[Tyro]

Hard to say, it's a cross between the original UFO and Apocalypse.

 

Your best bet is to load up the demo and give it a whirl.

 

Hi BB. Thanks for your advice. Umm...I don't suppose the demo has any adware/malware/spyware/etc. on it?

 

Also, when I uninstall it, does it uninstall completely or does it leave stuff all over my registry and drive?

 

These are the #1 reasons why I never download demos anymore.

[Slaughter]

I think Aftershock is a much better game than Aftermath, but depending on what you disliked in Aftermath you might not like this one. As BB says, give the demo a spin.

 

Regarding the demo, it does use StarForce copyprotection. Most people never have any trouble with it, but there are the unfortunate ones that do. If you want more information on StarForce, just search for it here in the forum.

[Tyro]

I think Aftershock is a much better game than Aftermath, but depending on what you disliked in Aftermath you might not like this one. As BB says, give the demo a spin.

 

Regarding the demo, it does use StarForce copyprotection. Most people never have any trouble with it, but there are the unfortunate ones that do. If you want more information on StarForce, just search for it here in the forum.

 

OMG, Starforce. Forget it, I'm not downloading the demo. The last game that had SF protection left crappy drivers all over my comp even after I uninstalled it.

 

Looks like the full game has it too, so I'm passing it over :mad:

 

Thanks for the heads up though.

[Stun Grenade]

Whoah arn't you picky.... nah its a good thing! At least you have control over your computer and not the other way around. What is this SF crap anyway?

[Slaughter]

This is StarForce. It's a pretty heavy copyprotection. Most people never have trouble with it, but some do, and thus it is hated by some gamers.

[Bomb Bloke]

As best I can make out, there are no StarForce drivers on my system after installing the demo. If there are, then they are very well hidden. I often check my registry over to see if anything gets picked up. After finding out about Sony's recent copy protection highjinks, I also checked my drive filters and found nothing out of the usual.

 

There are some StarForce files installed with the demo, but I'm not sure what it is they do. They are supposed to enforce the use of CDs, right? The demo doesn't HAVE a CD. So I dunno whether those files are used at runtime or not.

[Slaughter]

The executable in the demo is protected by StarForce, but I don't think it works the same way as the "full" StarForce protection. Not sure how though...

[Bomb Bloke]

Which brings up the question, is it possible to make StarForce think you're trying to pirate the demo?

[Slaughter]

It's to protect the executable, as the one in the demo is very similar to the one in the full game.

[Tyro]

As best I can make out, there are no StarForce drivers on my system after installing the demo. If there are, then they are very well hidden. I often check my registry over to see if anything gets picked up. After finding out about Sony's recent copy protection highjinks, I also checked my drive filters and found nothing out of the usual.

 

Hi BB. Sorry for the late reply. Have you checked under "Device manager" -> View -> "Hidden devices"?

 

My main beef with SF isn't that it causes glitches (it does, and a quick Google will show you why).

 

Apart from SF re-installing itself after getting removed (which is what malware does in my book), SF needs to be updated if you update Windows. Which means, say, 3 years from now if you decide to play Aftershock with your updated version of Windows, and the SF programmers decide that it isn't worth their time updating SF for Aftershock anymore, your original copy will register as a pirated copy. In effect you need their permission to play the game.

 

Tell me that doesn't piss you off.

[Bomb Bloke]

Hmm... I never knew devices could be hidden, and then viewed as easily as that. Whats the point?

 

But, what do you know, but up pops two StarForce drivers.

 

I guess I'll try uninstalling the demo, to see if they go.

 

Edit:

 

I've done a few tests to see how this all works...

 

If you reboot after running the demo, the StarForce drivers will appear.

 

If you reboot after un-installing the demo normally, they're gone.

 

I guess that means if you install the demo, run it, un-install it, then reboot, you'll never find the drivers...

 

I was unable to find any ill effects to my system while doing these tests. I have a DVD burner and a virtual DVD reader installed.

[Tyro]

Hmm... I never knew devices could be hidden, and then viewed as easily as that. Whats the point?

 

Windows is protecting itself from its users (no offence mate, just a comment on Windows in general). Just like how if you want to see hidden files, you need to set Explorer to see hidden files as it doesn't do that by default.

 

If you reboot after un-installing the demo normally, they're gone.

 

Interesting, AFAIK they're not so easily removed. Perhaps the demo version is toned down a bit. Take a look at:

 

https://www.tgdaily.com/2005/10/01/the_war_on_game_pirates/

 

Some quotes:

The way StarForce and a couple of its cousins does this is one of the more disturbing developments in the videogame war on piracy. StarForce installs a hidden driver onto your machine along with the game itself, without any explicit warnings. This driver is required to play the game and is not uninstalled with the game. It also has a rather disturbing tendency to re-install itself after either manual removal or cleanup using a provided tool that has to be hunted for across the Internet.

 

These new protection systems do not simply protect software from direct attempts to pirate it - they also proactively search out potential piracy threats on one's system and then prevent them from working. Programs such as Nero and Alcohol 120% are obvious targets here, though I have seen far more erratic and often times seemingly random tantrums taken by these systems. These range from disabling the recording device in Windows Media Player, to preventing access to the CD drive both on the software and hardware side. I usually find myself pressing the button to open the CD drive and then having to log out of Windows for it to do what it's supposed to!

 

I have even heard first hand accounts of people having to totally rebuild their computers after a nasty run in with them.

 

In an interview with Firing Squad, the makers of StarForce strenuously denied the fact that their driver causes problems to all but a slim minority of user systems. They then went on to state that the EULA covers them and the publishers from all liability of damage done by their copy protection. In other words, "we state that it doesn't cause problems, but if it does, we're covered by the EULA and you're not."

[Bomb Bloke]

Whether or not StarForce is un-installed with the game is up to the people who configure the un-installation procedure (developers usually), not the makers of StarForce.

 

As such, it's up to the developers to determine how the copy protection is to be enforced. Some developers get it right. Some get it wrong. At the moment, StarForce seems to be feasible, even if it may make backing up games a problem.

 

I remember how SafeDisc caused issues on certain systems. The final patch released for Ultima 9 removed the copy protection. That seems to me to be a great idea - release software in a protected form, wait until sales start to drop off and your next project is ready, then release a patch removing the protection. At this stage, it's unlikely the game will be pirated, and it might just make the customers happy enough that they will buy the next title.

 

Note that that article refers to "StarForce and a couple of its cousins", not just StarForce specifically. I doubt StarForce itself cripples burning software.

 

As I mentioned, it won't leave your system completely until you reboot. But if you un-install the AfterShock demo, it will go.