CD cracked; what do I do?

[Father Hedgehog]

I apologize in advance if I am posting this in the wrong forum. I'm worse than a noob; I'm a clueless father trying to help his son out, and a quick search of the site didn't turn up anything that might help me.

We couldn't load Civ IV BTS today. Upon removing the CD from the drive, I noticed that it had a crack extending from the middle to about halfway out to the rim.

As I said, I'm a clueless (at least when it comes to the Civ games) dad. Is there a way to play this game without the CD? If not, how do we go about replacing it?

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[Joshua368]

Is it under warrenty? You might have to go out and buy another one...

 

[CCRunner]

Try returning it to the store you bought it from.

I don't think there's any way to play without returning it for a new one or buying it again and, even if there was, this forum (rightly) doesn't allow any discussion of piracy at all so we couldn't help you anyways.

 

[Father Hedgehog]

Warranties usually apply to manufacturers' defects, not to damage caused by the user's carelessness. I've been able to replace other software I've bought over the years when the CD has been lost or damaged; are you saying that Civ IV's manufacturer wouldn't do that?

 

[Father Hedgehog]

Try returning it to the store you bought it from.

I don't think there's any way to play without returning it for a new one or buying it again and, even if there was, this forum (rightly) doesn't allow any discussion of piracy at all so we couldn't help you anyways.

I guess I wasn't clear in the first post. The CD was not damaged when purchased; it was damaged while in my son's possession. I don't know how that happened, and, if he does, he's not saying. At any rate, I'm not advocating piracy. Some games are playable without the CD. I take it that this game is not. If so, the question becomes, will the manufacturer replace the CD, given that all we want to do is maintain ownership and usability of the software we've already acquired?

 

[CCRunner]

No idea, I've never heard of this happening before. Sorry I can't help more

I didn't mean to insinuate that you were advocating piracy either.

 

[Bonescorpion]

I would try main 2k site. Some companies with a valid CD-Key will ship you another CD for a nominal fee.
You may just have to go on ebay and purchase another CD. Hope you get back going.

As far as the son playing, join him. Civilization is a great game for Dads too. Trust me on this one!!!

 

[Supr49er]

Yep. Get your disk replaced, even if you have to buy another one. I bet you'll find yourself hooked.

Welcome to the Forums Father Hedgehog.

 

[Onionsoilder]

If you contact 2K, they will probably send you a replacement CD for maybe $5 plus the cost of shipping, rather then paying for a completely new game.

 

[theKurgen]

If you contact 2K, they will probably send you a replacement CD for maybe $5 plus the cost of shipping, rather then paying for a completely new game.

And if you look out the window, you'll probably see a pink pig flying by!

 

[synthboy]

If I recall, you don't actually purchase the physical media the game is stored on, rather you pay for the license to play the game (that's the whole "I agree" tick-box business everyone doesn't bother to read). As such, if you return the duff DVD to 2K they should send you a replacement for a nominal fee.

 

[Father Hedgehog]

If I recall, you don't actually purchase the physical media the game is stored on, rather you pay for the license to play the game (that's the whole "I agree" tick-box business everyone doesn't bother to read). As such, if you return the duff DVD to 2K they should send you a replacement for a nominal fee.

We have a winner. I found a link that enabled me to contact the manufacturer. It'll cost $7.50, and I have to send the original packaging back, as well, but I'll just take it out of my son's allowance. Thanks for your help.

 

[Chiyochan]

Try returning it to the store you bought it from.

I don't think there's any way to play without returning it for a new one or buying it again and, even if there was, this forum (rightly) doesn't allow any discussion of piracy at all so we couldn't help you anyways.

ever the lawful huh?

while linking to wares is generaly not allowed almost anywhere, I cant think of a single reason why not allowing discussion of piracy is "right"

 

[CCRunner]

Other than the fact that it's illegal?

 

[Chiyochan]

Other than the fact that it's illegal?

while we're at it no talk of drinking underage, speeding on a highway, drugs, murder, theft, war crimes, walking on the grass, reading certain books, and certainly you should be put away if you should even speak of these things because they are 100% bad and anyone who disagrees is wrong.

so yes, got any other less stupid reasons?

I understand not talking about it is a rule but while i would consider it a choice, I certainly cant comprehend why anyone would point a moral compass against open discussion

Moderator Action: Flaming/Trolling
Please read the forum rules: http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=422889

 

[CCRunner]

while we're at it no talk of drinking underage, speeding on a highway, drugs, murder, theft, war crimes, walking on the grass, reading certain books, and certainly you should be put away if you should even speak of these things because they are 100% bad and anyone who disagrees is wrong.

so yes, got any other less stupid reasons?

I understand not talking about it is a rule but while i would consider it a choice, I certainly cant comprehend why anyone would point a moral compass against open discussion

Okay, maybe discussion was a bad word. After all, we're discussing it now. What I meant to say was that if I gave him a link to some site with a free download of this game, I, and by extension this forum, would be actively participating in a crime. That is what isn't allowed. If you want to keep talking about this, I'd be glad to do it here

ninja edit: Ok, I apologize. Evidently, I completely misread your first post about "while linking to the wares..."

 

[Bonescorpion]

We have a winner. I found a link that enabled me to contact the manufacturer. It'll cost $7.50, and I have to send the original packaging back, as well, but I'll just take it out of my son's allowance. Thanks for your help.

Glad that it all worked out, are you going to join us in the Civ Universe now?

 

[Charonicus]

This is why I hate games that have safedisc or securerom that require the disc in to play. By looking around you can sometimes find a no-cd hack, sometimes these are released legally by the company. I know Bioware did this for NWN after a couple of years of it being out. I doubt Firaxis would do so, especially seeing as how they get to charge you for replacing the disc? There are ways, but as everyone mentioned, discussing it is a no no.

 

[r_rolo1]

Firaxis replaces broken disks if you send it to them with the comprovation of bought and a small fee. Sisiutil got his Vanilla disk back that way.

P.S got here too late

 

[Charonicus]

It's pretty sucky that the EULA specifically prohibits making a personal backup of the disc, because otherwise (In most US states I believe) you'd be allowed to copy the disc ONLY to serve as a backup in exactly this situation. I took a closer read of the EULA and surprise surprise, even constructing your own personal no-cd hack would be against the agreement. It's pretty restrictive. Makes me wonder what their policy is on replacing the game with expansions. If you sent back the packaging for all three components would they charge by the disc? Or graciously send you the "complete" version.
It really makes me wish more games like this were distributed through something similar to Steam, where you own the game for all eternity and can simply redownload it at will. I haven't played Half Life 2 in years but it's nice to know I can always go get it back if I want it. ^^

Anyway, in closing I guess they applied such restrictions in an effort to reduce piracy. Didn't work did it?
I'm also left wondering how this disc replacement works for overseas customers? I can't be the only one unable to pay them in dollars should I need a replacement. And even more... how long exactly would they support such a system? Surely they don't intend to keep resupplying people for decades? ¬¬