CD cracked; what do I do?

[thadian]

the most gay thing about Civ is its Pro-Piracy methods. Anything that annoys me with extra processes, spinning the disk when it shouldn't have to, and cases like yours encourage piracy. Not just to avert re-purchasing the product in case of broken CD, but pirates don't deal with the annoyances paying customers deal with. I don't mean to stray too far from the topic or get myself banned but...

You might try to download a CD crack, but i can not guarentee the quality, weather it will work with patches, or security of your system. CD Cracks, i think are against the EULA, even if you purchased the game. (which is stupid, it should run without the disc one installed, thanks corporate america for this annoyance). Truth is, unless an official no-disc crack is released by Firaxis i wouldn't trust one. Downloading them has their own problems, especially if you want to play MP. I would advise strongly NOT TO USE CRACKS.

If you still have a reciept, check the return conditions. If it was bought from a major retailer like wal-mart or best buy, they wont accept the return, because the package was open. Sometimes if your good, you can try to disguise the crack and take it to a used game retailer and trade it in. they will look, but you might be able to hide the damage or get lucky during a rush hour when they have no time to check.

I'm sorry to say, but you might be screwed. Securom is garbage, DRM is garbage, and it is the biggest hinderance to my enjoyment of the game. i click to open and what? My computer makes big noise as my fan, hard drive and CD drive all spin out of control for about 15 mins.

 

[dirtyparrot]

I would have tried my luck returning it to the store I purchased the disk from ASAP and hopefully they would have given me a replacement disk. Barring that, I would do as the others posters have mentionned and sned the disk along with the necessary nominal payment and get a relacement from 2K. Although if you live in the US there's a coupon for a limited time that offers $10 off the purchase of the game, which is probably cheaper and allows you to play the game immediately.

 

[helemaalnicks]

Im from holland, and got civ4 + both expansions for 10 euro's. Not really expensive if you ask me. I got it from a proper store too, just look for it, and maybe you can get lucky with a bargain (btw, i bought all the copies the store had in stock and gave it to my friends/family as birthdaypresents, thought it was a pretty nice deal).

 

[thadian]

Im from holland, and got civ4 + both expansions for 10 euro's. Not really expensive if you ask me. I got it from a proper store too, just look for it, and maybe you can get lucky with a bargain (btw, i bought all the copies the store had in stock and gave it to my friends/family as birthdaypresents, thought it was a pretty nice deal).

you could pay in fine greens, and no not cash! Seriously though, here the dollar doesn't go so far, and currently priced about 20-30 dollars for a new unopened copy. BUT if you open it, you can't return it. So if you open it, and it has a broken disc or something, well... the store won't take it back, so you MIGHT get somewhere after 2-3 months of hassle with the manufacturer and of course paying the shipping...

 

[Methos]

Welcome to the forums Father Hedgehog!

Moderator Action: Question asked and answered. No point in leaving this open.