Does Civ IV use StarForce for copy protection?

[Karnak]

This is an important question for many of us. Please keep the thread tightly focused on this one subject about StarForce.

If Civ IV uses StarForce many of us here will cancel our preorders and forget the game exists (or try too ). If anybody has any information on this, please let us know.


Once again, please keep the subject strictly limited to StarForce copy protection and if Civ IV uses it.

Thank you.

 

[PekkaM]

Please, no discussion about piracy or politics here. This is something I really need to know before the game comes out (I have order placed in play.com), so moderators and others who might have clue, please inform us in advance if possible.

 

[JakeCourtney]

Yeah, this will probably get closed down though. Scared of piracy. They might just use it because StarForce does a good job.

 

[Padma]

It won't get closed if the discussion is to answer the question.

 

[PekkaM]

And you can lock this too since Karnak beat me by a minute.

Moderator Action: Threads merged. --Padma

 

[JakeCourtney]

What if in a few months the StarForce could be disabled?

 

[darkdude]

About a week ago I sent an email to Take2 with exactly that question. I didn't receive an answer yet; this appears to be normal with their support because other people noticed the same behavior.
So I did some research and Take2 seems NOT to protect games they release with Starforce, but rather with something called Securdom. I don't know exactly in how far this is intrusive on a system; but apart from being a nuisance to need the disk to start up (probably), I think it'll at least not destabilize the operating system as Starforce seems to do.

 

[JakeCourtney]

SecureROM is not bad at all.

 

[covenant]

They better not. I want to support fraxis, but if that is how they support their paying customers, they just lost one.

 

[jkp1187]

What IS Starforce and why is it bad?

 

[JakeCourtney]

What IS Starforce and why is it bad?

Google it and you will see what it is bad.

 

[Padma]

Just FYI, everyone, Firaxis does not determine the CD protection method. The publisher (Take2, in this case) does that.

 

[dannyevilcat]

Take 2 still uses SecuRom AFAIK, although so does/did Atari, and I hear they've started using StarForce.

SecuRom has irritated me with previous games (loading CIII: PTW, especially), but I'll take it any day over SF.

 

[jkp1187]

Google it and you will see what it is bad.

I did. I found a page stating that Starforce wasn't all that bad, and that people who didn't like it were just in the grip of some internet hysteria (like the one about the bill before Congress to tax e-mail.)

 

[Varelse]

http://www.glop.org/starforce/

 

[darkdude]

SecureROM is not bad at all.

Thanks, I stand corrected
I don't own any recent Take2 published game, so maybe who recently bought a Take2 game could give us some updated info. The games protected with SecureROM were I think from 2004 so they might have changed their protection scheme in the mean time. I sure don't hope so.

Edit: Good link Varelse; it's encouraging to see Take2 is not listed there as a publisher for a game with Starforce protection.

 

[Lord Shadow]

Here's some info:

Starforce is a software copy protection tool installed by PC game publishers, which is designed to prevent the casual copying of retail CDROM applications. It installs as a hidden device driver, without the end-user's knowledge or consent.

Starforce has received criticism for installing its own device driver onto computers. The Starforce drivers are often linked to system instability and computer crashes. If these problems occur, the end-user would be unware as to the cause of the problem, and would be helpless to solve the problem.

Moreover, the Starforce drivers, installed on your system, grant ring 0 (system level) privileges to any code under the ring 3 (user level) privileges. Thus, any virus or trojan can get OS privileges and totally control your system. Since Windows 2000, the Windows line security and stability got enhanced by separating those privileges, but with the Starforce drivers, the old system holes and instabilities are back and any program (or virus) can reach the core of your system by using the Starforce drivers as a backdoor.

I'm also worried, since I've heard it also cripples your IDE drives and disc burning software.

SecuROM is a LOT better. I hope Civ IV uses it; anything but SF...

 

[Rhymes]

So, if I get this right,... Starforce is bad because it installs unwanted drivers to your computer and might make it more vulnerable to viruses and trojans? right?

But why would it prevent some people from even playing the game?

 

[JakeCourtney]

So, if I get this right,... Starforce is bad because it installs unwanted drivers to your computer and might make it more vulnerable to viruses and trojans? right?

But why would it prevent some people from even playing the game?

What do you mean?

 

[Karnak]

StarForce overwrites much of the security features of WindowsXP SP2 adding a back door for access to systems with it installed. Further, it installs hidden drivers without informing the user that it is doing so and when the game is uninstalled those hidden drivers (the ones that add the back door in fact) are left behind. Because the user was never informed of them they have no way of even suspecting they might remain. These drivers have also been linked to system instability and BSOD events on some systems. It has also been know to disable some legitimate third party optical recording software.

Essentially it is a destructively heavy handed method of copy protection.