Football Manager and Piracy

Truth has to be said Football Manager is an absolutely fantastic game.

I want to share my story with all of you and I want you to learn from it.

I am not young, I am actually 31 but unlike players aged 31 in Football Manager, I learned a lesson that significantly increased my attributes

I'm the kind of person that always tries to save, always has the "I'm not gonna spend my money on that... even though I would really want to have it" mentality planted in his head. Unsurprisingly this was mirrored in many aspects of my life and one of them is piracy.

I have to admit, I have not bought any Football Manager game nor any other game in the past 6 years or so as speedy internet connections became affordable and I download everything from the internet, Including Football Manager (I have downloaded pirated versions every single release and never considered buying).

I know that posting this, on the main website for the company that I have stolen is such a ridiculous idea and might get me in real trouble as IPs are logged for every user but I do not really think this is going to stop me from expressing my self about how I feel towards Football Manager and giving my advice to people who are just like me.

So whilst playing this latest release FM08 I joined this community and saw that it is really wonderful, but I made my decision to stop being a cheap idiot after I watched the FM09 videos on Youtube. Hearing directly from the source of FM was incredibly satisfying, I felt that the developers are so close to the fans and I started feeling that I do not deserve this as I am like hundreds of thousands of other people who do not deserve this, I am pirating the game and not giving back to SI what it deserves.

What I am trying to say is, I will never stop being a cheap bastard and I will never stop downloading games.

Now tell me, EA that refuses to create a next-gen version of FIFA for the PC (because they fear it will not be good financially), like in XBOX and PS3, deserves my money?

NO. I will never stop downloading their games and the pleasure of harming them will only feed my experience and make it better.

But, Football Manager is a different case. The dedication and passion of the developers has really got to me. I can't not buy this game. I cannot keep downloading it anymore. I vow to buy an original, retail copy of Football Manager 09 and all the future releases of Football Manager in the future, and never pirate them again. And I will update this topic once I got my version with screenshots of me with my copy to prove that.

Why?

Because SI deserve the money, simple as that.

Now a general advice for people who are like me, and I know for fact that many of them are reading this right now...

Think of what I said and decide what companies deserve your money, and you know which category SI is in...

If someone treats you good, treat him good, that is all I want to say...

Buy future releases or you will be contributing to damaging your favorite game that eats hours and hours of your life...

You are risking losing a part of you, this community and the legacy of CM/FM...

Please, buy the games.

Thanks for reading, you have every right to hammer me in you replies, my beloved community. (I'll be reading)

Note to SI: If I will be banned, at least keep this topic alive and do not close it, I am sure many will benefit from reading.

Get ready for the slating, bad idea posting this here. Still, it takes guts. Enjoy your ban.

sorry you'll be banned but SI deserves theire money and respect yes

There are many game studios out there you should be supporting if you download alot of games, not just SI.

In fact, I've changed my mind - you should be supporting them all.

sorry you'll be banned but SI deserves theire money and respect yes

This is even more rude to say than the original post but: I will delete my cookies, change IP and register seconds later, this will not stop me from posting a new topic once I have bought FM09.

There are many game studios out there you should be supporting if you download alot of games, not just SI.

I do not feel like that towards many studios to be honest.

Wow, Is that post meant to make us feel sorry for you? You shouldn't download illegally anyway. I have a question to ask though. I know a person who is going to download FM09 illegally put the game onto hundreds of disks and sell them for £15 per game. I know this is wrong and will not be buying off him even though it is cheaper than in the shops and he's my mate. But I was wondering, If you download the game illegally, do you get the editor with it aswell?

OP, even though you're behind a computer u have guts, i'll give you that.

In fact, I've changed my mind - you should be supporting them all.

There's certain companies that I will never ever support. For example you can PAY me and I will never play any EA game (expect Fifa, but my friend lets me borrow that for the PS3).

Wow, Is that post meant to make us feel sorry for you? You shouldn't download illegally anyway. I have a question to ask though. I know a person who is going to download FM09 illegally put the game onto hundreds of disks and sell them for £15 per game. I know this is wrong and will not be buying off him even though it is cheaper than in the shops and he's my mate. But I was wondering, If you download the game illegally, do you get the editor with it aswell?

It is a replica of the original, not a single difference what so ever.

So yes.

Wow, Is that post meant to make us feel sorry for you? You shouldn't download illegally anyway. I have a question to ask though. I know a person who is going to download FM09 illegally put the game onto hundreds of disks and sell them for £15 per game. I know this is wrong and will not be buying off him even though it is cheaper than in the shops and he's my mate. But I was wondering, If you download the game illegally, do you get the editor with it aswell?

So you're thinking of getting from your mate?

So you're thinking of getting from your mate?

As I said in my original post. I am not buying from my mate. I have pre-ordered the game from Amazon

I can understand why alot of people download games these days to be fair to you, the ammount of games that are released which are so bugged they are unplayable (NWN2, Stalker, Mass Effect etc) is insane, those companies do not deserve anyones money untill the game is 100% fixed, even SI had issues with bugs on release.

I think it is time the gaming world had some sort of governing board that fines companies for releasing unfinished games to the public, it is not fair that companies release crap and use its customers to do the bug checking for them, they shouldn't be allowed to get away with in extreme cases.

That said i dont think you need to come on here and throw it in SI's face that you have been stealing from them for years, they are one of the few companies i do have mass respect for, they check the forums, listen to its customers and improve the game with every new version.

Unlike most companies SI has earned the money they make, if you must steal from them at least keep it to yourself.

There's certain companies that I will never ever support. For example you can PAY me and I will never play any EA game (expect Fifa, but my friend lets me borrow that for the PS3).

Obviously if you don't play their games then you don't support them. But if you play and enjoy a game from any studio - you should buy it to support them.

I understand where your coming from in saying some companies dont give a damn about the gamers and just want the money off us, that is true but still gives people no right to download the games illegally.

In regards to the post that asks about getting the editor in a illegal version, I hardly think that is a wise question to ask, you say you dont plan on buying a copy, your mate should have more sense because the security on the games nowadays is good, and it would simply spit the disk back out if it is not the original, I know this as I did it with FM08, I made a backup of the game to try and conserve my original disk and it wouldnt accept the copy.

(NWN2, Stalker, Mass Effect etc)

Neither NWN2 nor ME was unplayable, IMO.

That said i dont think you need to come on here and throw it in SI's face that you have been stealing from them for years, they are one of the few companies i do have mass respect for, they check the forums, listen to its customers and improve the game with every new version.

Unlike most companies SI has earned the money they make, if you must steal from them at least keep it to yourself.

We have the exact same thinking, me and you. But I think this is exactly why I have posted here.

I am sure they will be happy to read that they are turning pirates into legitimate users as much as they will be mad for me pirating their games. But overall I am positive many people like me who download games, will buy FM 09.

IMO an important message is echoed to SI in my post.

I understand where your coming from in saying some companies dont give a damn about the gamers and just want the money off us, that is true but still gives people no right to download the games illegally.

In regards to the post that asks about getting the editor in a illegal version, I hardly think that is a wise question to ask, you say you dont plan on buying a copy, your mate should have more sense because the security on the games nowadays is good, and it would simply spit the disk back out if it is not the original, I know this as I did it with FM08, I made a backup of the game to try and conserve my original disk and it wouldnt accept the copy.

No I was just wondering because if you haven't bought it "the right way" you might not have the same stuff on it as if you have bought it the right way. I am not buying the game from my mate, as I've already said, Amazon have received my pre-order form

But if you play and enjoy a game from any studio - you should buy it to support them.

That I agree.

I understand that, and the whole pre-order thing I didnt see till after I posted.

I would have thought it would have the editor as its basically ripping the disk.

No I was just wondering because if you haven't bought it "the right way" you might not have the same stuff on it as if you have bought it the right way. I am not buying the game from my mate, as I've already said, Amazon have received my pre-order form

I have to correct a common myth, pirated games are 100% identical to originals and all this "not the same" is hyped by companies such as EA who fail miserably in fighting piracy because their products are so crap and people stopped appreciating what they do.

a perfect example is FIFA on pc which still looks and plays the same since 2004. The Sims is another example how EA steals everyone's money, they release a patch or a new game for every single random thing you can think of just to get some more money.

Sims holiday, Sims dogs, Sims running out naked, Sims kissing cats, Sims chasing rats, Sims kitchen, Sims bathroom etc...

It's very unrealistic to expect someone to pay +20$ for a couple of added objects and this is why EA is places very low in terms of credibility and reputation.

Why bother downloading? Why not just go into a game shop and steal a copy. I simply cant believe that people still thief games off the internet.

I may feel slightly different about those who try-before-they-buy. E.g, those who download a game and if they like it buy it, if they dont they just delete it. But you come onto the SI forums, almost bragging about stealing the game saying other companies dont deserve your money. You dont deserve your money if thats your attitude.

This is even more rude to say than the original post but: I will delete my cookies, change IP and register seconds later, this will not stop me from posting a new topic once I have bought FM09.

I do not feel like that towards many studios to be honest.

Unfortunatly, for you, deleting your cookies and changing your IP won't work, the software that SI use will then ban your alias account.

And as for your original statement, what a load of rubbish - sorry but thats just the way I see it. You have been stealing for years and now you finally see the light. People like you make me so sick. A lot of us work hard to pay for things that we need first of all, then enjoy. By you illegally downloading the game oushes the price up for the rest of us and jepordises the future of PC gaming.

I woud say enjoy your ban - but I wouldn't mean it.

Unfortunatly, for you, deleting your cookies and changing your IP won't work, the software that SI use will then ban your alias account.

I meant creating a new account with doing the things you mentioned. It's impossible to find a way on forums to ban people permanently unless they have a static IP, which I do not have.

Neither NWN2 nor ME was unplayable, IMO.

NWN2 wasnt able to be completed without patch, it crashed in so many places and once it did there was no changing it. Unplayable? i think so

Mass Effect - Couldnt use the map as it dragged itself to one side every time, no idea where you was going without map, this was origionally thought as a pirate bug, it wasnt. Unplayable? i think so

There are many more examples if you need them, they should not be allowed to release games like that.

NWN2 wasnt able to be completed without patch, it crashed in so many places and once it did there was no changing it. Unplayable? i think so

Mass Effect - Couldnt use the map as it dragged itself to one side every time, no idea where you was going without map, this was origionally thought as a pirate bug, it wasnt. Unplayable? i think so

There are many more examples if you need them, they should not be allowed to release games like that.

I didn't experience either of those problems with those two games.

Im shocked thats its been half and hour and your still not banned.

I will get banned, you can rest.