Poll on Steam activation

[Smurf]

Read. Please.

That is not a support address. Writing to them with a support problem will not be answered.

Once again, Steam do not have telephone support. Calling them with a technical problem will get you referred to to the online ticket system. They don't have phone support. Is there any more misinformation you want to spread? along with your erroneous "you can quite steam once you've launched the game" claim?

See here;

http://forums.steamgames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1682357&page=3

They have a phone number (duh) but you can't use it to get support.

I'm sure you can quit Steam once FM is running.

You've spread more misinformation or at least spurious posts relating to security issues with Steam on this forum today than anyone, in fairness.

And I found that address in a minute when asked for it.

I'm sure there would be a way to contact them somehow about support other than through email

However, I suggested emailing first, which usually works. If not then you have other avenues, if you choose to look and not be ignorant or dismissive about it.

[Chris Ritchie]

For the first time since CM2 I won't be buying a SI game on release (my free copy of FM09 excepted). Online activation is fine with me, having to keep unwanted and unnecessary software installed and running isn't.

[whilewolf]

I'm looking forward to SI/Sega's pyrrhic victory on piracy with this introduction.

Sales numbers aren't going to grow - you've lost one method for people to buy your product. Sega seem determined to reduce piracy, but ignore the bottom line - sales - the only way you can gain sales is by selling more copies. This isn't going to work.

Pyrrhic victory. Just watch.

I'm not convinced it is a fight against piracy. Sega must know that studies show the majority of Pirates don't buy the product when their prevented from pirating it. I think the sales they want to get are those people who would have bought a second hand copy had that option been available.

[Wakers]

I'm sure you can quit Steam once FM is running.

You've spread more misinformation or at least spurious posts relating to security issues with Steam on this forum today than anyone, in fairness.

And I found that address in a minute when asked for it.

I'm sure there would be a way to contact them somehow about support other than through email

However, I suggested emailing first, which usually works. If not then you have other avenues, if you choose to look and not be ignorant or dismissive about it.

This is wrong. You can't quite Steam once FM is running. This has been confirmed by others.

I haven't spread any misinformation regarding Steam security, as I have not commented on Steam security, merely on web services in general.

That address is not a support address.

They have no dedicated telephone support.

Ackter, please help me.

[stu9000]

It's sincerely believed by the team at SEGA who researched this that it will dramatically reduce the amount of people pirating our games. That's the point.

is piracy that big an issue? that it's worth upsetting loyal fans even if its only a minority?

The people who download the game illegally arent going to go out and buy the game they just wont play the game, and thats if this works which I highly doubt

I think it's sega just trying to make more money through the pop ups, steam will pay sega to be involved with fm and then steam and advertise through pop ups, steam is free for a reason, as is facebook but the creators are multi-millionaires, why? because of advertising!

[pigfacemonkeyman]

I approve. SEGA and SI have a right to ensure their product is protected. Steam activation is a technique that they believe is effective and needed for combating piracy, and it's their responsibility to make that judgement, not ours. As a paying customer I respect the fact that they have a right to make these decisions.

And the reality is that in 2011, if you don't have an internet connection, you're probably Amish, you have the misfortune to be a subsistence farmer in a developing country, or you're in the more troubled parts of the third world.

Regarding Steam, I'd add that it's a very standard form of copy protection that is becoming increasingly more common throughout the industry. The whinging about it, for whatever motive, really is getting old. Just face facts, the times when you'd download all your games from a BBS, install the hack, and play away, are gone - the industry's matured, the protection technology's gotten better, and that's led to far lower rates of piracy across the industry, more investment in development, and hence better games and more bang for the back for the genuine customers. Even if we're fickle and don't always acknowledge it.

I am so happy for you, that you are who you are, and you live where you live.

[Carmi88]

Eug you can't quit steam once FM is running, It pops up with a message saying close all steam applications or something.

and for those thinking about trying out steam, why not pop on now and get portal for free?

[Chris Ritchie]

At least SI and Sega are honest enough to admit that this is all about trying to make more money and aren't dressing it up as some kind of positive for the customer.

[philly_flyer10]

This is not the first time you spread ******** and lies over your hate for steam ,

Accounts are only banned ( disabled because you can contact support and defend yourself ) in case of credit card fraud .

Being banned on games that use VAC ( Valve - Anti cheat ) only bans you from playing on secure servers with anti cheat on , you dont losse your game you just have to play on non secure servers

Fm doesn't use VAC so its not an issue .

Any questions people have with steam i an glad to answer

Really no problem "steam account banned" serves up 22 million hits on google. Its a huge problem.

Accounts are banned other things, thats a fact. 12k banned http://gamer.blorge.com/2010/07/28/valve-offers-free-game-for-banning-12k-modern-warfare-2-players/

Answer

"This message indicates that your account has been banned by the Valve Anti-Cheat (VAC) system for cheating. There are several important considerations for VAC-banned accounts:

Steam Support cannot remove the ban on your account

Regardless of who was using your account at the time it was banned, the use and security of your Steam account is your responsibility."

"The details of the ban will not be provided

Steam Support will not disclose the cheats that were detected running on your system or the date and time the infraction took place. Any requests for this information will be ignored."

They will ban you if you get hacked and the hacker breaks the rules and they wont even tell you why youve been banned, fact.

[Neil Brock]

is piracy that big an issue? that it's worth upsetting loyal fans even if its only a minority?

The people who download the game illegally arent going to go out and buy the game they just wont play the game, and thats if this works which I highly doubt

I think it's sega just trying to make more money through the pop ups, steam will pay sega to be involved with fm and then steam and advertise through pop ups, steam is free for a reason, as is facebook but the creators are multi-millionaires, why? because of advertising!

Okay let's flip this round, from your perspective - do you as a customer particularly enjoy the fact knowing you've paid for a product and helped support it, when there's other people out there who have done the same thing for free and potentially put the future of the game itself in the balance?

There's many people out there still pining for the return of EHM which sadly no longer exists mainly due to piracy. And it's certainly not the first series to have been hit hard by piracy. So I would suggest that yes, piracy is a pretty big issue.

[Dune297]

They will ban you if you get hacked and the hacker breaks the rules and they wont even tell you why youve been banned, fact.

Enough with your BS. I've had all good experiences with the Steam Support in the past. They refunded my friend's From Dust copy the day he asked because Ubisoft false-advertised the DRM. They actaully care about the customers enough to help them out. News is propaganda. A lot of it is fake. In that article you posted they actually gave people a free copy of Left 4 Dead, how many devs/pubs do that?

[Hershie]

Okay let's flip this round, from your perspective - do you as a customer particularly enjoy the fact knowing you've paid for a product and helped support it, when there's other people out there who have done the same thing for free and potentially put the future of the game itself in the balance?

Can you quantify that with any figures that suggest that there's any threat to the future of the game? Perhaps sales vs piracy estimates? You can hardly say 1 pirate equals 1 lost customer.

Is a lot of time and/or money spent on countering piracy? If there's any threat to the games' future then is this not a bit risky?

Answering the question, I don't 'enjoy' condoning or acknowledging piracy, but I enjoy owning the physical game, I enjoy being able to play it, and enjoy knowing that nothing can stop me doing that as what I have done is the lawful and proper way to do so. My view on piracy is that there's such depth and an amount of talent and persistence that you can never stop it and trying to prevent it will almost always be pretty short-sighted, but if you have any kind of conscience you'll buy the game whether that other option is available to you or not.

[Wakers]

I bought From Dust. They refused to to give me a refund until about a week after Ubisoft announced that they were giving out refunds.

Mostly because i asked for one as soon as I noticed that the DRM was not what they said, and once steam close a ticket they keep it closed. A phone call would have been so much easier.

[x42bn6]

I'm not convinced it is a fight against piracy. Sega must know that studies show the majority of Pirates don't buy the product when their prevented from pirating it. I think the sales they want to get are those people who would have bought a second hand copy had that option been available.

I'm also looking forward to seeing the people who don't purchase the game first-hand because they want to purchase it second-hand. There are people that want to do this! This is why the second-hand market exists!

Does the second-hand market benefit SI/Sega? Not directly, clearly, but indirectly, yes, since the "brand" is still spread. People like good brands. The second-hand market can act as a way for consumers to get into the first-hand market - if they buy the game second-hand and love it, they might buy the next iteration first-hand. Second-hand consumers can still contribute ideas, bug reports and build the community, whether it be on this forum or other social networks. Second-hand consumers will talk and write about the brand and product on blogs, emails and Tweets.

Like piracy, if you restrict the avenues for one method to obtain your software (in a way the publisher doesn't like, such as piracy or second-hand), it does not mean that everyone who bought it using that disliked method will suddenly switch over.

All this is is really someone getting the pangs of a control freak - they want to be "in control" of their software, all over. Without realising that sometimes, "control" isn't actually required - customers do more than a publisher can ever do in advertising your software.

[Chris Ritchie]

How many pirates are genuinely potential buyers, really? Were they downloading EHM because they were desperate to play it or because it was free?

I'd be fine with some other form of digital delivery and/or activation, if SI and Sega really are convinced that they can convert pirates into customers, but I won't install Steam.

[Carmi88]

you linked an article about people being banned through VAC on MW2 whichis riddled with hackers, could you atleast put more effort into your search?

[Neil Brock]

How many pirates are genuinely potential buyers, really? Were they downloading EHM because they were desperate to play it or because it was free?

I'd be fine with some other form of digital delivery and/or activation, if SI and Sega really are convinced that they can convert pirates into customers, but I won't install Steam.

I don't have the facts and figures to quote from, but I'd imagine there's a % of any pirates who can't be bothered for wait for the official release and try to get the game illegally before it's released. For those who hopefully won't be able to do so now we're via Steam, maybe a percentage of those will buy the game instead so they definitely have it on release day. Out of curiosity why won't you install Steam?

[jptykes]

sorry i wont be buying fm again, i won't be forced to install third party software on my pc regardless if its harmless or not just to play fm

This

I've bought all but one version of SI's CM/FM series, the vast majority on release date. Looks like FM11 was my last. I hate Steam and don't see the need to install a third party program in order to run FM. And if it's purely and simply to access the achievements and career comparison feature then I'd rather not have that system in place.

Thanks and goodbye from a former content, loyal and supportive customer.

[Hershie]

How many pirates are genuinely potential buyers, really? Were they downloading EHM because they were desperate to play it or because it was free?

I agree with this, but I also agree with the view that if it's harder to do so then people who aren't desperate to play won't bother. Either way however, I can't help but think the thing to do is not to try to make your game harder to pirate, because people still will, but to target the pirates directly. Be the one to make the stand with the threats to individuals and the websites and all those you accuse of piracy.

If you have a shop that keeps being broken into and you know who by, would you board up your windows and say 'break in now', or actually do something that will lead to taking action against the culprits? Obviously it's a bit fantasy so suggest you can simply call pirates up on something and say prosecute them for it, but until something is done about the whole legal framework that allows these people and groups to be brought to justice I wouldn't waste my time or effort on acknowledging them and giving them a challenge.

If there were no security measures at all, would everyone on these boards simply download a pirated copy because we could?

[Woodmansee]

^ Another unhappy customer. So now you've upset people that buy your game, and pirates will still play it for free. Is it worth it?

[Wakers]

To be honest, it's not as much of an uproar as when the went for the previous method of DRM.

[Dune297]

^ Another unhappy customer. So now you've upset people that buy your game, and pirates will still play it for free. Is it worth it?

Unhappy about what? Something that all of you are making a huge fuss about for literally NO reason? Need something to complain about every year I guess.

[Kriss]

I find it hysterical that all those people who are flatly refusing to buy FM if Steam is the validation method manage to get "loyal" somewhere in their posts:D

[Woodmansee]

I'm fine with steam, but as you can see some people aren't, and I can undestand that.

[Dune297]

I find it hysterical that all those people who are flatly refusing to buy FM if Steam is the validation method manage to get "loyal" somewhere in their posts:D

All these "loyal" customers must have not been so "loyal" when FM09 came out.

[Wakers]

I'll get it through Steam. It's just not a good solution. There isn't really a good solution at the moment.

[x42bn6]

I don't have the facts and figures to quote from, but I'd imagine there's a % of any pirates who can't be bothered for wait for the official release and try to get the game illegally before it's released. For those who hopefully won't be able to do so now we're via Steam, maybe a percentage of those will buy the game instead so they definitely have it on release day. Out of curiosity why won't you install Steam?

Then maybe you should tighten your internal controls.

Whether or not you release it via Steam-only, if a leak happens, pirates rejoice. It only makes sense if Steam somehow reduces the risk of a leak... And Steam-only games get leaked, too. Civilization V did, for example.

[Woodmansee]

I hated fm09, took the game back to the strore three times, didn't play for weeks, and spent ages on the phone to SI, with almost no help. Only got the game working when they had the solution on their website.

[SeanNUFC]

I find it hysterical that all those people who are flatly refusing to buy FM if Steam is the validation method manage to get "loyal" somewhere in their posts:D

they will end up buying it anyway out of habit. and then they'll discover steam isn't that bad after all.

[x42bn6]

I'll get it through Steam. It's just not a good solution. There isn't really a good solution at the moment.

As a customer, there is - choice. You like Steam? Get it via Steam. You like activating via Steam, but like the DVD? Get the DVD, activate on Steam. You like DVD-only? Get the DVD.

Choice is the obvious good solution for now, and SI has taken that away.

[Wakers]

As a customer, there is - choice. You like Steam? Get it via Steam. You like activating via Steam, but like the DVD? Get the DVD, activate on Steam. You like DVD-only? Get the DVD.

Choice is the obvious good solution for now, and SI has taken that away.

I meant for SI rather than the consumer. Although we should be the most important, if they feel that their long term presence as a company is under threat then they have to take steps to sort that out.

As a consumer, this route sucks.

I'm sure it sucks somewhat for SI too, but they have to do something, and its very much a case of the lesser evil, rather than a good idea.

[milnerpoint]

I find it hysterical that all those people who are flatly refusing to buy FM if Steam is the validation method manage to get "loyal" somewhere in their posts:D

i was just thinking the same thing, i always laugh at these "im a loyal customer" posts.

[milnerpoint]

As a customer, there is - choice. You like Steam? Get it via Steam. You like activating via Steam, but like the DVD? Get the DVD, activate on Steam. You like DVD-only? Get the DVD.

Choice is the obvious good solution for now, and SI has taken that away.

there still is a choice, you like steam you play Fm, you dont, you play something else.

[jpwild]

If there were no security measures at all, would everyone on these boards simply download a pirated copy because we could?

I'd pay for it if it was priced fairly. I'll never pay £35 for any game. I think £20/£25 is fair for FM given the fact it's released each year. Just as I don't like to pay huge amounts for PS3 games and wait till they come down in price or buy them legally second hand - I am so proud of buying games second hand of friends or from retailers.

[davidbowie]

My view on DRM/Piracy/Sales is that DRM is something that companies cannot avoid using, but they should make the least intrusive as possible, and they should endeavour to deliver to the customer as much value for their money as possible, while keeping the price as low as possible.

Steam is one of the least invasive DRM schemes out there. It has offline mode. It doesn't require a game disc. It doesn't check in every 5 minutes with an activation server. One single activation is all you need.

Once a user gets used to using Steam, it's less "DRM" as it is a digital library of your games. I see it like that. I've got 90 games on it.

The last game I bought was Deus Ex. It was at retail because I had done a trade-in of some old xbox stuff.

I opened the box, put the cd key into steam and never touched the disc.

It also has let me escape the yoke of ridiculous pricing, because no matter what a company tries to do to make me pay as much as I would in a retail shop in Australia, I can always find a way around it, by gifting from another country. Or buying a valid steam key overseas. I bought Warhammer 40k Space Marine for $25 last week for Steam, even though it's Steam price has been set at the Australia Tax cost of $90.

Once you get over the initial shock of 'omg online activation' you should have a look around and compare it to other types of DRM. Things like Starforce, which infects your computer and ruins dvd drives. Or Securom, where you need the CD in all the time. Or horrid "always online" DRM methods.

Steam isn't bad.

It's a mature, worthy product and in my opinion, offers the best balance of anti-piracy DRM, online activation, backup and account keeping, pricing, usability and for many people, they will come to see Steam as a benefit rather than a negative.

[jpwild]

Okay let's flip this round, from your perspective - do you as a customer particularly enjoy the fact knowing you've paid for a product and helped support it, when there's other people out there who have done the same thing for free and potentially put the future of the game itself in the balance?

There's many people out there still pining for the return of EHM which sadly no longer exists mainly due to piracy. And it's certainly not the first series to have been hit hard by piracy. So I would suggest that yes, piracy is a pretty big issue.

EHM doesn't exist any more not due to piracy but due to demand issues. There isn't enough demand for it for it to exist. Please don't blame piracy for a failed game project. SI excel at Football Managment games - stick to that - stick to the most popular sport in the country.

Game publishes blaming piracy for game project failures as a nice attempt of scape-goating. EHM is not that big in this country, and whilst many people may of downloaded it compared to those who bought it if a game is good enough it will sell and be fine.

[x42bn6]

there still is a choice, you like steam you play Fm, you dont, you play something else.

Choice as in "I want to buy this software - how can I do it?"

SI has reduced the amount of choice in allowing me to buy their software. Reducing choice reduces coverage of customers, and loses on word-of-mouth and other indirect benefits.

[milnerpoint]

Choice as in "I want to buy this software - how can I do it?"

SI has reduced the amount of choice in allowing me to buy their software. Reducing choice reduces coverage of customers, and loses on word-of-mouth and other indirect benefits.

This is the way gaming will go, because people have stolen games for years, these companies need to do something, none of the previous DRM's have worked that well with FM, thats why i started using steam really.

Obviously time will tell, if FM12 bombs sales wise then SI and SEGA will look at it again, if it doesnt then i would expect them to carry on like this.

[stu9000]

Okay let's flip this round, from your perspective - do you as a customer particularly enjoy the fact knowing you've paid for a product and helped support it, when there's other people out there who have done the same thing for free and potentially put the future of the game itself in the balance?

There's many people out there still pining for the return of EHM which sadly no longer exists mainly due to piracy. And it's certainly not the first series to have been hit hard by piracy. So I would suggest that yes, piracy is a pretty big issue.

I agree that piracy is a big issue and if this was to solve the problem then fair enough but it wont, and of course why should people who havent paid get the same game and support as me but not to the point where my game is going to suffer, and I doubt the future of fm is in the balance due to piracy, I think SI/Sega made more than enough profit from fm11

[nokkung]

Some countries are not familiar with the steam. You may lose customers or players in the country.

[Hershie]

I'd pay for it if it was priced fairly. I'll never pay £35 for any game. I think £20/£25 is fair for FM given the fact it's released each year. Just as I don't like to pay huge amounts for PS3 games and wait till they come down in price or buy them legally second hand - I am so proud of buying games second hand of friends or from retailers.

Where the hell have you paid £35 for FM? £30 for FM is fair, particularly given it's been at that price for years and they could have easily become greedy. You can always get it for £25 or less on release though.

I like buying 2nd hand games - I'm tempted to do so to fill in the gaps in my CM and FIFA collections.

[Hershie]

Some countries are not familiar with the steam. You may lose customers or players in the country.

or they'll just find out what steam is? :confused:

[Chris Ritchie]

I don't have the facts and figures to quote from, but I'd imagine there's a % of any pirates who can't be bothered for wait for the official release and try to get the game illegally before it's released. For those who hopefully won't be able to do so now we're via Steam, maybe a percentage of those will buy the game instead so they definitely have it on release day. Out of curiosity why won't you install Steam?

They can't be bothered to wait, which requires no effort at all on their part, but they can be bothered to download a game, find and install a crack, then play it with the risk of it stopping working at any time and/or destroying their machine (or one of the "hooks" kicking in, but I suppose you can't expect people who aren't on these forums to know of their existence)? If they're going for the easy option they buy a copy, install and play it. The way some people talk about it you'd think that pirates just log on to a torrent site and click "Steal FM" to start playing.

I don't want or need Steam. I've made a concerted effort to remove all unnecessary rubbish on my machine, so why would I want to install something that offers me no advantages? I'm the customer here - SI/Sega shouldn't be demanding things from me on top of the money I've paid! With all due respect to the people at SI that I know, like and respect (Neil and Miles included), there seemed to be certain arrogance about the series that correctly began to diminish after things went wrong after FM09. This move smacks of "We've got no competition, so do what we want you to do or go away".

I also don't understand why Steam has to be the only activation method. Not keen on seeing the industry help it build a monopoly.

[jpwild]

Where the hell have you paid £35 for FM? £30 for FM is fair, particularly given it's been at that price for years and they could have easily become greedy. You can always get it for £25 or less on release though.

I like buying 2nd hand games - I'm tempted to do so to fill in the gaps in my CM and FIFA collections.

Never actually said I'd pay or have paid £35 for Football Manager...I have seen it advertised at that price in stores though at Game. Well FM 2011 when it first came out, or £34.99.

[Lazaru5]

It's sincerely believed by the team at SEGA who researched this that it will dramatically reduce the amount of people pirating our games. That's the point.

View Poll Results: What do you feel about having to activate your FM12 through Steam?Voters 171. You have already voted on this poll

I Hate It 62 36.26%

I Don't Care 43 25.15%

I like it 66 38.60%

What happens if, as the poll currently suggests, you lose 36.26% of sales from those who won't buy it because of Steam being compulsory and the cited 25% of pirates don't buy it either? (and they won't) Then SI/SEGA's sales will drop 36.26% instead of the hoped for doubling of them that the introduction of this method is aiming for. It seems like a massive gamble to me, and it could be a seriously costly backfire... are you sure that this really has been properly researched? Did the researcher(s) ever work for the CM brand at all (or the company?) per chance?

I'm looking forward to SI/Sega's pyrrhic victory on piracy with this introduction.

Sales numbers aren't going to grow - you've lost one method for people to buy your product. Sega seem determined to reduce piracy, but ignore the bottom line - sales - the only way you can gain sales is by selling more copies. This isn't going to work.

Pyrrhic victory. Just watch.

This. Absolutely 100%! Sadly...

As a customer, there is - choice. You like Steam? Get it via Steam. You like activating via Steam, but like the DVD? Get the DVD, activate on Steam. You like DVD-only? Get the DVD.

Choice is the obvious good solution for now, and SI has taken that away.

Choice as in "I want to buy this software - how can I do it?"

SI has reduced the amount of choice in allowing me to buy their software. Reducing choice reduces coverage of customers, and loses on word-of-mouth and other indirect benefits.

and this too...

They can't be bothered to wait, which requires no effort at all on their part, but they can be bothered to download a game, find and install a crack, then play it with the risk of it stopping working at any time and/or destroying their machine (or one of the "hooks" kicking in, but I suppose you can't expect people who aren't on these forums to know of their existence)? If they're going for the easy option they buy a copy, install and play it. The way some people talk about it you'd think that pirates just log on to a torrent site and click "Steal FM" to start playing.

I don't want or need Steam. I've made a concerted effort to remove all unnecessary **** on my machine, so why would I want to install something that offers me no advantages? I'm the customer here - SI/Sega shouldn't be demanding things from me on top of the money I've paid! With all due respect to the people at SI that I know, like and respect (Neil and Miles included), there seemed to be certain arrogance about the series that correctly began to diminish after things went wrong after FM09. This move smacks of "We've got no competition, so do what we want you to do or **** off".

I also don't understand why Steam has to be the only activation method. Not keen on seeing the industry help it build a monopoly.

and finally... this.

I'm reminded of the words of the gorgeous Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman - "big, big mistake; huge!"

[BungleFish]

all these people saying "i dont want or need steam" need to quit moaning and get their facts straight, you do "want and need" steam if you want to play FM2012, if you dont, then bugger off and play championship manager, steam REALLY isnt that bad a thing, it gets you the updates without having to download them from a torrent, then unpack them and put them in the right place... yes you have to be online, for all of 30 seconds the FIRST time you put FM (if you buy the disc) into your pc/laptop, after that you never have to be online (unless you want to patches)

[TacticalGenius]

2 pages of petulant bollocks from misinformed cretins.

Boring.

It is happening, whether you like it or not. Moaning will just make you look like the pathetic babies you are. And for those saying 'bye', don't let the door hit you on the way out.

[davidbowie]

You guys are missing a vital point.

This has nothing to do with SI.

It's Sega.

SI are just implementing something SEGA (their owners and bosses) have told them to.

Sega has been pushing Steam as their DRM choice for the last couple years, and have made a concerted effort to make every title of theirs a steamworks activation title.

Empire Total War

Virtua Tennis 4

Shogun Total War

are just a few examples.

FM12 is exactly the same.

[Chris Ritchie]

all these people saying "i dont want or need steam" need to quit moaning and get their facts straight, you do "want and need" steam if you want to play FM2012, if you dont, then bugger off and play championship manager

I'd like to hear that from SI or Sega.

I might well "bugger off and play Championship Manager" - in the form of the one of the 10 versions I bought of it in the past when it was created by SI and none of this nonsense existed.

[x42bn6]

This is the way gaming will go, because people have stolen games for years, these companies need to do something

Why?

People pirate because it's free. For a lot of people, reducing the amount of "free" doesn't mean they'll suddenly start paying. In reality, they'll just not bother touching the software, pirated or paid.

Think about it - although piracy is not theft - if you had the opportunity to steal an expensive car and not get caught, does this mean that you would go out and buy this car if there was a chance you would be caught?

There are a few ways to turn pirates into paying customers - there has to be a sufficient distinguishing factor between pirated copy and original copy such that the temptation to pirate is less. One way is DLC (and good DLC, of course - half-arsed DLC does more damage to the brand), for example. An alternative is an authenticated and solid multiplayer solution where it is extremely difficult for a pirated game to authenticate.

What SI need to do is convert pirates into paying customers. This is the true way to reduce piracy. SI, as it stands, are reducing piracy by reducing the audience of their product - there's little conversion. The pirated version will always exist either way, and as it stands, it will be identical to the Steam copy except for Achievements - which is hardly a motivating factor.

Piracy cannot be stopped. However, neither conversion of pirates!

Think about it - piracy exists, but why do so many still purchase the product? There is a reason why they purchase the product despite the pirated copy being available. We love the brand, and we want to support it. We'll tell our families and friends about this awesome game; we'll debate and praise the game on these forums. We buy into the brand.

Is it not reasonable to think that for some, the brand isn't tempting enough to buy into, which is why they pirate? Give these pirates an incentive to purchase the product, and they will join us. You're never going to make money of the majority of pirates anyway, who won't buy the product unless it is free - those pirates are not your target audience. Your target audience are those in the grey area who are tempted to switch.

That is how piracy needs to be fought.