Taldrenites > Starfleet Command CD Key Issues
I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream, Part Two
cherokee158:
I agree with Blitzkrieg that we should all weigh our words carefully when commenting on Taldren's product. And I sympathize for the developers, who care enough about what their customers think to provide a place for use to voice our opinions, and to wade through a lot of abuse on these forums in search of feedback.
But I feel quite entitled to complain about a company(Activision) that treats me as if I am less than human. And by human, I mean someone who sometimes loses things. Someone who thinks something as immaterial as a twenty cent jewel case with a numbered sticker on it should be easily replaceable. Someone who prefers to talk to people long-distance, rather than play twenty questions with a machine.
I am most impressed that some extraordinary people here clearly do not suffer from these human weaknesses. (although I am concerned that they find it difficult to break a flimsy plastic jewel case without considerable effort. Perhaps a few push-ups?)
And I understand perfectly well that game companies struggle against software piracy, and are constantly striving to protect their profits. I also know that the movie and music industry has been forced to come to terms with the same thing. And, despite their constant laments of lost profits, both Bill Gates and Mike Eisner seem quite comfortable to me.
The fact is, most people are genuinely honest. (and, of the remaining dishonest people, the vast majority prefer to avoid criminal charges) And most people are willing to pay for reasonably priced entertainment, especially if they have confidence that their money is going to the entertainers they love. It's quicker, easier, free of guilt and the money goes to make more entertainment.
It is only companies that abuse their consumers by overcharging them, releasing sub-standard products and providing lacklustre customer service that need fear piracy. In my youth, I did not know a single person who did not own a bootleg cassette tape of some band or another. And yet, somehow, the music industry survived...if you can call mansions in LA surviving.
Even with all of this dreaded piracy, computer and console game companies outgrossed movie makers last year. So you will forgive me if I fail to see the peril inherent in making life for the honest user just a little bit easier by helping a paying customer revive his product by issuing a replacement number, or placing an additional sticker on the CD, or simply foregoing the CD key altogether. (After all, it is already a criminal offense to use a no-CD crack under the DMCA. What further copy protection do you need? Isn't it enough that people guilty of a fifty-dollar theft can be convicted of a felony?)
It is my belief that software companies have let the fear of piracy erode the value of their product by making it so user-unfriendly that many of us no longer feel it is even worth paying for. (witness the latest batch of copy-protected audio CD's that won't play at all on many players) Since I am generally an honest person, I have simply chosen to stop buying games from Activision. (For this and other reasons...I have not been impressed by their prior releases, either) I have also chosen to say so in a public forum, which is my right. (for another few years, anyway) I believe my comments are constructive, in that I have identified a problem and suggested several possible solutions. I have voiced them here in hopes that the powersthat be may actually notice, and reconsider their self-destructive policy of treating all customers as if they are potential criminals.
And if someone out there thinks I am a moron for losing my jewel case, well...I look forward to the day it happensto them.
Promise I won't laugh.
Ex Malterra:
i hope you find your jewel case.
Aliasalpha:
Quote:
So you will forgive me if I fail to see the peril inherent in making life for the honest user just a little bit easier by helping a paying customer revive his product by issuing a replacement number, or placing an additional sticker on the CD, or simply foregoing the CD key altogether. (After all, it is already a criminal offense to use a no-CD crack under the DMCA. What further copy protection do you need? Isn't it enough that people guilty of a fifty-dollar theft can be convicted of a felony?)
--- End quote ---
There are still some games that don't have a CD Key, ironically one involving activision (Jedi Knight II). I share the frustration with crappy support, the play CD for my copy of Neverwinter Nights has a whacking great crack in it (so big that I'm beginning to doubt the integrity of the disc). This was an acknowledged problem & the replacement CD was free, I contacted customer support & got a referral to the australian support people & sent them an e-mail. Several months later & I'm STILL waiting for an answer (Well, I'm not waiting but you know...). Now I'm forced to use a crack to circumvent a crack...
Microsoft's tech support is still the worst. I once wanted to ask a simple question about win95 (about networking I think). After playing button bash for 5 minutes struggling through their sh*tty phone menus I wait on hold (long distance hold at that) for 15 minutes. I FINALLY get onto a human operator who'd have to take a postgraduate course to be called a moron & then he has the hide to say he was gonna charge me 40 freakin dollars (about 20-25 $US) just to ask one simple question!
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