Larian Studios Forums General Chat Chat (Anything) Starforce - Good protection?

According to several posts, notably this one, Starforce installs several drivers without the user's authorisation.
I looked in my device menaged and found those files.
This is unacceptable. I start to agree with xAcesx about his protection statement.

What is Starforce ?

Game protection.
Beyond Divinity uses it as well as XIII and several other games.

Ups. I see.

Blimey I dunna believe that ... unfortunately it looks like I have to believe it, I hope the Larians take note of this, as it will deter future buyers.

At least the Game comp should make these details available and/or provide a way to remove the offending files from your PC when uninstalling <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/think.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/memad.gif" alt="" />

Edit: Thanks to DatD for suplying this Info <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />

Well, I've been browsing around in the above mentioned thread.

I'm quite concerned about that.

Does Win98 support "Hidden Devices" ?

I think it does, Alrik. If not, you can check in safe mode (restart and press F8 in the BIOS screen).

It's unbelievable, I agree, MiaCulpa, so I had to check myself. It's true.

tisk...another reason to go ahead with OpErAtIoN FoRmAt

Sure enough Star Force installed several hidden drivers which are listed in the device manager under Non Plug and Play drivers. The program which installs them is found in the Beyond Divinity folder in a sub folder titled Star Force Driver Installation. What did you do, DATD, to remove them so that they didn't come back? What do these drivers do to the computer?

Interesting. It's not even mentioned in the EULA.

Personally, I don't care. I still have some faith in the world that the said drivers are solely doing their job. At least this means you only have to install the copy-protection once and not for every game.

The list of companies Star Force publishes on their website that use their software includes Digital Jesters. So, Digital Jesters is the source of it -- not Larian Studios. What is the role of Digital Jesters?

I think it's the usual one : Fear of loss of (money) income by pirate-copied copies , so to say. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />

You can delete the drivers but they always come back.
i found a link at a forum, with an tool to delete these "dll-starforce drivers" for good.

http://dreamcatcherinteractive.com/tac/support/media/
direct download link= here

OEAIN FRA - What does this mean ?

Or on the other hand :

prto omt - What does this mean, too ?

I bought and installed Syberia 2 (Ubisoft for German versions) => uses Starforce, too. And all Germans with German BD, by Ubisoft again - will encounter this, a large publisher for a lot of games.

I'm not pleased about a protection installing additional drivers. but what to do as a legal consumer? Boycott these publishers? And deprive myself of games I really want to have? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/puppyeyes.gif" alt="" />
Kiya

Cracked.

Don't ask, but it's cracked, and the crack works.

Downloaded Alcohol 120%. Read "Copies: [blah blah blah] Starforce 1,2,3."

Isn't 120 % lethal ?

By the wayx, I've seen the program here in Germany being sold like any other program in an electronics shop ... I wonder how long this will be allowed ? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" /> (Especially by the music industry <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/badsmile2.gif" alt="" /> )

I won't crack games, I buy and use them as it's meant due to law. I won't support these crack people (fans or whatever) or an illegal industry - is against my ethics. I believe, all this cracking, hacking etc. forces the trade industries to make even more severe copy protection, with more problems for legal users.

I wish for a procedure making it secure for a legal user and impossible for cracker/hackers/pirates. Though I fear, I'd rather get a handshake from Hogfather or the ToothFairy than seeing this happen. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/puppyeyes.gif" alt="" />
Kiya

Oh, I just meant to inform that, like all the other protection techniques, Starforce too is cracked. *shrugs* Serves them right for installing things without the user's permission, anyway.