Or send it to the Publisher. You get a new CD then when your old one is gone. You know with a legally bought Version you call that "support".
And what if the publisher/developer goes tits up? Where's my support and new copy of the game then?
Do i have to pay for all the postage, and wait god knows hom many weeks to get the game back?
When the EULA says I can make a backup, I should be able to make a backup. After all, if you lot aren't paying any attention to the EULA, why should anyone else.
It isn't the developers/publishers job to stop piracy; this is a criminal offence, and is dealt with by the law enforcement agencies. If you have legitimate concerns about piracy or unlawful copying, then it should be taken up with them.
I'd like to send my personal regards to Xaishi who appears to be the only one who thinks this is important.
As more and more software starts to use "so called uncrackable" cd protections, I think we should all start to see it right out that the games/software you buy are more and more "timeware". sooner rather than later patches to the OS or damage to the disks will make them unplayable.
About support? I think you can kiss it goodbye 3 years down the road.
Replacing your CD after 5 years will also be impossible du to different reason.
A. If a distributor has pressed 10000 copies and sold 9700 of them. Then they have 300 left over. if 400 wants to replace destroyed cd's, only 300 can.
I have no believes and distributor will press another 10000 cd's to replace 100. And I doubt CD pressing firms will be cheap if your amount is only 100 cd's.
B. As mentioned, the firm could have gone belly up.
I just came to think of an other possibility, to fix parts of this problem.
What if every software house, 5-6 years after the release of the game, released it as a free download, or cheap download Without any protection.
After all I can't think of any game, except Halflife that still sells 5 years after it release.
This would make sure that games wan't exist for just 5 years, before all the CD's around is to destroyed to be playable. Secondly, those downloading the game would most often be people with special interrest's in the game.
It would also eliminate the need for replacements disk beyond that timelimit, since its now a unprotected title.
Just my 2 cent.
