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Underground > Games & Gameplay >

PC Games - Starforce copy protection

12:31 / 03.03.06

I'm sure you've all had at least a passing acquaintance with the Sony CD rootkit debaclé. There's something I feel is similar being used on PC games (lots of PC games), which installs low-level stuff on machines and keeps running even when the game isn't. The background to all this is available on this boycott Starfoce (glop.org) page (page is nothing to do with me, it just seems to sum things up, and has a handy games list and removal tool). If you've got any of the games running, check to see if it's installed on your PC. If you installed a game recently that needed a reboot, there's a pretty good chance that was the reason why.

During the day, I'm a sysadmin, so I'm conditioned to respond to things I didn't know I was installing very badly, and to treat them as dangerous. This particular software does strange things to IDE drivers, and therefore potentially to DVD/CD drives. That leaves a security hole (drivers are allowed to do an awful lot on a system on the grounds that they're just hardware and won't be malicious) that could be exploited on any machine running Starforce. Not only that, but I just don't trust a company who've responded to valid criticism by accusing people of wanting to pirate games. I just want to have a safe, reliable PC. I do my banking on my home PC, I don't want anything running in the background I don't have full control over.

Do you think I'm over-reacting to this? There are plenty of people who've had no problem with Starforce at all (in fact, I haven't had any of the technical problems that some people have described, my objections are on security grounds). This software installed alongside GT Legends on my machine, without me knowing. I've recently decided against buying TOCA 3, and written to Codemasters to explain my decision because of Starforce. I flatter myself to think I have a higher level of technical awareness than the average gamer so for me not to know presents all sorts of legal and consent issues. Am I being naive to assume that my PC shouldn't be filled with copy-protection software from various companies who's software I wish to use?

19:31 / 03.03.06

I wouldn't say you're being unreasonable, but I consider myself to be on the pirate side of the argument here. Starforce makes money promising to to curb my piracy. So my (uninformed) opinion may not be worth the net it's hosted on. Oddly, my only bad experiences with antipiracy software have been the disabling of games I've actually purchased when I install a pirate copy of something (which ends up working, btw)... and this leads me to believe that whatever they're doing, they're not doing it very well. Not well enough to justify the alleged security/stability compromise, at any rate.

Here's a link to a boingboing article on Starforce, wherein they threaten to sue someone who warns about the potential security holes opened by their product. This is a Slashdot bit which links to an interview with the Starforce creators. There's some interesting comments (in the /. bit, of course) about legit users who image their games and mount them in virtual drives to speed up load times and reduce wear on their DVD-drives. This is also a method used in running pirated software, so it's what a lot of the copy-protection programs attempt to disable. In that context, it seems a hamfisted approach, but I'm really curious as to what else an anti-piracy developer can do to curb piracy. Most of the options available to them create an outcry among the gearheads, so it seems they're outta luck whatever they do.

another Slashdot bit, with better comments.

20:24 / 03.03.06

I don't think you're over-reacting either. Having all sorts of icky stuff running on your PC is never nice. It doesn't matter if it came with the latest virus or the latest game, you don't want things on your PC that do strange things to it.

I can understand how a game developing/distributing/etc company might want to inconvenience people as much as possible when it comes to copying without paying, but I think it's going too far in some places; the Sony rootkit is an excellent example of how a company can cause quite serious secutiry issues by installing strange things on your computer.

I have to admit I don't really know about nicer alternatives, but I was thinking about CD keys + online verification, shouldn't that be workable? Perhaps with some way where shops send data on which copies have been sold?

08:21 / 04.03.06

I think the reason this kind of copy protection is used is because it's cheap for the publisher to implement. To use a Bruce Schneier type aurgument, the cost of Starfoce is borne by the consumer having it interfere with the normal working of their PC (as it must to, by definition, to have the desired effect). I suspect running online CD key verification would be more expensive for the publisher and developer to implement.

This only remains true whist people will still buy games that have aggressive copy-protection. If they don't, then suddenly using such measures mean a game won't sell at all. I believe this is the reasoning behind the boycott I initially linked to.

We could also do with some clear laws in this regard to protect consumers, as I doubt this will be the last of such situations. An ammendment to the Sale of Goods act to cover hidden programs in software installs? Maybe I should write to my MP...

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

12:24 / 09.03.06

Having just bought Freedom Force vs the Third Reich (2nd-hand), I now discover it has StarForce. Now I've had a browse on a few fora, and I really don't want this thing fucking with my CD/DVD-R drive, so this puts me in the awkward situation where, if I want to play the game without StarForce, I now have to download a pirate copy. Which can't be right, surely?

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

15:58 / 12.03.06

Starforce are now linking to illegal torrents of games. Did someone say (copy) protection racket?

20:12 / 12.03.06

Charming, isn't it? The quicker publishers realise that using a product from a company that would act so unethically tars them with the same brush, the better.

It's clear to me why Starforce would want to pick on a game such as GCII - they're using a far more effective, cheaper method of getting people to buy their own software - offering extras (updates & content) to keep people interested. Such sensible business practice is clearly a threat to Starforce's business model, and they tend to respond aggressively and on the margins of legality to anything that looks vaugely like a threat.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

15:09 / 15.03.06

they're using a far more effective, cheaper method of getting people to buy their own software - offering extras (updates & content) to keep people interested

Exactly. People will always find a way round this shit if they want to pirate games. Those people AREN'T the companies' audience. (Also, as someone pointed out on the Boycott Starforce forum on your above link- I'm signed up as stoatie, btw- a lot of people are going to be going to warez sites to get no-CD cracks, where they will discover that they can get full games for bugger all, and may well decide to join the ranks of the pirates. NB- I don't pirate games myself- partly because I don't think I should, but mostly because I know little about computers and occasionally have need of the official tech support).

Offering extra stuff for legitimate users is great- positive reinforcement training, to use a dog metaphor- don't yell at 'em for shitting on the carpet, just make a huge fuss of them when they shit outside. They soon learn.

Although I've had problems with Steam, I think it's a great system in theory. Give it a few months and I bet it will be benefiting users more than hampering them. StarForce, on the other hand, I'm struggling to find an upside to.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

17:51 / 11.10.06

It is obvious that all the rumors around StarForce hazards are spread by international piracy groups. Our recent contest has just proven that StarForce does not damage optical drives.

Yeah, MY arse.

15:21 / 17.10.06

From the website : Just to make sure, StarForce decided to have a worldwide contest among users of StarForce protected applications. We had an open invitation to visit our office in order to display the issue and receive $10.000 US in case the person would have proven the problem to exist. January 31st was the last day to apply for the contest which lasted for almost two months. The contest page was visited 48.000 times but we received 0 applications. No one showed up.

Therefore, we now have proof that such issues with StarForce protected applications are pure fiction and all of these rumors are false and probably initiated by frustrated pirates.

There it is then. Conclusive proof.