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Copy Protection: Difference between revisions
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{{trope}}
[[File:copyprotection-stratego_3297.png|link=Stratego|frame|Code wheel? F***, I downloaded the game!]]
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* The [[Interactive Fiction]] game ''[[The Lurking Horror]]'' deserves special mention of its copy protection. Getting anywhere in the game required you to log into an in-game computer; the necessary information was included with the [[Feelies]]. However, while the password was clearly marked, the [[Guide Dang It|login was not]] (and, to complicate matters, was not on the same page as the password).
* Famous line from ''[[Captain Comic]]'': "Captain, I'm afraid you have made a terrible mistake. You failed to obtain a certain object you should have had from the start of your adventure. Since this object is not very expensive, you should go and obtain it before you venture any further." It shows up quite some time into the game.
* The 1988 Microprose game ''[[Red Storm Rising]]'' would give you the profile view of a ship and ask you to identify it; all the requisite information was in the manual. Of course, if you're as big enough of a naval geek... [[Someday This Will Come in Handy|guns in back, smokestack, missile pack]], [
* [http://www.gamerevolution.com/goodie/movies/dont_copy_that_floppy This video] (quoted in the page picture) gives a cheesy rap song about why people shouldn't use floppies to copy games, followed up by several developers that explain how games are made and how they won't make certain games anymore if more people copy their products instead of buying them since they feel less sales = people did not like product. The boy trying to copy doesn't see why the whole thing is a big deal, saying "everyone is doing it" and "one copy won't hurt them." The girl convinces the boy to change his ways by the video's end. Of course, things have not changed since then.
** [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUCyvw4w_yk A sequel] recently came out, and while it's musically more advanced , the message is still not as clear as the creators intended. Case in point: [http://sati1984.tumblr.com/post/202537346/this-video-alone-is-going-to-increase-the-rate-of this YouTube comment] and [http://www.retrothing.com/2009/09/stunning-sequel-to-dont-copy-that-floppy.html this Retro Thing article], the latter providing an excellent analysis of the video.
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** All the backlash has led to ''[[Rayman Origins]]'' [[And the Fandom Rejoiced|not containing any DRM]]. Just to tell the infamy of the debacle, the game's Steam page explicitly mentions the '''lack''' of DRM.
* [[Electronic Arts]] tried the same thing as Ubisoft with ''[[Command and Conquer]] 4: Tiberian Twilight''. While it didn't bring up as much bad press as it was in Ubisoft's case, there were some people complaining about nonetheless, ''[http://games.slashdot.org/story/10/03/26/0653202/EA-Editor-Criticizes-Command-amp-Conquer-4-DRM and that includes one of EA's own employees]''.
** It should be noted that several companies, including Ubisoft, have previously tried to convince Microsoft and Sony to let them release console games that would require the player to be connected to Xbox Live or the Playstation Network at all times, irrespective of whether the game has any online elements. And despite the fact that such a mechanism would probably be far easier to implement on a console than on Windows, both Microsoft and Sony have smacked down such requests each and every time, on the grounds that they don't want to be responsible for the fallout that would inevitably happen. Let's reiterate: Sony, who ''love'' locking up everything harder than Fort Knox, using proprietary solutions wherever they can, and who have in the years attracted a lot of hatred due to their [
*** That certainly didn't stop [[Capcom]] of all things [http://www.capcom-unity.com/ask_capcom/go/thread/view/7371/23158177/Why_does_Final_Fight_Double_Impact_require_me_to_be_in_PSN pulling off that dirty trick on the consoles]. At least the [http://www.giantbomb.com/news/bionic-commando-rearmed-2-psn-requires-an-internet-connection/2895/ Second time] they did it, they said it required a PSN login right on the description. (And it still only affects the [[PS 3]])
**** [http://wii.ign.com/articles/117/1172319p2.html That type of copy protection actually is allowed by Microsoft and Sony], but only on download titles -- even then, however, the game has to go through a more rigorous validation process than usual, which is why most game developers don't do it. However, Ubisoft (among others) have repeatedly demanded to be allowed to implement this type of protection on ''disc-based'' games, which is silly when you consider that a significant amount of people still go without internet connections on their consoles. Fortunately, both Microsoft and Sony both have more sense than the developers in question, and still refuse to allow them to do so.
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* ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project'' would make enemies tougher and the bosses invincible if the copyright code was modified.
* Here's one that's both software and hardware at once. A form of copy protection for music CDs involved making the data initially read by a PC (but, theoretically, not a CD player) intentionally corrupted, which would prevent a PC from copying or even playing the CD. Which would have been brilliant, if not for the fact that you could use a Sharpie marker to physically prevent a PC from reading the corrupted part, forcing it to start on a working part, allowing you to play your CD on the computer.
** That's [
* Game manuals for [[Nintendo 3DS]] games include this lovely bit of text: "''{{color|red|Important! Read the Nintendo 3DS operations manual before setup or use of your system.}} This product contains technical protection measures. Use of an unauthorized device or any unauthorized technical modification to your Nintendo 3DS system, '''will''' render this game '''and/or system''' unplayable.''" <ref>Bolded text is not present in DS, DSi, or WII manuals.</ref> Yes, Nintendo is putting it right there in the manual that if you attempt to modify your 3DS, they will attempt to brick it via firmware updates. The catch? At least one method of delivering these updates cannot be disabled, and (in theory, at least) all firmware updates must be accepted by the 3DS.
** [http://gbatemp.net/t284730-3ds-bricking-rumor It may or may not be true.]
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* [http://www.sabre-roads.org.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=23336&start=0 KeySIGN], a traffic-management software that creates road signs, has a dongle attached to ensure the licence is installed on a particular machine. (AFAIK, this is based on info from the link).
** Actually, most software used for engineering/science work will have a type of copy protection; usually it is online activation, unless we're talking about very high-end stuff you can't buy except through a contract.
* [
* ''[[Sin]]'' encrypted the music files, to prevent them from being played outside of the game.
* The first ''[[Happiness]]'' [[Visual Novel]] (not the sequel ''Happiness! Re:Lucks'') used a variant of StarForce that required entering an encryption key. It was the only [[Visual Novel]] to use StarForce to date.
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[[Category:Videogame Culture]]
[[Category:Copy Protection]]
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