rec.autos.simulators

by **Ken Brow** » Wed, 07 Mar 2001 08:50:24

snip snip

LOL
I 've had the problem 3 times today , but after 30 min or so then I get in .
I wonder if it only looks for the key when your in the Lobby ? so if someone
is racing then it doesn't see them ??? just a thought . The last time I log
into the sever I just left it logged in and left the computer going (2way
cable) here and also have a zone alarm . Have had the game for awhile and
this is the first day I've had this problem

by **Marc Collin** » Wed, 07 Mar 2001 08:56:09

I went through the same BS....and was told repeatedly here to go buy a new
ROM drive (I have a Panasonic DVD). Nothing else has ever caused a problem
with the drive, so I returned my N4 and bought a different one across town.
Works perfectly. Sierra will replace yours--it's defective.

Marc.

> This copy protection ***on N4 is really the pits...
> I sent overseas for N4, because it still hasn't reached Oz yet, and my
> 3 month old CD rom drive won't read the CD.
> "No", it's not a read/writer, it's a Panasonic 48 speed, and works
> faultlessly with all my other software.
> I borrowed a mates CD rom to install N4 on my computer, but i still
> can't log on to Sierra, because i have to use the no-cd crack to play
> my legitimate game i paid for..
> This is really pissing me off, as it's us legitimate users that are
> suffering, while the warez guys are playing, "trouble free".
> "No", don't bother telling me to go out and buy another CD Rom drive,
> as that is total bullshit.
> There is nothing wrong with my CD Rom drive..
> As far as the key code is concerned, when/if there is a patch released
> to finally allow me to play my legally bought game, and i find someone
> else using my key code which prevents me from logging on to Sierra,
> then there will be ***y hell to play...
> This ***has really gone on for long enough, so for Christ's sake
> Sierra/Papy, drop this key code ***and let us play like we have the
> right to..
> I can't even run in my N4 league races while the server is hosting
> through Sierra...
> It has made me laugh that over the last 6 weeks or so, the guys that
> are sticking up for this ***system from Sierra/Papy, just happen to
> be the guys that don't have problems, or are rich enough to keep on
> going out and buying CD Rom drives untill they find one that will work
> with the "faulty" software..

> Signed, a very unhappy customer.
> Ron Ayton
> Australia

> > > Well s--- someone out there has guessed my CD Key and is using it
> to play
> > > online . I just tryed to login on line and this is what I got .
> Someone is
> > > allready logged in using this CD Key . I sent a message to Sierra ,
> lotof
> > > good that will do I'm sure lol . #U**#$ :(

> > Hasn't happened to me (yet), but if it did I'd be pretty darn angry.
> Hope
> > Sierra is able to help you out. It's things like this where the
> legitimate
> > purchaser gets screwed while the warez people use the product anyway
> that
> > makes me think they should just drop these forms of copy protection.

by **Don Burnett** » Wed, 07 Mar 2001 09:15:00

I know sometimes when you sign off it might take a few minutes for the
system to actually log you off, and if you try to sign back on in that
period of time it will think someone is already logged on with your number.

--
Don Burnette
D Burnette in N4

Some people do nothing wrong.
The problem is, they do nothing.
And THAT is wrong.

> snip snip

> LOL
> I 've had the problem 3 times today , but after 30 min or so then I get in
.
> I wonder if it only looks for the key when your in the Lobby ? so if
someone
> is racing then it doesn't see them ??? just a thought . The last time I
log
> into the sever I just left it logged in and left the computer going (2way
> cable) here and also have a zone alarm . Have had the game for awhile and
> this is the first day I've had this problem

by **Jim** » Wed, 07 Mar 2001 09:19:03

Quake 3 has a 5 minute cd key timeout built into the id Software master
server. This means that if you're playing online and reconnect (for example
if your modem dies, or if you decide to change dialup) then the master
server still thinks you're connected on your old IP. Your new IP is rejected
until the 5 minute timeout expires.

Don't know if this is the same system used by N4, but if you're on a modem
(i.e. you don't have a fixed IP) it might be worth going to stick the kettle
on if you need to redial, to let that timeout expire.

HTH

Jim

> snip snip

> LOL
> I 've had the problem 3 times today , but after 30 min or so then I get in
.
> I wonder if it only looks for the key when your in the Lobby ? so if
someone
> is racing then it doesn't see them ??? just a thought . The last time I
log
> into the sever I just left it logged in and left the computer going (2way
> cable) here and also have a zone alarm . Have had the game for awhile and
> this is the first day I've had this problem

by **Mark F** » Wed, 07 Mar 2001 20:53:31

True, but I am sure with some minor (or major) software recording changes,
Papyrus can make inside each exe called reg_num() or something like that and
have it in their automatically instead of everyone having to type it. It'd
be one way closer into stopping the warez. And eventually, even have
yourself type the number and make sure each unique cd only works with one
unique number..

--
Sincerely,
Mark F.

-- SimGoRacing --
http://www.simgoracing.com

> On Mon, 5 Mar 2001 13:16:27 -0500, "Mark F."

> > Just wish papy would just implant the F)(&#$^ key in the cd software
> >code this way its an unknown code for many.

> impossible. think of what you're asking. every CD would have to be
> diff't. You can't drop an image and change things. Even if you could
> it would be child's play to figure it out.

> --
> Member of the Nondeterministic Football League

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by **Eldre** » Thu, 08 Mar 2001 00:03:24

>As far as the key code is concerned, when/if there is a patch released
>to finally allow me to play my legally bought game, and i find someone
>else using my key code which prevents me from logging on to Sierra,
>then there will be ***y hell to play...

This type of thing was RAMPANT with Starcraft. There were so many keygen
programs that many legitimate buyers couldn't login to BattleNet to play. I'm
not sure how Blizzard handled that problem(I wasn't affected). But, I
understand being SERIOUSLY pissed if you couldn't log on with a game you
BOUGHT. I'd be pressing for the company either to fix the problem, or replace
my game free of charge...

Eldred
--
Dale Earnhardt, Sr. 1951-2001
Homepage - http://www.racesimcentral.net/~epickett
GPL F1 hcp. +28.67...F2 +151.26...F3 hcp. +373.73

Never argue with an idiot. He brings you down to his level, then beats you
with experience...
Remove SPAM-OFF to reply.

by **Eldre** » Thu, 08 Mar 2001 00:03:24

>> Well s--- someone out there has guessed my CD Key and is using it to play
>> online . I just tryed to login on line and this is what I got . Someone is
>> allready logged in using this CD Key . I sent a message to Sierra , lotof
>> good that will do I'm sure lol . #U**#$ :(

>Hasn't happened to me (yet), but if it did I'd be pretty darn angry. Hope
>Sierra is able to help you out. It's things like this where the legitimate
>purchaser gets screwed while the warez people use the product anyway that
>makes me think they should just drop these forms of copy protection.

In the battle between the copy protectors and the copy breakers, there can only
be one winner. The copy breakers...

Eldred
--
Dale Earnhardt, Sr. 1951-2001
Homepage - http://www.umich.edu/~epickett
GPL F1 hcp. +28.67...F2 +151.26...F3 hcp. +373.73

Never argue with an idiot. He brings you down to his level, then beats you
with experience...
Remove SPAM-OFF to reply.

by **Wayne M. Greno** » Thu, 08 Mar 2001 00:23:15

YOUR CD KEY IS NOT STOLEN. The servers have an issue (as in N3) with
ghost logins from the last time you were there. If you get booted and then
try to get back in, the server may not have had enough time to acknowledge
your disconecttion.

> Ken,

> Maybe your key is out there even if you didn't give it away. You might
try
> reinstalling. If that doesn't work, I'd certainly raise hell with Sierra.
> Stress the fact that since Sierra is so very concerned with piracy maybe
> they should find out just who exactly has your key. I don't think that
> would be very difficult for them to do.

> I'm just glad my key is safe. I've never seen anyone online with the
number
> Y55932-CV93443-T39XPY6-B100XXC.

> That number is safe so far.

> Alanb

> > Well s--- someone out there has guessed my CD Key and is using it to
play
> > online . I just tryed to login on line and this is what I got . Someone
is
> > allready logged in using this CD Key . I sent a message to Sierra ,
lotof
> > good that will do I'm sure lol . #U**#$ :(

by **Art McEwe** » Thu, 08 Mar 2001 01:31:32

Yeah but I'm talking about buying software not playing a lottery.

> > You've convinced me not to buy N4.

> On the other hand I haven't had a single problem with the game. Works and
> runs great and I really enjoy it. But the copy protection deal where
> someone else could use my code and keep me from playing does irk me.

by **Jon Wille** » Thu, 08 Mar 2001 02:44:03

Copy protection is back precisely because CD-ROM drives have matured.
Commodore 64 games came with copy protection that depended on
undocumented quirks of the 1541 disk drive. Some of the copy
protection schemes allegedly threw the drive alignment out of whack
with intentional sector errors.

CD-ROM drives have been around long enough that copy-protection
vendors have found non-standard quirks that work on, say, 80% of the
drives. They've convinced the game publishers that saving the
"billions" lost to piracy will make up for the lost sales and support
cost due to shipping defective CDs.

>I had no problem with installation either, although it (as expected) didn't
>run worth a damn on my PII 333. Probably 80% of the purchasers have been
>able to install it with no problems. However, that's just not good enough -
>it should be over 95%. We're not talking rocket science here - CD players
>have been around for quite some time now.

>> > You've convinced me not to buy N4.

>> On the other hand I haven't had a single problem with the game. Works and
>> runs great and I really enjoy it. But the copy protection deal where
>> someone else could use my code and keep me from playing does irk me.

--

by **Art McEwe** » Thu, 08 Mar 2001 02:55:33

> CD-ROM drives have been around long enough that copy-protection
> vendors have found non-standard quirks that work on, say, 80% of the
> drives. They've convinced the game publishers that saving the
> "billions" lost to piracy will make up for the lost sales and support
> cost due to shipping defective CDs.

But how can a CD drive be concidered "defective" if it works fine for the
standard non-quirky uses but only fails the "undocumented" ones?

If the CD drive were still under warrenttee would failing to work with N4's
copy-protection scheme be grounds for returning an otherwise perfectly
functioning drive?

Not if you bought the drive from my store!

by **Dog-Le** » Thu, 08 Mar 2001 03:58:24

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-Larry

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by **Ken Brow** » Sat, 10 Mar 2001 08:09:43

Sierra Tech support just sent me a email and I quote:

Summary: Some body is using my CD Key . see file attachment What can I do
about this ...