Dear @all,
i am very disapointed and angry regarding this new policy of distributing patches ONLY via impulse!! In the future we need one installation per vendor in order to protect our privacy any more. Users with small internet uplinks are not in the focus of this Stardock anymore?
An angry customer.
Oh well, I doubt that stardock is going to change their minds on this one and I've made my stance clear. I do hope that it does have a negative impact on sales, I know I will be looking at most other places before chosing stardock/impulse again. To me it makes the GBOR a marketing ploy and well, it worked.
Actually that's incredibly easy to disable, just go to Services in Administrative Tools, if you don't have a link by in your start menu go to Control Panel, in the Vista default menu go to System and Maintenence then Administrative Tools, in classic view go it should be right there as the second icon. In services scroll down to Microsoft .NET Framework NGEN v... if you have a 64 bit version there will two entries for X64 and X86. Double click, then change start-up type to Manual. The framework will now load only when you run a program that needs it, though the program will start up slower. To insure that it is actually disabled, reboot your computer then go back to services look at the third column, Status, if the entry is blank then you were successful, if it says started and the next column says manual then you have a program set to auto-start that uses .NET and you'd need to disable that as well.
... jackass
Normally i'd be with everyone saying that there's no big problem with impulse only updates, until today.
My SosSE got corrupted somehow and had to re-install. Now for some people downloading V1.11 again at 264 MB is no problem but I'm sorry I don't have that privilige of unlimited bandwidth.
If impulse saved the update somewhere on the pc that'll be fine by me but now I'll have to wait another 30min for the update I've already downloaded before.
Come on!
Honestly, who archives installed game files.
Is it possible for me to install Impulse long enough to download and install the 1.1 patch, and then uninstall Impulse after? I really do not like having applications installed that I never use. Hope there is, if not I'll just keep playing 1.05.
Are you kidding me? How has Impulse impacted your situation in a bad way? You would be in the exact same situation without impulse. Unless you archived the update... but then, why not archive the game in impulse after the update? I don't see how this has anything to do with impulse, and I don't even like impulse.
And letting impulse manage archiving of updates and stuff on its own? No thanks.
I do. In fact, I specifically use Impulse to "Download and Archive" a copy of Sins when it has been patched/updated (eg 1.11), then this stuff is written to DVD so that one day, I can re-install it quickly and easily. I only need an Internet connection to verify my account with Stardock, restore archive, uninstall Impulse (optional) and bam, ready to play with the latest patches.
I think most of those complaining here are complaining about the step "verify my account with Stardock". Aside from those with legitimate concerns about Impulse not working and lack of Internet connection, generally, Impulse is a pretty good system. I've looked at it, and queried Stardock ppl how it works etc on this forum.
The truth is, I'm pretty sure Impulse-distributed games (specifically Sins) are not very hard to pirate. I looked at it myself and if you really understand how it works, and use some useful tools, trust me, Sins in particular _CAN_ be pirated as a whole release. Heck a stand alone patch could be made too with the right tools. Clearly, I'm not going to say how or with what tools.
The real truth is one that all those complaining about don't want to admit: The Pirates Are Not Pirating Sins! Release Groups have not released a recent copy of Sins with 1.11 etc, not because they can't or are not smart enough to do so, they simply have other things to do (bigger more bad-ass SW to crack?).
Conclusion: Asking Stardock to change their policy on Impulse is not likely to work, since I think "Impulse could be a lot worse" as it is. So, if you want an unsupported/pirated whatever of Sins, then please lobby the pirates instead.
PS: Actually, there is another question here that has not been asked which Stardock probably has to think/been thinking carefully about. I'm afraid to actually say it out in a public forum, in case it gives ppl ideas (they already did it to Adobe CS4).. I haven't seen it on torrent sites yet, but..
As far as that goes, SD is one of the very few groups with half a brain when it comes to torrent sites -- most sites will actually take the ISO down, if asked.
And SD actually bothers to ask!
Hello, this is first post in this forum as I've just signed up but I've one question. My brother is giving me his copy of Sins because he doesn't play anymore and he deleted it off of his system. Will this affect my ability to download any patches needed if he registered the game?
Oh, I also meant to say that I LOVE the refreshing posts from FrogBoy about this topic. It's very nice to see the CEO of the company basically telling people to go pack sand for one reason or another. In this day and age of politically correct pansies, it's pretty cool to see someone who says what he actually thinks instead of what he thinks someone wants to hear. Well done FrogBoy!
I just installed the game and tried updating and it gave me an error message, so yes, I think if my brother already signed up to get the patches via impulse, then I won't be able to unless there is something else that I need to do. I've already sent an email to support, so hopefully they will be able to help me.
3) While I wouldn't quite say Impulse is DRM software, it is content management software. It controls my access to patches or any other additional content released through it for SoaSE (and presumably any other Stardock title that uses it - all from here on out?). Given how Stardock has made public comments about their stance on content protection for their games and the whole Gamer's Bill of Rights thing, it seems rather two sided to then turn around and release an application that is essentially is mandatory in order to access patches (You trust your customers enough to buy your game that you don't include DRM on the CD, but then you require 'special' software for patches?). I am sure that Impulse was written and conceived in good faith to Stardock customers but it still most certainly has the power to completely block a user's access to content.
Although I have no problems with Impulse, out of all the arguments against it that I have read in these forums so far, this one is the most persuasive in my opinion.
People resisted things like the microwave, and thats fine, don't use it if you don't want to, but don't complain when you can't cook your hot pockets because they keep burning up in your oven.
Hot Pockets are better from the oven. They get too soggy when you microwave them.
Err, no, I was not referring to the ISO of Sins, most of the time, that's out of date patch wise anyway. Adobe CS4 has a pretty smart way of trying to defeat pirates - I must give props to Adobe for thinking that up.. But the pirates have figured it out.. And I'm not referring to using the CS4 method (or any method) to defeat Sins, since Sins itself does not have any copyright protection. So the target for pirates is actually . . . and using a two step process, pirates could concievably provide a lot of SD's stuff out there..
Asking popular torrent sites to take certain things down is good, but there are many private trackers etc that would not honour such requests. Still, I agree, SD does have a leg up in this department over many others - so props to SD as well.
Anyway, all I'm saying is, specifically for SOASE, if one wishes to pirate it and distribute it, I don't think it would be too difficult - certainly easier than Adobe CS4, Vista, etc.. Hence the main reason is that I think pirates don't really think SOASE is a "high value target" enough for them to devote time and resources to doing so Which is both good news and bad for IronClad
The technical answer is Yes because the EULA states you can not pass the licence on. The licence is what allows you to play online etc...
Your best bet would be to patch up to 1.05 and try in in Single Player - if you like it, go and buy your own copy.
To everyone else who has been bitching about Impulse etc...
THIS IS THE REASON WHY THERE IS NO COPY PROTECTION ON THE GAME. 1) IT GETS BROKEN. 2) IT ALLOWS PEOPLE TO "SAMPLE" THE GAME WITHOUT GETTING THE FULL BENEFIT, BUT DOES ALLOW THEM TO MAKE AN INFORMED DECISION...
because face it - legal or not, people do pirate stuff they aren't sure they want to buy, so they want to try it first. If the this means they can do it and then buy a copy, then Frogboy is actually in front due to getting a sale he wouldn't have otherwise got.
"Check out the big brain on Brad!!!! You're a smart XXX"
@The_Regicide
yes, it says it is for windows. The box says also (translated) "This product is copy protected through technical security meassurements". You would find the same on any game with DRM.
@Zoomba
I just hope you are not a typical stardock official.
@Impulse
Given that Impulse does not work on my system it seems there is no way to transfer an updated SOASE from my other computer. That is because when I use Impulse to archieve then I need Impulse again to open the archieve. Well, there are other ways I could try. For once I decided to do that. I think it is very stupid, that I need to run a virtulized computer just to update my game, but it looks like that is the way stardock wants to go
In what regard?
In the regard that you may actually have an independent opinion and a personality. Don't you know that scares people
I rarely post, I do mean rarely. However I have used SD products for a longtime. I TRUST this company, rare for me these days. As a mature gamer who has basically grown up with the industry (first computer 1979 ,aged 15). I have to say that Impulse is the smartest, most level headed response to the perceived "piracy" problem I have seen.It's not over complex, it evolved from its predecessors and it does what it is supposed to do.
SD, please stay the way you are, the way you've always been. Trustworthy
(Ok that's enough of that. See you in 3 ish years with the follow on post )
You can take the Sins disk and install the game on as many computers as you want. Hundreds. thousands. Regardless of anyone's definition of copy protection that sure doesn't sound like this is the case with sins to me. How can any of you make the case that impulse is a DRM program when it's not restricting access to the game whatsoever but to the access of a patch? So what if you have to be legit to get an update? The game on the disk is what you bought. Nothing limits you as to how many times you install it.
Sins 1.05 wasn't broken. It was a functional product. People who didn't acquire the game legally shouldn't be privy to any updates. I don't consider impulse to be a DRM program. I don't have to run it to play Sins. I've ran it 3 or 4 times total just to do an update and all it wants is your damn serial number. It doesn't want you life story like some EA registration programs. Personally if impulse can help shrink down patch download sizes by many times, i would say they have been helping the industry.
I agree Simmyaz. I cant really understand what all the bitching is about... Sins does not require you to run Impulse in the background, it does not care if its even on your system. If you really have THAT much of a problem with the product taking up space on your hard drive then just UNINSTALL it... if there is a patch you could wrestle with the collosal issue of quickly installing the product for the update or not...
If space is not the issue just make sure the product does not start up. Its fairly simple to make sure Impulse is not lauched when your OS loads so again I fail to see the issue here.
Besides Simmy is right. There is no copy protection on the game. As mentioned you could install the game from the CD to hundreds of thousands of computeres and it would run fine, people would be able to play the game on these computers without any difficulties. However I don't see the issue with restricting game support, such as patches, to legitmate paying customers. While YOU might not be a pirate using a pirated game that hardly applies univesally. Why should the paying Sins community have to support these leaches who bought the game via EBAY or something?
The Impulse system works fine. Consisering I was using Stardock central to update my Sins game before Impulse it was hardly a major problem to change to Impulse for the exact same purpose...
Yeah, what this guy said.
And I also don't like giving out my e-mail to anyone because somewhere someone will just sell it and then I have to recycle yet another account because it suddenly gets spam-bombed. Everywhere you go these days you gotta register for this, register for that... I remember when you could just buy a game and enjoy it without being leashed to a patch server (heck, you didn't even *get* patches).
Software piracy could be ended tomorrow (simple tech change), but would that change anything? No. Why? POWER. The game designers have it, and they don't want the purchasers to escape for their own private enjoyment. Just like cell phone companies (leashed contracts anyone?) and many other 'service' industries.
Sin/Sacred2 are not 'MMORPGs', so the insistance on a registered, passworded patch server is ludicrous. Just let me put in my game code and do what I want. (And no, I didn't pir8 games/music/art, I only do that with major overpriced apps).
OFC, seeing a 200+m patch waiting on a very limited bandwidth is just pure agony.
I think this will be my first ever post on these forums, i have sat back and read many-a whine and dribble since long durin beta but this topic just had to get a response.
I cannot believe in the days of SecuROM, EA, and Ubisoft that you can come in here and complain about a system like Impulse .... myself and my clan have spent countless hours on vent talkin about the future of PC Gaming and the damage DRM and the publishers that condone it are doing to the gaming community and PC Gaming as a popular platform ....
Stardock's Gamer's Bill of Rights was proposed and designed BY Stardock why in the blue hell would you think they would go against their own sodding policy??? to complain about the like of Impulse and then talk about "why doesnt it work like Steam" is almost a contradiction in itself ... the fact is both Impulse and Steam are doing things right, Stardock and Valve should be commended not slandered for their method of distribution ... you ASSUME that with new software comes new malicious code ... but Stardock have already shown their dedication to the GAMER i put my faith in them, their mentality and the Bill they proposed as proof of this, quite simply nothing you have stated is fact, it just paranoia ... but to this day Stardock have NEVER taken such action as to suggest they would do any such thing ... more over i am baffled as to what you think they are stealing? the only private information they have is the SAME information you opted to hand over when you created this forum account to have a good old moan .... oh and of course the key provided with the game but surely that isn't a problem is it????
I tip my hat to Frogboy and Stardock for having the balls to do what they have done, that Bill wasn't just something to make us all smile it was a challenge to the industry about how they do things, and it shouldn't be taken lightly not by us OR them ...
Anyways like i said i think it is not only stupid but quite honestly ignorant to sit here and complain about Stardock quite frankly you should be on the EA forums if you feel so strongly about these things .... and i ask myself when you compared to Steam .... did you go on the Steam forums and say the same??? because you are absolutely deluded if you think Impulse does anything different.
Now to try and douse the inevitable flaming i am gonna get from this statement i wanna make something perfectly clear i am NOT a Stardock fanboy i am a PC Gamer who has been around too long to sit back and listen to the deluded and misinformed complaints of people who clearly don't see the bigger picture .... that is to say that to come on here and complain against one of a HANDFUL of current PC Game publishers doing things RIGHT is absolutely unbelievable in the days of DRM, limited sodding installations, having to make a phone call to justify your purchase and permission to install the game again??? .... are you aware that when you purchase an item through EA's so-called download manager it only is valid to download for 6 months!! and then after which you have to pay EXTRA for the right to download softwarte YOU HAVE ALREADY PURCHASED for a mere 2 years????
How can you call yourself PC Gamers when you are in here biting the hand that feeds you?
/Obi
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