Made the Mistake of Buying the Codemasters Racing Pack.

[d_stilgar]

*Big rant warning*

I purchased the Codemasters Racing Pack on Steam for $20, which was cool because that's really cheap, and installed it. Now it is on my computer and I go to play Dirt 2. Two things: 1, to play online I have to enter a CD key at some point (wtf did I use steam for!?!). I never got that far because the stupid game makes you watch 800 minutes of intro crap and you can't not watch it. 2, the game is controlled by MOTHER EFFING WINDOWS LIVE!!!!!!! I download with steam because windows live is a worthless POS. To play online or SAVE MY PROGRESS I have to be logged into windows live. Steam is perfectly fine DRM thank you very much. I hate hate hate windows live. I have a couple games that have never ever worked properly because of windows live. I was excited to get these games for cheap and through steam because I thought I wouldn't have to deal with this crap.

Also, the menu system in Dirt 2 is a total nightmare. JUST LET ME HIT ESC AND SKIP THIS CRAP!

Windows live is supposed to be your one place to sign into email and games and other stuff. The problem is you can't be logged into multiple sessions at once, which means I have to log out and in to access my different school emails. Now I'll have to log in for gaming on a different account as well. How the heck is this supposed to work? I've tried, I've googled, but making "Games for Windows Live" client work is impossible.

The worst part about this is that it is offered through steam, but they give you no warning that you are going to be forced to use the POS windows live platform.

*end rant*

As a side question, if I buy Bioshock 2 through steam is it going to be windows live as well?

[artoodeeto]

my only complaint so far about it is that I don't have enough hard drive space on my primary drive to install everything :facepalm: and steam doesn't let you install to different drives. But that's an issue with steam, not the games. oh well.

[d_stilgar]

I was able to choose where to install. And I have the game working now. I still hate hate hate windows live and the fact that there is no warning when you purchase on steam, and the menu system in that game is so horrible. It's everything I hate about the Guitar Hero series. But it's working so whatever.

[NightrainSrt4]

Just make an offline profile for Windows Live. It's a small option on one of the windows Live screens, but iirc you have to scroll down on the page. Then it doesn't log in on Windows Live, its just like any other game's save profile for the most part.

Edit: Though if you play online you'll have to use an online profile.

[Zephik]

All in the intention to stop or at the very least decrease piracy. Yet all it does is promote piracy while simultaneously screwing over customers. Just give us the game and stop with this BS.

Buy it. Store it. "Pirate" it. Now play it properly.

That's what I do. It's not illegal if you already own it, right? The only thing they could say is that you were helping promote the success of the torrent, but whose to say that everyone else isn't doing the exact same thing. Makes sense in my head anyway. Anyone know whether downloading something you already own is illegal or not? I'm actually kind of curious now that I think about it.

[farlo]

no need really to pirate with all the no-cd/patch exes out there. just install from official media and use the 3rd party patches to make it playable.

[x88x]

Anyone know whether downloading something you already own is illegal or not? I'm actually kind of curious now that I think about it.

That's one of those weird grey areas. On the one hand, with certain types of media, the DMCA grants us one 'archival' copy, and the case could be made that you are format-shifting, which is kinda-sorta legal (supported by precedent, not legislation), but on the other hand, the copyright owner has full control over the distribution of the material, except where nullified by the first-sale doctrine. Additionally, circumvention of any DRM is illegal, which is usually required in order to create that 'archival' copy of whatever. And of course, with P2P stuff, since you were also contributing to the distribution of it (yes, I know you can turn off uploading in just about all clients and protocols, but that has never held up in court), they would still hit you with distribution. And since there's no way to prove that 100% of the people that you might have been distributing to are all downloading it legally, they assume that none of them were.


Makes sense in my head anyway.
Unfortunately, very little of US copyright law makes sense to rational consumers. :(

My general rule of thumb is that if you're likely to get caught, it's probably not legal. Doesn't mean that if you aren't likely to get caught that it is legal, but it's more likely to be than if you are likely to get caught. For example, backing up your DVDs/etc to a home server, using no-DVD-patches, and using virtual disc drive software with DRM-protected discs are all things that are in the sorta grey area, but since nothing ever leaves your home network, the chance of you getting caught and the legality being tried is much less likely. Perhaps that's part of why some of those things are such legal grey areas..little to no court cases, so little to no precedent.