Current Events > The software you are now using was produced through the efforts of many people

(+) Yeah! (+)

Designers, artists, programmers, musicians, and lots of other hard-working folks.

If you make copies of this software for any reason other than a personal backup, you are not only breaking the law, but raising the cost of software for all legitimate users. PLEASE DO NOT MAKE ILLEGAL COPIES OF THIS GAME!

Oh, by the way... you'll need the information contained in the printed documentation to successfully complete this game. In other words, it's not just the law... it's a good idea.

Don't copy that floppy!

CyricZ posted...

Oh, by the way... you'll need the information contained in the printed documentation to successfully complete this game. In other words, it's not just the law... it's a good idea.

Literally the worst kind of DRM back in the day.

"Don't steal this game."
"But you don't even sell it anym--"
"THEN DON'T PLAY IT AT ALL."

For real though don't pirate.

You wouldn't download a car!

ReturnOfDevsman posted...

"Don't steal this game."
"But you don't even sell it anym--"
"THEN DON'T PLAY IT AT ALL."

For real though don't pirate.

Shut the fuck up

CyricZ posted...

Designers, artists, programmers, musicians, and lots of other hard-working folks.

If you make copies of this software for any reason other than a personal backup, you are not only breaking the law, but raising the cost of software for all legitimate users. PLEASE DO NOT MAKE ILLEGAL COPIES OF THIS GAME!

Oh, by the way... you'll need the information contained in the printed documentation to successfully complete this game. In other words, it's not just the law... it's a good idea.

Sierra was the best.

Stunts (DOS game) did this. If you failed to type in a word within a random sentence found in the manual, the car would crash within a few seconds of starting the race.

Enclave posted...

Literally the worst kind of DRM back in the day.

It was foolproof until the Internet.

The Journeyman Project had two instances of this. They were both passcodes. I had the manual but for whatever reason the password that was in there didn't work, so I brute forced it. For whatever reason, it would tell you you were wrong as soon as you entered one wrong digit instead of waiting until you had entered the whole thing. So worst case it took ten tries per digit.

CyricZ posted...

It was foolproof until the Internet.

It was also insanely anti-consumer and made it so a ton of perfectly legitimate copies of games were on the second hand market that were largely unplayable.

Am I still angry about my completely legitimate copy of Dark Sun: Shattered Lands that I was only able to play the very beginning of the game for years until I found an instruction book online? Yes, yes I am.

The Quest for Glory series had these notices for the first and second games.

But you actually didn't need the manual for the first game.

And while one could make the case that you needed one for the second game for the purpose of finding the essential money changer in the winding alleys of Shapeir (the map is printed in the documentation), you can also just ask the souvenir seller in the first plaza directions and he'll tell you.

Ivynn posted...

You wouldn't download a car!

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]

why not once 3d printing gets better we can print our own cars and rams as well

ReturnOfDevsman posted...

"Don't steal this game."
"But you don't even sell it anym--"
"THEN DON'T PLAY IT AT ALL."

For real though don't pirate.

I bought Vampires the Masquerade: Redemption used from GameStop back when they sold PC games, and on the second install disk it had the zip folder the game files were supposed to be in, but the folder was empty. So I contacted Activision's support to see if there was anything they could do. Was told by the rep that they didn't even have the code or game files stored anywhere anymore, so there was nothing he could do. I thanked him and was just going to eat the $5 I spent on the game and got one more reply from him that had the links to where I could download iso files of the install disks, a link to a free iso manager, and instructions on how to use it.

CyricZ posted...

The Quest for Glory series had these notices for the first and second games.

But you actually didn't need the manual for the first game.

And while one could make the case that you needed one for the second game for the purpose of finding the essential money changer in the winding alleys of Shapeir (the map is printed in the documentation), you can also just ask the souvenir seller in the first plaza directions and he'll tell you.

You wouldn't need the manual until the 4th game, and that one didn't have the warning.

manila2k1 posted...

You wouldn't need the manual until the 4th game, and that one didn't have the warning.

Very few Sierra games actually had that warning. If the copy protection was in the manual they'd just ask you point blank when you booted up the game.

And then there's the Leisure Suit Larry games that quizzed you on trivia from like 20 years ago to see if you were an adult, which is kinda funny. And if you got them all right you got to see all the pixelated booba.

"Tell Mike to dip my letter in water..."

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/2/271fbac7.jpg

This is like the *only* NES game to use this form of copy protection, and I didn't even realize that's what it was as a kid.
(And yes, I actually did own a retail copy of the game with the letter. Too bad I don't still have that, it'd be a major collector's item now...)

Ivynn posted...

You wouldn't download a car!

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/6/684daeb0.jpg

What's really funny is thanks to A.I. that statement isn't even true anymore

The software you are now using was produced through the efforts of many people

Or you know, it was made by one person typing prompts into an engine...

You wouldn't download a car!

https://youtu.be/Fb7N-JtQWGI?t=60

The "I just don't want to pay for things" argument has never made much sense to me. There's infinite games out there, play one you do want to pay for instead