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Discussions Rules and Guidelines
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- You well get the license to install and play SC4.
- Don't make copies of it.
- Make any thing out of SC4 and EA has rights to it.
- If you go online (That dropbox thing which I don't think works any more) EA may collect data.
- EA is not liable if someone bad happens related to this game.
But if it is the returns thing you're worried about, Steam's return policy is basically:
- Game not played for more than 2 hours.
- Game is not owned for more than 2 weeks
If you need a refund, talk to Steam support. Anyway this game is fairly old so if you do get it (Recommend that you wait for a sale), take a look at this guide;
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=279736936
How exactly would they know? Shared region folders over dropbox is the equivelant of just sticking your region folder into a networked location and sharing it locally. SC4 has no netcode itself to begin with and wouldent be able to identify weather a file its using is located locally or on networked location.
Apart from that its like Delta said, Pretty standard Retail PC game lisence agreement from the 90's early 2000's. All rights to content are reserved by its creators (Maxis and EA), Dont make duplicates, we may collect relevent data to make improvements on the game (bug/crash reports which by this point are no longer recieved)
the Steam version is pretty much the same though you are allowed to share your steam library accross multiple computers.
Overall the "DRM" if you really want to call it that is nothing as bad as Simcity 2013.
DRM is separate from EULA or TOS agreements. The DRM for the electronic, downloadable, version of SC4 from Steam is handled by Steam. In the original, boxed, copy, it was "Safedisk." If you download it from Origin, it's Origin's new, proprietary, DRM, I think. (As of August, 2014.) I don't think GoG has any at all and uses the same main build as Steam. (Steam, GoG and Origin update their titles independently.)
You have a Steam account, since you're here. :) That means you agree to certain terms regarding Steam's DRM policies. So, you've already agreed to those if you own/play games through Steam.
A EULA is seperate from DRM. Yes, some DRM relies on certain things that are covered in a EULA, but that doesn't always have to be the case. For instance, in the retail, boxed, version of SC4, as sold, Safedisk just checked to be sure that the CD was in the drive using sneaky magics... Today, DRM can be much more complicated.
If you're using Steam, you're already committing to their EULA and DRM, anyway. But,there is a separate E.A. EULA with the Steam release version. Why? Because, the publisher is E.Friggin.A. and they want your soul... But, it's virtually meaningless - There is no longer an online SC4 content marketplace, so there is no where for you to "connect to", other than Steam, if you wish. It's likely that due to existing e-publishing agreements between E.F.A. and Steam, Steam had to include any separate EULA involving any sort of possible third-party online connection with E.F.A. servers. (That also protects Valve, by the way.) But.... those servers and that online content is gone, anyway. So, there's nothing for you to actually connect to through SC4. However, you can still download the online content, fully approved by Maxis/Origin/E.A. from a third-party fansite, if you wish. (IIRC, it's fully redistributable, with attributions, so it may even be present in the Steam version, can't remember.)
I would of said lazy, since most of the time they just slip in an alwayse online authentication server and boot anyone off the game who is using a duplicated authentication key.
Its all stupid really. There are 2 types of people who pirate games. The "Tryers" and the "Takers"
The Tryers are just trying something out because the game rental industry imploded. If they like what they try they go ahead and buy a legit copy. DRM hurts them because it puts a load of extra effort they have to put fourth to try out a new title.
The Takers however just go for the free game. A rare few will actually buy something that they really enjoy but most of them just stick with their pirated copy. DRM dosent hurt them because they are almost alwayse determined enough to get what they want and usualy they have the knowledge to bypass any DRM scheme that the industry has come up with so far. (even EA's alwayse online garbage for SC 2013 can be bypassed) Really their only roadblock is the online avalability of the game in question which gets becomes a non issue as time passes.
Thanks for the good responses!
Well, either way, any pirate is a "Taker." They're only a "Tryer" if they later buy the title or remove it from their hard-drive. (Don't really want to get into that "argument" here, though. :) )
The "best" DRM is online-live-distributed content. That's one reason why we got the SC2013 Scandal. MMO's thought they had a foolproof fan, too, until emulation servers started cropping up. Then, they thought cutting scripts would be the way to go, until those running the servers cracked into the libraries and such.
There's always a way around anything that has content in it and that you have access to. Otherwise, you couldn't even run it on your machine. (Though, there are complicated ways around that, too, but they're draconian and nobody would stand for them.)
Until we come up with quantum authentication measures, Authentication is always going to end up as Authentication=Cracked.
Good for you. I don't use Origin because of... Origin. There are a few titles I'd like to buy from them, too. But, I won't... 'cause Origin. :)
Its a rant we all know and have probably made on our own if we gave 2013 a try.
The only Origin game I ever bought, the only Origin game I ever will buy. The DRM crap didnt even really bother me. Its the fact that the game was such crap.
Then thers City's Skylines which thank GOD i didnt give into the hype for because looking at it now it looks the exact same, and has the same simulation problems from what I hear.
Is that not what I said?
Anyyway i just wanted to point out that anti piracy measures dont actually harm the people it intends.
Just look at GameDev Tycoon. They deliberately leaked a special copy of the game to torrent sites ahead of the games retail release. What made it special was that eventually ingame piracy would ruin your sales. You still got to play the game for quite some time before it became a major issue. By the time the normal game was up for grabs most of the tryers had seen plenty of the game and went ahead and bought it legitimately.
As long as it's not breaking my system like the original DRM promised too... Thanks for the info!